The Older Son
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Today's Gospel reading from Luke 15 is probably a familiar story - we call it The Prodigal Son. And rightly so. But it is really a story of two sons...
Kill the Messenger
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In the first reading today from Genesis 37, we see some of the story of Joseph. He was Israel’s favorite son, and his brothers didn’t like that so much. So...
Better Listen Now
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You’ll see lots of similarities between today’s first reading from Jeremiah 17 and our Responsorial Psalm from Psalm 1. In fact, they look nearly identical. Needless to say, both contain...
The Fate of a Disciple
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I’m sure you’ve heard the old expression “No good deed goes unpunished.” Ain’t it the truth? Just take a look at the Scriptures. The prophets of old were simply doing...
Let Us Set Things Right
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I don’t know about you, but I find that, more often than not, something is not quite right in my relationship with God. It is always my fault, this I...
My Mercy Problem
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Our first reading today is a beautiful prayer from Daniel 9. Here Daniel confesses to the Lord for the entire people of their wickedness and sinfulness. In our Gospel reading...
Becoming
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Today’s Gospel reading is Matthew’s version of the Transfiguration. This is when Jesus takes Peter, James and John up to the top of the mountain and reveals His heavenly glory....
Practice Makes Perfect
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus gives us more difficult fare. “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” As if...
It's About Relationships
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When we sin, when we do evil, we open ourselves up to punishment. That seems fair, right? Apparently, not everyone thinks so. Check out today’s first reading from Ezekiel 18...
Power for the Powerless
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Our first reading today is from the Book of Esther. Esther had the weight, and fate, of a nation on her shoulders. She knew that she was the last hope...
Turning From Evil
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In today's readings we hear about Jonah. In fact, the first reading is from the Book of Jonah, where the Ninevites listen to Jonah and "they turned from their evil...
Seeds of Grace
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Today's first reading is Isaiah 55:10-11. This is a passage that has been on my heart a lot lately as I have been talking about Seeds of Grace. Here's the...
Sheep or Goat?
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In the first reading today from Leviticus 19, Moses gives the people instructions from God on how to conduct their lives. It sounds very similar to the Ten Commandments. It...
Withstanding Temptation
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Today is the First Sunday of Lent. Our Gospel reading is from Matthew 4. St. Matthew recounts the forty days that Jesus spent fasting and praying in the desert before...
The Importance of Going to the Doctor
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We hear more today about things that are pleasing to God in our first reading from Isaiah 58. The Lord also talks about how we should conduct ourselves on the...
A Different Kind of Fasting
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In our first reading today from Isaiah 58, we hear what is truly an acceptable form of fasting. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading, the Pharisees...
How to Choose Life
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In our first reading today from Deuteronomy, Moses tells the people what they must do in order to enter the promised land. Obey the commandments of the Lord, love Him,...
Holy Land 2023
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We're excited to announce our 2023 pilgrimage to the Holy Land! I'm billing it as Christmas in the Holy Land, but you'll be home for Christmas! Join Michelle and I...
To Dust You Shall Return
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Blessed Ash Wednesday! Today we begin our Lenten journey for 2023. Whatever you have chosen to do or give up (or a combination thereof), I pray that this will be...
You Who Fear the LORD
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Today's first reading from Sirach 2 is so filled with wisdom it would behoove us to read it again and again. It speaks again and again of fear of the...
My Unbelief
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Today’s first reading is from the Book of Sirach. This is one of the books that you will find in a Catholic Bible, but not a Protestant one. I think...
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...