Entrust Your Cause
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In today's Gospel reading from John 7, the people are wondering just who Jesus is. The first reading is from Jeremiah 11. In it, Jeremiah prays: "But you, O LORD...
The Lord is Close to the Brokenhearted
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An eerie first reading today from Wisdom 2. It describes the things that Jesus went through to a tee. Be sure to read it and see if you don’t shake...
What Others Think vs. What God Thinks
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In today’s first reading from Exodus 32, Moses has a little heart-to-heart with God, asking Him to relent from destroying His people. And God relented. A wonderful statement on the...
Whose Will?
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In the first reading today from Isaiah 49, we hear this question: “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb?” Now, you would...
Do You Want to be Well?
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Water is a theme that runs through our two readings today. In the first reading from Ezekiel 47, the Angel of the Lord shows Ezekiel a trickle of water flowing...
Rescued
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Today's first reading from Isaiah 65 is one that should bring great hope. It shows us what is to come. The Gospel reading from John 4 is the story of...
Choose Light
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Our Gospel reading for today is from John 3, and includes John 3:16, maybe the most familiar verse in Scripture. But today I would like to concentrate on the second half...
The Deadliest Trap
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Another beautiful reading from Hosea today for our first reading. Through the prophet, the Lord says, “For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather...
Stumbling Down the Path
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The end of today's first reading from Hosea 14 says this: "Let him who is wise understand these things; let him who is prudent know them. Straight are the paths...
Faithfulness has Disappeared
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 11 Jesus is accused by some people of driving out demons by the prince of demons. Jesus talks about what a ridiculous notion...
Rules, Rules, Rules
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So many people look at Christianity, and especially Catholicism, as a religion of rules and regulations. You know, Thou Shalt Not this and that. Like it or not, God has...
Forgive, Forgive, Forgive, Forgive...
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Today’s first reading contains one of the most beautiful prayers in all of Scripture. It is the prayer of Azariah from Daniel 3. Azariah and his two companions had been...
Not "One of Us"
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In today’s first reading from 2 Kings 5:1-15, we see the story of Naaman the Syrian. Naaman was a high ranking military official in Syria, but not an Israelite. He...
About Human Nature
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Today's first reading from Exodus 20 is the Ten Commandments. The Gospel reading from John 2 is about Jesus driving the merchants and money changers out of the temple. I...
Hitting Bottom
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The Gospel reading today from Luke 15 is probably a very familiar story – the prodigal son. A man has two sons and the younger son insists that he receive...
Being Good Tenants
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Today's first reading from Genesis 37 is the story of Joseph, whom his brothers sold into slavery. Before making that decision, though, they said, "Let us kill him." That is...
A Message from Beyond the Grave?
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 16, Jesus tells a parable about a poor man named Lazarus, who begged at a rich man's house, only to be ignored. They both...
What You've Signed On For
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I’m sure you’ve heard the old expression “No good deed goes unpunished.” Ain’t it the truth? Just take a look at the Scriptures. The prophets of old were simply doing...
A Practicing Preacher?
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God is always ready to make things right. We are the ones who mess up, who walk away from God. Yet God is always waiting to welcome us back with...
How You (are) Measure(d)
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Today’s Gospel reading from Luke 6 is one of the most difficult in all of Scripture. Not difficult to understand; it is quite simple, really – but difficult to live...
What We Will Be
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For the Second Sunday of Lent, the Gospel reading is the story of the Transfiguration from Mark 9. Jesus takes Peter, James and John up on the mountain and is “transfigured before...
Be Perfect??
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In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 5, Jesus gives us more difficult fare. “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” As if...
Jesus' Teaching on Anger
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Today's Gospel reading is from Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount. It is Jesus' teaching on anger. The Sermon on the Mount is probably the most challenging teaching ever....
Christ's Church will Prevail
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Today is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. It is commemoration of the authority of the Pope (whomever occupies the Chair of Peter). In today’s Gospel reading from...
The Sign of Jonah
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Most people know the story of Jonah. At least, they know part of it; they know the part where he gets swallowed by a big fish. But what about the...
God Doesn't Do Something for Nothing
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Today's first reading is Isaiah 55:10-11. This passage is so important for us to understand, and is instrumental in my teaching about Seeds of Grace. "Just as from the heavens...
The Invisible Least
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In the first reading today from Leviticus 19, the Lord tells Moses to tell the people how to conduct themselves. Though not the Ten Commandments, this reading sounds similar. It...
Embrace the Desert
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Today’s Gospel reading from Mark 1 tells us that, before the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus went into the desert for forty days, where he was tempted by Satan....
The Call to Repentance
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 5, we see the calling of Levi (Matthew). After Levi leaves his customs post to follow Jesus, he (Levi) has a banquet for Jesus...
A Pleasing Fast
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In our first reading today from Isaiah 58, we hear what is truly an acceptable form of fasting. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading, the Pharisees...
What Profit?
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In today's first reading from Deuteronomy 30, we see a very familiar phrase: Choose life. Want to know how to choose life? Read it! In the Gospel reading from Luke...
To Dust You Shall Return
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Blessed Ash Wednesday! Today we begin our Lenten journey for 2024. Whatever you have chosen to do or give up (or a combination thereof), I pray that this will be...
Tempted
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In our first reading today from James 1, St. James talks about temptation. This is a subject that comes up at the end of the Lord’s Prayer. More in a...
The Joy of Trials
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For our first reading today, we begin the Letter of St. James. James is one of those books in the Bible that it would be very good for us to...
Lepers, All
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In the first reading today from Leviticus 13, we read about what will be done with lepers. He “shall keep his garments rent and his head bare, and shall muffle...
Satisfaction
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In today's Gospel reading from Mark 8, we read about Jesus feeding the multitude. The Scripture says, "They all ate and were satisfied." We know that this miraculous feeding was...
Open Ears and Open Hearts
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Remember the American Civil War, when North and South were divided? In today's first reading we see the beginning of the division of Israel into the Northern Kingdom and the...
No One is Exempt
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In our Gospel reading today from Mark 7, a woman comes to Jesus asking Him to heal her daughter. The woman is a Greek, not a child of Israel. At...
Breathless
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In today's Gospel reading from Mark 7, Jesus declares all foods clean, negating the many dietary laws of the Jews. He says it is not what goes into one's mouth...
Jesus' Condemnation of tradition
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In today’s first reading from 1 Kings 8, Solomon stands before the altar in the magnificent temple that he had built and offers up a prayer to God. This is...
Jesus' Healing Power
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Solomon has taken over as king after the death of his father, David. In today’s first reading from 1 Kings 8, we read about the ark of the covenant being...
Looking for Jesus
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 1, Jesus leaves early in the morning, before the sun came up, to go off to a deserted place to pray. Simon and...
The First Step Toward Wisdom
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In today’s first reading from 1 Kings 3, we meet Solomon. Solomon’s father, David, had just died. The son had ascended to the throne of Israel. More in a moment....
The Presentation of Our Children
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The Jewish people “presented” their children to the Lord in the temple shortly after their birth. In the first...
They Preached Repentance
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In the Gospel reading from Mark 6, we see Jesus sending out the Twelve. He tells them what they need to do. So what do they do? “So they went...
Offended
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Taking responsibility seems to be something that has gotten lost these days. I suppose that has always been true in some measure. It seems people, especially leaders, always want to...
Family Life, and Death
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In today's readings, we see two stories about life and death in a family. In the first reading from 2 Samuel, David's son Absalom is killed. Absalom had been hunting...
Legion
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In today’s first reading from 2 Samuel 15, a man comes alongside David and begins cursing and throwing stones at him and his soldiers. One of David’s soldiers asks permission...
Amazed by Jesus
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In today's Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus casts and unclean spirit out of a man. The people's reaction? "All were amazed..." Jesus was amazing then. He's still amazing today....
The Consequences of Sin
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Jesus cares about every area of our lives – our welfare, our hopes and dreams. Jesus cares. In the Gospel reading today, the disciples question that. They are in a...