Yesterday’s celebration of All Saints inspires us today to pray for All Souls. We remember our faithful departed and commend them to the loving mercy of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. On this sober feast we recall that one day we will all make the journey from this life to the next, and we ask God for the grace to carry on.
Mass Readings – The Commemoration of All Souls
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The victory of the Saints stands as a reminder for us. For just as Christ sustained the Saints in their trials, so God will also walk with us. They inspire us to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as we encounter the obstacles of life…so that one day we will join their ranks in Heaven.
Mass Readings – The Solemnity of All Saints
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The Last Judgment, Michelangelo, 1536-1541, Sistine Chapel, Rome.
The Lord reminds us of a sobering fact: the path that leads to eternal life flows through a narrow gate, and every day we make choices that either lead us closer or farther away.
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 30th Week of the Year
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Jesus offers two examples to show how with God’s help a small action on our part leads to big changes in our lives, inviting us to consider what small adaptations we can make to grow in our faith today.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 30th Week of the Year
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Study: Consider an experience where you were unconditionally loved by another person. How did their love change you?
Pray: Is there someone in your life who is difficult to love right now? Ask the Lord for the strength to love others like Christ.
Serve: Love is not a feeling, but an act of the will. How can you put your love for others into action today?
Mass Readings – 31st Sunday of the Year
We see some common themes in the readings this week:
At first glance we might easily take these ideas for granted; most of us have grown up with our Christian faith and have heard these messages from childhood. But what happens when we pause and reflect?
Loving God is not some melancholy obligation! The Lord made us for love and through the gift of faith we are invited to grow in love with God and one another. Simply put, each and every day we have the opportunity to become more and more like Christ – our teacher and example of love.
How can you foster God’s love in your life today? How can you find ways to express and implement love in your relationships? Our commandment to love finds its source, strength and glory in the love that God has for us. May we receive the Lord’s love for us today as we share that love in all aspects of our lives.
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When Jesus heals Bartimaeus, he does more than simply offer him sight. An encounter with Christ brings us into a direct experience of God’s grace and power; how we respond reveals our recognition of the many ways we see the Lord at work in our lives today.
Mass Readings – 30th Sunday of the Year
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Our lives offer us an opportunity to grow and flourish in the grace of God. However, this chance to be spiritually fruitful lasts until the time when the Lord calls us into eternity, and from that moment there is no turning back.
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 29th Week of the Year
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The Letter of the Ephesians offers a beautiful call to faith which can inspire us in the darkest moments of our lives. May we take these words to heart as we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 29th Week of the Year
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The Lord speaks of division – even within families – in the Gospel today. Why? Because in the end all of us will have to choose a path in life, either leading us to God or casting us away.
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 29th Week of the Year
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The end of today’s passage from the Gospel of Luke offers a powerful reminder: we are called to live the blessing of our lives to the fullest extent. What’s more, we will be judged, not in comparison to others, but in comparison to the gifts that God has placed within us.
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 29th Week of the Year
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Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 