On Authority
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In the Gospel reading from Mark 11, Jesus is asked about His authority. “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authorityto do them?” Now...
Leaving a Legacy
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Have you ever thought about your legacy – what you will leave behind when your days on earth are over? More on that in a moment. In today’s Gospel reading,...
Jesus is Calling You!
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In the first reading today from Sirach 42, the sacred author does something that we should do always. He recalls the great things that God has done. In the Gospel...
How to be Elevated in the Kingdom
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In today's Gospel reading from Mark 10, James and John come to Jesus and ask, "Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other...
The Best Deal Ever
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Everybody likes a good deal, right? We always like to think that when we're buying or investing, we're going to come out the better for it. And when you think...
Mary, Mother of the Church
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Today, the day after Pentecost, the Church celebrates the feast of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. This is a brand new memorial, instituted by Pope Francis in...
Pentecost
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Today is Pentecost Sunday. We celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, and the birthday of the Church. We see this event in the first reading from Acts 2. At...
What Concern is it of Yours?
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For today's Gospel reading, we read the conclusion of John's Gospel. Peter inquires to Jesus about John. Jesus answers, "What if I want him to remain until I come? What...
Jesus and Peter and You
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In the first reading today from Acts 25, Paul is in Caesarea awaiting trial. He is asked if he wants to go to Jerusalem to have his case heard. Paul...
God's Love in Us
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St. Paul found himself in the midst of an awful lot of difficult situations, ones that most of us could not even comprehend. In today’s first reading from Acts 22...
A Prayerful Goodbye
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In the first reading today from Acts 20, we hear the conclusion of Paul’s farewell address to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus. What a stirring and moving speech....
No Shrinking Violet
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In today's Gospel reading from John 17, we listen in on Jesus prayer to the Father at the Last Supper. In our first reading from Acts 20, we hear the...
Jesus Conquers
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In today’s first reading from Acts, Paul runs into a group of believers who have not yet received the Holy Spirit. In fact, they hadn’t even heard of a Holy...
Consecrated in Truth
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Since we talked about the readings for the Feast of the Ascension on Thursday, today we’ll concentrate on the Seventh Sunday of Easter. The Gospel reading today is from John...
Apollos the Apologist
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In our Gospel reading today from John 16, Jesus again speaks about asking the Father in the name of Jesus. He promises the disciples that “the hour is coming when...
The Bold Claim of the Catholic Church
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Matthias. The two readings are ones that we have already had during the Easter season. The Gospel is from John 15, where...
The Importance of The Ascension
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord. In most dioceses in the US, today is not a Holy Day of obligation. For most, this feast...
Ignorance and Repentance
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In today's Gospel reading from John 16 tells His disciples, "Bet when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth." This is why we believe...
Earth-Shaking Grace
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Today's first reading from Acts 16 is the story of another jailbreak. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from John 16, Jesus tells His disciples that He will...
Fallen Away
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In today's first reading from Acts 16, we read the story of Lydia, a woman who opened her heart and her home to Jesus through the words of St. Paul....
Laying Down One's Life
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For the Gospel reading today, we’re back in John 15, where Jesus says, “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than...
You are Hated
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More action and adventure today in the first reading from Acts 16. Paul has a vision in which a Macedonian says to him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”...
The Chosen
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In the Gospel reading today from John 15, we hear Jesus tell the disciples, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.” Have you seen the...
J.O.Y.
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In today’s first reading from Acts 15, we see that the early Church was hierarchical. There was a dispute about whether the Gentiles needed to be circumcised and follow the...
Nothing Without Jesus
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In today's first reading from Acts 15, we see the genesis of the Council of Jerusalem. Today's Gospel reading from John 15 is the exact same reading you heard at...
A Paradox of Faith
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Today in our readings, we see one of the great paradoxes of our faith. In the first reading, we hear Paul and Barnabas telling the people, “It is necessary for...
Doing Mighty Deeds
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Today is the Feast of Saints Philip and James. These were two of the Apostles. In the Gospel reading from John 14, Philip says to Jesus, “Master, show us the...
Vines and Branches
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Today's Gospel reading from John 15 is really about life in Christ - or, as Christians think of it, life. Jesus talks about vines and branches. "Just as a branch...
St. Joseph the Worker
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Today is the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. It was instituted in 1955 by Pope Pius XII in part to combat communist ideology. My wife, Michelle, and I recently...
The Way
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After the resurrection and ascension of the Lord, in the earliest days of the Christian faith, followers of Jesus were known as followers of The Way. We hear why in...
Exhortation and Evangelization
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Paul is in the synagogue in Antioch in today’s first reading from Acts 13. The synagogue officials ask if he has a word of exhortation for the people. In the...
Remaining in Darkness
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Everyone has a job to do in the Kingdom of God. In today's first reading from Acts 12 and 13, the Holy Spirit says, "Set apart for me Barnabas and...
Keep the Faith!
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In the Gospel reading today from John 10, Jesus says, “The Father and I are one.” Though we accept this idea as a tenet of faith, these words were surely...
Recognizing Jesus' Voice
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Jesus declared all foods clean. But apparently Peter didn't get that message. In today's first reading from Acts 11, Peter has a vision which confirms Jesus' message. In the Gospel...
On Being a Sheep
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Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. Our Gospel reading is from John 10 and begins with Jesus saying, "I am the good shepherd." It's often pointed out that sheep are not...
Do You Also Want to Leave?
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In the first reading today from Acts 9, we see a blossoming Church. It is growing rapidly, even with the great persecution she was suffering. Peter raises a woman from...
Taking Jesus Literally
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Today’s first reading from Acts 9 tells us about the conversion of St. Paul. It’s a story that is always worth reading and reflecting on. Today I want to reflect on...
The Flesh of Christ
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Today's first reading is the fascinating story of the deacon Philip and his encounter with an Ethiopian eunuch. Read about how the Holy Spirit began and ended this encounter. We're...
Raised on the Last Day
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In the first reading from Acts 8 today, we read about Saul persecuting the Church. Because of the persecution happening in Jerusalem, all but the Apostles left there. We read...
Bread from the Father
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Today's first reading gives us the story of the stoning of St. Stephen from Acts 7. In our Gospel reading from John 6, we hear Jesus say for the first...
The Food that Endures
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In today's first reading, we read about the persecution of Stephen, one of the first deacons. This leads to his stoning, about which we will read tomorrow. In the Gospel...
Understanding the Scriptures
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 24, Jesus appears to the disciples and “he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” St. Jerome said ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ....
Men of Service
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In today’s first reading from Acts 6, we read about the ordination of our first deacons. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from John 6, Jesus...
An Attitude Adjustment
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Another uber-cool reading from Acts of the Apostles today. Be sure to read what Gamaliel, a famous rabbi, says about this new “Jesus movement.” (My words, not the Scripture.) We...
The Right Thing to Do
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There is a theme today in the readings: obedience. We hear Peter and the Apostles talk about it in the first reading from Acts 5. And in the Gospel reading...
Darkness and Light
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What a cool story today from Acts 5. The Apostles once again get thrown into the hoosegow when, in the middle of the night, an angel comes and opens the...
A Socialist Church?
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I'll start today's reflection with a warning. Some folks may find this reflection "political." I'm going to reflect on socialism, because some use today's first reading to imply that the...
Being Born Again
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Another awesome first reading today from Acts 4. After Peter and John were released, the disciples all got together and prayed, “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and...
Divine Mercy Sunday
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Today, the second Sunday of Easter, is Divine Mercy Sunday. So, rather than do a reflection on the daily Scriptures, I thought we could take just a moment to reflect...
Proclaim the Gospel
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Today in Acts 4, the Sanhedrin comes to the conclusion that something astonishing happened through Peter and John. But just to be safe, they tell them not to ever again...