Daily Reflections

  Two days ago, it was weeds, today it’s bad fish. What is Jesus trying to tell us? It’s simple: God will have to make a decision about us when we are before him on the last day. Clearly, by our readings, we know that there will be good and bad before him. I think…

  In our spiritual journey, sometimes we move like we are running low on gas. Sometimes we don’t have motivation; sometimes, we get tired of doing the same things. Our gospel today speaks of joy. I read it and immediately pondered, “is my faith joyful?” And if it’s not, why not? I think this is…

  The prophet Jeremiah is in the midst of despair in our first reading. He is witnessing the trial and tribulations of the people. And after witnessing it, does what anyone else would do—asks why. “Why is this happening?” Jeremiah asks why but he knows the answer. It’s because the people are guilty of their…

  Today we celebrate the memory of St. James the Apostle. Any time we celebrate an apostle, we are reminded of the sacrifice made in order to serve and follow Christ. Our readings show this today. In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he says this about the early Christians: “We are afflicted in every…

  Right after Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray, he goes right into telling a story of a man knocking on the door of a friend’s house late in the evening looking for food. Initially, the friend denies him entrance and food. But Jesus goes on to say that if the man knocking is…

  The man in Jesus’ parable, who takes the time and energy to sow good seed in the field probably had to fight discouragement when the crops grew and he noticed weeds appearing throughout his field. How frustrating it must have been to know that his hard work was contested and sabotaged by an enemy.…

  Jesus drove seven demons out of St. Mary Magdalene, and she became a follower of Jesus. Tradition refers to Mary Magdalene as the “Apostle to the Apostles,” precisely for the scene recounted in the Gospel reading. She encountered Jesus at the tomb, and He commissioned her to announce to the disciples the Resurrection of…

  I like team sports. I have coached the seminary volleyball team each fall semester for many years. I’ve watched videos on the Internet and read up on good drills and volleyball strategies. While all of it is helpful, the most important time spent is practicing with the seminarians, honing their instincts and communication skills…

  “Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.” Later in this chapter, Jesus goes on to explain that the “thorns” of worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word, and it bears no fruit. Maybe worldly anxiety and riches are not your struggles, but what is? The…

  Jesus’ mother and his brothers arrive. “Brothers” is referring to close relatives, most likely cousins. But, Jesus responds in a way that might initially strike us as harsh. Is Jesus denying or excluding his own family, especially His mother, Mary? But, who did the will of Father better than the Blessed Virgin Mary? Mary…

  In working with seminarians, sometimes they desire simply to know God’s will for their lives. Often it seems a person wants to do God’s will but just doesn’t know what it is. But, in a sense, we know what God’s will is already. Like the Prophet Micah, we could say: “You have been told…

  Often we look at the story of Martha and Mary merely as two opposing approaches to our faith. Mary represents contemplation and spending time with Jesus, while Martha represents activity, service, and works of charity. We don’t choose one or the other, but in reality, both are needed in our faith tradition, because both…

  In today’s Gospel, we hear of the Pharisees plotting to put Jesus to death. Jesus does not want to die yet. He “withdrew” because his hour had not yet come. His mission was not yet complete. He had more teaching to do, more people to heal, and more to accomplish in preparing his disciples…

  St. Bonaventure, whose Memorial we celebrate today, was born in Northern Italy, in 13th Century Europe, during the High Middle Ages. He is a very different person from St. Kateri Tekakwitha, whose Memorial was celebrated yesterday. Yet, both of these holy people have at least one thing in common: their love and devotion to…

  “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28) Today we celebrate the life and witness of a Native American woman, St. Kateri Tekakwitha. A daily reflection cannot do justice to this important young saint of 17th Century North America. Yet, the Mass we offer…

  “Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.” (Mt 11:26) Have you ever stepped back and wondered why things are the way they are? Why is the sky blue? Can I trust my senses that it is blue? Why is there a sky at all? Question chains like these may seem absurd or even…

  “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!” (Mt 11:21a) There is no rosy-cheeked, gentle Jesus today in the Gospel. He means business. And repentance is a serious business. If we don’t change our ways, it will be a tough life for us, to say the least. Jesus compares it to what happened in…

  Today we celebrate the life and legacy of St. Benedict, the spiritual father of Benedictines, and the patron saint of Europe. Two documents have come down to us about this holy man from Italy who lived in the late fifth and early sixth century: (1) his Rule for monks and nuns, which lays down…

  “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?” (Lk. 10:36) It is not a trick question. It is not a riddle. It is not “up in the sky” or “across the sea.” No, it is simple. Yet, it is hard. It requires going out of our way. Or rather,…

  What is the fear of the Lord? The Scripture says, “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10), and the Church’s tradition calls it one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1831). Today, though, we have a strong aversion to a God whom we…

  Jesus said, “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves.” I’m sorry, what? Why would you do that, Lord? “You will be hated by all because of me.” Well, at least you are upfront about it… Nevertheless, for all the throwing-the-lambs-to-the-wolves talk, Christ Jesus does not leave us defenseless. First,…

  The Church gives us a series of readings from the Prophet Hosea. Sometimes the prophets are asked not only to preach oracles but act out messages from God—like Ezekiel cutting a hole in his own house and squeezing through it (cf. Ezek. 12:5-15). Hosea goes to the extreme, marrying a prostitute. This was to…

  In my youth, the rap culture of the time had a catchphrase: “More money, more problems.” Jesus said something similar when Rich Young Man could not sell all that he had to be His disciple: “How hard it will be for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23). The…

  Gossip is nasty. However, the Church makes a distinction between two kids of slander. Detraction is telling information about someone that you had no right to share. Calumny is lying about someone—or more frequently, it happens when you speculate about the intentions of someone based on the actions you see. I found that as…

  Our gospel passage speaks about the New Creation. Much speculation is made about the significance of the 72 other disciples Jesus sends ahead of His journey to Jerusalem. Genesis 10 mentioned 72 nations of the whole world after the flood. This would mean that the 72 prefigured all peoples preparing for Christ’s Second Coming.…

  This week has been intense. We have been called to radically follow Christ, letting even good things take second stage to following him. We have been warned that we can be punished because of our following after the world, the natural consequence of failing to follow Christ. We have had two giants of the…

  It is easy to think that we are good people, but we fall short more often than we like to admit or are capable of noticing. Because of this reality, it is good for us to examine our lives and see what is going on. Today’s readings provide an excellent opportunity and source for…

  Last Wednesday, Jesus warned the people not to listen to false prophets, that they would be known by their fruit. Bad prophets will produce bad fruit, and good prophets will produce good fruits. Today’s readings provide evidence of what that looks like. In the first reading, Amos responds to Amaziah’s attack by saying to…

  Since Sunday, there has been an emphasis on placing Christ at the center of our lives, that even good things must come second to Christ. Today we celebrate two men who, in two unique ways, live that summons, even to death. The Gospel shares St. Peter’s confession that Jesus Christ is the messiah, a…

  This gospel is one of my favorites since it demonstrates Jesus’ divinity. In the Old Testament, only God can control the water’s chaos. Look back at creation, the flood, and the parting of the Red Sea; whose power was manifested in all those situations? Was it not God? Now it is Jesus who, with…

  Today’s Gospel repeats yesterday’s but in shortened form. Why would the Church repeat a Gospel like that? There must be something significant here. There is indeed something vitally important, the most important in fact, that following Jesus must come before ALL else, even things considered good and necessary. Our first reading highlights what happens…

  Being a Christian can be difficult. Its difficulty rests in its demand of us: it demands everything. Consider today’s Gospel—Jesus is personally inviting various people, “please, follow me.” In this invitation, Jesus calls them to be dedicated disciples who will proclaim him as Lord and Messiah, the coming of the Kingdom, and the new…

  “…and his mother kept all these things in her heart.” These are the last words of today’s gospel. It’s the end of the episode of Joseph and Mary losing Jesus and finding him ultimately in the temple. Having worked at a grocery store for 12 years, I saw many moms and dads lose their…

  I remember in grade school, I was always picky about my artwork. Whenever we had to cut out any kind of shape from construction paper, I always wanted my shapes to look perfect. I hated cutting out circles, I could never get a perfectly shaped circle. Even when I creased the paper, folded it…

  Today we celebrate the Nativity of John the Baptist. John is my father’s name and it’s my baptismal name. So today is a very special celebration in my family. John Baptist had one sole purpose in life, to prepare people—to prepare people to meet their salvation, the Christ. He’s a guy that works in…

  I like to tell people that Benedictine monks are in school their whole lives and that our graduation date is when we die. Monks open themselves to continuously being educated and formed by God and our monastic teachings. King David in our Responsorial Psalm today pleads to God, “Teach me the way of your…

  I remember visiting my brothers in Alburquerque a few years back, and on a Saturday morning, I asked them to take me to the big city flea market. After parking the car I could already see a huge line at the gate door to get into the flea market. I told my brothers I…

  The gospel today gives us the sad truth of our human nature. We are persons who are quick to judge others. But when it comes time to judge ourselves, we move like turtles. There’s a very important lesson here that needs to be looked at. Taking the time to reflect and pray about our…

  I spent three years serving a parish in Oklahoma City, and I got to know many people. One person I got to know very well recently passed. I thought of him today as we celebrate this feast of Corpus Christi. When I first met this friend at the parish, he came up to me…