Daily Reflections

  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…

  Our reading at Mass from the Gospel of St. Luke provides another story that is similar to the Gospel read last Monday. Jesus once again heals someone (this time a man) on the Sabbath in the presence of Pharisees. These deliberate “violations” of the Law in the presence of teachers of the Law took…

  Today we celebrate All Souls Day (aka Commemoration of the Faithful Departed). According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “The theological basis for the feast is the doctrine that the souls which, on departing from the body, are not perfectly cleansed from venial sins, or have not fully atoned for past transgressions, are debarred from the…

  Saints have always been revered by the Catholic Church. Recognition of someone who led a good and virtuous life would start in the area where the person lived. By word-of-mouth, his or her reputation might expand and draw people from far-off lands on pilgrimage. By the ninth century, Pope Gregory IV formally established November…

  When I think about what Heaven might be like, I usually think about all those things that make me happy and all those things that bring me joy. I don’t usually think about things that have made me sad or uncomfortable. Frankly, I would rather avoid those things. If Heaven is the result of…

  As time passes, we discover that none of these rules cover every particular circumstance that can happen. So we get together and agree upon additional rules to guide us. Before you know it, 613 laws get developed (or a Bill of Rights that is tacked on to a Constitution). Many of these “add-ons” are…

  None of us goes to God individually. I may have a personal desire for holiness and virtues. But these are refined through my relationships. Wherever two or more are gathered, there must be agreed-upon rules for the relationships. What is acceptable behavior? What are common values among those in the group, and how should…

  The Gospel for this feast of the apostles Simon and Jude begins with the words: “Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.” This brief introduction to the account of Jesus’ selection of his twelve disciples could easily be overlooked as merely setting the scene,…

  In our opening reading today, St. Paul reminds us of our basic human condition: “I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh…I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want” (Rom 7:18-19). Each of us can attest to that reality…

  We hear today of St. Paul’s description of our sinful human condition as slavery to impurity and lawlessness. Slaves are persons who submit their wills to the control of another—either through coercion or by self-surrender. We become slaves to sin by following our own desires rather than submitting to the Lord’s will. We become…

  The first reading of our liturgy today from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans continues his discussion of our struggle with the reality of sin in our lives: “Sin must not reign over your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires. And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin as…

  Today’s gospel presents the image of the faithful and vigilant servants who await the return of their master from a wedding. As we approach the end of the Church year, the readings at the Eucharist focus on the end times, upon Jesus’ return in glory. “Be vigilant at all times and pray that you…

  The parable of the rich man with the bountiful harvest is presented today for our reflection in the Gospel passage from St. Luke. You know the familiar story. A wealthy man has a bumper crop this particular season and decides that he needs to tear down his barns and build larger ones in order…

  “Great is the Lord and highly to be praised, awesome is he, beyond all gods.” These words from today’s responsorial psalm (Ps 96:4) provide a bridge to understanding the meaning of the readings of this Sunday and present a challenge to our spiritual growth. In the opening reading from the book of the prophet…

  As we end this week together, I want to end with the beginning. Our life in the Church is nourished and supported by the signs of the Catholic Faith, the Holy Sacraments. The first Sacrament opens the door to faith for each and every believer. When a person is baptized, they take on the…

  When a man comes to seminary to discern the priesthood, he engages in a process that we call “formation.” The candidate undergoes evaluations of his character, health, pastoral skills, spiritual life, and academic ability. Nothing is left off the table. Seminary is a blessed time in the life of the Seminarian and one that…

  Mercy is the medicine of the spiritual life. Here we have it calling out again from the sacred scriptures. Mercy is something that comes down from Heaven and gives proper merit, granting reprieve to the one who gives it and the one who receives, to quote the Merchant of Venice. The long and short…

  St. Luke’s feast day got me thinking about Fr. Lukas Etlin, a certain good monk from my religious community. He is the only monk who had a cause for canonization open for Conception Abbey. He was a chaplain and confessor and he painted the mural of the Immaculate Conception in the Abbey’s Basilica. He…

  When I was growing up, I watched professional wrestling. People who know me probably think that’s where I got my manners. Anyway, I loved the storylines and the action and all the work that went into the shows. One thing that pro-wrestling fans will tell you is that it is not fake. The shows…

  “There is something greater than Solomon … something greater than Jonah here.” Solomon, Jonah. What would that better thing be? There comes a time when someone has an important message to give and they speak with greater urgency. Jesus is Lord and He was offering the message of the good news, the coming of…

  In this time of the Eucharistic Revival, I would like to approach another beautiful Sacrament, marriage. When a man and a woman join hands and hearts and choose to be married in the Church, they are joining in love, becoming one flesh in Christ Jesus. The truth behind the mystery of the Sacrament is…

  “Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God: But only he who sees takes off his shoes. …” This partial quote from E.B. Browning‘s Aurora Leigh might be a hint of a heartfelt gasp of joy and wonder coming from a person of distant times and circumstances, and yet it captures…

  Today’s first reading from the Prophet Joel has a familiar ring to it. We hear from this Book of Joel proclaiming a season of fast and abstinence at the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. It is a call to arms to do battle with the powers of evil and prepare for the ultimate…

  I was surprised to find so many songs and videos on the internet that incorporated some form of an old far-ranging title: “Ya gotta have hope!” Our Responsorial psalm today uses words that are, yes, a bit more formal: “Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.” These rather formal words, nevertheless, provide a…

  We continue to follow the reluctant mission of Jonah to the people of Nineveh but today’s Scripture reading shows a major shift in his attitude. He has stopped running away and finally decided to accept God’s will. He therefore began the three-day walk through the city to warn the people to change their ways.…

Fascinating stories have touched the imagination of countless generations down through the centuries. Apart from the fascinating power of the story itself, we believe that in the Bible, the Spirit of the Lord inspires both the storyteller and the listener. Today we begin the first part of the fascinating story of Jonah who fled God’s…

  It’s not hard to find a connecting theme within the Scripture readings for this Twenty-seventh Sunday of the Year. It’s the vineyard! This is a favorite image throughout the Old Testament including the Prophet Isaias as well as Jesus in today’s Gospel. Why is the vineyard such a powerful teaching tool? First of all,…

  Initially, this feast commemorated the defeat of the Turkish forces on the western coast of Greece in 1571. The people of the area were called upon to pray the Rosary; because of this, they were victorious. It is good for us to see the Rosary as a weapon against our enemies. We pray the…

  We often have an image of Christ that is only merciful, loving, and gentle. Christ is all these things, but he is also just. Justice demands that what is due to a person be given to them. What is due may be good, or it may be bad. When you work, you are owed…

  Jesus is sending out 72 disciples to go and prepare his way. To do this, he tells them they are to carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals, and surprisingly, greet no one on the way. These are strange instructions for travelers. What can we learn from these demands? Carry no money bag.…

  How willing are you to follow Jesus? When we have those special moments of grace, it is easy to say to Jesus, “Yes, of course, I will follow you!” Then, often too quickly, our commitment fades, life gets hard, and we find ourselves alone on the road once again. In our Gospel today, Jesus…

  Did you know that Conception Seminary’s mascot comes from this Gospel? The seminarians are the “Sons of Thunder!” James and John are on fire for God’s justice–Lord, let us pray for their destruction! The Lord roundly rebukes them. We all have our passions that drive us to do good. It could be politics, liturgy,…

  Angels capture our imagination. Society loves to depict angels in movies and television series because they are exciting and exotic. Biblically, this is true as well. Imagine suddenly seeing a giant eye-covered wheel (look up biblically accurate angels) before you. I would need that angel’s voice to tell me, as is often depicted, “Be…

  Guilt and shame are two everyday experiences in life. For good or ill, guilt and shame shape our thoughts and actions. Today’s Gospel story helps us navigate those feelings, recognizing what is good and what needs to be rejected. It must be first asked, what is guilt and shame? As something to be rejected,…

  Last Sunday’s Gospel ended with the phrase “The last will be first, and the first will be last.” What can this mean for your faith? How can we interpret this in regard to the signs of the times? A good way to put it is that it is not over until it is over.…

  The tour we receive this week through the Gospel of Luke is interrupted by this beautiful feast of the Archangels. Conception Abbey celebrates this day as a full Solemnity, the highest feast in the Catholic liturgical calendar. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. They are the most beautiful of angels! They serve before God and constantly…

  A point comes in everyone’s life where we are forced to consider what we have done. This can be at a time for conversion where we change a bad habit and come closer to God. A time of deep reflection helps us to come to terms with a traumatic event or a deep interior…

  In this time of the Church’s history, Christ’s Bride faces different obstacles. A decrease in religious vocations is one of the main problems facing the American Church. I do not want to sound dire or dour. This age carries many blessings. The path to living out a Christian vocation is something most blessed and…

  A man fell into hard times in his life. He lost his job and he had been cut out of his family’s inheritance by his brother. So, one day he attended Church for the first time in years, and he heard the preacher say that, to one effect or another, God helps those who…

  It is said that Thomas Edison attempted to make the world’s first incandescent lightbulb more than 2,000 times. When he finally succeeded in doing so, he invented the thing that would make artificial light possible for all of us. When asked about how many times he attempted to make the lightbulb, he said he…