All in the Family
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In the first reading today from Ezra 6, we see an interesting relationship between “government” and “religion.” The kings of that time, Darius, Cyrus and Artaxerxes all allowed and encouraged...
That They May See the Light
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Today's first reading is the beginning of the Book of Ezra. Cyrus, a gentile king, allows the children of Israel, who had been scattered, to go to Jerusalem and build...
A New Perspective
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I tell my radio listeners that I learn something new every day. It's true, and it never ceases to amaze me. A couple of weeks ago I was talking about...
Fruit Through Perseverance
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 8, Jesus tells, and then explains, the parable of the sower. He starts His explanation with this: "The seed is the word of God."...
The Root of all Evils
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St. Paul gives some very sound advice to Timothy in today’s first reading from 1 Timothy 6. More on that in a moment. Our Gospel reading today is short, but...
He Got the Right Guy
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Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Matthew. Matthew penned the first Gospel. His Jewish name was Levi. (We find this in the Gospels of Mark and Luke.) He is...
The Pillar and Foundation of Truth
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In our first reading today from 1 Timothy 3, St. Paul mentions “the pillar and foundation of truth.” Care to take a guess at what St. Paul said that was?...
Bishops and Deacons (and Priests), Oh My!
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Today's Gospel story is one of gratuitous love. Jesus happens upon a man's funeral. He was the only son of a widow. Jesus, moved with pity for the mother, brings...
One Mediator
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The Gospel reading today from Luke 7 features a centurion who says something that every Catholic will find very familiar. “Lord…I am not worthy to have you enter under my...
Any Wiggle Room?
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The Gospel reading from Matthew 18 is a familiar story about Jesus telling Peter a story after saying he must forgive “not seven times but seventy-seven times.” A man, after...
Good and Rotten
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You probably think you’re a pretty big sinner. I know I do. I mean, I think I’m a pretty big sinner, not you! St. Paul knew that he was a...
Stabat Mater
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. How appropriate that we commemorate this the day after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. If you attend Mass...
Carrying Your Cross
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Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In the first reading today from Numbers 21, we see a bit of typology. God told Moses to make...
Put These Things to Death
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The Gospel reading today is the beginning of the Sermon on the Plain from Luke 6. We know them as the beatitudes. There are slight differences in Luke’s version and...
Held Captive
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Scripture is filled with warnings. Today we hear a very stark one from St. Paul in our first reading from Colossians 2. In the Gospel reading from Luke 6, we...
Do Good Anyway
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In the first reading today from Colossians 1 and 2, St. Paul says, “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake…” This tells us two things: suffering can bring joy...
Error Warning
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The first reading from Ezekiel 33 and the Gospel reading today are closely intertwined. They both speak of warning others of error. In Ezekiel 33, the Lord says that we...
Lord of All Things
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We get a wonderful word about persevering in the faith in our first reading today from Colossians 1. St. Paul says that we will be presented “holy, without blemish, and...
Happy Birthday, Mama Mary!
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary…Mary’s birthday! Now, we don’t really know the exact day, date or year that Mary was born....
Dealing with Our Unworthiness
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Are you walking in a manner worthy of the Lord? That’s a phrase we see in our first reading today from Colossians 1. My sense tells me that you would...
Don't Keep Him to Yourself!
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Yet another treat in store for us! Today we begin a trip through St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians. As in many of his letters, St. Paul begins with an...
Choosing Your Destiny
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 4, Jesus drives a demon from a man. All are amazed at His power and authority. In our first reading from 1 Thessalonians 5,...
A Labor Day Reflection
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Happy Labor Day! I hope you are taking a day of R&R today. Instead of reflection on today's Scriptures, I'd like to offer a brief Labor Day meditation. In these difficult...
Being an Obstacle to God
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Jesus had just told Peter that He would give him the keys to the kingdom. Immediately after that, Jesus begins to talk about how He would be handed over, killed...
Progress in the Spiritual Life
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the talents. In our first reading from 1 Thessalonians 4, St. Paul talks about much of the spiritual...
God's Will: Your Holiness
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about ten virgins who are awaiting a wedding feast. Five of them were foolish, five of them were...
The Faithful and Prudent Servant
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In today's first reading from 1 Thessalonians 3, we see yet another beautiful prayer of St. Paul for the people. Our Gospel reading from Matthew 24 sounds much like Advent....
Whitewashed Tombs
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St. Paul led by example. He alludes to that in our first reading today from 1 Thessalonians 2. While he could have insisted that the believers take care of his...
Truth is Truth
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Today the Church celebrates the Passion of St. John the Baptist. In the past it has been called the beheading of and the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. The Gospel...
Hypocrite
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Today's first reading is the opening of St. Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians. He reminds them, "Our Gospel did not come to you in word alone, but also in...
The Keys and The Rock
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Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 16 is a very important one. Jesus asks the disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They give Him varied answers....
Being Humbled
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Today in the first reading, we see the rest of the story of Ruth. After accompanying Naomi, she met Boaz, a prominent man of Bethlehem. They married and had children,...
Wherever You Go, I Will Go
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The Book of Ruth is one of the shorter books in the Bible. In today’s first reading, we meet Ruth. Ruth was King David’s great-grandmother. But the story of how...
Ridding Ourselves of Duplicity
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Bartholomew. Bartholomew is listed among the Twelve. He was brought to Jesus by the Apostle Philip. Tradition tells us that he preached...
It's Never Too Late
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There are plenty of shifty characters in the Scriptures. We see one of them today in the person of Abimelech, in our first reading from Judges 9. He killed all...
The Queenship of Mary
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. You won’t hear special readings for this feast, though the prayers in the Mass reference this....
Be Careful What You Ask
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In the first reading from Judges 2, we see that the people turned away from God. The consequences were not pleasant. “[God] allowed them to fall into the power of...
No...For Now
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 15, a woman comes and asks Jesus to heal her daughter. The woman was a Canaanite, not a daughter of Israel. Jesus in essence tells...
Who Will You Serve?
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We have a very short Gospel reading today. But as always, it is packed. Jesus says, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom...
Priestly Celibacy
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 19, Jesus gives His teaching on marriage. In it, He speaks about those who have “freely renounced marriage for the sake of the Kingdom...
The Act of Forgiveness
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 18, Peter asks Jesus how often he has to forgive a brother who sins against him. As many as seven times? Jesus responds, “Not seven...
On Binding and Loosing and Praying
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Today we read about the death of Moses. It has been fascinating reading about his life and times. As I’ve mentioned many times, no on had a relationship with God...
Assumed into Heaven
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. This is one of those days that is greatly misunderstood...
The Subjects are Exempt
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In today's first reading from Deuteronomy 10, Moses reminds the people that they were chosen by God and that they were to serve him. In the Gospel reading from Matthew...
Doubt
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In the Gospel reading from Matthew 14, we read the story about Jesus walking on the water during a storm. Peter asks Jesus to command that he come to him...
How to Move a Mountain
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Moses wanted to make sure that the children of Israel remembered who God was, and that He alone was worthy of their worship. He gives them yet another reminder in...
A Spiritual Cost/Benefit Analysis
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“This is why you must now know…that the Lord is God…and that there is no other.” These words Moses speaks to the children of Israel in today’s first reading from...
Deacon, Martyr, Servant
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Today we celebrate the feast of St. Lawrence. St. Lawrence was a deacon and a martyr. Our prayers go out today and every day to all the faithful deacons of...
When God says Go, You Go
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In our Gospel reading today from Matthew 15, we see an amazing example of perseverance in prayer, and the unselfishness of a mother. A Canaanite woman asks Jesus to heal...
Seeking Fame
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In the first reading today from Numbers 12, we see God punishing two people for being prideful. More in a moment. In our Gospel reading from Matthew 15, Jesus tells...