Posts by Kaity Holtman
Second Sunday of Advent
The Second week of Advent is upon us. No doubt Christmas shopping is going on. I can give some of you my list…but let’s not get distracted. The prophet Isiah says, “On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots, a bud shall blossom. The spirit…
Read MoreMemorial of St. Francis Xavier, priest
The second reading in the Liturgy of the Hours for Office of Readings includes St. Francis Xavier’s lament at those who are indifferent to missionary work and the abundant harvest of souls available for Christ: “Again and again I have thought of going round the universities of Europe, especially Paris, and everywhere crying out…
Read MoreFriday of the First Week in Advent
Jesus asked the blind men: “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. The blind men here simply express their faith with a word: Yes. It is an outward expression of an inner conviction that they carry in their hearts. I would venture to say that one of…
Read MoreThursday of the First Week of Advent
Not long ago, I found a picture of me as a baby being baptized. I’m being held by my parents with godparents standing by. I have to admit that since I was baptized as an infant, I don’t really think about my baptism too often. Yet, the Church’s teaching on the Sacrament highlights its…
Read MoreFeast of St. Andrew, Apostle
One spiritual author wrote, “To accept God’s call and to live as one of the Lord’s intimate friends is the greatest grace a person can receive in this life.” We are not just living out our time on this earth trying to pass time only in anticipation of heaven. Rather, the gifts God bestows…
Read MoreTuesday of the First Week of Advent
This is one of several instances when Jesus uses the child as an example and encourages us to be childlike. In order to see ourselves as children, we must be able to see ourselves in relationship with God as Father. How important is this child and father relationship? One speaker said, “I believe most…
Read MoreMonday of the First Week of Advent
Sometimes I encounter people who are so distraught because of their sins and past failures that it makes me think: “The problem isn’t their sin, but it’s them hanging on to their sins.” When we approach Jesus with a contrite heart and admit our guilt, He has told us that He will forgive us…
Read MoreFirst Sunday of Advent
I remember sitting in sixth grade and calculating how long it would be until I graduated from high school. I was in grade six, and I needed to get to twelve, and that was still a really long time away. Our notion of time changes when we get older, but I think…
Read MoreSaturday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Every year, as we draw near to the end of the liturgical year, the Church in her wisdom gives us a series of readings like today’s readings, which speak of the fantastic events surrounding the End Times and remind us of the coming of God’s Kingdom. But why does she do this? Holy Mother…
Read MoreFriday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s psalm, we hear the verse, “My soul yearns and pines for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God” (PS 84:2). This verse from psalm 84 is a powerful reminder for me—and it can be for you, too—that we are not meant to be…
Read MoreMemorial of Saint Andrew Dũng-Lạc, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs
As we approach the end of the calendar year, we tend to pause for a moment to reflect on the year we’ve experienced. We tend to spend more time reflecting on the positive moments of the year, like graduations, weddings, and birthdays and spend significantly less time focusing on misfortunes, injustices, or violence that…
Read MoreWednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s readings give us a rather jolting instruction on what it means to live out heaven on earth. Luke’s gospel today is an especially tough pill to swallow for anyone who had hoped for an easy life on this earth. Christ boldly commands us to be ready to endure tribulation for His sake, even…
Read MoreMemorial of St. Cecilia, virgin & martyr
Our readings today speak of the end times. This topic is not always an easy one to meditate on, and we may find ourselves avoiding it altogether. We live in a world that, at times, may look a lot like the end times described by Christ in today’s Gospel. Nations rising against nations, natural…
Read MoreMemorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today’s Gospel tells us the story of the poor widow who could only offer two small coins into the treasury, whereas the wealthy people were able to offer much more. However, Jesus says that the poor widow put in more than all of the rest because she, from her poverty, offered her whole livelihood.…
Read MoreSolemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
In the Gospel today, we hear “Anyone who tries to preserve his life will lose it; and anyone who loses it will keep it safe.” This is an example and a reminder of how we need to depend on Christ. When we depend on ourselves and try to become independent, we lose sight of…
Read MoreSaturday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
The gospel reading today provides an excellent look into the hope of a heavenly future. In this narrative, we see Jesus accosted by the Sadducees, who are merely seeking proof that there is no resurrection through the lens of marriage. However, Christ uses this same lens of marriage to reveal the even greater reality…
Read MoreFriday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us of the remarkable gravity of the sin of scandal when he says: “It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” When we scandalize…
Read MoreMemorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, religious
The readings today may be difficult to understand. Yet, by looking closely, a beautiful message runs throughout them. In the first reading, we see a figure on the throne: God the Father. He holds a scroll with seven seals. Seven is the number of perfection, so only a perfect being can open the scroll.…
Read MoreWednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
I tell you, everyone who has, more will be given, but the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Lk 19:26 We are all called to lives of holiness and share one common vocation—the universal call to holiness to be saints. All the saints stand before the Face of…
Read MoreTuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
The first reading from Revelation today is a stark reminder of what we might expect at the end of times. The eschatological theme implores us to live our lives in a worthy manner, for we “will never know at what hour I will come upon you.” An unfortunate reality of our society today is…
Read MoreMonday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time
“What do you want me to do for you?” This is the question Jesus asks the blind man in today’s Gospel. The passage today tells us the story of the blind man outside of the walls of Jericho who, although he is silenced by the crowd, calls out to Jesus over and over for…
Read MoreThirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Famous Catholic biblical scholar Raymond Brown once warned that we should not dismiss Christian apocalyptics too easily. Those who believe they can predict the Second Coming of Christ might not be correct. Still, we do believe that the Lord will return, that this world will come to an end and that the living and…
Read MoreMemorial of St. Josaphat, bishop & martyr
“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” What are we to think about the decline of faith in our times? Among the young, among our families, our relatives, friends, and the population in general? Is it really a loss of faith or is it misplaced faith? Human beings require…
Read MoreMemorial of St. Martin of Tours, bishop
“Come, you who are blessed by my Father” This saying of Jesus is wonderfully exemplified in the life of St. Martin of Tours. Forced to serve in the army at 15, he became a Christian catechumen and was baptized at 18. He is famous for having cut his cloak in half for a beggar,…
Read MoreMemorial of St. Leo the Great, Pope & Doctor of the Church
“The coming of the Kingdom cannot be observed…” This reply of Jesus to the Pharisees’ question about when the Kingdom of God is coming reminds us of the very human desire we have to know what’s going to happen. In the case of the Pharisees the question occurs against the background of the Roman…
Read MoreFeast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
“But he was speaking about the temple of his Body.” Today’s celebration commemorates the dedication of the cathedral of the pope, St. John Lateran. In her preface, the Church prays: “For in your benevolence you are pleased to dwell in this house of prayer in order to perfect us as the temple of the…
Read MoreTuesday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
“We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.” God is among us, in Jesus his son, as a servant. Furthermore, we can be certain that Jesus desires to be the servant of our people, our nation. He came to save us all. He has invited you and me to…
Read MoreMonday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time
“If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.” Fraternal correction is perhaps one of the most neglected practices of the Christian life. Pope Benedict XVI referred to it as “fraternal correction in view of eternal salvation.” He notes that today “we are very sensitive to the idea of charity and…
Read MoreThirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Seed of Eternity The Sadducees in our Gospel today represent many people today who live as if this life were all there was. But like today, there was another part of the Jewish people who did not accept this unbelief. This belief has been put beautifully by the Jewish rabbi, Abraham Joshua Heschel:…
Read MoreSaturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
The first reading from yesterday and the gospel reading today go hand in hand. “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.” Do you serve the Lord to the best of your…
Read MoreMemorial of St. Charles Borromeo, bishop
Some of my family members thought I was crazy for joining a monastery, and that I would be wasting my life away. But from my point of view, I can see the exact opposite. In our first reading today, we hear, “For many, as I have often told you and now tell you even…
Read MoreThursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Jesus begins the parable of the lost sheep with a question. He asks who among us would not leave 99 sheep alone in the desert in order to go and find that one lost sheep. I have considered this question carefully, and my answer is, “I would not.” I say this because I know…
Read MoreThe Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed
Today we celebrate the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. This is the remembrance of all of the Faithful Departed who have died in God’s Friendship, but are still undergoing the purification of Purgatory. Now, Catholic teaching on Purgatory is one of the harder teachings for some people to accept, but that is often because…
Read MoreSolemnity of All Saints
If you google “Catholic Saint of the Day,” a number of good sites come up. But one of my favorites is Catholic.org. I like this site for the saint of the day because as I sit down today (October 23) to write this reflection, the first saint listed is St. John of Capistrano. But…
Read MoreMonday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Most of us love a good party. Whatever the occasion—a birthday, a wedding, an “its Wednesday” celebration—we enjoy inviting family and friends over for good food and fun times. And we enjoy being invited by family and friends to the same. So when in today’s gospel, Jesus seems to say we should not be…
Read MoreThirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
In my parish in Kingston, Jamaica, each year on Good Friday, we would do the Stations of the Cross through the streets of the Church’s neighborhood. We would have the drum corps lead us from station to station, and at each station, we would stop and sing, and say the prayers for the station.…
Read MoreSaturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
We began this week on Sunday with Jesus telling us the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. The Pharisee proudly bragged about what a good person he was. The tax collector beat his breast and said, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us another parable.…
Read MoreFeast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles
Today we celebrate the Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles. Jesus chose these two individuals from among the larger group of disciples. They had a special vocation. Today we say that they were not only apostles. They also stood at the beginning of the Church’s history. In them, we recognize the beginnings of…
Read MoreThursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Every spring, as I begin working in the garden next to the small pond we call “Maria Laach,” I notice the arrival of two Canadian geese. Although I can’t be sure, I think it is the same pair, male and female, that would grace us every year with their presence. There is a sliver…
Read MoreWednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Gospel starts out somewhat problematically. An unidentified person asks Jesus, “Lord, will only a few people be saved?” Jesus doesn’t give a direct answer to this. But by what he says, one could surmise that he affirms that only a few people will be saved. “Many will attempt to enter but will not…
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