Of Retaliation and Retribution
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We have another controversial Gospel reading today from Matthew 5. Jesus talks about offering no resistance to the one who is evil; about turning the other cheek. The old law...
Noah's Faith
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Today's Gospel reading is the story of the Transfiguration from Mark 9. The first reading is from Hebrews 11, which talks about faith. "By faith Noah, warned about what was...
Lessons from a Tower
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In our Gospel reading today from Mark 8, Jesus asks the question, “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” So many today...
Thinking As God Does
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Whenever you see a rainbow, it should remind you of God. Why? Check out today’s first reading from Genesis 9 to find out. In the Gospel reading from Mark 8,...
Incremental Healing
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Did you know that Noah was over 600 years old at the time of the Great Flood? We see this in today’s first reading from Genesis 8. After the flood,...
Understanding
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We see some tough questions from Jesus in today’s Gospel reading. More in a moment. For our first reading, we’re in Genesis 6 and 7, reading about Noah. Everyone else...
My Brother's Keeper
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We have a very short Gospel reading today from Mark 8. The Pharisees are looking for a sign from Jesus. But Jesus tells them that “no sign will be given...
No License to Sin
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"If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you...""No one does he (God) command to act unjustly, to none does he give license to sin." These two...
The Devil Made Me Do It!
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 8, we read about a miracle. Jesus feeds four thousand people with seven loaves and a few fish. And after everyone had eaten their...
Satan's Playbook
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 7, Jesus heals a deaf man with a speech impediment. “And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and...
Man, Woman, Marriage
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Did you know that there are two creation accounts in Genesis? We saw the first part of the second story of creation yesterday. Today we see the more complete version...
Don't
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Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 7 has had a profound effect on me. Jesus tells the disciples that it’s not what one puts into the mouth that defiles (thus declaring...
Created in God's Image
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In the first reading today from Genesis 1, we see the rest of the story of creation. In the Gospel reading from Mark 7, Jesus talks about tradition. He says,...
In The Beginning
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Today for our first reading, we begin at the beginning. Genesis 1. “In the beginning…” We’ll be in the book of Genesis for the next couple of weeks. Today we...
Pass the Salt
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For the Gospel reading today, we’re back in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5, Jesus says to His disciples, “You are the salt of the earth.” I’m sure...
Time to Take a Load Off
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 6, the Apostles return from their mission trip that Jesus had sent them on. They “reported all they had done and taught.” Jesus...
Entertaining Angels
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Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 6 is the story of the beheading of John the Baptist. Sad and tragic, yes, but a great story for us about standing up for...
A Promise Kept
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Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Also known as Candlemas, this is the day when candles will be blessed. There will be three readings today. In...
The Beauty of Discipline
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Today we’re going to talk about discipline. Not a fun topic, I know. If you turned and ran away right now, I wouldn’t blame you! But in today’s first reading...
Arise!
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As Catholics, we profess a belief in the Communion of Saints. I believe this is what we read about in the first verse of today's first reading from Hebrews 12....
Legion
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In today's first reading from Hebrews 11, we hear about some of the forefathers of the faith and how they "did not receive what had been promised." However, "God had...
The Foolish, Weak and Lowly
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In today's second reading from 1 Corinthians 1, St. Paul says that God chose the foolish, weak and lowly to do great things for the Kingdom. Imagine that...God chose me!...
Faith
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What is faith? In our first reading today from Hebrews 11:1 it says, "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen." The Catechism...
The Danger of Backsliding
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In today's Gospel reading from Mark 4, Jesus tells a couple of parables about the Kingdom of God, both having to do with plants. In the first reading from Hebrews...
No Place for Cowards
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Today is the Feast of Saints Timothy and Titus. Both men were collaborators with St. Paul and received letters from him that we find in the New Testament. Timothy became...
The Call to Conversion
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Today the Church celebrates the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. We see the story of Saul's conversion twice the the Acts of the Apostles - in chapter 9 the...
I Come to Do Your Will
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“I come to do your will.” This is a line that we hear over and over again in the liturgy today. It appears twice in the first reading from Hebrews...
A Divided House
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In the first reading today from Hebrews 9, we read more about Christ’s once for all sacrifice, and about the judgement at Jesus’ second coming. In the Gospel reading from...
Capernaum
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 4, we see that Jesus "went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali..." It then goes on...
Out of Our Minds
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The Gospel reading today from Mark 3 is very short; just two verses. Jesus came with his disciples into the house. Again the crowd gathered, making it impossible for them...
The Apostles
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Today's first reading from Hebrews 8 talks about the "new" covenant. "When he speaks of a 'new' covenant, he declares the first one obsolete." The old covenant included sacrifice of...
A Once for All Sacrifice
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In the first reading today from Hebrews 7 & 8, the sacred author talks about the once for all sacrifice of Christ. “He has no need, as did the high...
Withered Hands, Withered Hearts
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Are you familiar with Melchizedek? If not, read up on him. For someone who shows up in just a few short verses in Genesis, he's a very important figure in...
Sluggish
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 2, Jesus says something very telling to the Pharisees. “The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the...
Our Great High Priest
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Today in Hebrews 5, we see a theme that we touched on last week; that Jesus learned obedience from what he suffered. The author of Hebrews was big on this...
Behold the Lamb of God
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Today's Gospel reading from John 1 contains a Bible verse that every Catholic knows. "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world." These words were...
Confidence
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Our Gospel reading today is from Mark 2, the call of Levi, aka Matthew. Jesus says to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed Jesus. In the first...
That Kind of Friend
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Life is hard. But we can find rest in God. Today's first reading from Hebrews 4 encourages us to "enter into that rest." In the Gospel reading today from Mark...
If This Was Your Last "Today"
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Today’s Gospel story is from Mark 1, about a leper that comes to Jesus seeking to be healed. Jesus heals him and tells him not to tell anyone. The guy...
He's Been There and Done That
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Back in Hebrews 2 today, we see more about the suffering of Jesus and how that plays to our advantage. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark...
Subject to Christ
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Jesus was given all authority in heaven and on earth by the Father. In the Gospel reading today from Mark 1, the people recognized this about Jesus. After He had...
Jesus' Baptism and Our Baptism
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Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. We see that moment where John the Baptist has just baptized Jesus when "a voice came from the heavens, saying, 'This...
Awakening
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Today is the Feast of Epiphany. We celebrate the time when the three Wise Men, a.k.a Three Kings or Magi, appeared to offer gifts to Jesus. Such an interesting story...
The Best Advice Ever
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Jesus’ first public miracle, as told in John’s Gospel, is changing water into wine. It happens at a wedding feast at Cana. This story is the Gospel reading in today’s...
The Process of Victory
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There are two options for a Gospel reading today. One is the genealogy of Jesus from Luke 3. The other is from Mark 1, where Jesus is baptized in the...
That's Some Low Standard!
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In the Gospel reading today from John 1, we see an encounter between Jesus and Nathanael. Nathanael, also known as Bartholomew, says to Jesus, “Rabbi, you are the Son of...
To Whom Do You Belong?
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We get some very stark words today in our first reading from 1 John 3. In the Gospel reading from John 1, we read about the call of Simon and...
Child of God!
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Good Morning, Child of God! Are you comfortable with that “title?” I certainly hope so, because that is what you are! So says St. John in our first reading from...
To Remain, or Not to Remain?
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More great advice from St. John in today’s first reading from 1 John 2. More on that in a moment. Our Gospel reading for today is from the Gospel of...
The Mother of God
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Happy New Year! Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Mary, the Mother of God. Since many - mostly our Protestant brothers and sisters - have an issue with this...