Daily Reflections

  “How is your prayer life?” I’ll admit that this is one of my favorite questions to ask. I’m a priest and a spiritual director, so it only seems to appropriate. The responses I receive are varied. “Good”—okay, that’s positive, but tells me very little. “It could be better”—which could probably be applied to everyone.…

  It was the year 1999, a time when most of the seminarians I work with weren’t even born yet. There was concern that computers would have difficulty transitioning from the year 1999 to 2000, and some people were worried there was going to be a meltdown of epic proportion. Companies sold “Y2K” survival kits,…

  Today wraps up having seminarians of Conception Seminary College as our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day featured a reflection from a different seminarian, mixed in with reflections from Fr. Pachomius, Conception’s Dean of Students. This has been an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education to practice…

  Seminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. Today we hear from…

  Seminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. In today’s gospel from…

  Seminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. “Your faith has saved…

  Seminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. Today is the Feast…

  Seminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. “Be on your guard”…

  “I have nothing.” “The jar shall not go empty.” Nothingness and emptiness – is there a difference? Nothingness brings to mind a sense of desolation and darkness. Emptiness isn’t so bleak; something empty can be filled: my car’s on “E”, but I fill up at the gas station. Although we may describe situations interchangeably…

  Seminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. In our first reading…

  Seminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. St. Paul takes a…

  Seminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. Today we celebrate the…

  Seminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. In the Gospel for…

  Seminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. “There are three deaths.…

  Seminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. On this Solemnity of…

  Seminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian, mixed in with reflections from Fr. Pachomius, Conception’s Dean of Students. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education to practice and connect with the…

  Do you spend time with friends or family around a dinner table? Is it still common for you to have your family come together and eat? Sharing a meal can emphasize community, nourishment, togetherness, love, and support. It can also be a time of anxiety, distress, dread, or anger. When we come to the…

  Jesus spoke these words to the scholars of the law to challenge their way of thinking about the Sabbath. For the scholars, the Sabbath was sacred, as it is for us, but it became a burden of extreme inactivity—not even good deeds were permitted. Jesus tells them that the Sabbath is demanded not to…

  Any important decision needs to begin with prayer. The Rule of St. Benedict says that any good work must start with prayer. In the Gospel today, even Jesus spends the night in prayer before making the critical decision of choosing his apostles. How does prayer help us make good decisions? Two thoughts can help.…

  In our first reading today, we hear some confusing words, “and those he predestined he also called; and those called—justified; those justified he also glorified.” What does this phrase, ‘he predestined’ mean? Are we stuck with what God has decided for us? Are we not free to act and choose as we wish? Are…

  “It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.” We hear this phrase a few places in the scriptures, especially with regards to the size of the seed, “it’s the smallest.” Often, as an act of false humility, we will say to ourselves, “oh, I’m nobody. I just…

  “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba, Father!” Do we believe these words? Do we genuinely believe that we are beloved…

  Part of the Christian experience is the tension between need, prayer, and waiting. We struggle in life, and amid that struggle, call out to God for help. This calling out in prayer might last quite a long time, years maybe. In that waiting, we are tempted to fall away because God doesn’t seem to…

  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…

  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…

  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…

  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…

  We celebrate today the memorial of eight Jesuit missionaries who came to North America from France to preach the gospel among the native peoples of Canada. The entrance antiphon—“May we never boast, except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (Cf. Gal 6:14; 1 Cor 1:18)—speaks directly to our first reading today from…

  The liturgy for the Feast of St. Luke opens with the familiar quotation from Isaiah the prophet about the messenger who brings good news: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings of peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation!” (Is 52:7). In the first reading from 2nd Timothy,…

  The liturgy of this Sunday opens with the words of the antiphon: “To you I call, for you will surely heed me, O God; turn your ear to me; hear my words. Guard me as the apple of your eye; in the shadow of your wings protect me” (Ps 17(16):6,8). In the context of…

  Here we are, Saturday, another great day for MIZZOU football (hopefully) and another great Saturday to honor Our Lady! Jesus tells his disciples today, “When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For…

  Today is the feast day of the great St. Teresa of Ávila! She once said, “Have courage for whatever comes in life – everything lies in that.” Jesus says in today’s Gospel, “I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body…Even the hairs of your head have all…

  Today’s Gospel says, “When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things, for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.” On Tuesday, I asked you if you are a follower of Jesus or a Pharisee, so I pose…

  “The Lord said to the Pharisees, ‘Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be…

  In the Alleluia verse today, we hear “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” When we hear the word of God, we should never harden our hearts. Yes, there are times when we want to grumble and complain to the Lord, and you know what, that’s ok! Today is the optional…

  There has been a lot going on in my life lately, which can make me nervous and full of anxiety, so much so that I become paralyzed and don’t know what to do. Our first reading from Wisdom has a great antidote for that! “I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and…

  Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it. This is one of the shortest passages selected for the liturgy. And its words are simple yet potent. A woman in the crowd was clearly moved, inspired, and swept up by the words she heard from Jesus. Possibly thinking this really is…

  Questioning. Questioning motives? Questioning who is this? How does he/she do this or that? By what authority? Or in the case of the Gospel, false claims – He drives out demons by the power of the devil himself. We are familiar with such questionings and dubious claims. Sometimes these even arise in response to…

  Jesus’ instructions to his disciples on prayer continue in today’s Gospel passage. In yesterday’s Gospel, he instructed them in the form that prayer should take and gave them a model. Today’s passage extends that further and says something about how to use that form and the attitude that guides prayer. The key idea seems…

  Today’s Gospel begins with a simple request of the Lord: teach us to pray. Jesus’ answer is very familiar and very simple. the words we know so well. The words of this prayer, the Lord’s own prayer, tell us much about prayer and serve as a model for our prayer. We know it well.…