Teaching the Faith
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The observance of God’s laws was of paramount importance to the Israelite people. God gave his laws to Moses, who taught them to and enjoined them on the people. More on that in a moment. In our Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus gives the people the same message. “Do not think I have come […]
Forgive Once
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Today’s first reading from Daniel 3 contains one of the most beautiful and heartfelt prayers in all of Scripture. It is the prayer of Azariah, while he was in the fiery furnace. Take some time today to read it over; to pray the prayer with Azariah. I think you’ll be touched. In the Gospel reading […]
Putting Aside Our Pride
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Our first reading today is from 2 Kings 5. It is a story about a man named Naaman. Naaman was not a child of Israel. He was a commander in the army of Aram. He was a Syrian. In the Gospel reading today from Luke 4, Jesus recalls to the people that Naaman, a foreigner, […]
How to Perish
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Today and for the next few Sundays in Lent, the readings at the Mass you attend may be different from the readings I will reflect on. The reason is that if your parish has Catechumens and Candidates in RCIA, they will be undergoing scrutinies each Sunday leading up to Easter Vigil. For these scrutinies, the […]
Lost and Found
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What a beautiful first reading we have today from Michah 7. The prophet says, “You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins.” When we confess our sins and receive absolution, God does just that. He wipes the slate clean; He casts all our sins into His ocean of mercy. The Gospel […]
Producing Fruit for the Kingdom
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Today’s first reading from Genesis 37 is the story of Joseph being sold out by his brothers. The brothers were jealous of him because he was the favored son of Israel, their father. Originally the plan was to kill him. But one of the brothers had a fit of conscience and nixed that plan. So […]
Where Your Trust Is
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So much is said in the opening verses of today’s first reading from Jeremiah 17. “Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD.” […]
The Fate of a Prophet
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I’m sure you’ve heard the old expression “No good deed goes unpunished.” Ain’t it the truth? Just take a look at the Scriptures. The prophets of old were simply doing what they were told by God to do. It didn’t end well for them. Jeremiah questions God about this in our first reading today from […]
Preaching by Practicing
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God is always ready to make things right. We are the ones who mess up, who walk away from God. Yet God is always waiting to welcome us back with open arms. Here is what the Lord says in the first reading today from Isaiah 1: “Come now, let us set things right, says the […]
Judging
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In today’s first reading from the Book of Daniel, Daniel confesses to God on behalf of the people. “We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws.” Sound familiar? But wait…there’s more. Some good news. As Daniel says, “But yours, O Lord, our God, are […]
Listen to Him
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In the first reading today we see God making a covenant with Abram. The Responsorial Psalm is from Psalm 27 – The Lord is my light and my salvation. In the second reading from Philippians 3, St. Paul reminds us that “our citizenship is in heaven.” The Gospel reading for the second Sunday of Lent […]
Perfection and Mercy
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I’m always struck by one of the verses in today’s first reading from Deuteronomy 26. “And today the Lord is making this agreement with you: you are to be a people peculiarly his own.” I love that phrase, “peculiarly his own.” Have you ever thought of yourself that way? As “peculiarly his own?” If not, […]
St. Peter’s Chair
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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 […]
Ask
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The theme of today’s readings is asking. The first reading is from the Book of Esther. The story of Esther is a wonderful story and I highly encourage you to read it. (Note: it’s not very long…an easy read!) Today we read the beautiful prayer of Esther as she comes to the Lord ASKING for […]
Repenting
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We have two interesting readings today that complement each other. Our first reading is from Johah 3. Jonah stops running from the Lord and finally sets out for the great city of Nineveh. He goes and preaches repentance. The people heed the words of the prophet; they repent. The king proclaims a fast, and God […]
The Lost Verse
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God’s word is powerful and, hopefully, effective. The first reading today from Isaiah 55 tells us that the word of God goes out to achieve God’s will. Is that the case in your life? Are you regularly reading from Sacred Scripture? And if you are, is it changing you? Anyone can read words on a […]
These Least Brothers of Mine
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In the first reading today from Leviticus 19, the Lord tells Moses to tell the people how to conduct themselves. Though not the Ten Commandments, this reading sounds similar. It ends with the great commandment, the one that Jesus spoke of when asked which is the greatest of the commandments…”You shall love your neighbor as […]
Into the Desert
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Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 1 tells us that, before the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus went into the desert for forty days, where he was tempted by Satan. This notion of forty is found throughout the Scriptures. Noah endured forty days of rain that flooded the earth. The Israelite people went into the […]
Is There a Doctor in the House?
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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 […]
The Purpose of Fasting
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The three pillars of Lent are prayer, almsgiving and fasting. Today we concentrate on fasting. In the first reading today from Isaiah 58, we see what God desires from a fast. Be sure to read this, preferably multiple times. It should be ingrained in our hearts. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 9, Jesus explains […]
Choices and Consequences
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In our first reading today from Deuteronomy, Moses tells the people what they must do in order to enter the promised land. Obey the commandments of the Lord, love Him, walk in his ways. “Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord, your God, heeding his voice, and holding […]
Prayer, Almsgiving and Fasting
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Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of another journey through Lent. Lent lasts for 40 days. If you count the days from today to Easter, you’ll note that there are 46 days. Why is that? We don’t count the Sundays of the Lenten season as part of Lent. Every Sunday is a celebration of the […]
Created in God’s Image and Likeness
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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 […]
The Creation Story
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Today for our first reading, we begin at the beginning. Genesis 1. “In the beginning…” We’ll be in the book of Genesis for the next couple of weeks. Today we read about days 1-4 in the creation story. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 6, we see Jesus once again healing. […]
Deep Water
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 5, Jesus sees Simon Peter and his fishing buddies cleaning their nets after a hard night of fishing. Not catching, mind you. Fishing. Jesus gets into Simon’s boat and begins teaching the people from the boat. After He is done, He tells Simon, “Put out into deep water […]
Alone Time With God
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 6, the Apostles return from their mission trip that Jesus had sent them on. They “reported all they had done and taught.” Jesus then says to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” He knew that they were probably exhausted. Working for […]
Unchanging Truth
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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 […]
Blame the Church!
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In the old covenant, they had the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy of Holies. Only a select few could ever approach God Himself. God remained hidden, in a way. But today in our first reading from Hebrews 12, we see that we approach “the heavenly Jerusalem…God the judge of all…and Jesus, the mediator of […]
The Beauty of Discipline
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Today we’re going to talk about discipline. Not a fun topic, I know. If you turned and ran away 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 not able […]
Faith and Healing
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In today’s first reading from Hebrews 12, the Sacred Author tells us “we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.” A wonderful reminder that we are never alone. The angels and saints are constantly interceding for us. Take comfort in that, my friend! In the Gospel reading today from Mark 5, we see […]
Going Where Jesus Tells Us
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In the first reading today from Hebrews 11, we hear about some of the great characters in the Old Testament. They all awaited the promise of God, but they did not see its fulfillment. You have. Do you realize how blessed you are? In the Gospel reading from Mark 5, Jesus has an encounter with […]
Love is…
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Our second reading today is 1 Corinthians 13. This is often referred to as “The Love Chapter.” If you’ve ever been to a wedding, chances are you have heard this read there. St. Paul tells us what love is, and what it isn’t. “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is […]
The 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 […]
Endurance in Suffering
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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 […]
Absolute Trust
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Today’s first reading from Hebrews 10 is so chock full of great stuff! We’ll discuss in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 4, Jesus tells His disciples something that should give us all great pause. “The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” That big measuring stick we use […]
Johnny Wordseed
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We read more about the one sacrifice of Christ in our first reading today from Hebrews 10. In the Gospel reading today from Mark 4, Jesus tells the parable of the sower of the seeds. After telling this parable, the disciples didn’t understand. Jesus seems a bit perturbed. But He explains the parable to them. […]
Sacrifice
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In the first reading today from Hebrews 10 we read about sacrifice. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, Jesus is told that his mother and brothers were outside and wanted to see Him. Many non-Catholics will say that this is an argument against the Catholic belief in the […]
A Kingdom Divided
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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 […]
The Spirit Upon You
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Today’s Gospel reading from Luke has two beginnings. The first part of the reading is the beginning of Luke’s Gospel, where he tells his friend Theophilus that he (Luke) has done his homework and that the events recounted are true and accurate. The second part of the reading recounts the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. […]
Your Spiritual Temperature
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Timothy and St. Titus. Both of these great men were bishops of the early Church. There are letters from St. Paul to each of these (two to St. Timothy) in the New Testament. For the first reading at today’s Mass, there will be a reading either from […]
A Dramatic Conversion
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Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. I think it is highly significant that this year this feast coincides with the March for Life. Interesting, isn’t it? 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 […]
Christ’s Once for All Sacrifice
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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 […]
A Priest Forever
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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 Priest Forever
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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 […]
Standing Up for Life
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Today is the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in America. A sad day, indeed. At Catholic churches across the United States, today is observed as a day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the […]
Priesthood
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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 […]
Good Advice
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Jesus’ first public miracle, as told in John’s Gospel, is changing water into wine. It happens at a wedding feast at Cana. This story is the Gospel reading in today’s Mass from John 3. The wedding party runs out of wine. Jesus’ mother, Mary, is concerned. In the few words that we hear Mary utter […]
The Sword of the Word
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In our first reading from Hebrews 4, the author of Hebrews tells us about the word of God. More on that in a moment. The Gospel reading from Mark 2 is about the call of Levi, also known as Matthew. Levi was a tax collector. In those days, tax collectors were considered traitors. They were […]
Hierarchy of Healing
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Life is busy, isn’t it? Sometimes it seems that we can hardly get a moment’s rest. While it is great to labor in God’s vineyard, now and again we must rest, if for no other reason to stave off burnout. Hey, even God rested on the seventh day! The author of Hebrews reminds us of […]
Encourage
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Today’s Gospel story is from Mark 1, about a leper that comes to Jesus seeking to be healed. We heard Luke’s version of the same story a few days ago. If you would like to read my reflection on that, you can find it here. Today’s first reading from Hebrews 3 is one that is […]