Catherine Cavadini, Ph.D., is the assistant chair of the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Theology and director of its master’s program in theology.
Be ready for Mass on the Thirty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time. Scripture columnist Catherine Cavadini reflects upon the story of Zaccheus, who climbs a sycamore tree to get a view of Jesus. Zaccheus sees God’s littleness. Catherine writes, “Because of God’s ‘littleness’
Be ready for Mass on the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time. Scripture reflection columnist Catherine Cavadini talks about the battle of prayer. She encourages us to never become discouraged and cease to pray; to remain vigilant; and, to confront what we experience
Be ready for Mass on the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time. Scripture reflection columnist Catherine Cavadini encourages us to consider the image of a mulberry tree uprooting and re-rooting itself in the sea. In particular, what if we thought of the mulberry
As she examines the readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Scripture columnist Catherine Cavadini digs into the Gospel reading from Luke in which Christ offers a profound lesson on poverty. Cavadini writes that this passage has inspired some of our
In preparation for Mass on the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Scripture columnist Catherine Cavadini quotes the first reading from the Book of Wisdom, which asks, “Who can know God’s counsel, or who can conceive what the Lord intends?” The passage “comes
Be ready for Mass on the 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time by reading Opening the Word. Scripture columnist Catherine Cavadini explores this week’s readings through the lens of Pope St. John Paul II, who said, “Freedom exists for the sake of love.”
In preparation for Mass on the 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Scripture columnist Catherine Cavadini writes that the faith of Abraham is the thread that ties this weekend’s readings together — specifically God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac: “The difficulty
In her reflection for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time, she offers a mediation on the third petition of Luke’s prayer, “Give us each day our daily bread,” with help from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. She writes: “The Catechism tells
As she prepares us for Mass with Opening the Word for the 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Notre Dame theology professor Catherine Cavadini explores the reading of the good Samaritan, seen through the eyes of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, who preached that
In Opening the Word Scripture reflection for June 26, Notre Dame professor Catherine Cavadini looks at the heroic sacrifice of St. Maximilian Kolbe and how his understanding of the Gospel moved him to give his own life for the sake of his