Category: Daily Reflections

“Grace and peace be yours.” –1 Thessalonians 1:1 Listen to the Mass Readings First Thessalonians is probably the earliest book of the New Testament. Therefore, it has special significance. To better understand these words of St. Paul, we must understand his life. Paul described his life in the following way: “…with my many more labors and imprisonments, with far worse beatings and frequent brushes with death. Five times at the hands of the Jews I received forty lashes less one; three times I was beaten with rods; I was stoned once, shipwrecked three times; I passed a day and a...

“I say to you who are My friends: Do not be afraid.” –Luke 12:4 Mass Readings: October 20 First: Romans 4:1-8; Resp: Psalm 32:1-2,5,11;Gospel: Luke 12:1-7 Listen to the Mass Readings “You did not receive a spirit of slavery leading you back into fear, but a spirit of adoption” (Rm 8:15). Satan, however, tries to make us lifelong slaves through the fear of death (Heb 2:15). In this battle against fear, we can claim Jesus’ victory by accepting the grace to: fear the Lord. “He who fears the Lord is never alarmed, never afraid; for the Lord is his Hope”...

“He did so to manifest His own justice.” –Romans 3:25 Mass Readings: October 19 First: Romans 3:21-30; Resp: Psalm 130:1-6; Gospel: Luke 11:47-54 Listen to the Mass Readings “Just yesterday, I was just just, just as he was.” The preceding sentence contains grammatically correct English. It shows the many usages of the word “just.” The sentence can be more clearly stated: “As recently as yesterday, I was merely fair, exactly as he was.” The English word “just” is just plain confusing. Similarly, throughout the history of Christianity, most notably from the time of the Protestant Reformation, the words “just,” “justice,”...

“I have no one with me but Luke.” –2 Timothy 4:11 Mass Readings: October 18 First: 2 Timothy 4:10-17; Resp: Psalm 145:10-13,17-18; Gospel: Luke 10:1-9 Listen to the Mass Readings When Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, Luke was the only one with him. Although Paul was on trial, everyone had abandoned him (2 Tm 4:16). Luke seems to have had a heart of mercy for the lonely and abandoned. Only in Luke’s Gospel do we meet the penitent woman (Lk 7:37), the good Samaritan (Lk 10:33), the prodigal son (Lk 15:12), Lazarus the beggar (Lk 16:20), the thankful...