The Family of Jesus
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Can you imagine tax dollars being used to build a church? That idea seems far fetched to Americans, but that’s part of what we see in today’s first reading from...
Faith, Blessings and Gratitude
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For our first reading today we begin a journey through the Book of Ezra. King Cyrus, a gentile king, paved the way for the building of the temple in Jerusalem....
Taking the Long View
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The parable in today’s Gospel passage from Luke 16 can seem very confusing. It is about a dishonest steward that his master is going to fire. When the steward gets...
The Seeds Went Where?
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Today's Gospel is from Luke 8, the parable of the sower. A sower goes out to sow some seed and it falls in many different places. Some falls on the...
In with Nothing, Out with Nothing
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Ever hear the old expression "Money is the root of all evil"? That's actually a misquote from Scripture. In our first reading today from 1 Timothy 6, St. Paul writes,...
Great Sinners Make Great Christians
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St. Timothy must have been a fairly young man. Perhaps he was taking some heat for his lack of years. St. Paul exhorts him in today’s first reading from 1...
Where to Find 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?...
Caring for the Widow and the Orphan
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We see a heartwarming story in today’s Gospel reading from Luke 7. Jesus is in the town of Nain when He comes across a funeral procession. The dead man was...
Help in Your Sorrow
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. How appropriate that we celebrate this feast the day after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Church gives parishes...
The Exaltation of the Holy 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...
Of Hearts and Fruit
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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...
The Blind Leading the Blind
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Today's Gospel reading from Luke 6 begins with Jesus asking a couple of questions. "Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?" He...
The Peace of Christ
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When Catholics go to Mass, we pause to offer one another a sign of Christ's peace. Originally this was known as the kiss of peace. It eventually became a handshake...
The Wrath of God
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Today's Gospel reading is the Beatitudes from Luke's Gospel. It differs from Matthew's account in that here, Jesus includes not just blessings, but woes. In our first reading from Colossians...
Empty, Seductive Philosophies
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St. Paul was very big on making sure that Christians stayed true to the faith. Here one way he put it today's first reading from Colossians 2: "See to it...
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin 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....
On Hating Your Family
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In the Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus tells a large crowd, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and...
Grounded and Stable
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In today's first reading from Colossians 1, St. Paul reminds his readers about their conversions. "You once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds; God has now...
The Way Things Work
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Who is Jesus? In today's first reading from Colossians 1, we get that answer from St. Paul. Today's reading is a lesson in Christology. In today's Gospel reading from Luke...
Depart from Me, Lord
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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...
Sharing Jesus with the World
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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...
Children of Light
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We hear more about Jesus’ return in our first reading today from 1 Thessalonians 5. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Luke 4, we see Jesus casting...
Labor Day
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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...
How You'll Be Repaid
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus goes to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. While there, He tells a parable in which He exhorts...
Spiritual Progress
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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...
The Passion of John the Baptist
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Today the Church celebrates the Passion of Saint John the Baptist. This feast used to be known as the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. Personally, I like the Passion...
The Two Lives of Augustine
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Today is the Feast of St. Augustine of Hippo. He is one of the greatest converts in history, and he recounts his story in his Confessions. Like most converts, Augustine...
A Pretender?
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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...
How We Speak
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In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus has some not-so-nice things to say to the scribes and Pharisees. He refers to them as hypocrites, blind guides and blind Pharisees. All this while...
Words that Hurt to Heal
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There's a popular notion that Jesus was a very nice man. He would never do or say anything that would hurt anyone; therefore, we should never do or say anything...
Enter Through the Narrow Gate
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 13, someone asks Jesus, “Will only a few be saved?” Jesus responds, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you,...
Humble Yourself
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In today’s Gospel reading, we hear Jesus say, “Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.” Many non-Catholics will use this verse to try...
A New Family
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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...
Being Properly Dressed
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Today’s first reading from Judges 11 may be hard for us to understand, and even harder for us to accept. Jephthah makes a vow to the Lord. If the Lord...
You're Invited
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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...
What's Possible
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In the first reading today, we meet Gideon. Be honest now…you thought he was just a guy who dropped Bibles off in hotel rooms, right? Actually, Gideon is one of...
The Recipe for Perfection
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Today's first reading is from the Book of Judges 2. It explains how the judges were like the prophets. They tried to keep the people on the right path, but...
Let's Get Fired Up
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus says, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” Of course, Jesus isn’t...
As For Me and My House
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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...
Assumed into Heaven
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is one of those days that is greatly misunderstood by many. So let’s talk about...
Forgive Just Once
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Have you ever seen the waters of a flowing river stop dead? Of course not. But the children of Israel did, as God stopped the Jordan from flowing so that...
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 one had a relationship with God...
Like a Child
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In the first reading today from Deuteronomy 31, Moses delivers his farewell address. He has seen an awful lot in his 120 years. Now it is time for the children...
Looking a Gift Fish in the Mouth
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In today's first reading from Deuteronomy 10 Moses encourages the people to keep the commandments and statutes that God had given them for their own good. A point for us...
Ready or Not!
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus talks about being prepared. Prepared for what? His return. Jesus said, "Be sure of this: if the master of the house had...
Moving 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...
What is Your Soul Worth?
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The people of Israel were privileged. God chose them as his own. In the first reading today from Deuteronomy 4, Moses again reminds them of all the marvelous things that...
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....
Seeing His Glory
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Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Jesus took Peter, James and John up Mount Tabor and they witnessed something remarkable. In the account from St. Luke,...
The Danger of Jealousy
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Moses was the greatest prophet ever. He was a great leader. Any time people are in high positions, there will be those who are jealous of them. More in a...