Articles for Lent

Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent

March 10, 2021

  Fulfillment [Jesus said,] “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17, RSV) A reading from the Tractates on Matthew by St. Chromatius of Aquileia: “He fulfilled the law and the prophets in this way: He brought…

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Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent

March 9, 2021

  Forgiveness Then Peter came up and said to [Jesus], “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22, RSV) A reading from a Commentary on Matthew by…

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Monday of the Third Week of Lent

March 8, 2021

  Baptism And Elisha sent a messenger to [Naaman], saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” (2 Kings 5:10, RSV) A reading from On the Second Book of Kings by St. Ephrem the Syrian: “It was necessary that Naaman, in order to…

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Third Sunday of Lent

March 7, 2021

    Looking at my Daily Missal for this Third Sunday of Lent, I noticed a blurb at the top in red letters: “On this Sunday is celebrated the first scrutiny in preparation for the Baptism of the catechumens who are to be admitted to the Sacraments of Christian Initiation at the Easter Vigil, using…

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Saturday of the Second Week of Lent

March 6, 2021

  Today’s Gospel is the very familiar parable of the prodigal son. The word “prodigal” means something like “extraordinarily generous.” That description fits the father in the story more than the younger son. The son had squandered his inheritance in bad ways. Nevertheless, the father welcomed him back home. He forgave him. Not only that,…

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Friday of the Second Week of Lent

March 5, 2021

  The first reading for today’s Mass is the story of Joseph and his brothers. We all know it – maybe not from the Bible but from the well-known Broadway show, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with the memorable music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The brothers think they have gotten rid of their dreamer…

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Thursday of the Second Week of Lent

March 4, 2021

  The parables are intended to make us think and reflect. In the one we hear in today’s gospel, the rich man lived in isolated luxury. Sure, he did not hurt anyone. He didn’t run Lazarus off his property. He didn’t mind Lazarus hanging around his table for the leftovers. So what was the rich…

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Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

March 3, 2021

  The Gospel reading today is about leadership. The mother of two of Jesus’ followers wants Jesus to give her sons positions of leadership. She wants them to be powerful. But that is not how Jesus wants leadership to be exercised. For Jesus, leadership means service. Some years ago, a leading university did a study…

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Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent

March 2, 2021

  Both of the bible readings for today’s Mass are powerful. Let me start with the first reading, from the Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah prefigures what Jesus will say in the Gospel. The message is this: we should be known for the integrity of our lives. “Cease doing evil; learn to do good.” What does that…

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Monday of the Second Week of Lent

March 1, 2021

  We are now in the second week of Lent. Hopefully, our resolve to identify with Jesus remains strong. In today’s Gospel, St. Luke presents Jesus teaching as he stood on a level stretch of ground. This is similar to Matthew’s presentation of the Sermon on the Mount. It begins with the Beatitudes and then…

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Second Sunday of Lent

February 28, 2021

    Every year, on the Second Sunday of Lent, we hear the Gospel about the Transfiguration of Jesus. The transfiguration prepares different people for the future passion and death of Holy Week. This is true, first of all, for Jesus himself. Secondly, it is true for the apostles present at the event. And, finally,…

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Saturday of the First Week of Lent

February 27, 2021

  “So be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This is probably the hardest thing to do. I am reminded of what St. Maximilian Kolbe says, “Entrust all matters to [the Immaculata] and she shall deign to take care of them. In her loving, immaculate hands, victory is certain.” Even though it is Lent,…

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Friday of the First Week of Lent

February 26, 2021

  Today in our readings we hear the great mercy that the Lord has those who turn away from the sins that they commit and come back among the flock. But we also hear the warning of those who turn away from God and decide to do their own will and fall away. As the…

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Thursday of the First Week of Lent

February 25, 2021

  In the Gospel today, Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” I remember when I…

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Wednesday of the First Week of Lent

February 24, 2021

  I am reminded of a homily that our Fr. Aquinas gave after reading the gospel account of John the Baptist’s martyrdom. He said “Mark is the only gospel writer who says ‘Herod enjoyed listening to him [John].’ It just proves that God even loves Herod so much that he tries to penetrate the hardest…

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Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

February 23, 2021

  I remember one day trying my best to show humility in the place where I work on campus, I had a little pocketbook of the “Personal Notes of St. Bernadette Soubirous” that Fr. Joel Derks gave to me before he passed away. I read to myself the section where St. Bernadette said, “I raised…

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Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Apostle

February 22, 2021

  I remember thinking as a child, “why on earth are we celebrating a chair, especially a chair that is probably broken since it is over 2000 years old!” But as St. Paul says, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.” When…

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First Sunday of Lent

February 21, 2021

  In today’s readings, especially the first reading, we can first get the sense of Easter. Noah was in the ark for 150 days. When the day finally came for him, his family, and all the animals to come out of the ark, the Lord made a covenant with Noah, saying “I will establish my…

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Saturday after Ash Wednesday

February 20, 2021

  Plenty of people are funny but can’t tell a joke. Each week I get a taste of that hosting our seminary’s community night, News & Views. I start out with a joke, and let’s just say that often my humor differs from our seminarians. They think I’m funny, true, but they don’t always laugh…

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Friday after Ash Wednesday

February 19, 2021

  Our culture is very health-conscious. The very idea of fasting seems foreign in contemporary America. True fasting is hard. Several years ago, I went on a bread-and-water fast just on Wednesdays and Fridays in Lent. That did not seem too bad – after all, I love bread! However, there was something about that being…

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Thursday after Ash Wednesday

February 18, 2021

  Okay, let’s be real: Who would choose death and doom over life and prosperity? Unfortunately, the reality is not as simple as that. Many people do choose to gain the world and lose their soul in the process. Therefore, Moses is quite right to say that the choice is counter-intuitive. The Law of the…

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Ash Wednesday

February 17, 2021

    This year our custom for imposing ashes will change in the U.S. However, the practice of sprinkling ashes on the crown of the head as opposed to marking a cross on the forehead is more common throughout the world. Honestly, I prefer the new custom. It felt odd to hear Jesus’ words about…

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Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday

November 28, 2020

It is the custom at Conception Abbey to celebrate a Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturdays during Ordinary Time. The antiphons on this day are taken from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I. In Ordinary Time, Set 2. The readings are of the weekday. The Eucharist today commences with the antiphon:…

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Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

November 27, 2020

  Preface: Throughout this coming week, we will ponder the daily Mass readings from the perspective of the liturgical texts given to us in the Roman Missal and the Lectionary—the entrance and communion antiphons, the responsorial refrains, and the gospel acclamations. These texts provide a unique perspective on the scripture passages of each day and…

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Thanksgiving Day

November 26, 2020

  Specific readings used at Conception Abbey on this day. Preface: Throughout this coming week, we will ponder the daily Mass readings from the perspective of the liturgical texts given to us in the Roman Missal and the Lectionary—the entrance and communion antiphons, the responsorial refrains, and the gospel acclamations. These texts provide a unique…

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Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

November 25, 2020

  Preface: Throughout this coming week, we will ponder the daily Mass readings from the perspective of the liturgical texts given to us in the Roman Missal and the Lectionary—the entrance and communion antiphons, the responsorial refrains and the gospel acclamations. These texts provide a unique perspective on the scripture passages of each day and…

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Memorial of St. Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs

November 24, 2020

Preface: Throughout this coming week, we will ponder the daily Mass readings from the perspective of the liturgical texts given to us in the Roman Missal and the Lectionary—the entrance and communion antiphons, the responsorial refrains, and the gospel acclamations. These texts provide a unique perspective on the scripture passages of each day and often…

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Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

November 23, 2020

  Preface: Throughout this coming week, we will ponder the daily Mass readings from the perspective of the liturgical texts given to us in the Roman Missal and the Lectionary—the entrance and communion antiphons, the responsorial refrains, and the gospel acclamations. These texts provide a unique perspective on the scripture passages of each day and…

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The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

November 22, 2020

  Preface: Throughout this coming week, we will ponder the daily Mass readings from the perspective of the liturgical texts given to us in the Roman Missal and the Lectionary—the entrance and communion antiphons, the responsorial refrains, and the Gospel acclamations. These texts provide a unique perspective on the scripture passages of each day and…

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Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

November 21, 2020

  Today we celebrate the Presentation of the Virgin Mary. It was the custom for Jewish youth to be presented in the Temple in Jerusalem. Mary was presented before God. Mary isn’t just the Mother of God. She is Our Lady of Victory. She is resplendent in her prefiguration of the glory God gives to…

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Friday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

November 20, 2020

  Jesus finally arrives at the Temple in Jerusalem. Here, He drives out those who were selling things. Jesus accuses these merchants of turning the Temple into a “den of thieves,” when it was meant to be a “house of prayer.” (Leave it to Jesus not to be subtle.) Jesus then starts to teach in…

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Thursday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

November 19, 2020

  During this time of division and uncertainty, it’s important to reflect on the importance of peace in our lives and how we stand for truth. There are many problems we see in the world. There are many battles and debates raging around us. Where is our place? What is our duty? How are we…

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Wednesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

November 18, 2020

  Holy, holy, holy. These words echo through the first reading and through the responsorial psalm. The four living creatures that stand before the throne, which resemble a lion, a calf, a man, and an eagle, all recite these words continuously before God. In today’s Gospel, we hear Luke’s take on the story of the…

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Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious

November 17, 2020

  “I will set the victor beside me on my throne.” (Rev. 3:21). Jesus promises a victory to those who follow Him. This isn’t false hope. Jesus will not leave us disappointed. We also have to understand that this isn’t a victory of the World. If we only focus on achieving, we will lose sight…

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Monday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time

November 16, 2020

  The Book of Revelation is our point of entry into the scriptures this week. This mystical volume speaks volumes of God’s ways to us. How do we interpret it? How can we approach it? The first thing to say about Revelation, and the Bible in general, is that it is not to be taken…

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Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

November 15, 2020

  These readings for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time call us to a healthy sense of vigilance. This is the second-to-last Sunday before the Advent Season. The liturgical year of the Catholic Church will begin again, and we will count down the days to the celebration of our Lord Jesus Christ coming in the…

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Saturday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time

November 14, 2020

  In the Gospel today, Jesus offers a strange story, the story of the unjust judge. The judge is unwilling to hear this women’s case, and she becomes dangerously persistent in her demand for change. Unwilling to put himself in danger, the judge rules in her favor. Jesus goes on to say that God is…

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Memorial of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, virgin

November 13, 2020

  “Anyone who is so “progressive” as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God; whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son.” The New Testament is not meant to keep us complacent, rather, it is there to shake us into faith; rattle us into making a…

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Memorial of St. Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr

November 12, 2020

  We like things to be clear, understandable, and obvious. Unnecessary confusion or hiddenness is not appreciated, we live in a scientific society. The naked truth—in the news, in our classrooms, in our churches, in our politics, in our society—is important and desired. However, when it comes to Christ, that’s not always the case. Not…

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Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, Bishop

November 11, 2020

  In the Old Testament, there can be a reality whereby you are made “unclean” — that is unable, because of some physical or moral ailment, amongst other reasons, that prevents you from being able to enter into society or to encounter God. This so because God’s holiness is dangerous to us if we are…

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