The Power of Giving
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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...
Becoming
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Today’s Gospel reading is Matthew’s version of the Transfiguration. This is when Jesus takes Peter, James and John up to the top of the mountain and reveals His heavenly glory....
Practice Makes Perfect
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus gives us more difficult fare. “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” As if...
Sometimes Life Just Ain't Fair
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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...
God as a Safety Net?
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Our first reading today is from the Book of Esther. Esther had the weight, and fate, of a nation on her shoulders. She knew that she was the last hope...
Our Evil Ways
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In today's readings we hear about Jonah. In fact, the first reading is from the Book of Jonah, where the Ninevites listen to Jonah and "they turned from their evil...
The Necessity of Forgiveness
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray. We know it as the Lord's Prayer, or the Our Father. But immediately after that prayer,...
Action vs. Feelings
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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...
Hit Him with the Scriptures!
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On this First Sunday of Lent, we hear the Gospel reading from Matthew 4 about Jesus being "led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil....
Repairer and Restorer
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Today's Gospel reading is from Luke 5 about the call of Levi. You may know him better as Matthew. Jesus dines at his home with tax collectors and sinners, and...
An Acceptable Fast
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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...
Our Daily Cross
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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 millennia earlier....
Remember You are Dust
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Blessed Ash Wednesday! Today we begin our Lenten journey for 2026. Whatever you have chosen to do or give up (or a combination thereof), I pray that this will be...
On Temptation
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In our first reading today from James 1, St. James talks about temptation. This is a subject that comes up at the end of the Lord’s Prayer. More in a...
This is Joy?
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For our first reading today, we begin the Letter of St. James. James is one of those books in the Bible that it would be very good for us to...
Hurt People Hurt People
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The Sermon on the Mount is probably the most challenging teaching ever. Jesus raises the bar on our thinking and our behavior to ridiculous levels. It really starts today with...
Power and Corruption
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In the first reading today from 1 Kings 12 and 13, we read about Jeroboam. Jeroboam was one of the kings of Israel. He was not a good guy. More...
Speaking Plainly
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In today’s first reading from 1 Kings 11, we see the beginning of the splitting up of Israel. Solomon had turned his back and worshipped false gods. God told him...
No One is Exempt
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 7, we see the power of perseverance in prayer. A Greek woman, not a daughter of Israel, comes to Jesus asking that He...
It Takes My Breath Away
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In today's Gospel reading from Mark 7, Jesus declares all foods clean, negating the many dietary laws of the Jews. He says it is not what goes into one's mouth...
Jesus' Condemnation of tradition
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In today’s first reading from 1 Kings 8, Solomon stands before the altar in the magnificent temple that he had built and offers up a prayer to God. This is...
Scurrying to Jesus
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In today's first reading from 1 Kings 8, Solomon and the people bring the Ark of the Covenant to the temple. In the Gospel reading from Mark 6, Jesus continues...
Please Pass the Salt
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For the Gospel reading today, we’re back in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5, Jesus says to His disciples, “You are the salt of the earth.” I’m sure...
Want to be Wise? Ask for Wisdom
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In today’s first reading from 1 Kings 3, we meet Solomon. Solomon’s father, David, had just died. The son had ascended to the throne of Israel. More in a moment....
Remembered Like David
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For today's first reading, we get a recap of David's life from Sirach 47. The Gospel reading from Mark 6 recounts the story of the killing of John the Baptist....
Time to Shake the Dust
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In today's first reading from 1 Kings, we read about the death of David. Solomon now sits on the throne. In the Gospel reading today from Mark 6, Jesus instructs...
They Took Offense
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Taking responsibility seems to be something that has gotten lost these days. I suppose that has always been true in some measure. It seems people, especially leaders, always want to...
God's Will and Our Children
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Today’s readings center around children. In the first reading from 2 Samuel 18, we see the tragic story of King David’s son Absalom. Absalom had become his father’s mortal enemy,...
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...
Blessed are You
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In the second reading today from 1 Corinthians 1, St. Paul says, “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.” In other words, be poor in spirit. Our Gospel reading today...
You are the Man!
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The title of today's reflection can be a bit deceptive for us. These days, when you hear or say, "You are the man!" it is a positive thing. But not...
Feet of Clay
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King David had it going on with God. He had been anointed by the prophet Samuel as a young man, eventually became king and was told by God that his...
Who Am I?
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I've often said that I am a kindred spirit with King David. Today's first reading from 2 Samuel 7 is just one of the reasons. Nathan the prophet has just...
Johnny Wordseed
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 4, Jesus tells the parable of the sower of the seeds. After telling this parable, the disciples didn’t understand. Jesus seems a bit...
Like Nobody's Watching
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When it comes to God, the family is pretty large. What do I mean? In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says, “For whoever does the will of God is my brother...
No Place for Cowards
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Today is the Feast of Saints Timothy and Titus. Both men were collaborators with St. Paul and received letters from him that we find in the New Testament. Timothy became...
The Man from Galilee
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We know that Jesus is the fulfillment of the messianic prophesies in the Old Testament. We see some of that in today's readings. In the first reading from Isaiah 8,...
Out of My Mind
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For the first reading today, we start in 2 Samuel. Saul and his son, Jonathan, David’s best friend, have been killed in battle. David laments the death of these two...
Admitting Fault
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David and Saul had a tumultuous relationship. Saul hated David, and hunted him down to kill him. You would think that David would share this animosity. But not so. More...
The Jealous King
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It seems that wherever Jesus went, He drew a crowd, as we see in today’s Gospel reading from Mark 3. The more people He healed, the more demons He cast...
Taking Down Goliath
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 3, Jesus has another run-in with the Pharisees about the sabbath. Jesus asks them, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath...
Judging Books by Their Covers
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In today’s first reading from 1 Samuel 16, we read about the anointing of David. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 2, Jesus is...
Obedience is Better Than Sacrifice
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In the first reading today from 1 Samuel 15, we see a bit of the sneakiness of King Saul. Samuel has to call him out on it. More in a...
It's ACTUALLY JESUS!
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Today's Gospel reading from John 1 contains a Bible verse that every Catholic knows. "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." These words were...
Into the Unknown
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Today's Gospel reading from Mark 2 is about the call of Levi. Not sure who Levi is? We know him better as Matthew. He was a tax collector. Jesus sees...
Everyone Else is Doing It!
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You would think that as God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel would enjoy being different, set apart. Uh…not so much. We see this in today’s first reading. More in...
Spread the Word!
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In our Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus heals a leper. The leper comes and says to Jesus, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus replies, “I do...
Hearing vs. Listening
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Have you ever heard God speak to you? I believe God speaks to us in many different ways. I’ve talked to a number of people who tell me that God...
Deceptive Appearances
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In today's first reading, we pick up the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1. Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, was barren. In her grief she goes to the temple...
Come After Me
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Welcome back to Ordinary Time! I hope that we will not take the name of this liturgical season literally. What I mean by that is that I hope that we...