Daily Reflections

  Today, Saturday of the 34th week of Ordinary Time is the last day of the liturgical year. Tomorrow, with the First Sunday of Advent, we begin a new liturgical year. Now if we look at the gospel passages for today and tomorrow we will notice something interesting. Today’s Gospel (Lk 21:34-36) we are told…

  The Gospel passage today ends with a very interesting thought from Jesus, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” In the prologue of the gospel of John, John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” A few…

  Today we celebrate the Feast of the Apostle Andrew. In the Gospel passage for this feast (Mt 4:18-22), we see Andrew, along with his brother Simon Peter, being called by Jesus as they fish in their boat. Shortly after we see the brothers James and John also called by Jesus as they mend their…

  In today’s gospel, Jesus presents us with a very interesting contrast. He begins by speaking about coming persecutions that members of the Church will face (and we certainly have throughout history). He speaks of us being hauled before courts, and he concludes by saying that some of us will be put to death. That…

  In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks of the coming destruction of the temple (this actually occurred in 70 AD). People’s curiosity is aroused, and they ask him for the signs that will show that this is about to happen. The signs that Jesus lists are interesting: nations rising against nations, wars; plagues, earthquakes, famines, and…

  In today’s Gospel, Jesus greatly admires the poor widow who puts all of her money into the collection box at the temple. He says of her that she put in more than all of the rest, who were giving out of their surplus. We should all strive to be like her in our own…

  Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King (next Sunday we begin Advent with the First Sunday of Advent). For me, the definitive statement of Christ’s Kingship is actually found in Mt 28:18, when Jesus approaches the Eleven on the mountaintop in Galilee after the Resurrection and says to them: “All power in…

  The Psalms may often be considered too poetic, too repetitive, and perhaps lacking an obvious storyline that the Gospels or other books of the Bible present. Still, the Psalms can be a powerful means of prayer and reflection about one’s relationship with God and how we are to live as Christians. Today’s responsorial psalm…

  In all three of today’s readings, there is a message of reassurance of God’s love for us and His promise never to leave us. There is also a message of thanksgiving for the countless blessings and graces the Lord has bestowed upon us. This message is very fitting for the day after Thanksgiving. To…

  “Jesus, Master have pity on us,” the ten cried out. “And as they were going they were cleansed.” This familiar passage reminds us to give thanks to God. Ten lepers were healed, yet only one returned to Jesus to give thanks. How often do we fail to give thanks to God? How many times…

  In the first reading today, we hear of a family who had great courage in the face of tremendous pain. The second book of Maccabees tells us that seven brothers died for the sake of God and to keep His commands. Their mother witnessed the death of her sons, but she had great courage…

  There is a surprising connection between our Old Testament reading and our Gospel reading for the day. Both describe similar events, but they appear contrary to each other. Eleazar faces martyrdom because he refuses to take up the practices of an alien religion. Jesus faces ridicule because “he has gone to stay at the…

  In today’s Gospel, we hear of a blind man sitting by the road as Jesus and the crowd walk past. As he walks past, the blind man calls out to Jesus hoping to be healed, and yet the crowd tries to silence his pleas. As our society slowly becomes more anti-God and anti-faith, it…

  In today’s Gospel, Jesus shares with his disciples a parable of a master and his three servants. The master gives the first servant five talents, the second servant two, and the third servant one. The first servant immediately goes out and makes another five talents, and the second servant makes another two. However, the…

  “Remember the marvels the Lord has done!” So, we pray in the psalm response. The first reading from the Book of Wisdom is a summary of God’s mighty deeds for his Chosen People. And the Christian world sees in the opening verses (14ff), a reference to the coming of the Word – the all-powerful…

  The Gospel speaks of judgment. At the judgment the question will be: is the Kingdom within you? Are you part of that Kingdom? That’s the question put to us every day: are you part of the Kingdom of God? Is the Spirit of the Kingdom within you? By our actions, are we clearly identified…

  We hear the instruction about the spirit and the power of wisdom. “Compared to light, she takes precedence; for that, indeed, night supplants, but wickedness prevails not over Wisdom. Indeed, she reaches from end to end mightily and governs all things well.” Jesus speaks of the coming of the kingdom in answer to the…

  “Set your desire on my words.” Long for them, and you will be instructed. They will be made holy who observe holy things in holiness. Your faith has made you well. Three simple thoughts with powerful consequences. We are instructed to long for the words of the Lord, to ponder the Word of God,…

  Speakers of many kinds and on many different occasions seem to like to state things in three’s – one radio show (Garrison Keillor) would end with, “Be well, keep in touch, and do good work.” Kind of a good wish for the day. We hear these sometimes in Scripture too – one comes to…

  We continue readings from the Book of Wisdom. The book begins: “Love justice you who judge the earth; seek him in integrity of heart.” Jesus tells his disciples to guard against leading anyone into sin. He also repeats words found elsewhere in the gospel about forgiveness: if someone wrongs you and seeks forgiveness, then…

  On November 1, we celebrated the Feast of All Saints—celebrating all those saints who are now with God. We celebrated the Body of Christ—living in glory in the heavenly kingdom, those of us called to be holy here on earth below. And the next day (All Souls), we celebrated and remembered those on their…

  Mammon comes from the word “amen,” which is a confirmation of faith. Therefore, mammon refers to a treacherous object in which people put their faith, such as money, that will inevitably fail to live up to their faith. Jesus is offering a warning not to rely on money and suggests that it is often…

  St. Paul is attempting to fulfill the command of Jesus to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, with the request that the Christians in Rome support him in continuing beyond Rome to what is now Spain. At this time, the Spanish peninsula would have been considered the farthest west that one…

  Today is the anniversary of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome. Contrary to popular belief, St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is not the cathedral of Rome. Rather, the Lateran Basilica of St. John is the cathedral of Rome and, therefore, the cathedral of the whole Catholic Church. That is why the whole…

  Today’s Gospel passage is very challenging as Jesus expects his disciples to “hate” their family members and even their own lives. He does not want us, however, to attack our family members or to wish harm upon them. His point is that nothing should have a higher priority than following him. Each of us…

  I grew up in a small town with a close-knit Catholic parish and school. That parish community was the lens through which I saw the whole world, and it was only after leaving my hometown that I discovered that not everyone has a strong parish community in which they know everyone and come together…

  The term “blessed” can also be translated as “happy.” When it comes to performing works of service, we don’t automatically think of how they make us happy. More often we groan in anticipation of the work and the time that we are giving up for someone else. Others may do well to focus on…

  There’s an imbalance when we are left standing before those sitting. It may be facing the boss at his desk or the principal in his office, or maybe it’s the judge seated up on his bench in the courtroom that we never expected to be in, or even the pastor of the church letting…

  St. Paul fascinates me. He was raised a fervent Jew. He sat at the feet of the famous rabbi, Gamaliel, in preparation to become a rabbi, too. He was learned in the ways of the Pharisees and embraced the Law so much that he approved the stoning of those who disregarded the Law. How…