All for Jesus
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The Gospel of Christ can be tough to live by. I would say impossible without God’s grace. Take today’s Gospel reading, for example. Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good...
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....
An Empty, Seductive Philosophy
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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...
Happy 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...
Be Opened!
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In today's Gospel reading from Mark 7, Jesus heals a deaf man with a speech impediment. Jesus takes the man aside, away from the crowds. "He put his finger into...
Lord of the Sabbath - And Everything Else
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We get a wonderful word about persevering in the faith in our first reading today from Colossians 1. St. Paul says that we will be presented “holy, without blemish, and...
Change is Hard
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St. Paul's letter to the Colossians is filled with Christology. We begin to see that in our first reading today. In the Gospel reading from Luke 5, Jesus talks about...
Perhaps Jesus Knows
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There's a great story in today's Gospel reading from Luke 5. Jesus is teaching from Simon Peter's boat. After He finishes, He tells Simon to "Put out into deep water...
Don't Keep Jesus to Yourself
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Today we begin a trip through St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians. As in many of his letters, St. Paul begins with an affirmation. He tells them of his prayers...
Not of the Darkness
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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...
Hero to Zero
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Eventually, this life is going to end. It may be through death, or it may be when the Lord returns. St. Paul covers this in our first reading from 1...
Actions Follow the Heart
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 7, Jesus talks about what makes a person unclean, or defiled. In this passage of Scripture, Jesus declares all foods clean. He says, “Nothing...
The Useless Servant
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In today's Gospel reading fro Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the talents. In the story, a man goes off on a journey and gives three of his servants...
Called to Holiness
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 25, Jesus tells a parable about ten virgins who are awaiting a wedding feast. Five of them were foolish, five of them were...
We Know He's Coming
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In the first reading today from 1 Thessalonians 3, St. Paul talks about praying “beyond measure…to remedy the deficiencies of your faith.” Today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 24 starts with...
Calling Us Higher
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 23, Jesus continues His castigation of the scribes and Pharisees. I suspect these guys were none too happy with what they were hearing! In...
Duplicity
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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...
Turning from Idols
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Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 23 busts the myth that Jesus was just (and always) a nice guy. Today He refers to the scribes and Pharisees as "hypocrites...blind guides...blind fools...blind...
Never, Ever Leave
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In the Gospel reading today, we finish up in John 6. After Jesus talked about eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood, many of the people were upset. They figured...
A Heartfelt Thank You
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Dear Friend in Christ, I cannot tell you how blessed Michelle and I feel by the outpouring of support and prayers for us in your COVID recovery. I'm happy to...
A Personal Update
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Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I want to give you a personal update as to why my reflections have been absent and will be for a few more days. I...
The Rich Young Man
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Sometimes, like a loving Father, God punishes His children. At other times, though, God may not actively punish people, per se, but rather allow them to suffer the consequences of...
The Assumption of Mary
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Today is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There is so much to this feast that I couldn’t possibly fit it into one short reflection. I...
Who Will You Serve?
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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...
Jesus' Teaching on Marriage
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In today’s first reading from Joshua 24, Joshua addresses the people, speaking for the Lord God. He reminds them of all the things that the Lord had done for them...
How Often, Lord?
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While most folks know about the parting of the Red Sea, many don't know that the Lord stopped the Jordan river from flowing so that the people could cross on...
The Importance of Prayer
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Moses was the greatest of all the prophets. Yet he did not get to take the final step of leading his people into the promised land. Today's first reading from...
A Life of Service
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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...
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...
Taught by God
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Today's Gospel reading continues in the Bread of Life discourse from John 6. Jesus says, "It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God." (Here Jesus...
Literally 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...
Listen to Him
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Today is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. In the first reading from Daniel 7, Daniel sees in a vision “One like a Son of man coming…his kingship...
Peter and the Keys
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Today is one of those days when I wish this could be a 60 minute reflection, instead of 60 seconds. The readings are so rich! In the first reading from Numbers,...
Men Who Heal and Serve
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Today is the Feast of St. John Vianney. He is the patron of parish priests because of his dedication to serving and healing his people. He would sometimes spend 16...
How Not to Walk on Water
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In today's first reading from Numbers 12, Miriam and Aaron speak out against Moses. The LORD did not take kindly to this, and punishes. See how it turns out. In...
Carrying a Burden
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Today’s reflection is a tough one for me to write. We see in our first reading today from Numbers 11 a very sad story. Moses had such a huge burden...
The Work of God
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The Gospel reading today continues in John 6, the Bread of Life discourse. The people ask Jesus, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" Jesus replies, "This...
The Jubilee
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In today’s first reading from Leviticus 25, we read about the jubilee. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 14, we read the story of...
Familiarity Breeds Contempt
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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...
A Holy Family
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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus. In previous years it was the Feast of St. Martha, but now the whole family is celebrated. Martha, Mary...
What are You Willing to 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...
Moses and Prayer
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In today's first reading from Exodus 33 and 34 we read about Moses' interactions with the LORD. Moses had a very unique relationship with God. "The LORD used to speak...
The Grandparents of Jesus
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne. Tradition tells us that these were the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For the record, Joachim and Anne...
The Hand of the Lord Feeds Us
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In today’s readings, we see the theme of God feeding His people. In the first reading from 2 Kings 4, a man gives the prophet Elisha twenty barley loaves. Elisha...
The Blood of the Covenant
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In today's first reading from Exodus 24, Moses reads the book of the covenant aloud and then takes the blood of the animals that had been sacrificed and splashes half...
The Ten Commandments
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Today's first reading is from Exodus 20, the Ten Commandments. If asked, how many of the ten do you think the average Catholic could come up with? Six? Maybe seven?...
Sinner to Saint
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Today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene. The Gospel is from John 20. It is the story of Mary’s meeting with Jesus after the resurrection. She was the first...
Bread from Heaven
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Bread from heaven. When most Christians hear that phrase, they probably think of Jesus. And rightfully so. But in today’s first reading from Exodus 16, we once again experience typology. We...
Child's Play for God
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In the first reading today from Exodus 14, we see one of the biggest miracles of all time. Maybe you’re familiar with the story of the parting of the Red...
When You Don't Like the 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. But what about the...