Stir Into Flame
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saints Timothy and Titus. It is a special day for my parish, as I attend St. Timothy Parish. Because it is a shared...
Conversion: A Never-ending Process
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. Jesus’ words from today’s Gospel reading from Mark 16 are ones that St. Paul took seriously. Jesus said, “Go...
Sowing Seeds of Grace
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Today's Gospel reading is the parable of the sower from Mark 4. Jesus tells a story of a man who goes out and sows seeds all over. The seeds fall...
Dancing Hearts
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When it comes to God, the family is pretty large. What do I mean? In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus says, “For whoever does the will of God is my brother...
How Satan Plunders
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In today's first reading from 2 Samuel 5, we see David being anointed as king of Israel. In the Gospel reading from Mark 3, Jesus is accused of driving out...
Believe in the Gospel
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In today's Gospel reading from Mark 1, we read about Jesus beginning His public ministry. He opens His public ministry with these words: "This is the time of fulfillment. The...
He is Out of His Mind
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For the first reading today, we start in 2 Samuel. Saul and his son, Jonathan, David’s best friend, have been killed in battle. David laments the death of these two...
David's Example of Mercy
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King Saul and David had a real on again/off again relationship. In today's reading from 1 Samuel 24, we see it being off again. Saul is hunting David down. Saul...
Jealousy and Envy
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Goliath was dead. You would think that King Saul would be overjoyed that David, one of his own, had slain the Philistine. And he was…for a short time. More in...
Defeating Your Golaith
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In the Gospel reading today from Mark 3, Jesus has another run-in with the Pharisees about the sabbath. Jesus asks them, “Is it lawful to do good ont he sabbath...
Of Books and Covers
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In today’s first reading from 1 Samuel 16, we read about the anointing of David. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Mark 2, Jesus is...
What's in a Name?
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Name changes in the Scriptures are not real common, especially when that name change is given by God. You better believe that a great significance is attached. We see one...
Into the Unknown
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Today's Gospel reading from Mark 2 is about the call of Levi. Not sure who Levi is? We know him better as Matthew. He was a tax collector. Jesus sees...
The Danger of Following the Herd
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You would think that as God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel would enjoy being different, set apart. Uh…not so much. We see this in today’s first reading. More in...
Fight Manfully!
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In today's Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus heals a leper. In our first reading from 1 Samuel 4, the Israelites go to battle with the Philistines. When the Philistines...
Everyone is Looking
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Today's first reading from 1 Samuel 3 is the story of the call of Samuel. When the LORD calls Samuel, he doesn't know what's going on. So Eli the priest...
Pouring Out Your Troubles
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In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 1, Jesus casts an unclean spirit out of a man while in the synagogue in Capernaum. The people recognized the authority that Jesus had,...
The Baptism of the Lord
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Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. We see that moment in Mark’s Gospel where John the Baptist has just baptized Jesus when a voice came from the...
Wise Men Still Seek Him
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Today is the Feast of Epiphany. The Gospel reading tells the story of the Three Kings, or the Three Wise Men. They heard that the King of the Jews had...
Life in the Son
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In today's first reading from 1 John 5, St. John writes this: And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Every...
Loving in Deed and Truth
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In the Gospel reading today from John 1, we see an encounter between Jesus and Nathanael. Nathanael, also known as Bartholomew, says to Jesus, “Rabbi, you are the Son of...
To Whom Do You Belong?
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Today's reflection is about a topic that doesn't seem to get covered much these days: sin. St. John covers a lot of ground on this in our first reading from...
We Shall Be Like Him
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Do you know John 1:29? If you’re Catholic, I’m certain you do. We hear it every time we go to Mass, as the priest holds the consecrated host aloft, right...
Remain in Him
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Keeping your faith in Christ is pretty important. (That's a bit of understatement, in case you're wondering.) In our first reading today from 1 John 2 we see this clearly...
Theotokos
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Happy New Year! Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Mary, the Mother of God. In honor of that, I want to share with you a chapter from A Minute...
Your Holy Family
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Today is the Feast of the Holy Family, always the Sunday after Christmas. All of the readings today talk about family. In the Gospel reading from Luke 2, we read about...
Anna's Evangelization
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 2, we read about the prophetess Anna. "And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child...
The Canticle of Simeon
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Today is the fifth day in the Octave of Christmas. In our first reading from 1 John 2, St. John talks about light and darkness. He writes, “Whoever says he...
The Holy Innocents
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Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents. On this day we remember all those children who were slaughtered in Bethlehem and the surrounding area after the birth of Jesus....
Sprinting to the Lord
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Today we celebrate the Feast of St. John the Evangelist. St. John was the beloved disciple, the author of the fourth Gospel, three letters in the New Testament and the...
The Witness of St. Stephen
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr. In the first reading from Acts of the Apostles, we see the story of Stephen’s martyrdom. And in...
A Christmas Thank You
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Christmas is here! Christmas is here! I can remember waking up VERY early on Christmas mornings when I was a kid and yelling that out to my brothers and sisters....
Nothing is Impossible
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While today is Christmas Eve, in the liturgy it is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Just a reminder that for Mass attendance, you don't get a twofer. One must attend...
Zechariah's Silence
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Today's Gospel reading is the naming of John the Baptist. John's father, Zechariah, was struck dumb after the angel announced to him that he and his wife would have a...
Hannah and Mary's Prayer
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In today’s first reading from 1 Samuel 1, we see Hannah giving up her only son to the service of the Lord. Eli, the priest, had prayed that Hannah might...
Filled With the Holy Spirit
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As the Christmas story continues to unfold in the liturgy, today's Gospel reading is the story of the visitation, when Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth's greeting to Mary is...
The Handmaid of the Lord
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During December, we see a few readings multiple times. Today’s Gospel reading is a case in point. In fact, it is the exact same Gospel reading we saw on the Feast...
Miracle Babies
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Today’s readings tell the stories of two miracle babies – Samson and John the Baptist. The mothers of both of these boys were barren. Everyone assumed they would never have...
A Righteous Man
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Today in the first reading from Jeremiah 23, the Lord says, “Behold, the days are coming when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; as king he shall...
Gaudete Sunday
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Today is Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent. Today we light the pink, or rose, candle on the Advent wreath. It is called Gaudete Sunday because of the opening...
Not What You Expect
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In the first reading today from Sirach 48, we see a synopsis of the life and times of Elijah. The people were awaiting his return. In the Gospel reading from...
God's Way is Simple, But...
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Love always desires the good. God is love. Therefore, God always desires the good. He always wants what is best for us. He also knows that often what we want...
The Return of Elijah
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You may know that the most common admonition in Scripture is "Be not afraid" or some variation thereof. We see one in today's first reading from Isaiah 41. "It is...
Battery Recharge
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I'm now a former runner. I've done over a dozen marathons, countless half marathons and even some ultra-marathons in my day. Unfortunately, my knees gave out a few years ago...
Your Merciful Mother
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. When the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego on a hill in Tepeyac, Mexico, in December of 1531,...
Incredible Things
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Today's "golden thread" is about healing. In the first reading from Isaiah 35 we read, "Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be...
A Voice in the Desert
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Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. In the Gospel reading from Mark 1, we read about the ministry of John the Baptist. He is the one about whom the...
Your Life GPS
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I have always been somewhat directionally challenged. That's why I love the invention of the GPS. It tells me where I need to go, and corrects me when I've gone...
Conceived Without Sin
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Remember that, for Catholics, today is a Holy Day of obligation. I hope you will make it a point to attend...
Surviving the Storms
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The theme of today's readings is a strong house. In the first reading from Isaiah 26, it is referred to in the context of a city and a nation. And...