Dad Talk guide to the Sunday Mass readings

Dad Talk guide to the Sunday Mass readings

John Bursch

Episodes 70
Avg. Duration 14m
Activity Highly Active
Since Feb 2025
Latest Episode May 2026

Publishing Details

Schedule
Weekly
Format
Episodic
Consistency
84%
Hosting
anchor.fm

About This Podcast

Seeking to understand more about the Sunday Mass readings, I started reading Bible commentaries after Mass several years ago, then giving a 15-minute talk to our children about the context of the readings (history, geography, etc.) and their relationship to each other. We called these "Dad Talks." Over time, we started to share them with others. To dive even deeper, I recommend acquiring your own copy of my source materials: Brant Pitre & John Bergsma's "A Catholic Introduction to the Bible," the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture set, and various books mentioned in the Talks. God bless!

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Recent Episodes

S1E70 Dad Talk - The Ascension of the Lord (Cycle A)

May 15, 2026 16m

Unless you're in the Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha, or Philadelphia Dioceses, then this Sunday you're celebrating the Ascension of the Lord. In this week's Dad Talk, we'll explore the many…

S1E69 Dad Talk - Sixth Sunday of Easter (Cycle A)

May 07, 2026 11m

This Sunday's readings are filled with references to the Holy Spirit, the paraclete. In this week's Dad Talk, we'll unpack those references and discuss how we should be thinking about the Holy Spirt…

S1E68 Dad Talk - Fifth Sunday of Easter (Cycle A)

May 02, 2026 11m

In this Sunday's first reading, we see the consecration of the Church's first deacons! We'll talk about that passage at length, as well as our own role in teaching and evangelizing the Good News.…

S1E67 Dad Talk - Fourth Sunday of Easter (Cycle A)

Apr 24, 2026 12m

This week's readings include the difficult teaching that suffering is our vocation as Christians. We suffer for Christ, our Good Shepherd, because he suffered for us. We'll discuss that subject - and…

S1E66 Dad Talk - Third Sunday of Easter (Cycle A)

Apr 18, 2026 16m

The common thread between this Sunday's three readings is that God planned to save us through Jesus's passion, death, and resurrection from the beginning of time. And the readings' details are…

S1E65 Dad Talk - Second Sunday of Easter (Cycle A)

Apr 12, 2026 15m

This weekend, we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, a devotion that came from the life and writings of Saint Faustina. What's amazing is that our Gospel reading is about Jesus instituting the Sacrament…

S1E64 Dad Talk - Easter (Cycle A)

Apr 04, 2026 13m

We'll take a quick look at all the readings from the Easter Vigil (and there are many) because collectively, they contain the entirety of salvation history. We'll conclude with Jesus's encounter with…

S1E63 Dad Talk - Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

Mar 29, 2026 23m

As we enter into the holiest week of the year, it is especially important to pay attention to all the details in our Sunday readings. Hidden inside Jesus's passion narrative are countless prophecies…

S1E62 Dad Talk - Fifth Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)

Mar 21, 2026 15m

This week's Gospel reading includes two powerful messages: suffering often glorifies God, and Jesus has the power to defeat death itself. But along the way, the passage throws a few curveballs, such…

S1E61 Dad Talk - Fourth Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)

Mar 13, 2026 17m

During this Sunday's Gospel reading, we learn that it is not Jesus or the blind man (who can now see) who are on trial but rather the Pharisees - who persist in their spiritual blindness. In today's…

S1E60 Dad Talk - Third Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)

Mar 06, 2026 16m

St. Augustine famously wrote, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” That's absolutely true. But sometimes we forget that Jesus's heart is also…

S1E59 Dad Talk - Second Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)

Feb 28, 2026 13m

Anthony the Great explained that Abraham's response to God's call—to do as God directed and leave everything behind—is the model for how we should respond to Jesus's call to repent and follow Him. In…

S1E58 Dad Talk - First Sunday of Lent (Cycle A)

Feb 19, 2026 15m

This Sunday's readings contain the entire history of our fallen nature, from Original Sin in the Garden of Eden, to the resulting concupiscence passed to each generation, to our redemption in…

S1E57 Dad Talk - Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Feb 14, 2026 17m

As an anonymous early Church Father explained, Christ's commandment contains the law, but the law does not contain Christ's commandment. In this Sunday's Gospel, Jesus walks through several of the 10…

S1E56 Dad Talk - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Feb 07, 2026 9m

In this Sunday's Gospel reading, Jesus exhorts us to be salt and light for the world. But what does he mean by that? And how are we supposed to live that way? We'll explore that subject in today's…

S1E55 Dad Talk - Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Jan 29, 2026 18m

We may tend to move quickly through the Beatitudes in today's Gospel, but they teach us something very important - how to live like Jesus, leading to salvation and evangelization.  We'll discuss how…

S1E54 Dad Talk - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Jan 24, 2026 16m

Like Abraham, the Apostles in today's Gospel reading heard God's call and immediately left everything behind to do what God asked. We'll discuss what that means for us—and why we hear about Zebulun…

S1E53 Dad Talk - Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle A)

Jan 18, 2026 14m

When John the Baptist sees Jesus, he cries out, "Behold, the Lamb of God." What does he mean by that? We'll explore that comment - and how Paul calls us to be holy - in today's Dad Talk. Please share…

S1E52 Dad Talk - The Baptism of the Lord (Cycle A)

Jan 11, 2026 10m

This week's Dad Talk will explore the significance of the Baptism of the Lord as depicted in the Gospels, highlighting unique aspects of each Gospel account. It delves into the prophecies of Isaiah,…

S1E51 Dad Talk - Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (Cycle A)

Jan 04, 2026 14m

This Solemnity's readings include one of the most famous passages in the Gospels: the visit of the three magi. There are many mysteries to unpack in this story—including how the Church Fathers ask us…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Dad Talk guide to the Sunday Mass readings have?

Dad Talk guide to the Sunday Mass readings has published 70 episodes since February 2025, covering topics in Christianity, Religion & Spirituality.

Is Dad Talk guide to the Sunday Mass readings still active?

Dad Talk guide to the Sunday Mass readings is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 14m.

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