Satisfied?
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Moses was a man with an enormous burden. In today's first reading from Numbers 11, he expresses his frustration to God. In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 14, we read...
A Dead End Street
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In the Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus says, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” He...
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...
The Wicked and the Righteous
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In today's Gospel reading, we come to the final parables from Matthew 13. Jesus uses a fishing parable, on that would have been so familiar to His Apostles who were...
You Gotta Give It All 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...
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...
The Power of Yeast
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When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments, he saw a horrific sight: the people were worshiping a golden calf. Moses goes...
Asking for the Spirit
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Today's Gospel reading from Luke 11 contains a famous saying of Jesus that most folks know: "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find;...
On Grandparents
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Happy Grandparents’ Day! Now I know that Hallmark doesn’t declare this today, but today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saints Joachim and Anne. The Protoevangelium of James (c. 150) tells...
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....
Life as a Parable
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus is asked why He speaks in parables. He replies, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted...
Our Daily Bread
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Bread from heaven. When most people 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....
A New Creation
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Today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene. There are different options for the first reading. In an optional reading for the feast day from 2 Corinthians 5:14-17, St. Paul...
Give Me a Sign!
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Back in 1971, a group called The Five Man Electrical Band released a song called "Signs." Most of us boomers recall the hook. "Sign, Sign, everywhere a sign, blocking out...
The Better Part
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In our Gospel reading from Luke 10, we see the famous story of Mary and Martha. Martha is bothered by the fact that her sister was not helping with the...
No More Slavery
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In the first reading today from Exodus 12, we read about the aftermath of the Passover. The people of Israel fled from their bondage of slavery in Egypt. This time...
Passover and the Holy Mass
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Each year on Holy Thursday, the first reading for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper is taken from Exodus 11-12. That same reading is today’s first reading. In the Gospel...
The Yoke's on You
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Today we hear God reveal his name to Moses. "This is what you shall tell the children of Israel: I AM sent me to you." In today’s Gospel reading from...
Who, Me?
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In today’s first reading, we see God calling to Moses in the burning bush. The story is one of the most compelling stories in the Old Testament. How did Moses...
Saved by the Belle
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 11, Jesus pronounces woes on two towns because they witnessed the mighty deeds of Jesus, yet failed to repent. In the first reading from...
Your Cross Awaits
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A new chapter begins in the lives of the children of Israel in today’s first reading from Exodus 1 – slavery. The Egyptians made the Hebrews their slaves, and Pharaoh...
Your Neighbor
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Our Gospel reading for today is from Luke 10, the story of the Good Samaritan. We’re all familiar with this story, right? A guy asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?...
He Knows Your Hairs
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 10, Jesus talks about your worth. “Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground...
It's Nonsensical!
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In today's first reading from Genesis 46, Israel is finally reunited with his beloved son Joseph. He says, "At last I can die, now that I have seen for myself...
Seeing God's Bigger Plan
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 10, Jesus sends out the Twelve and gives them their “marching orders.” He says to them, “Without cost you have received; without cost...
Go to the Lost Sheep
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Israel's son Joseph had been sold into slavery by his brothers. He had risen to a position of great power with Pharaoh, unbeknownst to his brothers. Now his brothers had...
The Cure
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In the first reading today from Genesis 32, Jacob gets in an all night wrestling match with a man. But is it a man? The man says, "You shall no...
Two Healings
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Everyone knows the classic song “Stairway to Heaven,” right? Did you know the title of the song is based on a passage from Scripture? We find it in today’s first...
Laborers for the Harvest
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 10, Jesus sends out seventy-two of His disciples to prepare the way in all of the towns and villages where He was going to...
A Deceptive Blessing
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Today’s first reading from Genesis 27 is one that is tough to read and perhaps even tougher to understand. Isaac is an old man and wants to anoint his heir...
Dependence Day
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Happy 4th of July! In the USA, today is Independence Day. It’s the day we celebrate our breaking away from the British empire and declaring ourselves an independent nation. It’s...
Believing the Outlandish
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle. In the first reading from Ephesians 2, St. Paul tells us that the household of God, the Church, is...
Casting Out Jesus
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In today’s readings we see three instances of casting out. When Sarah was afraid that Abraham would die childless, she encouraged him to have a child with her servant, Hagar....
The Fate of Sodom
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In today's first reading, we read about the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 8, Jesus is asleep on a boat...
A Godly Negotiation
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In our first reading today from Genesis 18, we see an amazing story of Abraham negotiating with God. In the Gospel reading, we read about two interesting encounters that Jesus...
Saints Peter and Paul
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Interesting, isn’t it? You would think that, given the importance of each, they would both have their own feast...
The Immaculate Heart of Mary
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Yesterday was the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is appropriate that we celebrate the heart...
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
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Today is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the first reading from Ezekiel 34, we read about how God will shepherd his people. And our Gospel...
The Collapse
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In today's first reading from Genesis 16 we see the disastrous consequences when we try to hurry along God's plans, or don't trust in him. For our Gospel reading, we...
The Making of a Covenant
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In the first reading today from Genesis 15, God makes a covenant with Abram. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 7, Jesus talks about false prophets and how you can...
John the Baptist
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Today the Church celebrates the Nativity of John the Baptist. Jesus proclaimed that John was Elijah, come to prepare the way for the Messiah. There are so many traits of...
The Splinter and the Beam
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Abraham is known as the father of the faith. We see why in today’s first reading from Genesis 12. When Abram was 75 years old, God told him to pack...
Satisfying Our Hunger
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. The readings for today all point toward the Eucharist in an interesting way....
The Thorn in the Flesh
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In the first reading today from 2 Corinthians 12, St. Paul says that he has been given “a thorn in the flesh.” Now, he never says what exactly that is....
Treasures in Heaven
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In the world, especially in business, there’s an old expression: Never expose your weakness. I think that’s why so many men don’t cry. They view it as a sign of...
Forgiveness is Not Optional
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From the very beginning of the Church, there have been those who have preached a false gospel. St. Paul addresses that in today's first reading from 2 Corinthians 11. He...
God Loves a Cheerful Giver
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Our Gospel reading today is the same one we read on Ash Wednesday. In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches about almsgiving, prayer and fasting. Always lessons that we need to be...
No Reward for Easy
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Are you rich? Most people would probably answer no to that question. They think of only worldly riches. As Christians, we think differently. We think in terms of blessings. We...
The Time is Now!
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus talks about how we are to no longer live under the old law of “an eye for an eye.” He is talking...