Washing Feet
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Lent is over today. We begin tonight the Sacred Triduum. It is one long liturgical celebration that encompasses Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. I hope you will make...
I Am the Betrayer
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When we think of the brutality that Jesus suffered for us, we can see that this was all foretold in today’s first reading from Isaiah 50. “I gave my back...
"I Will Lay Down My Life for You"
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Our first reading today is from Isaiah 49, more from the prophesies of the Servant of the Lord. “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation...
Out of the Dungeon
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The Gospel reading for the Monday of Holy Week is the story of Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, anointing the feet of Jesus. When Judas protests, Jesus replies,...
Enter His Passion
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Today is one of the most well-attended Mass days of the year. Passion Sunday or Palm Sunday. Outside of Christmas and Easter and perhaps Ash Wednesday, more people come to...
One Dies for Many
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As we approach Palm Sunday, the story of the final week of Jesus’ life unfolds. In the first reading from Ezekiel 37, the prophet speaks of the return of the...
Entrust Your Cause to Him
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In today's Gospel reading from John 7, the people are wondering just who Jesus is. The first reading is from Jeremiah 11. In it, Jeremiah prays: "But you, O LORD...
Longing for I AM
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There are only a very few instances of God changing someone’s name in the Scriptures. Today we see the first of these in Genesis 17. Abram gets a new name....
True Freedom
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In today’s first reading from Daniel 3, we see the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego getting thrown into the fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had faith. Faith enough...
Look Up and Live
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Today’s first reading from Numbers 21 tells us the story of God sending saraph serpents among the people of Israel, who had become terrible whiners. God then commands Moses to...
You Judge by Appearances
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The long form of today's first reading is one of the longest in the liturgical cycle. From the Book of Daniel, it reads like a courtroom novel. In the end,...
Let He Who is Without Sin...
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In today’s Gospel passage from John 8, we read the story of the woman caught in adultery. The scribes and Pharisees bring the woman before Jesus, telling Him that the...
On Surrender
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In today's Gospel reading from John 7, the people are wondering just who Jesus is. The first reading is from Jeremiah 11. In it, Jeremiah prays: "But you, O LORD...
Blinded by Wickedness
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In today’s first reading from Wisdom 2, we hear from the wicked. They despise “the just one.” They want to “condemn him to a shameful death.” We know, of course,...
Seeking People's Approval
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In today’s first reading from Exodus 32, Moses has a little heart-to-heart with God, asking Him to relent from destroying His people. And God relented. A wonderful statement on the...
I Will Never Forget You
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In the Gospel reading today from John 5, Jesus begins to reveal more clearly who He truly is. He says, “My Father is at work until now, so I am...
The Church's Medicine
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In today's first reading we see some typology. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from John 5, Jesus heals a man who has been ill for thirty-eight years....
Signs and Wonders
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In today's first reading from Isaiah 65 we see what things will be like when God brings forth "new heavens and a new earth." It is going to be beautiful....
Everything I Have is Yours
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Today's Gospel reading is the story of the prodigal son from Luke 15. There are so many things to reflect on from this story. It's always good to pick a...
The Pharisee in Me
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We’re back in Hosea for our first reading today. We see a verse from Hosea that is quoted a few times in the New Testament. “For it is love that...
Healing Our Wounds
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 12, Jesus is asked which is the first of all the commandments. Jesus answers to love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. When...
If Today You Hear His Voice
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Today we think about how God speaks to us. In the first reading from Jeremiah 7, we read:"Thus says the LORD: This is what I commanded my people: Listen to...
How We Teach Our Children
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The observance of God’s laws was of paramount importance to the Israelite people. God gave his laws to Moses, who taught them to and enjoined them on the people. More...
The Handmaid of the Lord
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Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. It is exactly nine months before Christmas. Let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas this year! In the...
That's Ridiculous!
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Our first reading today is from 2 Kings 5. It is a story about a man named Naaman. Naaman was not a child of Israel. He was a commander in...
Sin = Death
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Today and for the next few Sundays in Lent, the readings at the Mass you attend may be different from the readings I will reflect on. The reason is that...
A Loving Father and His Kids
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Some beautiful imagery in today’s first reading from Micah 7. We see that God “delights in clemency…will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins.” Then Psalm 103...
Deadly Envy
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Today’s readings feature two stories of envy, one real, the other a parable. In the first reading from Genesis 27 we see the story of Joseph. His father, Israel “loved...
Can You See Him?
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Our first reading today from Jeremiah 17 and the Responsorial Psalm are nearly identical. At the end of the passage from Jeremiah, we read, “I, the Lord, alone probe the...
Terror of Demons
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Today is the Feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. What a wonderful day! Years ago, we consecrated ourselves to St. Joseph. In the Litany of St....
Works to be Seen
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 23, Jesus warns His followers not to be like the scribes and Pharisees. He says, "Do observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but...
You Can't Outgive God
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Lent is a great time for us to come clean - to look inward and admit our faults to God. We see this in our first reading from Daniel 9...
Lenten Transfiguration
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Today’s Gospel reading is Luke’s version of the Transfiguration. This is when Jesus takes Peter, James and John up to the top of the mountain (the very same mountain that...
It Rains on Us All
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The Sermon on the Mount is filled with tough teachings. Today’s may be the toughest of all. (Of course, we can say that about nearly every verse!) “But I say...
Fair or Unfair?
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I just love the first reading today from Ezekiel 18. The Lord God says, “You say, ‘The Lord’s way is not fair!’ Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my...
You Just Need to Ask
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The theme of today’s readings is asking. The first reading is from the Book of Esther. The story of Esther is a wonderful story and I highly encourage you to...
The Sign(s) of Jonah
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Jonah is a central figure in today's readings. The first reading is from Jonah 3. Jonah obeys God's command to go and preach repentance to Nineveh. And Jesus mentions Jonah...
The Forgotten Verse
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray. He gives them a pray you may be familiar with. We call it the Our Father....
Whatever You Felt?
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In the first reading today from Leviticus 19, the Lord tells Moses to tell the people how to conduct themselves. Though not the Ten Commandments, this reading sounds similar. It...
How Satan Tempts
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Today is the First Sunday of Lent. Our Gospel reading is from Luke 4. St. Luke recounts the forty days that Jesus spent fasting and praying in the desert before He began...
Is There a Doctor in the House?
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We hear more today about things that are pleasing to God in our first reading from Isaiah 58. The Lord also talks about how we should conduct ourselves on the...
On Fasting
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In our first reading today from Isaiah 58, we hear what is truly an acceptable form of fasting. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading, the Pharisees...
The Choices We Make
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In our first reading today from Deuteronomy, Moses tells the people what they must do in order to enter the promised land. Obey the commandments of the Lord, love Him,...
Giving and Giving Up
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Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I hope you’ve given some consideration about what you will do this Lent. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus speaks...
Your Spiritual ROI
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The golden thread that runs through today’s readings could probably be summed up in this phrase: God will not be outdone in generosity. In the first reading from Sirach 35,...
Seeing the Impossible
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Repentance and conversion are essential to the Christian life. We've heard it from Sirach before and hear it again today. In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 10, we read the...
Can You See the Beam?
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In our Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus gives us another of those “Ouch!” moments. Jesus talks about how we’re so ready to point out the splinter in another’s eye...
Let the Children Come
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In the first reading today from Sirach 17, we get kind of a short history of man. We see that God “put the fear of himself upon their hearts.” In...
A Faithful Friend
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 10, Jesus teaches about marriage. The Catholic Church has always held fast to these teachings. Sure, they are difficult. But they come from...
The Sin of Presumption
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 9, Jesus lets us know how dangerous it is to lead others into sin. “It would be better for him if a great...