60 Second Reflections

    Go and Tell Your Family

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    King David lived such an interesting life. As we have seen, it wasn’t all rainbows and unicorns. He had a large share of hardship heaped upon him, some, of course, of his own making. In today’s first reading from 2 Samuel 15 and 16, David’s own son, Absalom, is trying to kill him and wrest […]

    The Grace of Celibacy

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    Today’s second reading from 1 Corinthians 7 is something of a treatise on celibacy for priests and nuns. St. Paul talks about how unmarried men and women and virgins are “anxious about the things of the Lord.” On the other hand, married persons are concerned about how to please their spouses and “the things of […]

    Doesn’t Jesus Care?

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    More of the intriguing story of David today in our first reading from 2 Samuel 12. The prophet Nathan comes to David and tells him a story, one which enrages David. Nathan tells him that he (David) is the bad guy in the story. And David comes clean. “I have sinned against the Lord.” Please […]

    How God Works

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    You’ve heard the old saying, “The Lord works in mysterious ways.” So true. I’m sure you’ve experienced that in your life. More in a moment. In our first reading today, we see the story of King David beginning an adulterous affair with Bathsheba. David gets her pregnant and to cover up his sin, he has […]

    Fan the Flame

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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 […]

    Ongoing Conversion

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    Today we celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. Jesus’ words from today’s Gospel reading from Mark 16 are ones that St. Paul took seriously. Jesus said, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” We read about the conversion of St. Paul in Acts 9 and Acts 22. […]

    Celebrating God

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    In the first reading today from 2 Samuel 6, the ark of God is brought into the City of David. How that plays out is interesting. In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, Jesus is told that His mother and brothers and sisters were outside asking for Him. He replies, “Whoever does the will of […]

    Praying for Life

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    Yesterday was the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in America. A sad day, indeed. In the U.S., today is the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. At Catholic churches across the United States, today is observed as a day of penance for violations to […]

    The Call to Repent

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    The theme that runs through our readings today is repentance. In the first reading, Jonah goes through the great city of Nineveh and tells the people the time has come to repent of their wicked ways. In the second reading, St. Paul tells the Corinthians how they need to change their behavior. And in the […]

    Out of My Mind

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    For the first reading today, we start in 2 Samuel. Saul and his son, Jonathan, David’s best friend, have been killed in battle. David laments the death of these two great sons of Israel. The Gospel reading today from Mark 3 is very short; just two verses. Jesus came with his disciples into the house. […]

    Admitting We’re Wrong

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    David and Saul had a tumultuous relationship. Even though Saul said that he would never kill David, he went back on his word. You would think that David would share this animosity. But not so. More in a moment. Our Gospel reading today is from Mark 3 – the listing of the Twelve Apostles. Saul was […]

    The Jealous King

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    It seems that wherever Jesus went, He drew a crowd, as we see in today’s Gospel reading from Mark 3. The more people He healed, the more demons He cast out, the bigger the crowds grew. More and more people came to believe in Him. Even the unclean spirits attested to Jesus, saying, “You are […]

    Your Goliath

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    In the Gospel reading today from Mark 3, Jesus has another run-in with the Pharisees about the sabbath. Jesus asks them, “Is it lawful to do good ont he sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” He then cures a man with a withered hand. Another reminder that […]

    What God Sees

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    In today’s first reading from 1 Samuel 16, we read about the anointing of David. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 2, Jesus is questioned by the Pharisees about why his disciples are picking grain on the sabbath, something which was prohibited by the law. Jesus tells them, “The […]

    Being Obedient

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    In the first reading today from 1 Samuel 15, we see a bit of the sneakiness of King Saul. Samuel has to call him out on it. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 2, Jesus talks about pouring new wine into old wineskins. It just doesn’t work. What He means is […]

    Rock

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    Name changes in the Scriptures are not real common, especially when that name change is given by God. You better believe that a great significance is attached. We see one of those name changes in today’s Gospel reading from John 1. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. As Jesus walks by, John says, […]

    Our Soul Doctor

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    The people of Israel insisted that God give them a king. Despite warnings to the contrary, they persisted. In today’s first reading from 1 Samuel 9, we meet the new king, Saul. In our Gospel reading today from Mark 2, we read about the call of Levi, or Matthew. Levi has Jesus over for dinner. […]

    Everyone Else is Doing It!

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    You would think that as God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel would enjoy being different, set apart. Uh…not so much. We see this in today’s first reading. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 2, we read the story of four men who bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus. The house […]

    Don’t Keep it to Yourself

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    A resounding defeat. This is what the Israelites suffer not once, but twice in today’s first reading from 1 Samuel 4. After losing a battle to the Philistines, the Israelites bring the ark of God into battle with them. The Philistines then kill 30,000 men, and take the ark of God. Ouch! In our Gospel reading […]

    Are You Listening?

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    In the first reading today, we’re in 1 Samuel 3, reading about the call of Samuel. It is a story that we can take lessons from. In the Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law, then heals all in town that needed healing. After some prayer alone, Jesus tells his disciples that He […]

    Praying From the Depths of the Soul

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    We’re back in Ordinary Time. In our Gospel reading, we’re in Mark 1, where Jesus encounters a man with an unclean spirit. After Jesus casts the spirit out, the people are amazed, and they recognize that He teaches and acts “with authority.” In the first reading today from 1 Samuel 1, Hannah cries out to […]

    Jesus’ Baptism

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    Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. We see that moment in Mark’s Gospel where John the Baptist has just baptized Jesus when “he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you […]

    Wise Men Still Seek Him

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    Today is the Feast of Epiphany. The Gospel reading tells the story of the Three Kings, or the Three Wise Men. They heard that the King of the Jews had been born and followed a star to find him. King Herod tries to trick them into giving up the location of the child. But they […]

    Whatever He Tells You

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    Catholics believe in venial and mortal sin. Where does this notion come from? Was it something that the Church just made up? I mean, isn’t sin, sin? It actually comes right from the pages of Scripture, in 1 John 5. Read today’s first reading and you’ll see what I mean. Jesus’ first public miracle, as […]

    Belief and Victory

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    There are two options for a Gospel reading today. One is the genealogy of Jesus from Luke 3. The other is from Mark 1, where Jesus is baptized in the Jordan river by John the Baptist. At that moment, a voice comes from the heavens. Do you know what the voice says? Read it and […]

    Loving in Deed and Truth

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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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    Today’s first reading from 1 John 3 can be a difficult one to grasp. St. John writes, “Whoever sins belongs to the Devil, because the Devil has sinned from the beginning.” We know that we all sin. So do we all belong to the Devil? In a sense we do when we sin. Sin is […]

    His Children

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    Good Day, Child of God! 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 Gospel reading from John 1, we hear John the Baptist say words that every priest repeats at every […]

    To Remain or Not to Remain?

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    More great advice from St. John in today’s first reading from 1 John 2. More on that in a moment. Our Gospel reading for today is from the Gospel of St. John. We see the people asking John the Baptist to identify himself, “Who are you?” He admits that he is not the Christ, only […]

    New Year’s Resolutions

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    Happy New Year! I’m always excited about a new year. I like to start the new year thinking of all the possibilities that God has in store. Can’t wait to find out what God has up his sleeve for us this year! Rather than talk about the readings specifically today, I want to share some […]

    The Word Became Flesh

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    For today’s first reading, we are back in 1 John 2. Today St. John writes about the antichrist. Very interesting stuff, especially for those hard core “end-timers.” Those are the people who keep telling us that we are in the end times. Well, 1900 years ago, St. John said the same thing. Read today’s reading. St. […]

    Family

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    Normally, the Sunday after Christmas is the Feast of the Holy Family. But since this year Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Sunday, the Feast of the Holy Family is transferred to today. There are numerous options for readings today, and all of the readings talk about family and relationships. Click on the link below to […]

    The Prayer of Simeon

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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 […]

    Sprinting to Jesus

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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 […]

    Merry Christmas!

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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 […]

    Perpetual Christmas Eve

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    Isn’t it odd that Christmas Eve is one of the shortest days of the year? I know – there are 24 hours in every day. But the winter solstice was just a couple of days ago, and in North America, we have one of the shortest amounts of daylight today. I say that it’s odd […]

    The Message of John

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    Today’s first reading is from Malachi 3. Malachi prophesies about the Lord’s messenger, “the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.” This prophesy is fulfilled in the person of Jesus. But Malachi also prophesies, “Lo, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the day of the Lord comes…” Jesus told the people that John […]

    The Magnificat

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    In today’s first reading from 1 Samuel 1, we see Hannah giving up her only son to the service of the Lord. Eli, the priest, had prayed that Hannah might be granted the desire of her heart, a son. After Samuel was born, she gave him to Eli to be brought up to serve the […]

    God Sings for 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 […]

    Love is With Us

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    In today’s first reading from Isaiah 7, we see the prophecy that is at the heart of Christianity. “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” The virgin birth. And the Gospel reading from Luke 1 shows the fulfillment of this […]

    Made for a Purpose

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    In the first reading today from Judges 13, we see the story of an angel coming to announce the birth of a child. The woman was barren, and the angel told her that this child was “to be consecrated to God from the womb.” He would serve a very special purpose for the Kingdom of […]

    Keeping His Promise

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    Today is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Almost time to say Merry Christmas! Yesterday we read the genealogy of Jesus from Matthew 1. We know from that reading that the Messiah would come from the line of David. But why was that so important? Because God had promised David that the Messiah would come from […]

    The Family of Jesus

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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 […]

    God of All

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    In the Gospel reading today from John 5, Jesus speaks of John the Baptist as “a burning and shining lamp.” He also lets the Jews know that John was a precursor to the One who is to come, Jesus Himself. “But I have testimony greater than John’s.” The first reading today from Isaiah 56 starts […]

    He Loves You, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

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    In our Gospel reading today from Luke 7, Jesus speaks of the role and importance of John the Baptist. “Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom Scripture says: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, he will prepare the way before you. I tell you, […]

    Go and Tell

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    The first reading today is from Isaiah 45. God reminds the people through the prophet that He (God) is the only God. “I am the Lord, and there is no other.” “There is no just and saving God but me.” As we well know, the people had a propensity to forget this. In our Gospel […]

    Doing and Saying

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    In the first reading today from Zephaniah 3, we read about “a remnant…a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord…They shall do no wrong and speak no lies; nor shall there be found in the mouths a deceitful tongue…” I wonder, would someone recognize us as being part […]

    Merciful Mother

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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.” […]

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