Great St. Joseph
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Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Joseph is often referred to as the foster father or earthly father of Jesus. The...
Praise and Approval
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In today’s first reading from Exodus 32, Moses has a little heart-to-heart with God, asking Him to relent from destroying His people. And God relented. A wonderful statement on the...
I Will Never Forget You
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In the Gospel reading today from John 5, Jesus begins to reveal more clearly who He truly is. He says, “My Father is at work until now, so I am...
A Rhetorical Question?
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Water is a theme that runs through our two readings today. In the first reading from Ezekiel 47, the Angel of the Lord shows Ezekiel a trickle of water flowing...
Bringing Others to Jesus
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Ever wonder what things will be like after Jesus returns. That is, after all, a basic tenet of our faith; that Christ will come again. Well, wonder no more! The...
The Good News
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Today’s Gospel reading includes John 3:16. This is probably the most well-known verse in the Bible. Most people know it, and if they don’t, they surely know of it. Always reminds...
The Tax Collector and the Pharisee
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We’re back in Hosea for our first reading today. We see a verse from Hosea that is quoted a few times in the New Testament. “For it is love that...
Stumbling Sinners
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The end of today's first reading from Hosea 14 says this: "Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them. Straight are the paths...
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...
Obey and Teach
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So many people look at Christianity, and especially Catholicism, as a religion of rules and regulations. You know, Thou Shalt Not this and that. Like it or not, God has...
"Feeling" Forgiveness
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Our first reading today is one of the most beautiful prayers in all of Scripture. It is the prayer of Azariah in the fiery furnace from Daniel 3. He says...
Not Part of the Club
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In today’s first reading from 2 Kings 5:1-15, we see the story of Naaman the Syrian. Naaman was a high ranking military official in Syria, but not an Israelite. He...
Follow the Money
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In the Gospel reading from John 2, we see Jesus throwing the merchants out of the temple area. Needless to say, this didn't sit well with the folks who had approved...
The Merciful Father
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In the Gospel reading from Luke 15, we see the story of the prodigal son. Interestingly, the story of the prodigal son could just as properly be called the story...
Envy Kills
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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...
Lessons from Lazarus
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 16, Jesus tells the Pharisees the story of Lazarus and the rich man. Lazarus is a poor beggar who waits by the rich man’s...
The Fate of a Disciple
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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...
Preaching by Practicing
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God is always ready to make things right. We are the ones who mess up, who walk away from God. Yet God is always waiting to welcome us back with...
Be Merciful
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We know that the Lord is merciful. In our first reading today from Daniel 9, we read, "But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness." In the Gospel...
Lenten Transfiguration
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Today’s Gospel reading is Mark’s version of the Transfiguration. This is when Jesus takes Peter, James and John up to the top of the mountain (the very same mountain that...
Doing the Undoable
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Jesus’ message was all about love. And today in our Gospel reading from Matthew 5, He takes his teaching to the extreme. “But I say to you, love your enemies...
Be Reconciled
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It is imperative that we not only believe in Christ, but that we live out His words. In the first reading today from Ezekiel 18, we see the truth of...
Asking for Help
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It’s common knowledge that men don’t like to ask for directions. I guess in the age of the GPS, that problem has been all but eliminated. Asking for help, for...
Ignoring 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...
The Purpose of God's Word
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What a beautiful reading today from Isaiah 55. We’ll talk about it in a moment. Our Gospel reading today from Matthew 6 is where Jesus teaches his disciples to pray....
Of Chairs and Popes
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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...
Into the Desert
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Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 1 tells us that, before the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus went into the desert for forty days, where he was tempted by Satan....
Follow Like Levi
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Today's Gospel reading from Luke 5 is about the call of Levi. Not sure who Levi is? We know him better as Matthew. He was a tax collector. Jesus sees Levi...
Fasting
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In our first reading today from Isaiah 58, we hear what is truly an acceptable form of fasting. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading, the Pharisees...
Daily Cross Carrying
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Choose Life. Some folks may think that that is a marketing phrase made up by the pro-life community. Actually, it originated MUCH earlier than Roe v. Wade. Many millenia earlier....
Perpetual Lent
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Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. If you haven't yet figured out what your Lenten penances/sacrifices will be, now is the time. We have all been dealing with...
Slow on the Uptake
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In today’s first reading from Genesis, God instructs Noah what he needs to do to save himself, his family and all the animals from the flood. Man had become so...
The Lurking Demon
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In today’s first reading, we see the story of the world’s first murder. Cain killed his brother Abel because God looked favorably on Abel’s offering and Cain became resentful and...
Leprosy and COVID
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In today's Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus heals a leper. The man comes and begs Jesus to heal him. Jesus says, "Be made clean." The man is instantly cured....
Assigning Blame
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 8, we read about a miracle. Jesus feeds four thousand people with seven loaves and a few fish. And after everyone had eaten their...
The Oldest Trick in the Book
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 7, Jesus heals a deaf man with a speech impediment. “And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and...
Jesus and Our Children
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In today's first reading from Genesis 2, we read about the creation of Eve. God took a rib from Adam and fashioned Eve. Adam says, "This one, at last, is...
What Comes Out
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In the creation story from Genesis 1, we don’t get details about how God made man. But in today’s first reading from Genesis 2, we see that “the Lord God...
The Image of God
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In the first reading today from Genesis 1, we see the rest of the story of creation. In the Gospel reading from Mark 7, Jesus talks about tradition. He says,...
In the Beginning
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Today for our first reading, we begin at the beginning. Genesis 1. “In the beginning…” We’ll be in the book of Genesis for the next couple of weeks. Today we...
An Obligation to Preach
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Preaching is a dirty word for some. After all, no one wants to be thought of as being preachy. But preaching is essential. In today's second reading from 1 Corinthians...
Obey Your Leaders
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In today's first reading from Hebrews 13, the sacred author says this: "Obey your leaders and defer to them, for they keep watch over you and will have to give...
Yesterday, Today and Forever
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Hebrews 13:1-8, today’s first reading, offers us a primer on living the Christian life. Read it again and again, and strive to live out the message. More in a sec....
Of Heads and Walls and Dust
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If we could see with perfect spiritual vision, what would the Mass look like? I think it would look much like what is described in today's first reading from Hebrews...
The Trade-Off of Discipline
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Today we’re going to talk about discipline. Not a fun topic, I know. If you turned and ran away right now, I wouldn’t blame you! But in today’s first reading...
Always Faithful
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Today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Also known as Candlemas, this is the day when candles will be blessed. There will be three readings today. In...
Legion and Screwtape and Jesus
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In today's first reading from Hebrews 11, we read about some heroes of the Old Testament - both named and unnamed. Even though they were heroes, they "did not receive...
The New Moses
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Jesus is often referred to as "the new Moses." The similarities between the two are striking. In today's first reading from Deuteronomy 18, Moses says, "A prophet like me will...
What is Faith?
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What is faith? In our first reading today from Hebrews 11:1 it says, "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen." The Catechism...
A Matter of Life and Death
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 4, Jesus tells a couple of parables, both of an agrarian nature. In the first He talks about how a seed grows, yet we...