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The Word today, 28C

  • Writer: Admin
    Admin
  • Oct 9, 2025
  • 3 min read

October 13 - October 18, 2025



Romans 1:1-7 Paul wrote to Christians in Rome because they were in conflict with each other over how much of Jewish tradition to keep. The opening greeting is enriched with a careful account of the core convictions of the faith.


Luke 11:29-32 In Luke’s Gospel, the foundational portrait of Jesus is that of prophet, one who speak on behalf of God a penetrating word. Asking for a sign is to doubt that the prophet comes from God. Jesus, in this passage, has a robust self-understanding, ending in a challenge for us today as well.


St Callistus I, bishop of Rome, martyr


Romans 1:16-25 Paul is writing to Gentiles and Jews who have become Christians. He starts by reminding the Gentiles where they came from: idolatry and immorality. No doubt they felt uncomfortable being reminded of their past!


Luke 11:37-41 Lest we sit back in satisfaction, it may help to recall that all religious activity tends towards prizing externals, a reality today as much in the life of Jesus. What lies at the heart of religion? Jesus gives a direct answer in today’s Gospel.


St Teresa of Ávila, religious and doctor


Romans 2:1-11 Yesterday, Paul outlined Gentile sin and perhaps sneakily led the Jews into judging. Now he turns on them, his co-religionists. The path for all is repentance.


Luke 11:42-46 Experts and “higher ups” always seek honour and titles. Jesus has no time at all for such nonsense, especially when it goes hand it hand with burdensome regulations.


St Hedwig, religious; St Margaret Mary Alacoque, religious; St Gall, abbot and missionary


Romans 3:21-30 Today we hear one of the most difficult passages in Paul. In a word: Jesus’ own faithfulness discloses the faithfulness of God. I would recommend a better translation for these key verses, such as the NET bible ( available at www.bible.org).


Luke 11:47-54 Prophets are often blunt, and none blunter than Jesus himself. He does speak offensively and you can see why the officials of the day were offended and why he roused opposition, proving eventually to be lethal.


St Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr


Romans 4:1-8 Abraham was important because he was considered in “right relationship” (= justified) independently of good deeds (= circumcision, dietary laws and Sabbath observance). In other words, it was always possible to be justified without good deeds on the basis of faith.


Luke 12:1-7 Yeast, which causes inflation, provides a ready metaphor for hypocrisy (lit. mask wearing). The second paragraph assure the friends of Jesus of God’s boundless care for them. There’s even a flash of humour in the attempt at hyperbole: you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows (two could be bought for a penny!).


St Luke, gospel writer


2 Timothy 4:10-17 The reading is chosen for the feast because it mentions a certain “Luke.” This is unlikely to be the same as the writer of the Gospel and Acts. However, the reading shows somewhat wavering support for the apostle or, in reality, for those sustaining the Pauline tradition in a later context.


Luke 10:1-9 The sending the seventy-two—unique to Luke and anticipating the wider mission in the Acts— portrays a picture of fleetfooted evangelisers, who travel lightly and without hindrance of any kind.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025cj, October 12). Twenty-eighth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101225.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings


 
 
 

The Word today, 27C

  • Writer: Admin
    Admin
  • Oct 4, 2025
  • 3 min read

October 06 - October 11, 2025


St Bruno, monk


For three days we read from the book of Jonah. This intriguing novella belongs to a group of intertestamental stories (e.g. Tobit or Judith), designed to encourage or challenge Jews and Jewish practice of the time. Using drama, pastiche, irony and wit, the writer challenges tendencies to religious exclusivity and national superiority. Even the Ninevite moo cows do penance, after all, for whatever sins they might have committed!


Jonah 1:1-2:1, 11 This reading sets up the opening story of the very reluctant prophet Jonah, but God “nets” him at the end.


Luke 10:25-37 The teaching of this passage is very clear and needs almost no comment. The mention of the Samaritan — traditionally despised “cousins” — creates an intentional shock. To recreate the sense of shock, we need to explore our own prejudices. Is there anyone in our society of whom we would not expect such goodness?


Our Lady of the Rosary


Jonah 3:1-10 Jonah is called a second time and proclaims God’s word among the people of Nineveh, who are non-Jews. To his surprise (and chagrin), they listen to him! Even the cows do penance—part of the distorting wit of the book. (Bovine sins do not feature elsewhere in the Bible.)


Luke 10:38-42 Balancing life and prayer, the active and the contemplative, is always a challenge. Years ago, Archbishop Temple noted that it is not that action matters and prayer helps, but rather that prayer matters and action is its test. In this way, he moves away from the tempting either/or towards a more integrated approach.



Jonah 4:1-11 Jonah is very disappointed because his preaching is successful (!) and he gets to see no fireworks against Nineveh. God’s outreach beyond the confines of Israel is exactly the point of the book, which ends with a great question from God.


Luke 11:1-4 The Lord’s Prayer arises in Matthew and Luke. Luke’s setting is much more realistic and may touch our own need to be taught how to prayer. The prayer is also briefer and may be close to the original. Lord, teach us to pray!


St John Henry Newman, priest, religious and doctor; St Denis, bishop, and companions, martyrs


Malachi 3:13-20 Our reading reflects on a questions we all feel from time to time: what’s the point in believing, seeing that evil doers evidently prosper?


Luke 11:5-13 There’s a double teaching here, a kind of marvellous tension between persistence / resistance and the natural desire to give what is good to you children.



The book prophet Joel comes from the post-Exilic period, some time around 445-353 BC. It is usually regarded as a late book because of its cross-references to other books and on account of its complex eschatology.


Joel 1:13-15,2:1-2 This reading sounds more like something for Ash Wednesday: it is a clarion call to repentance, to a change of heart and of life.


Luke 11:15-26 It still shocks that some people attributed Jesus’ powers to the spirit of evil. There is, however, a kind of logic: if not from God, then from where? Jesus’ own logic is irrefutable: even evil cannot be selfdestructive!


St John XXIII, bishop of Rome; St Canice, abbot


Joel 4:12-21 You might sometimes wonder where our images regarding the end of time come from. This reading is the source of much of it—a bit scary, but at the same time “the Lord will be a shelter for his people”. The reading closes on a positive note.


Luke 11:27-28 This is an unexpected story, given the substantial profile of the mother of Jesus in Luke 1-2. The unknown woman utters a beatitude, an acclamation of blessing. Jesus, in his reply, gives an a fortiori response, profiling the hearing and keeping of the word of God.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025ch, October 5). Twenty-seventh Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/100525.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings


 
 
 

The Word today, 26C

  • Writer: Admin
    Admin
  • Sep 27, 2025
  • 3 min read

September 29 - October 04, 2025


Sts Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, archangels


Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 Daniel has a vision of the heavenly throne, including angels. The passage is very important for understanding Jesus’ use of the expression “Son of Man.”


John 1:47-51 Two important hints are buried in this reading. Firstly, in rabbinic tradition, the tree of knowledge was understood to be have been a fig tree (being the first species mentioned). In a transferred sense, sitting “under a fig tree” meant reading the Torah, that is, already on the spiritual quest. The heavens opened with the angels ascending and descending evokes Jacob’s ladder in Genesis 28:10-19. Jacob recurs in John 2-4, perhaps a later echo of restoration of Israel (= Jacob) going back to Jesus. In the context, it points to Jesus’ opening the path to God for all.


St Jerome, priest, doctor and biblical scholar


Zechariah 8:20-23 Zechariah offers us a delightful portrait of faithful Jews attracting others to God. This is our calling as well today.


Luke 9:51-56 As Luke presents the story of Jesus, today’s reading represents a turning point in the story. Begins here in 9:51 and reaches a climax fully nine chapters later in 19:41. Luke uses this journey to bring together extensive and profound teaching on discipleship.


St Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor


Nehemiah 2:1-8 Continuing the theme of reconstruction, Nehemiah requests permission to return and to be involved. The attachment to the faith is very moving.


Luke 9:57-62 The Gospel reading is a warning: discipleship is costly, costing “not less than everything.” The absolute demand cut across deeply embedded cultural and human values, such as one’s duties to one’s family.


The Guardian Angels


Nehemiah 8:1-12 This scene is a very famous moment of reconsecration and renewal. Notice that Ezra gives the sense in Aramaic, evidently because the ordinary people no longer understood Hebrew.


Luke 10:1-12 The sending of the seventy(-two) is nowhere else reported in the Gospels, being unique to Luke. It is often thought to be an anticipation of the sending to the Gentiles, the second mission, in the Acts of the Apostles In any case, it is not too different from the sending of the Twelve, also empowered to do exactly what Jesus himself did.


Bl Columba Marmion, abbot


Baruch 1:15-22 (Baruch purports to be written at the time of the Exile by Jeremiah’s secretary. However, most scholars believe it was written in the second century BC.) Our reading today reflects back on the catastrophe of the Exile in Babylon. Consistent with other prophets, the people must take part the blame, even if outside forces—such as the mighty Babylonian Empire—were decisive. Something similar might be said about the church’s reaction to recent crises: there are indeed outside forces but also internal culpability.


Luke 10:13-16 Jesus—in full prophetic mode—utters a sharp condemnation to some towns, because the failed to recognise the time of salvation. Rather than leave it safely in the past, we could ask, what would Jesus say today to us?


St Francis of Assisi, religious


Baruch 4:5-12, 27-29 There are two voices in this reading. At the start and at the finish, God speaks encouragingly to Israel. In the middle, Jerusalem addresses her neighbours. Again, a degree of responsibility is openly accepted.


Luke 10:17-24 The Seventy-two return rejoicing. More important is the prayer of Jesus, an exclamation of praise, which sounds like it might come from John’s Gospel. The relationship may be the other way around: this “Johannine” moment may have given rise to the distinctive vocabulary of the Fourth Gospel.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025cf, September 28). Twenty-sixth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/092825.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings


 
 
 
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