Daily Reflections

  Today we celebrate the Church’s birthday and the mission that the Holy Spirit gave to Our Lady and those gathered in the upper room—to go out and spread the gospel. As our responsorial psalm says today, “Lord send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth.” We are called to do the…

  “Master, who is the one who will betray you?” This is asked of Jesus in today’s gospel. The sad truth is that it wasn’t just one person who would betray Jesus, it would be the whole world. Mankind—all of us are responsible for Christ’s death. We betrayed Jesus by our sins. Tomorrow, we close…

  Today’s gospel is the famous story of Jesus asking Simon Peter, “Do you love me.” Not just once, but three times! You can look up in theology books to see what the scholars say about this. Me, I have my own idea of why Jesus did this. A reminder that right before this Jesus…

  A couple of weeks ago, England crowned a new King. It was an event covered by lots and lots of media. Most of the media said that this ceremony was rich in history and tradition. The English are quite proud of their traditions, like this coronation event. The King’s coronation ceremony has many traditions…

  We are in graduation season. Lots of parishes are having special Masses for graduates and giving them special blessings. The parish I was assigned to in Oklahoma City did this. We had a special graduation Mass for our eighth graders heading on to high school. I thought it was important to not just bless…

  In our first reading, Paul is addressing the presbyters of Ephesus; it’s basically a farewell address. Paul says something striking that we need to note. He tells all he has done for the community, and then says, “Compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.” Compelled, for me, is a strong word—sounds more…

  Jesus tells the disciples that the hour is coming when they will all be scattered to their own homes. The team is breaking up, and all will be on their own. Are the disciples ready for this? Are they worried that they won’t have the support of each other when they are on their…

  Last month my family remembered the anniversary of my mother’s passing. I can still remember that day, saying goodbye to Mom. My Dad and all my siblings were with her as she took her final breath. Mom was the boss that all of us kids took direction from. And after her death, we felt…

  We conclude the Victory tour this week with Paul’s journey. He goes from place to place and gives strength to the Disciples. This is a far cry from when he persecuted Christians just a short time before. He has been given a new beginning, a new lease on life, and now he goes around…

  When we suffer, it brings us to our own depths. When we endure certain pains, we feel them deeply. We cannot put up a front. Jesus tells His Disciples that they will suffer. He points to the example of a woman in labor who bears much pain so that her child will live. He…

  If you are in a Diocese that celebrates Ascension today or in a local Church where it will be celebrated next Sunday, you will hear the theme of separation in the Gospel. Jesus is preparing to make His exit. He will leave His Disciples. The Holy Spirit will come. Separation is a trial. Parents…

  There was an old anime cartoon show I watched as a kid—or it is old to me. Two rivals were competing in a tournament and the winner would go on to be the greatest in the game. They bantered back and forth, and the first one said to the second that he couldn’t wait…

  Jesus speaks in today’s Gospel about the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, again. We have been hearing much about this Divine Friend as we march on toward Ascension and Pentecost in the Liturgy. The Advocate will come to “convict the World.” The Advocate will speak for righteousness. Paul and Silas faced abhorrent treatment for their…

  Easter celebrates Christ’s victory over death and our calling to receive His gift of Eternal Life. The whole Easter season is like a “victory tour.” We know that Christ has risen and that we carry that message forward. Yet this victory comes with the Cross. We are never without the weight of the Cross…

  Theatre is one of the best performing arts. So much work goes into preparing a play and performing it that it is something that builds good character and creativity. It is so great to get a show “on the road” and ready to perform. In theatre, every role is vital to the performance. The…

  In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us a very important truth: that in every age, the Gospel encounters opposition. We see this in Jesus’ own life, since the opposition to him and his ministry conspires to have him crucified. They actually succeed in this, but as we have seen with Easter, their triumph over Jesus…

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus gives us his own commandment for how we are to live: “love one another as I have loved you.” So Christ’s command to us is to love the way that he loves. In order to fully grasp this, we must understand that love is the very heart of God’s commandments…

  In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus says to us “if you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.” When I read that sentence, I find it a little off-putting, and I suspect most everyone else does also. I think this is because we tend to feel that God’s commandments are somewhat arbitrary and…

  If you happen to be at Conception Abbey on this day and attend Mass or one of the major hours of prayer, Vigils, Lauds, or Vespers, you will notice that the monks are wearing more than our usual monastic habits. Over the top of the habit, we will be wearing an extra-long, black flowing…

  In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus tells us “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” He also tells us “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” If we want to know what it looks like to live by these two sayings of Jesus, we see a perfect example in the…

  In today’s first reading, Paul and Barnabas enter the town of Lystra and begin preaching the Gospel to the inhabitants of that town. In the midst of their preaching, Paul spots a man who has been crippled from birth. Paul recognizes that the man has the faith to be healed and so tells him…

  Possibly the most intimidating thing that Jesus says to us is found in the Sermon on the Mount, (Matthew 5:48). In this verse, Jesus says to us, “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” That is the RSVCE version. The New America version, that we more commonly use in our…

  One should take a deep breath and consider carefully the possible ramifications before one prays, “Thy Will be done.” For control freaks, this will be very difficult. St. Paul and Barnabas experienced great success in Antioch, where the community embraced the Good News and were called Christians. Now in a different Antioch (in Pisidia)…

  Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, presented something he called the 10,000-hour rule. Basically, in order to master a particular skill, it takes 10,000 hours of intensive practice. Anders Ericsson modified that rule in a 1993 research paper to include “deliberate practice,” by which he meant that a teacher’s guidance was also necessary to…

  In the first reading for Mass today, St. Paul is speaking in a synagogue to others of Jewish heritage. All would have known what was written about the long-awaited Messiah. Nonetheless, St. Paul leads them through a history lesson from the lawgiver Moses, through the prophet Samuel, and to King David. What is new…

  By the time that St. Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians around 56 AD, the young Church was exhorting its followers that salvation depended on knowing the Good News and holding fast to it. Such Good News included these things about Christ: Christ died for our sins He was buried He was…

  Those sheep who do not belong to Christ do not recognize the Shepherd’s voice. There was no shortage of persons who were intrigued by Jesus. They knew him as the son of Joseph and Mary. They were curious when he performed extraordinary acts. But, ironically, on the Feast of the Dedication (Hanukkah, or Festival…

  Today is the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker. Human beings, created in the image and likeness of God, have the dignity of being sons and daughters of God. This dignity is not to be taken lightly. As we progress from children to adults, we, in a sense, go from being sheep to being…

  What is a sheep? What is a shepherd? What does it mean to follow Christ? Being called a sheep might mean that I am a follower, I stay with the herd, and I do not go out on my own. It might mean that I need others in my life, I must trust someone…

  Anyone who knows about earthquakes also knows about aftershocks. They follow the big one. Perhaps the earthquake image can describe the effect of some of the statements and challenges Jesus lays out for the early Christian community. Today’s Gospel is easily seen as a continuation of yesterday’s Gospel in which Jesus clearly calls himself…

  “But that’s impossible!” Surely this must have been the response of people who heard that the well-known Paul of Tarsus had suddenly become a follower of Jesus. How was it possible that this Jewish super zealot who had broken into people’s homes to arrest anyone claiming to follow The Way had been totally changed?…

  Hitchhiking is rare these days. Years ago, in less dangerous times it was common to “hitch” or “thumb” a ride. Many times that brief chance encounter resulted in a powerful memory either for the driver or the passenger. We can delight in the story of the Ethiopian eunuch who just happened to be passing…

  Do you remember as a young kid watching a movie and about halfway through you began to think that the ending was coming soon and you felt sad because you didn’t want it to end? Was that an early experience of the struggle between fantasy and the world of reality? What was more important…

  If you were asked to make a list of contemporary heroes, whom would you choose? I would suggest our own first responders. They know what to do when called upon. They are people with a mission. Rewinding to the early Church, I suggest that St. Mark the Evangelist, today’s feast day, should be called…

  Like a bell that continues to resonate long after it has been struck, our reflections on the Word of God during this Easter season cause us to stop and linger in the silence. We can wonder what it must have been like for the early Church to ponder and digest the most drastic fluctuations…

  Some things are meant to be savored. It takes time and gentle reverence to allow goodness to come to the surface. Maybe that’s the way we come to know the most important things in life. If that’s true then we’re still moving toward an answer in response to that common question, “What just happened?”…

  Today’s extract from the gospel of St. John brings us great consolation and hope: “The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing…they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid”…