# Discuss this Week's Scripture Readings **URL:** \ **Category:** Liturgy/Sacraments\ **Created:** [March 25, 2024, 9:10pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467 "2024-03-25T21:10:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 9:10pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/1 "2024-03-25T21:10:40Z")
I thought it would be fun for us to discuss the Sacred Readings from/for each Sunday Liturgy. We have a new young Priest and he is a gifted homilist (thanks be to God). I also attend a weekly Men’s Bible Study, which I get a lot out of, and Fr. Matthew adds even more depth come Sunday. I think if we all share here, we can all grow as Christians in God’s Word. ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 9:30pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/2 "2024-03-25T21:30:10Z")
This past Sunday, Jesus prays [Psalm 22](https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/22) while suffering on the Cross. "And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?’ which is translated, [“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”](https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/15?34) — Mark 15:34 Fr. Matt invited us to read all of Psalm 22 this Week. I have not done it yet, but I will tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 12:52am UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/3 "2024-03-26T00:52:41Z")
I just did my Bible Study with my co-worker (who is Protestant) and the last verse mentioned in the devotional was from Hebrews 13:5, “I will never forsake you nor abandon you.” God does not give up on us. Nor should we give up on Him. Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be strong and steadfast; have no fear or dread, for it is the Lord, your God, who marches with you; he will never fail you nor forsake you.” God’s divine promise to Joshua (Moses’s successor), if Israel totally relies on the Lord for victory is as such, “As I was with Moses, I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). Per Fr. Matthew’s challenge to read all of Psalm 22 this Week, I read it just prior to doing this devotional with my co-worker. I can see why Jesus chose this Prayer nearing the end of His Passion. It foreshadows all that Jesus had just gone through. Some believe Jesus felt abandoned by God on the Cross, but I believe He was finding comfort and strength in the Psalm. Not only did this Psalm speak to Him, but this Psalm spoke of Him. Jesus was fulfilling what the ancient Scriptures prophesied. And Jesus is the answer to their/our Prayer. ---
**Author:** ![Literalman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/literalman/32/117_2.png) [@Literalman](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Literalman)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 1:10pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/4 "2024-04-08T13:10:26Z")
I’m not sure it was a Sunday reading, but recently we heard Luke 24 about the two disciples walking to Emmaus. Only a few years ago, after 60-some Easters (the first few of which I don’t remember 😀), I realized that the disciples recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread only a few days after Jesus had instituted the Eucharist, and the two who were going to Emmaus hadn’t been at the Last Supper. So during the days we now call the Easter Triduum, the Apostles must have taught the other disciples about the breaking of the bread and presumably were practicing it. ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2024, 1:52pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/5 "2024-04-08T13:52:06Z")
> [@Literalman](#): > > I’m not sure it was a Sunday reading, but recently we heard Luke 24 about the two disciples walking to Emmaus. This blew my mind too the first time I heard it. Since then, it has become one of my favorite moments. ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2024, 8:05pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/6 "2024-04-12T20:05:55Z")
This kind of ties into [this Sunday’s Gospel Reading](https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/041424.cfm). When the disciples see Jesus, they think they are seeing a ghost. Our risen Lord shows them His hands and His feet in the flesh. Then He eats baked fish to prove to them that He is not a ghost. Then Jesus reveals to them how the fulfillment of Scripture has come! How would you have reacted if you saw Jesus in bodily form after He had been dead for three days?! There would probably be a puddle under my sandals : ) ---
**Author:** ![MDD2299](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/mdd2299/32/274_2.png) [@MDD2299](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/MDD2299)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2024, 4:04pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/7 "2024-04-14T16:04:45Z")
Our readings on the 1962 calendar for today are the Good Sheperd passages. The homily tied in nicely with all the issues with the hierarchy these days and was a perfect continuation of the homily we heard from Cardinal Burke Thursday on the feast of St. Leo the Great. What a blessing to be at a Mass celebrated by such a holy man as Cardinal Burke. ---
**Author:** ![Literalman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/literalman/32/117_2.png) [@Literalman](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Literalman)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2024, 4:49pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/8 "2024-04-15T16:49:22Z")
It’s interesting that He didn’t say, “There’s no such thing as ghosts!” ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2024, 5:00pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/9 "2024-04-15T17:00:31Z")
Very true. Never really thought of that : ) ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 1:41pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/10 "2024-04-22T13:41:51Z")
> [@What is a Saint?](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/what-is-a-saint/1518/2): > > At older age, I started to hear, see and understand Gods way of talking to His sheep! Todays readings are so telling! The Bishops better start paying attention to Jesus’ Gospels. At my Mens’ group last Thursday night, we discussed this past [Sunday’s Gospel](https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/042124.cfm) reading. We too picked up on how our shepherds (our Bishops & Priests) must do a better job of shepherding in truth and love. Their main job is to protect us from the wolves, prowling about the world, seeking to snare, scatter, and ruin souls. We also talked about how sometimes we, the sheep, push other sheep out of the flock. We can do a better job of being more like Christ, the Lamb. ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2024, 6:35pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/11 "2024-04-29T18:35:49Z")
This past Sunday’s Gospel Reading is John 15:1-8 — “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower…” He prunes the branches that bear fruit so that we bear more fruit. Bishop Robert Barron made an interesting point in his Homily (Sermon) that speaks to me as a Christian Libertarian. Christians are “theonomous” (Christ’s body) which sustains life. However, those who cut themselves off from the Vine are “autonomous” (“My body”) which leads to spiritual death. I agree 💯 that government does not own our bodies, but I have never been comfortable with the idea that we own our own bodies, as some Libertarians promote. Even in Marriage, “the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.” — Mark 10:8-9 “The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another except with mutual consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” — 1 Corinthians 7:4-5 This idea of “self-control” is something that we cannot do apart from God’s grace working in us, which brings us back to the Vine. “Let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace in time of need.” — Hebrews 4:16 Amen ♱ ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2024, 1:56pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/12 "2024-07-24T13:56:44Z")
I wonder how many Priests and Bishops took the first reading to heart this past Sunday. “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the Lord…” (Jeremiah 23:1-6) I was hoping our Priest (who is an awesome homilist who speaks to both the head and the heart people), but our Deacon gave the Homily. I love our Deacon. He is a man’s man and owns his own construction business, but when it comes to preaching, Fr. Matthew speaks more my language. Maybe next Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B, we will still be blessed with Fr. Matt and maybe he’ll take this one : ) ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 3:41pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/13 "2025-02-10T15:41:06Z")
Two things really stood out to me in this past Sunday’s Reading: **From St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)** _I am reminding you, brothers and sisters,_ _of the gospel I preached to you,_ _which you indeed received and in which you also stand._ _Through it you are also being saved,_ _if you hold fast to the word I preached to you,_ _unless you believed in vain._ _For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received:_ _that Christ died for our sins_ _in accordance with the Scriptures;_ _that he was buried;_ _that he was raised on the third day_ _in accordance with the Scriptures;_ _that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve._ _After that, Christ appeared to more_ _than five hundred brothers at once,_ _most of whom are still living,_ _though some have fallen asleep._ _After that he appeared to James,_ _then to all the apostles._ _Last of all, as to one born abnormally,_ _he appeared to me._ _For I am the least of the apostles,_ _not fit to be called an apostle,_ _because I persecuted the church of God._ _But by the grace of God I am what I am,_ _and his grace to me has not been ineffective._ _Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them;_ _not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me._ _Therefore, whether it be I or they,_ _so we preach and so you believed._ **And from the Gospel according to St. Luke (Luke 5:1-11)** _While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening_ _to the word of God,_ _he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret._ _He saw two boats there alongside the lake;_ _the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets._ _Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,_ _he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore._ _Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat._ _After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,_ _“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”_ _Simon said in reply,_ _"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,_ _but at your command I will lower the nets."_ _When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish_ _and their nets were tearing._ _They signaled to their partners in the other boat_ _to come to help them._ _They came and filled both boats_ _so that the boats were in danger of sinking._ _When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,_ _“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”_ _For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him_ _and all those with him,_ _and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,_ _who were partners of Simon._ _Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid;_ _from now on you will be catching men."_ _When they brought their boats to the shore,_ _they left everything and followed him._ The first things that stood out to me was the humility of both St. Paul and St. Peter (our first Pope). St. Paul admits, “For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective.” Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” And God called both of these men of many weaknesses to lead His Church (by the grace of God they followed Christ Jesus). The second thing I noticed in the Gospel reading was that the word “sinking” is made up of two words, _sin_ and _king_. When we make a king of our sin, then we lose faith (trust) in God, but when we make Christ our King, then we become humbled, but made strong. _Lord, let us be more like St. Peter and St. Paul. Let us not sink into despair and fear, but rise in You. Amen_ ♱ ---
**Author:** ![Literalman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/literalman/32/117_2.png) [@Literalman](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Literalman)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2025, 1:32pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/15 "2025-04-07T13:32:26Z")
After hearing Sunday’s Gospel reading, I recalled that one of my college professors, Richard Mitchell, wrote about this in his book _The Gift of Fire_. He said that Jesus challenged the Pharisees and teachers of the law to know themselves as sinners. Each of them (one by one) gained some self-knowledge and declined to stone the woman. ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2025, 2:35pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/16 "2025-04-07T14:35:03Z")
Our Priest, who is a great homilist, mentioned that Jesus might have writing the sins of the Pharisees with his finger in the sand, and pointed out how, unlike _The Law_ that was written in stone, our sins can be wiped away by Jesus, who saves us from our sins, if we humble ourselves before the Lord. He also mentioned how Scripture never tells us _what_ Jesus wrote in the sand. Some believe Jesus was writing the words of _The Law_ that mentions how both the male _and_ female caught in adultery are to be held accountable and not just the woman, but I think it makes more sense that Jesus was calling out their hypocrisy by writing their sins in the dirt. ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 2:29pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/17 "2025-05-27T14:29:44Z")
The topic of Church Authority has come up quite a bit, since the Conclave. Many Protestants have been voicing how their only authority is the Bible, while some Catholics argue that the Church is. Really both are authoritative. Some Protestant put the Office of Pope vs. Jesus, but if these ignorant Christians read what Catholic Christians _actually_ believe, rather than what they have been told by ignorant Pastors or by poorly catechized Catholics, then they would see that these are not in conflict. Both The Bible & The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that _Jesus Christ_ is the head of _the church_ (see paragraphs 787-796 for what the Catholic Church teaches on this topic & there are footnotes to Sacred Scripture if you would like to look up the verses : ) Christ started a Church in the Apostles. And when Judas offed himself, Judas was replaced by a successor. And as the Church grew, the Apostles appointed successors. St. Peter’s successor as the Bishop of Rome was St. Linus. St. Ignatius, the second Bishop of Antioch under St. Evodius, was also a successor of St. Peter the Apostle. We have a lot of Ignatius’ writings. Ignatius wrote in 110 A.D. about where the Bishops are, there is the Church to emphasize the importance of Bishops in the unity & authority of the church. The _church_ is both the mystical body of Christ and an actual body, made up of members of believers. And there were men given breathed authority, to bind and to loosen, by Christ and passed on by their successors (we call this _Apostolic Succession_). I am reminded of Matthew 18:15, where God’s Word says that If your brother sins against you… 1. Go to him directly 2. Take another with you 3. Go to the Church But, which Church? There are a million different Christian Churches all teaching different things today. Do you go to the one that agrees with you? And what if this individual goes to a different Church? It doesn’t say go to The Bible (again we are not against The Bible), which brings me to the next point. What does The Bible say is the “pillar” & “bulwark” of truth (1 Timothy 3:15)? The Bible or the Church? I feel like I have to re-iterate here again, that this does not mean that there is conflict between The Bible and The Church. We are not bashing The Bible when we point this out. Both The Bible and The Church are a gift and without them _both_, we would be ignorant of Christ. This brings me to the First Reading this past Sunday, which revealed something that I had never recognized previously. In **Acts 15** , the Early Christians had a question that needed clarification. So they sent Barsabbas and Silas, “leaders among the brothers,” to Antioch to the Apostles to get clarification about this question. St. Paul did not say, “Look in the Scriptures” (which would have been the Old Testament). Instead he agrees to send them to Antioch. And they received a letter from the other Apostles (presumably St. Peter) which clarified the official teaching. And since St. Evodius was made the first Bishop of Antioch, I would not be surprised if he too was not involved in answering the question (though this is just speculation on my part). ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 3:05pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/19 "2025-07-11T15:05:15Z")
This coming Sunday’s Gospel Reading is “The Good Samaritan.” Bishop Barron’s Homily on this Parable, where he pulls from some of the teachings of the Early Church Fathers, is _awesome!_ I will never look at this Parable the same again. [![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/uploads/catholic365/original/1X/bebe47b711063bf29949ba6d83c5f8ef51478c7d.jpeg "Christ Can Heal Us - Bishop Barron's Sunday Sermon") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvpSzNLWPcw) ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2025, 1:19pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/37 "2025-09-19T13:19:20Z")
This Sunday’s Gospel is confusing as heck! [Luke 16:1-12](https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/16?1) Jesus said to his disciples, "A rich man had a steward who was reported to him for squandering his property. He summoned him and said, ‘What is this I hear about you? Prepare a full account of your stewardship, because you can no longer be my steward.’ The steward said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me? I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg. I know what I shall do so that, when I am removed from the stewardship, they may welcome me into their homes.’ He called in his master’s debtors one by one. To the first he said, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ He replied, ‘One hundred measures of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note. Sit down and quickly write one for fifty.’ Then to another the steward said, ‘And you, how much do you owe?’ He replied, ‘One hundred kors of wheat.’ The steward said to him, ‘Here is your promissory note; write one for eighty.’ And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently. “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth, so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones. If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth? If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?” ---
**Author:** ![Literalman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/literalman/32/117_2.png) [@Literalman](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Literalman)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2025, 12:49pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/40 "2025-09-20T12:49:41Z")
My 1970 New American Bible says, “Make friends for yourselves through your use of this world’s goods,” not “with dishonest wealth.” I worry about some of the changes to the translation. When someone tells me to swipe a credit card through a card reader, I sometimes say that I got all my credit cards by swiping them. But I’m just joking. By the way, in the Philippines, I have seen signs that say, “Be honest even when others are not.” ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2025, 5:27pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/discuss-this-weeks-scripture-readings/1467/41 "2025-09-22T17:27:00Z")
> [@Literalman](#): > > By the way, in the Philippines, I have seen signs that say, “Be honest even when others are not.” I like that. We should do that here, but I’m sure someone will make it a political statement. Everything seems to be political these days.