The End Times
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 21, Jesus is talking about the end times and what signs there will be that the end is near. “Nation will rise against nation,...
Generosity and Trust
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In today’s first reading from Revelation 14, we see once again the figure of the Lamb. He has with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who have his name and...
Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
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Today the Church celebrates the end of the liturgical year. Fittingly enough, it is the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, or more commonly referred to...
Dead or Alive?
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 20, some Sadducees ask Jesus a trick question regarding the resurrection of the dead. (The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of...
Our Sweet and Sour Journey
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 19, we see Jesus cleansing the temple area of those who are selling things. He says, “It is written, My house shall be...
If You Only Knew
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As Catholics, we believe the saints in heaven intercede for us. We see an image of this in today's first reading from Revelation 5. "Each of the elders held a...
Following the Master's Orders
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We see more of the scenes of heaven in our first reading today from Revelation 4. In the Gospel reading from Luke 19, Jesus tells a parable about a nobleman...
The Danger of Being Lukewarm
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Our Gospel reading today is the story of Zacchaeus from Luke 19. It is a great story of repentance and redemption. In the first reading today from Revelation 3, we...
Lost Love
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In the first reading today, we begin reading from the Book of Revelation. This can be one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted books in the Bible. Nothing a bit...
His Words Will Not Pass Away
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 13, Jesus says, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” And so it has been. Seasons come and go....
Lessons from the Unjust Judge
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 18, Jesus tells a parable about an unjust judge. A widow comes to him seeking a judgment, but he refuses. The widow, however, kept...
"Progressives" in the Bible?
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Is the Bible "political"? I suppose that depends on one's definition of the word and point of view. Perhaps the definition of a particular word in today's first reading from...
In Pursuit of...What?
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 17, Jesus talks about the coming of the Kingdom of God and the return of the Son of Man. He says, "The days will...
The Other Good Samaritan
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Faith in Christ requires change. For many of us, that means a lot of change. St. Paul alludes to this in the first reading from Titus 3. “For we ourselves...
A How-To on How to Live
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In today’s first reading from Titus 2, St. Paul has advice for everyone – older men, older women, younger women and younger men. Yep! I think that covers us all!...
Avoid the Millstone
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In today’s first reading from Titus 1, St. Paul talks about the attributes of a bishop. “Blameless, not arrogant, not irritable, not a drunkard, not aggressive, not greedy for sordid...
Trusting in God's Provision
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In the first reading today from 1 Kings 17, we see a story of Elijah and a widow. Then in the Gospel reading, Jesus commends a widow for her donation. At...
The Lateran Basilica and The Temple
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. the Lateran Basilica was erected by Constantine. It is known as the mother church of Christendom. We...
Our True Citizenship
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Today's first reading from Philippians 3 is so appropriate for Americans, given our recent election. St. Paul starts out by talking about people who "conduct themselves as enemies of the...
Rejoicing on Our Return
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As Christians, we know that our confidence can be found in God alone. When we have confidence in our flesh, we are in big trouble. Because the flesh will always...
Renouncing Our Possessions
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The thought of winding up in hell should be terrifying. Perhaps that's why we hear St. Paul say in today's first reading from Philippians 2, "Work out your salvation with...
It's Always Something
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Why do Catholics genuflect? We're bending the knee to Jesus present in the Eucharist. Today's first reading from Philippians 2 tells us "that at the name of Jesus every knee...
Quid Pro NO!
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus is dining at the home of a leading Pharisee and He addresses His host. He tells His host not to invite mucky-mucks...
Christ's Once for All Sacrifice
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In the second reading today from Hebrews 7, the sacred author talks about the once for all sacrifice of Christ. “He has no need, as did the high priests, to...
Praying for Our Deceased Loved Ones
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Today we celebrate All Souls' Day. On this feast (and throughout the month of November) we pray for the souls of the faithful departed. To many non-Catholic Christians, this seems...
The Communion of Saints
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Today is the Solemnity of All Saints. It is a Holy Day of Obligation. I have a long standing tradition on my radio show that everyone I speak with will be...
Dressed for Battle
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In today’s first reading from Ephesians 6, St. Paul tells us to “put on the armor of God.” He goes on to explain just what that is. More in a...
The Fate of Evildoers
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In the first part of today's first reading from Ephesians 6, St. Paul talks about family relationships between parents and children. Both have a responsibility to the other. In today's...
Be Subordinate
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 13, Jesus tells two short parables about the Kingdom of God. The first compares the Kingdom to a mustard seed, the other to yeast....
Hope for the Hopeless
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Today is the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles. The readings are the same as the feast days of other Apostles – Ephesians 2:19-22, which I recently wrote about,...
An Approachable God
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Our Gospel reading today from Mark 10 is about Bartimaeus, a blind beggar that wanted Jesus to restore his sight. He tells Jesus what he wants, and Jesus gives him...
Someone to Believe
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 13, Jesus tells an interesting parable. A landowner has a fig tree that has borne no fruit after three years. He orders it...
The Deeper Reality
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In our first reading today from Ephesians 4, St. Paul urges his readers to “live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness,...
A Family Divided
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Wouldn't it be nice if the whole world were united in Christ Jesus. Sadly, that's not the case. And if we take this idea down to the core, even many...
Entrusted With More
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In today’s first reading from Ephesians 3, St. Paul talks about the gifts that God has given him, and his responsibility to use them properly. This is a theme that...
Gird Your Loins
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus tells His disciples to "Gird your loins..." I suspect that many today have no idea what this means, or what it may...
Possessing Our Possessions (Or Vice-Versa)
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus gives the crowd a warning. "Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one's life does not...
Servant Leadership
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In the Gospel today from Mark 10, we hear Jesus once again telling the Twelve that they must be servants. James and John came to Jesus to ask that they sit...
The Unforgiveable Sin
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No one is beyond God's mercy, right? Then what is Jesus talking about in today's Gospel reading from Luke 12 about a sin that will not be forgiven? Jesus said,...
Saint Luke
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist. St. Luke is the author of two books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Luke and Acts of...
Chosen
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In the first reading today, we begin reading St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. This will be a very rich couple of weeks as we go through the book of...
Good News/Bad News
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Jesus was never one to mince words. We see this again today in the Gospel reading from Luke 11, where He is pronouncing woes on the Pharisees. When a scholar...
External and Internal
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God doesn’t care about anyone’s background. You don’t have to have any kind of “pedigree” to give your life to Christ. St. Paul puts it like this in today’s first...
Freedom
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus says, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of...
The Danger of Attachment
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In the Gospel reading from Mark 10, we see Jesus having an encounter with a young man who has many possessions. We have come to know him as the Rich...
Blessings for All the Faithful
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We hear more about justification and faith in today’s first reading from Galatians 3. “For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.” Good news, no? We...
Satan is No Quitter
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St. Paul continues talking about faith and "works of the law" in the first reading from Galatians 3. In the Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus talks about the spiritual...
Spiritual Stupidity
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Today's first reading from Galatians 3 starts with a bang. "O stupid Galatians!" And shortly thereafter, "Are you so stupid?" In our Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus tells us...
Hypocrisy Happens
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 11, Jesus’ disciples come to Him and say, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” Jesus then teaches them...
Hurry Up and Wait
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St. Paul was a convert to the faith, called by Christ Jesus. In today's first reading from Galatians 1, we hear an interesting part of his story. Paul spent three...