60 Second Reflections » 60 Reflections
A Left Field Miracle
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In the first reading today from 1 Timothy 3, we read about St. Paul’s requirements for the office of bishop and deacon. These passages always remind me to pray for our clergy. I often speak about how difficult it would be to be a bishop in today’s world. They have to have so many skills. […]
One Mediator
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The Gospel reading today from Luke 7 features a centurion who says something that every Catholic will find very familiar. “Lord…I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof…but say the word and let my servant he healed.” Sound familiar? It should! We say it every time we go to Mass. The first […]
Forgiveness
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The theme of today’s readings is forgiveness. In the first reading from Sirach 27 and 28, the mandate to forgive is very clear. “Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins?” In the Gospel reading from Matthew 18, we hear a familiar story from Jesus about forgiveness. […]
The Heart and the Mouth
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Aren’t you glad that God is patient? I sure am. And so is St. Paul. In today’s first reading he says, “But for that reason I was mercifully treated, so that in me, as the foremost, Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example for those who would come to believe him for […]
Our Lady of Sorrows
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. If you attend Mass today, you may sing or chant the Stabat Mater, a beautiful reflection of the sorrows of Mary. You’ll find it if you click the link for today’s readings. The Church gives parishes an option of two different readings for the […]
Carrying Our Cross
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Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In the first reading today from Numbers 21, we see a bit of typology. God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole. Whenever someone looked at it, they would be healed of their bite from a serpent. This […]
God’s Backward Ways
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I’m a believer that we become what we think about. Apparently so is St. Paul. In today’s first reading from Colossians 3, he says, “…seek what is above” and “Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” Sound advice. In the Gospel today from Luke 6, we begin the Sermon on the […]
The Most Holy Name of Mary
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Today the Church celebrates The Most Holy Name of Mary. The readings you will find are for Tuesday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time. In honor of today’s feast, I want to share a quick, and very timely story. This weekend my family and I were hunkered down in my home to ride out […]
Do Good Anyway
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In the first reading today from Colossians 1 and 2, St. Paul says, “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake…” This tells us two things: suffering can bring joy (rejoicing) and suffering can be offered up for the sake of others. In the Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus heals a man with a […]
Correcting in Love
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Jesus gives a “formula” for how to deal with someone who has wronged you, sinned against you. Step 1: talk to them yourself, one to one. If that fails to remedy the situation, move to Step 2: bring one or two others along as witnesses. If they refuse […]
Lord of the Sabbath
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We get a wonderful word about persevering in the faith in our first reading today from Colossians 1. St. Paul says that we will be presented “holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before him, provided that you persevere in the faith…” The New Testament is rife with allusions to perseverance. Yes, my friend…heaven ain’t for quitters. […]
Celebrating Mary’s Birthday
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Today the Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It’s Mary’s birthday! Happy birthday, Mom! Many non-Catholics have a difficult time with Mary. Well, maybe not with Mary, but with Catholic devotion to Mary. They think that if you honor Mary, you’re taking away honor from Jesus. I like to answer that with […]
Depart From Me
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Are you walking in a manner worthy of the Lord? That’s a phrase we see in our first reading today from Colossians 1. My sense tells me that you would answer no to that question. I know I would. But are you still walking? Are you still trying your best to accomplish God’s will, even […]
Keeping Jesus to Ourselves
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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 […]
Build One Another Up
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Today’s Gospel reading from Luke 4 is the story of Jesus casting out a demon from a man in the synagogue in Capernaum. The people were amazed that Jesus spoke and acted with authority. The first reading from 1 Thessalonians 5 is filled with great positive thoughts and actions. “For all of you are children […]
Happy Labor Day
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Happy Labor Day! I hope you are taking a day of R&R today. The readings that I link to are for Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time. But if you attend Mass today, you may hear different readings for Labor Day. The Gospel reading may be from Matthew 6, where Jesus talks about […]
Satan? Ouch!
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Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 16 picks up right after Jesus had just proclaimed Peter as the rock and given him the keys to the Kingdom. Peter then rebukes Jesus for talking about His impending suffering and death. Jesus then says to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are thinking not as God does, but […]
Investing Your Talents
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In the Gospel from Matthew 25, Jesus tells the story of a man going on a trip and giving his servants some talents (money). When the master returns, he wants an accounting of what each one did with his talents. I think it is interesting that these coins were called talents. Because we have the […]
Our Call to 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 […]
On Complacency
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In the first reading today from 1 Thessalonians 3, St. Paul says he looked forward to coming back to visit to “remedy the deficiencies of your faith.” Something we all could use, no? In our Gospel reading from Matthew 24, Jesus charges His disciples to “Stay awake!” He then goes on to tell the story […]
Whitewashed Tombs
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St. Paul led by example. He alludes to that in our first reading today from 1 Thessalonians 2. While he could have insisted that the believers take care of his needs while he preached and taught, he worked “night and day in order not to burden any of you.” He then thanks God that the […]
The Cost of Obedience
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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 called Herod out for marrying the wife of his (Herod’s) brother Philip. Out of anger, Herod had John thrown in jail and, in a moment of foolishness, agreed to give the head of […]
Feast of St. Augustine
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Augustine. I want to go outside of our regular format today and talk about this great saint. By the way, we see much of our first reading played out in the life of St. Augustine. Read it and see if you agree. Augustine was a man of […]
The Keys and The Rock
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Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 16 is a very important one. Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They give Him varied answers. Then He asks, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter replies, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus says […]
Call No One Father
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 23, we find a verse that many use to try to discredit the Catholic faith. Jesus said, “Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.” Some people will point to this verse and say, “See, you Catholics call your priests ‘Father!’ Jesus said […]
Wherever You Go, I Will Go
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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 […]
Bartholomew/Nathanael
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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 […]
Hitler in Heaven?
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We have two very interesting readings today. The first reading from Judges 9 is about trees ruling over each other. Except it’s not about trees at all. It’s about how sometimes those in leadership are not the cream of the crop. Sound familiar? In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 20, Jesus tells a parable about […]
The Queenship of Mary
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. You won’t hear special readings for this feast, though the prayers in the Mass reference this. So today’s readings are for Tuesday in the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time. This feast comes one week after the Assumption. It is such an […]
Be Careful What You Ask
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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 […]
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 some prodding from the disciples, He tells the woman no. She asks again. Jesus again refuses her request. Rather than getting discouraged and leaving, the […]
Decide Whom You Will Serve
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We have a very short Gospel reading today. But as always, it is packed. Jesus says, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” This is why Catholics baptize their infants. We “let them come to Christ” from their earliest days. In […]
On Marriage
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In the first reading today from Joshua 24, Joshua gives the people a bit of a history lesson. This is pretty common, as people need to be reminded from time to time about the marvelous things God has done for them. That was true then, and still is today. In the Gospel reading from Matthew […]
Exercising Our Forgiveness Muscles
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In today’s first reading from Joshua 3, we see a miracle that rivals the parting of the Red Sea. Do you know about it? Read it! And in the Gospel reading (Matthew 18:21-35), Jesus tells Peter he must forgive “not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Jesus then goes on to tell the story of a […]
Gathered in His Name
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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 on 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 […]
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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Today is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. There is so much to this feast that I couldn’t possibly fit it into one short reflection. I will share with you a chapter from my book A Minute in the Church Volume II that helps […]
For Your Own Good
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Our Gospel reading today recounts what I think may be Jesus’ coolest miracle. (I know, I know…I shouldn’t “grade” the miracles of our Lord. But this one is very cool!) The collectors of the temple tax want to get what’s coming to them from Jesus. So Jesus tells Peter to go out and catch a […]
Doubt
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In the Gospel reading from Matthew 14, we read the story about Jesus walking on the water during a storm. Peter asks Jesus to command that he come to him on the water. Jesus does, and Peter jumps out of the boat and begins walking on the water. Then he begins to doubt, and begins […]
Moving 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 […]
Eternal Retirement Planning
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The children of Israel were God’s chosen people. Moses reminds them of this, and gives some advice, in today’s first reading from Deuteronomy 4. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 16, we hear Jesus say, “Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What […]
To Serve Like Lawrence
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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 […]
When God Says Go, You Go!
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In our Gospel reading today from Matthew 15, we see an amazing example of perseverance in prayer, and the unselfishness of a mother. A Canaanite woman asks Jesus to heal her daughter. Jesus says, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This “disqualified” the woman and her daughter. But […]
On 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 […]
Feeding of the Multitude and the Eucharist
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Being a leader can be a great burden. It certainly was that for Moses. In today’s first reading from Numbers 11, Moses asks God, “Please do me the favor of killing me at once, so that I need no longer face this distress.” How sad. In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 14, Jesus feeds […]
Good That We are Here
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. In the first reading from Daniel 7, Daniel sees a vision of Jesus in His glory. Of course, he didn’t know it was Jesus, but “one like a Son of Man.” In the second reading from 2 Peter 1, St. Peter recounts the Transfiguration […]
A 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. […]
A Prophet at Home
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 13, the people from Jesus’ native place brush him off, because they “know” him. Jesus says, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” Why is that? I’m sure you’ve heard the old axiom “Familiarity breeds comtempt.” Perhaps that saying is […]
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
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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 […]
Radiant
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We all encounter God in one way or another. Moses’ encounters with God were different from all others. He spoke to God face to face. Though Moses wasn’t aware of it, these encounters with God actually changed his physical appearance. We see in today’s first reading from Exodus 34 that the skin of his face […]
Ears to Hear
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus explains the parable of the weeds and the wheat. There are so many aspects to this parable, and messages for us. I’ve often commented about how we get to choose whether we want to be wheat or weeds. Jesus ends His explanation with this: “Whoever has ears […]