60 Second Reflections » 60 Reflections
A Good Bridge to Burn
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In today’s first reading from Colossians 1, we get a great dose of Christology – a message about who Christ truly is. In the Gospel reading from Luke 5, Jesus talks about the old and the new, patching an old cloak with new fabric, and putting new wine into old wineskins. In many places, the […]
I’m in Deep
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Today’s first reading is a beautiful prayer from Colossians 1. St. Paul reminds us that “He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” In the Gospel today from Luke 5, Jesus gives Peter and the boys, […]
Sharing Jesus
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Yet another treat in store for us! Today we begin a trip through St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians. As in many of his letters, St. Paul begins with an affirmation. He tells them of his prayers for them, and applauds them for their love and faithfulness. I can only hope that, if St. Paul […]
Children of Light
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We hear more about Jesus’ return in our first reading today from 1 Thessalonians 5. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Luke 4, we see Jesus casting out a demon from a man. The people are amazed and say, “For with authority and power he commands unclean spirits, and they come out.” […]
He’s Coming Back
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Last week we heard numerous readings from near the end of Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus exhorted His disciples to stay awake. In today’s first reading from 1 Thessalonians 4, St. Paul explains why. In the Gospel reading today, we begin a journey through the Gospel of Luke. We pick up in chapter 4 where Jesus […]
Inside Out
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 7, Jesus talks about what makes a person unclean, or defiled. In this passage of Scripture, Jesus declares all foods clean. He says, “Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” Jesus goes on, “from within […]
Passion of St. John the Baptist
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Today the Church celebrates the Martyrdom of John the Baptist. In the past it has been called the beheading of and the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. The Gospel reading is from Mark 6, the account of why and how John the Baptist was beheaded. It is a sad and grisly story, but one […]
God’s Will: Your Holiness
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about ten virgins who are awaiting a wedding feast. Five of them were foolish, five of them were wise. The foolish ones did not bring enough oil for their lamps and when the bridegroom was delayed, they ran out of oil and did […]
Like a Thief in the Night
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Today is the feast of St. Monica, the mother of St. Augustine. St. Monica spent years praying for her pagan son to come to faith. Those prayers paid off, as Augustine became one of the greatest thinkers and saints in history. In the first reading today from 1 Thessalonians 3, St. Paul talks about praying […]
The Word at Work
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We’re back in 1 Thessalonians today for the first reading. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mathew 23, we continue to hear Jesus give it to the scribes and Pharisees, calling them hypocrites again and again. St. Paul writes to the Thessalonians, “We too give thanks to God unceasingly, that, in receiving […]
How We Speak
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In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus has some not-so-nice things to say to the scribes and Pharisees. He refers to them as hypocrites, blind guides and blind Pharisees. All this while warning them about hypocrisy. In the first reading today we’re in 1 Thessalonians 2. St. Paul reminds the Thessalonians about how he and his companions […]
Rid of Duplicity
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Bartholomew. Bartholomew is listed among the Twelve. He was brought to Jesus by the Apostle Philip. Tradition tells us that he preached the Gospel in India, where he was rewarded with the crown of martyrdom. The first reading today is from Revelation 21, where we get a […]
Do You Also Want to Leave?
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For the past three Sundays, we have been reading from John 6, the Bread of Life discourse. John 6 begins with Jesus feeding the multitude. Then it moves to Capernaum, where Jesus speaks again and again about eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood. After Jesus talked about eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood, […]
Lead by Example
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Even though she was not a daughter of Israel, Ruth is one of a few women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus. We see how she wound up in the line of the Messiah in today’s first reading. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 23, Jesus warns the disciples not to be like the scribes […]
Ruth’s Example
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The Book of Ruth is one of the shorter books in the Bible. In today’s first reading, we meet Ruth. Ruth was King David’s great-grandmother. But the story of how that came to be is fascinating, and we see the beginning of it today. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 22, Jesus is asked which […]
Being Properly Dressed
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Today’s first reading from Judges 11 may be hard for us to understand, and even harder for us to accept. Jephthah makes a vow to the Lord. If the Lord gave him victory in battle, Jephthah promises to give as a burnt offering to the Lord whoever came out of the door to his house […]
Time to Seize the Day!
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There are plenty of shifty characters in the Scriptures. We see one of them today in the person of Abimelech, in our first reading from Judges 9. He killed all of his brothers, save one, so that he would be made king. The one brother who manages to escape, Jotham, goes to the top of […]
What’s Possible
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In the first reading today, we meet Gideon. Be honest now…you thought he was just a guy who dropped Bibles off in hotel rooms, right? Actually, Gideon is one of the mightiest warrior/champions in all of Scripture. Today Gideon meets up with the angel of the Lord. He asks for a sign, and recieves one. […]
A Dangerous Question
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In the first reading from Judges 2, we see that the people turned away from God. The consequences were not pleasant. “[God] allowed them to fall into the power of their enemies…Whatever they undertook, the LORD turned into disaster for them…” The Gospel reading is one that I hope is familiar from Matthew 19. Jesus […]
True Food and True Drink
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Today’s Gospel reading is John 6:51-58. While much of the Bread of Life discourse up to now has sounded somewhat metaphoric, Jesus gets to the meat of the matter today. (Pun intended.) “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh […]
Assumed into Heaven
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since it falls on a Saturday this year, it is not a Holy Day of Obligation. This is one of those days that is greatly misunderstood by many. So let’s talk about it, and hopefully clear up some misconceptions that some […]
Christ on Marriage
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In today’s first reading from Joshua 24, Joshua addresses the people, speaking for the Lord God. He reminds them of all the things that Lord had done for them and for their ancestors; mighty deeds that they could not take credit for. God was reminding them that it was He who had given them everything […]
Forgiving From the Heart
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Joshua was Moses’ successor. He was chosen to lead the children of Israel into the promised land. That’s what we see in today’s first reading from Joshua 3. Included is a miracle almost as big as the parting of the Red Sea. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Peter asks Jesus how many times […]
Of Binding, Loosing and Praying
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Today we read about the death of Moses. It has been fascinating reading about his life and times. As I’ve mentioned many times, no one had a relationship with God quite like Moses. And today’s passage from Deuteronomy 34 reminds us of that. “Since then no prophet has arisen in Israel like Moses, whom the […]
Unfinished Business?
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Moses was nearing the end of his life, and the children of Israel were ready to cross into the Promised Land. More in a moment. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Jesus says, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child […]
The Giving Servant
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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 the Church, through the intercession of St. Lawrence. Thank you, deacons, for your service to God’s people! The first reading today is from 2 Corinthians […]
Of Bread and Flesh
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We’re back in the Bread of Life discourse in John 6 for our Gospel reading. Up to this point, Jesus has been talking only about bread. Many people say that Jesus was speaking symbolically or metaphorically. And one might be able to pull that interpretation off…until you get to verse 51. “The bread that I […]
How to Move a Mountain
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Moses wanted to make sure that the children of Israel remembered who God was, and that He alone was worthy of their worship. He gives them yet another reminder in today’s first reading from Deuteronomy 6. “Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them […]
Profit and Loss
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The children of Israel saw and experienced amazing and wondrous things. God had revealed himself to them and even spoken to them. In today’s first reading from Deuteronomy 4, Moses tells the people what God requires of them: to keep his statutes and commandments. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 16, we hear a familiar […]
Seeing Our Future
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration. In the first reading, we see the origin of the title “Son of Man” from Daniel 7. It is a kind of prefiguration of the Transfiguration. In the second reading, St. Peter recounts the event as an eyewitness. And the Gospel is from Mark 9, the story […]
On Doubt and Faith
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We have two very interesting readings today. They deal with two opposite ends of a spectrum – doubt and faith. In the first reading from Numbers 13 and 14, God has Moses send twelve men to scout the land God has promised them. Upon seeing some giant adversaries, most of the scouts spread doubt and […]
The Danger of Jealousy
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Moses was the greatest prophet ever. He was a great leader. Any time people are in high positions, there will be those who are jealous of them. More in a moment. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 14, Jesus walks on the water. So does Peter. For a moment. In today’s first reading from Numbers […]
A Heavy Burden
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Today’s reflection is a tough one for me to write. We see in our first reading today from Numbers 11 a very sad story. Moses had such a huge burden to carry. We’ll talk about it in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 14, we see Jesus going off to a deserted place […]
The Bread Come Down from Heaven
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Bread from heaven. When most people hear that phrase, they probably think of Jesus. And rightfully so. But in today’s first reading from Exodus 16, we once again experience typology. We see a foreshadowing of Jesus. When the Israelites were out in the desert, they didn’t have supermarkets or 7-11s to pop in and pick […]
Celebrating the Jubilee
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In today’s first reading from Leviticus 25, we read about the jubilee. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 14, we read the story of the beheading of John the Baptist. John wasn’t afraid to tell even the king that he was doing wrong. Unfortunately, it cost him his head. […]
Familiarity Breeds Comtempt
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The Catholic Church has a lot of feast days. Where does this notion come from? From our Jewish roots. You’ll see that in today’s first reading from Leviticus 23, where the LORD tells Moses when to celebrate feasts. In the Gospel reading, the people from Jesus’ native place brush Him off, because they “know” Him. […]
The Dragnet
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In the first reading today from Exodus 40, we read about the Dwelling. Notice the capital “D” in the word. This was the place in the Israelite camp where God stayed. We read about how the children of Israel scheduled their travels around the comings and goings of God in the Dwelling. Today’s Gospel reading […]
Two Sides of Martha
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Today we celebrate the feast of St. Martha. As per usual, there are options for the readings. The options for a Gospel reading are from John 11 or Luke 10. In these two readings, we see two different sides of Martha. In John, Martha is filled with faith, and even echoes the words of St. […]
Weed or Wheat?
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Moses had a very special relationship with God – one like no other. In today’s first reading from Exodus 33 and 34, we see that “The LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another.” In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus explains the parable of the weeds […]
The Power of Yeast
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When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments, he saw a horrific sight: the people were worshiping a golden calf. Moses goes before the LORD and pleads for mercy for the people. In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 13, we hear a couple more parables from […]
Worthy of the Call
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I want to concentrate today on the second reading at Mass from Ephesians 4:1-6. You may notice that these six verses are all one sentence. St. Paul is famous for his run-on sentences. It can sometimes be brutal if you’re a lector at Mass! St. Paul writes, “I…urge you to live in a manner worthy […]
St. James and Dying
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Today we celebrate the Feast of St. James. This James is the son of Zebedee and the brother of St. John the Apostle. He is often known as James “The Greater,” only because he is mentioned first (before the other James) in the listing of the Apostles. Our first reading is from 2 Corinthians 4. […]
The Commandments Still Count
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Most everyone knows that the Ten Commandments are found in the Bible. But did you know that they are found in the Bible twice? The first instance is in Exodus 20. That is today’s first reading. (If you’re keeping score, the second instance is in Deuteronomy 5. Take that to the water cooler!) In the […]
A Great Story Teller?
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In the first reading today from Exodus 19, God reveals himself to the children of Israel on Mount Sinai. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 13, the disciples ask Jesus, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” Be sure to read His answer. Parables are a great way to communicate messages that may […]
Feast of St. Mary Magdalene
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The first reading today for Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time is from Exodus 16. The children of Israel were out in the desert. There’s not much food in the desert. So God provided bread from heaven for them. Today’s Gospel reading is for the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene. In John 20, […]
Miracles Big and Small
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In the first reading today from Exodus 14, we see one of the biggest miracles of all time. Maybe you’re familiar with the story of the parting of the Red Sea. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 12, Jesus lets us know about how we have a family bond with Him. He says, “Whoever does […]
Seeking a Sign
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As the children of Israel were making their way out of Egypt, Pharaoh had a change of heart. Seems losing all that free labor would have made life harder than he thought. So the Egyptians went after the Hebrews. And the Hebrews got stuck at the Red Sea. In today’s first reading, God tells Moses […]
Christian Burnout
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 6, the Apostles return from their mission trip that Jesus had sent them on. They “reported all they had done and taught.” Jesus then says to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” He knew that they were probably exhausted. Working for […]
Out of Slavery
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Our first reading today picks up the story of the children of Israel after the Passover. They have now been led out of slavery. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 12, Jesus gets out of Dodge when He realizes that the Pharisees are conspiring against Him. Think of the magnitude of the task that Moses […]
Our Perpetual Institution
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Each year on Holy Thursday, the first reading for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper is taken from Exodus 11-12. That same reading is today’s first reading. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 12, the Pharisees call Jesus out because His disciples were “working” on the sabbath. Today’s first reading contains God’s instructions for the […]