60 Second Reflections » 60 Reflections
Jesus Wins Out
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In today’s first reading from Acts, Paul runs into a group of believers who have not yet received the Holy Spirit. In fact, they hadn’t even heard of a Holy Spirit. So Paul lays hands on them and they received the gift of the Spirit. In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples that they will […]
One in Love
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We call the “Our Father” The Lord’s Prayer. And rightly so, since it is the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray. But down through the ages, theologians have also thought of today’s Gospel reading from John 17 as The Lord’s Prayer. This is Jesus’ great prayer to the Father for unity among believers. “Father, […]
A Scripture Scholar
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In our Gospel reading today from John 16, Jesus again speaks about asking the Father in the name of Jesus. He promises the disciples that “the hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father.” In the first reading today, we meet […]
Do Not Be Silent
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You may think that baldness is a recent fad. If that is the case, then St. Paul would fit right in! We see in today’s first reading from Acts 18 that, because of a vow he took, he had his head shaved. In the Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus equates the grief that His […]
The Ascension of the Lord
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Ascension. In most dioceses around the country, today is not a Holy Day of obligation. For most, this feast will be celebrated this Sunday. If you are in a diocese or archdiocese in New York, Boston, Hartford, Newark, Philadelphia or the state of Nebraska (as well as […]
God is Always Near
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Today in our first reading from Acts 17, we see Paul giving one of his great speeches, this time to the Greeks in the Areopagus. More on his message in a moment. In the Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit, telling the Apostles, “But when he comes, the Spirit of […]
Conviction
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Another jailbreak in our first reading today from Acts 16. Today God uses a mighty earthquake to break the chains of Paul and Silas. And the happenings after the jailbreak are amazing! Be sure to check it out. For our Gospel reading, we’re back in John 16, as Jesus speaks more about the Advocate, the […]
Open Ears, Open Hearts
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In Acts 16 today, Paul and Luke find themselves in the city of Thyatira, where they meet a woman named Lydia. More on that encounter in a moment. In the Gospel from John 15, Jesus talks about sending the Advocate, the Spirit of truth. He says, “I have told you this so that you may not […]
To Keep or Not to Keep
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In our Gospel reading today from John 14, Jesus says, “Whoever loves me will keep my word…whoever does not love me does not keep my words.” Do you love Jesus? Of course you do! So do I. Yet I see this saying of Jesus and it gives me pause. Jesus had some very tough words, […]
Got Hate?
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A provocative title today, huh? Jesus spoke often about love. It’s kind of what He was all about. But today we hear Him speak of hate. And not just generically, but very specifically. He tells the disciples, “Because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the […]
Asking in Jesus’ Name
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Today is the Feast of Saints Philip and James. Philip was first a disciple of John the Baptist, then followed Jesus. James was the son of Alphaeus and a cousin of the Lord. He was the bishop of Jerusalem and authored an epistle. He died with a martyr’s crown in 62 A.D. In the Gospel […]
The Joy of the Lord
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In today’s first reading from Acts 15, we see that the early Church was hierarchical. There was a dispute about whether the Gentiles needed to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic laws in order to be saved. Paul and Barnabas knew that this was not a matter that could be settled on a local level. […]
The Nick of Sin
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In our first reading today from Acts 15, we see more controversy in the early Church about whether or not new believers needed to be circumcised. To settle the matter, Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem to bring the matter to the Apostles. Why? Because the hierarchy needed to decide the matter. In today’s Gospel […]
Christ’s Peace
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In the first reading today from Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas tell the people, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” This is a message that is not very popular. Therefore, many today want to avoid this part of the message. They want to paint Christianity as […]
The Cult of Personality
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In the Gospel reading today from John 14, Jesus says, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” We all like to think that we love Jesus, right? But are we keeping His word? Are we living out […]
Love One Another
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In the Gospel reading today from John 13, Judas has just left the upper room. Jesus says to the Eleven, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” Seems pretty simple, doesn’t it. The new commandment, wrapped up in three words. Love […]
Seeing God
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Paul and Barnabas lived a pretty crazy life. In our first reading today from Acts 13, the Jews are filled with jealousy because of the crowds that Paul and Barnabas were attracting. So the Jews had them thrown out of the city. Suffice it to say that Paul and Barnabas were undeterred. In the Gospel […]
Do Not Let Your Hearts be Troubled
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In the first reading from Acts 13 today, Paul continues his message of salvation through Jesus in the temple at Antioch. In the Gospel reading today, we’re in John 14, at the Last Supper. Jesus tells the Apostles, “Where I am going, you know the way.” Confused, Thomas says, “Master, we do not know where […]
The Devouring Devil
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Mark. Mark was a disciple of St. Peter. Peter’s teachings are the basis for Mark’s gospel. Mark accompanied St. Paul on his first missionary journey and was also a traveling companion of St. Peter, as we see in today’s first reading. Of course, our Gospel reading today […]
Sent Forth by the Spirit
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In our first reading today from Acts, we see Barnabas and Saul being “set apart” by the Holy Spirit and sent out to proclaim the Word of God. In the Gospel reading today from John 12, Jesus says, “I came into the world as light” and “I did not come to condemn the world but […]
Calling Ourselves Christians
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In Acts 11 today, we see the story of a growing Church. People in great numbers are turning to the Lord. Barnabas brings Saul with him to Antioch, and they stay there for a whole year, preaching and teaching. Acts 11:26 tells us “it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.” In […]
The Abundant Life
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Another awesome day in the Scriptures! In the first reading from Acts 11, Peter has a vision. He is then visited by some men who were sent to him by the Holy Spirit. It is then that Peter realizes that salvation if for the Gentiles, too. This was major stuff. Peter says something that we […]
Knowing the Shepherd’s Voice
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Today is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. It is a great day to pray for our bishops, priests, and for vocations. In today’s Gospel reading from John 10, Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice.” Many of us today, if not the vast majority, have never really had any experience with sheep. So we may […]
The Words of Eternal Life
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In the first reading today from Acts 9, we see a blossoming Church. It is growing rapidly, even with the great persecution she was suffering. Peter raises a woman from the dead, and because of that, many came to believe. In the Gospel reading today, we finish up in John 6. After Jesus talked about […]
A Eucharistic Puzzle
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The first reading today is the story of the conversion of St. Paul. Saul has a close encounter with Jesus, and it rocks his world. Many of us have had radical conversion experiences. But God calls us to conversion daily, and most often uses much more subtle means. Let’s pray that we’ll see them all. […]
When Bread is Flesh
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A very interesting story in our first reading today from Acts 8. The Holy Spirit sends Philip, one of the first deacons, to interpret the Scriptures for an Ethiopian eunuch. After this, the eunuch says, “Look, there is water. What is to prevent me from being baptized?” Philip baptizes him, then disappears. We’re back in […]
Raised on the Last Day
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In the first reading from Acts 8 today, we read about Saul persecuting the Church. Because of the persecution happening in Jerusalem, all but the Apostles left there. We read about the bold preaching and healing ministry of Philip. We’re back in John 6 for the Gospel reading today. Jesus says, “Everyone who sees the […]
True Martyrdom
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Today in Acts 7, we read about the martyrdom of St. Stephen. We’ll talk more about that in a moment. In the Gospel from John 6, we continue in the Bread of Life discourse. In fact, today we hear Jesus say, “I am the bread of life.” If Jesus had stopped at this point, it […]
True Martyrdom
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Today in Acts 7, we read about the martyrdom of St. Stephen. We’ll talk more about that in a moment. In the Gospel from John 6, we continue in the Bread of Life discourse. In fact, today we hear Jesus say, “I am the bread of life.” If Jesus had stopped at this point, it […]
Will Work for Jesus
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Today in Acts 6, we begin reading about St. Stephen. This was a very bold guy who was about to find himself in some real trouble. But even in the face of adversity, St. Stephen’s face “was like the face of an angel.” Tomorrow we will read about the martyrdom of this bold and holy […]
Undoing Our Denial
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The second half of today’s Gospel reading from John 21 is, I think, one of the the most moving scenes in the New Testament. After the resurrection, Jesus and Simon Peter are on the beach. They just finished breakfast when Jesus turns to Simon Peter and says, “Simon, son of John, do you love me […]
Doing Our Job
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In today’s Gospel reading from John 6, we read about Jesus walking on the water. When the disciples see Jesus walking on the water, He says to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” In our first reading from Acts 6, we read about some of the challenges of a rapidly growing Church. As […]
Attitude Adjustment
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Another uber-cool reading from Acts of the Apostles today. Be sure to read what Gamaliel, a famous rabbi, says about this new “Jesus movement.” (My words, not the Scripture.) We also see a very interesting attitude from the Apostles today. More on that in a moment. Today in the Gospel reading, we begin reading John […]
Accepting the Spirit
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A great reading from Acts 5 today. The court officers told the Apostles to knock off this teaching in the name of Jesus stuff. Their answer is awesome, and one that we should always take to heart…”We must obey God rather than men.” If only we kept that in mind more often, think of how […]
Coming to the Light
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What a cool story today from Acts 5. The Apostles once again get thrown into the hoosegow when, in the middle of the night, an angel comes and opens the doors to the prison and lets them out. This is getting to be something of a pattern for these guys! In fact, today we might […]
Of One Heart and Mind
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In today’s first reading from Acts 4, we get a glimpse of the first Christian community. We’ll talk more about that in a sec. In the Gospel reading from John 3, we see the next part of the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus. Nicodemus was a teacher of Israel, and yet he did not understand […]
Bearing God’s Son
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation. Traditionally the feast day is celebrated on March 25 (nine months before Christmas), but because that date fell in Holy Week, the feast is transferred to today. In the first reading we see that famous prophecy from Isaiah 7…”the virgin shall be with child, and bear a […]
God’s Mercy
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Today, the second Sunday of Easter, is Divine Mercy Sunday. So, rather than do a reflection on the daily Scriptures (I’ll trust you to do that on your own!), I thought we could take just a moment to reflect on God’s mercy. If you do a search of the Scriptures, you will find hundreds of […]
Proclaiming the Gospel
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Today in Acts 4, the Sanhedrin comes to the conclusion that something astonishing happened through Peter and John. But just to be safe, they tell them not to ever again speak of the name of Jesus. Uh…not so much. Peter responds with, “It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen […]
The Name of Jesus
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In Acts 4 today, we pick up the story of Peter and John right after the healing of the crippled beggar. More on that in a moment. In our Gospel reading today from John 21, the disciples are out fishing. Remember, these guys were professional fishermen. After catching nothing all night, they see Jesus, who […]
Understanding Sacred Scripture
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Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies. Again and again he said, “So that the Scriptures may be fulfilled…” In today’s first reading from Acts 3, St. Peter quotes the Old Testament Scriptures twice. He goes on to say, “Moreover, all the prophets who spoke, from Samuel and those afterwards, also announced these […]
The 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 […]
Baptism and Salvation
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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 […]
The Empty Tomb
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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 […]
He is Risen!
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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! He is risen! 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 […]
He is Risen!
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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! He is risen! 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 […]
Welcome New Catholics!
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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 […]
The Cross
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Good Friday. Today is the only day of the year when there is no Mass. Though there is no Mass, I’m sure that your parish will be having at least one service today. Perhaps it wil be Stations of the Cross and Veneration of the Cross. Maybe it will be the commemoration of the Passion. […]
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. […]
I, Judas
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Want to know what Jesus is all about and what he did for you? Check out today’s first reading from Isaiah 50. It really says it all. On Wednesday of Holy Week, we think about Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 26, we see Judas cutting a deal […]