60 Second Reflections » 60 Reflections
Following God’s Instructions
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Our salvation has a name. That name is Jesus. In today’s first reading from Acts 4, St. Peter makes that message very clear to the authorities who were questioning him. “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to […]
Our Ignorance
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You’ve heard the old expression “Ignorance is bliss.” In the first reading today from Acts 3, St. Peter refers to the people’s ignorance. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Luke 24, we read about what happened right after the experience of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus makes […]
A Greater Gift
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Another great story from Acts 3 for our first reading today. We’ll talk about that in a moment. The Gospel reading from Luke 24 is one of the most interesting stories in the New Testament. It is the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. After spending time with Jesus and not […]
Our Daily Decisions
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Back we go to the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 today. When the people heard about salvation through Christ Jesus, they asked Peter and the other Apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?” More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading today, we’re in John 20, reading about St. John’s post-resurrection […]
Jesus’ Tomb: Empty!
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Happy Easter Monday! Liturgically, the Easter season will be around for quite some time. How appropriate! We have forty days of Lent, but fifty days of Easter. So up until Pentecost, we will be taking a trip through the Acts of the Apostles in our first readings. Acts is like a real-life adventure story, so […]
An Easter Prayer
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Well, we made it! All the way through Lent, through the cross and now onto the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord. Praise God! Every year on Easter one of my most fervent prayers is for the people who only go to church once or twice a year. As I have said before, I […]
An Easter Prayer
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Well, we made it! All the way through Lent, through the cross and now onto the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord. Praise God! Every year on Easter one of my most fervent prayers is for the people who only go to church once or twice a year. As I have said before, I […]
Newly Minted
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Another long Lenten journey has come to a close. Tonight we celebrate the great Easter Vigil. Over 100,000 people will be welcomed into the Catholic Church around America. Wow! What an exciting moment. I know it is one that will never be forgotten for the many catechumens and candidates who will be welcomed into full […]
You Were There
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Today is the one day of the year when there is no Mass celebrated. The commemoration of Good Friday is the most solemn day of the year. The readings for the Good Friday liturgy are so moving. In the first reading from Isaiah 52, we see prophesied that which Jesus would endure on this day. […]
A Life of Service
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Lent is over today. We begin tonight the Sacred Triduum. It is one long liturgical celebration that encompasses Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. I hope you will make it to church for all of the services. Tonight’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper is one of the most moving liturgies of the Church year. […]
Be Mindful of Me, Lord
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When we think of the brutality that Jesus suffered for us, we can see that this was all foretold in today’s first reading from Isaiah 50. “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.” He did […]
Peter and Me
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Our first reading today is from Isaiah 49, more from the prophesies of the Servant of the Lord. “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” Our Gospel reading is from John 13. Here we see Peter at his finest, just moments before […]
Dungeons and Prisons
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Monday of Holy Week. For the next few days, our first readings will be from Isaiah, the prophesies of the Servant of the Lord. We’ll talk about today’s reading in a moment. The Gospel reading today is from John 12. Jesus goes to the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Mary anoints his feet with […]
Hosanna in the Highest!
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“Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest!” What a week this must have been for Jesus. Of course, He knew what was about to happen in the coming days. But what if that were you or me riding on that donkey […]
One Will Die
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In the first reading today from Ezekiel 37, the LORD says through the prophet: “My servant David shall be prince over them, and there shall be one shepherd for them all.” This one shepherd is, of course, Jesus Christ. In the Gospel reading today from John 11, Caiaphas, the high priest, says to the Sanhedrin, […]
Doing the Father’s Works
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In today’s first reading from Jeremiah 20, we hear the people plotting against Jeremiah. But they will not be victorious; they will not have their way. Jeremiah says, “But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph…Praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of […]
Living Up to the Covenant
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There are only a very few instances of God changing someone’s name in the Scriptures. Today we see the first of these in Genesis 17. Abram gets a new name. “Your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations.” This is pretty groundbreaking stuff, as Abraham and […]
Out of the Fire
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In today’s first reading from Daniel 3, we see the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego getting thrown into the fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had faith. Faith enough to know that when they got thrown into the furnace, God would set them free. In today’s Gospel from John 8, Jesus talks about being […]
Try the Up-Look
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Today’s first reading from Numbers 21 tells us the story of God sending saraph serpents among the people of Israel, who had become terrible whiners. God then commands Moses to make a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole. Whenever someone looked up at the serpent, they would be healed and live. In the […]
A New Beginning
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In today’s readings, we see the stories of two women who are about to be killed. In the first reading from Daniel, we see the story of Susanna. Two wicked men falsely accuse her of a crime punishable by death. But their falsehoods are revealed by Daniel. It really is a magnificent story, one that […]
The Glory of God
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Today’s Gospel reading from John 11 is probably the longest reading of the Church year outside the reading of the Passion. It is the story of Jesus raising His friend Lazarus from the dead. Jesus was good friends with Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha. The sisters sent word to Jesus that Lazarus was […]
Hearing Anew
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Another ominous reading for our first reading today, this time from Jeremiah 11. As we draw closer to Holy Week and Good Friday, we begin to see the readings get darker. In the Gospel reading from John 7, the people continue to conjecture from where the Christ would come. “The Christ will not come from […]
Psalm 34
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An eerie first reading today from Wisdom 2. It describes the things that Jesus went through to a tee. Be sure to read it and see if you don’t shake your head in amazement knowing that this was written hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. The Gospel reading today is from John 7, […]
Seeking Praise
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In today’s first reading from Exodus 32, Moses has a little heart-to-heart with God, asking Him to relent from destroying His people. And God relented. A wonderful statement on the power of prayer. And in the Gospel reading from John 5, Jesus talks about accepting praise. He says, “I do not accept human praise.” And […]
I Will Never Forget You
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In the Gospel reading today from John 5, Jesus begins to reveal more clearly who He truly is. He says, “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.” By calling God his own father, He made Himself equal with God. This didn’t sit well with some folks. In the first reading […]
A Simple Question
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Water is a theme that runs through our two readings today. In the first reading from Ezekiel 47, the Angel of the Lord shows Ezekiel a trickle of water flowing out from the temple. The farther they get from the temple, the greater the flow, until the water becomes a large river, teeming with abundant […]
Interceding in Faith
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Ever wonder what things would be like after Jesus returns. That is, after all, a basic tenet of our faith – that Christ will come again. Well, wonder no more! The prophet Isaiah gives us a beautiful picture of “the new heavens and the new earth.” Check it out…”There shall always be rejoicing and happiness…No […]
Blindness and Sight
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Today is the Fourth Sunday of Lent. The Gospel reading today is from John 9. It is the story of a man blind from birth who received his sight from Jesus. The man goes before the Pharisees and they question him about Jesus. When proclaims that the healing is from God, the Pharisees become indignant […]
A Deadly Trap
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Another beautiful reading from Hosea today for our first reading. Through the prophet, the Lord says, “For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” In our Gospel reading from Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable with two very interesting characters; one a Pharisee and the other […]
Repentance and Healing
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 12, Jesus is asked which is the first of all the commandments. Jesus answers to love God, and love your neighbor as yourself. When a scribe echoed this back to Jesus, He said to the scribe, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” We see some beautiful […]
The Nation That Does Not Listen
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 11 Jesus is accused by some people of driving out demons by the prince of demons. Jesus talks about what a ridiculous notion that is. He says, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house.” He then goes on to say, […]
Passing On the Faith
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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 on that in a moment. In our Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus gives the people the same message. “Do not think I have come […]
The Annunciation
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Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. It is exactly 9 months before Christmas. Let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas this year! In the first reading, we see the prophesy from Isaiah: “The virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name […]
Not “One of Us”
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In today’s first reading from 2 Kings 5:1-15, we see the story of Naaman the Syrian. Naaman was a high ranking military official in Syria, but not an Israelite. He was also a leper. The prophet Elisha gave him instructions on how to cleanse himself of his leprosy. Reluctantly, he listened to the words of […]
Pope Francis’ Call
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Today at Mass, our RCIA candidates and catechumens will be undergoing their scrutinies. It’s always very moving. The Gospel reading is from John 4, the story of the woman at the well. Jesus meets up with a Samaritan woman at a well. Two unusual things automatically pop into mind here. First, the woman was a […]
Our Part in the Story
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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 reminds us that “The Lord is kind and merciful.” And speaking of kindness and mercy, our Gospel reading is from Luke 15, the story of […]
Kill the Messenger
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In the first reading today from Genesis 37, we see some of the story of Joseph. He was Israel’s favorite son, and his brothers didn’t like that so much. So they decided to kill him. In the end cooler heads prevailed they wound up “only” selling him into slavery. But the plot to kill the […]
Listening to the Church
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You trust God, right? Of course you do. But can you trust God more? Can you trust God in every area of your life? I believe that we probably don’t have to look too far to find areas of our lives where we don’t so much trust God. Ask Him to increase your trust in […]
A Dad Like No Other
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Joseph. In our first reading from 2 Samuel, God says that his Son would spring from the line of David. “I will make his royal throne firm forever.” Joseph, though not Jesus’ biological father, was from the line of David. There are two options for a Gospel […]
Relationship
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I read an interesting survey once that found that 12% of Americans believe in a “higher power” but not a “personal God.” I’m guessing that these are the folks that would tell you that they are “spiritual but not religious.” What about this notion of a “personal God?” Our first reading today shows us just […]
St. Patrick’s Prayer
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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I’m going to go a bit out of the normal today and not do a reflection on the daily readings. In honor of St. Patrick, I want to share with you the beautiful St. Patrick’s Breastplate. Many people may know a small part of this beautiful prayer (specifically the next-to-last stanza), […]
What We Will Become
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Today’s Gospel reading is Matthew’s version of the Transfiguration. This is when Jesus takes Peter, James and John up to the top of the mountain and reveals His heavenly glory. Moses and Elijah appear with him. And a voice comes from a cloud that says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; […]
Deserving?
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In today’s first reading from Deuteronomy 26, agreements are made. The people make an agreement with God, to walk in his ways, obey his commandments and hearken to his voice. And God makes an agreement with the people, that they will be “peculiarly his own.” In the Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus says, “But […]
It’s Not Fair!
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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 way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?” In our Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus raises the bar on our behavior […]
Living the Golden Rule
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The first reading today is from the Book of Esther. It is a fascinating story and one that I recommend you read. (The whole book is just a few pages long.) In today’s reading, we hear the beautiful prayer of Queen Esther before she is to go and plead that the king will spare her […]
The Power of Positive Actions
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Today’s readings are about Jonah. Most people know the story from when they were kids. Or at least part of the story. If you were to ask 100 people about the story of Jonah, my guess is that the vast majority would only know one fact. He was the guy that got swallowed up by […]
God’s Blueprint
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What a beautiful reading today from Isaiah 55. We’ll talk about it in a moment. Our Gospel reading today from Matthew 6 is where Jesus teaches his disciples to pray. He teaches them the “Our Father.” But that’s not the end of the story. Immediately after the prayer, Jesus tells them, “If you forgive men […]
I Was Hungry
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“The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul.” That is the first line in today’s Responsorial Psalm from Psalm 19. In the first reading from Leviticus, we hear some of these “laws of the LORD.” This reading hearkens us back to the ten commandments. Our Gospel reading today is one that should be […]
Our Desert Experience
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Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 1 tells us that, before the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus went into the desert for forty days, where he was tempted by Satan. This notion of forty is found throughout the Scriptures. Noah endured forty days of rain that flooded the earth. The Israelite people went into the […]
Dr. Jesus
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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 sabbath. “If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice – Then you shall delight in the […]