Come and Eat!
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Family meals can be a very special time. In many cultures, love is shared through meals. While the food may seem to be the centerpiece of the gathering, it really...
Innocent Blood
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More prophet talk for us today. In the first reading, the priests and prophets want Jeremiah put to death. But Jeremiah tells them, “If you put me to death, it...
The Offensive Gospel
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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...
You as Pottery
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Today we see what I hope is a familiar story in Jeremiah 18. Though you may not know the chapter and verse, it is the story of Jeremiah going to...
Serving Like Martha
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Today we celebrate the feast of St. Martha. As per ususal, there are options for the readings. The options for a Gospel reading are from John 11 or Luke 10....
Shine Like the Sun
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 13, Jesus explains the parable of the weeds in the field. Jesus makes it clear that the wheat and weeds would grow together. But...
The Rot of Pride
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Today’s first reading from Jeremiah 13 seems a very odd tale at first. God tells Jeremiah to go buy a loincloth, then go hide it, then go get it again....
What Will You 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...
Feast 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 known as James the Greater....
Rich Soil
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The prophets all had a common message. We see the crux of it at the beginning of today’s first reading from Jeremiah 3. “Return, rebellious children, says the Lord, for...
Fallen Away
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Jesus told many parables. Why? The answer is in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 13. Read it! In the first reading from Jeremiah 2, the LORD seems almost melancholy talking...
Mary Magdalene and You
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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...
A Drop in the Ocean
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 12, Jesus is told that his mother and his brothers are outside the house wanting to speak to Him. Jesus says, “Whoever does...
What God Requires
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Ask people the question: What does God require of you? I’m sure you’ll get plenty of answers. More on that in a moment. In our Gospel reading today from Matthew...
The Power of a Story
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Today's Gospel reading is from Matthew 13. This is often referred to as the parable chapter. In today's reading there are three different parables. A parable is simply a story...
Woe
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Today's first reading from Micah 2 starts with this: "Woe to those who plan iniquity, and work out evil on their couches..." The word "woe" is used in many instances...
The Power of Prayer
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A recent study showed that people who pray generally are happier and tend to live longer. Those are nice byproducts of prayer, but not why we pray. We pray because...
Meekness Does Not Equal Weakness
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In today’s first reading from Isaiah 26, the prophet talks about how physical death is not the end for us. In fact, he talks about the resurrection of the dead....
God's Plan
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 11, Jesus gives praise to the Father, acknowledging that knowledge of the Kingdom has been hidden from "the wise and the learned" but revealed...
Firm Faith
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In today's first reading from Isaiah 7, Ahaz, king of Judah, is told by the Lord through Isaiah that the attack on Judah would not be successful; the Lord would...
Jesus the Divider
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One of the titles of Jesus is Prince of Peace. Yet in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus says just the opposite. “Do not think that I have come...
Of Seeds and Sowers
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 13, Jesus tells the parable of the sower of the seeds. After telling his parable, the disciples didn’t understand. Jesus seems a bit...
Send Me!
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Our first reading today is from Isaiah 6. It is one that you will often hear from Vocation Directors. And rightfully so. More in a moment. In the Gospel reading...
Healing Our Wounds
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Jesus continues His instructions to the Apostles as He sends them out in Matthew 10. He tells them, "You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever...
Without Cost
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Today in Matthew’s Gospel, we see Jesus sending out the Twelve saying, “Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give.” Sometimes it is easy for us to...
It is Time to Seek the Lord
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 10, we see the listing of the Twelve Apostles. Then Jesus sends out the Twelve, telling them to “go to the lost sheep...
The Law of Sowing and Reaping
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In today's first reading from Hosea 8, we read this: "When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind." Perhaps you've heard the old expression, "You reap what you...
Marriage Covenant with God
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In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 9, we see the story of two healings. A woman who has been suffering for years is healed by her faith, and Jesus...
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...
Awesome Thomas
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Today is the Feast of St. Thomas. That’s right, Doubting Thomas. That story is our Gospel reading. More on that in a moment. Our first reading today from Ephesians talks...
An Unlikely Prophet
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Amos was an unlikely prophet. Take a look at the first reading today and you’ll see what I mean. He was, like most all the prophets, quite unpopular, too. More...
Taking On Demons
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What a great message the Lord gives to the people through the prophet Amos in our first reading today from Amos 5: “Seek good and not evil, that you may...
There was Great Calm
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 8, Jesus and His disciples take a little cruise on the Sea of Galilee. While they’re out, Jesus is taking a nap. (I suspect Jesus...
Giants of the Faith
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Today the Church celebrates two giants of the faith. It is the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Interesting, isn’t it? You would think that, given the importance of each,...
Losing your Life
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In the Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus finishes His instructions to the Apostles as He sends them out. Among other things, He says, “Whoever finds his life will lose...
Subject to Authority
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Today's Gospel reading from Matthew 8 contains a line that every Catholic should be familiar with. They are the words of a centurion who asked Jesus to heal a servant...
Into Exile
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In today's first reading from 2 Kings 25, we see one of the saddest moments in the history of God's chosen people - the beginning of the Babylonian exile. For...
Words are Not Enough
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In the first reading today from 2 Kings, we see a story of evil, sin, defeat and surrender. The Babylonians took over Jerusalem. It was yet another blow to God’s...
The Last Prophet
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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 Path of Least Resistance
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Our God is a big God. He can handle anything, even things that we might think are too big for even God! We see an awesome example of this in...
Of Splinters and Beams
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Today’s first reading shows us the beginning of the diaspora, where the tribes of Israel are scattered, leaving only the tribe of Judah. God allowed them to be tossed out...
Whom to Fear
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 10, Jesus says, "Fear no one...And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid...
The Heart of Our Mother
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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 Very Heart of God
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Jesus speaks of His heart in the Gospel reading from Matthew 11: “Come to me, all you...
The Surrender Prayer
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Over the past few days we have been reading the story of Elijah and Elisha. Today’s first reading is from Sirach 48. It is something of a recap of the...
Double the Blessing
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Today’s first reading is one that has stuck with me since the first time I ever heard it. Elijah is about to hand the office of prophet over to Elisha....
We're All People
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Today’s first reading is an interesting conclusion to the story of Ahab and Jezebel. God sends Elijah to tell them of how He was going to punish them because of...
Evil Woman
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Today's first reading from 1 Kings 21 is the story of an evil woman; perhaps the most evil woman in Scripture - Jezebel. In the Gospel reading from Matthew 5,...
Corpus Christi
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of The Body and Blood of Christ, or Corpus Christi. All of the readings today point to the Eucharist, the source and summit of...
The No-Spin Zone
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In our Gospel reading today from Matthew 5, Jesus talks about swearing oaths. In fact, He says we should not swear oaths at all. Why? Jesus said, “Let your ‘Yes’...