Daily Reflections

  In today’s reading, we hear the prophet Isaiah speak of the gift of a well-trained tongue given to him by the Lord God. This gift is not merely for eloquence or persuasion but has a deeper purpose—to speak words of comfort and encouragement to the weary, to uplift their spirits, and to bring hope…

  Judas, one of the chosen disciples of Jesus, walked alongside Him, witnessed His miracles, and heard His teachings. Yet, despite this privileged position, he succumbed to the temptations of greed and ambition. In a moment of darkness, Judas decided to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, a symbol of worldly gain and fleeting…

  In today’s Gospel passage, we witness a poignant moment between Jesus and His disciples, centered around an act of deep love and reverence shown by a woman. As Jesus reclines at the table, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, takes a costly ointment and anoints His feet, wiping them with her hair. This gesture of…

  Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, a time of intense reflection and spiritual preparation as we journey with Jesus toward his passion, death, and resurrection. And amidst the shouts of acclamation and adoration, a profound truth reveals the paradox of Christ’s kingship. Unlike earthly kings who wield power and authority through force…

  Today we are on the threshold of the holiest days of the liturgical year. The stage is being set for the events of the Paschal Triduum. At the entrance we hear Jesus’ prayer as the religious leaders devise their plot to kill him: “O Lord, do not stay afar off; my strength, make haste…

  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…

  Today, Benedictines throughout the world celebrate the solemn feast of the Transitus of St. Benedict. Transitus or “passing over” refers to his passage from this world into eternal life. St. Gregory the Great describes Benedict’s death in is biography of the saint, The Dialogues: “That day two monks…received the very same revelation. They both…

  “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…

  A number of years ago, a Printery House customer wrote to inquire why one of our St. Joseph Day cards contained a scripture quote from Genesis 41:55 “Go to Joseph…” The writer asked: “What does a quotation from the book of Genesis have to do with St. Joseph?” The answer to that question provides…

  In the first reading today, we hear the moving story of Susanna, an innocent and upright young woman who is wrongly accused of adultery by the two wicked elders. It is a narrative of God’s relentless longing for justice and his unceasing care for those who hope in him. Susanna’s prayer is one of…

  Tensions rise in the gospel passages in these last days before Holy Week as Jesus’ adversaries hatch plots against him. They cannot tolerate the guilt that his words stir up within their hearts. Rather than seeking the mercy of God and embrace repentance and change in their lives, they close their ears and have…

  “So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.” In today’s Gospel, we see the confusion that arises among the people about Jesus. Some hear his words and see his signs and see him as a great prophet.…

  “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…

  Today we have two examples of humility and compassion. Moses is sent down from the mountain by God only to see the people worshiping and sacrificing to a molten calf and calling it their God, thus betraying the God who brought them out of the land of slavery. God threatened to destroy the people…

  Jesus’s courage in today’s Gospel is so beautiful and awe-inspiring. The story picks up where we left off yesterday, with Jesus healing the crippled man on the Sabbath; and when the Jews heard of this they began to persecute him. Now Jesus answers the Jews, “My Father is at work until now, so I…

  The crippled man in today’s Gospel has been waiting for 38 years for someone to bring him to the pool so that he might be well. He has no one, and when he tries on his own, he is ignored and people get there before him. That is until Jesus sees him in his…

  “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” Jesus says this to the people of Cana in Galilee who witnessed the miracle at the Wedding feast where Jesus changed water into wine. It feels like Jesus is asking, “How many signs do you need before you believe in me?” But Jesus…

  In today’s first reading we hear of the infidelity of the people of God, they “added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the LORD’s temple.” God, in compassion for his people, sent messengers to them. These prophets spoke the word of God to his people, calling them to…

  The evangelist says, “Jesus addressed this parable” about the Pharisee and the tax collector “to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.” We can actually divide this into two groups: 1) those convinced of their own righteousness, and 2) the self-righteous who despise everyone else. The latter group is…

  During our “pandemic year” at the seminary, we had canceled all of the seminarians’ regular breaks and kept them on campus. At first that was fine. We had a lovely Thanksgiving together. Yet immediately after that holiday both the administration and students had the feeling of being stir-crazy. I didn’t realize how exhausted I…

  Woody Allen famously said: “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” To what would we attribute the other twenty percent? The Prophet Jeremiah speaking for the Lord would say it is this: Listening to the voice of God. Only if we listen to God’s word then the Lord will be our God, we will…

  As a priest, some of the best examinations of conscience I have are hearing confessions. A penitent’s sorrow over transgressions that I too easily dismissed as trivial can become a question to my own standard of judgment. For priests, teachers, and parents, we bear the responsibility for forming others in the faith. Challenge and…

  The call to forgive as God has forgiven us is characteristically Christian. It never seems to get easier. One of the hardest parts of committing to Jesus’ command is to forgive others and not receive forgiveness. The mature Christian will forgive without expecting forgiveness in return. In fact, this contrite, humble, and devout spirit…

  The prophetic lives of Elijah and Elisha are paralleled between master and disciple. Famously, Elijah won in the contest against 850 pagan prophets. Before the God of Israel sent down fire from heaven to ignite Elijah’s altar, the pagans hopped around theirs and slashed themselves in order get their deities’ attention (1 Kgs. 18:28).…

  A popular trend in the culture is minimalism. A whole industry has cropped up around de-cluttering and designing simply: Marie Kondo shows you how to make efficient space and tells you to keep all but thirty books on hand. People construct compact and portable tiny houses – what, when I was growing up, we…

  Today is one of my favorite gospel passages about the rich young man who squandered his father’s inheritance. I would like to quote again from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. In the Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo tells Frodo, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into…

  Our verse before the Gospel today is one we all know. “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son; so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.” God loved us so much that he gave us his Son so that we might live for Him and do His…

  This gospel today is like Jesus is talking to a brick wall. “’Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’” Jesus…

  “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Jesus…

  Today is a great day to celebrate the gift of life! In our first reading, we hear “Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool.” Our sins—our souls—have been…

  In our responsorial psalm, we read “Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.” If the Lord dealt with us according to our sins, I have a feeling we would all be in big trouble! But the Lord is merciful and shows us His Divine Mercy! He took our sins and nailed…

       Today we hear in our first reading that God wants Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to Him. Just think about how Abraham must have felt sacrificing his beloved son! But because of the love that Abraham has for the Lord, he would not disobey Him. Of course, the Lord intervened…

  And this week ends as it began, with a confirmation of the covenant between God and us. The covenant goes beyond keeping the commandments, although those are good places to start. Harming our enemies is not be done, according to the commandments. Not enough, however. We need to go further and actually pray for…

  On September 24, 2015, Pope Francis addressed the Joint Session of the United States Congress. He stated, “Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility.” He cited four Americans who helped “preserve the dignity of fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common…

  Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. Of all the apostles handpicked to be fishers of men, Christ chose Peter to be the foremost among them. The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles include stories about the shortcomings of St. Peter. In frustration, Jesus even called him Satan…