Daily Reflections
In today’s gospel, Jesus shows us why his opponents have such a hard time with him and ultimately reject him. It begins when they ask him a question: “by what authority are you doing these things?” This seems like an honest question, but what Jesus does in answer shows that it is not. Jesus…
In the middle of today’s gospel, we have the cleansing of the Temple. Jesus arrives at the Temple in Jerusalem, and, not liking what he is seeing, he throws a small personal riot. He overturns the tables of the money changers and the sellers of doves and chases out all of those dealing in…
Today’s gospel recounts Jesus’ encounter with the blind Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus is sitting by the side of the road, and he hears that the man Jesus is passing by. Knowing Jesus’ reputation for healing, Bartimaeus cries out, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!” And he keeps calling out like this, even when others…
Today’s gospel passage begins with Jesus telling the disciples about his coming Passion, which will occur when they get to Jerusalem. Shortly after this, he is approached by James and John, who ask him: “Grant that in your glory we may sit, one at your right and the other at your left.” This must…
Today’s gospel passage begins with Peter pointing out to Jesus that he and his fellow apostles have given up everything to follow him. This prompts Jesus to speak about the reward that comes from following him. This in turn draws our attention because we, like Peter, would like to know what benefits we can…
Today we celebrate the Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church. This memorial was established in 2018 by the Congregation for Divine Works and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Vatican (now called the Dicastery for Divine Works and the Discipline of the Sacraments). This memorial recognizes Mary’s unique relationship to Christ and…
One of the best descriptions I have heard about how to understand the Holy Trinity speaks of the love of the Father and the Son being so strong that this bond of love is the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. So, the Holy Spirit is the bond of love between Father and Son.…
As the time draws near for Jesus to depart this world, St. Peter asks, “Lord, what about him?”, referring to the disciple whom Jesus loved. Jesus replies rather harshly, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” When he hung upon the cross,…
Repeating a question or a statement is often done to make sure a person is fully listening and understands what is being said. Because what is being said is important. The first time a simple question is asked, we may give a quick response. (Honestly, we may not remember what was asked a minute…
The 17th chapter of the Gospel of St. John is often referred to as the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus. He prays for those who have been with him and who believe in God through him. He also prays for those who will come to belief through the witness these disciples give. Our prayers…
Jesus knew that he was going to ascend into Heaven, and so he prayed to his Father to watch over the flock he had been given. St. Paul knew he was going to be imprisoned, and possibly put to death, in Rome for his faith. And so, he prayed to God to protect the…
Why is Jesus so special? God spoke to Adam and Eve. Noah, Moses, Elijah, and other prophets received messages from God that they conveyed to His people. In fact, there were many persons in the Old Testament whom God especially favored. Others in both the Old and the New Testaments were able to heal…
The Church offers prayers to God the Father, through Jesus his Son, in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the manifestation of the love that exists between the Father and the Son. Therefore, the love of Jesus brings all things to God. A Christian desires to become more like Christ. So to be…
It was difficult to follow Jesus. He taught about the Kingdom of God, and he healed many people, but he also annoyed both the religious and civil leaders of his day. He spoke the truth, and it led to his passion and death. His disciples knew great agony and fear at his crucifixion; they…
We can imagine the elderly St. John the Evangelist remembering his early years with the Lord Jesus. Surely the passage of time in exile and the mystery of grace shaped a wonderful perspective. The early Church continued to collect and pass those treasured memories forward. Something beautiful was happening. Masterpieces of teaching and heartfelt…
Jesus, the master teacher, knew how to connect with his audience. The powerful image of giving birth certainly spoke to the mothers in the crowd. But it also spoke to the fathers who shared in that deeply parental event, even though they were pushed to the sidelines during that moment of their personal anxiety.…
Today’s Feast of the Apostle St. Matthias provides a perfect opening to ponder the place of chance or fate in our lives. “The roll of the dice” must surely have been a common expression dating back to the earliest times of humanity, for good or ill. St. Peter explained to the assembled group of…
“Ya gotta know the territory!” was the musical refrain and solid advice coming from the fast-talking salesman, Prof. Harold Hill, in The Music Man. When St. Paul decided to preach to the philosophers and scholars at Athens, he could well have used that salesman’s advice. He was confident that his new Athenian audience would…
Everyone gets a case of the “jitters” whenever we have to do something risky for the first time. Imagine a wannabe pilot flying solo for the first time. Thanks to new technology, flight simulators can now teach the basics of flying without ever leaving the ground (or crashing a perfectly good airplane). We can…
We can think about that daunting learning curve those early apostles and disciples must have had to face. It happened when Jesus “turned over” the Mission of the Kingdom of God to their care and expansion. They were called to make a career change, and there were no “Operating Procedures” to help them at…
Getting lost in a strange place is a frightening experience for little children. Whether it’s getting lost as an exploring youngster in a big store or even as an adult in a hostile situation, the most immediate need is simply making contact with someone. If this is true in human situations, is it not…
“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.’” I used to be…
A year ago, today, we were glued to TV sets, computers, phones, anything that was electronic to see the news from Rome! The Holy Spirit, through the college of cardinals, chose the first American Pope, Pope Leo XIV. I remember he said, looking out from the balcony onto St. Peter’s square, “Today, the day…
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.” This is a short, sweet, and simple act that Jesus says. The way we stay in…
“Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” We are the branches for the Lord, and the Lord is the vine, and it bears fruit! It is like what I said on Monday, we need to be humble. We are only branches, and…
In our Alleluia verse today, we read “Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead and so enter into his glory.” Poor St. Paul was stoned almost to death, but as he said to encourage the apostles, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.”…
In our first reading, Paul, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, saw that the crippled man had the grace to be healed and healed him. The people of Lystra wanted to make Paul and Barnabas their false gods and thought, “Wow, look at the power that they have!!” But Paul, putting things into…
The beginning of today’s gospel, Jesus says, “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.” It reminds me of a dream my grandmother had a few years after my grandfather passed away. She told me it was incredible! She said, “It felt so real, I was with Papa [my grandfather] on a mountain,…
To become like Christ, and therefore to come to the Father, requires that we go to the primary source. The Bible is the best-selling book of all time, but is it the most-read book of all time? Begin with the New Testament, especially the Gospels. Then move on to the letters of St. Paul.…
Jesus told his disciples, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If being a Christian means becoming like Christ, what does that entail? The Way will include ordinary activities. We will awake, we will eat, we will work, we will become tired,…
Saul was well known in and around Jerusalem as one who was zealous for the Jewish tradition. Trained under the renowned Rabbi Gamaliel, Saul was welcomed into synagogues and asked to preach. He could easily recount the Israelites’ enslavement in Egypt and their escape into Canaan, the Promised Land. Like his contemporaries, Saul awaited…
The Church in Antioch was founded from the Church in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit worked so powerfully in Antioch that the disciples there were called Christians (“like Christ”). The Spirit chose two of these Christians (Barnabas and Saul) to proclaim the Word of God to other lands. The actions of the Holy Spirit have…
Following the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, those who believed that he was the Christ remained in Jerusalem. They gave witness to others of what they had seen and heard, and slowly they formed a faith community, a Church. There was no real plan to “grow” the Church. However, because these followers of…
People are not always as they seem. And once we have labelled them (for better or for worse), it is hard for us to change our minds. For the people of Capernaum and Jerusalem, Peter was a fisherman. But now the one who denied Jesus three times and ran away in fear is claiming…
Perhaps you’ve lived in an area in which there were numerous evangelical Protestant Churches, and perhaps you’ve also had many opportunities to read their signs, which usually feature a verse or two from one of the Evangelists’ accounts of Jesus’ Great Commission. Oftentimes, you’ll find “Go and make disciples” (Mt 28:19), or a verse…
Our Gospel readings this week are framed by two pivotal questions. The first question comes from the conclusion of Monday’s Gospel: “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” It is asked by the crowds upon finding Jesus, and it shows a certain receptivity within them and a desire to do God’s…
In today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we are told the story of the Ethiopian eunuch. He is reading from the prophet Isaiah, who is speaking of the Messiah to come. He does not know how to interpret Isaiah’s words, and Philip offers to explain them to him. He willingly accepts Philip’s…
In today’s Gospel, Jesus begins by stating, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” His words are an echo of invitation. The same invitation he offered to the Samaritan woman, he now offers to the Jewish people who follow him.…
In the Gospel, we see a crowd of people asking Jesus for a sign. They are thinking about the manna in the desert, bread that filled their ancestors’ stomachs for a day but left them hungry again the next. Jesus challenges them to look higher, offering Himself as the “Bread of Life” that satisfies…
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” What made you go looking…