Your Bright Future
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In today's Gospel reading from John 4, we read about the second sign that Jesus performed in Galilee. Do you know what that was? Read it and find out! In...
The Un-Prodigal 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...
The Danger of Pride
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In the Gospel reading from Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable about two people praying in the temple. A Pharisee thanks God that he is not like all the low-lifes...
Will You Imitate Mary?
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation. In the first reading we see that famous prophecy from Isaiah…”the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall...
Banished Words
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 11 Jesus is accused by some people of driving out demons by the prince of demons. Jesus talks about what a ridiculous notion...
Passing On the Faith
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The observance of God’s laws was of paramount importance to the Israelite people. God gave his laws to Moses, who taught them to and enjoined them on the people. More...
Eat That Elephant!
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Today’s first reading from Daniel 3 contains one of the most beautiful and heartfelt prayers in all of Scripture. It is the prayer of Azariah, while he was in the...
Willing to Do the Ridiculous
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Our first reading today is from 2 Kings 5. It is a story about a man named Naaman. Naaman was not a child of Israel. He was a commander in...
You Will Perish
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Today and for the next few Sundays in Lent, the readings at the Mass you attend may be different from the readings I will reflect on. The reason is that...
Protector, Provider, Teacher
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Joseph. In our first reading from 2 Samuel, God says that his Son would spring from the line of David. “I will...
Envy
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Today’s readings feature two stories of envy, one real, the other a parable. In the first reading from Genesis 27 we see the story of Joseph. His father, Israel “loved...
Where is Your Trust?
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The theme of today's readings is really trust. So much is said in the opening verses of today’s first reading from Jeremiah 17. “Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the...
Are You Still In?
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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...
Living What You Profess
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Have you ever messed up and wanted to make things right? In today’s first reading, we hear that very kind of language. Only the one who wants to set things...
The Measure
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Today’s Gospel reading from Luke 6 is one of the most difficult in all of Scripture. Not difficult to understand; it is quite simple, really – but difficult to live...
It is Good
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For the Second Sunday of Lent, we read the story of the Transfiguration from Luke 9. Upon seeing Jesus in His glory, along with Moses and Elijah, Peter says, “Master,...
Practice Makes Perfect
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus gives us some of His most difficult teachings. “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute...
Life's Not Fair
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus teaches about the danger of anger and bearing a grudge. It's not pretty. In the first reading from Ezekiel 18, the people...
Just Ask!
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The theme of today’s readings is asking. The first reading is from the Book of Esther. The story of Esther is a wonderful story and I highly encourage you to...
An Unpopular Sign
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Most people know the story of Jonah. At least, they know part of it; they know the part where he gets swallowed by a big fish. We read more of the...
The Lost Verse of Scripture
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Today's first reading has had an enormous impact on my life and ministry. It's what I base my "Seeds of Grace" idea on. When you plant seeds of grace, they...
Lord, When Did We See You...?
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In the first reading today from Leviticus 19, the Lord tells Moses to tell the people how to conduct themselves. Though not the Ten Commandments, this reading sounds similar. It...
The Temptations of the Devil
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Today is the First Sunday of Lent. Our Gospel reading is from Luke 4. St. Luke recounts the forty days that Jesus spent fasting and praying in the desert before He began...
Admitting We Need Help
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 9, we read about the call of Matthew. Matthew (his Jewish name was Levi) was a tax collector. They were hated by the...
The Stomach and the Heart
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We often think of fasting as abstaining from food. Make no mistake about it, this is a good thing – IF we are doing it with the right intentions for...
Smoking or Non-Smoking?
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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,...
Back to the Basics
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Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of another journey through Lent. Lent lasts for 40 days. If you count the days from today to Easter, you’ll note that there are...
Everyone's Favorite Station
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In our Gospel reading today from Mark 10, Jesus reads between the lines and answers a question that Peter didn’t even ask. This all happens right after Jesus encountered the...
Faith in the Possible
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For our first reading today, we begin the first letter of St. Peter. Today we hear St. Peter reminding us that we will “suffer through various trials.” But this suffering...
To Be Like Christ
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Today's Gospel reading from Luke 6 - the Sermon on the Plain - is filled with things to meditate on. I'd like to concentrate on one sentence, though. Jesus said,...
Sacraments in Scripture
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How about this…two sacramental reading days in a row! Yesterday we read about the sacrament of marriage and today we read about the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick AND...
"Yes", "No" and Trust
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In today's first reading from James 5, St. James says, “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.'” These are the exact words of Jesus from the Sermon...
The Remedy for Sin
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Scathing words to the rich today from James 5. Funny thing about wealth, isn’t it? We work so hard to accumulate it here on earth, to the point where it...
You're a Puff of Smoke
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In today’s first reading, St. James talks about tomorrow. Something we need to think about today. So we will. In the Gospel from Mark 9, Jesus says, “For whoever is...
The Office of the Papacy
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. Some might look at that and say, “Boy, you Catholics are really strange! Imagine celebrating a piece of...
Two Kinds of Wisdom
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Prayer is so powerful and so important. We see this clearly in our Gospel reading today from Mark 9. Jesus’ disciples try to drive out a demon from someone but...
Give
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Our Gospel reading today is from Luke 6, the Sermon on the Plain. Jesus gives rules for living out the Christian life. “Be merciful…stop judging…stop condemning…forgive…” He then says, “Give...
The Trouble of the Tongue
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In our first reading today, St. James talks about the power of the tongue. Amazing how this one little muscle in our body can cause us so much trouble! Our...
Dead Faith
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Today’s first reading from St. James is a treatise on faith and works. St. James says “faith without works is dead.” More on that in a moment. In today’s Gospel...
Show No Partiality
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Today’s Gospel reading is Mark’s version of Peter’s great confession of faith, “You are the Christ.” In the first reading today from James 2, James exhorts the reader to “show...
Partial Healing
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We’ve all heard the old axiom, actions speak louder than words. In our first reading today from James 1, St. James reaffirms this. “Be doers of the word and not...
Temptation
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In our first reading today from James 1, St. James talks about temptation. This is a subject that comes up at the end of the Lord’s Prayer. More in a...
Trials = Joy
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For our first reading today, we begin the Letter of St. James. James is one of those books in the Bible that it would be very good for us to...
Blessings and Woes
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In the Gospel today from Luke 6, we begin the Sermon on the Plain. Luke 6 records the same sermon that, in Matthew’s Gospel is called the Sermon on the...
How Power Corrupts
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In the first reading today from 1 Kings 12 and 13, we read about Jeroboam. Jeroboam was one of the kings of Israel. He was not a good guy. More...
Division and Punishment
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In today's Gospel reading from Mark 7, Jesus heals a deaf mute. In the first reading from 1 Kings 11 and 12, we see the division of Israel. Solomon had...
It Can Happen to You
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 7, we see the power of perseverance in prayer. A Greek woman, not a daughter of Israel, comes to Jesus asking that He...
That Which Defiles
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When I was a kid, my mom always used to use the phrase “The Queen of Sheba” to describe a person (or sometimes a dog) who thought they were all...
Tradition and Truth
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In today’s first reading from 1 Kings 8, Solomon stand before the altar in the magnificent temple that he had built and offers up a prayer to God. This is...
Scurrying to Jesus
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In today's first reading from 1 Kings 8, Solomon and the people bring the Ark of the Covenant to the temple. In the Gospel reading from Mark 6, Jesus continues...