God of Surprises
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Today’s first reading is from the Book of Sirach. The author talks of Elijah, “whose words were a flaming furnace.” Then in the Gospel reading from Matthew 17, the disciples ask Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus answers and tells them that “Elijah has already come.” But the scribes […]
You Can’t Please Everyone
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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 Immaculate Conception
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Remember that, for Catholics, today is a Holy Day of obligation. 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 (no pun intended) that people have is […]
On Eagles’ Wings
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We’re back in Isaiah for our first reading today. The final verse in today’s reading is Isaiah 40:31. I’ll talk about it in a moment. Our Gospel passage today is a short one, from Matthew 11. Jesus tells the people, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you […]
Going After the Stray
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Our first reading today from Isaiah 40 should sound very familiar because you heard it this past Sunday at Mass. (Actually, today’s first reading is a bit longer, as some of the verses are included that were left out on Sunday.) “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make […]
Faithful Friends
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I don’t know about you, but I so love the Advent readings from the Prophet Isaiah. They are filled with so much beauty and hope. “Then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing.” In the Gospel reading today from Luke 5, we see a healing of a […]
Prepare the Way!
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Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. In the Gospel reading from Mark 1, 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 […]
Giving as We Have Received
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More beautiful imagery in our first reading today from Isaiah 30. Once again, we see so much Christ. “The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher.” Wow! Amazing stuff, isn’t […]
The Blind Shall See
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In the first reading today from Isaiah 29, the Lord God says through the prophet: “And out of the gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.” If you had to guess what the Gospel reading would be about, what would your guess be? Jesus giving sight to a blind man? Well, you’re […]
Rock
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When you build a structure, a house or a building, it must have a firm foundation. Otherwise it may fall. The firmest of foundations is rock. This is the “golden thread” that runs through today’s readings. In the first reading from Isaiah 26, we read, “Trust in the Lord forever! For the Lord is an […]
He Ain’t Heavy…
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Today is the feast of St. Andrew. Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter. In the first reading from Romans 10, St. Paul asks a number of questions…”How can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent?” Did you know that the word “apostle” means “one who is […]
Revealing the Father
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Our first reading today is from Isaiah 11. “On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom.” This is a prophecy about how the Messiah, Jesus, would descend from the line of David. (Jesse was David’s father.) We’ll see this reading again as we […]
Peace on Earth
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Happy Advent! I trust that all went well for your parish in instituting the new translation of the Roman Missal at Mass on the First Sunday of Advent. Right before we received Communion, we said something new. In fact, you’ll find it in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 8. A centurion says to Jesus, “Lord, […]
The New Translation
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Happy New Year! That may sound a bit odd to some. But to Catholics, it shouldn’t. Today is beginning of a new liturgical year. The First Sunday of Advent. The theme of Advent is summed up in the first words of Jesus from today’s Gospel reading from Mark 13: “Be watchful! Be alert!” Today is […]
Vigilance
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 21, Jesus exhorts the disciples to “Be vigilant at all times.” He talks about not letting “carousing and drunkeness and the anxieties of daily life” get in the way of being prepared for the return of the Lord. Sound advice, no? I don’t know about you, but sometimes I […]
The Son of Man
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In today’s first reading from Daniel 7, we see the term “son of man” first used. This is the phrase that Jesus used more than any other to refer to himself. In the Gospel reading from Luke 21, Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Let us […]
Giving Thanks
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Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Happy Thanksgiving! I have a link to today’s readings at the bottom of today’s post. But rather than comment on the readings, I want to take a moment to reflect on Thanksgiving. Did you know that the word Eucharist translates to “thanksgiving?” Isn’t it interesting that, as Catholics, […]
The Handwriting on the Wall
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I think that many people are unaware that many common expressions actually oringinated in the Bible. Today is another example of that. We’ll talk about it in a sec. For our Gospel passage today, we’re back in Luke 21, with Jesus talking about the end of time. I talk often about how Christianity is not […]
The End
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Ever heard the expression “feet of clay?” It means when someone has a fatal flaw. Usually someone admired or thought highly of. We use the expression when someone lets us down. Really, we all have feet of clay. Well…at least I do. Anyway, that expression came from today’s first reading from Daniel 2. Daniel interprets […]
The Blessings of Following God
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Today and for the rest of this week, we’re going to meet and learn about the Prophet Daniel. Today’s first reading is the beginning of the book of Daniel. We’ll talk about him in a moment. In the Gospel reading today from Luke 21, we see the story of the widow’s mite. Jesus witnesses a […]
Our King
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Today the Church celebrates the end of the liturgical year. Fittingly enough, it is the Feast of Christ the King. All of the readings today point to the kingship of Christ. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 25, Jesus talks about what it will be like when He comes in to His Kingdom, and how […]
Wicked
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 20, some Sadducees ask Jesus a trick question regarding the resurrection of the dead. (The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.) Jesus answers the question and in the end affirms our belief in the Communion of Saints when He says, “[God] is not God […]
Hanging On His Words
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In the first reading today from 1 Maccabees 4, we read about the origins of Hannukah. Do you know what that Jewish feast, celebrated to this day, is all about? Read and find out! In the Gospel reading from Luke 19, we see Jesus throwing the merchants out of the temple area. The big shots […]
Your Visitation
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Another great story today from 1 Maccabees. Today we meet Mattathias. Mattathias had had enough of the baloney (trying to be genteel here) that was being shoved down the throats of his people. When he sees a fellow Jew offering sacrifice to a false god, “his just fury was aroused; he sprang forward and killed him […]
A Mother’s Courage
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In our first reading today from 2 Maccabees 7, we meet yet another fascinating character. She is a mother who exhibits amazing faith and bravery. Some may think otherwise, but I think so, and I’ll tell you why in a moment. In the Gospel passage from Luke 19, Jesus tells a parable about three servants […]
Eleazar’s Courage
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In today’s readings, we meet two great characters of the Bible! The first is one who is probably very little known, the other very well known, especially with kids. He is Zacchaeus. You know the story…Zacchaeus is a little squirt of a guy who climbs up a tree to see Jesus. Jesus calls out to […]
Adopting the Values of the Culture
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 18, Jesus is on his way to Jericho when a blind man on the side of the road shouts out, “Son of David, have pity on me!” The crowd around tries to silence him, but he shouts all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me!” Jesus […]
Using Your Talents
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In the Gospel from Matthew 25, Jesus tells the story of a man going on a trip and giving his servants some talents (money). When the master returns, he wants an accounting of what each one did with his talents. I think it is interesting that these coins were called talents. Because we have the […]
Keep Coming Back
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In the first reading today from Wisdom 18, we get kind of an overview of the Passover and Israel’s escape from Egypt. In the Gospel reading from Luke 18, Jesus tells the story of a widow who wants to get a ruling from a corrupt judge. She continues to pester him to give her a […]
Seeing God in Creation
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As we draw closer to the end of the liturgical year, the Gospel readings continue to allude to the end of days. In today’s reading from Luke 17, Jesus describes what it will be like when the Son of Man returns. In the first reading from Wisdom 13, the sacred author talks about the foolishness […]
The Kingdom Among You
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In the first reading today from Wisdom 7, we read more about wisdom. “And passing into holy souls from age to age, she produces friends of God and prophets.” Notice that the sacred author refers to Wisdom as “she,” the female personal pronoun. When we seek out Wisdom and invite her into our lives, we […]
The 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 […]
Unprofitable Servants
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Our first reading today is one that we just recently saw. On All Soul’s Day we read from the book of Wisdom. “But the souls of the just are in the hand of God…They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead.” Another great reminder that our deceased brothers and sisters are not […]
Wisdom
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For the first reading today, we begin a quick trip through the Book of Wisdom. In the Gospel reading from Luke 17, Jesus talks about sin, causing others to sin, forgiveness and faith. Lots to cover in just six verses! As is often the case, there is a “golden thread” that runs through today’s readings. […]
You Never Know…
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 25, we hear Jesus giving the disciples a message. The message echoes the old Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared! Jesus tells a story of ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. He was delayed. Five of the virgins brought extra oil for […]
Placing Our Trust
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St. Paul wraps up his letter to the Romans in today’s first reading. “To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen.” And amen! In the Gospel reading today from Luke 16, Jesus speaks again about our relationship with things. “You cannot serve God and mammon.” Mammon is the Greek […]
It’s a Win-Win
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If anyone had a right to boast, it was St. Paul. A prolific writer, eloquent speaker, man of great charisma…the guy had it all. But he would never boast of himself. In today’s first reading from Romans 15, he says, “For I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through […]
Lost and Found
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In the first reading today from Romans 14, St. Paul writes, “None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” The rub on […]
Feast of All Souls
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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 […]
Happy All Saints Day!
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Today we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. For the past 18 years, whenever this day falls on a weekday, I have a tradition of calling everyone with whom I speak on that day as St. (Your Name). It’s really a lot of fun! Why not try it today? Everyone you talk with today, call […]
Repaid by God
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In the first reading today from Romans 11, St. Paul says, “For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.” That may sound a bit odd. Does God purposefully want us to disobey Him, just so that He can show us His mercy? No! This verse speaks to our free will. […]
Call No One Father
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 23, we find a verse that many use to try to discredit the Catholic faith. Jesus said, “Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.” Some people will point to this verse and say, “See, you Catholics call your priests ‘Father!’ Jesus said […]
Exalted/Humbled
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In the first reading from Romans 11 today, we see more of St. Paul’s thoughts about the chosen people, his people, Israel. He reminds them again that the Messiah has come from their midst. In the Gospel reading today from Luke 14, Jesus is eating at the home of a leading Pharisee. He tells a […]
Saint of Hopeless Causes
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Today is the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles. Typically I do your :60 on the daily Scripture readings. But I want to veer from the format today. The readings are the same as the feast days of other Apostles; Ephesians 2:19-22, which I recently wrote about, and Luke 6:12-16, which is the listing […]
Conquering
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St. Paul’s letter to the Romans is such great reading. Today we hear St. Paul asking the question, “What can separate us from the love of Christ?” He then gives a list of things that we are afraid of. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Luke 13, some Pharisees come […]
All Things Work for Good
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 13, Jesus says, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate.” It’s another reminder that the Christian way is not the easy way. It is not easy to find or fit through the narrow gate. People generally choose the path of least resistance. That would be the wide gate. […]
The Glorious Freedom
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We hear a couple of short parables in the Gospel reading today from Luke 13. Jesus likens the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed and yeast. Do you remember when Jesus talked about how the least would be the greatest? That is the mystery of the mustard seed. And the yeast? Yeast changes the […]
Daddy!!
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What an awesome reading today from Romans 8. St. Paul talks about us being sons and daughters of God. More on that in a sec. In the Gospel reading from Luke 13, Jesus has the audacity to cure a woman on the sabbath, in the synagogue, no less! The leader of the synagogue takes Jesus […]
Loving God and Neighbor
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In the Gospel reading from Matthew 22, Jesus is asked, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” His answer may have surprised some. When Jesus is asked about the greatest commandment (singular), he gives a plural answer. “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and […]
Giving Another Chance
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We’re in Romans 8 for the first reading today. St. Paul writes about living according to the flesh vs. living according to the spirit. “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh.” Remember today to live in the Spirit! In the Gospel reading today from Luke 13, […]