Lenten Resources
Today is the feast day of St. Ambrose. Before I start my reflection, I would like to wish my dad, Bruce, a happy name day. St. Ambrose was a man of courage, strength, and humility. He never wanted to become the bishop of Milan, but after hiding, he eventually accepted. When we are called…
Continue ReadingToday we hear the Lord tell the story of the lost sheep. If one goes astray, will the shepherd not go to find that one? My favorite part of the story is not included—even the angels in heaven rejoice over one repentant sinner than a righteous man who does good deeds. In our responsorial…
Continue ReadingWhen I found myself in a deserted place, and then I finally humbled myself to ask for help, I could see the flowers bloom and the rivers overflow. I asked for the Lord’s help, to “be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense, he comes to save…
Continue Reading 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…
Continue ReadingThe 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…
Continue ReadingJesus 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…
Continue ReadingNot 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…
Continue ReadingOne 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…
Continue ReadingThis 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…
Continue ReadingSometimes 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…
Continue Reading 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…
Continue ReadingEvery 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…
Continue ReadingIn 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…
Continue ReadingAs 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…
Continue ReadingToday’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…
Continue ReadingOur 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…
Continue ReadingToday’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.…
Continue ReadingIn 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…
Continue ReadingThe 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…
Continue ReadingIn 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…
Continue ReadingThe 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.…
Continue ReadingI 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…
Continue ReadingThe 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…
Continue Reading“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…
Continue ReadingFamous 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…
Continue Reading“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…
Continue Reading“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,…
Continue Reading“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…
Continue Reading“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…
Continue Reading“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…
Continue Reading“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…
Continue ReadingThe 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:…
Continue ReadingThe 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…
Continue ReadingSome 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…
Continue ReadingJesus 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…
Continue ReadingToday 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…
Continue ReadingIf 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…
Continue ReadingMost 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…
Continue ReadingIn 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.…
Continue ReadingWe 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.…
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