Being an Obstacle to God
Posted on
In today's first reading from Jeremiah 31, we read about the covenant that God will make with his people. Our Gospel reading today is from Matthew 16. It is Peter’s...
Wait for the Lord
Posted on
In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 15, we see a model of persistence. A Canaanite woman comes to Jesus and asks Him to heal her daughter. Jesus ignores her. After...
Become What You Behold
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...
A False Prophet
Posted on
In the first reading today from Jeremiah 28, we see a new prophet on the scene, Hananiah. Or do we? Hananiah makes a prophesy, but it turns out that he...
Give us this Bread Always
Posted on
In today's Gospel reading, we begin the Bread of Life discourse from John 6. We'll continue reading it for the next three Sundays. Jesus says, "For the bread of God...
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...
Rejection
Posted on
1 comment
In both of our readings today, we see and hear that prophets get rejected. In Jeremiah 26, our first reading, we see Jeremiah saying everything that God tells him to say....
In the Hands of the Potter
Posted on
5 comments
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...
What is Heaven Worth?
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.”...
Whose Child are You?
Posted on
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus explains the parable of the wheat and the weeds, where someone comes and sows weed seeds in a wheat field. For context,...
Jesus' Friends
Posted on
Today is the Feast of Saints Mary, Martha and Lazarus. There are two optional Gospel readings that center on this family. One is from John 20, a conversation between Jesus...
Fed by the Lord
Posted on
1 comment
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...
Deceitful Words
Posted on
In today's first reading from Jeremiah 7, the LORD speaks of trust. "Put not your trust in the deceitful words..." and "But here you are, putting your trust in deceitful...
A Great Story Teller
Posted on
Happy Grandparents' Day! I say that because today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne. Tradition tells us they were the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary...
Our Pilgrim Journey
Posted on
Today we celebrate the Feast of St. James. This James is the son of Zebedee and the brother of St. John the Apostle. He is often known as James “The...
But Lord, I'm too Young (or Old or...)
Posted on
Today in the first reading, we begin a journey through the book of the prophet Jeremiah. At the opening of the book, we read about the call of Jeremiah. Our...
The Ocean of Mercy
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...
A Woman who Loved Jesus
Posted on
Today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene. There are different options for the first reading, so I’ll let you read them and mull them over yourself. You can choose...
The Lord is my Shepherd
Posted on
Sheep and shepherds pop up throughout the readings today. In the first reading from Jeremiah 23, the Lord says, "Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my...
Evil Plans = Destruction
Posted on
In our first reading today from Micah 2, we see once again what God has planned for those who plan iniquity. The Responsorial Psalm mirrors this. In our Gospel reading,...
Prayer and Healing
Posted on
Studies have shown that people who pray generally are happier and tend to live longer. Those are nice byproducts of prayer, but not why we pray. We pray because Jesus told...
Meek and Humble
Posted on
In today’s first reading from Isaiah 26, the prophet talks about how physical death is not the end for us. In fact, he talks about the resurrection of the dead....
It's Really God
Posted on
Assyria was a powerful nation. They ran roughshod over anyone and everyone they wanted to. In today's first reading from Isaiah 10, we see that they had a bit of...
Unless Your Faith is Firm
Posted on
In today's first reading from Isaiah 7, Ahaz, king of Judah, is told by the Lord through Isaiah that the attack on Judah would not be successful; the Lord would...
Cease Doing Evil
Posted on
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus continues His words to the Apostles as He sends them out. He talks about He would be (and still is) a source...
Being Sent
Posted on
1 comment
In today's first reading from Amos 7, we see Amos being sent out by the LORD. But he starts with his lack of bona fides or experience. "I was no...
Be Like Isaiah
Posted on
Our first reading today is from Isaiah 6. It is one that you will often hear from Vocation Directors. And rightfully so. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading...
Thoughts from a Stumbler
Posted on
The end of today's first reading from Hosea 14 says this: "Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them. Straight are the paths...
Without Cost
Posted on
Today in Matthew’s Gospel, we see Jesus sending out the Twelve saying, “Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give.” Sometimes it is easy for us to...
The Lost Sheep
Posted on
1 comment
More on sowing and reaping from Hosea in our first reading today. "Sow for yourselves justice, reap the fruit of piety." In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 10, Jesus...
Sowing and Reaping
Posted on
In today's first reading from Hosea 8, we read this: "When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind." Perhaps you've heard the old expression, "You reap what you...
A Match Made in Heaven
Posted on
For our first reading today, we are in the book of Hosea. If you’re not familiar with Hosea’s story, take a few moments to read the book. This was one...
His Grace is Sufficient
Posted on
In the second reading today from 2 Corinthians 12, St. Paul says that he has been given “a thorn in the flesh.” Now, he never says what exactly that is....
Of Cloaks and Wineskins
Posted on
In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 9, Jesus tells a parable. “No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from...
In Need of a Physician?
Posted on
In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 9, we read about the call of Matthew. Matthew (his Jewish name was Levi) was a tax collector. They were hated by the...
Words from a Catholic American
Posted on
I want to deviate from my regular Scripture reflection today, the day that America celebrates Independence Day. Of course, you can click on “Today’s Readings” and find the readings for...
Taking it on Faith
Posted on
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle. In the first reading from Ephesians 2, St. Paul tells us that the household of God, the Church, is...
Are You Prepared?
Posted on
Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 8 is the story of Jesus calming the storm on the sea. Our first reading is from Amos 3 and 4. The Lord told his...
Let the Dead Bury Their Dead
Posted on
The first reading today from Amos 2 has to do with crime and punishment. God lets it be known that acts of wickedness will not go unpunished. He issues a...
Bringing Our Kids to Jesus
Posted on
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...
On the Shoulders of Giants
Posted on
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Interesting, isn’t it? You would think that, given the importance of each, they would both have their own feast...
Into Exile
Posted on
In today's first reading from 2 Kings 25, we see one of the saddest moments in the history of God's chosen people - the beginning of the Babylonian exile. For...
Words We Never Want to Hear
Posted on
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 7, Jesus says, "“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of...
Ravenous Wolves
Posted on
Today we have a very interesting first reading from 2 Kings. The book of the law had been lost, and was found. The king summoned all the people and the...
Living the Golden Rule
Posted on
The Gospel reading today is from Matthew 7. It includes what we know as The Golden Rule – “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” I suspect...
Making Christ Increase
Posted on
Today the Church celebrates the Nativity of John the Baptist. In the first reading today from Isaiah 49, we see the messianic prophesies, all of which certainly could be attributed...
Jesus, Don't You Care?
Posted on
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...
Let Go and Let God
Posted on
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus talks about worry, and how we need to live for today. Have you ever met a worry-wart? Someone who worries about everything? They seem to...
Using Our Eyes
Posted on
In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus talks about the eye. "The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be...
Forgiving Transgressions
Posted on
In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 6, Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray. He teaches them the prayer we all know as the Our Father. It is probably...