Daily Reflections

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

November 2, 2024

  “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes” (Benjamin Franklin). Each generation, each individual, discovers death anew. A youth generally does not consider death at all. Eventually a person may attend a funeral or…

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Solemnity of All Saints

November 1, 2024

  Illustrations of Jesus smiling with friends around him in a meadow on a sunny day are appealing. Images of saints with serene faces clothed in light while serving others are inspiring. I am sure that such scenes actually happened. The Beatitudes, blessings spoken by Jesus, actually happened, too.  But these paint a slightly different…

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Tuesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

October 31, 2024

  “they all began to excuse themselves.” Fr. Bernard Lonergan has written that religious conversion is “the habitual acceptance of God’s gift of love flooding our hearts through the Holy Spirit He has given us.” I suggest this thought is as good as any in commenting upon our Gospel today. For it is the parable’s…

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Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

October 31, 2024

  “Where your treasure is, there also will your heart be” (Matthew 6: 21). Living out the message of today’s Mass readings is impossible unless we know what and where our treasure is. And, therefore, where our heart is. Changing things that are external can be helpful to identifying our values. Such as getting adequate…

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Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

October 30, 2024

  It takes either a lot of child-like trust or a lot of maturity to be a follower of Jesus. Paradoxically, time-tested maturity can lead to child-like trust. Kids see something and want it. They don’t consider whether or not it is safe, healthy, ethical or legal. Sometimes, they get the big bag of candy, devour it,…

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Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

October 29, 2024

  The reading today from Ephesians makes some people cringe.  It seems so outdated. Of course, St. Paul was living in a different time and in a different culture.  But if the Word of God is timeless, it needs to speak to all times and all places. The timeless and universal message is choosing to…

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Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles

October 28, 2024

  The Catholic Church venerates all of the Apostles, and today, in a special way, Sts. Simon and Jude. St. Paul says that the household of God was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Although not much is revealed in Holy Scripture about Simon and Jude, it is known that Jesus handpicked…

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Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 27, 2024

  Today’s Gospel story about the blind Bartimaeus can be read and interpreted literally. The calling of a blind man by Jesus resonates very well with the reading from Jeremiah, in which the Lord gathers the remnant of Israel (including the blind) to Himself. The restoration of sight by Jesus the High Priest also dovetails with the…

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Saturday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

October 26, 2024

  Here we are, Saturday, another great day for MIZZOU football (hopefully) and another great Saturday to honor Our Lady! St. Maximilian Kolbe said simply, “Jesus is our love. Mary is our hope; you can do all things through her.” If we ask Our Lady for help, she will come to our aid, and the…

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Friday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

October 25, 2024

  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.” I remember being home in Kansas City and going to Mass with my family. After Mass, my nephew Bennett said to me “Br. Max, let’s go to…

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Thursday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

October 24, 2024

  The Lord wants to shake up the world in a good way. He says in our gospel today, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is…

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Wednesday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

October 23, 2024

  Today’s gospel may hard to hear because Jesus gets to the point. We don’t know when the final day will come. People in the world today act like it won’t even come at all. That’s why in the gospel we hear as Jesus explains to his disciples “That servant who knew his master’s will…

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Tuesday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

October 22, 2024

  Today is the optional memorial of Pope St. John Paul II, as we like to say in the Burkhart family, “we are JPII Catholics,” meaning my parents found their faith when John Paul II was pope. My siblings and I found our vocation under his pontificate. Most importantly, we found our devotion to Mary…

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Monday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

October 21, 2024

  In our responsorial psalm, we hear “The Lord made us, we belong to him.” This should give us great peace. It reminds me of the lost sheep, no matter what the Lord will leave the 99 and go out and find that one lost sheep. We are all precious in the eyes of the…

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Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 20, 2024

  “For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This is the last part of our gospel reading today, and it is very important! We must imitate Christ. We hear in our second reading, “For we do not have…

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Memorial of Sts. John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs

October 19, 2024

  Integrity to Jesus “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge…” (Luke 12, Gospel Reading) Oh no, not another set of martyrs to reflect on! Yes, another set of martyrs. And we should rejoice especially at these, because they worked to evangelize Native Americans in the region…

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Feast of St. Luke, evangelist

October 18, 2024

  The Lord Stands By Us “Luke is the only one with me.” (2 Timothy, First Reading) A desperate, perhaps lonely St. Paul… We can sense his humanity in his writing to St. Timothy. In his letter, he reports the loss of personnel working with him in the mission field—Demas, Crescens, Titus: they “deserted” him.…

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Memorial of St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

October 17, 2024

  The Blood in Words “The blood of the prophets is required, from Abel to Zechariah.” (cf. Luke 11:50-51, Gospel Reading) I think of the old adage, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” This children’s rhyme was taught to encourage resiliency in the face of insult. However, in…

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Wednesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

October 16, 2024

  The Light of Life “Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life.” (cf. John 8:12, Responsorial Refrain) What is light? Consider the light from your lamp, or the light emanating from your device, or the sunlight pouring into your room through the window. What is light? Scientifically, visible light is both…

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Memorial of St. Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

October 15, 2024

  Faith Working Through Love “For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” (Galatians 5, First Reading) How can I be sure I am following Jesus and living the Gospel? I am baptized, yes, and I have received the other Sacraments of Christian Initiation (Confirmation and…

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Monday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

October 14, 2024

  Freedom in Christ “For freedom Christ set us free.” (Galatians 4, First Reading) Our American minds think of red, white, and blue, and patriotic songs when we hear the word “freedom.” This is fine and understandable, especially as a major civic election draws near. But this is a spiritual reflection, not a political one.…

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Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 13, 2024

  Sin & Forgiveness “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But with you is found forgiveness, O God of Israel.” (Ps. 130, Entrance Antiphon) With God there is forgiveness. Thank God! Between fellow human beings, not always. Oh, the humanity! When there is forgiveness between two people, it is beautiful.…

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Saturday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

October 12, 2024

  “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and observe it.” Saturdays are dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Liturgical Calendar when no other saint or feast is celebrated. Mary holds the place of honor in the Church as the Theotokos, Mother of God. She is so richly blessed that one…

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Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

October 11, 2024

   “The Kingdom of God has come upon you.” Jesus drives out demons by God’s power. He can command them by divine right. He is, after all, the Son of God and an equal person in the divine communion of the Holy Trinity. Do you believe he can set you free? Do you trust him?…

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Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

October 10, 2024

  Persistence. We hear this word in the Gospel, and what a story it tells. A man would not open the door for his friend out of friendship. The door gets opened by persistent knocking. There is some humor in this because knocking on someone’s door late at night will get the cops called on…

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Wednesday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time

October 9, 2024

  “Lord, teach us to pray.” What a profound scene this is. Jesus’ disciples want to learn from him how to pray. Prayer is so essential to the Christian life. It is comparable to breathing for the body. Prayer is breathing for the soul. So many saints this month—Therese of Lisieux, Teresa of Avila, Faustina…

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Tuesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

October 8, 2024

  When we feel pulled towards a person, there is a reason. Some people just have a certain magnetism. A special character that invites us towards them. We are pulled toward them without any fear or coercion. They just have a halo effect where we admire something about them and want to follow after them.…

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Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary

October 7, 2024

  For these reflections, I want to offer meditations that have less verbiage and invite you to search for insight within yourself. We read the story of the Good Samaritan who came upon the man who was robbed and left to die on the road. Reciprocity is the key here. When a person does something…

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Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

October 6, 2024

  Jesus tells the Pharisees that God gave life to humanity, recalling Genesis, and he created us as male and female. He challenges the notion that a man can dismiss a woman with a bill of divorce. He says that it was because of “hardness of heart” that Moses made this prescription in the Law…

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Saturday of the Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

October 5, 2024

  Everyone likes happy endings! If this is true it provides the reason for the popularity of so many novels, films, short stories, and musical masterpieces down through the centuries. All’s well that ends well and brings a certain satisfaction and lasting joy. Our Scripture readings for today combine to bring two very different stories…

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Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi

October 4, 2024

  We celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi today with all the Franciscans (women and men) of the world and there are many. In fact, as the old joke has it: “How many Franciscans are there?… Only God knows, and God is not sure!” We do know, that Francis of Assisi continues to…

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Thursday of the Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

October 3, 2024

  It’s true. The Gospels, and all the various books of the Bible are full of abundant material for reflection. However, they also contain gaps concerning human interest information. We believe that the Holy Spirit inspired the biblical writers to use their own best writing skills as well as the community’s collected memory which of…

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Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels

October 2, 2024

   “Children should be seen but not heard” is a well-known proverb. Historians trace its usage to sometime in Fifteenth-century England. We can guess that some adult coined the phrase when some kids were raising a racket and were having way too much fun in the wrong place. Apart from the challenge of dealing with…

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Memorial of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church

October 1, 2024

  The Scripture readings for today seem to highlight the word “disappointment.” The whole book of Job seems to be an example of “disappointment” on steroids! What more could happen to an upright person who had followed all the rules and yet saw his treasures come tumbling down around him? “That ain’t fair!” might well…

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Memorial of St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church

September 30, 2024

  St. Jerome, who lived from 347-420 was considered one of the most learned of the Latin Fathers of the Church. Some people just naturally do everything in a big way. St. Jerome took on the Herculean task of translating the Hebrew scriptures into Latin without the benefit of dictionaries and a wealth of commentaries.…

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Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

September 29, 2024

  The Peanuts Comic cartoon of years ago comes to mind as I reflect on the readings for this 26th Sunday of the Year. I’m reminded of Charlie Brown making an innocent, solemn wide-eyed, heart-felt pronouncement: “I love humanity!” which is immediately followed by a fire-breathing smoke-filled “It’s people I can’t stand!” How well we…

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Saturday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

September 28, 2024

  Sometimes it is the responsorial psalm that brings together the two readings at mass. Such is the case today I believe. Today, Psalm 90. “In every age, O Lord, you have been our refuge. You turn man back to dust, saying, Return, O children of men. For a thousand years in your sight are…

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Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, Priest

September 27, 2024

  The words of Qoheleth continue in their haunting mood. There is an appointed time for everything under the sun, a time for everything. When we are in a reflective moment, this could be an assurance that all our days are not just about business—frantic rushing from one thing to another. This passage is sometimes…

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Thursday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

September 26, 2024

  Vanity of Vanities. All things are vanity! What way to start? “What profit has a person from all the things labored at under the sun?” So begins the Book of Ecclesiastes. And it does not sound very encouraging either. “One generation passes to another.” This book serves as a corrective to puffed-up egos, overconfidence,…

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Wednesday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

September 25, 2024

  So they set out and went on their way spreading the good news and curing diseases. That is the conclusion of all Jesus’ training of the 12 for their mission and the rather simple instructions he gave them. Recall one of the purposes of Jesus calling the twelve was first that they might be…

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