He’s Been There, Done That
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Back in Hebrews 2 today, we see more about the suffering of Jesus and how that plays to our advantage. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 1, we see Jesus healing. He heals Simon’s mother-in-law, then many others who were sick or possessed by demons. He heals them all, then moves […]
Perfection Through Suffering
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Jesus was (and still is) astonishing. In fact, we see that in today’s Gospel reading from Mark 1. “The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.” Do you still have a sense of astonishment about Jesus? I hope so, and I hope it […]
Come After Jesus
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Welcome back to Ordinary Time! I hope that we will not take the name of this liturgical season literally. What I mean by that is that I hope that we consider every day that we have EXTRAORDINARY!! God loves you so much, and wants to fill your life with blessings. What’s ordinary about that?! In […]
Jesus’ Baptism
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Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. We see that moment in Luke’s Gospel where John the Baptist has just baptized Jesus when “the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove,” and a voice comes from heaven and says, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well […]
Our Decrease
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Catholics believe in different “kinds” of sin. Mortal sin and venial sin. Venial sins are still sins, but not as serious as mortal sins. Mortal sins are those sins that separate us from God. Serious sins where we willfully and intentionally turn our backs on God. We find this notion in today’s first reading from […]
Sin = Leprosy
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“Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” That question opens today’s first reading from 1 John 5. Who indeed? I hope that “one” is you! In our Gospel reading today from Luke 5, a leper comes to Jesus asking to be cleansed. […]
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y
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Have you ever felt like you can conquer the world? If not, why not? St. John gives us some good insight into that in our first reading today. More in a moment. In our Gospel reading from Luke 4, we get a glimpse of a most amazing moment in the life of Jesus. He is […]
Loving Fearlessly
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More on love in our first reading today from 1 John 4. St. John tells us not only WHAT love is, but, more importantly, WHO love is. “God is love.” He also goes on to talk about fear and love. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 6, we see […]
What is Love?
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In his epistles, St. John wrote an awful lot about love. In our first reading today from 1 John 4, the word “love” or a variation of it appears nine times in just four short verses. This guy could have been a country songwriter! In the Gospel reading from Mark 6, we see another miraculous […]
Knowing the Spirit of Truth
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 4, we read about the early part of Jesus’ public ministry. He went about preaching, teaching and healing. Great crowds came from the surrounding areas to follow Him. Our first reading today is from 1 John. St. John today talks about discernement of spirits. “Beloved, do not trust every […]
The Journey to Jesus
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Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 2 we see the story of the magi coming to visit the baby Jesus. We often refer to them as the Three Kings. The Gospel does not tell us that there were three, or mention any number. Nor does it refer […]
I’m a Good Person!
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In the Gospel reading today from John 1, we see an encounter between Jesus and Nathanael. Nathanael, also known as Bartholomew, says to Jesus, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” This after he had just met Jesus. Be sure to read Jesus’ response. In the first reading today […]
What Are You Looking For?
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In our first reading today from 1 John 3, St. John writes, “Whoever sins belongs to the Devil, because the Devil has sinned from the beginning.” Ouch! We all sin, right? So does that mean that we all belong to the Devil? What about yesterday, when we read that we are children of God? Don’t […]
Good Morning, Child of God!
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Good Morning, Child of God! Every day I start my radio show with those words, spoken by my son when he was very little. Are you comfortable with that “title?” I certainly hope so, because that is what you are! So says St. John in our first reading from 1 John 2 and 3. In […]
The Promise
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All week long, we get a double-dose of St. John, as both readings will be from his writings. In today’s Gospel reading from John 1, we see John the Baptist admitting that he is “the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord.’ ” In the first reading […]
My New Year’s Resolution
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Happy New Year! Remember that today is the Feast of Mary, the Mother of God. It is a holy day of obligation. We get to go to Mass! New Year’s Day is always an introspective time for me. I always take a look back at the previous year and reflect on successes and failures of […]
Family
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The Sunday after Christmas is the Feast of the Holy Family. There are a couple of options for a second reading today, and all of the readings talk about family and relationships. We would do well to read them all. The Holy Family is the perfect example of what a family is, and should be. A father, […]
Simeon’s Prayer
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Today is the fifth day in the Octave of Christmas. In our first reading from 1 John 2, St. John talks about light and darkness. He writes, “Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in the darkness.” We need to examine our hearts and accept the light of Christ […]
Our Holy Innocents
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Innocents. Who are the Holy Innocents? They are the children killed by order of Herod in Bethlehem right after the birth of Christ. We read about this today in the Gospel reading from Matthew 2. Matthew tells us that this fulfilled what had been said through […]
John’s Message of Love
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Today we celebrate the Feast of St. John the Evangelist. St. John was the beloved disciple, the author of the fourth Gospel, three letters in the New Testament and the Book of Revelation. Our first reading today is from the beginning of St. John’s first letter. “We proclaim now…our fellowship is with the Father and […]
Feast of St. Stephen
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr. In the first reading from Acts of the Apostles, we see the story of Stephen’s martyrdom. And in the Gospel from Matthew 10, Jesus tells the disciples, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end […]
Christmas is Here!
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Christmas is here! Christmas is here! I can remember waking up VERY early on Christmas mornings when I was a kid and yelling that out to my brothers and sisters. We would go wake up Mom and Dad, probably much earlier than they would have liked, and attack the presents under the tree with reckless […]
Always Christmas Eve
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Today is Christmas Eve. Many people (myself and my family included) will go to Mass this afternoon or this evening for Christmas. Many will attend the beautiful Midnight Mass. Whenever you attend, I pray that you will be filled with blessings! I recently read an interesting study that said that only 47% of Americans will […]
He Shall Be Peace
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At Mass today you’ll see all four of the Advent candles lit on the Advent wreath. The Fourth Sunday of Advent…almost Christmas! The first reading today is a beautiful prophecy from Micah 5. In it, the Lord says that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem (House of Bread). “One who is from of old, from […]
Our Dedication
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The Gospel reading today is from Luke 1. It is Mary’s great Magnificat. “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has looked upon his lowly servant.” Beautiful! A bit of personal trivia…my wife and I are part of Teams of Our Lady. We pray the […]
God Sings About You
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You know something cool about the Catholic liturgy? We celebrate parts of the Christmas story throughout the year. Many of the Gospel readings that we are hearing at this time are also used at other times. For instance, today’s Gospel reading from Luke 1 is the same reading for the Feast of the Visitation on […]
May it be Done to Me
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Today’s first reading is essential to our belief as Christians in the Virgin Birth. It is the prophesy from Isaiah 7: “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” Today’s Gospel reading is the same one we saw just a few weeks ago on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. […]
Miracle Baby
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Today’s readings are similar in that they both tell stories of angels announcing the birth of a baby. Both mothers are barren and childless. Both children will become mighty men of God. Be sure to notice the similarities in the stories when you read them. From the title of today’s reflection (Miracle Baby), one might […]
Joseph the Righteous Man
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Today in the first reading from Jeremiah 23, the Lord says, “Behold, the days are coming when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; as king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is right and just in the land.” I’m sure that, looking at this prophecy, the people were […]
Family Ties
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Well, it is one week before Christmas Eve! Are you feeling it yet? Beginning today, the liturgy begins to unfold the story of Christmas. In the first reading today from Genesis 49, we hear Jacob telling his sons, “The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, while tribute is […]
John’s Humility
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Today is the Third Sunday in Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday. You’ll notice the priest lighting the rose colored candle on the Advent wreath. Once again, our Gospel reading concentrates on John the Baptist. Why does Holy Mother Church concentrate so much on John the Baptist during the season of Advent? Because John was […]
God of the Unexpected
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In the first reading today from Sirach 48, we see a synopsis of the life and times of Elijah. The people were awaiting his return. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 17, Jesus says, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not […]
You Can’t Please Some Folks
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God only wants what is best for us. We see this in today’s first reading from Isaiah 48. “I, the Lord, you God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go.” God has given us the Church, to teach us truth, and to point us in the […]
The Hand of the Lord
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John the Baptist played a very special role in the history of salvation. How special? Jesus answers that in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 11. The children of Israel were awaiting the return of Elijah to usher in the age of the Messiah. (The Jews today still are.) Jesus told the people, “If you are […]
A Message From Our Lady
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. When the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego on a hill in Tepeyac, Mexico, in December of 1531, she declared, “I am your most merciful Mother…I want to show my loving clemency and compassion to those who call upon me in their sorrows.” […]
Cry Out!
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Jesus talks about a man who has a hundred sheep and one goes astray. He leaves the ninety-nine behind to go in search of that lost one. And when he finds it, he rejoices greatly. He says,”I just the same way, it is not the will of your […]
Bringing Our Friends to Jesus
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I love today’s first reading from Isaiah 35 for the admonition that God gives. It is one that I hope you and I will follow every day. “Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, […]
John’s Tough Gig
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Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. In the Gospel reading from Luke 3, we read about the ministry of John the Baptist. He is the one about whom the prophet Isaiah wrote, “A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’ ” That’s really […]
Our Immaculate Mother
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Remember that, for Catholics, today is a Holy Day of obligation, even though it falls on a Saturday. I hope you will make it a point to attend Mass. Let’s talk briefly today about what the Immaculate Conception is, and isn’t. Probably the most common misconception […]
Do You Believe?
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Once again, another theme runs through the readings for today. In the first reading from Isaiah 29, we read this…”And out of the gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.” Be sure to read the rest of the reading, too. It is most beautiful! Our Gospel passage is from Matthew 9. Not […]
Our Foundation
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Have you ever been to New York City? If not, you’ve surely seen it before. Skyscrapers all throughout Manhattan reaching to the heavens. Ever wonder how they put those things all so close together, and how they always remain so firm? It’s because of their foundation. Manhattan has this amazingly strong bedrock underneath all those […]
Behold!
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 15, Jesus feeds a great multitude. He says, “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd…I do not want to send them away hungry.” The disciples gave Him seven loaves and a few fish. Jesus fed the whole crowd. Afterwards, there were seven baskets of fragments left […]
Sharing Your Blessing
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What an amazing first reading today from Isaiah 11. We’ll hear it again in the near future. The first half of the reading talks about the Christ, the second half talks about how things will be when all is fulfilled. Breathtaking! In the Gospel reading today from Luke 10, Jesus says to the disciples privately, […]
I Am Not Worthy
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People have been fighting with one another since the fall in the Garden. War is commonplace. I think that at any given time in history, there has always been at least one war going on somewhere in the world. It won’t always be that way, though. Peace will come. You can read about it in […]
Holiness
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Happy New Year! What’s that, you say? It’s not January 1? No, but it is the beginning of a new Liturgical Year. The First Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of a new year in the Church calendar. Over the last week, our readings have taken on a very apocalyptic tone, urging us to be […]
Avoiding the Spiritual Rut
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Today is the last day of the Church year. Tomorrow begins a brand new liturgical year with the season of Advent. In the first reading from the end of the book of Revelation, we see this final beautiful view of heaven. “Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun, […]
St. Andrew
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Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Andrew. Andrew was an Apostle, the brother of Simon Peter. The word “apostle” means “one who is sent.” In the first reading today from Romans 10, St. Paul asks, “And how can people preach unless they are sent?” He then goes on to quote from Isaiah 52: “How […]
Zig Ziglar Interview
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On November 28, one of my heroes, Zig Ziglar went home to be with the Lord. Though I only met him once, Zig played a huge role in my life. His teachings and thoughts were instrumental in my book, Magnetic Christianity. Over the years I had the privilege of interviewing Zig on my radio shows. […]
Zig Ziglar Interview
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On November 28, one of my heroes, Zig Ziglar went home to be with the Lord. Though I only met him once, Zig played a huge role in my life. His teachings and thoughts were instrumental in my book, Magnetic Christianity. Over the years I had the privilege of interviewing Zig on my radio shows. […]
Raise Your Head
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Many Catholics think they don’t know much Scripture. I say that’s not true. If you’re a regular, Mass-going Catholic, then you probably know an awful lot more Scripture than you may think. The end of today’s first reading is a great example. If I asked you what it says in Revelation 19:9, you would probably […]