QUICK REFERENCE Date: December 28, 2025Liturgical Context: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and JosephUSCCB Readings: Readings: First Reading: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 Second Reading: Colossians 3:12-21 (or 3:12-17) Gospel: Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 One-Sentence Theme: God incarnates into our household systems, honoring the family as the first church where covenant identity is preserved not in stone but...
Third Sunday of Advent: When & Where We Are in the Scripture Sunday, December 14, 2025 | Third Sunday of Advent, Year A The Readings First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: November 23, 2025Liturgical Season: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Last Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C) Readings: First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3...
If there were no Sunday obligation this year—no hell threat, no requirement—would we still come? Would we still show up to encounter God in our emptiness, or are we mostly trying to look like a...
There's a question haunting this Gospel: What happens Monday morning? The tax collector went home justified. And then what? Did he go back to the booth, back to neglecting widows and orphans, back...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: October 19, 2025 (Note: Date will vary each year) Liturgical Season: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Readings: Exodus 17:8-13 | Psalm 121 | 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 | Luke...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
QUICK REFERENCE December 21, 2025 | Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year A)USCCB Readings Readings: First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6. Second Reading: Romans 1:1-7 Gospel: Matthew Matthew 1:18-24 One-Sentence Theme: Two fathers in the Davidic line—one who refuses God's sign and destroys his son, one who receives God's sign and adopts a son not his own—reveal what makes us capable of receiving Emmanuel....
QUICK REFERENCE Date: December 28, 2025Liturgical Context: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and JosephUSCCB Readings: Readings: First Reading: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
Third Sunday of Advent: When & Where We Are in the Scripture Sunday, December 14, 2025 | Third Sunday of Advent, Year A The Readings First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: November 23, 2025Liturgical Season: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Last Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C) Readings: First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3...
If there were no Sunday obligation this year—no hell threat, no requirement—would we still come? Would we still show up to encounter God in our emptiness, or are we mostly trying to look like a...
There's a question haunting this Gospel: What happens Monday morning? The tax collector went home justified. And then what? Did he go back to the booth, back to neglecting widows and orphans, back...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: October 19, 2025 (Note: Date will vary each year) Liturgical Season: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Readings: Exodus 17:8-13 | Psalm 121 | 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 | Luke...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
Third Sunday of Advent: When & Where We Are in the Scripture Sunday, December 14, 2025 | Third Sunday of Advent, Year A The Readings First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146:6-10Second Reading: James 5:7-10Gospel: Matthew 11:2-11 This Sunday - Gaudete Sunday, "Rejoice Sunday" - stands as the rose-colored candle in our Advent wreath, a flicker of joy in the midst of purple penitence. But what kind of joy? What kind of...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: December 28, 2025Liturgical Context: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and JosephUSCCB Readings: Readings: First Reading: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: November 23, 2025Liturgical Season: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Last Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C) Readings: First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3...
If there were no Sunday obligation this year—no hell threat, no requirement—would we still come? Would we still show up to encounter God in our emptiness, or are we mostly trying to look like a...
There's a question haunting this Gospel: What happens Monday morning? The tax collector went home justified. And then what? Did he go back to the booth, back to neglecting widows and orphans, back...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: October 19, 2025 (Note: Date will vary each year) Liturgical Season: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Readings: Exodus 17:8-13 | Psalm 121 | 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 | Luke...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: December 7, 2025 Liturgical Season: Second Sunday of Advent, Year A Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10 | Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 | Romans 15:4-9 | Matthew 3:1-12 One-Sentence Theme: Baptism calls us out of hiding to believe the impossible—that we can inhabit a realm where no one has to pay the cost anymore, where God's breath fills everything, and death itself is undone. THE READINGS IN CONTEXT First Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: December 28, 2025Liturgical Context: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and JosephUSCCB Readings: Readings: First Reading: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
Third Sunday of Advent: When & Where We Are in the Scripture Sunday, December 14, 2025 | Third Sunday of Advent, Year A The Readings First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: November 23, 2025Liturgical Season: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Last Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C) Readings: First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3...
If there were no Sunday obligation this year—no hell threat, no requirement—would we still come? Would we still show up to encounter God in our emptiness, or are we mostly trying to look like a...
There's a question haunting this Gospel: What happens Monday morning? The tax collector went home justified. And then what? Did he go back to the booth, back to neglecting widows and orphans, back...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: October 19, 2025 (Note: Date will vary each year) Liturgical Season: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Readings: Exodus 17:8-13 | Psalm 121 | 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 | Luke...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: November 20, 2025Liturgical Season: 1st Sundaynof Advent, Year A Readings: First Reading: Isaiah 2:1-5 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Second Reading: Romans 13:11-14 Gospel: Matthew 24:37-44 One-Sentence Theme:Like waiting for your beloved to return from a long journey, you go about your daily work, but your heart is oriented, and the longing keeps you awake. INTRODUCTION TEXT, which you are welcome...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: December 28, 2025Liturgical Context: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and JosephUSCCB Readings: Readings: First Reading: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
Third Sunday of Advent: When & Where We Are in the Scripture Sunday, December 14, 2025 | Third Sunday of Advent, Year A The Readings First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: November 23, 2025Liturgical Season: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Last Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C) Readings: First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3...
If there were no Sunday obligation this year—no hell threat, no requirement—would we still come? Would we still show up to encounter God in our emptiness, or are we mostly trying to look like a...
There's a question haunting this Gospel: What happens Monday morning? The tax collector went home justified. And then what? Did he go back to the booth, back to neglecting widows and orphans, back...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: October 19, 2025 (Note: Date will vary each year) Liturgical Season: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Readings: Exodus 17:8-13 | Psalm 121 | 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 | Luke...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: November 23, 2025Liturgical Season: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Last Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C) Readings: First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5 Second Reading: Colossians 1:12-20 Gospel: Luke 23:35-43 One-Sentence Theme:When earthly kingdoms collapse and the cosmos expands beyond human comprehension, the Church proclaims a King stripped naked on a...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: December 28, 2025Liturgical Context: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and JosephUSCCB Readings: Readings: First Reading: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
Third Sunday of Advent: When & Where We Are in the Scripture Sunday, December 14, 2025 | Third Sunday of Advent, Year A The Readings First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
If there were no Sunday obligation this year—no hell threat, no requirement—would we still come? Would we still show up to encounter God in our emptiness, or are we mostly trying to look like a...
There's a question haunting this Gospel: What happens Monday morning? The tax collector went home justified. And then what? Did he go back to the booth, back to neglecting widows and orphans, back...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: October 19, 2025 (Note: Date will vary each year) Liturgical Season: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Readings: Exodus 17:8-13 | Psalm 121 | 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 | Luke...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
If there were no Sunday obligation this year—no hell threat, no requirement—would we still come? Would we still show up to encounter God in our emptiness, or are we mostly trying to look like a well-adorned temple? QUICK REFERENCE Date: November 16, 2025Liturgical Season: 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C (Last Sunday in Ordinary Time before Christ the King) Readings: First Reading: Malachi 3:19-20a Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 98:5-6, 7-8,...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: December 28, 2025Liturgical Context: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and JosephUSCCB Readings: Readings: First Reading: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
Third Sunday of Advent: When & Where We Are in the Scripture Sunday, December 14, 2025 | Third Sunday of Advent, Year A The Readings First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: November 23, 2025Liturgical Season: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Last Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C) Readings: First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3...
There's a question haunting this Gospel: What happens Monday morning? The tax collector went home justified. And then what? Did he go back to the booth, back to neglecting widows and orphans, back...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: October 19, 2025 (Note: Date will vary each year) Liturgical Season: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Readings: Exodus 17:8-13 | Psalm 121 | 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 | Luke...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
There's a question haunting this Gospel: What happens Monday morning? The tax collector went home justified. And then what? Did he go back to the booth, back to neglecting widows and orphans, back to the life that required putting his heart to sleep? Because the tax collector knows he's damaging people. Daily. So what will he do this Monday? QUICK REFERENCE Date: October 26, 2025 Liturgical Season: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Readings:...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: December 28, 2025Liturgical Context: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and JosephUSCCB Readings: Readings: First Reading: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
Third Sunday of Advent: When & Where We Are in the Scripture Sunday, December 14, 2025 | Third Sunday of Advent, Year A The Readings First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: November 23, 2025Liturgical Season: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Last Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C) Readings: First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3...
If there were no Sunday obligation this year—no hell threat, no requirement—would we still come? Would we still show up to encounter God in our emptiness, or are we mostly trying to look like a...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: October 19, 2025 (Note: Date will vary each year) Liturgical Season: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Readings: Exodus 17:8-13 | Psalm 121 | 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 | Luke...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: October 19, 2025 (Note: Date will vary each year) Liturgical Season: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Readings: Exodus 17:8-13 | Psalm 121 | 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 | Luke 18:1-8 Theme: Persistent prayer requires exhausting work, community support, and the counterintuitive choice to keep looking up when everything pulls our gaze down. INTRODUCTION TEXT, which you are welcome to read aloud before the Liturgy of the Word, is...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: December 28, 2025Liturgical Context: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and JosephUSCCB Readings: Readings: First Reading: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
Third Sunday of Advent: When & Where We Are in the Scripture Sunday, December 14, 2025 | Third Sunday of Advent, Year A The Readings First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: November 23, 2025Liturgical Season: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Last Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C) Readings: First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3...
If there were no Sunday obligation this year—no hell threat, no requirement—would we still come? Would we still show up to encounter God in our emptiness, or are we mostly trying to look like a...
There's a question haunting this Gospel: What happens Monday morning? The tax collector went home justified. And then what? Did he go back to the booth, back to neglecting widows and orphans, back...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? First Reading: Wisdom 18:6-9 The Night That Changed Everything When & Where: Written around 50 BC by an Alexandrian Jew reflecting on the Passover night when God delivered Israel from Egypt. The Hidden Celebration: "The night of the passover was known beforehand to our fathers, that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith, they might have courage." This isn't just historical...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: December 28, 2025Liturgical Context: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and JosephUSCCB Readings: Readings: First Reading: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
Third Sunday of Advent: When & Where We Are in the Scripture Sunday, December 14, 2025 | Third Sunday of Advent, Year A The Readings First Reading: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10Responsorial Psalm: Psalm...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: November 23, 2025Liturgical Season: Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (Last Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C) Readings: First Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3...
If there were no Sunday obligation this year—no hell threat, no requirement—would we still come? Would we still show up to encounter God in our emptiness, or are we mostly trying to look like a...
There's a question haunting this Gospel: What happens Monday morning? The tax collector went home justified. And then what? Did he go back to the booth, back to neglecting widows and orphans, back...
QUICK REFERENCE Date: October 19, 2025 (Note: Date will vary each year) Liturgical Season: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C Readings: Exodus 17:8-13 | Psalm 121 | 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2 | Luke...
A Reflection for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C What if Abel, the "good" brother in the Bible's first murder story, was actually disobeying God's instructions? What if Cain, the "bad"...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? A Jarring Shift: After last Sunday's tender invitation to call God "Abba, Daddy" in the Lord's Prayer, this week's readings might feel like spiritual...
A Reflection for the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time What Do We Remember from Our Baptism? I was three months and four days old when I was brought to the church for my baptism. Like most of us, I have...
Quick Overview: Where Are We in the Bible? After last week's readings following Moses through the desert, this Sunday takes us on a dramatic leap backward—almost 2,000 years before Christ—to...
