Daily Reflections

Monday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

February 7, 2022

  After a journey on the sea, Jesus and his disciples dock their boat in Gennesaret. After hearing the news that Jesus arrived in their city, the people scurried to bring the sick to Jesus, so that he might heal them. Jesus healed many people that day. The sick people healed that day had the…

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Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

February 6, 2022

  On the television show, “The Deadliest Catch,” a camera crew follows crab fishermen out on dangerous seas and film and document their crab catches. The fishermen use big cages as their nets. These cages catch everything, not just crab. When these nets, these cages, are collected from the sea, the fishermen go through the…

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Memorial of St. Agatha, virgin and martyr

February 5, 2022

  St. Agatha is honored today in the Roman calendar. She suffered martyrdom for the faith in the mid-third century. Yesterday I wrote about St. John the Baptist and witnessing for the Christian faith in a secular age. Today, I want to write about witnessing our faith in ordinary ways. That’s paradoxical because St. Agatha…

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Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

February 4, 2022

  John the Baptist’s fate is one of tragedy that stemmed from envy and anger. Herod had married the wife of his dead brother. He did this wrongly, and John called him on it. Herodias, his former sister-in-law turned wife, heard this criticism and “harbored a grudge” against John. Eventually, she prevailed upon Herod to…

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Thursday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

February 3, 2022

  Reform and social change are ideas that come to the forefront at certain times in history. Change is not a bad thing. Social causes can lead to positive outcomes. An unfortunate outcome happens when social movements lose sight of their original ideals. The ideology of a social cause can make enemies out of people…

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Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

February 2, 2022

  Jesus is presented by his parents in the Temple in Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph of Nazareth have brought their son to perform this rite as an obligation of their Jewish Faith. They saw it as their duty as parents, and their privilege, to raise their son in a life of faith. This is what…

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Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

February 1, 2022

  “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom!” Today’s readings deal with losing a child, one of the hardest tragedies a person can endure. David’s son Absalom dies in the midst of war, and Jesus encounters a Synagogue official whose daughter is on the verge of death. This is a part of the…

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Memorial of St. John Bosco, priest

January 31, 2022

  David the King faces the worst trial imaginable. He is running from a political rival to his throne, and the usurper is no other than his own son, Absolum. He flees with a loyal group of soldiers and advisors. As they are leaving Jerusalem they encounter Shimei, who mocks and taunts David and his…

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Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 30, 2022

  Jeremiah’s reading today is a description of divine intimacy between God and man, between the Creator and the created. “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” God knows us through and through. One cannot hide from God, and need not even try. The Lord gives Jeremiah his strength. He “fortifies” Jeremiah…

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Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

January 29, 2022

  Today in the Gospel, we hear about the storm on the sea and Jesus sleeping. His disciples are filled with anxiety, saying, “‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then…

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

January 28, 2022

  In our alleluia verse today, we hear “Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.” Recently I was at Sunday Mass with my family, and my 4-year-old nephew said to me, “Br. Max can we go to adoration?” I took my nephew…

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Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

January 27, 2022

  Reading today’s Gospel, I am reminded of the great sacrament of reconciliation when Jesus says to his disciples, “For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.” Do you pour out your heart to God, especially…

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Memorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus, Bishops

January 26, 2022

  Today is the feast of Sts. Timothy and Titus. Like most of the Apostles, we don’t know too much about these two only that they were chosen by Jesus to lead his people. The responsorial verse for today is, “Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.” Like Timothy and Titus, we are called…

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Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle

January 25, 2022

  On this great Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, the Alleluia verse reads, “I chose you from the world, to go and bear fruit that will last, says the Lord.” This little saying should make us feel good but also remind us that we have a mission to do! God chose us to…

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

January 24, 2022

  Today in our Gospel reading, there is one word that comes to mind, unity. Jesus tells the Scribes “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan…

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Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 23, 2022

  In the first reading today, we hear, “Today is holy to the LORD your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep… Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our LORD. Do not be saddened this day, for…

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Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

January 22, 2022

  On this day, the anniversary of the court decision of Roe vs. Wade, we pause to pray for the legal protection of unborn children. The opening refrain of the liturgy is the desolate cry of the unborn child: “For the sake of your name, O Lord, give me life” Cf. Ps 143:11. The first…

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Memorial of St. Agnes, virgin and martyr

January 21, 2022

  We commemorate today the early Christian martyr, Saint Agnes of Rome. The entrance antiphon for this day is a profound statement about the meaning of her martyrdom: “Blessed is the virgin who by denying herself and taking up her cross imitated the Lord, the spouse of virgins and prince of martyrs.” Agnes yielded to…

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Thursday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

January 20, 2022

Foreword: During Ordinary Time, the entrance and communion antiphons of the Sunday liturgy are repeated throughout the week. In this way, the themes developed at the Sunday mass are enriched and expanded as they interact with the different readings found on each day of the following week in much the same way that a kaleidoscope…

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Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

January 19, 2022

  Foreword: During Ordinary Time, the entrance and communion antiphons of the Sunday liturgy are repeated throughout the week. In this way, the themes developed at the Sunday mass are enriched and expanded as they interact with the different readings found on each day of the following week in much the same way that a…

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Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time

January 18, 2022

  On this opening day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (always one week before the Conversion of St. Paul), the first reading relates the story of the call of the young shepherd, David, to be the Lord’s anointed one (1 Sam 16:1-13). It is David whom God has chosen to unify the…

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Memorial of St. Anthony, abbot

January 17, 2022

  Today we celebrate the memorial of St. Anthony of the Desert, a Christian monk from Egypt whose life of simplicity caused many to consider him as the Father of Monasticism. It is fitting that we open the liturgy with the refrain from Ps 92, “The just will flourish like the palm tree, and grow…

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Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 16, 2022

  The Christmas season officially ended last Sunday with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. However, today and through the coming weeks, our scripture readings continue to show us God revealing his glory through Christ, the long-awaited Messiah. The liturgy today opens with an antiphon that reminds us of Epiphany: “All the earth…

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Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

January 15, 2022

  “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” This motive for his coming to earth is clearly expressed in these words of Jesus in today’s Gospel: he came to call sinners! We can even say that this is what the Church is – sinners seeking to repent and find a new life.…

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Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

January 14, 2022

  “Not so, there must be a king over us.” In each Eucharist, the divine call comes intimately to us. It is always a call to the blessedness of trusting in God as our Father! Yet we struggle because we do not want a king to rule over us! We want some intermediary between our…

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Thursday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

January 13, 2022

  The story in the first reading, of the defeat of Israel and the capture of the Ark of the Covenant, can prompt us to give some thought to how we use sacramentals, such as medals or holy water. The Church tells us in her Catechism (#1670) that the “Sacramentals, …by the Church’s prayer, prepare…

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Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

January 12, 2022

  “(Jesus) went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.” C.S. Lewis, in his book, “The Screwtape Letters,” comments: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to…

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Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

January 11, 2022

  Today’s opening prayer today is a good place to begin: Father of love, hear our prayers. Help us to know your will and to do it with courage and faith. Our faith is in the Risen Christ, present and at work in our midst and within us. His courage comes from his gift of…

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Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

January 10, 2022

  “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The initiative is God’s! Our lives don’t often feel this. Our energies, rather, are directed in ways that look very much like we’ve got to plan out our lives or they won’t get lived! There is nothing new in the struggling involved. Since…

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The Baptism of the Lord

January 9, 2022

    One of the things that parents, grandparents, and any who try to hand on the faith, find difficult is how to do this in a society that is not always friendly to the life of faith. The difficulty is real in a world increasingly competing for our time. Religious observances, family life, leisure…

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Saturday after Epiphany

January 8, 2022

  St. John writes, “Children, be on your guard against idols.” When I think of “idols” I most often think of small stone statues that a non-Christian might have adorning their house. Since I don’t worship statues, I should be fine, right? Perhaps a better way to examine our conscience might be to ask, “What,…

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Friday after Epiphany

January 7, 2022

  You need a retreat. Yes, you! Jesus finds Himself in the midst of full-time healing ministry—cleansing the leper and having great crowds assembled before Him to listen to His words and seek his healing power. He must have felt pressure and responsibility to minister to all of these people, but He also felt a…

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Thursday after Epiphany

January 6, 2022

  St. John writes, “If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar…” If these words don’t make you at least a little uncomfortable, then carefully read them again. Servant of God Dorothy Day reflected a similar sentiment when she wrote: “I really only love God as much as the…

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Memorial of St. Neumann, bishop

January 5, 2022

  St. John writes, “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.” Faith takes root and people are transformed when they come to a “heart knowledge” of this reality of God’s love. I have seen it again and again in spiritual direction and in the lives of my…

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Memorial of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious

January 4, 2022

  St. John reminds us of the foundational truth necessary for our lives: God is love, and God first loved us. Love is both the foundation of our life of faith and the test of our faith. Love must demonstrate itself in practice. Jesus shows us what love is as His heart is moved with…

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Monday after Epiphany

January 3, 2022

  Discernment is a word that is rather common if you work in seminary formation, but for most people, it’s probably not one that enters into your everyday conversation. Discernment is the ability to judge well, or distinguish between choices or options. Most often in the Christian context, it has to do with distinguishing between…

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The Epiphany of the Lord

January 2, 2022

    The story of salvation history is a story of adventure, of people on a journey. Abram is called away from his homeland to go to a land God would show him. Moses is to lead his people out of Egypt, Jesus’ disciples are sent out two by two. When we seek God, we…

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Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

January 1, 2022

  Not many of us have left Mass on Corpus Christi crying out: “Transubstantiation!” Not many of us here have probably ever left the Feast of Christ the King to shout: “Viva Cristo Rey!” Yet in the year 431 after the Council of Ephesus, the common folk of that city ran through the streets in…

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The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas

December 31, 2021

  As we become more technologically advanced, we think less about times and seasons. Even farmers who are tied to land and weather have found ways to overcome much. Here in the country, farmers’ wives lament that farm implements now have headlights and that they plant and harvest without ending when the sun goes down.…

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The Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas

December 30, 2021

  I find myself jealous of the Evangelists at times – only four men got to write Christ’s story, inspired by the Holy Spirit. When we consider the differences in the gospels, we consider that they were not just chroniclers of facts but also storytellers. In other words, they used details to bring out greater…

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