An Encounter with Jesus
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If you’re lukewarm in your faith, there is a word – a warning, really – for you in today’s first reading from Revelation 3. Read what will happen to those who are lukewarm about their faith. Spoiler alert – it ain’t pretty. The character in today’s Gospel passage from Luke 19 is a favorite of […]
No Going Backward
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In the first reading today, we begin reading from the Book of Revelation. This can be one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted books in the Bible. Nothing a bit of study and reading won’t cure! In the Gospel reading today from Luke 18, Jesus gives a blind man his sight. In Revelation 2, John […]
Only the Father Knows
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You can always tell when we’re getting close to the end of the liturgical year. The Gospel readings are more of Jesus’ words about the return of the Son of Man. We sometimes refer to this as the “end times.” There are many who will say that we are in the end times right now. […]
Will He Find Faith?
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Are you supporting those doing missionary work? You should be. St. John exhorts us to do that in our first reading today from 3 John:5-8. He says of those doing missionary work that “we ought to support such persons, so that we may be co-workers in the truth.” In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 18, […]
Saving by Losing
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Our first reading today is from 2 John. This is the shortest book in the Bible, just 13 verses. But what a power-packed 13 verses! St. John writes, “For this is love, that we walk according to his commandments.” He then talks about those who would lead people astray. “Anyone who is so ‘progressive’ as […]
The Kingdom of God is Among You
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Today’s first reading is taken from St. Paul’s letter to Philemon. Here Paul urges his old friend to welcome back his slave, Onesimus. Onesimus had been travelling with and assisting Paul, and Paul had become very fond of him. In fact, he refers to Onesimus as “my child, whose father I have become in my […]
Be a Ten Percenter!
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What a great first reading today from Titus 3. St. Paul reminds us that we are saved “through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” An obvious reference to our baptism. In the Gospel reading from Luke 17, Jesus heals ten lepers. Of the ten healed, only one bothered to come back […]
Doing Your Job
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Young, old, male or female, we’re all called to live lives of holiness. Our first reading today from Titus 2 affirms this. How do we accomplish this? St. Paul gives a succinct answer. “For the grace of God has appeared, saving all training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, […]
Causing Others to Sin
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In today’s first reading from Titus 1, St. Paul talks about the attributes of a bishop. “Blameless, not arrogant, not irritable, not a drunkard, not aggressive, not greedy for sordid gain, but hospitable, a lover of goodness, temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled, holding fast to the true message as taught so that he will be […]
Stretching Ourselves
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A couple of widows make an appearance in today’s readings. In the first reading, Elijah has an encounter with a widow. Because of her faithfulness in believing the prophet, God provided her with a year’s worth of food. In the Gospel reading from Mark 12, a poor widow puts two small coins into the treasury […]
Our Juggling Act
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St. Paul went through a lot in his life. Early on, he had it all. He was well off, well educated, well liked. But later he was beaten, thrown in prison and eventually martyred. In today’s first reading, he tells the secret of getting along in both situations. Read Philippians 4:13 for the answer. In […]
God’s Temple
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. the Lateran Basilica was erected by Constantine. It is known as the mother church of Christendom. We have three readings today, from Ezekiel, 1 Corinthians, and the Gospel of John. They all have to do with the temple. I want to concentrate […]
Of Sheep and Coins
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As Christians, we know that our confidence can be found in God alone. When we have confidence in our flesh, we are in big trouble. Because the flesh will always let us down. See what St. Paul says about confidence in today’s first reading. In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 15, Jesus tells two parables. […]
Let it Go
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In today’s first reading, St. Paul says to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” In the Gospel reading from Luke 14, we hear Jesus tell us that we must “hate” our father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters… What an awful thought! But don’t despair. This word “hate” does not carry […]
What’s Your Excuse?
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“At the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” That’s from our first reading today from Philippians 2. Is your tongue confessing Jesus today? In the Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus tells a story […]
Humility
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The golden thread that runs through the readings today, Philippians 2:1-4 and Luke 14:12-14, is humility. Humility can be difficult to describe. Is it being quiet and introspective? Just because someone doesn’t make a lot of noise does not necessarily mean that they are humble. So what is it? I think we see it come […]
Not Far From the Kingdom
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Do you sometimes feel like you’re far from the Kingdom of God? Living in this world can certainly make it feel that way, can’t it. But maybe you’re not as far as you think. In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 12, a scribe asks Jesus which is the first of all the commandments. Jesus’ reply […]
Humbling Ourselves
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In the first reading from Philippians 1, St. Paul struggles with whether he would rather stick around on earth or go home to be with the Lord. Not a true death wish, but recognizing that the life to come will be eternity with Christ. But Paul realizes that he has a mission on earth to […]
All Souls Day
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Today we celebrate All Souls Day. On this feast (and throughout the month of November) we pray for the souls of the faithful departed. To many non-Catholic Christians, this seems extraneous. After all, if someone is in heaven, they have no need of our prayers. And if someone is in hell, then our prayers would […]
All Holy Men and Women, Pray for Us
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Today is the Solemnity of All Saints. It is a Holy Day of Obligation, so make sure and get to Mass today. I have a long standing tradition on my radio show that everyone I speak with will be referred to as Saint (Name). Try that out in your daily life today and see what […]
The Strength We Need
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In today’s first reading from Ephesians 6, St. Paul talks about relationships. Relationships between parents and children, slaves and masters, God and us. He tells us that with God there is no partiality. He loves us all! In the Gospel reading, someone asks Jesus, “Will only a few be saved?” Jesus responds, “Strive to enter […]
Be Subordinate
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 13, Jesus tells two short parables about the Kingdom of God. The first compares the Kingdom to a mustard seed, the other to yeast. Our first reading today from Ephesians 5 is one of the most misunderstood passages in all of the New Testament. The longer version is Ephesians […]
Imitating God
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 13, Jesus heals a woman who has been crippled for eighteen years. He does this on the sabbath. This infuriates the leader of the synagogue where this healing took place. He chastised Jesus and the woman. Jesus’ retort humiliates the man and all of Jesus’ adversaries. Read what […]
An Approachable God
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Our Gospel reading today from Mark 10 is about Bartimaeus, a blind beggar that wanted Jesus to restore his sight. He tells Jesus what he wants, and Jesus gives him his sight because of his faith. In my book Magnetic Christianity, I talk about the eleven attributes of the Magnetic Christian. In the chapter on […]
Another Chance
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In our first reading today from Ephesians 4, St. Paul talks about how grace has been given to each of us in different ways. He then goes on to explain some different ministries in the Body of Christ. In the Gospel reading today from Luke 13, Jesus tells an interesting parable. A landowner has a […]
Breaking the Tie for Catholic Voters
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I, like the vast majority of Americans, have grown weary of politics. It seems that the political discourse in America has become much more harsh and much less civil of late. I suppose that if I am honest with myself, I have fallen prey to this phenomenon. This most recent presidential election has been the […]
Advancing in Knowledge
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In our first reading today from Ephesians 4, St. Paul urges his readers to “live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love.” I love this passage of Scripture because it first assumes that we have received a call. It […]
Think Bigger!
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Was Jesus an arsonist? One might think so from reading the first words of today’s Gospel reading from Luke 12. “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” Of course, Jesus isn’t talking about setting physical things ablaze, but our hearts. Today would be a good […]
Seize the Day
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In today’s first reading from Ephesians 3, St. Paul talks about the gifts that God has given him, and his responsibility to use them properly. This is a theme that will come up in the Gospel reading today. St. Paul also tells us about a couple of gifts that God has given to us…”we have […]
Keeping Vigil
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There is a word used in the first reading today from Ephesians 2 four times. That word is peace. “For he (Christ Jesus) is our peace.” “…Thus establishing peace…” “He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near…” You think St. Paul is trying to get […]
Love Matters
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By what are you saved? St. Paul gives us the answer in today’s first reading from Ephesians 2:1-10. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God.” In our Gospel reading today from Luke 12:13-21, Jesus has an encounter with a man which […]
Servant Leaders
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 10:35-45, James and John ask to sit at Jesus right and left when He comes into His Kingdom. Jesus summons the Twelve and lets them know the score. “Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be […]
Denying Jesus
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In the first reading today from Ephesians 1:15-23, St. Paul prays that “the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for […]
God Pays Attention
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Why are we here? I mean, why do we exist? Is it to accumulate stuff? To, as Spock would say, live long and prosper? Perhaps it is only to serve our fellow man. Even though that is a noble thing, it is not the right answer. What is? St. Paul tells us in today’s first […]
Feast of St. Luke
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Luke. St. Luke is the author of two books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles. In fact, Acts may be considered a “sequel” to Luke’s Gospel, as that story picks up right where Luke ends. St. Luke is the only […]
Spiritual Fruit
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Jesus was never one to mince words. We see this again today in the Gospel reading from Luke 11, where He is pronouncing woes on the Pharisees. When a scholar of the law hears this, he tells Jesus that they (the scholars of the law) feel insulted, too. So, just to even things up, Jesus […]
Inside and Out
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God doesn’t care about anyone’s background. You don’t have to have any kind of “pedigree” to give your life to Christ. St. Paul puts it like this in today’s first reading: “For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 11, […]
Freedom
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus says, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” Hmm…seems the more things change the more they stay the same. So many today are seeking a sign. They won’t believe until they see […]
Who Can Be Saved?
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In our first reading today, we read about prudence and wisdom. These are certainly two things that I wish I had in greater abundance. How can that happen? Check out the first two words of this reading. “I prayed…” Our Gospel reading today is from Mark 10. It is about Jesus’ encounter with the rich […]
Being Blessed
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We hear more about justification and faith in today’s first reading from Galatians 3. “For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.” Good news, no? Lord, strengthen our faith this day. We have a very short Gospel passage today, only two short verses from Luke 11. A woman cries out to […]
Justified
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Today in Galatians 3, St. Paul has strong things to say about faith and “works of the law.” More on that in a moment. In our Gospel reading from Luke 11, we see Jesus being accused of casting out demons “by the power of Beelzebul.” Jesus responds by asking how that could be. If that […]
The Open Door
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I wonder how well received was the part of St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians that we read today. It starts out with, “O stupid Galatians!” And again, “Are you so stupid?” Paul obviously wasn’t trying to win any popularity contests. They were in error, and Paul wanted to let them know in the strongest […]
The Hypocritical Saint
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 11, Jesus’ disciples come to Him and say, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” Jesus then teaches them the Lord’s Prayer, aka the Our Father. Of course, we know this prayer so well that we often recite it from memory without even thinking […]
Doing and Being
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In our first reading today from Galatians 1, we read a bit about what happened to St. Paul after his conversion. He didn’t jump right into ministry after being called by Christ. He probably knew that, since he had been one of the greatest persecutors of the Church, that he would not be trusted or […]
Your Part in the Story
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In the first reading today from Galatians 1:6-12, St. Paul says, “I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you by the grace of Christ for a different gospel (not that there is another). But there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the Gospel of Christ.” […]
God’s Definition of Marriage
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As is most always the case, there is a golden thread that runs through the readings in the Liturgy. Today’s clear theme: marriage. Marriage is under attack these days. People want to redefine marriage to fit what they want it to be. Men should be able to marry other men, and women to marry other […]
Written in Heaven
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In our first reading today we wrap up the story of Job. After all the things that had happened to him, Job kept faith. And God rewarded him for that. Read about how Job’s life turned out in the end. In our Gospel reading from Luke 10, the seventy-two disciples that Jesus sent out return […]
Let God be God
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 10, we hear more of Jesus’ words to the seventy-two as He sends them out. “Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” We must always remember that Jesus’ authority lies in the Church […]
Prayer of St. Francis
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Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. So, rather than comment on the Scriptures, I’m going to go a bit out of format for today. If you’re not familiar with the Prayer of St. Francis, then today would be a good day to familiarize yourself with it. And if you already know […]
Hand on Plow, Eyes Ahead
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In the first reading today from Job 1:1-12, 14-16, we hear Job contemplating God’s “bigness.” When you think about it, we are so small, and God is so big. Yet we often have the audacity to question Him. Figure that one out. In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 9:57-62, we hear what can be a […]