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Sunday Reflection for June 23, 2013
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time
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Sunday Summary

Zechariah 12:10-11; 13:1 Under Persian rule a prophet envisions an Israel free to mourn its past and heal its future.

Psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9 The relationship between God and the human supplicant is intimate and sustaining.

Galatians 3:26-29 Saint Paul considers three traditional distinctions of persons and then dismisses them “in Christ.”

Luke 9:18-24 The question of the identity of Jesus continues to hang over his every word and action.

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12th Sunday
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Exploring the Word
A question of identity
A question hangs over the world for 20 centuries, dividing Jews and Christians in an incontrovertible way. Who is Jesus? Is he the messiah promised in sacred texts of the past or not? If he is, how are we to understand him? What does his messiahship involve? What difference does it make if we accept it or not? A writer adding to Zechariah’s scroll after the exile mentions one who is pierced and mourned—and Christians flash at once to the Crucifixion, as we do at a dozen prophecies and more from the sayings of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, and even Moses. Of course we do. And of course the faithful Jewish community . . .
Read More of this and future Reflections
Weekday Homily Reflection for June 18, 2013
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World news in light of the Good News
for Sunday, June 23, 2013
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Preaching the News

Some of the stories we are watching this week . . .

Please note: The final version of Preaching in Light of the News is posted each week on Thursday morning

U.S. to arm Syrian rebels
The psalmist’s calls for support are answered by the Lord, we hear this Sunday: “You are my help . . . . your right hand upholds me.” Answering calls from Syrian rebels for more support, President Barack Obama has decided to supply military aid, a decision he will discuss this week during meetings with other world leaders at the G-8 summit underway in Northern Ireland.

Obama makes diplomatic choice for Vatican post
Questions of identity are front and center in this Sunday’s gospel as Jesus first asks his disciples, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” and then, even closer to home, “but who do you say that I am?” Months of speculation on whom President Barack Obama would pick as the new U.S. ambassador to the Vatican ended last Friday with the nomination of Ken Hackett, former head of Catholic Relief Services.

Pastoral Trends
Megatrend: Church and society
The megatrend in religion today is how church connects to larger society . . .  Read more...