Lenten Resources
Repentance O that today you would listen to his voice! “Harden not your hearts as at Meribah, as on that day at Massah in the desert…” (Psalm 95:7c-8, Abbey Psalms & Canticles) A reading from a letter To Peter on the Faith by St. Fulgentius of Ruspe: “…no one should continue longer time in…
Continue ReadingFulfillment [Jesus said,] “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17, RSV) A reading from the Tractates on Matthew by St. Chromatius of Aquileia: “He fulfilled the law and the prophets in this way: He brought…
Continue ReadingForgiveness Then Peter came up and said to [Jesus], “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22, RSV) A reading from a Commentary on Matthew by…
Continue ReadingBaptism And Elisha sent a messenger to [Naaman], saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” (2 Kings 5:10, RSV) A reading from On the Second Book of Kings by St. Ephrem the Syrian: “It was necessary that Naaman, in order to…
Continue ReadingLooking at my Daily Missal for this Third Sunday of Lent, I noticed a blurb at the top in red letters: “On this Sunday is celebrated the first scrutiny in preparation for the Baptism of the catechumens who are to be admitted to the Sacraments of Christian Initiation at the Easter Vigil, using…
Continue ReadingToday’s Gospel is the very familiar parable of the prodigal son. The word “prodigal” means something like “extraordinarily generous.” That description fits the father in the story more than the younger son. The son had squandered his inheritance in bad ways. Nevertheless, the father welcomed him back home. He forgave him. Not only that,…
Continue ReadingThe first reading for today’s Mass is the story of Joseph and his brothers. We all know it – maybe not from the Bible but from the well-known Broadway show, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with the memorable music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The brothers think they have gotten rid of their dreamer…
Continue ReadingThe parables are intended to make us think and reflect. In the one we hear in today’s gospel, the rich man lived in isolated luxury. Sure, he did not hurt anyone. He didn’t run Lazarus off his property. He didn’t mind Lazarus hanging around his table for the leftovers. So what was the rich…
Continue ReadingThe Gospel reading today is about leadership. The mother of two of Jesus’ followers wants Jesus to give her sons positions of leadership. She wants them to be powerful. But that is not how Jesus wants leadership to be exercised. For Jesus, leadership means service. Some years ago, a leading university did a study…
Continue ReadingBoth of the bible readings for today’s Mass are powerful. Let me start with the first reading, from the Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah prefigures what Jesus will say in the Gospel. The message is this: we should be known for the integrity of our lives. “Cease doing evil; learn to do good.” What does that…
Continue ReadingWe are now in the second week of Lent. Hopefully, our resolve to identify with Jesus remains strong. In today’s Gospel, St. Luke presents Jesus teaching as he stood on a level stretch of ground. This is similar to Matthew’s presentation of the Sermon on the Mount. It begins with the Beatitudes and then…
Continue ReadingEvery year, on the Second Sunday of Lent, we hear the Gospel about the Transfiguration of Jesus. The transfiguration prepares different people for the future passion and death of Holy Week. This is true, first of all, for Jesus himself. Secondly, it is true for the apostles present at the event. And, finally,…
Continue Reading“So be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This is probably the hardest thing to do. I am reminded of what St. Maximilian Kolbe says, “Entrust all matters to [the Immaculata] and she shall deign to take care of them. In her loving, immaculate hands, victory is certain.” Even though it is Lent,…
Continue ReadingToday in our readings we hear the great mercy that the Lord has those who turn away from the sins that they commit and come back among the flock. But we also hear the warning of those who turn away from God and decide to do their own will and fall away. As the…
Continue ReadingIn the Gospel today, Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” I remember when I…
Continue ReadingI am reminded of a homily that our Fr. Aquinas gave after reading the gospel account of John the Baptist’s martyrdom. He said “Mark is the only gospel writer who says ‘Herod enjoyed listening to him [John].’ It just proves that God even loves Herod so much that he tries to penetrate the hardest…
Continue ReadingI remember one day trying my best to show humility in the place where I work on campus, I had a little pocketbook of the “Personal Notes of St. Bernadette Soubirous” that Fr. Joel Derks gave to me before he passed away. I read to myself the section where St. Bernadette said, “I raised…
Continue ReadingI remember thinking as a child, “why on earth are we celebrating a chair, especially a chair that is probably broken since it is over 2000 years old!” But as St. Paul says, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.” When…
Continue ReadingIn today’s readings, especially the first reading, we can first get the sense of Easter. Noah was in the ark for 150 days. When the day finally came for him, his family, and all the animals to come out of the ark, the Lord made a covenant with Noah, saying “I will establish my…
Continue ReadingPlenty of people are funny but can’t tell a joke. Each week I get a taste of that hosting our seminary’s community night, News & Views. I start out with a joke, and let’s just say that often my humor differs from our seminarians. They think I’m funny, true, but they don’t always laugh…
Continue ReadingOur culture is very health-conscious. The very idea of fasting seems foreign in contemporary America. True fasting is hard. Several years ago, I went on a bread-and-water fast just on Wednesdays and Fridays in Lent. That did not seem too bad – after all, I love bread! However, there was something about that being…
Continue ReadingOkay, let’s be real: Who would choose death and doom over life and prosperity? Unfortunately, the reality is not as simple as that. Many people do choose to gain the world and lose their soul in the process. Therefore, Moses is quite right to say that the choice is counter-intuitive. The Law of the…
Continue ReadingThis year our custom for imposing ashes will change in the U.S. However, the practice of sprinkling ashes on the crown of the head as opposed to marking a cross on the forehead is more common throughout the world. Honestly, I prefer the new custom. It felt odd to hear Jesus’ words about…
Continue ReadingMark’s Gospel differs from the other three in that there are two miracles of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes. Both stories are charged with biblical numerology – numbers that cue us into seeing a deeper significance. For example, twelve baskets leftover equal the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and the seven baskets leftover…
Continue ReadingHow does one distinguish between coincidence and a sign from God? Often it is only looking back on events, and, at other times, it is our willingness to see the divine action at work in our life. In our first reading, Cain is jealous of his brother Abel. Rather than understanding that sometimes when…
Continue ReadingThe Journalism School at the University of Missouri is world-renowned. Consequently, you could not scratch your nose in class without elbowing a journalism undergrad. One principle of journalism they mentioned was this: If it bleeds, it leads. In other words, bad news sells papers (or gets internet clicks). Bad news captivates us. Yet conspicuously…
Continue Reading“Taking the seven loaves (Jesus) gave thanks, …. They also had a few fish. He said the blessing over them and ordered them distributed also.” To bless God is to enter into the mystery of his creation. It is to take up and allow oneself to be formed in reverence for all God has…
Continue ReadingThe Benedictine abbot, Blessed Columba Marmion commented that the mysteries of Christ are our mysteries as well as Christ’s. In today’s Gospel we have an example of this: “(Jesus) …looked up to heaven and groaned” Here we have a mystery of Christ’s life – groaning or sighing. This man comes before him Jesus and…
Continue Reading“She begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter” “For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter.” This episode in Jesus’ encounter with the demonic can teach us something valuable for our lives. One of the things which Satan does not, cannot, understand is humility. It…
Continue ReadingThe Benedictine world today celebrates the feast of St. Benedict’s twin sister, Scholastica. The Gospel given for the feast is the Martha-Mary story in serving Jesus in their home. The first optional reading is taken from the Song of Songs, also called, The Song of Solomon. It is an Old Testament love song and…
Continue ReadingToday’s readings offer us two ways to “learn God”. The first way is by contemplating God’s works. We learn that God is creator. It’s a beautiful way to come to know God. It’s a way children are taught to know God. Think, for example, of the catechism question and answer, “Why did God make…
Continue ReadingHow does the believer touch Jesus in our times? There are two indicators in this question that lead us in the direction of an answer. The first is the word, “believer.” One has to be a believer, he or she must have faith! Yet there is more to it than simply stating that touching…
Continue ReadingAll of us can agree, I’m sure, that mental anguish is a very great human suffering. Loneliness, fear, doubt, betrayal, infidelity, and especially depression and mental illness are hard to take. Job confronted this dilemma centuries ago. He didn’t solve the problem but he began the journey into redemptive suffering — a journey which…
Continue ReadingOne of the greatest travesties of life is when people give up hope. How often you see people who don’t want to move forward in life or make things better simply because they don’t believe things can get better. We all know a cynic or two. Sometimes the person who’s questioning our hope is…
Continue ReadingI have often turned to Thomas Merton as an inspiration in my spiritual life. His writing is so profound. There are simplicity and significant depth that run through all of it. I found a new insight recently when I read his autobiography again, The Seven Storey Mountain. In one section he writes about World…
Continue ReadingI once heard the saying that a pessimist is an optimist with experience. Can you really experience life and still be hopeful? I do believe the answer is yes. An optimist is someone who makes the best of their experiences. We will have both positive and negative experiences in life. We can’t control everything…
Continue ReadingThe Epistle to the Hebrews offers encouragement to those who are undergoing trials. “Treat your trials as discipline… Strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees…” Jesus underwent a trial of disappointment in His native place. He came home and no one listened to His word. He was “amazed at their lack of faith.”…
Continue ReadingJesus’s parents brought him into the Temple in Jerusalem to fulfill the ancient custom of presenting the firstborn child before the Lord. The prophet Malachy foretold that the messenger of the Lord would come before the Lord, and the Lord himself would come to the Temple. We see this fulfilled when Jesus entered the…
Continue ReadingHebrews declares that our ancestors “conquered kingdoms” because they had faith. They believed that the Lord was with them. They hoped in the Lord’s promise. How blessed we are to inherit the blessings of this promise. As Hebrews says, “something better was planned for us.” We have received the great treasure that was longed…
Continue ReadingToday’s readings show how often humanity puts up barriers to God. The Lord wants to draw us to Himself, yet we are the ones who put up the barriers. In the beginning of Israel’s journey, the people enjoyed the direct presence of God. They still asked not to hear the voice of the Lord…
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