Scripture readings: Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12; Psalm 46; John 5:1-16 Jesus approached a man who had been disabled for 38 years and asked a seemingly foolish question: “Do you want to be healed?” The obvious response was, “Of course!” Jesus cured him by telling him simply to pick up his mat and walk.
Scripture readings: Isaiah 65:17-21; Psalm 30; John 4:43-54 According to today’s reading from Isaiah, Lent means new life! “See, I am creating new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered nor come to mind.” God calls His people “a joy” and “a delight” because God is delighted and happy with them, His new creation.
Scripture readings: 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 10-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5:8-14; John 9:1-41 Today’s Gospel reminds me of the expression “There are none so blind as those who will not see.” The blind man comes to sight, to faith.
Scripture readings: Hosea 6:1-6; Psalm 51; Luke 18:9-14 The key to understanding today’s readings is found in the psalm: “It is mercy I desire and not sacrifice.” This is nearly an exact quote of God’s statement in the first reading.
Scripture readings: Hosea 14:2-10; Psalm 81; Mark 12:28-34 Jesus’ answer to the scribe’s question in today’s Gospel is simple: love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Sounds simple. And it is . But very often it is the simple things in life that give us the most trouble.
Scripture readings: Jeremiah 7:23-28; Psalm 95; Luke 11:14-23 Today’s Gospel reminds me of that famous phrase “Lift yourself up by your bootstraps.” Of course, it’s impossible. So too is it impossible for the kingdom of Beelzebul to be overthrown by Beelzebul.
Scripture readings: Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9; Psalm 147; Matthew 5:17-19 When you get a prescription filled at the pharmacy, it always comes with instructions. When you get a new coffee maker, it comes with instructions.
Scripture readings: Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10; Psalm 40; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38 In the midst of the third week of Lent, as we celebrate the Annunciation, it might feel like we are stepping out of the season a little bit.
Scripture readings: 2 Kings 5:1-15; Psalm 42; Luke 4:24-30 “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place,” Jesus says in today’s Gospel. We all have our own visions of how things ought to be: out-of-town doctors have certain mysterious wisdom, big-city consultants surely know more than someone local, and professors with foreign accents certainly have insights that our own scholars lack.
Scripture readings: Exodus 17:3-7; Psalm 95; Romans 5:1-2, 5-8; John 4:5-42 People had been coming for centuries to the well where Jesus and the woman met. Jacob himself drank from the well. The place was one of ritual and tradition, to which people had walked, drawn water, and returned home with more than when they arrived.
Scripture readings: Micah 7:14-15, 18-20; Psalm 103; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 Today’s parable presents sin as ending up in the wrong place. The younger son, demanding his share of the inheritance, ends up in a foreign land, penniless, friendless, swilling slop with the pigs.
Scripture readings: Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28; Psalm 105; Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46 Our readings today remind me of the old TV show The Smothers Brothers . At one point in every show, Tom would stop playing music and say to Dick, “Mom liked you more than me.” Dick would just look at him, and Tom would repeat it.
Scripture readings: Jeremiah 17:5-10; Psalm 1; Luke 16:19-31 Today’s readings remind us that trust and hope in God are important. As humans we are not perfect and do not know everything. We are all limited in our abilities, and as created beings we are not meant to know it all.
Scripture readings: 2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16; Psalm 89; Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24 St. Joseph is known for a number of things: he is the just man, the husband of Mary, the patron of a happy death, the patron of the Universal Church.
Scripture readings: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20; Psalm 50; Matthew 23:1-12 Over the years we have become more aware of first responders, those brave and dedicated heroes who head straight into the midst of a disaster to rescue those in danger and bring back the missing.
Scripture readings: Daniel 9:4-10; Psalm 79; Luke 6:36-38 “Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap.” Instead of taking away from someone by judging them or condemning them, what would happen if we were to give to the person instead?
Scripture readings: Genesis 12:1-4; Psalm 33; 2 Timothy 1:8-10; Matthew 17:1-9 In the first reading we hear God promise Abraham that his family will be a great nation. According to the Jewish calendar, Abraham made his covenant with God about 1,800 years before Christ.
St. Clement Hofbauer Scripture readings: Deuteronomy 26:16-19; Psalm 119; Matthew 5:43-48 Today Redemptorists celebrate St. Clement Hofbauer (1751-1820). He established the northern European Redemptorists in an era when the Church was attacked by intellectuals, society, and government.
Scripture readings: Ezekiel 18:21-28; Psalm 130; Matthew 5:20-26 When we look at the Gospels, we see that Jesus is hardly ever angry. The only thing that makes Him angry is hypocrisy. We see this continually in His discussions with the religious leaders.
Scripture readings: Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25; Psalm 138; Matthew 7:7-12 One of the invitations of this season of renewal is to literally follow the refrain of the ever-popular spiritual “Just a Closer Walk With Thee.” Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are directed toward drawing us closer to God in Jesus through the Holy Spirit.