The Gospel of Matthew recounts the genealogy of Jesus, showing us the times of blessing and sin within the Lord’s extended family. This list gives us hope, as God continues to work in our own families today.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Advent
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Study: Consider a time when you received great news. How did it change you?
Pray: Is there some way that you can share your life? Ask God for guidance and strength.
Serve: Do you see an opportunity to make a difference with your life? Act on it!
Mass Readings – 4th Sunday of Advent
“God is with us!” The name Emmanuel signifies to Joseph that the child of Mary will bring the fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation. We are not alone…God is with us.
How do we live that great message? Does it shape our lives? Redefine our words and actions? Fill us with hope, life, peace, and joy? Does it inspire us to love one another, forgive one another, and dedicate our lives to healing the woundedness and division that are present in our world?
God is with us. Rejoice! God is with us. Repent! God is with us. Live each day as the precious and sacred gift that it is – given to us by God.
Joseph took the words of the angel to heart and cooperated with God’s plan of grace. May we live this day, aware of what God has done for us, and ready to make the most of this wondrous gift of life.
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Note: This post was first published on December 12, 2016.
Jesus references the prophet Isaiah in answer to the question “Are you the one who is to come?” and offers us a renewed sense of hope as we bring our shortcomings and weaknesses to the Lord.
Mass Readings – 3rd Sunday of Advent
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God often works in ways that we do not recognize in the moment, but only later after time and reflection allow the experience to sink in. May our eyes be open to see the Lord at work in our world today!
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 2nd Week of Advent
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PS – Do you see the Cross in the shaft of light? This was a picture a parishioner of mine took years ago…
The prophet Isaiah and the Psalmist show how the Lord teaches us, offering light so that we can see our path and find our way through this life.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 2nd Week of Advent
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Both Isaiah and Jesus offer words of encouragement: God renews our strength when we are weary!
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 2nd Week of Advent
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The readings today proclaim a message of hope – to strengthen, guide, and inspire our lives – because there are times in life where hope in God is what gets through the day.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 2nd Week of Advent
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Study: Consider a moment when you were greatly helped by someone. How did it feel to have their support?
Pray: Set before the Lord your challenges and remember in your daily prayers the needs of others.
Serve: How has the Lord blessed you to help others? What gifts and talents do you possess that make a difference today?
Mass Readings – 3rd Sunday of Advent
Isaiah’s prophecy proclaims the power and might of God. Among the words of the 1st reading we find:
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing. (Is. 35:3-6)
These are words of hope! In the midst of the challenges of life the Lord comes to strengthen our hearts and renew our lives. Yes, there are difficulties; yet we face them boldly – supported by the grace and power of God.
This hope in God’s power appears in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus cites this passage from Isaiah to the disciples of John the Baptist. Christ is the one who fulfills the words of the prophet; he is the one who comes to save us.
What’s more, those that receive this saving grace – the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven – are greater than all the prophets, including John. In other words, when we accept the power and might of God we are transformed into a new creation as the old bondage of sin and death is destroyed.
May we claim this saving grace today! As we call upon the Lord in our daily prayers, we ask that the power and might of Jesus Christ heals our hearts and strengthens our souls. We have work to do! May God’s grace help us to make it happen.
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Note: This post was first published on December 5, 2016.
John the Baptist speaks with fiery eloquence, urging the people to prepare for the one who will baptize with fire. In light of his words, may we take the opportunity today to honestly reflect on our lives and confess our sins in preparation for the coming of Christ.
Mass Readings – 2nd Sunday of Advent
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Seeing the crowds, the heart of Jesus was moved with pity for their many needs, and he responds by empowering his disciples to go forth in his name. Their example reveals the opportunity we have every day to serve our struggling brothers and sisters around us.
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 1st Week of Advent
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Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks
Three Great Things 