60 Second Reflections » 60 Reflections
All in the Past
Posted on
In the Gospel reading today from Luke 6, we see that Jesus spent the night in prayer. The next day, He called His disciples and told them that He had chosen Twelve, whom He also named Apostles. In the first reading from 1 Corinthians 6, St. Paul talks about judgement, and Christians treating one another […]
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Posted on
In the first reading today from 1 Corinthians 5, St. Paul recounts that someone from the community is engaging in very immoral behavior…and people are cheering! Read what St. Paul says should be done. In the Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the sabbath. The scribes and […]
The Deaf Hear and the Mute Speak
Posted on
Jesus performs another miracle in today’s Gospel reading from Mark 7. He takes a deaf mute away from the crowds and heals him. The people were astonished and said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.” As with so many other characters that we see in Scripture, […]
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Posted on
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary…Mary’s birthday! Now, we don’t really know the exact day, date or year that Mary was born. We really don’t even know where she was born. In fact, we have no certainty at all about the details of Mary’s life before the […]
The Old and the New
Posted on
In the first reading today from 1 Corinthians 4, St. Paul refers to himself (and Apollos) as “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” As should we regard ourselves. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 9, Jesus talks about the old and the new, patching an old cloak with new fabric, and […]
The Unworthy Following Jesus
Posted on
In the first reading from 1 Corinthians 3, St. Paul speaks again of foolishness and wisdom. “If anyone among you considers himself wise in this age, let him become a fool, so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the eyes of God.” Amen to that! In the Gospel […]
Growth in God
Posted on
Jesus was a very busy guy. We see this in today’s Gospel reading from Luke 4. He heals Simon’s mother-in-law, He heals all the sick in the town and casts out many demons. When He tries to get a moment alone, the people track Him down and try to prevent Him from leaving their town. […]
Having the Mind of Christ
Posted on
For the first reading today, we’re back in 1 Corinthians 2. St. Paul speaks much of the Spirit of God here. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Luke 4, we see the word “authority” twice. Jesus “spoke with authority” and “With authority and power he commands the unclean spirits.” Jesus was given […]
A Labor Day Meditation
Posted on
Happy Labor Day! I hope you are taking a day of R&R today. There are plenty of options for readings today. The link that I will provide is actually 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 […]
Minimizing Defilement
Posted on
It’s funny how social mores change over time. Not so long ago, people pretty much ate what they wanted and no one thought much about it. And profanity was a bad thing. Now things have done a 180. If you eat certain foods, you’re looked down upon by some. But profanity has become very acceptable […]
Investing in the Kingdom
Posted on
In the first reading today from 1 Corinthians 1, St. Paul says that “God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong…” Being weak and foolish myself, I’m kinda liking this reading! In the Gospel from Matthew 25, Jesus tells the […]
Wisdom and Foolishness
Posted on
In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about ten virgins. Five of them are foolish and five of them are wise. They were all waiting to attend a wedding. The bridegroom was long delayed. When he finally arrived, five of them were ready, five were not. Read it and see […]
God is Faithful
Posted on
In our Gospel reading today from Matthew 24, Jesus tells a story meant to warn His followers against complacency. Two servants – one is always about his master’s business, the other figures the master will be away for a while so he becomes complacent and begins giving in to his baser passions. Of course, the […]
The Passion of John the Baptist
Posted on
Today the Church celebrates the Passion of Saint John the Baptist. This feast used to be known as the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. Personally, I like the Passion better. It reminds me of how passionate John the Baptist was for God. I hope that we share in that passion. The Gospel reading is […]
St. Augustine
Posted on
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 […]
I, Hypocrite
Posted on
St. Paul was big on prayer and thanksgiving. We see this today in our first reading from 2 Thessalonians 1. “We ought to thank God always for you, brothers and sisters, as is fitting…” and “We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling…” Prayer and thanksgiving. Two things […]
A Difficult Teaching
Posted on
If there is one chapter in all of Scripture that Catholics should be intimately familiar with, it is John 6. Over the course of the last three weeks at Sunday Mass, we have been hearing from John 6. Today we get the culmination of the Bread of Life discourse. After Jesus talked about eating His […]
Our Spiritual Fathers
Posted on
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 […]
Getting Rid of Our Duplicity
Posted on
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 […]
A Heart of Stone
Posted on
In today’s first reading from Ezekiel 36, God tells the people that He is going to take some corrective measures. We also hear the renewal of the covenant…”You shall be my people, and I will be your God.” The Gospel reading from Matthew 22 is the parable of a king throwing a wedding feast. He […]
No Unemployment in the Kingdom
Posted on
Today’s first reading is one that should be required daily reading for priests and bishops. Through Ezekiel, God talks about some not-so-good shepherds. He is not pleased; and when He is not pleased, things don’t end well for those with whom He is not pleased. Pray for our bishops and priests, that they may be […]
WII FM
Posted on
In today’s first reading from Ezekiel 28 we read about the prince of Tyre. This guy thought he was all that (and a bag of chips, we can assume.) He fancied himself a god. So the Lord God challenges him. He would meet a very nasty end. This is a pertinent story for those times […]
The Cost of Following Jesus
Posted on
In the first reading from Ezekiel 24, God takes Ezekiel’s wife from him; she dies. But even before this happens, God tells Ezekiel not to weep and mourn when God takes away the delight of his eyes. Unfortunately, the character in today’s Gospel reading didn’t get that memo. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 19, […]
Feeding on Jesus
Posted on
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 […]
Return and Live!
Posted on
Jesus had a heart for children. Take a look at today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 19. He says, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” This is just one of the reasons why Catholics have always baptized their children. In today’s […]
Jesus’ Teaching on Marriage
Posted on
I suppose it’s just the way I look at things, but I see some similarities between ancient Jerusalem and the United States. Take a look at today’s first reading from Ezekiel 16. “But you were captivated by your own beauty, you used your renown to make yourself a harlot, and you lavished your harlotry on […]
The Act of Forgiving
Posted on
Today in Ezekiel, the prophet is told to do some things in full view of the people as an example. He acts as one going into exile, showing the people what was about to happen to them. In the Gospel from Matthew 18, Peter asks Jesus how often he has to forgive a brother who […]
Feast of the Assumption
Posted on
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 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 people may have. First of all, Catholics believe that Mary was assumed, body and soul into […]
God’s Word is Sweet
Posted on
In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 18, Jesus asks a question about a man who has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray. Jesus says, “Will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?” God is always looking after us when we go astray – […]
Part of the Family
Posted on
Today’s first reading is from the opening chapter of Ezekiel. Here, Ezekiel has a vision of heaven. He describes things that we would understand. I’m pretty sure that heaven is indescribable, but that we may have a tiny glimpse, God showed Ezekiel things that would seem familiar to us. Today’s Gospel reading includes an interesting […]
The Bread of Life
Posted on
More from the Bread of Life discourse from John 6 in our Gospel reading today. Jesus says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” More on that in a moment. In the first reading, we see a story about bread from heaven also. In 1 Kings, we read about how an angel […]
Moving Your Mountain
Posted on
In the first reading today, God tells the prophet Habakkuk to write down a vision. Then He encourages the people to wait for the vision to be fulfilled. “If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. The rash man has no integrity; but the just man, because of […]
Deacon, Martyr, Servant
Posted on
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 […]
The Keys to the Kingdom
Posted on
Today is one of those days when I wish this could be a 60 minute reflection, instead of 60 seconds. The readings are soooo rich! In the first reading from Jeremiah 31, God speaks of a new covenant. Of course, we know that that new covenant is with the blood of Jesus. Glory!! In the […]
Faith and Persistence
Posted on
God is always ready to give His people another chance. When His people turned their backs on Him, He allowed them to suffer the consequences. But in today’s first reading from Jeremiah 31, the Lord says, “With age-old love I have loved you; so I have kept my mercy toward you. Again I will restore […]
Total Self Giving
Posted on
In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 14, we see Jesus walking on the water in the middle of the night. Peter tells Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Jesus says, “Come.” So Peter gets out of the boat and starts to walk on the water. Imagine […]
A Glimpse of the Future
Posted on
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 […]
The New Self
Posted on
In today’s Gospel reading from John 6, we hear Jesus as He begins the Bread of Life discourse. In the conversation that Jesus has with the people, the subject of manna comes up. Thus, in the first reading from Exodus 16, we hear about how God miraculously fed the people with manna, the bread from […]
Innocent Blood
Posted on
More prophet talk for us today. In the first reading, the priests and prophets want Jeremiah put to death. But Jeremiah tells them, “If you put me to death, it is innocent blood you bring on yourselves.” In the Gospel, we read about more innocent blood, that of John the Baptist. Matthew recounts the story […]
Faithful and Obedient
Posted on
In both of our readings today, we see and hear that prophets get “dissed.” In Jeremiah 26, our first reading, we see Jeremiah saying everything that God tells him to say. The people’s response? “You must be put to death!” Gee, that’ll make you want to open your mouth next time, won’t it? Then in […]
In the Hands of the Potter
Posted on
Today we see what I hope is a familiar story in Jeremiah 18. Though you may not know the chapter and verse, it is the story of Jeremiah going to watch a potter at work. More in a moment. In the Gospel, we read the final verses in Matthew 13, the “parable chapter.” Jesus tells […]
The Cost of a Pearl
Posted on
In Jeremiah 15 today, God speaks of the need for repentance. “Thus the Lord answered me: If you repent, so that I restore you, in my presence you shall stand.” Yet another reminder for us that repentance only brings about good things. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus tells two very brief parables […]
Am I a Weed?
Posted on
In the first reading today from Jeremiah 14, the prophet mourns when he looks out over the destruction caused by the sins of the people. He laments, “Have you cast Judah off completely? Is Zion loathsome to you?” He then cries out to God for mercy. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus explains […]
Pride and Rot
Posted on
Today’s first reading from Jeremiah 13 seems a very odd tale at first. God tells Jeremiah to go buy a loincloth, then go hide it, then go get it again. Inevitably, the loincloth rots. In the Gospel from Matthew 13, Jesus tells two parables, the parable of the mustard seed and of the yeast. God […]
The Hand of the Lord Feeds Us
Posted on
In today’s readings, we see the theme of God feeding His people. In the first reading from 2 Kings 4, a man gives the prophet Elisha twenty barley loaves. Elisha tells him to give it to the people to eat, though there are a hundred people. The man objects, wondering how so few loaves can […]
The Weeds and the Wheat
Posted on
Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 13 is the parable of the weeds and the wheat. A bad guy comes and sows weed seeds into a man’s wheat field. When the servants find out, they ask the master if they should pull the weeds. The master says that they will be separated at harvest time. Jesus […]
Being Rich Soil
Posted on
The prophets all had a common message. We see the crux of it at the beginning of today’s first reading from Jeremiah 3. “Return, rebellious children, says the Lord, for I am your Master.” In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus explains the parable of the sower. When I read about the different kinds […]
Can You Hear?
Posted on
People can be a bit dense, slow on the uptake. I know – I speak from experience. This is kind of a theme that runs through the readings today. God tried and tried to get through to his people. But in the first reading from Jeremiah 2, the Lord says, “Two evils have my people […]
Believing and Speaking
Posted on
Today we celebrate the feast of St. James. This James was the son of Zebedee and the brother of St. John the Apostle. He wore the martyr’s crown as he was put to death by Herod around the year 42 A.D. The Gospel reading today is from Matthew 20, where the mother of James and […]
A Drop in an Ocean
Posted on
In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 12, Jesus is told that his mother and his brothers are outside the house wanting to speak to Him. Jesus says, “Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Jesus often spoke in family terms. Isn’t it comforting to know that […]