MAR 30, 2025

Homilies

Homilies

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Hector Molina

4th Sunday of Lent C

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A Walk in the Word (2025)


The Catholic AI assistant (specifically trained for this website), located at the bottom right-hand corner, offers insights into this Sunday’s Readings, gives guidance on the Mass, and answers questions about the Catholic Faith.



Sunday Podcast (USCCB)

4th Sunday of Lent C



Fr. Andrew Ricci

4th Sunday of Lent C

The Father’s Response to his Children

The parable of the Prodigal Son offers powerful insights into the spiritual life. May the lessons we learn inspire us to return to our Heavenly Father and accept his gifts of grace and reconciliation.

Key Points from the Readings

1st Reading – Joshua 5:9a,10-12

  • The people of Israel no longer eat manna; they now eat the produce of the land of Canaan.
  • This marks a new transition as the the Lord has “removed the reproach of Egypt” from them.

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Psalm – 34:2-7

  • “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”
  • The Lord, who brings blessings and deliverance, is the source of our hope and joy.

2nd Reading – 2nd Corinthians 5:17-21

  • Whoever is in Christ is a new creation.
  • As ambassadors for Christ we are given the ministry of reconciliation with one another.

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Gospel – Luke 15:1-3,11-32

  • The parable of the Prodigal Son reveals God’s goodness, patience, and desire for our reconciliation.
  • The Father reaches out to both his wayward younger son and his angry, stubborn older son.

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SOURCE: Study, Pray, Serve



Bulletin Inserts

Edrianne Ezell

4th Sunday of Lent C

RECENT STUDY GUIDES

Vince Contreras

4th Sunday of Lent C

STUDIES FOR YEAR C

write a fifty word summary for each of these readings xxxxxxxxxxxxx Give a one word title for each reading write a roman numeral outline with bullet points that gives a breakdown of xxxxxxxxxxxx in the NAB bible. Give a title. Do not use alphabet notations. Outline should be a summary of the text and not be preaching points. Give book, chapter and verses.

Bible Study Notes

  • The Jerome Biblical Commentary
  • The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, and 
  • The Navarre Bible.

SOURCE: St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church (Picayune, MS)

Life’s Transitions

Life transitions are difficult. Some are joyful, like moving into a new job or a better house, the arrival of children or grandchildren. Some are painful, like the loss of a spouse or employment. These transitions require personal change in new and uncontrollable directions. Sometimes the best way to face these transitions is to celebrate them.

In the first reading, Joshua prepared the people to enter the Promised Land. The days of nomadic survival were over; the time of conquest and settlement were at hand. Just the people celebrated Passover before they passed through the Red Sea to freedom, the people ate the Passover before they crossed the Jordan River into Palestine. So, Passover became a transition ritual. It bid farewell to life in the desert (represented by the manna that disappeared)…

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4th Sunday of Lent C

The Catholic AI assistant (specifically trained for this website), located at the bottom right-hand corner, offers further insights into the Sunday’s Readings. Simply copy & paste any text on this page into it for a more in depth analysis. OR simply ask your own questions.

Passover

Joshua 5:9a, 10-12

1ST READING
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1ST READING
Context


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1ST READING
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1ST READING
Agape Bible Study

write a fifty word summary for each of these readings xxxxxxxxxxxxx Give a one word title for each reading write a roman numeral outline with bullet points that gives a breakdown of xxxxxxxxxxxx in the NAB bible. Give a title. Do not use alphabet notations. Outline should be a summary of the text and not be preaching points. Give book, chapter and verses.

Bible Study Notes

  • The Jerome Biblical Commentary
  • The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, and 
  • The Navarre Bible.

SOURCE: St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church (Picayune, MS)

An Answer To
A Cliche

“Life’s not fair!” How many times have we heard that phrase? Life’s inequities are matters of fact, not opinions that can be debated.

The root of life’s inequities is sin. Life isn’t fair because we are all sinners, living together in a moral universe. Sin denies us rights and entitlements. Life isn’t fair because we fail one another.

What’s the answer to this dilemma? Should we remain on this merry-go-round of hurt and cynicism and resentment that builds walls between us? In these short verses from Second Corinthians, Paul gave us God’s answer to the problem: reconciliation. He forgave us. We experience that forgiveness in a relationship with Jesus Christ. But he offers more than forgiveness. He offers us intimacy. When we are in Christ, we are as close to the Father as his Son is.

What is our responsibility for such closeness? Evangelization. We are to tell others about the Good News of God’s reconciliation. More important, we are to live that evangelization. We are to forgive others.

Life isn’t far. That’s why God gave us forgiveness.

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4th Sunday of Lent C

The Catholic AI assistant (specifically trained for this website), located at the bottom right-hand corner, offers further insights into the Sunday’s Readings. Simply copy & paste any text on this page into it for a more in depth analysis. OR simply ask your own questions.

Transformation

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

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Theology of the Body


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2ND READING
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2ND READING
Agape Bible Study

write a fifty word summary for each of these readings xxxxxxxxxxxxx Give a one word title for each reading write a roman numeral outline with bullet points that gives a breakdown of xxxxxxxxxxxx in the NAB bible. Give a title. Do not use alphabet notations. Outline should be a summary of the text and not be preaching points. Give book, chapter and verses.

Bible Study Notes

  • The Jerome Biblical Commentary
  • The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, and 
  • The Navarre Bible.

SOURCE: St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church (Picayune, MS)

Second Chances

Lk 15:2 The religious leaders objected to the fact Jesus built his ministry upon the tax collector and the sinner. Many urban Jewish leaders stressed purity in worship and lifestyle. Such an outlook encouraged exclusion. The rural background of Jesus gave him a wider vision of ministry.

Lk 15:11 “the property belonging to (me)” is literally “the property falls to (me)”

Lk 15:18-19 “Standing up . . . ” also has the meaning of “rising up,” code words for resurrection.

Lk 15:19 “threw his arms around him” is literally “fell on his neck” The father embraced his son so tightly, his head fell on the neck and shoulders of his son.

Lk 15:22 “Quick!” This adverb modified the fetching the robe, the ring, and the sandals.

“the best one” is literally “the first one.” The robe was not only the finest. It represented the place of highest honor in the family. The family ring also indicated an honored status.

Lk 15:23 “Get the wheat-fed calf.” Wheat was the grain of the rich. Barley was the grain of the poor. Not only was this calf raised for a special occasion, it was raised for the best flavor. No expense was spared on this calf

Lk 15:24, 32 “he was lost” The word “lost” does not mean “to lose one’s way.” Its meaning lies closer to the word “destroy.” The “lost” were those who acted in a self-destructive way. “Lost” in this sense parallels “death.”

The Pharisees criticized Jesus for the focus of his ministry: the outcasts. In response, Jesus told a parable of the lost, the righteous, the loving father of both, and the great party that brought all three together. [1-3]

According to Jewish custom, a younger son received one-third of an inheritance at the death of the father, but it could be divided during the father’s lifetime. In the parable, the younger son not only “cashed out” his inheritance in an economic sense; he rejected his cultural and religious birthright when he moved from his home (Israel) to a foreign country. To use another economic saying, the younger son “sold (Judaism) out.” [11-12]

When the young man spent his inheritance foolishly, he found that he was truly a foreigner, someone without a home. To survive, he was willing to work as a swine herder; since Jews considered pigs unclean, the young man made himself unclean. Now he was truly alone, for no Jew even living in a foreign country would help him. The local pagans even despised him; they would not feed him pig food. [13-16]

Repenting, the son decided to return home and accept any punishment given him. But, instead of punishment, the son received a party with a place of honor from his father. The father rejoiced, for his son, dead to the family and the community, was now alive. [17-24] The early followers of Jesus could see themselves at the celebration; the ritual was baptism itself, the sign of repentance, rebirth, and new life with the Father…

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4th Sunday of Lent C

The Catholic AI assistant (specifically trained for this website), located at the bottom right-hand corner, offers further insights into the Sunday’s Readings. Simply copy & paste any text on this page into it for a more in depth analysis. OR simply ask your own questions.

The Prodigal Son

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

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Richard Rohr

Christopher West


4th Sunday of Lent C

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Wikipedia

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4th Sunday of Lent C

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Agape Bible Study

4th Sunday of Lent C


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