Last Resort or First?
Posted on
Our first reading today is from the Book of Esther. Esther had the weight, and fate, of a nation on her shoulders. She knew that she was the last hope...
The Sign of Jonah
Posted on
3 comments
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...
Seeds of Grace
Posted on
Today's first reading is Isaiah 55:10-11. This is a passage that has been on my heart a lot lately as I have been talking about Seeds of Grace. Here's the...
Your Choice: Sheep or Goat?
Posted on
1 comment
In the first reading today from Leviticus 19, Moses gives the people instructions from God on how to conduct their lives. It sounds very similar to the Ten Commandments. It...
Satan's Temptations
Posted on
Today is the First Sunday of Lent. Our Gospel reading is from Luke 4. St. Luke recounts the forty days that Jesus spent fasting and praying in the desert before He began...
Seeing the Doctor
Posted on
We hear more today about things that are pleasing to God in our first reading from Isaiah 58. The Lord also talks about how we should conduct ourselves on the...
The Fasting that God Desires
Posted on
We often think of fasting as abstaining from food. Make no mistake about it, this is a good thing – IF we are doing it with the right intentions for...
Strengthening Our Cross-Carrying Muscles
Posted on
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....
Lenten Give and Take
Posted on
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I hope you’ve given some consideration about what you will do this Lent. In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 6, Jesus speaks...
On Giving
Posted on
Today's reflection may be a bit uncomfortable for some. It has to do with giving. No, I'm not going to make a plug for your bishop's appeal; you've probably heard...
Lacking in One Thing
Posted on
Our God is a God of second chances. That's one of the beautiful things about our faith. It's never too late to repent and turn back to God. This is...
Can You See the Beam?
Posted on
1 comment
In our Gospel reading from Luke 6, Jesus gives us another of those “Ouch!” moments. Jesus talks about how we’re so ready to point out the splinter in another’s eye...
Teaching Our Children to Go to Jesus
Posted on
In the first reading today from Sirach 17, we get kind of a short history of man. We see that God “put the fear of himself upon their hearts.” In...
True Friendship
Posted on
In the Gospel reading today from Mark 10, Jesus teaches about marriage. The Catholic Church has always held fast to these teachings. Sure, they are difficult. But they come from...
Don't Put Off Your Conversion!
Posted on
In the Gospel reading today from Mark 9, Jesus lets us know how dangerous it is to lead others into sin. “It would be better for him if a great...
Wisdom
Posted on
Wisdom is an interesting concept. In our first reading today from Sirach 4 we get a brief primer on Wisdom. (Note the capital letter. The sacred author speaks of Wisdom...
Disappointed?
Posted on
2 comments
Today's first reading from Sirach 2 is one of the most powerful and hopeful readings in all of Scripture. We would all do well to read it again and again,...
My Unbelief
Posted on
Today’s first reading is from the Book of Sirach. This is one of the books that you will find in a Catholic Bible, but not a Protestant one. I think...
What Credit is That?
Posted on
Today's Gospel reading is from Jesus' Sermon on the Plain from Luke 6. There's a particular question He asks three times in this short sermon. "For if you love those...
By Faith
Posted on
Today's first reading is from Hebrews 11. The word "faith" is used seven times in this short passage. It begins with a definition of faith. "Faith is the realization of...
The Office of the Papacy
Posted on
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...
Get Behind Me, Satan
Posted on
In the first reading today from Genesis 9, God establishes a covenant with Noah and his family. Remember, they were the only humans on the planet at this point. He...
Incremental Healing
Posted on
1 comment
Did you know that Noah was over 600 years old at the time of the Great Flood? We see this in today’s first reading from Genesis 8. After the flood,...
Do You Still Not Understand?
Posted on
We see some tough questions from Jesus in today’s Gospel reading. More in a moment. For our first reading, we’re in Genesis 6 and 7, reading about Noah. Everyone else...
Am I My Brother's Keeper?
Posted on
1 comment
We have a very short Gospel reading today from Mark 8. The Pharisees are looking for a sign from Jesus. But Jesus tells them that “no sign will be given...
Blessed are You/Woe to You
Posted on
In the Gospel today from Luke 6, we begin the Sermon on the Plain. Luke 6 records the same sermon that, in Matthew’s Gospel is called the Sermon on the...
The Devil Made Me Do It!
Posted on
1 comment
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...
Satan's Trickery
Posted on
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...
A Valentine Marriage Message
Posted on
Did you know that there are two creation accounts in Genesis? We saw the first part of the second story of creation yesterday. Today we see the more complete version...
What Defiles
Posted on
In the first creation account (our first reading today) from Genesis 2, God makes man and sets him in the Garden of Eden. Our Gospel reading today from Mark 7...
Created in God's Image
Posted on
1 comment
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,...
God of Creation
Posted on
1 comment
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...
Depart From Me, Lord
Posted on
1 comment
In the Gospel reading from Luke 5, we see a miraculous catch of fish. After fishing all night and catching nothing, Jesus has the disciples go back out and fish...
Come Away and Rest
Posted on
In the Gospel reading today from Mark 6, the Apostles return from their mission trip that Jesus had sent them on. They “reported all they had done and taught.” Jesus...
The Importance of Hospitality
Posted on
Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 6 is the story of the beheading of John the Baptist. Sad and tragic, yes, but a great story for us about standing up for...
Going Out
Posted on
In today's Gospel reading from Mark 6, Jesus sends out the Twelve two by two and gives them authority over unclean spirits. He first gives them instructions. "He instructed them...
Discipline
Posted on
Today we’re going to talk about discipline. Not a fun topic, I know. If you clicked over to another web site right now, I wouldn’t blame you! But in today’s...
Bringing Our Children Back
Posted on
The first verse of today's first reading, Hebrews 12:1, says that "we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses." Who are these folks? The Communion of Saints! In...
Battling Our Demons
Posted on
1 comment
In today’s first reading from Hebrews 11, the sacred author talks about some of the great figures of the Old Testament. They did not live to see the promise of...
Hometown Prophet
Posted on
In today’s Gospel from Luke 4, the people in Jesus' hometown, Nazareth, challenge to do some of the mighty deeds He did in Capernaum. He tells the people, “Amen, I...
The Presentation of the Lord
Posted on
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...
Heaven Ain't For Quitters
Posted on
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...
Evangelization Advice
Posted on
I love today’s reading from Hebrews 10. The Sacred Author gives us some great advice. More on that in a moment. We get some scary words from Jesus today in...
Johnny Wordseed
Posted on
We read more about the one sacrifice of Christ in our first reading today from Hebrews 10. In the Gospel reading today from Mark 4, Jesus tells the parable of...
I Come To Do Your Will
Posted on
“I come to do your will.” This is a line that we hear over and over again in the liturgy today. It appears twice in the first reading from Hebrews...
The Importance of Strength
Posted on
In today's first reading from Hebrews 9 we hear more about the once for all sacrifice of Christ. In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, Jesus is accused of being...
Ready to Fulfill Your Call?
Posted on
Today’s Gospel reading from Luke has two beginnings. The first part of the reading is the beginning of Luke’s Gospel, where he tells his friend Theophilus that he (Luke) has...
Cowards Need Not Apply
Posted on
2 comments
Today is the Feast of Saints Timothy and Titus. Both men were collaborators with St. Paul and received letters from him that we find in the New Testament. Timothy became...
Converting Our Hearts
Posted on
Today is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. We see the story of Saul’s (Paul’s birth name) conversion in two places in Acts of the Apostles. In chapter...
The Sacrifice of the Mass
Posted on
In the first reading today from Hebrews 7 & 8, the sacred author talks about the once for all sacrifice of Christ. “He has no need, as did the high...