Tagged: Daily Reflections

IN STEP WITH JESUS

“Jesus then said to His disciples, ‘If a man wishes to come after Me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and begin to follow in My footsteps.’ ” –Matthew 16:24 Mass Readings: August 11 First: Hosea 2:16,17,21-22; Resp: Psalm 45:11-12,14-16; Gospel: John 15:4-10 Listen to the Mass Readings When I was a boy, my friends and I often played a winter game in the snow. The leader would walk across a snowy field. The rest of us had to place our feet exactly into the leader’s footprints without disturbing any of the surrounding snow. The one...

FROM GIVING TO LIVING

“Let me say this much: He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully. Everyone must give according to what he has inwardly decided.” –2 Corinthians 9:6-7 Mass Readings: August 10 First: 2 Corinthians 9:6-10; Resp: Psalm 112:1-2,5-9; Gospel: John 12:24-26 Listen to the Mass Readings Giving sets the tone for living. If we give bountifully of our possessions, time, and energy (2 Cor 9:6), we will live an abundant life (Jn 10:10). If, however, we give sparingly (2 Cor 9:6), do the minimum, and not go beyond the letter of the law (2...

BELIEVE AND RECEIVE OR DOUBT AND OUT?

“I will do to you just what I have heard you say.” –Numbers 14:28 Mass Readings: August 9 First: Numbers 13:1-2,25–14:1,26-29,34-35; Resp: Psalm 106:6-7,13-14,21-23; Gospel: Matthew 15:21-28 Listen to the Mass Readings Twelve Israelite scouts walked around in the promised land. Ten saw disaster and sowed “discouraging reports among the Israelites” (Nm 13:32); two saw God’s hand poised to bless His people with swift entrance into the promised land, and these two scouts sowed faith and confidence (Nm 14:6ff). The people listened to the majority and died outside of the promised land. Pope St. John Paul II has prophesied that...

REPAIR SHOP

“Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses.” –Numbers 12:1 Mass Readings: August 8 First: 2 Timothy 4:1-5; Resp: Psalm 37:3-6,30-31; Gospel: Matthew 5:13-16 Listen to the Mass Readings A few years ago, when the news broke of sexual scandals of some Catholic priests, a certain man was publicly berating all priests, even on occasion during Holy Mass. This angered me to the point that I had to bring it to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A holy priest I knew was hearing Confessions that day. With peaceful calmness, he quietly mentioned that it is a spiritual work of mercy to bear wrongs...

MAKING BELIEVERS OUT OF US

“Israel I would feed with the best of wheat.” –Psalm 81:17 Mass Readings: August 7 First: Numbers 11:4-15; Resp: Psalm 81:12-17; Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21 Listen to the Mass Readings Less than twenty-four hours before His death, Jesus took what appeared to be bread and wine and said “This is My body,” and “This is My blood” (Mt 26:26, 28). The obvious response to these seemingly absurd statements is: “How can He give us His flesh to eat?” (Jn 6:52) Yet, before we dismiss Jesus’ words as those of a lunatic, we should remember that the Lord fed the entire Israelite...