Impossible for Us Not to Speak
Posted on
In today's first reading from Acts 4, Peter and John are before the Sanhedrin after healing the crippled man in the temple. The elders have them leave the room as...
A Great Fish Story
Posted on
In today’s reading from Acts 4, Peter and John spend the night in the clink and the next day they proclaim Jesus to the powers that be. The Scripture tells...
Ignorance and Conversion
Posted on
You’ve heard the old expression “Ignorance is bliss.” I suppose that’s true in a sense. In the first reading today from Acts 3, St. Peter refers to the people’s ignorance....
If You Have Ears to Hear
Posted on
The Gospel reading today is the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus from Luke 24. Please take the time to read it. As Catholics, we believe that...
God's Promise to You
Posted on
We’re back in Acts 2 for our first reading today, hearing more of Peter’s great speech at Pentecost. In the Gospel reading from John 20, Mary Magdalene has two amazing...
Fear and Evangelization
Posted on
Happy Easter Monday! Today we begin a journey (an apt phrase) through the Acts of the Apostles for our first readings. In this Octave of Easter we'll be reading the...
Celebrate the Resurrection
Posted on
He is risen! Alleluia! (Boy, it seems like a long time since we’ve heard that word!) Happy Easter! Today we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord. This is the greatest...
You Were There
Posted on
1 comment
Today is the one day of the year when there is no Mass celebrated. The commemoration of Good Friday is the most solemn day of the year. The readings for...
Washing Feet
Posted on
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
Posted on
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"
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
2 comments
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
1 comment
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
Posted on
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...
Posted on
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
Posted on
1 comment
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
2 comments
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
Posted on
1 comment
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
Posted on
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!
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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?
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
1 comment
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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?
Posted on
1 comment
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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
Posted on
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?
Posted on
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
Posted on
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?
Posted on
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
Posted on
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...