60 Second Reflections » 60 Reflections
An Acceptable Fast
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In our first reading today from Isaiah 58, we hear what is truly an acceptable form of fasting. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading, the Pharisees ask Jesus why His disciples don’t fast. Jesus replies, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will […]
Building Our Cross-Carrying Muscles
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Choose Life. Some folks may think that that is a marketing phrase made up by the pro-life community. Actually, it originated MUCH earlier than Roe v. Wade. Many millenia earlier. We find that phrase in our first reading today from Deuteronomy 30. It was Moses who first said it. Check it out for yourself. In […]
Lent Begins
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Happy Lent! Doesn’t that sound a bit oxymoronic? I mean, we’re not supposed to be happy during Lent, right? Wrong! Lots of people think that Lent is a time when we walk around in sackcloth and ashes. Let’s make sure we all put on a dour face and let everyone know how difficult our fasting […]
What We Ask For
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“If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Those words of Jesus come to us from today’s Gospel reading from Mark 9. For our first reading, we’re in James 4, where we get more amazing wisdom from St. James. We pray about a lot of […]
Help My Unbelief
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Wisdome comes in two forms: heavenly wisdom and earthly wisdom. St. James speaks of the two in today’s first reading from James 3. Which type of wisdom are we working on most? In our Gospel reading today from Mark 9, Jesus’ disciples try to remove an unclean spirit from a man’s son. They cannot. So […]
With Friends Like That…
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Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 2 has one of the best stories of faith ever. Only it is the faith of a man’s friends that saves him. Jesus is in a crowded house. Four men climb up on the roof with their paralyzed friend on his mat. They lower him through the roof to get […]
Taming the Tongue
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In our first reading today, St. James talks about the power of the tongue. Amazing how this one little muscle in our body can cause us so much trouble! Our Gospel today is the scene of the Transfiguration from Mark 9. St. James talks about how every creature on earth, beasts and birds and everything […]
Faith or Works?
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Today’s first reading from St. James is a treatise on faith and works. St. James says “faith without works is dead.” More on that in a moment. In today’s Gospel reading from Mark, Jesus tells us that we must deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow him. He says those words that should haunt […]
Show No Partiality
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Today’s Gospel reading is Mark’s version of Peter’s great confession of faith, “You are the Christ.” In the first reading today from James 2, James exhorts the reader to “show no partiality as you adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ.” He then goes on to talk about a rich person and […]
A Doing Problem
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More great stuff today from St. James in our first reading. In the Gospel reading from Mark 8, Jesus heals a blind man; but it takes Him two tries. In reflecting on that, I wondered if the man wasn’t quite ready for a full healing all at once. Are there times in our lives where […]
Don’t Tempt Me
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In our first reading today from James 1, St. James talks about temptation. This is a subject that comes up at the end of the Lord’s Prayer. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 8, Jesus once again speaks rather cryptically to the disciples. He tells them to “guard against the leaven […]
Consider it All Joy
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For our first reading today, we begin the Letter of St. James. James is one of those books in the Bible that it would be very good for us to be very familiar with. In the Gospel reading today from Mark 8, the Pharisees come to Jesus demanding a sign be given them. Jesus responds, […]
We, the Lepers
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In the first reading today from Leviticus 13, we read about what will be done with lepers. He “shall keep his garments rent and his head bare, and shall muffle his beard; he shall cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ He shall dwell apart, making his abode outside the camp.” In the Gospel reading from Mark 1, […]
Pulling a Fast One
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In the first reading today from 1 Kings 12 and 13, we read about Jeroboam. Jeroboam was one of the kings of Israel. He was not a good guy. More on him in a moment. In our Gospel reading from Mark 8, we read of Jesus feeding four thousand with seven loaves and a few fish. After […]
Plainly Speaking
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In today’s first reading from 1 Kings 11, we see the beginning of the splitting up of Israel. Solomon had turned his back and worshipped false gods. God told him that He would divide up the house of Israel, leaving just one tribe to represent the House of David. And the final sentence of today’s […]
Even the Wise Go Astray
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 7, we see the power of perseverance in prayer. A Greek woman, not a daughter of Israel, comes to Jesus asking that He drive a demon out of her daughter. Jesus refuses, telling her that His first mission is to the children of Israel. The woman will not […]
That Which Defiles
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When I was a kid, my mom always used to use the phrase “The Queen of Sheba” to describe a person (or sometimes a dog) who thought they were all that. Well, in today’s first reading, we meet the real Queen of Sheba. She came to meet King Solomon and test him to see if […]
Condemning Traditions of Men
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In today’s first reading from 1 Kings 8, Solomon stand before the altar in the magnificent temple that he had built and offers up a prayer to God. This is a beautiful prayer, and I encourage you to read it. In our Gospel reading from Mark 7, we hear Jesus comdemning tradition. Catholics believe that […]
All are Healed
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Solomon has taken over as king after the death of his father, David. In today’s first reading from 1 Kings 8, we read about the ark of the covenant being brought from the City of David to Jerusalem, where Solomon has built a magnificent temple for the Lord. When they brought the ark into the […]
Everyone is Looking for Jesus
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 1, Jesus leaves early in the morning, before the sun came up, to go off to a deserted place to pray. Simon and the other disciples pursued him and on finding him said, “Everyone is looking for you.” That phrase really struck me. I think it is true, […]
Asking for Wisdom
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In today’s first reading from 1 Kings 3, we meet Solomon. Solomon’s father, David, had just died. The son had ascended to the throne of Israel. More in a moment. In our Gospel reading from Mark 6, we see great crowds coming to find Jesus. “His heart was moved with pity for them, for they […]
The Cost of Speaking the Truth
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Our first reading today is from Sirach 47. Here Sirach gives a synopsis of the life of David. The Gospel reading is from Mark 6, the account of why and how John the Baptist was beheaded. It is a sad and grisly story, but one that we can learn much from. I encourage you to read […]
Presentation of the Lord
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Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Also known as Candlemas, this is the day when candles will be blessed. There will be three readings today. In the first reading from Malachi 3, God says through the prophet, “And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek, and […]
No one Special Here?
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In today’s first reading, King David takes a census, against God’s will. He comes clean and admits his sin. As we have seen before in his life, David’s actions have consequences. So God gives David three options for a punishment. None of them is good. Read what David says at the end of today’s reading. […]
The Healing Touch of Jesus
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Today in the Gospel reading from Mark 5, we see two miracle healings. The two are similar, yet very different. And we can learn lessons from both of them. A synagogue official comes and asks Jesus to heal his young daughter. She was deathly ill. So Jesus and his retinue set out for the man’s […]
Go and Tell Your Family
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King David lived such an interesting life. As we have seen, it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns. He had a large share of hardship heaped upon him, some, of course, of his own making. In today’s first reading from 2 Samuel 15 and 16, David’s own son, Absalom, is trying to kill him and wrest […]
The Grace of Celibacy
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Today’s second reading from 1 Corinthians 7 is something of a treatise on celibacy for priests and nuns. St. Paul talks about how unmarried men and women and virgins are “anxious about the things of the Lord.” On the other hand, married persons are concerned about how to please their spouses and “the things of […]
Doesn’t Jesus Care?
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More of the intriguing story of David today in our first reading from 2 Samuel 12. The prophet Nathan comes to David and tells him a story, one which enrages David. Nathan tells him that he (David) is the bad guy in the story. And David comes clean. “I have sinned against the Lord.” Please […]
How God Works
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You’ve heard the old saying, “The Lord works in mysterious ways.” So true. I’m sure you’ve experienced that in your life. More in a moment. In our first reading today, we see the story of King David beginning an adulterous affair with Bathsheba. David gets her pregnant and to cover up his sin, he has […]
Fan the Flame
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saints Timothy and Titus. It is a special day for my parish, as I attend St. Timothy Parish. Because it is a shared feast day, we have an option of two first readings, one from 2 Timothy and one from Titus. I’d like to concentrate today on the […]
Ongoing Conversion
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. Jesus’ words from today’s Gospel reading from Mark 16 are ones that St. Paul took seriously. Jesus said, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” We read about the conversion of St. Paul in Acts 9 and Acts 22. […]
Celebrating God
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In the first reading today from 2 Samuel 6, the ark of God is brought into the City of David. How that plays out is interesting. In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, Jesus is told that His mother and brothers and sisters were outside asking for Him. He replies, “Whoever does the will of […]
Praying for Life
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Yesterday was the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in America. A sad day, indeed. In the U.S., today is the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. At Catholic churches across the United States, today is observed as a day of penance for violations to […]
The Call to Repent
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The theme that runs through our readings today is repentance. In the first reading, Jonah goes through the great city of Nineveh and tells the people the time has come to repent of their wicked ways. In the second reading, St. Paul tells the Corinthians how they need to change their behavior. And in the […]
Out of My Mind
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For the first reading today, we start in 2 Samuel. Saul and his son, Jonathan, David’s best friend, have been killed in battle. David laments the death of these two great sons of Israel. The Gospel reading today from Mark 3 is very short; just two verses. Jesus came with his disciples into the house. […]
Admitting We’re Wrong
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David and Saul had a tumultuous relationship. Even though Saul said that he would never kill David, he went back on his word. You would think that David would share this animosity. But not so. More in a moment. Our Gospel reading today is from Mark 3 – the listing of the Twelve Apostles. Saul was […]
The Jealous King
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It seems that wherever Jesus went, He drew a crowd, as we see in today’s Gospel reading from Mark 3. The more people He healed, the more demons He cast out, the bigger the crowds grew. More and more people came to believe in Him. Even the unclean spirits attested to Jesus, saying, “You are […]
Your Goliath
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 3, Jesus has another run-in with the Pharisees about the sabbath. Jesus asks them, “Is it lawful to do good ont he sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” He then cures a man with a withered hand. Another reminder that […]
What God Sees
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In today’s first reading from 1 Samuel 16, we read about the anointing of David. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 2, Jesus is questioned by the Pharisees about why his disciples are picking grain on the sabbath, something which was prohibited by the law. Jesus tells them, “The […]
Being Obedient
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In the first reading today from 1 Samuel 15, we see a bit of the sneakiness of King Saul. Samuel has to call him out on it. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 2, Jesus talks about pouring new wine into old wineskins. It just doesn’t work. What He means is […]
Rock
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Name changes in the Scriptures are not real common, especially when that name change is given by God. You better believe that a great significance is attached. We see one of those name changes in today’s Gospel reading from John 1. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. As Jesus walks by, John says, […]
Our Soul Doctor
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The people of Israel insisted that God give them a king. Despite warnings to the contrary, they persisted. In today’s first reading from 1 Samuel 9, we meet the new king, Saul. In our Gospel reading today from Mark 2, we read about the call of Levi, or Matthew. Levi has Jesus over for dinner. […]
Everyone Else is Doing It!
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You would think that as God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel would enjoy being different, set apart. Uh…not so much. We see this in today’s first reading. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 2, we read the story of four men who bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus. The house […]
Don’t Keep it to Yourself
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A resounding defeat. This is what the Israelites suffer not once, but twice in today’s first reading from 1 Samuel 4. After losing a battle to the Philistines, the Israelites bring the ark of God into battle with them. The Philistines then kill 30,000 men, and take the ark of God. Ouch! In our Gospel reading […]
Are You Listening?
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In the first reading today, we’re in 1 Samuel 3, reading about the call of Samuel. It is a story that we can take lessons from. In the Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law, then heals all in town that needed healing. After some prayer alone, Jesus tells his disciples that He […]
Praying From the Depths of the Soul
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We’re back in Ordinary Time. In our Gospel reading, we’re in Mark 1, where Jesus encounters a man with an unclean spirit. After Jesus casts the spirit out, the people are amazed, and they recognize that He teaches and acts “with authority.” In the first reading today from 1 Samuel 1, Hannah cries out to […]
Jesus’ Baptism
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Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. We see that moment in Mark’s Gospel where John the Baptist has just baptized Jesus when “he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you […]
Wise Men Still Seek Him
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Today is the Feast of Epiphany. The 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 […]
Whatever He Tells You
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Catholics believe in venial and mortal sin. Where does this notion come from? Was it something that the Church just made up? I mean, isn’t sin, sin? It actually comes right from the pages of Scripture, in 1 John 5. Read today’s first reading and you’ll see what I mean. Jesus’ first public miracle, as […]
Belief and Victory
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There are two options for a Gospel reading today. One is the genealogy of Jesus from Luke 3. The other is from Mark 1, where Jesus is baptized in the Jordan river by John the Baptist. At that moment, a voice comes from the heavens. Do you know what the voice says? Read it and […]