Breaking the Law
Posted on
St. Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was a Jew, a learned Pharisee. It broke his heart that so many of his own people refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. He...
Saints Simon and Jude
Posted on
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles. The readings are typical for the feast of Apostles - the first reading from Ephesians 2 and the...
Breaking Down Romans 8:28
Posted on
1 comment
It is not easy to find or fit through the narrow gate. People generally choose the path of least resistance. That would be the wide gate. Jesus Christ is the...
The Glorious Freedom of the Children of God
Posted on
We hear a couple of short parables in the Gospel reading today from Luke 13. Jesus likens the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed and yeast. Do you remember...
Go Ahead and Be Offended
Posted on
6 comments
Warning: Some folks may find this reflection offensive. And well they should. You've been warned. The Gospel reading today from Luke 13 is the story of Jesus being chastised for healing a...
The Prayer of Bartimaeus
Posted on
Our Gospel reading today from Mark 10 is about Bartimaeus, a blind beggar that wanted Jesus to restore his sight. He tells Jesus what he wants, and Jesus gives him...
Choose Not to Perish
Posted on
In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 13, some people tell Jesus about some Jews who had been killed by Pilate. Jesus’ response is telling. “Do you think that because these...
I Do the Evil I Do not Want
Posted on
Could Jesus have been talking about Purgatory in today’s Gospel reading? He talks about being thrown into prison and how “you will not be released until you have paid the...
On Fire for Jesus
Posted on
I just love the Gospel reading for today from Luke 12. Jesus explains to the disciples that He has come not to establish peace, but division. He goes on to...
Responsibility
Posted on
In today’s Gospel from Luke 12, Jesus tells a story about a servant left in charge of his master’s affairs. He begins doing evil things, thinking his master will not...
Grace Overflowing
Posted on
2 comments
In our first reading today from Romans 5, St. Paul talks about grace. We’ll do that in a moment. In our Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus applauds servants whom...
St. Luke
Posted on
Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Luke. St. Luke is the author of two books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles....
A Ransom for Many
Posted on
In the Gospel reading today from Mark 10, James and John come to Jesus and ask that they be able to sit at His right and His left in His...
The Unforgivable Sin
Posted on
2 comments
No one is beyond God's mercy, right? Then what is Jesus talking about in today's Gospel reading from Luke 12 about a sin that will not be forgiven? Jesus said,...
Priceless
Posted on
Have you ever felt worthless? I suspect we all struggle with those feelings from time to time. Nothing could be further from the truth. We see this in today’s Gospel...
Works vs. Works of the Law
Posted on
1 comment
In the Gospel reading today from Luke 11, Jesus continues to pronounce woes on the scholars of the law. These are some pretty scathing remarks. “Woe to you, scholars of...
Doing What We Condemn
Posted on
Both of the readings for today are a bit harsh. In the first reading from Romans 2, St. Paul says, “The standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself,...
Ashamed of the Gospel?
Posted on
One of the things that I admire most about St. Paul (there are many) is his boldness. And the first line of today’s first reading really sums things up. “I...
The Grace of Apostleship
Posted on
People are always seeking a sign. In the Gospel reading today from Luke 11, Jesus addresses this. While the people were insisting on a sign, Jesus told them that they...
Camels and Needles and Riches, Oh My!
Posted on
Our Gospel reading today is from Mark 10. It is about Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man. Today we hear those famous words of Jesus, “It is easier for...
All May be Blessed
Posted on
We have a very short Gospel passage today, only two short verses from Luke 11. A woman cries out to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the...
A Divided Kingdom
Posted on
In today's Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus is accused of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons. Jesus’ response talks about how a house divided...
Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
Posted on
Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The readings today are for Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time. I’ve only recently become a rosary guy....
Perspective
Posted on
Most folks can pray the Our Father from memory. Today we hear Jesus teaching His disciples to pray from Luke's Gospel. The wording is a bit different from Matthew's Gospel,...
Actions and Consequences
Posted on
Today's Gospel reading from Luke 10 is the famous story of Mary and Martha. We're back in Jonah for our first reading. The story of Jonah has so many important...
Fleeing from God
Posted on
The story of the good Samaritan is the Gospel reading today from Luke 10. The Samaritans were hated by the Jews. They couldn’t possibly have a decent bone in their...
Pray for Marriages
Posted on
1 comment
In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 10, Jesus talks about marriage. “But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his...
An Angel Just for You
Posted on
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. In the optional first reading for the feast day from Exodus, we see God telling the people that he is...
The Signs and the Message
Posted on
Acknowledging our sinfulness is never easy. In the first reading today from Baruch 1, the exiles do just that. They come clean and admit that “we did not heed the...
Bringing Peace
Posted on
God's word can bring conviction, and conviction can lead to joy. I believe this is what we read about in today's first reading from Nehemiah 8. In the Gospel reading...
Spiritual Warfare
Posted on
Today we celebrate the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael – the Archangels. We truly celebrate all of the Holy Angels. Our readings reflect that. We have two options...
An Attractive Faith
Posted on
1 comment
Have you ever wanted God to rain down fire and brimstone on someone? Maybe someone who was perpetuating evil? Or maybe someone who did you wrong? If so, you're not...
God to the Rescue
Posted on
1 comment
When God's people were in exile and the temple in Jerusalem was razed, they probably thought they would never see prosperous times again. It's easy, even for us, to fall...
Drastic Measures
Posted on
1 comment
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...
He Dwells Among Us
Posted on
Our first reading today is from the Prophet Zechariah. Zechariah has an encounter with an angel. More in a moment. Our Gospel reading today from Luke 9 is short. Jesus...
The Payoff
Posted on
In today's first reading from Haggai 2, the LORD once again addresses the people regarding the building of the temple in Jerusalem. "And take courage, all you people of the...
Adding Value to God's House
Posted on
Our first reading today is from the Prophet Haggai. The Lord had opened the doors for the rebuilding of his temple in Jerusalem. The exiles had returned. God opened the...
Depend on God
Posted on
In the Gospel reading from Luke 9, Jesus sends out the Twelve and gives them their marching orders. “Take nothing for the journey.” Why would Jesus send out the Apostles...
No Hesitation
Posted on
Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Matthew. Matthew penned the first Gospel. His Jewish name was Levi. (We find this in the Gospels of Mark and Luke.) He is...
Closet Skeletons Revealed
Posted on
There are some who question why some churches are big and ornate. It is because we believe that a church is the House of the Lord. In today’s first reading...
The Greatest
Posted on
In today's Gospel reading from Mark 9, the disciples of Jesus were arguing amongst each other and Jesus asked them what they were arguing about. I'm sure they were embarrassed...
Path, Rock, Thorns, Rich Soil
Posted on
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...
Our Attitude Toward Money
Posted on
St. Paul gives some very sound advice to Timothy in today’s first reading from 1 Timothy 6. More on that in a moment. Our Gospel reading today is short, but...
Great Sinners Make Great Christians
Posted on
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...
Stabat Mater
Posted on
Today the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. If you attend Mass today, you may sing or chant the Stabat Mater, a beautiful reflection of the sorrows...
Our Cross(es)
Posted on
1 comment
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...
Mediation
Posted on
The Gospel reading today from Luke 7 features a centurion who says something that every Catholic will find very familiar. “Lord…I am not worthy to have you enter under my...
Satan?
Posted on
Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 8 is the story of Jesus asking the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter replies, "You are the Christ." Peter then rebukes...
Of Hearts and Fruit
Posted on
1 comment
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...
Give Yourself a Break
Posted on
2 comments
In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus talks about removing the beam from your own eye before addressing the splinter in your brother’s eye. For our first reading, we...