Soar Like an Eagle
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We’re back in Isaiah for our first reading today. The final verse in today’s reading is Isaiah 40:31. I’ll talk about it in a moment. Our Gospel passage today is...
The People is the Grass
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In today’s first reading from Isaiah 40, Isaiah is told, “Cry out!” He answers to the voice, “What shall I cry out?” We’ll talk about it in a moment. In...
Conceived Without Sin
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Remember that, for Catholics, today is a Holy Day of obligation. I hope you will make it a point to attend...
Crying Out In the Desert
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Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 3, we read about the ministry of John the Baptist. He is the one about whom the...
Avoid the Mine Field
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In today's first reading from Isaiah 30, we read, "No longer will our Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, while from behind, a...
What We're Blind To
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In the first reading today from Isaiah 29, the LORD GOD says, “On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book; And out of gloom and darkness,...
A Construction Lesson from the Lord
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Our first reading from Isaiah 26 includes this: "For the LORD is an eternal Rock. Jesus continues this theme of rock in our Gospel reading from Matthew 7. Today Jesus...
The Ultimate Feast
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There are two common elements in today's readings - a mountain and food. Here's the beginning of the first reading from Isaiah 25: "On this mountain the LORD of hosts...
Blessed are Your Eyes
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We get another glimpse into a beautiful future of peace in our first reading from Isaiah 11. In the Gospel reading from Luke 10, Jesus says something to His disciples...
Subject to Authority
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Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 8 contains a line that every Catholic should be familiar with. They are the words of a centurion who asked Jesus to heal a servant...
The Day is at Hand
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Today is the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of a new liturgical year. Happy New Year! We begin the year (the season of Advent) by preparing for what is...
Beware
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Today is the last day of the liturgical year. Tomorrow we begin the season of Advent. So it seems fitting that today's Gospel reading prepares us for the Advent season....
Jesus' Words
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 21, Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” And so it has been. Seasons come and...
Catholicism and Thanksgiving
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Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Happy Thanksgiving! I have a link to today’s readings at the bottom of today’s post. These are optional readings for Thanksgiving Day. But...
Not a Hair on Your Head
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In today’s Gospel passage from Luke 21, Jesus talks about some of the fun things that his disciples could expect. This Christian thing is like a veritable amusement park! Check...
Do Not Follow Them
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Today's Gospel reading is the first half of a reading we heard a couple of Sundays ago. In it, Jesus talks about the end times. He says, "See that you...
No Pain, No Gain
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In the first reading today, we read the beginning of the Book of the Prophet Daniel. Daniel was a gifted young man, and faithful to God. For that, God blessed...
The Perfect King
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Today the Church celebrates the end of the liturgical year. Fittingly enough, it is the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, or more commonly referred to...
Marriage and the Resurrection
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In the Gospel from Luke 20, some Saducees, who don’t believe in the resurrection of the body, throw a trick question at Jesus about who a woman would be married...
Cleaning House
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In our Gospel reading from Luke 19, Jesus goes into the temple area and drives out those who were selling things, saying to them, “My house shall be a house...
The Power of Zeal
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All week long we've been reading about heroes of the faith in Maccabees. Today we read about Mattathias. In our Gospel reading from Luke 19, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem and...
Another Hero of the Faith
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In our first reading today from 2 Maccabees 7, we meet yet another hero of faith. She is a mother who exhibits amazing faith and bravery. Some may think otherwise,...
Heroes of the Faith
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In today’s readings, we meet two great characters of the Bible! The first is one who is probably very little known, the other very well known, especially with kids. He...
The Danger of Keeping the Faith
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 18, Jesus is on his way to Jericho when a blind man on the side of the road shouts out, “Son of David,...
The End is Near!
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In the Gospel reading from Luke 21, Jesus is talking about the end times and what signs there will be that the end is near. “Nation will rise against nation,...
Learning from a Dishonest Judge
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable about a dishonest judge. A widow comes to him seeking a judgment, but he refuses. The widow, however, kept...
The Danger of Distraction
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I often wonder how anyone can be an atheist. Today's first reading from Wisdom 13 speaks to that conundrum. "For from the greatness and the beauty of created things, their...
Chasing the Shiny Thing
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 17, the Pharisees ask Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. What they didn’t realize was that they were standing in it. Jesus...
Where are the Other Nine?
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God doesn't care if you're great or small in the eyes of the world. Today's first reading from Wisdom 6 tells us, "For the Lord of all shows no partiality,...
What Comes Next
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When we do good, we are doing as we ought. We should expect no fanfare, no parades, no accolades. Jesus talks about this is today’s Gospel reading from Luke 17....
A Circular Relationship
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For the first reading today, we begin a quick trip through the Book of Wisdom. In the Gospel reading from Luke 17, Jesus talks about sin, causing others to sin,...
Zeal for God's House
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of he Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. This Basilica, constructed by the Emperor Constantine, is called the mother church of Christendom. The readings today...
Being Trustworthy
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In the Gospel reading from Luke 16, Jesus talks about being trustworthy in matters great and small. Jesus said, “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy...
Prudent Servants
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If anyone had a right to boast, it was St. Paul. A prolific writer, eloquent speaker, man of great charisma…the guy had it all. But he would never boast of...
Of Sheep and Coins
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 15, Jesus tells two parables. In the first, he proposes a story of a guy with a hundred sheep. One of them goes astray....
Love and Hate
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Love and hate are two things we hear about in today’s readings. In the first reading from Romans 13, St. Paul says, “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one...
Blueprint for the Christian Life
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Today's first reading from Romans 12 is really a blueprint for living the Christian life. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus tells a parable...
Eternal Repayment
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In the first reading today from Romans 11, St. Paul says, “For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.” That may sound a bit odd....
All Souls' Day and Purgatory
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Today we celebrate the Feast of All Souls. It is the day we remember all the souls in Purgatory. Purgatory can be a controversial topic, and hard to explain. So,...
All Saints Day
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Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. For the past 25 years, whenever this day falls on a weekday, I have a tradition of calling everyone with whom I speak...
Heartbreak for the Family
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus (again) cures someone on the sabbath. This is similar to a reading we saw earlier this week. He questions why it is...
If God is For Us...
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 13, Jesus laments over Jerusalem. He says, "Behold, your house will be abandoned." If you've ever been to a funeral, you may have heard...
ALL Things Work for Good
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It is not easy to find or fit through the narrow gate. People generally choose the path of least resistance. That would be the wide gate. Jesus Christ is the...
Saints Simon and Jude
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles. The readings are typical for the feast of Apostles - the first reading from Ephesians 2 and the...
A Spirit of Adoption
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In today's first reading from Romans 8, St. Paul talks about our relationship with God the Father. We cry, "Abba, Father!" This "Abba" might be consistent with "Daddy!" that a...
On Pride
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In the Gospel reading from Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable about two people praying in the temple. A Pharisee thanks God that he is not like all the low-lifes...
How to Perish
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 13, some people tell Jesus about some Jews who had been killed by Pilate. Jesus’ response is telling. “Do you think that because these...
Evil is at Hand
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Could Jesus have been talking about Purgatory in today’s Gospel reading? He talks about being thrown into prison and how “you will not be released until you have paid the...
The Wages of Sin
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We call Jesus the Prince of Peace. In today's Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus says, "Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No,...
Great Expectations
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Perhaps St. Paul’s words in today’s first reading from Romans 6 are ones we should read every day, or even commit to memory. “For sin is not to have any...