Jesus 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...
Good Advice from Cana
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Do you know what the first sign was that Jesus gave to the world? It was, as told in John’s Gospel, changing water into wine. It happens at a wedding...
The Word as 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...
Bringing Those We Love to Jesus
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Life is hard. But we can find rest in God. Today's first reading from Hebrews 4 encourages us to "enter into that rest." In the Gospel reading today from Mark...
Tomorrow May Be Too Late
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Today’s Gospel story is from Mark 1, about a leper that comes to Jesus seeking to be healed. Jesus heals him and tells him not to tell anyone. The guy...
He Knows Your Pain
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Back in Hebrews 2 today, we see more about the suffering of Jesus and how that plays to our advantage. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark...
Made Perfect Through Suffering
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Jesus was fully God and fully man. He was given all authority in heaven and on earth. We see His earthly authority in today's Gospel reading from Mark 1. He...
Fishing and Catching
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Welcome back to Ordinary Time! In the first reading today we begin the Letter to the Hebrews. It's going to be an interesting few weeks going through this book of the Bible....
God's Will and Baptism
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Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. We see that moment where John the Baptist has just baptized Jesus when “the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily...
Two Types of Sin
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In Catholic theology, we talk of venial sin and mortal sin. Many will say, “Sin is sin! There is no such thing as mortal sin and venial sin.” Oh, really?...
Lord, If You Wish
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You, my friend, are a winner! You are victorious over the world. How do I know? St. John says so in our first reading today. "Who indeed is the victor...
Victory Through Faith
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Have you ever felt like you can conquer the world? If not, why not? St. John gives us some good insight into that in our first reading today. More in...
F.E.A.R.
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Strong words from St. John today in our first reading from 1 John 4. St. John talks about fear. More on that in a moment. We see fear, too, come...
The Feeding of the Five Thousand
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Today's Gospel reading from Mark 6 is the story of the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus was teaching a huge crowd and told His disciples to feed them. They...
Test the Spirits
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 4, we read about the early part of Jesus’ public ministry. He went about preaching, teaching and healing. Great crowds came from the...
Getting to Jesus
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Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 2 we see the story of the magi coming to visit the baby Jesus. We often...
What are You Looking For?
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Today's first reading from 1 John 3 can be a difficult one to grasp. St. John writes, "Whoever sins belongs to the Devil, because the Devil has sinned from the...
The Beatific Vision
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Do you know John 1:29? If you’re Catholic, I’m certain you do. We hear it every time we go to Mass, as the priest holds the consecrated host aloft, right...
Who are You?
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In today's Gospel reading from John 1, the Jews from Jerusalem send people to ask a question of John the Baptist. It seems like a simple enough question. Who are...
Mary, Mother of God
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Happy New Year! Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. Today is a Holy Day of Obligation. We get to start the year off...
The Word Became Flesh
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For today’s first reading, we are back in 1 John 2. Today St. John writes about the antichrist. Very interesting stuff, especially for those hard core “end-timers.” Those are the...
Do Not Love The World
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In today’s first reading, we get some great advice from St. John. More on that in a moment. The Gospel reading today is from Luke 2. Today we read about...
The Gift of Family
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Today is the Feast of the Holy Family, always the Sunday after Christmas. All of the readings today talk about family. In the Gospel reading from Luke 2, we read about...
They Had No Choice
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 2, we read: When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi,he became furious.He ordered the massacre of all the boys in...
John's Message of Love
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Today we celebrate the Feast of St. John the Evangelist. St. John was the beloved disciple, the author of the fourth Gospel, three letters in the New Testament and the...
The Ultimate Sacrifice
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr. In the first reading from Acts of the Apostles, we see the story of Stephen’s martyrdom. And in...
Christmas is Here!
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Christmas is here! Christmas is here! I can remember waking up VERY early on Christmas mornings when I was a kid and yelling that out to my brothers and sisters....
The Canticle of Zechariah
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Blessed Christmas Eve! Today's Gospel reading from Luke 1 is the canticle of Zechariah. I can't do better than that, so let's reflect today on his words. “Blessed be the...
He Spoke Blessing God
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Today in the liturgy, the day before Christmas Eve, we concentrate on the birth of John the Baptist. In the first reading we see the prophecy from Malachi 3: “Lo,...
Blessed is the Fruit of Your Womb
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As the Christmas story continues to unfold in the liturgy, today's Gospel reading is the story of the visitation, when Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth's greeting to Mary is...
An Intimate Relationship
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In the first reading today from Zephaniah 3, we read, "The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. The LORD, your...
Love is with Us
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In today’s first reading from Isaiah 7, we see the prophecy that is at the heart of Christianity. “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall...
Speechless
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Today the Church gives us two stories of men whose births were announced by an angel, Samson and John the Baptist. There are many similarities between the two, as the...
A Righteous Man
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Today in the first reading from Jeremiah 23, the Lord says, “Behold, the days are coming when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; as king he shall...
You Can Pick Your Friends...
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Well, it is one week before Christmas Eve! Are you feeling it yet? Beginning today, the liturgy begins to unfold the story of Christmas. In the first reading today from...
Our Guiding Star
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 21, Jesus' authority is questioned. He makes a deal with His interlocutors, but they cannot fulfill the deal. Read how it all goes down....
Filled with Expectation
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 3, the people come to ask John the Baptist questions. They weren't quite sure who he was. They "were asking in their hearts whether...
God of the Unexpected
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In the first reading today from Sirach 48, we see a synopsis of the life and times of Elijah. The people were awaiting his return. In the Gospel reading from...
The Way of Wisdom
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In the first reading today from Isaiah 48, God says, “I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should...
A Message from Mom
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. When the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego on a hill in Tepeyac, Mexico, in December of 1531,...
Eagles and Chickens and Turkeys
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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...
Cry Out!
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Jesus talks about a man who has a hundred sheep and one goes astray. He leaves the ninety-nine behind to go in search...
The Immaculate Conception
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Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. It is a Holy Day of obligation. Let’s talk briefly today about what the Immaculate Conception is, and isn’t. Probably the most common...
A Tough Gig
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Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. In the Gospel reading from Luke 3, we read about the ministry of John the Baptist. He is the one about whom the...
Walking Through a Mine Field
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On the border of Israel and Syria, there are mine fields. They're clearly marked with a sign featuring a skull and crossbones. They let you know that you do not...
On Waiting
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Patience is not one of my greatest virtues. Perhaps you can relate. That's why Psalm 27 is one of my favorites. It's perfect for today's liturgy. In the first reading...
Like a Rock?
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Do you remember the old Bob Seger tune, Like a Rock? It was used in a Chevy commercial for many years. I suspect that was a pretty successful campaign. Why...
Being Fed
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Life brings sorrows. With sorrows come tears. But it won’t always be that way. We see that in the first reading today from Isaiah 25. “The LORD GOD will wipe...
Childlike or Childish?
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Today’s first reading from Isaiah 11 starts with what should be a familiar prophesy. “On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse…” Jesse was King David’s...
Swords into Plowshares
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In the first reading today from Isaiah 2, we read about what things will be like when the Kingdom of God comes into its fullness. “They shall beat their swords...