60 Second Reflections » 60 Reflections
Gaudete Sunday
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Today is Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent. Today we light the pink, or rose, candle on the Advent wreath. It is called Gaudete Sunday because of the opening antiphon of the Introit Gaudete in Domino semper (Rejoice in the Lord always). The opening words of the second reading from Philippians 4 are these, “Rejoice […]
Our Lady, Our Mother
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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, she declared, “I am your most merciful Mother; I want to show my loving clemency and compassion to those who call upon me in their […]
The Way You Should Go
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Love always desires the good. God is love. Therefore, God always desires the good. He always wants what is best for us. He also knows that often what we want is not what is best for us. In the first reading from Isaiah 48, it’s put like this: “I, the LORD, your God, teach you […]
Never Forsaken
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Today in the first reading from Isaiah 41, we get a greater understanding of God’s hand at work in our lives. God says, “Fear not, I will help you.” The responsorial, from Psalm 145, drives this home…”The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger, and of great kindness.” And in the Gospel reading from […]
Soar Like an Eagle
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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 a short one, from Matthew 11. Jesus tells the people, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you […]
Immaculate Conception and Jubilee of Mercy
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Remember that today is a Holy Day of obligation. I hope you will make it a point to attend Mass. We have a double blessing today because we begin the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Let’s talk briefly today about what the Immaculate Conception is, and isn’t. […]
God’s Got This!
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I’m hearing more and more about how so many people are frightened today. Not just because of terrorist attacks or random violence. Sure, that’s part of it, but it goes to something much deeper. Today’s readings give us hope and some powerful advice. In the first reading from Isaiah, we read this: “Strengthen the hands […]
Prepare the Way of the Lord
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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 prophet Isaiah wrote, “A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’ ” That’s really […]
The Teacher Will Come
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As you read today’s first reading from Isaiah 30, I hope your mind is immediately drawn to Jesus. We see these prophesies so perfectly fulfilled in Jesus. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading today, we see Jesus sending out the Twelve, with authority. He tells them, “Without cost you have received; […]
Do You Really Believe?
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Once again, another theme runs through the readings for today. In the first reading from Isaiah 29, we read this…”And out of the gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.” Be sure to read the rest of the reading, too. It is most beautiful! Our Gospel passage is from Matthew 9. Not […]
Rock On!
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When you build a structure, a house or a building, it must have a firm foundation. Otherwise it may fall. The firmest of foundations is rock. This is the “golden thread” that runs through today’s readings. In the first reading from Isaiah 26, we read, “Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an […]
Behold Our God!
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 15, Jesus feeds a great multitude. He says, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd…I do not want to send them away hungry.” The disciples gave Him seven loaves and a few fish. Jesus fed the whole crowd. Afterwards, there were seven baskets of fragments left […]
Judging Justly
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Advent is a great time to be (or become) a fan of the Old Testament. So many have the mistaken notion that the Old Testament is passe, or no longer valid. Psshh! We know that the New Testament is concealed in the Old, and Old Testament revealed in the New. We’ll be reading so many […]
Leaving It All Behind
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Today is the Feast of St. Andrew. He was the brother of Simon Peter. In today’s first reading from Romans 10, St. Paul asks a series of questions, ending with “And how can people preach unless they are sent?” St. Andrew was an Apostle. The word apostles means “one who is sent.” In today’s Gospel […]
Beware
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Today we begin a new year in the Church. Happy Advent! The world wants us to think that this is the Christmas season. But the Christmas season actually STARTS with Christmas! Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t get in the Christmas spirit. We should. But our mindset needs to go far beyond shopping and […]
Focus
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 21, Jesus exhorts the disciples to “Be vigilant at all times.” He talks about not letting “carousing and drunkeness and the anxieties of daily life” get in the way of being prepared for the return of the Lord. Sound advice, no? I don’t know about you, but sometimes I […]
Jesus’ Words
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In our first reading today from Daniel 7, the prophet is privileged to get a vision of heaven. He sees “One like a son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven.” It was Jesus. The One whose “kingship shall not be destroyed. In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 21, Jesus says, “Heaven and earth […]
Be Thankful
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Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Happy Thanksgiving! I have a link to today’s readings at the bottom of today’s post. But rather than comment on the readings, I want to take a moment to reflect on Thanksgiving. Did you know that the word Eucharist translates to “thanksgiving?” Isn’t it interesting that, as Catholics, […]
The Handwriting is on the Wall
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I think that many people are unaware that many common expressions actually oringinated in the Bible. Today is another example of that. We’ll talk about it in a sec. For our Gospel passage today, we’re back in Luke 21, with Jesus talking about the end of time. I talk often about how Christianity is not […]
End Times
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Ever heard the expression “feet of clay?” It means when someone has a fatal flaw. Usually someone admired or thought highly of. We use the expression when someone lets us down. Really, we all have feet of clay. Well…at least I do. Anyway, that expression came from today’s first reading from Daniel 2. Daniel interprets […]
God Provides
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A theme in today’s readings is that God provides. In the first reading from Daniel 1, Daniel and his companions don’t want to eat the food of the king. So they convinced the servants of the king to let them eat only vegetables. After a ten day test, they looked healthier and more robust than […]
The Perfect King
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Today the Church celebrates the end of the liturgical year. Fittingly enough, it is the Feast of Christ the King. All of the readings today point to the kingship of Christ. In the Gospel reading from John 18, Pilate asks Jesus flat out if he is a king. “Are you the King of the Jews?” […]
The Price of Wickedness
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 20, some Sadducees ask Jesus a trick question regarding the resurrection of the dead. (The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.) Jesus answers the question and in the end affirms our belief in the Communion of Saints when He says, “[God] is not God […]
Follow the $$$
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In the first reading today from 1 Maccabees 4, we read about the origins of Hannukah. Do you know what that Jewish feast, celebrated to this day, is all about? Read and find out! In the Gospel reading from Luke 19, we see Jesus throwing the merchants out of the temple area. The big shots […]
The Time of Your Visitation
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Another great story today from 1 Maccabees. Today we meet Mattathias. Mattathias had had enough of the baloney (this is a family blog) that was being shoved down the throats of his people. When he sees a fellow Jew offering sacrifice to a false god, “his just fury was aroused; he sprang forward and killed him […]
Another Hero of Faith
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In our first reading today from 2 Maccabees 7, we meet yet another hero of faith. She is a mother who exhibits amazing faith and bravery. Some may think otherwise, but I think so, and I’ll tell you why in a moment. In the Gospel passage from Luke 19, Jesus tells a parable about three […]
A Model of Courage
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In today’s readings, we meet two great characters of the Bible! The first is one who is probably very little known, the other very well known, especially with kids. He is Zacchaeus. You know the story…Zacchaeus is a little squirt of a guy who climbs up a tree to see Jesus. Jesus calls out to […]
A Bumpy Ride
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 18, Jesus is on his way to Jericho when a blind man on the side of the road shouts out, “Son of David, have pity on me!” The crowd around tries to silence him, but he shouts all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me!” Jesus […]
The Bottom Line
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You can always tell when we’re getting close to the end of the liturgical year. The Gospel readings are more of Jesus’ words about the return of the Son of Man. We sometimes refer to this as the “end times.” There are many who will say that we are in the end times right now. […]
Persistence in Prayer
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In the first reading today from Wisdom 18, we get kind of an overview of the Passover and Israel’s escape from Egypt. In the Gospel reading from Luke 18, Jesus tells the story of a widow who wants to get a ruling from a corrupt judge. She continues to pester him to give her a […]
Finding the Creator in Creation
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 17, Jesus talks about what things would be like on the day of His return. The first Christians were convinced that that day was very soon. They knew they needed to be ready. We need to live out our faith as if that day is imminent as well. In […]
Wisdom
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Our first reading today is again from the Book of Wisdom. What an amazing book! In it, Wisdom is always referred to as a female personal pronoun, she. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading today from Luke 17, the Pharisees want to know from Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. Jesus […]
Thank You, Jesus!
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Those who aspire to leadership and positions of power are in deep. Leaders of people have a gigantic responsibility. Today’s first reading from Wisdom 6 gives us a glimpse of what God expects from those in authority. I certainly wouldn’t want the gig. We must always remember to pray for those who have it. Today’s […]
What We are Obliged to Do
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Our first reading today is one that we just recently saw. On All Soul’s Day we read from the book of Wisdom. We’ll spend the rest of this week reading from Wisdom for our first readings. “But the souls of the just are in the hand of God…They seemed, in the view of the foolish, […]
The Temple
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. the Lateran Basilica was erected by Constantine. It is known as the mother church of Christendom. We have three readings today, from Ezekiel, 1 Corinthians, and the Gospel of John. They all have to do with the temple. I want to concentrate […]
A Spiritual Stretch
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A couple of widows make an appearance in today’s readings. In the first reading, Elijah has an encounter with a widow. Because of her faithfulness in believing the prophet, God provided her with a year’s worth of food. In the Gospel reading from Mark 12, a poor widow puts two small coins into the treasury […]
God or Mammon?
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St. Paul wraps up his letter to the Romans in today’s first reading. “To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen.” And amen! In the Gospel reading today from Luke 16, Jesus speaks again about our relationship with things. “You cannot serve God and mammon.” Mammon is the Greek […]
Prudent Servants
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If anyone had a right to boast, it was St. Paul. A prolific writer, eloquent speaker, man of great charisma…the guy had it all. But he would never boast of himself. In today’s first reading from Romans 15, he says, “For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through […]
Hide and Seek
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In the first reading today from Romans 14, St. Paul writes, “None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” The rub on […]
Love and Hate
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Love and hate are two things we hear about in today’s readings. In the first reading from Romans 13, St. Paul says, “Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.” In the Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus tells a large crowd, “If anyone […]
Come to the Feast!
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Today’s first reading from Romans 12 is amazingly rich. In the first part of the reading, St. Paul talks about different jobs within the Body of Christ. The second part of the reading is what I like to call the gospel in a nutshell. Spend a few minutes today really reflecting on how you are […]
All Souls and Purgatory
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Today we celebrate the Feast of All Souls. It is the day we remember all the souls in Purgatory. Purgatory can be a controversial topic, and hard to explain. So, I would like to help you with that. Following is one of the chapters in A Minute in the Church. I hope this helps. A family […]
The Saints
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Today is the Solemnity of All Saints. This is one of my favorite days of the liturgical calendar. I’m a big fan of the Saints, and I ain’t talking about the football team from New Orleans. (No offense, my Louisiana friends!) This is the day when we celebrate all those holy men and women who […]
Caller ID
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It’s great to do nice things for people who will reciprocate. But Jesus gives us a different vision in the Gospel reading from Luke 14. In the first reading today, there is a passage from Romans 11 that has always had a great deal of meaning to me. St. Paul writes, “For the gifts and […]
The Sabbath
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St. Paul was a Jew – a devout and learned Pharisee. After his conversion, his heart was broken that his own people, the Jews, would not accept the message of the Messiah. We see some of that heartbreak on today’s first reading from Romans 9. It reminds me of the heartbreak so many of us […]
The Love of Christ
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St. Paul’s letter to the Romans is such great reading. Today we hear St. Paul asking the question, “What can separate us from the love of Christ?” He then gives a list of things that we are afraid of. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Luke 13, some Pharisees come […]
Saint for Lost Causes
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Today is the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles. Typically I do your :60 on the daily Scripture readings. But I want to veer from the format today. The readings are the same as the feast days of other Apostles; Ephesians 2:19-22, which I recently wrote about, and Luke 6:12-16, which is the listing […]
Hope
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In today’s first reading from Romans 8, St. Paul talks about hope. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Luke 13, Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed and to yeast. The mustard seed is the smallest of seeds that grows into something great, and yeast is an […]
Daddy!
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What an awesome reading today from Romans 8. St. Paul talks about us being sons and daughters of God. More on that in a sec. In the Gospel reading from Luke 13, Jesus has the audacity to cure a woman on the sabbath, in the synagogue, no less! The leader of the synagogue takes Jesus […]
A Short Prayer
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Our Gospel reading today from Mark 10 is about Bartimaeus, a blind beggar that wanted Jesus to restore his sight. He tells Jesus what he wants, and Jesus gives him his sight because of his faith. When Bartimaeus found out that Jesus was in the vicinity, he began shouting to get His attention. What he […]