Immoral and Proud
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the sabbath. It doesn't sit well with the scribes and Pharisees. In the first...
A Community of Prayer
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In our Gospel reading today from Matthew 18, Jesus gives the Twelve the ability to bind and loose. Ancient rabbinic literature tells us that this notion of binding and loosing...
Be Scum
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus is called on the carpet by some Pharisees for picking grain on the sabbath. It was unlawful to “work” on the sabbath....
"The Old is Good"
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 5, Jesus talks about the old and the new. He talks about cloaks and wine. Jesus said, "New wine must be poured into fresh...
Overcoming Unworthiness
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In the first reading from 1 Corinthians 3, St. Paul speaks again of foolishness and wisdom. “If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a...
Understanding Spiritual Realities
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In today's first reading from 1 Corinthians 2, St. Paul juxtaposes "the natural man" with "the one who is spiritual." This reading is a reminder that there is much more...
A Demonstration of Faith
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After having gone through much of the Gospel of Matthew in Ordinary Time, today we transition to the Gospel of Luke and read about the beginning of Jesus' public ministry....
Self Denial
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Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 16 is a continuation of the story from last Sunday. After Jesus praises Peter and gives him the keys to the Kingdom, He then scolds...
Head on a Platter
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Today is the Feast of the Passion of St. John the Baptist. The Gospel reading from Mark 6 recounts the story. John was thrown into prison by Herod because he...
The Wise and Foolish Virgins
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Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 25 can be a tricky one. Jesus tells His disciples a parable, the message of which He sums up at the end. “Therefore, stay awake,...
The Danger of Complacency
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In the first reading today, we begin St. Paul’s first Letter to the Corinthians. St. Paul reassures his readers that “(God) will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on...
Whitewashed Tombs
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As Christians, we are told to feed the hungry. But what if those hungry are able bodied people who are just too lazy to work? St. Paul has the answer...
St. Paul on Tradition
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In today's first reading from 2 Thessalonians 2, St. Paul says, "Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by...
Can Anything Good Come From ______?
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Today is the Feast of St. Bartholomew. The Gospel reading today is from John 1, where Philip invites Nathanael to meet Jesus. In the synoptic Gospels, when the Twelve are...
Christ's Church will Prevail
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 16, we see the famous exchange between Peter and Jesus. It is one that Catholics especially should be familiar with, since it helps us...
Exalted and Humbled
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Today is the Feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The fifth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary is the Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth....
Reanimated Bones
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The toe bone connected to the foot bone. The foot bone connected to the ankle bone. Ever heard of dem dry bones? (It’s an old spiritual tune.) That song was...
A Replacement Heart
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In today’s first reading from Ezekiel 36, God tells the people that He is going to take some corrective measures. We also hear the renewal of the covenant…”You shall be...
On Justice
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Today’s first reading is one that should be required daily reading for priests and bishops. Through Ezekiel, God talks about some not-so-good shepherds. He is not pleased; and when He...
Riches and Salvation
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In the first reading today, we hear about the dangers of accumulating wealth. Now, being wealthy is not of itself a bad thing. It is what can happen spiritually that becomes...
The Danger of Attachment
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In the first reading from Ezekiel 24, God takes Ezekiel’s wife from him; she dies. But even before this happens, God tells Ezekiel not to weep and mourn when God...
Not-So-Instant Gratification
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 15, we see a model of persistence. A Canaanite woman comes to Jesus and asks Him to heal her daughter. Jesus ignores her. After...
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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Today is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Because it falls on a Saturday, it is not a Holy Day of Obligation in the USA. There...
Captivated
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Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 19 is Jesus' teaching on marriage. It was difficult to hear then, and is still difficult for so many to hear today. In our first...
You Are a Sign
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Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 18 is the story of Peter asking Jesus how many times he must forgive. Do you know how many? In the first reading from Ezekiel...
Gathered in His Name
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In today’s first reading from Ezekiel 9 an d 10, we see a scene reminiscent of the Passover. God has the faithful marked with a sign. Only they will be...
Feast on the Word
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 18, Jesus asks a question about a man who has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray. Jesus says, “Will he...
A Life of Service
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Today we celebrate the feast of St. Lawrence. St. Lawrence was a deacon and a martyr. Our prayers go out today and every day to all the faithful deacons of...
On Courage
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Today's Gospel reading is one that we've heard recently from Matthew 14. It's the story of Jesus walking on the water and inviting Peter to do the same. As the...
Faith to Move Mountains
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In the first reading today, God tells the prophet Habakkuk to write down a vision. Then He encourages the people to wait for the vision to be fulfilled. “If it...
Profit
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 16, Jesus asks a couple of questions. “What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or...
Listen to Him
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Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. In the first reading from Daniel 7, Daniel sees in a vision “One like a Son of man coming…his kingship...
Not No Forever
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God is always ready to give his people another chance. When his people turned their backs on him, he allowed them to suffer the consequences. But in today’s first reading...
Not What Goes In, But What Comes Out
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Today in Jeremiah 30, we see the old “bad news good news” scenario. God tells Jeremiah to write down a summation of the past, present and future. The bad news...
One Word Instruction
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 14, Jesus is walking on the water. What would you think if you were out in a boat and you saw someone walking toward...
Feeding of the Multitude and the Eucharist
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 14, Jesus feeds the multitude. (Five thousand men, not counting women and children.) The disciples wanted Him to dismiss the people so that...
A Marriage Reflection
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I'm going outside of my normal format today and instead of reflecting on the daily Scriptures, I want to share a marriage reflection. I hope you'll indulge me. Today, August...
On Rejection
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In both of our readings today, we see and hear that prophets get rejected. In Jeremiah 26, our first reading, we see Jeremiah saying everything that God tells him to say....
A Malleable Heart
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In our Gospel reading today from Matthew 13, we hear the last of Jesus' parables from this chapter. In the first reading from Jeremiah, the LORD tells Jeremiah to go...
A Holy Family
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Normally, when Catholics think of the phrase Holy Family, we think of Jesus, Mary and Joseph - The Holy Family. But today we celebrate the feast of A Holy Family...
Questions for God
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus explains the parable of the weeds in the field. Today's first reading from Jeremiah 14 features a number of questions. The people...
Good For Nothing
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Today’s first reading from Jeremiah 13 seems a very odd tale at first. God tells Jeremiah to go buy a loincloth, then go hide it, then go get it again....
What is Heaven Worth?
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In the Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus tells two very brief parables about what the Kingdom of heaven is like. (If you get the longer form of the reading,...
Drinking the Chalice of Christ
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Today is the Feast of St. James. There were two Apostles named James. They’re referred to as James the Greater and James the Lesser. The only reason is that James...
An Amazing ROI
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus explains the Parable of the Sower. It is one that is very near to my heart, as it sparked my Seeds of...
The Faith of Youth
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Jesus' disciples asked why He spoke to the crowds in parables. He answers them in today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13. In the first reading from Jeremiah 2, the LORD...
Mary Magdalene and You
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Today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene. There are different options for the first reading, so I’ll let you read them and mull them over yourself. You can choose...
The Ocean of Mercy
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 12, Jesus is told that his mother and his brothers are outside the house wanting to speak to Him. Jesus says, “Whoever does...
God's Requirements
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Ask people the question: What does God require of you? I’m sure you’ll get plenty of answers. More on that in a moment. In our Gospel reading today from Matthew...
Shine Like the Sun
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus explains the parable of the weeds in the field. Jesus makes it clear that the wheat and weeds would grow together. But...