Who, Me?
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In today’s first reading, we see God calling to Moses in the burning bush. The story is one of the most compelling stories in the Old Testament. How did Moses respond to God’s call? More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 11, Jesus says that the Father has “hidden these things from the wise […]
Can’t You See?
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In our first reading today from Exodus 2, we see the story of the early part of Moses’ life. Because of the law that Hebrew baby boys be killed, Moses’ mother hid him in a basket and set it afloat on the river. He was found by an Egyptian and adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, and […]
Jesus the Divider
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One of the titles of Jesus is Prince of Peace. Yet in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus says just the opposite. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword.” He then goes on to tell how He will […]
Receiving and Sowing the Word
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 13, Jesus tells the parable of the sower of the seeds. After telling his parable, the disciples didn’t understand. Jesus seems a bit perturbed. But He explains the parable to them. He starts out, “The sower sows the word.” Then He goes on to explain about the different […]
Speaking of Jesus
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In today’s first reading, we see the end of the story of Joseph in Genesis 49 and 50. After Jacob had died, Joseph’s brothers were still afraid that Joseph might exact revenge on them for what they had done to him. But Joseph had no such plans. And he reassures them that he forgives them, […]
Hated by All
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What a beautiful reunion we read about today in our first reading from Genesis 46. Jacob/Israel thought that his youngest son, Joseph, had been eaten by wild beasts. But then his other boys come back from Egypt and spill the beans about the truth of what happened. Israel was now very old, and all he […]
A Bigger Plan
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 10, Jesus sends out the Twelve and gives them their “marching orders.” He says to them, “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” The same holds true for us. God has given us everything freely. We should be willing to share the gifts that […]
The Kingdom is at Hand
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In our first reading today from Genesis 41, we read about Joseph. We skipped over the part about Joseph being sold into slavery by his brothers, and now we see Joseph as the most powerful man in the land, second only to the Pharaoh. There is a great famine, and Joseph’s brothers come to him […]
Wrestling With the Divine
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Another fascinating story today in our first reading from Genesis 32. Today we read about Jacob wrestling with a divine being. After something of a stalemate, Jacob gets his name changed. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading, Jesus tells the disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the […]
Love of God and Country
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Happy 4th of July! A little change of pace today. The Church gives parishes the option of doing any number of readings for Independence Day, if they choose to celebrate that. So, rather than comment on the Scriptures today, I thought I would share a quick thought about America. There is a very popular movement […]
Finding Rest in Jesus
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In our Gospel reading today from Matthew 11, Jesus issues an invitation. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke […]
Mary’s Immaculate Heart
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Yesterday was the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is appropriate that we celebrate the heart of His mother the following day. Our Gospel reading today is from Luke 2, the story of the finding of the child Jesus in the […]
The Heart of Jesus
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Jesus speaks of His heart in the Gospel reading from Matthew 11: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and […]
The Ultimate Test
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Today in our first reading from Genesis 22, we see Abraham put to the test by God. Could it be the ultimate test? I think so, and I’ll tell you why in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 9, we see the story Jesus healing a paralytic. But more than just healing him […]
Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Interesting, isn’t it? You would think that, given the importance of each, they would both have their own feast day. I mean, after all, Peter was the first Pope, the one who got the keys to the Kingdom. (See today’s Gospel reading.) And Paul […]
Lord, Save Us!
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In the first reading today from Genesis 19, we read about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Because of their wickedness, God had his sights set on them. But Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was in the region. Abraham asked that Lot be spared. So angels came and told Lot to get out of Dodge! They said […]
Negotiating With God
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In our first reading today from Genesis 18, we see an amazing story of Abraham negotiating with God. In the Gospel reading, we read about two interesting encounters that Jesus has with some of his disciples. To both, Jesus talks about the cost of following Him. God was sick of all the wickedness that He […]
Our Participation in the Body and Blood of Christ
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith as Catholics. What a great day! In the first reading from Deuteronomy 8, Moses reminds the people not to forget all the wondrous deeds that the Lord has done for […]
Laugh!
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Abram had just had a son, Ishmael. This son was not born of his wife, Sarai. But in today’s first reading from Genesis 18, Abraham is informed that he and his wife, Sarah, (notice the name changes) will bear a son. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading today, Jesus has an […]
Mission Focused
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Today the Church celebrates the birth of John the Baptist. In the first reading from Isaiah 49, we see prophesies that certainly pertain to the life of John the Baptist. In the second reading from Acts 13, St. Paul tells of how John heralded the coming of the Lord Jesus. And the Gospel reading from […]
Saying “Lord, Lord”
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God promised Abram that He would give him an heir. After waiting around for some time for God to keep his promise, Abram’s wife, Sarai decided to take matters into her own hand. She told Abram to have intercourse with her maidservant, Hagar. Hagar became pregnant, and this created quite the family mess. Abram finally […]
Covenant
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In the first reading today from Genesis 15, God makes a covenant with Abram. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 7, Jesus talks about false prophets and how you can recognize them. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit…So by their fruits you will know them.” Always […]
The Path of Least Resistance
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In the first reading today from Genesis 13, we see that Abram was a very rich man. But he was also very generous. So generous that he allowed his nephew, Lot, to have his first choice of the land that the Lord was giving them. He said, “If you prefer the left, I will go […]
The Splinter and the Beam
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Abraham is known as the father of the faith. We see why in today’s first reading from Genesis 12. When Abram was 75 years old, God told him to pack up all of his belongings and go to a land that he had never seen. “Abram went as the Lord directed him.” That’s faith! In […]
Greetings From the Trinity
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Our Gospel reading is John 3:16-18. John 3:16 may be the most well known Bible verse. Most people would at least claim to know the reference, if not what John 3:16 says. (By the way, it is “God so loved the world that he gave […]
Let Go and Let God
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In the first reading today from 2 Corinthians 12, St. Paul continues his thought on boasting about his weaknesses. “I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.” In the Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus talks about worry. Have you ever met a […]
Where is Your Treasure?
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In the world, especially in business, there’s an old expression: Never expose your weakness. I think that’s why so many men don’t cry. They view it as a sign of weakness. In our first reading today, St. Paul turns that notion on its head. He says, “If I must boast, I will boast of the […]
God’s Will Be Done
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In our first reading today from 2 Corinthians 11, St. Paul defends himself and his teachings to the Corinthians. There were some silver-tongued “superapostles” coming through town that were leading people astray. The people were falling for a silver tongue and a slick message. But it was not the message of the true gospel that […]
A Cheerful Giver
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Our Gospel reading today is the same one we read on Ash Wednesday. In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches about almsgiving, prayer and fasting. Always lessons that we need to be reminded of. In the first reading today from 2 Corinthians 9, St. Paul says, “Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for […]
Doing the Undoable
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Over the next couple of days in the first readings, we’re going to be hearing some of St. Paul’s thoughts about giving to the church and taking care of the needs of the holy ones. Today in 2 Corinthians 8, St. Paul speaks of the awesome example of the people of the church in Macedonia. […]
A Very Acceptable Time
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus talks about how we are to no longer live under the old law of “an eye for an eye.” He is talking about retaliation and retribution. It is in our nature to want those who have harmed us to suffer. It reminds me of the old saying, […]
The Gift of the Holy Spirit
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Today is Penecost Sunday. Happy Birthday, Church! The readings today are all about the Holy Spirit. In the first reading from Acts 2, we read about Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. In the second reading today, St. Paul talks about spiritual gifts. “To each individual the manisfestation of the Spirit is given […]
The Example of Barnabas
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Today is the Feast of St. Barnabas. St. Barnabas was a companion of St. Paul, a well-travelled man and a great evangelist. In today’s first reading from Acts, we see the Holy Spirit say, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” And in Matthew’s Gospel, we […]
Jesus and Peter and You
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In the first reading today from Acts 25, Paul is in Caesarea awaiting trial. He is asked if he wants to go to Jerusalem to have his case heard. Paul declines, knowing that God is sending him to Rome. So Paul appeals his case to the Emperor. Our Gospel reading is from John 21, one […]
That We May be One
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In our first reading today from Acts, Paul puts himself squarely in the middle of a dispute between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Paul, a Pharisee by birth and training, spoke of the resurrection of the dead. This was not something the Sadducees bought into. So a big old fight breaks out and Paul has […]
A Fitting Goodbye
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In the first reading today from Acts 20, we hear the conclusion of Paul’s farewell address to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus. What a stirring and moving speech. In it, he quotes Jesus with words that we do not hear in any of the four Gospels, “It is more blessed to give than […]
The Important Stuff
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Sometimes we can get our priorities a bit out of whack, wouldn’t you say? I’m sure there was a time in St. Paul’s life when that was true. But in today’s first reading from Acts 20, he talks about what is really important. More on that in a moment. For the Gospel today, we’re back in John […]
Conquering the World
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In today’s first reading from Acts, Paul runs into a group of believers who have not yet received the Holy Spirit. In fact, they hadn’t even heard of a Holy Spirit. So Paul lays hands on them and they received the gift of the Spirit. In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples that they will […]
You Belong to God
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At Mass today, you may be celebrating the Ascension of the Lord. Since I reflected on those readings Thursday, we’ll reflect on the readings for the Seventh Sunday of Easter today. In the Gospel reading today from John 17, Jesus raises his eyes to heaven and prays to the Father. He says, “I revealed your […]
God Answers Prayers
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More great action in the first reading from Acts 18. Today we meet a Scripture expert named Apollos. After studying the Scriptures, “he established from the Scriptures that the Christ is Jesus.” He turned out to be another one of those great converts. In the Gospel today from John 16, Jesus tells his disciples, “Amen, […]
Sinful Silence
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You may think that baldness is a recent fad. If that is the case, then St. Paul would fit right in! We see in today’s first reading from Acts 18 that, because of a vow he took, he had his head shaved. In the Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus equates the grief that His […]
The Ascension of the Lord
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Ascension. In most dioceses around the country, today is not a Holy Day of obligation. For most, this feast will be celebrated this Sunday. If you are in a diocese or archdiocese in New York, Boston, Hartford, Newark, Philadelphia or the state of Nebraska, then today is […]
Needs vs. Wants
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In the first reading today from Acts 17, Paul gives a great speech to some Athenians at the Areopagus. In the Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus speaks of the coming of the Spirit of truth…”he will guide you to all truth.” In Paul’s speech at the Areopagus, he says, “The God who made the […]
The Visitation
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Today is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We remember that time when Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. The first reading can be taken either from the Prophet Zephaniah or Romans 12. Do yourself a favor and read them both! The Gospel reading is the story of the Visitation […]
Memorial Day
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A bit of a deviation from our normal format today. I’ve still got the link for today’s readings at the bottom of this post. And, of course, I encourage you to read them. There is, as always, much richness. I want to take a moment to ruminate on the holiday that we celebrate in the […]
Keeping the Commandments
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In the Gospel reading today from John 14, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Jesus said, “This is my commandment: love one another.” Notice that in that sentence, He uses the singular “commandment.” But in John 14:15, He uses the plural, “commandments.” So which is it, Lord? Do we have […]
Hated
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More action and adventure today in the first reading from Acts 16. Paul has a vision in which a Macedonian says to him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” So he goes! Perhaps we should pray for the intercession of St. Paul and say, “Come to American and help us!” In the Gospel reading […]
Laying Down One’s Life
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In the Gospel reading today from John 15, Jesus says, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Whenever I read this, I hearken back to the story of the good Samaritan. Why? Because Jesus was asked, “Who is my neighbor?” And He answered with the good Samaritan […]
Joy
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In today’s first reading from Acts 15, we see that the early Church was hierarchical. There was a dispute about whether the Gentiles needed to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic laws in order to be saved. Paul and Barnabas knew that this was not a matter that could be settled on a local level. […]
Jesus the True Vine
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In our first reading today from Acts 15, we see more controversy in the early Church about whether or not new believers needed to be circumcised. To settle the matter, Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem to bring the matter to the Apostles. Why? Because the heriarchy needed to decide the matter. In today’s Gospel […]