Daily Reflections

  Holy Week draws near. In the entrance antiphon of today’s liturgy, we glimpse the darkness of the coming days: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in distress. Deliver me from the hands of my enemies and those who pursue me. O Lord, let me never be put to shame, for I…

  At the beginning of today’s liturgy, the entrance antiphon speaks directly to the heart of the first reading from Genesis 17. “Christ is mediator of a New Covenant, so that by means of his death, those who are called may receive the promise of an eternal inheritance” (Heb 9:15). Christ is the fulfillment of…

  “My deliverer from angry nations, you set me above my assailants; you saved me from the violent man, O Lord” (Cf. Ps 17: 48-49) This opening acclamation of confidence in God’s saving action echoes the prayer of Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego that we hear in the first reading from Daniel 3. The three young…

  The liturgy begins today with the words, “Wait for the Lord; be strong; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord!” (Ps 26:14). These could well be the words of Moses spoken to the Israelites who have lost heart during their desert trek and are complaining about the wretched food that they must eat. They…

  The liturgy today opens with the profound prayer of one who implores God for help: “Have mercy on me, O God, for people assail me; they fight me all day long and oppress me” (Cf. Ps 55: 2). It could be a prayer that is on the lips of Susanna who is falsely charged…

    The tone of the entire fifth week of Lent is set in the entrance antiphon of this Sunday’s liturgy. “Give me justice, O God, and plead my cause against a nation that is faithless. From the deceitful and cunning, rescue me, for you, O God, are my strength” (Cf. Ps 42: 1-2). In…

  You, O LORD of hosts, O just judge, searcher of mind and heart… One of the mysterious aspects of God’s search for us is his knowledge of our sinfulness. Our sins are a mysterious part of our lives. We think we know why we do this or avoid that. Yet there remains a mystery…

  … they knew not the hidden counsels of God; We can easily become dull against the hidden purposes of God. Of course, one can ask, ‘Who can know the hidden purposes of God?’ But the Scriptures, in what they say next, point to what is meant: neither did they count on a recompense of…

  A theme in our readings today is stubbornness, obstinacy, a troubling resistance. In the first reading, it is Moses who faces it in the people; in the Gospel, it is Jesus who faces it in the Jewish leaders. The evangelist sees it in this statement: you do not have his word remaining in you,…

  “Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for what he does, the Son will do also.” Jesus has come so that we can believe in the One who sent him! He sent him for this purpose so that we…

  When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be well?” (v. 6) It is a question put to us as we enter the Eucharist. ‘Do you want to be well?’ Christ asks us: Do you consider it…

  “Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’” Jesus is exasperated over the unbelief he experiences. This exasperation arises from his perception that his hearers are unwilling to grow up and take responsibility for their desires. It is wanting signs and wonders which has to do with wanting…

    “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” The welcome which appears in today’s Gospel of the Prodigal Son is the grace of repentance. We received it in our baptism into Christ. There we were welcomed into the unfolding mystery of God at work in us. The word, “synergy” is helpful to describe…

  In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a powerful parable about two individuals. One is called a Pharisee; the other a tax collector. What kind of persons are they? The Pharisees are presented in the Gospels as very self-assured. They brag about being better than others. This particular one proudly proclaims that he is “not…

  In today’s Gospel, the angel promised two things to Mary. Gabriel said, firstly: “You will be with child”— that is, you will conceive and become pregnant. And secondly, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called…

  In this Gospel, Jesus drives out a demon from someone who couldn’t speak. Jesus is immediately accused of being in league with Satan. Some people from the crowd said, “By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons, he drives out demons.” Jesus’ response is wonderful in its directness: “Every kingdom divided against itself…

  Today, the Book of Deuteronomy describes Moses as the great teacher of the Chosen People. The Book is made up of three very long speeches in which Moses explains to the people how much God loves them. God entered into a special relationship with Israel. God would be their God. They would be God’s…

  If we look back over our lives, most of us will find something or other that we very much regret. We might remember speaking or acting in ways that hurt others. Sometimes these experiences of personal failure leave us very burdened. In today’s Gospel, Peter asks Jesus, “How often must I forgive?” Jesus answers,…

  Today at Conception Abbey, we take a break from our regular observance of Lent. Instead, we celebrate a solemnity to honor St. Benedict. Tradition holds that this is the day he died. St. Benedict is one of my favorite saints. After Jesus and maybe St. Paul, he has been a big influence in my…

    In today’s first reading, we are called to identify with the Chosen People, especially their experience of the Exodus. The Bible says that God led His people by day with a cloud and by night with a pillar of fire, feeding the people on their journey through the desert with Manna and bringing…

  Working in our seminary, I see how greatly the relationships between fathers affect the lives of their sons. So important is the father’s relationship that it influences the adult practice of faith, self-discipline, self-worth, and identity. Nearly every psychological study on this issue has born out that a father who is present, caring, and…

  O my Lord, what you had to endure! O my Lord, what you must still endure from us, your wayward children! The parable of the Wicked Tenants is a strong indictment. The Jewish religious leaders apparently did not realize Jesus was using it to speak about them. They did, however, understand clearly that He…

  In his new book Things Worth Dying For, Archbishop Charles Chaput shares a common image to describe both heaven and hell: a lavish banquet. The difference between the two, however, is vast. In heaven, guests use long utensils to feed one another. Conversely in hell, each soul feeds himself but starves! We can see…

  Why is Lent forty days? Why do we celebrate Lent every year? Because it takes a lifetime to be conformed to Christ. Perseverance and constancy are hard. Those who become martyrs were frequently not last-minute zealous disciples. Rather, their choice each day to place the Father’s will first allowed them to make the ultimate…

  Have you gotten to the point in your life where you think: “Observing nine out of the Ten Commandments isn’t bad, right? Let me have one.” We should know that God is merciful but he is not nice. He will not abide any cooperation with evil or settle for anything less than holiness. Will…

  If someone needs to gather within himself the confidence to have a job interview or speak in front of a large audience, there is a simple thing one can do. For two to five minutes before the event one stands up straight, plants his feet wide, and raises hands high and broadly above the…

    Each Lent, we hear about the Transfiguration. It is a sign of hope in the glory to come in the Resurrection despite the Cross. Yet, there is much more to draw from it. This particular account from Luke begins as so many of his do: with prayer. And given that prayer is one…

  We believe that God truly speaks to us in times of peace but even more in times of turmoil, violence, and the brutality of war. We desperately need to know how to respond in this particular moment of history. The prophet Moses presented God’s covenant with instructions attached. God was promising to be their…

  “Black Lives Matter” is a phrase that not only catches our attention because of recent history but also speaks to a universal truth about human nature. It resonates at the core of a thoughtful person. Being a member of the human race is based on the fact that our very existence is a gift.…

  We could hardly imagine a more desperate moment of prayer than the one described in our first reading. Queen Esther representing her entire Jewish people was about to plead her case before the King and the outcome would determine the future existence of her people. She and her maids were preparing for this encounter…

  If there is one thing that seems to drive commercial advertising these days, it seems to be the accepted first principle that every new product must be tagged as “new and improved.” The “new and improved” syndrome may have been at play when the crowds pressured Jesus for more and more miraculous signs. They…

  It would seem that the format for making a promise in times past was a bit more formal than today. It was common for people to say “I give you my word,” or “my word is my bond.” Today, the most likely setting for those words is in the sacrament of marriage where the…

  Have you ever wondered if there is a difference in motivation to follow a posted list of “dos and don’ts” and the motivation to follow a spoken list of “dos and don’ts” by someone you know? Maybe our own childhood experience or raising children can add some insights here. I suggest that our Lenten…

    Isn’t it true everyone loves a story, even if we’ve heard it over and over? It’s easy to remember family get-togethers when someone begins telling stories that trigger other stories about the funny things that happened, or the exciting times with rescues just in time, or the hard times when everyone had to…

  I remember a couple of years ago when my brother got married, he and his wife took a bus around Kansas City to take pictures, while all the guests were waiting on them to arrive. They arrived late because the bus got lost to the reception venue, so all of the guests waited and…

  Today Moses tells us in our first reading, “Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving Him, and walking in His ways, and keeping His commandments, statutes, and decrees, you will live and…

    As I read today’s readings, the word that comes to mind is humility. Yesterday we ate, drank, and were merry, but today we hear in our first reading, “Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts, not your garments, and…