If Today You Hear His Voice
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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
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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
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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!
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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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
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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
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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
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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...
Lenten Transfiguration
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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
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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?
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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...
You Just Need to Ask
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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
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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
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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?
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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...
How Satan Tempts
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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?
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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
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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...
The Choices We Make
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In our first reading today from Deuteronomy, Moses tells the people what they must do in order to enter the promised land. Obey the commandments of the Lord, love Him,...
Giving and Giving Up
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Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I hope you’ve given some consideration about what you will do this Lent. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus speaks...
Your Spiritual ROI
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The golden thread that runs through today’s readings could probably be summed up in this phrase: God will not be outdone in generosity. In the first reading from Sirach 35,...
Seeing the Impossible
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Repentance and conversion are essential to the Christian life. We've heard it from Sirach before and hear it again today. In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 10, we read the...
Can You See the Beam?
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In our Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus gives us another of those “Ouch!” moments. Jesus talks about how we’re so ready to point out the splinter in another’s eye...
Let the Children Come
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In the first reading today from Sirach 17, we get kind of a short history of man. We see that God “put the fear of himself upon their hearts.” In...
A Faithful Friend
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 10, Jesus teaches about marriage. The Catholic Church has always held fast to these teachings. Sure, they are difficult. But they come from...
The Sin of Presumption
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 9, Jesus lets us know how dangerous it is to lead others into sin. “It would be better for him if a great...
Seeking Wisdom
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Wisdom is an interesting concept. In our first reading today from Sirach 4 we get a brief primer on Wisdom. (Note the capital letter. The sacred author speaks of Wisdom...
Fear of the Lord
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Today's first reading from Sirach 2 is so filled with wisdom it would behoove us to read it again and again. It speaks again and again of fear of the...
I Do Believe...
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Today’s first reading is from the Book of Sirach. This is one of the books that you will find in a Catholic Bible, but not a Protestant one. I think...
What Credit is That?
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Today's Gospel reading is from Jesus' Sermon on the Plain from Luke 6. There's a particular question He asks three times in this short sermon. "For if you love those...
The Chair of St. Peter
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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...
On Losing One's Life
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In today's first reading from Genesis 11, we read the story of the Tower of Babel. This is a great lesson about the consequences of trying to glorify ourselves. In...
Get Behind Me, Satan
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In the first reading today from Genesis 9, God establishes a covenant with Noah and his family. Remember, they were the only humans on the planet at this point. He...
Seeing Clearly
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Are you afraid of Doomsday? I suppose folks have a different idea of what that means, but did you know that God will never destroy all the living things of...
Understanding Jesus
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We see some tough questions from Jesus in today’s Gospel reading. More in a moment. For our first reading, we’re in Genesis 6 and 7, reading about Noah. Everyone else...
Mastering Sin
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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...
Blessings and Woes
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In the Gospel today from Luke 6, we begin the Sermon on the Plain. Luke 6 records the same sermon that, in Matthew’s Gospel is called the Sermon on the...
The Blame Game
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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...
Satan's Sweet Nothings
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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...
One Flesh
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Today’s Gospel reading is about a desperate mother who comes to Jesus and asks Him to heal her daughter. Since she is not a Jew, Jesus refuses at first. But...
On Defilement
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In today’s first reading from Genesis 2, we see how God made man in the second creation account. “The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground...
Why the Church is Pro-Life
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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,...
How It All Started
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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...
Learning to Swim
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 5, Jesus sees Simon Peter and his fishing buddies cleaning their nets after a hard night of fishing. Not catching, mind you. Fishing....
A Sacrifice of Praise
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In today's first reading from Hebrews 13, the sacred author writes, "Through Jesus, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess...
Hospitality
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Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 6 is the story of the beheading of John the Baptist. Sad and tragic, yes, but a great story for us about standing up for...
The Heavenly Jerusalem
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Do you ever find yourself bored at Mass? Your mind wanders, you're looking around at what others are wearing or thinking about how good that donut is going to taste...