Jesus offers a parable to the disciples about being alert and prepared, reminding us that preparation is a part of our daily life…and reveals our wisdom when we put it into practice.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 21st Week of the Year
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The Lord urges his disciples to be awake and prepared. Every day we have opportunities to stay “spiritually fit” as we call upon God’s grace for the demands we encounter.
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 21st Week of the Year
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John’s death vividly reveals the potential price tag for our faith. Yet we can find new strength to face the injustices of life through our conviction that we are made for more…in this life and in the life to come.
Mass Readings – The death of John the Baptist
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On this feast of St. Augustine (the patron of my Diocese) we pause to reflect on God’s love for us. God is love, and this love is meant to find a home in our hearts and then flow out into the lives of those we meet.
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Study: Reflect on a time when you struggled with something in the privacy of your heart. What helped you?
Pray: Ask the Lord for the grace and healing you need to fight the challenges within you.
Serve: Perhaps you know someone who is facing a difficult time alone. How might you reach out?
Mass Readings – 22nd Sunday of the Year
Listen to the Lord’s words to the people in this Sunday’s Gospel:
He summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.
“From within people, from their hearts,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.” Mark 7: 14-15,21-23
We see the effects of sin on the outside in the words and actions that are evident through observation and experience. Yet the Lord reminds us that the origin of our sin begins within the human heart, and it is there that the battle rages.
We can cloak our lives, guarding our speech and hiding our actions, yet eventually the pattern of our soul emerges through our interactions with one another. Only God clearly sees our hearts, and it is to the Lord that we turn to:
Because our hearts are hidden from view, it is crucial that we take time for reflection and prayer to review the state of our souls. Some powerful tools to help us:
May we pause to look honestly at our hearts, and call upon Jesus Christ for the grace we need to fight the battle within!
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Note: this post was first published on August 25, 2018.
The passage from John’s Gospel marks a low point in the active ministry of Jesus. The people have seen healing miracles and the multiplication of the fishes and loaves, but when they hear the Lord’s teaching about the Eucharist they turn away. It is in this rock-bottom moment that Peter reminds us that we face hard times with the power of our faith in Christ.
Mass Readings – 21st Sunday of the Year
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Do you want to be great in the Kingdom of Heaven? Then follow the path of service. Our example is Jesus, and the Lord will walk with us every step of the way.
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 20th Week of the Year
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Nathaniel is brought to the Lord by Philip and testifies that Jesus is the Son of God. We, too, can acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, and in doing so we have the opportunity to put our faith into practice.
Mass Readings – St. Bartholomew, Apostle
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The parable in the Gospel of Matthew shows a variety of responses to an invitation. The same is true for our response to the Lord’s invitation to live our faith. What will we do today?
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 20th Week of the Year
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Jesus offers a parable that reveals God’s amazing generosity toward us…inspiring us to extend that generosity to one another.
Mass Readings – The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
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