Hardships and Peace
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We see in Acts today the further adventures of Paul and Barnabas. These guys never had a dull moment! They went around to the different cities saying, “It is necessary to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” In the Gospel reading, we hear Jesus saying, “Peace I leave with you; my peace […]
He Love Me, He Loves Me Not
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A very interesting story today in Acts 14 for our first reading. After healing a man who had been crippled from birth, Paul and Barnabas are worshipped as gods. This does not sit too well with them and they tell the people that they are just men; flesh and bone like them. Funny…I know some […]
The Way, The Truth and The Life
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Our Gospel reading today is from John 14. Over the last few days in the daily liturgy, we have gone over this chapter of John’s Gospel in parts. We hear Jesus tell Thomas, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” It is good […]
Seeing the Father
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Paul and Barnabas lived a pretty crazy life. In our first reading today from Acts 13, the Jews are filled with jealousy because of the crowds that Paul and Barnabas were attracting. So the Jews had them thrown out of the city. Suffice it to say that Paul and Barnabas were undeterred. In the Gospel […]
Do Not Let Your Hearts Be Troubled
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In the first reading from Acts 13 today, Paul continues his message of salvation through Jesus in the temple at Antioch. In the Gospel reading today, we’re in John 14, at the Last Supper. Jesus tells the Apostles, “Where I am going, you know the way.” Confused, Thomas says, “Master, we do not know where […]
Exhortation
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Paul is in the synagogue in Antioch in today’s first reading from Acts 13. The synagogue officials ask if he has a word of exhortation for the people. In the Gospel from John 13, we hear Jesus saying, “Whoever receives the one I send receives me.” I was intrigued by the invitation given to Paul […]
Being Set Apart
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In our first reading today from Acts, we see Barnabas and Saul being “set apart” by the Holy Spirit and sent out to proclaim the Word of God. In the Gospel reading today from John 12, Jesus says, “I came into the world as light,” and “I did not come to condemn the world but […]
Seeing Grace
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In the first reading today from Acts 11, we read about the rapid spread of the faith. In the Gospel reading from John 10, the Jews become impatient with Jesus, saying to Him, “If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Jesus’ answer continues with the theme of sheep: “But you do not believe, because […]
Can You Hinder God?
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In the Gospel reading today from John 10, Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.” Just as a shepherd watches over his flock and defends the sheep from any danger, so Jesus does for us. He’s got your back, my friend! In the first reading […]
Life More Abundantly
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In the Gospel reading today from John 10, Jesus says, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” What does this mean? A great thing for us to think about each day. Let me start by talking about what it DOESN’T mean. In our way of thinking today, the word […]
Lay Down Your Life
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Matthias. Matthias was the man who took the office of Judas after his death. In our first reading from Acts 1, we see this; that Judas’ office must be filled. For the Gospel reading today, we’re back in John 15, where Jesus says, “This is my commandment: […]
True Food and True Drink
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Today’s first reading from Acts 9 tells us about the conversion of St. Paul. Since we celebrated that feast on Jan. 25, we’ll concentrate today on the Gospel reading from John 6. Today’s Gospel is at the heart of Catholic theology on the Eucharist. We hear Jesus saying, “Unless you eat the Flesh of the Son […]
Flesh as Bread
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A very interesting story in our first reading today from Acts 8. The Holy Spirit sends Philip, one of the Twelve, to interpret the Scriptures for an Ethiopian eunuch. After this, the eunuch says, “Look, there is water. What is to prevent me from being baptized?” Philip baptizes him, then disappears. This passage always reminds […]
Raised Up
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In the first reading from Acts 8 today, we read about Saul persecuting the Church. Because of the persecution happening in Jerusalem, all but the Apostles left there. We read about the bold preaching and healing ministry of Philip. We’re back in John 6 for the Gospel reading today. Jesus says, “Everyone who sees the […]
Give Us This Bread Always
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In today’s first reading from Acts 7, we read about the martyrdom of St. Stephen. He met a brutal end. Can you imagine being stoned to death? How painful that must have been. And yet, he echoes the sentiment of Jesus as He hung on the cross, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Even at […]
Working for Real Food
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Today in Acts 6, we begin reading about St. Stephen. This was a very bold guy who was about to find himself in some real trouble. But even in the face of adversity, St. Stephen’s face “was like the face of an angel.” Tomorrow we will read about the martyrdom of this bold and holy […]
The Breaking of the Bread
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The Gospel reading today is the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus from Luke 24. Please take the time to read it. As Catholics, we believe that at Mass, the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ. The Eucharist. Today’s Gospel is assuredly a reference to this. The […]
You Can Only Do So Much
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In today’s Gospel reading from John 6, we read about Jesus walking on the water. When the disciples see Jesus walking on the water, He says to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” In our first reading from Acts 6, we read about some of the challenges of a rapidly growing Church. As […]
Rejoice in Humiliation
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Another uber-cool reading from Acts of the Apostles today. Be sure to read what Gamaliel, a famous rabbi, says about this new “Jesus movement.” (My words, not the Scripture.) We also see a very interesting attitude from the Apostles today. More on that in a moment. Today in the Gospel reading, we begin reading John […]
Accepting the Spirit
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A great reading from Acts 5 today. The court officers told the Apostles to knock off this teaching in the name of Jesus stuff. Their answer is awesome, and one that we should always take to heart…”We must obey God rather than men.” If only we kept that in mind more often, think of how […]
Darkness and Light
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What a cool story today from Acts 5. The Apostles once again get thrown into the hoosegow when, in the middle of the night, an angel comes and opens the doors to the prison and lets them out. This is getting to be something of a pattern for these guys! In fact, today we might […]
Greater Works than Jesus’
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Today is the Feast of St. Philip and St. James. They were both Apostles. James was a cousin of the Lord, the son of Alphaeus, and Bishop of Jerusalem. In the first reading today from 1 Corinthians 15, St. Paul talks about how Christ appeared to some after the resurrection. He mentions the Twelve, then […]
Have You Been Born Again?
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Another awesome first reading today from Acts 4. After Peter and John were released, the disciples all got together and prayed, “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and enable your servants to speak your word with all boldness.” The Scripture says “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak […]
God’s Mercy
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Today, the second Sunday of Easter, is Divine Mercy Sunday. So, rather than do a reflection on the daily Scriptures (I’ll trust you to do that on your own!), I thought we could take just a moment to reflect on God’s mercy. If you do a search of the Scriptures, you will find hundreds of […]
Are You Proclaiming the Gospel?
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Today in Acts 4, the Sanhedrin comes to the conclusion that something astonishing happened through Peter and John. But just to be safe, they tell them not to ever again speak of the name of Jesus. Uh…not so much. Peter responds with, “It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen […]
The Name of Jesus
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In Acts 4 today, we pick up the story of Peter and John right after the healing of the crippled beggar. More on that in a moment. In our Gospel reading today from John 21, the disciples are out fishing. Remember, these guys were professional fishermen. After catching nothing all night, they see Jesus, who […]
Times of Refreshment
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In the first reading today from Acts 3, Peter tells the people that it was not they (Peter and his companions) who had healed the crippled man, but the power of God. In the Gospel reading from Luke 24, Jesus appears to the disciples and asks for something to eat to reassure them that He […]
The Unexpected Gift
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Another great story from Acts 3 for our first reading today. We’ll talk about that in a moment. The Gospel reading from Luke 24 is one of the most interesting stories in the New Testament. It is the story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. After spending time with Jesus and not […]
The Promise
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We’re back in Acts 2 for our first reading today, hearing more of Peter’s great speech at Pentecost. In the Gospel reading from John 20, Mary Magdalene has two amazing encounters; the first with two angels, the second with the risen Lord. Mary does not recognize Jesus until He says to her, “Mary!” She then […]
His Tomb is Empty
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Happy Easter Monday! Liturgically, the Easter season will be around for quite some time. How appropriate! We have forty days of Lent, but fifty days of Easter. So up until Pentecost, we will be taking a trip through the Acts of the Apostles in our first readings. Acts is like a real-life adventure story, so […]
Happy Easter!
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He is risen! Alleluia! (Boy, it seems like a long time since we’ver heard that word!) Happy Easter! Today we celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord. This is the greatest day of the Church year. The day that sin and death were defeated, put in their place. Even death could not hold the Son of […]
The Day Before
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Holy Saturday is an interesting day. It reminds me of waiting in the doctor’s office waiting room after you have had some tests run. You’re kind of in a state of limbo. Hopeful that the results will come back good, but still having that creeping sense of doubt. I suppose this is what Jesus’ disciples […]
Were You There?
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Today is the one day of the year when there is no Mass celebrated. The commemoration of Good Friday is the most solemn day of the year. The readings for the Good Friday liturgy are so moving. In the first reading from Isaiah 52, we see prophesied that which Jesus would endure on this day. […]
Washing Your Feet
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Lent is over today. We begin tonight the Sacred Triduum. It is one long liturgical celebration that encompasses Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. I hope you will make it to church for all of the services. Tonight’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper is one of the most moving liturgies of the Church year. […]
The Betrayal Game
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Want to know what Jesus is all about and what he did for you? Check out today’s first reading from Isaiah 50. It really says it all. On Wednesday of Holy Week, we think about Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 26, we see Judas cutting a deal […]
“I Will Lay Down My Life for You”
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Our first reading today is from Isaiah 49, more from the prophesies of the Servant of the Lord. “I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” Our Gospel reading is from John 13. Here we see Peter at his finest, just moments before we […]
A Gift to Christ
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Monday of Holy Week. Our first reading today is from Isaiah 42. The Servant of the Lord. “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my Spirit.” As we read these words, we recall how they describe Jesus to a tee. “A bruised […]
Palm Sunday
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“Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest!” What a week this must have been for Jesus. Of course, He knew what was about to happen in the coming days. But what if that were you or me riding on that donkey […]
One Dying for the Many
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As we approach Palm Sunday, the story of the final week of Jesus’ life unfolds. In the first reading from Ezekiel 37, the prophet speaks of the return of the Davidic Kingdom. Of course, Jesus came to fulfill the Davidic Kingdom in a perfect way. In the Gospel reading from John 11, Caiaphas, the high […]
Doing the Father’s Works
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In today’s first reading from Jeremiah 20, we hear the people plotting against Jeremiah. But they will not be victorious; they will not have their way. Jeremiah says, “But the Lord is with me, like a mighty champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph…Praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of […]
Living the Covenant
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There are only a very few instances of God changing someone’s name in the Scriptures. Today we see the first of these in Genesis 17. Abram gets a new name. “Your name shall be Abraham, for I am making you the father of a host of nations.” This is pretty groundbreaking stuff, as Abraham and […]
Set Free
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In today’s first reading from Daniel 3, we see the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego getting thrown into the fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had faith. Faith enough to know that when they got thrown into the furnace, God would set them free. In today’s Gospel from John 8, Jesus talks about being […]
Look Up
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Today’s first reading from Numbers 21 tells us the story of God sending saraph serpents among the people of Israel, who had become terrible whiners. God then commands Moses to make a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole. Whenever someone looked up at the serpent, they would be healed and live. In the […]
Starting Over
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In today’s readings, we see the stories of two women who are about to be killed. In the first reading from Daniel, we see the story of Susanna. Two wicked men falsely accuse her of a crime punishable by death. But their falsehoods are revealed by Daniel. It really is a magnificent story, one that […]
“Come Out!”
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For the Fifth Sunday of Lent, the theme of the readings is being raised from the dead. In the first reading from Ezekiel 37, God says, “Then you hslal know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people!” And in the second reading from […]
Put on “New Ears”
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Another ominous reading for our first reading today, this time from Jeremiah 11. As we draw closer to Holy Week and Good Friday, we begin to see the readings get darker. In the Gospel reading from John 7, the people continue to conjecture from where the Christ would come. “The Christ will not come from […]
Close to the Brokenhearted
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An eerie first reading today from Wisdom 2. It describes the things that Jesus went through to a tee. Be sure to read it and see if you don’t shake your head in amazement knowing that this was written hundreds of years before the birth of Christ. The Gospel reading today is from John 7, […]
Accepting Human Praise
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In today’s first reading from Exodus 32, Moses has a little heart-to-heart with God, asking Him to relent from destroying His people. And God relented. A wonderful statement on the power of prayer. And in the Gospel reading from John 5, Jesus talks about accepting praise. He says, “I do not accept human praise.” And […]
Seeking Our Own Will
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In the first reading today from Isaiah 49, we hear this question: “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb?” Now, you would think that that is a rhetorical question. Yet it isn’t. We have all heard cases of mothers doing unspeakable things to their children. Here is […]
Sticking With the Status Quo
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Water is a theme that runs through our two readings today. In the first reading from Ezekiel 47, the Angel of the Lord shows Ezekiel a trickle of water flowing out from the temple. The farther they get from the temple, the greater the flow, until the water becomes a large river, teeming with abundant […]