Daily Reflections
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” The initiative is God’s! Our lives don’t often feel this. Our energies, rather, are directed in ways that look very much like we’ve got to plan out our lives or they won’t get lived! There is nothing new in the struggling involved. Since…
Continue ReadingOne of the things that parents, grandparents, and any who try to hand on the faith, find difficult is how to do this in a society that is not always friendly to the life of faith. The difficulty is real in a world increasingly competing for our time. Religious observances, family life, leisure…
Continue ReadingSt. John writes, “Children, be on your guard against idols.” When I think of “idols” I most often think of small stone statues that a non-Christian might have adorning their house. Since I don’t worship statues, I should be fine, right? Perhaps a better way to examine our conscience might be to ask, “What,…
Continue ReadingYou need a retreat. Yes, you! Jesus finds Himself in the midst of full-time healing ministry—cleansing the leper and having great crowds assembled before Him to listen to His words and seek his healing power. He must have felt pressure and responsibility to minister to all of these people, but He also felt a…
Continue ReadingSt. John writes, “If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar…” If these words don’t make you at least a little uncomfortable, then carefully read them again. Servant of God Dorothy Day reflected a similar sentiment when she wrote: “I really only love God as much as the…
Continue ReadingSt. John writes, “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.” Faith takes root and people are transformed when they come to a “heart knowledge” of this reality of God’s love. I have seen it again and again in spiritual direction and in the lives of my…
Continue ReadingSt. John reminds us of the foundational truth necessary for our lives: God is love, and God first loved us. Love is both the foundation of our life of faith and the test of our faith. Love must demonstrate itself in practice. Jesus shows us what love is as His heart is moved with…
Continue ReadingDiscernment is a word that is rather common if you work in seminary formation, but for most people, it’s probably not one that enters into your everyday conversation. Discernment is the ability to judge well, or distinguish between choices or options. Most often in the Christian context, it has to do with distinguishing between…
Continue ReadingThe story of salvation history is a story of adventure, of people on a journey. Abram is called away from his homeland to go to a land God would show him. Moses is to lead his people out of Egypt, Jesus’ disciples are sent out two by two. When we seek God, we…
Continue ReadingNot many of us have left Mass on Corpus Christi crying out: “Transubstantiation!” Not many of us here have probably ever left the Feast of Christ the King to shout: “Viva Cristo Rey!” Yet in the year 431 after the Council of Ephesus, the common folk of that city ran through the streets in…
Continue ReadingAs we become more technologically advanced, we think less about times and seasons. Even farmers who are tied to land and weather have found ways to overcome much. Here in the country, farmers’ wives lament that farm implements now have headlights and that they plant and harvest without ending when the sun goes down.…
Continue ReadingI find myself jealous of the Evangelists at times – only four men got to write Christ’s story, inspired by the Holy Spirit. When we consider the differences in the gospels, we consider that they were not just chroniclers of facts but also storytellers. In other words, they used details to bring out greater…
Continue ReadingFor the first time in Scripture, we find someone happy to die: St. Simeon. Before this, death was a punishment or at the very least a resignation. Even King David rests with his ancestors but not without running from rivals and enemies and mourning the loss of his son Absalom. Now, Simeon is happy…
Continue ReadingThere are horrible martyrs’ feasts, and then there are horrible martyrs’ feasts. It is difficult to think of anything more detestable than the slaughter of innocent children. Yet, those are the martyrdoms we celebrate today. It is a hard feast to celebrate, but we note the sacrifice of these little ones who were embraced…
Continue ReadingThe arrival of Apostles Peter and John at the Empty Tomb on Easter morning represents two forms of the Church. St. John is the Mystical Church that arrives at the tomb first, but does not go inside – it sees the mystery glimpsed from afar. In contrast, the Hierarchical Church is represented by Peter…
Continue ReadingOnce in eighth grade, I passed out, hit the back of my head on a desk, and had a seizure. I remember waking to a circle of my classmates above me with faces full of horror. I felt the back of my head thinking it must have been broken and bleeding but it…
Continue ReadingThere are many ways that people over the centuries have expressed their deepest spiritual longing. Sometimes we call it a desire for salvation, or redemption or reconciliation; sometimes we describe it as a desire for wholeness, or peace, or union. One of the most recurrent images in all religions and all eras for…
Continue ReadingKing David found himself in an embarrassing situation: he lived in a sumptuous palace and God lived next door in a tent. David wanted to rectify the imbalance and build God a magnificent temple even more beautiful and grand than his own house. But God said “No! Not for now. Leave things as they…
Continue ReadingJohn the Baptist’s greatness and the reason he has such an important place in our Advent liturgy is because he prepared the way for Christ. The work of the one who prepares the way for another is finished when the expected one arrives; and John suggested as much when he said of Jesus, “He…
Continue ReadingToday’s liturgy compares Hannah and Mary. In the birth of their respective sons, the power of God is made manifest, inspiring each to raise her voice in praise of the Almighty. We heard Hannah’s canticle in today’s responsorial hymn and Mary’s Magnificat in the gospel. There are differences between Hannah and Mary: the one…
Continue ReadingGod’s love for the human race was not an abstract, theoretical love. It was very concrete. It took flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. People were able to see and experience God’s love for them in the human person of Jesus Christ. Mary’s love in visiting her pregnant cousin, Elizabeth, was also not…
Continue ReadingThe story of Mary’s Annunciation is a high point in the Advent liturgy, as it was a high point in the history of salvation. This is the moment of both Mary’s “Yes” and the savior’s conception. There are two vocations at play in this story: God’s and Mary’s. Before Mary was offered a mission,…
Continue ReadingToday in our Gospel, we hear the great story of Our Lady’s Visitation to Elizabeth, when Elizabeth tells Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment…
Continue ReadingYesterday the Gospel passage from St. Matthew sets the stage for the unfolding of God’s great plan. “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…Jacob, the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.” Today that story…
Continue ReadingToday we make the turn towards the Feast of the Birth of the Lord. There are now eight days of preparation that remain. We focus our attention on the mystery of the Incarnation in an even greater way than before. You could say the unfolding of the Incarnation over many centuries. The time when…
Continue ReadingNote: This year Advent is nearly four full weeks (short one day), thus some of the readings this week are often not heard in the days prior to December 17. This is one of them. Today’s passage from Isaiah 54 takes us to the Easter Vigil (it is one of the seven Old Testament…
Continue ReadingIn today’s passage from Isaiah, we have these lines: “Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above, like gentle rain let the skies drop it down. Let the earth open and salvation bud forth; let justice also spring up!” This text from the prophet is well-known to us as one of the beautiful…
Continue ReadingWe are just a few days from the beginning of the final approach to Christmas. Come and save your people … we will soon be singing. What does that “saving action” look like for us now /this year. It takes many forms, shapes, and sizes. But the basic truth is the same forever and…
Continue ReadingQuite a few people profess to enjoy the season of Advent – even as a favorite. What is so special about the season of Advent? Many things combine to make it an uplifting time. There is a definite message of hope. A promise of salvation. A promise of deliverance. It is that hope, that…
Continue ReadingOur brief season of waiting, of expectation, looking forward is now half over. Today is Gaudete Sunday: REJOICE! Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. (Phil 4: 4-5). Everything in today’s liturgy is about finding joy in the coming of the Lord. The entrance antiphon, coming…
Continue ReadingIt’s the rock stars and the superstars who make the big splash! Just think of the hype, the fireworks, the flashing lights, and the rock music that usher them into the stadiums of our minds! It doesn’t take too much imagination to visualize the Prophet Elijah as the superstar of his day, even complete…
Continue ReadingHuman nature has not changed much through the generations. Today Jesus is pointing out something about human behavior which every parent or teacher knows so very well. No matter how hard you try to convince someone of your best intentions and the value of what you present, there are always those who are never…
Continue ReadingSometimes the Bible can spark a vivid image. When I hear today’s readings announcing a world-changing event, I can imagine a stirring drum roll with a soaring fanfare coming from a long line of golden trumpets. The overarching announcement about the Messiah began with the words of Isaiah the Prophet promising a world-changing Redeemer.…
Continue ReadingFounded on December 8, 1873, Conception Abbey celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception today as our special patronal feast. Other monasteries are certainly older than we are, but we have our own unique story. This feast day reminds us to reflect on the many possibilities behind the word “chosen.” First of all, our…
Continue ReadingImagine you conducted a survey among willing adults and asked only this one question: “what is your basic image of God?” What image of God would predominate? Many factors could shape their answers. Therefore, it’s too simple to say that if a person sees God as a hard, demanding taskmaster, it’s because as a…
Continue ReadingThe prophets and poets of the Old Testament were master wordsmiths. What could be more beautiful than the Prophet Isaiah describing the desert blooming and rejoicing to greet the Israelites as they returned from exile? The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will…
Continue ReadingWaiting is the hard part. The whole season of Advent has a forward movement as we wait for what Scriptures call the fullness of time. That term is vague enough to leave us wondering what it truly means and yet the word fullness suggests powerful images. Think of the contented smile of a…
Continue ReadingAs 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…
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