Clicking on the links below will bring you to the Sunday Mass readings published by the USCCB; scroll down the USCCB page to find the Gospel readings.

Sunday Gospels

Through the Lens of Questions

In this month, we will look at the Gospels from the perspective of the questions that are asked.

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (October 6th)

Today the Pharisees ask Jesus this question, “Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?” (Mk 10:2-16) They are not interested in love or eternal life. They’re just interested in what laws have to be kept. They are not open to the message of Jesus about self-sacrificing love, and the love we should have for those who are little including children. We need to go beyond doing just what we have to do. We need to go to the very limits of love.

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (October 13)

The rich young man comes to Jesus in order to ask him this question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mk 10:17-30) This is a better question than the question the Pharisees asked last week. But it is still limited. The rich young man still wants a plan. He wants to know what he has to do. And when he finds out that he must give everything, even his own life, he goes away sad. If we want to follow Jesus, we have to do what he did. He gave his life for us and we must give our life for him in return.

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (October 20)

On this Sunday, the questioner is Jesus. He asks James and John, “What do you wish for me to do for you?” (Mk 10:35-45) James and John have a very limited vision. They want to be great. In fact, they want to be greater than everyone else. But they don’t understand what greatness truly is. They don’t understand that it will include suffering for the salvation of others. It will include giving your whole life in service. The way to be great isn’t by putting yourself above others. It is by reaching down to them in their need.

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (October 27)

In the final Gospel for October, Jesus asks a very similar question of Bartimaeus. “What do you wish me to do for you?” (Mk 10:46-52) Bartimaeus knows what he wants. He wants to be healed, he wants to be whole, he wants to see. Jesus is very pleased with this request and he grants it to Bartimaeus. When Bartimaeus sees Jesus, He immediately knows why he was made whole. The purpose of his life is to follow Jesus. We are all longing to be whole. And there is one person who can grant this desire. Let us follow Jesus so that we can become one with him and with each other.