Articles for Ordinary Time

Saturday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

February 15, 2025

  A Few Loaves and Fish I love Mark’s Gospel for its matter-of-fact style. We hear it in today’s gospel passage about the feeding of a large crowd. Read it slowly or else you’ll miss it. Did you notice? It doesn’t add up. They had seven loaves and a few fish, but there were about…

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Memorial of Sts. Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop

February 14, 2025

  In a Strange Land In 1980, the first Slav pope, Pope John Paul II declared Sts. Cyril and Methodius co-patron saints of Europe, together with St. Benedict of Nursia. Born in Thessalonica, Greece, in the 9th century AD, Cyril and Methodius were two brothers who were very influential in evangelizing among the Slavic peoples…

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Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

February 13, 2025

  Suitable Partner Imagine you are the first (and only) living being. You live in a beautiful garden with various trees that are “…delightful to look at and good for food….” (Gn 2:9) You have something to do, you have a role to play, and you are close to God who created you. What more…

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Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

February 12, 2025

  One Exception Today’s reading from the Book of Genesis is the second story of creation. Did you know there was a second version? It is different from the six days of creation and a seventh day of rest. This version begins with the creation of the first man—out of the clay of the ground.…

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Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

February 11, 2025

  Back to Basics This week at Mass, we hear from the first chapters of the Book of Genesis. In a simple and poetic way, the creation story tells of God creating the fundamental things of our visible world in an orderly sequence. For all the scientific discoveries and research done to understand creation, we…

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Memorial of St. Scholastica, Virgin

February 10, 2025

  Sister and Brother The Benedictine Monks of Conception Abbey have the tradition of visiting the nearby Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration on this day, the Feast of St. Scholastica. Our monasteries are just a couple of miles apart, and both our motherhouses are in Switzerland. We join them for Vespers (Evening Prayer) and a…

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Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

February 9, 2025

  Christ is the Expert “Do it yourself” (DIY) is quite popular these days. In the areas of home improvement, hobby projects, and even education (self-help, online classes), many people seek to do it themselves. It’s a good approach. You save money. You learn for the next time. You feel a sense of accomplishment. DIY…

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Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

February 8, 2025

  On this Marian Saturday, St. Maximilian Kolbe says about the rosary: “The Rosary is… a very sublime prayer… because by reciting it we reflect upon the mysteries of faith. Moreover, the more one is keen and competent in matters of faith, the deeper one can reflect on these mysteries and be led to discover…

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Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

February 7, 2025

  Today’s gospel account is the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. I remember one time, our very own Fr. Aquinas said at Mass that if you look at the passage of where it says, “When he [Herod] heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.” Even Herod’s…

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Memorial of St. Paul Miki and Companions, Martyrs

February 6, 2025

   “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” This passage from today’s gospel goes well with our martyrs for today. St. Paul Miki and his companions didn’t…

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Memorial of St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr

February 5, 2025

  In our alleluia verse today, we hear, “My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.” Today is the great feast of St. Agatha, she once said, “Lord, my creator, you have protected me since I was in the cradle. You have taken me from the love of…

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Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

February 4, 2025

  “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” “Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” The power of touch is something that is very important, I remember a priest telling me, “I have an elderly parishioner…

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Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

February 3, 2025

  Today’s gospel reading is a very interesting one. Fr. Vincent Lampert gives great commentary in his book, Exorcism, The Battle Against Satan and his Demons. I remember him saying after the demon had been exorcised, the man who was possessed by Legion wanted to go with Jesus. But Jesus tells him, “No!” Rather, Jesus…

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Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

February 2, 2025

  Today is Candlemas and at mass today at the blessing of the candles you will hear the following: Dear brothers and sisters, forty days have passed since we celebrated the joyful feast of the Nativity of the Lord. Today is the blessed day when Mary and Joseph presented Jesus in the Temple. Outwardly he…

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Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

February 1, 2025

  It is hope that guides us in this Jubilee Year of 2025. As we have journeyed with different saints who gave witness to faith and hope in their personal writings, what I want to do today is introduce you to the person who will impact and inspire your own life of faith the most.…

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Memorial of St. John Bosco, Priest

January 31, 2025

  As we have walked with these great writers on faith in the last few days I want to introduce one of the best monastic writers of the last century, Thomas Merton. Merton lived as one who lived faith wandering and wondering. He could put to writing words that others longed to express and yet…

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Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

January 30, 2025

  A dark night of the soul is a time of dryness in the spiritual life where we do not feel God’s presence. Colloquially it is known as any time of doubt or despair in our lives where we question the important things we value. St. John of the Cross is our guide for today.…

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Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

January 29, 2025

  Blessed be the little child, who trusts in God wholeheartedly. We make things too complicated. We are the ones who fall away from grace. We are the ones who have shown God the way out. We bar him from our souls. God wants us to come closer to him in grace. He won’t force…

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Memorial of St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

January 28, 2025

  Thomas Aquinas is a Doctor of the Church and is considered one of the greatest Christian theologians who ever put pen to paper. You would not have known that from his early story though. He came from a noble family who wanted him to be an Abbot in a royal monastery. He chose to…

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Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

January 27, 2025

  Augustine of Hippo is a consummate example of a restless heart. His writing of the Confessions literally set a course for Christianity for ages to come. I thought I would get tired of hearing about Augustine’s Confessions one day after I started reading it. I have come back to the Confessions again and again,…

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Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 26, 2025

Prologue: In this week’s presentations, I want to focus on the mystagogy of faith in the spiritual life. In this sense of the Christian spiritual life, the focus is on the mystical elements of God’s presence and how people receive the divine presence in their lives on a personal level. Mysticism is complimentary to knowledge…

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Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle

January 25, 2025

  Yesterday we were talking about the conversion process consisting of three movements: invitation, listening, and response. Today we can zoom in on a very powerful conversion story. One could hardly find a more compelling story of conversion than the story of St. Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles. His was a story of extremes. The…

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Memorial of St. Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

January 24, 2025

  The thought of Jesus calling a diverse group of a dozen men together to follow him, learn from him, and then take his challenging teaching to the ends of the known world raises a huge question. How could such a small, motley crew be expected to do so much? Surely this had to be…

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Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

January 23, 2025

  “Success is within your reach if you want it!” This is often the message of the self-assured 18-year-old high school valedictorian as he or she exhorts their graduating class. What is success? Is it the talented athlete or the business executive signing the multi-million dollar contract? Some would say you’ve found success when it’s…

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Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

January 22, 2025

  In so many ways the story of creation in the Book of Genesis unfolds like a progressive symphony. It reaches its climax when God creates man and woman and declares it to be “Very Good!” This ancient wisdom story highlights every aspect of creation and indicates that creation has purpose and value simply because…

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Memorial of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

January 21, 2025

  Modern popular culture seems to have a high regard for brute force. We see it in action movies where conflicts of whatever kind are usually resolved through extreme fighting and destruction of property and human lives, often in fiery crashes and explosions. The popular attitude seems to assume that every conflict contains a “win-lose”…

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Monday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

January 20, 2025

  Yesterday we explored some thoughts about searching for what is truly wonderful in our life. The effort to discover the good and wonderful will also uncover the reality of our weaknesses and sins. Which of the two categories should capture our close attention? Perhaps the Scripture readings for today can shed some light on…

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Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 19, 2025

  Some things naturally go together. Notice how our Sunday liturgical readings form a wonderfully combined chorus of Isaiah celebrating the blessings of God on the People of God, St. Paul celebrating the special gifts of every person, and Jesus with his mother’s gentle encouragement coming to the rescue for the bride and groom on…

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Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

January 18, 2025

  We often find ourselves asking why. Sometimes, the question is innocent and leads us to discover: Why do the seasons change? At other times, the question comes from pain: Why do bad things happen to me? And sometimes, the question is a statement of judgment: Why would you do something like that? The Scribes and Pharisees were judging Jesus for…

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Memorial of St. Anthony, Abbot

January 17, 2025

  St. Anthony was one of the first Christians to embrace the monastic life as a way of removing anything in his life that did not draw him closer to God. He gave up his material possessions and practiced great penances so that the temptations of the world would hold no power over him. One…

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Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

January 16, 2025

  Leprosy was not only a painful illness in the ancient world but also a communal affliction because its victims were excluded from normal society. It was so dangerous and so contagious that those who had it were forced to keep their distance from others in case they should infect someone by accident. Only in…

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Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

January 15, 2025

  Our lives are fragile. We have bodies that can be harmed, that grow old, and that will eventually fail. All the same, our bodies are gifts. We experience the many wonderful things God has made in this world through our bodies, and even the pains we undergo reveal the greater truths of the world,…

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Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

January 14, 2025

  Jesus wastes no time once he begins his public ministry. The time has come for him to reveal himself to the people in word and deed, which is made evident when he preaches with authority and drives out demons. The great scholars of the time would always refer to the teachings of their predecessors,…

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The Baptism of the Lord

January 12, 2025

  At Jesus’ baptism, we hear the Father announcing his Sonship. Jesus is loved by the Father because the Father is love. Jesus is even the expression of this love because he has come among us and offered himself for us even though we are unworthy of him. His Incarnation reveals to us the lengths…

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Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

January 12, 2025

  Now that the Christmas season has concluded, we return to the “ordinary” life of Jesus, the public ministry he performed as an adult before his sacrifice on the cross. In the Gospel today, Jesus calls his first disciples to come and follow him. It is an invitation to know him more deeply and, eventually,…

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Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle

November 30, 2024

  This is the feast of St. Andrew, brother of Simon Peter, the first two apostles called by Jesus. Today’s gospel from Matthew 4:18-22 recalls that event: “Jesus…saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me,…

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Friday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

November 29, 2024

  In the first reading from the Book of Revelation we hear a dramatic description of the overthrow of Death and Hades. John speaks of the holy ones who have turned to Christ—those souls who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and the word of God, who have come to life and now…

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Thursday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time – Thanksgiving

November 28, 2024

  In the first reading, the Prophet Isaiah enumerates the glorious acts of the Lord, the many blessings bestowed upon a people he calls his own: “The loving deeds of the Lord I will recall: …He became their savior in every affliction,” his love and pity redeemed them, he lifted them up and carried them…

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Wednesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

November 27, 2024

  It is a tradition at Conception Abbey that a mass is celebrated during Thanksgiving week as a commemoration of the departed members of our monastic community and the deceased loved ones of our personal families. The readings are of the weekday. In the first reading from the Book of Revelation we see a vision…

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Tuesday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

November 26, 2024

  In today’s gospel from St. Luke, Jesus tells of the destruction of the temple and speaks of the end time when there will be earthquakes, famines, plagues and mighty signs from the sky. Jesus urges his disciples to remain faithful: “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified.” But Jesus is…

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