The Fate of a Disciple
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I’m sure you’ve heard the old expression “No good deed goes unpunished.” Ain’t it the truth? Just take a look at the Scriptures. The prophets of old were simply doing...
Preaching by Practicing
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God is always ready to make things right. We are the ones who mess up, who walk away from God. Yet God is always waiting to welcome us back with...
Be Merciful
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We know that the Lord is merciful. In our first reading today from Daniel 9, we read, "But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness." In the Gospel...
Lenten Transfiguration
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Today’s Gospel reading is Mark’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...
Doing the Undoable
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Jesus’ message was all about love. And today in our Gospel reading from Matthew 5, He takes his teaching to the extreme. “But I say to you, love your enemies...
Be Reconciled
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It is imperative that we not only believe in Christ, but that we live out His words. In the first reading today from Ezekiel 18, we see the truth of...
Asking for Help
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It’s common knowledge that men don’t like to ask for directions. I guess in the age of the GPS, that problem has been all but eliminated. Asking for help, for...
Ignoring the Sign
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Most people know the story of Jonah. At least, they know part of it; they know the part where he gets swallowed by a big fish. But what about the...
The Purpose of God's Word
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What a beautiful reading today from Isaiah 55. We’ll talk about it in a moment. Our Gospel reading today from Matthew 6 is where Jesus teaches his disciples to pray....
Of Chairs and Popes
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. Some might look at that and say, “Boy, you Catholics are really strange! Imagine celebrating a piece of...
Into the Desert
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Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 1 tells us that, before the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus went into the desert for forty days, where he was tempted by Satan....
Follow Like Levi
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Today's Gospel reading from Luke 5 is about the call of Levi. Not sure who Levi is? We know him better as Matthew. He was a tax collector. Jesus sees Levi...
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...
Daily Cross Carrying
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Choose Life. Some folks may think that that is a marketing phrase made up by the pro-life community. Actually, it originated MUCH earlier than Roe v. Wade. Many millenia earlier....
Perpetual Lent
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Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. If you haven't yet figured out what your Lenten penances/sacrifices will be, now is the time. We have all been dealing with...
Slow on the Uptake
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In today’s first reading from Genesis, God instructs Noah what he needs to do to save himself, his family and all the animals from the flood. Man had become so...
The Lurking Demon
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In today’s first reading, we see the story of the world’s first murder. Cain killed his brother Abel because God looked favorably on Abel’s offering and Cain became resentful and...
Leprosy and COVID
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In today's Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus heals a leper. The man comes and begs Jesus to heal him. Jesus says, "Be made clean." The man is instantly cured....
Assigning Blame
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 8, we read about a miracle. Jesus feeds four thousand people with seven loaves and a few fish. And after everyone had eaten their...
The Oldest Trick in the Book
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 7, Jesus heals a deaf man with a speech impediment. “And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and...
Jesus and Our Children
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In today's first reading from Genesis 2, we read about the creation of Eve. God took a rib from Adam and fashioned Eve. Adam says, "This one, at last, is...
What Comes Out
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In the creation story from Genesis 1, we don’t get details about how God made man. But in today’s first reading from Genesis 2, we see that “the Lord God...
The Image of God
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In the first reading today from Genesis 1, we see the rest of the story of creation. In the Gospel reading from Mark 7, Jesus talks about tradition. He says,...
In the Beginning
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Today for our first reading, we begin at the beginning. Genesis 1. “In the beginning…” We’ll be in the book of Genesis for the next couple of weeks. Today we...
An Obligation to Preach
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Preaching is a dirty word for some. After all, no one wants to be thought of as being preachy. But preaching is essential. In today's second reading from 1 Corinthians...
Obey Your Leaders
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In today's first reading from Hebrews 13, the sacred author says this: "Obey your leaders and defer to them, for they keep watch over you and will have to give...
Yesterday, Today and Forever
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Hebrews 13:1-8, today’s first reading, offers us a primer on living the Christian life. Read it again and again, and strive to live out the message. More in a sec....
Of Heads and Walls and Dust
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If we could see with perfect spiritual vision, what would the Mass look like? I think it would look much like what is described in today's first reading from Hebrews...
The Trade-Off of Discipline
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Today we’re going to talk about discipline. Not a fun topic, I know. If you turned and ran away right now, I wouldn’t blame you! But in today’s first reading...
Always Faithful
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Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Also known as Candlemas, this is the day when candles will be blessed. There will be three readings today. In...
Legion and Screwtape and Jesus
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In today's first reading from Hebrews 11, we read about some heroes of the Old Testament - both named and unnamed. Even though they were heroes, they "did not receive...
The New Moses
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Jesus is often referred to as "the new Moses." The similarities between the two are striking. In today's first reading from Deuteronomy 18, Moses says, "A prophet like me will...
What is Faith?
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What is faith? In our first reading today from Hebrews 11:1 it says, "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen." The Catechism...
A Matter of Life and Death
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 4, Jesus tells a couple of parables, both of an agrarian nature. In the first He talks about how a seed grows, yet we...
Absolute Trust
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Today’s first reading from Hebrews 10 is so chock full of great stuff! We’ll discuss in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 4, Jesus tells His disciples something...
Sowing Seeds of Grace
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Today's Gospel reading is the parable of the sower from Mark 4. Jesus tells a story of a man who goes out and sows seeds all over. The seeds fall...
Burn, Baby, Burn
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saints Timothy and Titus. It is a special day for my parish, as I attend St. Timothy Parish. Because it is a shared...
Be Converted
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Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. We see the story of Saul’s (Paul’s birth name) conversion in two places in Acts of the Apostles. In chapter...
Following Jesus
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 1, we read about the call of the first disciples. Jesus sees Simon and Andrew and says to them, “Come after me, and I...
Out of My Mind
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The Gospel reading today from Mark 3 is very short; just two verses. Jesus came with his disciples into the house. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them...
Defending Life
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Today in the United States is the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. It falls on the anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision...
Christ's Once for All Sacrifice
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In the first reading today from Hebrews 7 & 8, the sacred author talks about the once for all sacrifice of Christ. “He has no need, as did the high...
A Priest Forever
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The author of Hebrews was big on Melchizedek, and his “relationship” to Jesus. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, Jesus heals a man...
Eagerness
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Great stuff today from Hebrews 6. The reading starts out “God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name by...
Our High Priest
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Today in Hebrews 5, we see a theme that we touched on last week; that Jesus learned obedience from what he suffered. The author of Hebrews was big on this...
What's in a Name?
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Name changes in the Scriptures are not real common, especially when that name change is given by God. You better believe that a great significance is attached. We see one...
Sharper Than a Two-Edged Sword
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In our first reading from Hebrews 4, the author of Hebrews tells us about the word of God. More on that in a moment. The Gospel reading from Mark 2...
Entering His Rest
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In today's first reading from Hebrews 4, we read about rest - God's rest. There are two Old Testament passages quoted by the sacred author about rest. "As I swore in...
Encourage Someone Today
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I know that I say this way too often, but today’s first reading contains one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture. It is a verse of great encouragement...
Looking For Jesus
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 1, Jesus leaves early in the morning, before the sun came up, to go off to a deserted place to pray. Simon and...