Joseph S. Pagano
The Rev. Joseph S. Pagano is an Episcopal priest living in Mont Tremblant, Quebec. He is co-editor of Common Prayer: Reflections on Episcopal Worship and Saving Words: 20 Redemptive Words Worth Rescuing.
Sermons and Bible Studies
Going Home Justified, Proper 25 (C) – 2025
[RCL] Joel 2:23-32; Psalm 65; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14 In our Gospel lesson, two people go to the Temple to pray, but only one goes home justified. Why? First on the scene, we meet the Pharisee. He assumes the correct position for prayer: he stands. Yet, he stands by himself, setting himself apart […]
The Reign of Christ, Proper 12 (C) – 2025
[RCL] Hosea 1:2-10; Psalm 85; Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19); Luke 11:1-13 When the Rt. Rev. Mariann Budde urged President Trump to have mercy at the National Cathedral, she sparked a conversation on the proper relationship between the church and politics. On the one hand, many cheered her biblical call for mercy in public life. What else […]
Sacred Spaces, Lent 3 (B) – 2024
[RCL] Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; John 2:13-22 In 2008, in Jerusalem, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a fistfight broke out between Greek and Armenian monks. The church is the traditional site of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Here’s the BBC report: “Israeli police had to restore order at one of Christianity’s […]
Out of Nazareth, Epiphany 2 (B) – 2024
[RCL] 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (11-20); Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51 Can anything good come out of Nazareth? In our Gospel lesson, Jesus finds Philip and says to him, “Follow me.” A little later, Philip finds Nathaniel and says to him, “We have found him about whom Moses and also the prophets wrote, […]
Like Mary, Advent 4 (B) – 2023
[RCL] 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Canticle 3 or Canticle 15 or Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38 Our Gospel lesson is wonderful and glorious and brings us to the edge of Christmas. It is the story of the Annunciation. The angel Gabriel is sent by God to the town of Nazareth, to a virgin […]
Signs, Passion, and Glory, Monday in Holy Week – 2022
[RCL] Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 36:5-11; Hebrews 9:11-15; John 12:1-11 Our Gospel lesson is a hinge text. It concludes the first half of John’s Gospel, which scholars name “the Book of Signs.” It also prepares for the second half of the Gospel, which scholars call either “the Book of Glory” or “the Book of the Passion.” […]
Upside Down, Tuesday in Holy Week – 2021
RCL: Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 71:1-14; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; John 12:20-36 In our epistle lesson, Paul deflates claims of believers who puff themselves up. The First Letter to the Corinthians is addressed to a church experiencing divisions and scandals. A lot of them. Part of the problem seems to be a group of self-styled, super-spiritual people. […]
Modern-Day Donatism and the Gospel, Proper 25 (C) – 2019
[RCL]: Joel 2:23-32; Psalm 65; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14 At a recent church gathering, participants were told to come ready to answer the following question: Which ancient heresy do you think is most prevalent in the church today and why? These questions can be awful, maybe reminding us of those party games where […]
Astounding, Day of Pentecost (C) – 2019
[RCL]: Acts 2:1-21 or Genesis 11:1-9; Psalm 104:25-35, 37; Romans 8:14-17 or Acts 2:1-21; John 14:8-17, (25-27) In our lesson about Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the first disciples and they started to speak in different languages, the crowd, we are told, responds in interesting ways: they were confused, they were […]
The Angels’ Question, The Great Vigil of Easter – 2019
On the first Easter, very early in the morning, the women come to the tomb with spices to anoint Jesus’ body. They find the stone rolled away so they enter the tomb, but they do not find Jesus’ body. Two angels in clothes that gleamed like lightning appear and the women bow down in fear, […]
Let Me See, Proper 25 (B) – 2018
The ancients used to call sight, “The Queen of the Senses.” I suspect this enthronement of the sense of sight is still understandable to us. After all, what is lovelier than seeing the orange fire of the sky at sunrise? What is more beautiful than the burning leaves of autumn? What touches our hearts more […]
Names, Holy Name Day – 2018
Names can tell us a lot about people’s characters and the roles they play in a story. One of the pleasures of reading literature is discovering the meaning of characters’ names. Authors will often give their characters names that tell us something important about who they are and about what they will do in the […]
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