Pestering God
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In the Gospel reading from Luke 18, Jesus tells the story of a widow who wants to get a ruling from a corrupt judge. She continues to pester him to give her a fair ruling. Because of her persistence, he finally does so. We need to pray like teenagers. What do I mean by that? […]
The Denial of Silence
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In our first reading today from Romans 4, St. Paul continues his thoughts about the importance of faith. He speaks of faith as a gift. It is a gift of God, freely given, that we can accept or reject. Let us accept God’s gift anew each day! In the Gospel reading from Luke 12:8-12, Jesus […]
Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Luke. St. Luke is the author of two books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles. In fact, Acts may be considered a “sequel” to Luke’s Gospel, as that story picks up right where Luke ends. St. Luke is the only […]
Justified by Faith
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 11, Jesus continues to pronounce woes on the scholars of the law. These are some pretty scathing remarks. “Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” Today’s first reading […]
Condemnation and Compassion
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Both of the readings for today are a bit harsh. In the first reading from Romans 2, St. Paul says, “The standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things.” And in the Gospel reading from Luke 11, we see Jesus pronouncing more “woes.” “Woe also […]
I am not Ashamed
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One of the things that I admire most about St. Paul (there are many) is his boldness. And the first line of today’s first reading really sums things up. “I am not ashamed of the Gospel.” More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus derides the Pharisees for being […]
Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign
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In the first reading today we begin a journey through St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. St. Paul greets the believers in Rome with this – “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” My sentiments exactly. In the Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus says to the crowd, […]
The Grateful Tithe
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In the Gospel reading from Luke 17, Jesus heals ten lepers. Of the ten healed, only one bothered to come back and give thanks to Jesus. To add insult to injury, the only one to return and give thanks was a Samaritan. Ouch! So, the percentage of those healed who came back was exactly ten […]
How to be Blessed
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God will take care of His people. That is His promise, His covenant. It is one that will last forever. In today’s first reading from Joel 4, we hear this from the Lord. “But Judah shall abide forever, and Jerusalem for all generations.” No matter how bad things had gotten for His children, in the […]
Spiritual Battles
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Balance is an essential component of life – in all areas. This includes the messages we communicate. While we should always try to be positive and loving, there is another side – a more ominous side to the story. That’s what we see in today’s first reading from Joel. “For the day of the LORD […]
Let the Spirit Rock You!
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Sometimes it seems that the wicked prosper. This has been going on for time immemorial. It comes up in today’s first reading from Malachi 3. Though it may seem that way now, in the end it will not be so. Read about what God has to say. In the Gospel reading from Luke 11, Jesus […]
Angry at God?
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John the Baptist taught his disciples how to pray. The disciples of Jesus came and asked Him to teach them how to pray. He taught them the prayer that we know as the Our Father. You’ll find it in today’s Gospel reading from Luke 11. In the first reading from Jonah 4, we read, “Jonah […]
The Better Part
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Every now and again people get the message. We see this in the first reading today from Jonah 3. The reluctant prophet made his way to Nineveh and told the people they must repent from their evildoing. They heeded the message, repented, and God did not carry out the punishment he had planned for them. […]
Running From God
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The story of the good Samaritan is the Gospel reading today from Luke 10. The Samaritans were hated by the Jews. They couldn’t possibly have a decent bone in their bodies. Hearing that a Samaritan could actually be one’s neighbor probably took Jesus’ listeners aback. This story is a great lesson for us not to […]
No Medals Here
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In the Gospel reading from Luke 17, Jesus talks about servants who do what they are obliged to do. Jesus said, “When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’ ” We can be such credit hogs. I don’t mean borrowed […]
We are Blessed
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God gave us free will. There are times when we use that free will wrongly; we turn away from God. When we do reject God’s ways, there are consequences. The children of Israel experienced this. But it doesn’t mean that God no longer loves us. He is always calling us back. And when we come […]
The Signs and the Message
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Acknowledging our sinfulness is never easy. In the first reading today from Baruch 1, the exiles do just that. They come clean and admit that “we did not heed the voice of the Lord, our God, in all the words of the prophets whom he sent us, but each one of us went off after […]
Praying for Laborers
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We should be a people of rejoicing. We see that in today’s first reading from Nehemiah 8. When the people weep after hearing from the book of the law, the leaders tell them, “Today is holy to the LORD your God. Do not be sad and do not weep…for rejoicing in the LORD must be […]
Your Very Own Angel
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Guardian Angels. In the optional first reading for the feast day from Exodus, we see God telling the people that he is sending an angel before them to lead and guide them. He says that He has given this angel His authority; they must listen to him. In […]
The Dichotomy of (My) Faith
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We have a very interesting pair of readings today; two readings that, for me anyway, show a great dichotomy in my faith life. Perhaps you struggle with this same malady. Let me explain. In the first reading from Zechariah 8, the prophet speaks of the attractiveness of God. Because all people have a yearning for […]
God of the Impossible
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 9, the disciples of Jesus argue about who among them is the greatest. Jesus brings a child into their midst and says, “Whoever receives this child inmy name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is least among all […]
Not Listening
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Today’s Gospel reading is the story of Lazarus and the rich man from Luke 16. Lazarus was a poor beggar “who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table.” When Lazarus dies, he goes to the bosom of Abraham. When the rich man dies, he is sent […]
Jerusalem and the World
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Our first reading today is from the Prophet Zechariah. Zechariah has an encounter with an angel. More in a moment. Our Gospel reading today from Luke 9 is short. Jesus tells the disciples that “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” But they did not understand, and were afraid to ask […]
Who is Jesus?
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In the first reading from Haggai 2 today, the Lord tells the people to get to work! He wants his house rebuilt. It, like the people, has been in a shambles. It used to be a glorious house. But its former glory will pale in comparison to the glory to come. “And in this place […]
Curiosity About Jesus
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There is a phrase used twice in today’s first reading from Haggai1: “Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways!” Good advice for us. Sometimes we get so stuck in our ways (read: sinful patterns) that we never consider that God may have a different way in mind. Let’s take that advice today and […]
Proclaiming the Good News
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Ezra knew that he and his people were completely undeserving of God’s mercy. And yet they received it. He brings these two things to light beautifully in today’s first reading. Hopefully, we can come to the same understanding. As Ezra says, “Our wicked deeds are heaped up above our heads…great has been our guilt.” And […]
Jesus’ Family
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Can you imagine tax dollars being used to build a church? That idea seems far fetched to Americans, but that’s part of what we see in today’s first reading from the Book of Ezra. Today we read about a construction project, and an agreement. King Darius decrees that the Jewish people be allowed to complete […]
Dirty Little Secrets
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There are some who question why some churches are big and ornate. It is because we believe that a church is the House of the Lord. In today’s first reading from Ezra 1, King Cyrus of Persia orders all who are part of God’s people to go up to Jerusalem and begin building the house […]
Choosing Who to Serve
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In the Gospel reading from Luke 16, Jesus talks about how it is impossible to serve two masters. “No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” We all have conflict in our lives. […]
Hearing the Call
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Today we celebrate the feast of St. Matthew. His Jewish name was Levi. (We find that in the Gospels of Mark and Luke.) Matthew was a tax collector. Therefore, observant Jews would have nothing to do with him. He was considered a traitor. He is one of the four Gospel writers. In the first reading […]
Money, Money, Money
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St. Paul gives some very sound advice to Timothy in today’s first reading from 1 Timothy 6. More on that in a moment. Our Gospel reading today is short, but important. Luke tells us that Jesus was accompanied by the Twelve, and a number of women. Why would he mention this? Because Luke wanted all […]
Much Forgiven = Much Love
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St. Timothy must have been a fairly young man. Perhaps he was taking some heat for his lack of years. St. Paul exhorts him in today’s first reading from 1 Timothy 4. “Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love faith and purity.” […]
The Church and the Truth
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In our first reading today from 1 Timothy 3, St. Paul mentions “the pillar and foundation of truth.” Care to take a guess at what St. Paul said that was? We’ll talk about it in a moment. Our Gospel reading is from Luke 7. Here Jesus talks about how mixed up that generation was. They […]
Our Servant Leaders
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Jesus raised numerous people from the dead. In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 7, we read about how Jesus came upon a funeral procession. The dead man was the only son of a widow. Moved with pity, Jesus raised the man from the dead and gave him to his mother. It was a miracle right […]
One Mediator
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The Gospel reading today from Luke 7 features a centurion who says something that every Catholic will find very familiar. “Lord…I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof…but say the word and let my servant he healed.” Sound familiar? It should! We say it every time we go to Mass. The first […]
A Merciful Father
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Mercy is the theme that runs through the readings today. In the first reading from Exodus 32, God wants to punish his people, wipe them out, in fact, for turning their backs on him. But Moses begs for mercy for the people, and God relents. In the second reading from 1 Timothy 1, St. Paul […]
The Cross
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Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In the first reading today from Numbers 21, we see a bit of typology. God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole. Whenever someone looked at it, they would be healed of their bite from a serpent. This […]
The Past and the Future
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For our first reading today, we begin 1 Timothy. St. Paul talks about his past. More on that in a moment. We’re back in the Sermon on the Plain for our Gospel reading. Today we hear Jesus talking about removing the wooden beam from our own eye before we go pointing out the splinter in […]
Everything for Jesus
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The Gospel of Christ can be tough to live by. I would say impossible without God’s grace. Take today’s Gospel reading, for example. Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” These are things that run counter to our nature, […]
The New Self
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I hope you’re hungry, because we get a veritable banquet of spiritual insight in today’s readings! Our Gospel reading today is the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain from Luke 6. It begins with the beatitudes. The difference between’s Luke’s version and Matthew’s is that here Jesus gives the other side of the coin. […]
Captivated
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Scripture is filled with warnings. Today we hear a very stark one from St. Paul in our first reading from Colossians 2. In the Gospel reading from Luke 6, we see the naming of the Twelve, and how Jesus healed everyone who was brought to Him. “See to it that no one captivate you with […]
The Greatest Good
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There may be confusion about something St. Paul says in today’s first reading from Colossians. “…in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his Body, which is the Church…” Some may take this to mean that Christ’s suffering was lacking, or insufficient. That would be […]
When Hate Means Love
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Occasionally, things can get lost in translation. That may be the case today. So we’re here to help. In the Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus tells a large crowd, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be […]
Lord of All
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We get a wonderful word about persevering in the faith in our first reading today from Colossians 1. St. Paul says that we will be presented “holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before him, provided that you persevere in the faith…” The New Testament is rife with allusions to perseverance. Yes, my friend…heaven ain’t for quitters. […]
You are Christ-like
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Today’s first reading from Colossians 1 is full of Christology. We’ll talk about it in a moment. In our Gospel reading from Luke 5, Jesus talks about wine and wineskins. The new wine and the new wineskins are the new creation in Christ that we become. Jesus says, “No one who has been drinking old […]
Depart From Me, Lord
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Are you walking in a manner worthy of the Lord? That’s a phrase we see in our first reading today from Colossians 1. My sense tells me that you would answer no to that question. I know I would. But are you still walking? Are you still trying your best to accomplish God’s will, even […]
Sharing Jesus
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Yet another treat in store for us! Today we begin a trip through St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians. As in many of his letters, St. Paul begins with an affimation. He tells them of his prayers for them, and applauds them for their love and faithfulness. I can only hope that, if St. Paul […]
Jesus’ Word
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In last week’s Gospel readings from Matthew 24 and 25, we heard Jesus again and again exhorting his disciples to stay awake and be prepared for the return of the Master. In today’s first reading from 1 Thessalonians 5, we hear nearly the exact same language from St. Paul. “But you are not in darkness, […]
Working for God
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Happy Labor Day! I hope you are taking a day of R&R today. There are plenty of options for readings today. The link that I will provide is actually for Monday of the Twenty-second Week in Ordinary Time. But if you attend Mass today, you may hear different readings for Labor Day. The Gospel reading […]
The Final Payoff
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In today’s Gospel reading from Luke 14, Jesus goes to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees. While there, He tells a parable in which He exhorts the people not to gravitate towards the places of honor at table. He finishes with the phrase, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, […]