Daily Reflections
Today is the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker. Human beings, created in the image and likeness of God, have the dignity of being sons and daughters of God. This dignity is not to be taken lightly. As we progress from children to adults, we, in a sense, go from being sheep to being…
Continue ReadingWhat is a sheep? What is a shepherd? What does it mean to follow Christ? Being called a sheep might mean that I am a follower, I stay with the herd, and I do not go out on my own. It might mean that I need others in my life, I must trust someone…
Continue ReadingAnyone who knows about earthquakes also knows about aftershocks. They follow the big one. Perhaps the earthquake image can describe the effect of some of the statements and challenges Jesus lays out for the early Christian community. Today’s Gospel is easily seen as a continuation of yesterday’s Gospel in which Jesus clearly calls himself…
Continue Reading“But that’s impossible!” Surely this must have been the response of people who heard that the well-known Paul of Tarsus had suddenly become a follower of Jesus. How was it possible that this Jewish super zealot who had broken into people’s homes to arrest anyone claiming to follow The Way had been totally changed?…
Continue ReadingHitchhiking is rare these days. Years ago, in less dangerous times it was common to “hitch” or “thumb” a ride. Many times that brief chance encounter resulted in a powerful memory either for the driver or the passenger. We can delight in the story of the Ethiopian eunuch who just happened to be passing…
Continue ReadingDo you remember as a young kid watching a movie and about halfway through you began to think that the ending was coming soon and you felt sad because you didn’t want it to end? Was that an early experience of the struggle between fantasy and the world of reality? What was more important…
Continue ReadingIf you were asked to make a list of contemporary heroes, whom would you choose? I would suggest our own first responders. They know what to do when called upon. They are people with a mission. Rewinding to the early Church, I suggest that St. Mark the Evangelist, today’s feast day, should be called…
Continue ReadingLike a bell that continues to resonate long after it has been struck, our reflections on the Word of God during this Easter season cause us to stop and linger in the silence. We can wonder what it must have been like for the early Church to ponder and digest the most drastic fluctuations…
Continue ReadingSome things are meant to be savored. It takes time and gentle reverence to allow goodness to come to the surface. Maybe that’s the way we come to know the most important things in life. If that’s true then we’re still moving toward an answer in response to that common question, “What just happened?”…
Continue ReadingToday’s extract from the gospel of St. John brings us great consolation and hope: “The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing…they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid”…
Continue ReadingToday’s gospel periscope from St. John recounts the miraculous multiplication of loaves and fishes. There is one part of the passage that deserves special attention, “‘Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.’ So they collected them, and filled twelve wicker baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves that had…
Continue ReadingOn Monday and Tuesday of this week, we heard from the gospel of St. John Jesus’ discussion with Nicodemus the Pharisee about the necessity of being “born from above.” Today’s passage continues to explore that message: “The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly…
Continue ReadingJesus’ words in today’s gospel passage seem rather harsh for the Easter season! “the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.…
Continue ReadingIt was only a short time ago, on Tuesday of the fifth week of Lent that we heard the story of the Israelites, worn out by their desert journey, complaining to Moses about the lack of food and water. God had just worked such great wonders among them and had freed them from slavery…
Continue ReadingToday we hear Jesus’ mysterious words to Nicodemus: “The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (Jn 3:8). What is this wind that blows…
Continue ReadingMissouri is popularly known as the “Show-Me State.” While the exact origin of that title is somewhat uncertain, most Missourians will admit that it does seem to describe the practical, down-to-earth folk of the rural areas of the state. “I have to see it to believe it.” Today’s gospel brings us face to face…
Continue ReadingThe name of Jesus has power. By the name of Jesus, Peter healed the crippled man, and the name of Jesus gives them the courage to stand up in opposition to the leaders who wanted to silence them. In like manner, the name of Jesus can also empower us. The name of our LORD…
Continue ReadingWhen the beloved disciple declares that the man on the seashore is the LORD, we who have heard the Gospels repeatedly throughout our lives may overlook that he does not identify him as Jesus but as the LORD. In John’s Gospel, however, the disciples never refer to Jesus as LORD until after the Resurrection.…
Continue ReadingJesus has been raised from the dead, but he still bears the wounds of his crucifixion in his hands, feet, and side. They did not vanish when he was restored to life, but they no longer cause him pain or threaten him in any way. They are the marks that identify him as the…
Continue ReadingEvery Christian goes through discouragement at some point in their faith life. When we begin to recognize the love of God and to hope in the promise of Heaven, the experience is exhilarating, but our joy does not remain at these highest levels. Additionally, the further we go in our life of faith, the…
Continue ReadingWhen the people heard what Peter told them about Jesus and the Resurrection, they were frightened because they had not believed in the Lord. Some of them may even have been among the crowds who shouted for him to be crucified. Peter assures them, though, that the promise of salvation is still available to…
Continue ReadingThe chief priests hear the account of what happened at the Resurrection and still cannot accept that Jesus is the Son of God! They have seen Jesus perform many wondrous deeds, and now they are told that an angel descended from Heaven like lightning to open the tomb; their reaction should be to question…
Continue Reading You’ve heard of “black holes” in outer space: those invisible centers of such strong gravity that everything in its vicinity, including light, is drawn inescapably into it. While this phenomenon is a fairly recent discovery in science, it is an ancient idea in theology. The scriptures suggest that God has been working slowly…
Continue ReadingToday is Holy Saturday. There are no Scripture readings for our reflection because there is no Eucharist celebrated during the day. This is so because Jesus is in the tomb. We are grieving and mourning. We should observe a great silence. If you pray the Roman Liturgy of Hours, you will find a very…
Continue ReadingIn today’s first reading, God is speaking through the prophet Isaiah. God says, “See, my servant … a man of suffering … spurned … held in no esteem.” In the second reading, from the Epistle to the Hebrews, we learned the name and identity of this servant. It is Jesus who was “able to…
Continue ReadingThe highlight of the Mass on Holy Thursday is the institution of the Eucharist. We recall how Jesus at the Last Supper gave us the Sacrament of His Body and Blood. Our second reading captured this key event. Jesus took bread, broke it and said, ‘This is my body …’ He took the cup,…
Continue ReadingOnce again, we have Judas Iscariot as a central figure in the Gospel. This time it is from the pen of St. Matthew. Judas is a picture of human tragedy. His was a failed life. He had been chosen by Jesus Himself. How could this have happened? Judas was probably a talented man, probably…
Continue ReadingToday’s gospel has two principal characters, besides Jesus. The first is Judas. St John describes how Judas headed off into the dark. It was night! The second is the so-called “beloved disciple.” This is the disciple Jesus loved. He is described as having reclined next to Jesus, literally, “close to his chest.” In his…
Continue ReadingWe are within Holy Week, a time to reflect prayerfully on the final journey of Jesus to his Passion. Yesterday’s Gospel, the Passion according to St. Matthew, told us how much Jesus suffered for us. Today’s Gospel, from John, is different. Yesterday, most of the people Jesus met in his final days were against…
Continue Reading We are celebrating Palm Sunday. It is important to notice what Jesus is doing. Jesus is entering Jerusalem to begin the greatest week in all of history. How is he entering the Holy City? By riding on a donkey. He is riding on the animal of simple, common country people. And the donkey…
Continue ReadingI think much of what the faithful Christian can offer today’s world is hope. The Prophet Ezekiel encountered many difficulties (like many of us do), but the latter part of the Book is very hopeful. The Prophet Ezekiel wrote: “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Even though the people…
Continue ReadingJesus is performing the good works of the Father, yet He is treated with contempt. He is rejected and threatened with physical harm. Have you ever felt a similar feeling of hurt and pain? Jesus escapes from them when they try to arrest Him, and He goes back to the Jordan, the place where…
Continue ReadingGod makes three promises to Abraham. But first, put yourself in Abraham’s place—none of these promises seem to be happening, and some of them seem like a far and distant reality (if not an impossibility altogether). Abraham probably felt some doubt and uncertainty about how all of this would come about. Like all human…
Continue ReadingJesus says: “The truth will set you free.” In response, the Jew said, “We…have never been enslaved by anyone.” I imagine that many people in today’s world would believe that they are free and not enslaved by anyone or anything. But, what is freedom, and what does it look like? Freedom is not doing…
Continue ReadingIt can often be the case that not only do we want our struggles and challenges resolved, but we also want them addressed immediately and taken away. The Israelites struggle and complaint is that they have no food or water. And, even what they have, they think is “wretched food.” It’s interesting how the…
Continue ReadingThe lengthy yet powerful story from the Book of the Prophet Daniel is worth further reflection. The two men who accused Susanna were enslaved to their passions and to the lies that they told themselves. Sadly, they were unable to live in the light of truth. In the midst of the story, the characters…
Continue Reading St. John’s account of the raising of Lazarus focuses on a mighty deed of Jesus, but the story is also something of a journey of faith—a journey of coming to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. When Jesus hears that Lazarus is ill, Jesus reassures those with Him that…
Continue ReadingJesus said, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight. Then I said, ‘as is written of me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.’” A common theme on this Solemnity is the will…
Continue Reading“But we know where he is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.” How is it that Christ is coming into our lives? I think that often we say to ourselves, “but I know where he is from so he can’t be the Christ,” and thus we avoid…
Continue ReadingToday’s first reading is a great example of how we should interact with our fallen world. The people of Israel had turned away from God, made a molten calf, and begun to worship it. Because of this, God’s anger rose up, and He was going to destroy them and promised Moses that he would…
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