Daily Reflections
As we near the second Sunday of Advent, there is an important question we need to ask ourselves, have we gone out to the lost sheep? In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells his apostles to go out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. These were those who had been lost because of…
Continue Reading“Let it be done for you according to your faith.” How many of us, if we heard this, would get nervous? I would. Do I really have faith? Is it at least as big as a mustard seed? Yesterday we said we must live by faith. How do we do that? If we take…
Continue ReadingWhere do we place our trust? Think for a moment when deciding where do you put the majority of your trust? Do you trust yourself the most? Or is it a spouse? Maybe a trusted friend? Is it a movement? Or perhaps, no one? Do you have trust in anything? Trust, or faith, is…
Continue ReadingFor ages, the people of Israel waited to see the coming of the messiah. This messiah was to lead Israel to freedom, to lead all the nations to the Temple to worship, and he was to bring healing to those who suffer. In Jesus is that messiah. He has indeed come and set people…
Continue ReadingThe apostles were called by Christ to be men of passion and commitment. They were to be Christ’s very representatives on earth. They were to be Christ coming into the nations; this is what the word apostle means—to be another Christ! In St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, we hear words of encouragement to…
Continue ReadingIsrael, founded on God’s promise to Abraham, was given the same promises as Abraham. Namely, they would be a great nation, that Abraham would receive a great name, and they would become a great blessing to all the nations. This third promise is critical. Israel’s vocation was to be in such an intimate relationship…
Continue ReadingAdvent is a time of hopeful waiting. Waiting for Christ to come to us as the child in the manger. Waiting for Christ to come as the healer, consoler, friend, and Lord. Advent is a time of waiting for promises to be kept. In the opening lines of today’s first reading, we hear, “The…
Continue Reading“Be vigilant at all times” This is a refrain which the early Christians took quite seriously to mind! Of course, they thought that any day Jesus would return and they wanted to be ready to receive him, “to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.” It is…
Continue Reading“When you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.” If we are to appreciate what Divine Revelation is telling us in the Sacred Scriptures in these passages, we must remember the relevance of time. I was once living in a small priory whose rooms were rather small. In one…
Continue Reading“Bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth.” When the Christian is called to bless God, he or she is called into a wondrous light. It is the light of one’s own existence, one’s own creation by God, the Source of all that is. In our second reading, (1 Cor 1:3-9),…
Continue Reading“Give glory and eternal praise to him.” “You praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, that neither see nor hear nor have intelligence. But the God in whose hand is your life breath and the whole course of your life, you did not glorify.” When the leaders of…
Continue Reading“Teacher, when will this happen?” The Jerusalem Bible points out that in our Gospel today, “no sharp distinction is drawn between the two levels – ‘that of the destruction of Jerusalem (in 70 AD) and that of the end of the world.’ The fusion of these two is “a theological expression of truth: though…
Continue ReadingIn our Gospel today, Jesus says that “this poor widow … has offered her whole livelihood.” The image of this poor widow is an image of what the Church is striving to be in the world today. I mean that she understands herself as completely dependent upon God. Out of that posture she seeks…
Continue Reading“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.” We have all seen the notice attached to the top of crucifixes, “INR,” the Latin initials…
Continue ReadingWhat does it mean to live as people who hope in the Resurrection? The Sadducees deny that there is a resurrection, but it often seems that Christians live without hope in the Resurrection. There is a false notion we must avoid that says: “If we follow God and give our lives to Christ that…
Continue ReadingI imagine that the money changers in the Temple, those who were seeking monetary gain, did not all happen to move into the Temple overnight. It was more likely a gradual process of corruption, where the House of Prayer slowly became more of a den of thieves rather than a space of worship. Practically…
Continue ReadingThere are times in our lives when we can identify rather closely with the sorrowful Christ. His teaching and preaching bore much fruit, but He also experienced great hardship and outright rejection. Jesus can identify with our hurt because He Himself experienced hurt as well. Jesus saw the city [Jerusalem] and wept over it,…
Continue ReadingA friend of mine recently welcomed her first child—a baby boy. She was filled with absolute joy and delight in her child. She expressed the joy of praying for her son and loving him whether he was crying or sleeping. What struck me most was when she expressed her desire to help her son…
Continue ReadingZacchaeus was a chief tax collector—a profession that was tied to dishonesty, and thus was despised by others as a “sinner.” Zacchaeus was “seeking to see who Jesus was,” but all he did was climb a tree—that’s the very little, but most practical first step that he took. Zacchaeus simply climbed a tree. After…
Continue Reading“How is your prayer life?” I’ll admit that this is one of my favorite questions to ask. I’m a priest and a spiritual director, so it only seems to appropriate. The responses I receive are varied. “Good”—okay, that’s positive, but tells me very little. “It could be better”—which could probably be applied to everyone.…
Continue ReadingIt was the year 1999, a time when most of the seminarians I work with weren’t even born yet. There was concern that computers would have difficulty transitioning from the year 1999 to 2000, and some people were worried there was going to be a meltdown of epic proportion. Companies sold “Y2K” survival kits,…
Continue ReadingToday wraps up having seminarians of Conception Seminary College as our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day featured a reflection from a different seminarian, mixed in with reflections from Fr. Pachomius, Conception’s Dean of Students. This has been an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education to practice…
Continue ReadingSeminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. Today we hear from…
Continue ReadingSeminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. In today’s gospel from…
Continue ReadingSeminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. “Your faith has saved…
Continue ReadingSeminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. Today is the Feast…
Continue ReadingSeminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. “Be on your guard”…
Continue Reading“I have nothing.” “The jar shall not go empty.” Nothingness and emptiness – is there a difference? Nothingness brings to mind a sense of desolation and darkness. Emptiness isn’t so bleak; something empty can be filled: my car’s on “E”, but I fill up at the gas station. Although we may describe situations interchangeably…
Continue ReadingSeminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. In our first reading…
Continue ReadingSeminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. St. Paul takes a…
Continue ReadingSeminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. Today we celebrate the…
Continue ReadingSeminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. In the Gospel for…
Continue ReadingSeminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. “There are three deaths.…
Continue ReadingSeminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way. On this Solemnity of…
Continue ReadingSeminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian, mixed in with reflections from Fr. Pachomius, Conception’s Dean of Students. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education to practice and connect with the…
Continue ReadingDo you spend time with friends or family around a dinner table? Is it still common for you to have your family come together and eat? Sharing a meal can emphasize community, nourishment, togetherness, love, and support. It can also be a time of anxiety, distress, dread, or anger. When we come to the…
Continue ReadingJesus spoke these words to the scholars of the law to challenge their way of thinking about the Sabbath. For the scholars, the Sabbath was sacred, as it is for us, but it became a burden of extreme inactivity—not even good deeds were permitted. Jesus tells them that the Sabbath is demanded not to…
Continue ReadingAny important decision needs to begin with prayer. The Rule of St. Benedict says that any good work must start with prayer. In the Gospel today, even Jesus spends the night in prayer before making the critical decision of choosing his apostles. How does prayer help us make good decisions? Two thoughts can help.…
Continue ReadingIn our first reading today, we hear some confusing words, “and those he predestined he also called; and those called—justified; those justified he also glorified.” What does this phrase, ‘he predestined’ mean? Are we stuck with what God has decided for us? Are we not free to act and choose as we wish? Are…
Continue Reading“It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.” We hear this phrase a few places in the scriptures, especially with regards to the size of the seed, “it’s the smallest.” Often, as an act of false humility, we will say to ourselves, “oh, I’m nobody. I just…
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