Unexpected Return
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus talks about being prepared. Prepared for what? His return. Jesus said, "Be sure of this: if the master of the house had...
Deacon, Martyr, Servant
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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...
What Profit?
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The children of Israel saw and experienced amazing and wondrous things. God had revealed himself to them and even spoken to them. In today’s first reading from Deuteronomy 4, Moses...
The Gates of Hell
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 16, we see the famous exchange between Peter and Jesus. It is one that Catholics especially should be familiar with, since it helps us...
Succumbing to Fear
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Fearmongering is a pretty common occurrence these days. Nothing new about that. We see it in today's first reading. In the Gospel reading, we see a Canaanite woman of great...
A Moment With Jesus
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. In the first reading from Daniel 7, Daniel sees a vision of Jesus in His glory. Of course, he...
A Heavy Load
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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...
Rich in What Matters
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In our Gospel reading today, Jesus has an encounter with a man which prompts Him to warn the gathered crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one...
Celebrating a Year of 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...
Wait...We Know You
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Today’s first reading is from the book of Leviticus. Many people will try reading the Bible from cover to cover. They’ll get through Genesis and Exodus just fine, but then...
Good and Bad Together
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In the first reading today from Exodus 40, we read about the Dwelling. Notice the capital “D” in the word. This was the place in the Israelite camp where God...
Better than the Lottery
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In today’s Gospel reading, we hear two parables in Matthew 13. They both have to do with getting rich. Jesus said to his disciples: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure...
Personal Relationship
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There's much that is made of having a "personal relationship" with Jesus. And rightly so. There's a huge difference with having an institutional relationship with someone. It's the difference between...
Two Sides of St. Martha
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Today we celebrate the feast of St. Martha. As per usual, there are options for the readings. The options for a Gospel reading are from John 11 or Luke 10....
Holy Spirit, Please!
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There’s an awful lot to digest in today’s Gospel reading from Luke 11. It begins with the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray. He teaches them the perfect prayer:...
Promises, Promises
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In today's Gospel reading, Jesus tells the parable of the weeds and the wheat. In the first reading from Exodus 24, Moses tells the people all the words and ordinances...
The Ten Suggestions?
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Most everyone knows that the Ten Commandments are found in the Bible. But did you know that they are found in the Bible twice? The first instance is in Exodus...
The Way of 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 often known as James “The...
Manna
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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....
Miracles Big and Small
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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...
St. Mary Magdalene
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Today is the feast of St. Mary Magdalene. There are different options for the first reading, so I’ll let you read them and mull them over yourself. You can choose...
The Better Part
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The Gospel reading today is from Luke 10, the story of Martha and Mary. Jesus visits their home and Martha is busy serving and taking care of details, while Mary...
Out of Slavery
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Our first reading today picks up the story of the children of Israel after the Passover. They have now been led out of slavery. In the Gospel reading from Matthew...
The Connection Between Passover and 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 of Jesus
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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...
God Still Speaks
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God reveals himself to us in many ways. In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 11, Jesus says that the Father has “revealed [these things] to the childlike.” We see...
Can't You See?
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In our first reading today from Exodus 2, we see the story of the early part of Moses’ life. Because of the law that Hebrew baby boys be killed, Moses’...
Jesus First
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The children of Israel had become enslaved to the Egyptians. Yet they continued to multiply. Because of this, Pharaoh commanded that every male child of the Hebrews should be killed....
Go and Do Likewise
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Our Gospel reading today is from Luke 10. It is the story of the Good Samaritan. Most people are familiar with the term “Good Samaritan,” if not the Bible story...
Proclaiming Jesus
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In today’s first reading, we see the end of the story of Joseph in Genesis 49 and 50. After Jacob had died, Joseph’s brothers were still afraid that Joseph might...
Shrewd as Serpents, Simple as Doves
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What a beautiful reunion we read about today in our first reading from Genesis 46. Jacob/Israel thought that his youngest son, Joseph, had been eaten by wild beasts. But then...
God Makes Good of Bad
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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 After 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...
Wrestling with God
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Another fascinating story today in our first reading from Genesis 32. Today we read about Jacob wrestling with a divine being. After something of a stalemate, Jacob gets his name...
Stairway to Heaven
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I love to talk about God’s sense of humor. For me, that really comes into play today. You see, I grew up a Led Zeppelin freak. I was all about...
Praying for Laborers in 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...
Lies and Deception
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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...
Admitting We Need Help
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Getting over the death of a loved one is tough. It helps to have others around us who can help ease the pain. We see this today in our first...
I'm a Catholic American
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I want to deviate from my regular Scripture reflection today, the day that America celebrates Independence Day. Of course, you can click on “Today’s Readings” and find the readings for...
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...
We Were Perishing
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In the first reading today from Genesis 19, we read about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Because of their wickedness, God had his sights set on them. But Abraham’s...
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...
Getting Past the "But"
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 9, Jesus encounters three people who wish to follow Him. He makes clear to all three the difficulties they will encounter in doing that....
On the Shoulders of Giants
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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...
Listen for His Heart
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Today is the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the first reading from Ezekiel 34, God uses the imagery of a shepherd. “I myself will pasture my...
Hearing, Talking and Acting
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So many parts of the Old Testament are downright soap opera-esque. This is certainly the case with today’s first reading from Genesis 16. At the request of his wife, Sarai,...
False Prophets
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“Abram put his faith in the LORD, who credited to him as an act of righteousness.” This line is from today’s first reading from Genesis 15. St. Paul also recounts...
Throwing Your Pearls Before Swine
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In our first reading today we find ourselves back in the Book of Genesis, reading about Abram and Lot. For our Gospel reading, we’re back in the Sermon on the...
Increase and Decrease
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Today the Church celebrates the Nativity of John the Baptist. In the first reading today from Isaiah 49, we see the messianic prophesies, all of which certainly could be attributed...
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
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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....