60 Second Reflections » 60 Reflections
Our Divine Physician
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We hear more today about things that are pleasing to God in our first reading from Isaiah 58. The Lord also talks about how we should conduct ourselves on the sabbath. “If you honor it by not following your ways, seeking your own interests, or speaking with malice – Then you shall delight in the […]
A Pleasing 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 […]
Our Daily Cross
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Did you know that God is pro-choice? Don’t go ballistic, I’m not talking about the way that abortion advocates mean that. (In that sense, God is most definitely pro-life!) I mean that God has given us free will, the ability to make choices – good and bad. In the first reading today from Deuteronomy 30, […]
Giving Up and Taking On
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Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I hope you’ve given some consideration about what you will do this Lent. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus speaks to how we should conduct ourselves during Lent. He focuses on the three pillars of Lent: almsgiving, prayer and fasting. A lot of people think […]
The Prosperity Gospel
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Are you familiar with the Prosperity Gospel? It’s a relatively new movement that seeks to enrich the coffers of “preachers” by telling people that if they give generously to their (the “preacher’s) ministry, there will be abundant worldly blessings. The more generous you are, the more generous God will be to you. Pure bunk. One […]
God Can Handle It
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In the first reading today from Sirach 17, we read “To the penitent God provides a way back.” Notice that it is a two-way street. We must first be penitent for God to provide the way back. Today’s Gospel reading is the Markan version of the rich young man. You know the story. Young guy […]
Seek First
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The Sermon on the Mount is so beautiful, and so challenging. Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 6 starts off with Jesus saying, “You cannot serve God and mammon.” From there, Jesus talks about worrying. That is something I think most people are pretty darn good at. I believe that worry really springs from fear – […]
Jesus, Children and Us
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In the first reading today from Sirach 17, we get kind of a short history of man. We see that God “put the fear of himself upon their hearts.” In essence, God has set into our DNA the knowledge that there is a God, and that we ain’t Him. Unfortunately, that message seems to get […]
A Faithful Friend
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 10, Jesus teaches about marriage. The Catholic Church has always held fast to these teachings. Sure, they are difficult. But they come from Christ Jesus Himself. I hope that you will join me in praying for marriages daily. Marriage is under attack on so many fronts. Pray that […]
Convert Today
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 9, Jesus lets us know how dangerous it is to lead others into sin. “It would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” While we must strive for our own holiness, it is also incumbent […]
Feast of the Chair of St. Peter
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. Some might look at that and say, “Boy, you Catholics are really strange! Imagine celebrating a piece of furniture!” That’s not what the feast day is about. Today we celebrate the office of the Papacy. Peter was the first Pope, the Vicar of […]
Prepare Yourself for Trials
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Aspiring to great things is not a bad thing. The question is, to what kind of great things should we aspire? Great things in the eyes of the world, or great things in the eyes of God. If the latter (and it should be that), Jesus tells us the way in today’s Gospel reading. We’re […]
Help My Unbelief
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Today’s first reading is from the Book of Sirach. This is one of the books that you will find in a Catholic Bible, but not a Protestant one. I think it is one of the most beautiful books in all of Scripture. At the beginning of the book of Sirach, we read about Wisdom. There […]
Be Perfect
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 5, Jesus says to His disciples, “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Wow. That’s a tall order, no? And maybe this is an issue that you struggle with. I know that I do. Perfectionism. Perfection is something that is pretty much impossible to achieve, […]
Our Moment
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In the Gospel reading from Mark 9, we read the story of the Transfiguration. Upon seeing Jesus in His glory, along with Moses and Elijah, Peter says, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Peter was having a moment, and […]
Lessons from a Tower
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In our Gospel reading today from Mark 8, Jesus asks the question, “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” So many today are striving for riches, potentially at the cost of their souls. Sure doesn’t sound like a fair trade-off to me. If you do a cost/benefit […]
Thinking as God Does
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Whenever you see a rainbow, it should remind you of God. Why? Check out today’s first reading from Genesis 9 to find out. In the Gospel reading from Mark 8, Jesus asks the disciples who people say that He is. He then asks, “But who do you say that I am?” After Peter replies, “You […]
Healing in Stages
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Did you know that Noah was over 600 years old at the time of the Great Flood? We see this in today’s first reading from Genesis 8. After the flood, God promises Noah, “Never again will I doom the earth because of man since the desires of man’s heart are evil from the start; nor will […]
Do You Still Not Understand?
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In today’s first reading from Genesis, God instructs Noah what he needs to do to save himself, his family and all the animals from the flood. Man had become so wicked that God decided it was time to start all over again. In the Gospel reading from Mark 8, Jesus once again seems a bit […]
The Demon Lurking
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In today’s first reading, we see the story of the world’s first murder. Cain killed his brother Abel because God looked favorably on Abel’s offering and Cain became resentful and jealous. Before Cain committed this horrific act, the LORD says something to him that we must all hear. “Why are you so resentful and crestfallen? […]
Adultery
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We’re back in that pesky old Sermon on the Mount for today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 5. Today we hear Jesus teaching about the Sixth Commandment – You shall not commit adultery. Here’s what He says. “You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you, everyone who […]
Pointing Fingers
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 8, we read about a miracle. Jesus feeds four thousand people with seven loaves and a few fish. And after everyone had eaten their fill, they picked up the fragments left over and got seven baskets full. Now that’s love! In the first reading today from Genesis 3, God […]
Pride Enters the Picture
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 7, Jesus heals a deaf man with a speech impediment. “And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.” Let us pray today that God will open our ears to hear the truth, and that that hearing will result in us […]
God and Marriage
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Today’s Gospel reading is about a desperate mother who comes to Jesus and asks Him to heal her daughter. Since she is not a Jew, Jesus refuses at first. But because of her persistence, Jesus relents and her daughter is healed. In the first reading from Genesis 2, we see God creating a “suitable partner” […]
Things That Come Out
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In today’s first reading from Genesis 2, we see how God made man in the second creation account. “The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.” Our Gospel reading today from Mark 7 is one […]
Made in His Image
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We pick up the creation story today in Genesis 1 on day five. God was awfully busy then, wasn’t He? On the sixth day, God created man; male and female he created them. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 7, Jesus reprimands the Pharisees for teaching human traditions that […]
God Said
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Our first reading today is the beginning. We start the creation story from Genesis 1. In the Gospel reading from Mark 6, we see that everyone who but touched the the tassel on Jesus’ cloak was healed. “In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and […]
The Salt of the Earth
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For the Gospel reading today, we’re back in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5, Jesus says to His disciples, “You are the salt of the earth.” I’m sure you’ve heard that phrase before, right? “Oh, he’s a real salt of the earth type.” It means that they’re just regular folk. Someone who doesn’t […]
Offering a Sacrifice of Praise
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Today we finish up the Letter to the Hebrews. I don’t know about you, but I think it has been a great time of learning during our time in Hebrews. Today the sacred author tells us to “continually offer God a sacrifice of praise…” More on that in a moment. In our Gospel reading from […]
The Same Yesterday,Today, and Forever
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Hebrews 13: 1-8, today’s first reading, offers us a primer on living the Christian life. Read it again and again, and strive to live out the message. More in a sec. The Gospel reading from Mark 6 is the story of the beheading of John the Baptist. It is a sordid tale of a promise […]
Presentation
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The Jewish people “presented” their children to the Lord in the temple shortly after their birth. In the first reading from Malachi 3, the Lord says, “And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek.” And in the second reading […]
Temporary Pain, Eternal Peace
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Today we’re going to talk about discipline. Not a fun topic, I know. If you clicked over to another web site right now, I wouldn’t blame you! But in today’s first reading from Hebrews 12, discipline is a main theme. So talk about it we must. In the Gospel reading from Mark 6, Jesus is […]
Giving Our Children to Jesus
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Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 5 tells the story of two healings. A synagogue official named Jairus asks Jesus to come to his home and cure his young daughter, who was near death. Jesus agrees to do so. While on the way, a woman touches Jesus’ cloak. Immediately she is healed, because of her faith. […]
Battling Demons
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In today’s first reading from Hebrews 11, the sacred author talks about some of the great figures of the Old Testament. They did not live to see the promise of God fulfilled. But you and I? We are very blessed indeed. We have Christ Jesus available to us always. In our Gospel reading from Mark […]
Beatitude Questions
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In today’s Gospel reading, we begin Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount, from Matthew 5. He begins with the beatitudes. I’d like to go through a quick exercise today where we ask if the beatitudes are playing out in our lives. Meditate for just a moment on the beatitude and the questions that follow. Blessed […]
Oh, He Cares
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What’s the definition of faith? We get the answer today at the beginning of our first reading from Hebrews 11. Read it and find out. In our Gospel reading from Mark 4, the disciples are in a boat with Jesus, who is sleeping. Suddenly, a big storm comes up and the boat is getting tossed […]
Endurance and Life
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 4, Jesus tells a couple of parables, both of an agrarian nature. In the first He talks about how a seed grows, yet we know not how. Why? It is the mystery of life, and that God alone is the giver and taker of life. The second is a […]
Burn, Baby, Burn
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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 […]
Constant Conversion
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Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. We see the story of Saul’s (Paul’s birth name) conversion in two places in Acts of the Apostles. In chapter 9, the account is told in third person. Luke, the author of Acts, recounts the story. However, in chapter 22 of Acts, St. Paul tells […]
Doing God’s Will
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In today’s readings, we hear much about doing God’s will. In the first reading from Hebrews 10, it quotes Psalm 40, which is our Responsorial Psalm. “Behold, I come to do your will.” In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, Jesus is teaching in a crowded house when He is told, “Your mother and your […]
The Importance of Unity
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In the first reading today from Hebrews 9, we read more about Christ’s once for all sacrifice, and about the judgement at Jesus’ second coming. In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, Jesus is accused of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons. Jesus’ response talks about how a house divided […]
On Fishing and Catching
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Part of the first reading today from Isaiah is one that we see during Christmas. And in the second reading from 1 Corinthians 1, St. Paul makes a plea for unity among the believers. In the Gospel reading today fromMatthew 4, we read about the call of the first disciples. Simon and Andrew were brothers, […]
Crazy for Christ
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The blood of animals was very important in the old covenant. But the New Covenant is sealed with the Blood of Christ. In today’s first reading from Hebrews 9, the sacred author talks about the power in the Blood. Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 3 is just two verses. Here it is: Jesus came with […]
The Apostles
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The first reading today from Hebrews 8 talks about covenant. Jesus came to earth to usher in the New Covenant. A covenant is an exchange of persons. It requires total self-donation. As Christ died for us (total self-donation), are we willing to totally donate ourselves to Him? In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, we […]
The Sacrifice of the Mass
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In the first reading today from Hebrews 7 & 8, the sacred author talks about the once for all sacrifice of Christ. “He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all […]
Melchizedek and Holy Orders
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The author of Hebrews was big on Melchizedek, and his “relationship” to Jesus. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand on the sabbath. Once again the Pharisees, itching for a reason to come against him, well…come against him. The question has […]
A Minute in the Church: Life in Christ
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A Minute in the Church: Life in Christ is available today! This is the fourth book in the A Minute in the Church series. Each chapter in all of the books are just one minute long. (Honestly, there is some bonus material in the new book, making a few chapters just a bit longer.) They […]
Eager to Serve
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Great stuff today from Hebrews 6. The reading starts out “God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name by having served and continuing to serve the holy ones.” In other words, God sees your good deeds; He sees the good things you are doing […]
Our High Priest
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Today in Hebrews 5, we see a theme that we touched on last week; that Jesus learned obedience from what he suffered. The author of Hebrews was big on this concept. In the Gospel reading from Mark 2, Jesus says, “No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh […]
Grace and Peace
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I always like to remind Catholics that they know plenty of Scripture. Most shy away from that thought because they don’t really know chapter and verse. Yet there is so much Scripture in the Mass, we can’t help but know it. Let me give an example. It’s taken from the second reading in today’s Mass. […]