No Questions Asked
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In today's first reading from Genesis 23 and 24, we read about the death of Sarah and how Isaac found a wife in Rebekah. In the Gospel reading from Matthew...
Offer it Up
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Have you ever felt like God is/was testing you? I think we all have at some time. Our first reading today is all about that. In the Gospel reading from...
The Lord Hears
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 8, Jesus casts demons out of two men. He sends them into a herd of swine, who then go and jump off a cliff...
Dependence Day
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Happy 4th of July! In the USA, today is Independence Day. It’s the day we celebrate our breaking away from the British empire and declaring ourselves an independent nation. It’s...
Believing the Outlandish
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle. In the first reading from Ephesians 2, St. Paul tells us that the household of God, the Church, is...
Rewarded
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In today's first reading from 2 Kings 4, a woman does a kind deed for the prophet Elisha. For her kindness, she is rewarded with a son. In the Gospel...
Made Worthy
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Remember the first reading from yesterday, when Abraham laughed when God told him that he and Sarah would have a son? Well, there are more laughs in today’s first reading....
God's Perfect Timing
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In our first reading today from Genesis 17, God tells Abraham that his wife Sarai (now Sarah), would have a son – at the age of ninety! In the Gospel...
Poured Out
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Today is the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul. In the first reading from Acts 12, we read about Peter being sprung from jail by the angel of the Lord. And...
True or False
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“Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited to him as an act of righteousness.” This line is from today’s first reading from Genesis 15. St. Paul also recounts...
Trampled Underfoot
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In our first reading today we find ourselves back in the Book of Genesis, reading about Abram and Lot. For our Gospel reading, we’re back in the Sermon on the...
The Pain of Beam Removal
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In today’s first reading from Genesis 12, God tells seventy-five year old Abram to pick up everything he owned (which was a lot) and move to a strange new place....
Speaking of Jesus
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 10, Jesus finishes giving His marching orders to the Apostles as He sends them out. And his final words are ones that we...
The Final Prophet
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Today the Church celebrates the Nativity of John the Baptist. In the first reading today from Isaiah 49, we see the messianic prophesies, all of which certainly could be attributed...
An Eternal Retirement Plan
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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...
God's Will Be Done
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St. Paul preached the truth. And he was concerned when the people he taught began accepting messages that deviated from the truth. He addresses this in today’s first reading from...
On Cheerful Giving
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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...
Achieving Perfection
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Poverty and generosity seem like they should be worlds apart. After all, if someone is living in poverty, how can they be generous? They have so little to begin with....
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...
The Sending
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 9-10, Jesus sends out the Twelve to preach, teach and heal. Did you know that at the end of every Mass, you are sent...
A Mother's 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...
A Heart for You
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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...
Blinded Minds
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Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5 is Jesus' teaching on anger. If you're bearing a grudge against someone, you need to read this. But beware...it's a toughie! As Christians, we...
Your Qualification
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Some people think that the New Testament is far removed from the Old Testament, that Jesus came to do away with everything in the old law and replace it. Funny,...
Fill the World with Sonshine
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Ever get a word stuck in your head? Maybe a word or a phrase that you just can’t get out of your mind. Let me give you a suggestion for...
Encouragement
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Such a bounty of things to reflect on today! In the first reading, we begin a journey through 2 Corinthians. At the same time, our Gospel readings for the next...
The Real Presence
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of The Body and Blood of Christ, or Corpus Christi. All of the readings today point to the Eucharist, the source and summit of...
Touched by an Angel
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Generosity is all about trust – trusting in God to supply all our needs. We see one of the greatest stories ever about generosity in today’s Gospel reading from Mark...
A Great Day
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In today's first reading from Tobit 11, we read about Tobit being healed of his blindness. And in the Gospel reading from Mark 12, Jesus talks about how David referred...
The Nobility of Marriage
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Which is the greatest (first) of all the commandments? Jesus is asked that question in today's Gospel reading from Mark 12. Be sure to read His answer. In our first...
God Sends Help
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Today's Gospel reading from Mark 12 is an important one for Catholics to know to help explain the Communion of Saints. After speaking about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Jesus says,...
Character Revealed
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In the first reading today from Tobit 2, we see Tobit go through some real hardship in his life. He loses his sight for four years. How would this effect...
Be Like Tobit
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Our first reading today is the beginning of the book of Tobit. This is one of those books that is found in the Catholic Bible, but not in a Protestant...
Trinity Sunday
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity; three Persons, one God. We see this idea fleshed out at the end of the second reading from 2 Corinthians...
Seeking Wisdom
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In today's Gospel reading from Mark 11, Jesus' authority is questioned. See how Jesus turns the tables on his interlocutors. The first reading is from Sirach 51. It centers on...
Leaving a Legacy
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Have you ever thought about your legacy – what you will leave behind when your days on earth are over? More on that in a moment. In today’s Gospel reading,...
A Short Prayer, Always at the Ready
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Our Gospel reading today from Mark 10 is about Bartimaeus, a blind beggar that wanted Jesus to restore his sight. He tells Jesus what he wants, and Jesus gives him...
Opening Our Hearts and Homes to Jesus and Mary
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Today is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We recall when Mary, who was pregnant with the Lord Jesus, went to stay with her cousin, Elizabeth,...
WII FM
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The golden thread that runs through today’s readings could probably be summed up in this phrase: God will not be outdone in generosity. In the first reading from Sirach 35,...
Our Fallen Heroes
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I’m going to deviate a bit from our normal format today. I’ve still got the link for today’s readings at the bottom of this post. Today is the Feast of...
Pentecost
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Today we celebrate Pentecost. Happy Birthday, Church! Rather than give you my own reflection today, I want to share the sequence that you will hear at today’s Mass. (Why try...
Whataboutism
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In Acts 28 today, we see Paul continuing in his ministry, even while in custody. Oh, that we could all have the evangelistic spirit of St. Paul! In the Gospel...
Undoing Our Denials
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Today's Gospel reading from John 21 is, I think, one of the the most moving scenes in the New Testament. After the resurrection, Jesus and Simon Peter are on the beach....
Jesus' Prayer for Unity
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We call the “Our Father” The Lord’s Prayer. And rightly so, since it is the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray. But down through the ages, theologians have also...
If You Were on Trial...
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The Gospel reading today is from John 17. It is part of Jesus’ lengthy soliloquy at the Last Supper. Speaking to the Father, Jesus says, “Consecrate them in the truth…I...
Finish Well
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What’s the greatest thing that we can achieve in life? To amass a fortune? Certainly not. To raise good kids? Be a good husband/wife/father/mother? To do lots of good works?...
Jesus Wins!
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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...
In and Into the World
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Today will be a different liturgy for folks in different parts of the US. For most it will be the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. For others, it...
Answered Prayer
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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...
Grief Becomes Joy
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In today's first reading from Acts 18, the Lord comes to Paul in a vision and tells him, "Go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you."...