60 Second Reflections » 60 Reflections
Fervent Prayer
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God wants to know our deepest desires. So we should pray for those. More on that in a moment. In our Gospel reading today from Mark 1, Jesus expels an unclean spirit from a man. The people around him were amazed, and recognized that Jesus taught and acted “with authority.” In our first reading today […]
Come After Me
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Welcome back to Ordinary Time! I hope that we will not take the name of this liturgical season literally. What I mean by that is that I hope that we consider every day that we have EXTRAORDINARY!! God loves you so much, and wants to fill your life with blessings. What’s ordinary about that?! In […]
God’s Will and Baptism
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Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. We see that moment where John the Baptist has just baptized Jesus when “the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice comes from heaven and says, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” As Catholics, […]
On Increasing and Decreasing
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Catholics believe in different “kinds” of sin. Mortal sin and venial sin. Venial sins are still sins, but not as serious as mortal sins. Mortal sins are those sins that separate us from God. Serious sins where we willfully and intentionally turn our backs on God. We find this notion in today’s first reading from […]
Cleansing and Forgiveness
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“Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” That question opens today’s first reading from 1 John 5. Who indeed? I hope that “one” is you! In our Gospel reading today from Luke 5, a leper comes to Jesus asking to be cleansed. […]
Loving and Lying
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1 John is an amazing book. I always get so much out of it when I read it. Today is no exception. In fact, today, like every day, St. John is speaking directly to me! He even has the nerve to call me a liar! More on that in a sec. Today’s Gospel reading from […]
Of Fear and Love
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Strong words from St. John today in our first reading from 1 John 4. St. John talks about fear. More on that in a moment. We see fear, too, come into play in our Gospel reading. In Mark 6, we see Jesus walking on the sea. When the disciples see him, they were overcome with […]
Love into Action
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In the first reading today from 1 John 4, St. John writes yet again about love. “Everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God…In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.” In our Gospel passage from Mark […]
An Unpopular Message
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Who is in you? An odd question, perhaps, but the answer should be Christ. There is a constant spiritual battle going on, and you are in the midst of it. That’s why you must always remember part of today’s first reading from 1 John. “The one who is in you is greater than the one […]
Wise Men Still Seek Him
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Today is the Feast of Epiphany. Our Gospel reading tells the story of the Three Kings, or the Three Wise Men. They heard that the King of the Jews had been born and followed a star to find him. King Herod tries to trick them into giving up the location of the child. But they […]
Looking for Something?
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Today’s first reading from 1 John 3 can be a difficult one to grasp. St. John writes, “Whoever sins belongs to the Devil, because the Devil has sinned from the beginning.” We know that we all sin. So do we all belong to the Devil? In a sense we do when we sin. Sin is […]
Child of God
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Good Morning, Child of God! Are you comfortable with that “title?” I certainly hope so, because that is what you are! So says St. John in our first reading from 1 John 2 and 3. In the Gospel reading from John 1, we hear John the Baptist say words that every priest repeats at every […]
Remain in Him
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More great advice from St. John in today’s first reading from 1 John 2. More on that in a moment. Our Gospel reading for today is from the Gospel of St. John. We see the people asking John the Baptist to identify himself, “Who are you?” He admits that he is not the Christ, only […]
Another Year, Another Resolution
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Here we are at the start of another new year. Happy New Year! I have to say that 2013 was an amazing year for me and my family and our ministry. God is good! We celebrated the birth of our first grandchild, Beckett, in August. I was blessed to continue to host Seize the Day […]
A Mind-Blowing Message
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For today’s first reading, we are back in 1 John 2. Today St. John writes about the antichrist. Very interesting stuff, especially for those hard core “end-timers.” Those are the people who keep telling us that we are in the end times. Well, 1900 years ago, St. John said the same thing. Read today’s reading. St. […]
Loving the World
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In today’s first reading, we get some great advice from St. John. More on that in a moment. The Gospel reading today is from Luke 2. Today we read about the prophetess Anna. She was a very old woman and “never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.” Like Simeon, […]
A Holy Family
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Today is the Feast of the Holy Family, always the Sunday after Christmas. All of the readings today talk about family. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 2, we read about how Joseph took his wife and Son to Egypt to escape from Herod’s persecution. Upon returning to Israel, they settled in Nazareth. Chances are […]
The Blood of Children
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Innocents. Who are the Holy Innocents? They are the children killed by order of Herod in Bethlehem right after the birth of Christ. We read about this today in the Gospel reading from Matthew 2. Matthew tells us that this fulfilled what had been said through […]
The Beloved Disciple
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Today we celebrate the Feast of St. John the Evangelist. St. John was the beloved disciple, the author of the fourth Gospel, three letters in the New Testament and the Book of Revelation. Our first reading today is from the beginning of St. John’s first letter. “We proclaim now…our fellowship is with the Father and […]
The First Martyr
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr. In the first reading from Acts of the Apostles, we see the story of Stephen’s martyrdom. And in the Gospel from Matthew 10, Jesus tells the disciples, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end […]
It’s About the Birth of a Child
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Merry Christmas to you and your family! The big day has finally arrived. All the shopping is done. Now is the day to go to church, to thank God for the gift of his Son, for our redemption and our salvation. A day to open presents, spoil our kids and just be with family. We […]
It’s About the Birth of a Child
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Merry Christmas to you and your family! The big day has finally arrived. All the shopping is done. Now is the day to go to church, to thank God for the gift of his Son, for our redemption and our salvation. A day to open presents, spoil our kids and just be with family. We […]
So Close…
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Today is Christmas Eve. Many people (myself and my family included) will go to Mass this afternoon or this evening for Christmas. Many will attend the beautiful Midnight Mass. Whenever you attend, I pray that you will be filled with blessings! I recently read an interesting study that said that only 47% of Americans will […]
So Close…
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Today is Christmas Eve. Many people (myself and my family included) will go to Mass this afternoon or this evening for Christmas. Many will attend the beautiful Midnight Mass. Whenever you attend, I pray that you will be filled with blessings! I recently read an interesting study that said that only 47% of Americans will […]
Of Messengers and Messages
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Today’s first reading is from Malachi 3. Malachi prophesies about the Lord’s messenger, “the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.” This prophesy is fulfilled in the person of Jesus. But Malachi also prophesies, “Lo, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the day of the Lord comes.” Jesus told the people that John […]
Love is With Us
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In today’s first reading from Isaiah 7, we see the prophecy that is at the heart of Christianity. “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” The virgin birth. And the Gospel reading from Matthew tells us that these things would […]
God’s Song for You
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You know something cool about the Catholic liturgy? We celebrate parts of the Christmas story throughout the year. Many of the Gospel readings that we are hearing at this time are also used at other times. For instance, today’s Gospel reading from Luke 1 is the same reading for the Feast of the Visitation on […]
May it be Done to Me
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Today’s first reading includes the great prophecy from Isaiah 7: “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” Today’s Gospel reading is the same one we saw just a few weeks ago on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. As the Christmas story continues to unfold this week in the […]
You Don’t Say
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Interesting readings we see on this Thursday before Christmas. Today the Church gives us two stories of men whose births were announced by an angel, Samson and John the Baptist. There are many similarities between the two, as the readings show us. In the first reading from Judges 13, the angel of the Lord appears […]
I Have a Dream!
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Today in the first reading from Jeremiah 23, the Lord says, “Behold, the days are coming when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; as king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is right and just in the land.” I’m sure that, looking at this prophecy, the people were […]
Jesus’ Family Line
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Well, it is one week before Christmas Eve! Are you feeling it yet? Beginning today, the liturgy begins to unfold the story of Christmas. In the first reading today from Genesis 49, we hear Jacob telling his sons, “The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, while tribute is […]
Submitting to Authority
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In today’s first reading from Numbers 24, we meet an interesting character named Balaam. Balaam utters a prophecy. “A star shall advance from Jacob, and staff shall rise from Israel.” Though this is not mentioned in the New Testament anywhere, the Church Fathers believed this to be a Messianic prophecy. The star and that staff […]
The Example of the Prophets
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Happy Gaudete Sunday! The Third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means “rejoice.” It is the first word of the Introit, or entrance antiphon, in the Mass. Today we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath. Rejoice! The Lord is near! Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 11 once again focuses on […]
God of the Unexpected
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Today’s first reading is from the Book of Sirach. The author talks of Elijah, “whose words were a flaming furnace.” Then in the Gospel reading from Matthew 17, the disciples ask Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus answers and tells them that “Elijah has already come.” But the scribes […]
Of Wisdom and Works
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In the first reading today from Isaiah 48, God says, “I, the LORD, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go.” Going the way God wants us to go is rarely the easy way. But it is always the way of wisdom. In our Gospel […]
A Merciful 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 […]
On Eagles’ Wings
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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 […]
Cry Out!
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Our “golden thread” today is that of shepherds and sheep. In the first reading from Isaiah 40, the prophet says, “Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care.” Then in the Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Jesus speaks […]
Immaculate Mary
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.Since the actual date of the feast was yesterday, a Sunday, today is not a Holy Day of obligation. Let’s talk briefly today about what the Immaculate Conception is, and isn’t. Probably the most common misconception (no pun intended) that people have is that the Immaculate Conception […]
A Voice for Today
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Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 3, we read about John the Baptist. As Matthew tells us, 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 […]
Great Teacher or God?
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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; […]
Got Faith?
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The Advent readings in the Liturgy are marvelous! Today’s “golden thread” features healing of the blind. In the first reading today from Isaiah 29, the Lord says, “On that day the deaf shall hear…the eyes of the blind shall see. The lowly will ever find joy in the Lord, and the poor rejoice in the […]
A Foundation of Rock
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Have you ever been to New York City? If not, you’ve surely seen it before. Skyscrapers all throughout Manhattan reaching to the heavens. Ever wonder how they put those things all so close together, and how they always remain so firm? It’s because of their foundation. Manhattan has this amazingly strong bedrock underneath all those […]
Revealing the Father
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Our first reading today is from Isaiah 11. “On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.” This is a prophecy about how the Messiah, Jesus, would descend from the line of David. (Jesse was David’s father.) We’ll see this reading again as we […]
Your Shelter
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“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” These are the great words of faith said by the centurion that we see in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 8. As we echo these words each time we attend Mass, just before […]
Your Shelter
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“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” These are the great words of faith said by the centurion that we see in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 8. As we echo these words each time we attend Mass, just before […]
A New Year
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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 […]
Brother Act
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Today is the feast of St. Andrew. Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter. In the first reading from Romans 10, St. Paul asks a number of questions…”How can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent?” Did you know that the word “apostle” means “one who is […]
His Words Will Not Pass Away
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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 […]
Thanksgiving
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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, […]