Glorious Freedom
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We hear a couple of short parables in the Gospel reading today from Luke 13. Jesus likens the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed and yeast. Do you remember...
Daddy!
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What an awesome reading today from Romans 8. St. Paul talks about us being sons and daughters of God. More on that in a sec. In the Gospel reading from...
Loving Your Neighbor
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In the Gospel reading from Matthew 22, Jesus is asked, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” His answer may have surprised some. When Jesus is asked about...
Saints Simon and Jude
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Today the Church celebrates the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles. The readings are typical for the feast of Apostles - the first reading from Ephesians 2 and the...
Good vs. Evil
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There is a constant battle of good versus evil. It happens in the world - we see it every day - and in our own lives. St. Paul wrote about...
Wages and Gifts
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We call Jesus the Prince of Peace. In today's Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus says, "Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No,...
Entrusted with Much (and More)
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Perhaps St. Paul’s words in today’s first reading from Romans 6 are ones we should read every day, or even commit to memory. “For sin is not to have any...
Grace Overflows
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In today’s first reading from Romans 5, St. Paul talks about sin and grace. More on that in a moment. In the Gospel reading from Luke 12, Jesus tells his...
Love is the Answer
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In our Gospel reading today, Jesus has an encounter with a man which prompts Him to warn the gathered crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one...
It's All God's
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In the Gospel reading from Matthew 22, Jesus is asked by some Pharisees and Herodians about paying taxes. They try to trip Him up by asking, “Is it lawful to...
Letting the Spirit Speak
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We’re back in Romans 4 for the first reading today. Paul continues to talk about faith and again uses the model of faith as an example, Abraham. In the Gospel...
Your Worth
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In today’s first reading from Romans 4, St. Paul talks about the importance of faith. He points to Abraham as the example of faith. “Abraham believed God, and it was...
Justified
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In the Gospel reading today from Luke 11, Jesus continues to pronounce woes on the scholars of the law. These are some pretty scathing remarks. “Woe to you, scholars of...
St. Luke the Evangelist
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Luke. St. Luke is the author of two books of the New Testament, the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles....
I Am Not Ashamed
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One of the things that I admire most about St. Paul (there are many) is his boldness. And the first line of today’s first reading really sums things up. “I...
Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign
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In the first reading today we begin a journey through St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. St. Paul greets the believers in Rome with this – “Grace to you and...
Invited to the Feast
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In the Gospel reading from Matthew 22, Jesus tells a parable about a king who gives a wedding feast for his son. When the servants went out to summon the...
The Blessing of Being Blessed
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God will take care of His people. That is His promise, His covenant. It is one that will last forever. In today’s first reading from Joel 4, we hear this...
Fully Armed
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Today's first reading from the Book of the Prophet Joel sounds very Lenten. In fact, part of this reading pops up in Lent. "Proclaim a fast, call an assembly...cry to...
Good Gifts
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Today's Gospel reading from Luke 11 contains a famous saying of Jesus that most folks know: "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find;...
The Good Lord Giveth...
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Most folks can pray the Our Father from memory. Today we hear Jesus teaching His disciples to pray from Luke's Gospel. In our first reading we continue the story of...
Join us on the Seine!
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I'm so excited to let you know that we still have some spots available on our Seine River Cruise pilgrimage in June! Michelle and I and Fr. Leo Patalinghug would...
When We Repent
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Today's Gospel reading is the familiar story of Mary and Martha, where Jesus says, "Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." Mary chose...
God's Extreme Measures
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The story of the good Samaritan is the Gospel reading today from Luke 10. The Samaritans were hated by the Jews. They couldn’t possibly have a decent bone in their...
Producing Fruit for the Kingdom
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In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 21, Jesus tells a parable about a landowner. The landowner sends numerous servants to look after a vineyard that he had leased to some...
Our Lady of the Rosary
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Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The readings today are for Saturday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time. I'd like to share my rosary...
Rejecting Jesus
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 10, Jesus pronounces "woes" on three towns - Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. Jesus, speaking to the seventy-two disciples He was sending ahead of him,...
Peace to this Household
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 10, Jesus sends out seventy-two disciples to go in pairs and visit every town He intended to visit. He gives them instructions on what...
Pray Before Speaking
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Ever say something you later regretted? I think we all have. Today’s first reading has the antidote! In the Gospel reading from Luke 9, some folks tell Jesus that they...
We Have Heard that God is with You
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 9, the disciples ask Jesus if He wants them to call down fire from heaven on a Samaritan village that did not welcome Him....
Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels
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Today we celebrate the Feast of the Guardian Angels. In the optional first reading for the feast day from Exodus, we see God telling the people that he is sending...
Unfair!
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I just love the first reading today from Ezekiel 18. The Lord God says, “You say, ‘The Lord’s way is not fair!’ Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my...
Hidden Meaning
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Have you ever puzzled over God's designs? I know I do...often. And it's easy to wonder why. In today's Gospel reading from Luke 9, Jesus says something to His disciples....
A Battle for Souls
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Today we celebrate the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael – the Archangels. We have two options for the first reading. The first, from Daniel 7, contains a vision...
Consider Your Ways
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Our first reading today is from the Prophet Haggai. The Lord had opened the doors for the rebuilding of his temple in Jerusalem. The exiles had returned. God opened the...
Time to FROG
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In our first reading today we see Ezra praying, acknowledging the people's sinfulness and God's great mercy. In the Gospel reading from Luke 9, Jesus sends out the Twelve two...
All in the Family
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In the first reading today from Ezra 6, we see an interesting relationship between “government” and “religion.” The kings of that time, Darius, Cyrus and Artaxerxes all allowed and encouraged...
That They May See the Light
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Today's first reading is the beginning of the Book of Ezra. Cyrus, a gentile king, allows the children of Israel, who had been scattered, to go to Jerusalem and build...
A New Perspective
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I tell my radio listeners that I learn something new every day. It's true, and it never ceases to amaze me. A couple of weeks ago I was talking about...
Fruit Through Perseverance
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In today's Gospel reading from Luke 8, Jesus tells, and then explains, the parable of the sower. He starts His explanation with this: "The seed is the word of God."...
The Root of all Evils
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St. Paul gives some very sound advice to Timothy in today’s first reading from 1 Timothy 6. More on that in a moment. Our Gospel reading today is short, but...
He Got the Right Guy
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Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Matthew. Matthew penned the first Gospel. His Jewish name was Levi. (We find this in the Gospels of Mark and Luke.) He is...
The Pillar and Foundation of Truth
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In our first reading today from 1 Timothy 3, St. Paul mentions “the pillar and foundation of truth.” Care to take a guess at what St. Paul said that was?...
Bishops and Deacons (and Priests), Oh My!
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Today's Gospel story is one of gratuitous love. Jesus happens upon a man's funeral. He was the only son of a widow. Jesus, moved with pity for the mother, brings...
One Mediator
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The Gospel reading today from Luke 7 features a centurion who says something that every Catholic will find very familiar. “Lord…I am not worthy to have you enter under my...
Any Wiggle Room?
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The Gospel reading from Matthew 18 is a familiar story about Jesus telling Peter a story after saying he must forgive “not seven times but seventy-seven times.” A man, after...
Good and Rotten
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You probably think you’re a pretty big sinner. I know I do. I mean, I think I’m a pretty big sinner, not you! St. Paul knew that he was a...
Stabat Mater
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. How appropriate that we commemorate this the day after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. If you attend Mass...
Carrying Your Cross
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Today is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In the first reading today from Numbers 21, we see a bit of typology. God told Moses to make...
Put These Things to Death
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The Gospel reading today is the beginning of the Sermon on the Plain from Luke 6. We know them as the beatitudes. There are slight differences in Luke’s version and...