A Happy Fool
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Our first reading today is from 1 Corinthians 1 where St. Paul talks about foolishness and wisdom.”The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to...
Fellowship with Jesus
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Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 24 is very Advent-ish. It begins with Jesus saying, “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” For our...
Hypocrisy
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St. Paul was big on tradition. In today's first reading from 2 Thessalonians 3, he tells the people to "shun any brother who walks in a disorderly way and not...
The Blessing of Tradition(s)
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In today's first reading from 2 Thessalonians 2, St. Paul says, "Stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by...
Bartholomew/Nathanael
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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...
The Church will Prevail
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 16, we see the famous exchange between Peter and Jesus. It is one that Catholics especially should be familiar with, since it helps us...
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....
Dem Dry Bones
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The toe bone connected to the foot bone. The foot bone connected to the ankle bone. Ever heard of dem bry bones? (It’s an old spiritual tune.) That song was...
Changing a Heart of Stone
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In today’s first reading from Ezekiel 36, God tells the people that He is going to take some corrective measures. We also hear the renewal of the covenant…”You shall be...
Bad Shepherds
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 20, Jesus tells the parable of the workers in the vineyard. After hiring men at different times of the day, the landowner pays each...
Seeing the Impossible
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It seems the prince of Tyre thought an awful lot of himself – fancied himself a god. This didn’t sit well with the one true God. See what message God...
The Danger of Attachment
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In the first reading from Ezekiel 24, God takes Ezekiel’s wife from him; she dies. But even before this happens, God tells Ezekiel not to weep and mourn when God...
Great is Your Faith!
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In the 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...
Assumed into Heaven
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since it falls on a Saturday this year, it is not a Holy Day of Obligation....
The Grace of Celibacy
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I've had many conversations about priestly celibacy. There are many who denounce celibacy, including many Catholics. Jesus addresses this in today's Gospel reading from Matthew 19. "Not all can accept...
The Act of Forgiving
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Today in Ezekiel, the prophet is told to do some things in full view of the people as an example. He acts as one going into exile, showing the people...
Communal Prayer
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In today’s first reading from Ezekiel 9 an d 10, we see a scene reminiscent of the Passover. God has the faithful marked with a sign. Only they will be...
God's Word is Sweet
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 18, Jesus asks a question about a man who has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray. Jesus says, “Will he...
The Giving 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...
Eyes on the Prize
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In the Gospel from Matthew 14, we see the famous story of Peter getting out of the boat and walking on the water. Good old Peter. Always loaded with good...
Moving Your Mountain
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In the first reading today, God tells the prophet Habakkuk to write down a vision. Then He encourages the people to wait for the vision to be fulfilled. “If it...
Your Conduct Counts
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 16, we hear Jesus telling His disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." I...
Become What You Behold
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration. In the first reading, we see the origin of the title “Son of Man” from Daniel 7. It is a kind of...
No...for Now
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God is always ready to give his people another chance. When his people turned their backs on him, he allowed them to suffer the consequences. But in today’s first reading...
It's What Comes Out
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Today in Jeremiah 30, we see the old “bad news good news” scenario. God tells Jeremiah to write down a summation of the past, present and future. The bad news...
One-Word Instruction
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 14, Jesus is walking on the water. What would you think if you were out in a boat and you saw someone walking toward...
Come and Eat!
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Family meals can be a very special time. In many cultures, love is shared through meals. While the food may seem to be the centerpiece of the gathering, it really...
Innocent Blood
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More prophet talk for us today. In the first reading, the priests and prophets want Jeremiah put to death. But Jeremiah tells them, “If you put me to death, it...
The Offensive Gospel
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus goes back to Nazareth (his native place) and teaches in the synagogue. It didn't go so well. The people started questioning because...
You as Pottery
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Today we see what I hope is a familiar story in Jeremiah 18. Though you may not know the chapter and verse, it is the story of Jeremiah going to...
Serving Like Martha
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Today we celebrate the feast of St. Martha. As per ususal, there are options for the readings. The options for a Gospel reading are from John 11 or Luke 10....
Shine Like the Sun
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus explains the parable of the weeds in the field. Jesus makes it clear that the wheat and weeds would grow together. But...
The Rot of Pride
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Today’s first reading from Jeremiah 13 seems a very odd tale at first. God tells Jeremiah to go buy a loincloth, then go hide it, then go get it again....
What Will You Give Up?
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In the Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus tells two very brief parables about what the Kingdom of heaven is like. Though often times his messages were hidden, Jesus always...
Feast of St. James
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Today we celebrate the Feast of St. James. This James is the son of Zebedee and the brother of St. John the Apostle. He is known as James the Greater....
Rich Soil
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The prophets all had a common message. We see the crux of it at the beginning of today’s first reading from Jeremiah 3. “Return, rebellious children, says the Lord, for...
Fallen Away
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Jesus told many parables. Why? The answer is in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 13. Read it! In the first reading from Jeremiah 2, the LORD seems almost melancholy talking...
Mary Magdalene and You
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Today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene. There are different options for the first reading, so I’ll let you read them and mull them over yourself. You can choose...
A Drop in the Ocean
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 12, Jesus is told that his mother and his brothers are outside the house wanting to speak to Him. Jesus says, “Whoever does...
What God Requires
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Ask people the question: What does God require of you? I’m sure you’ll get plenty of answers. More on that in a moment. In our Gospel reading today from Matthew...
The Power of a Story
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Today's Gospel reading is from Matthew 13. This is often referred to as the parable chapter. In today's reading there are three different parables. A parable is simply a story...
Woe
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Today's first reading from Micah 2 starts with this: "Woe to those who plan iniquity, and work out evil on their couches..." The word "woe" is used in many instances...
The Power of Prayer
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A recent study showed that people who pray generally are happier and tend to live longer. Those are nice byproducts of prayer, but not why we pray. We pray because...
Meekness Does Not Equal Weakness
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In today’s first reading from Isaiah 26, the prophet talks about how physical death is not the end for us. In fact, he talks about the resurrection of the dead....
God's Plan
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 11, Jesus gives praise to the Father, acknowledging that knowledge of the Kingdom has been hidden from "the wise and the learned" but revealed...
Firm Faith
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In today's first reading from Isaiah 7, Ahaz, king of Judah, is told by the Lord through Isaiah that the attack on Judah would not be successful; the Lord would...
Jesus the Divider
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One of the titles of Jesus is Prince of Peace. Yet in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus says just the opposite. “Do not think that I have come...
Of Seeds and Sowers
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 13, Jesus tells the parable of the sower of the seeds. After telling his parable, the disciples didn’t understand. Jesus seems a bit...
Send Me!
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Our first reading today is from Isaiah 6. It is one that you will often hear from Vocation Directors. And rightfully so. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading...
Healing Our Wounds
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Jesus continues His instructions to the Apostles as He sends them out in Matthew 10. He tells them, "You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever...