The Letter of James offers some rich insight into speech, anger and action. May we take a moment to reflect on these areas of our lives as we discern how our faith can guide us.
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 6th Week of the Year
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Daily Mass: Facing our temptations. Catholic Inspiration
The Letter of James gives crucial insight into the nature of temptation. As we encounter our own temptations, may we never tire of calling upon God for the grace we need to face them.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 6th Week of the Year
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7th Sunday of the Year: Putting love into practice
Study: Reflect on a moment when you felt completely and entirely loved. How did that experience shape your life?
Pray: Is there a person in your life right now who is difficult to love? Ask the Lord for an infusion of grace!
Serve: How can you say “I love you” with an action? How can you show others the love in your heart?
Mass Readings – 7th Sunday of the Year
A couple of major themes surface in our readings this week:
- 1st Reading – Be holy, and love your neighbor as yourself
- Psalm – “The Lord is kind and merciful.”
- 2nd Reading – You are the temple of God, which is holy
- Gospel – Love your neighbor…and your enemy!
In the first reading and Psalm we see the Lord’s command to love one another. This might catch some people by surprise; after all, the Old Testament is filled with examples where the people of God are anything but loving to those they encounter! Point: love of neighbor is a clear commandment of God.
The Gospel of Matthew sets the bar higher as Jesus builds on this command and calls us to conversion. We are not only called to love our neighbors and family, but we are also called to love our enemies and persecutors! Like last week, Jesus takes the commandments of the Old Testament and moves far beyond them. We are called to love with our whole heart…loving one another the way God loves us.
The second reading goes in a different direction. We hear from St. Paul that our bodies are temples of the living God, and as such we encounter the Spirit of God in the person of everyone we meet.
A consideration for today: put the love of God into practice! We are cherished, treasured, forgiven and esteemed by the Lord – who loves us even on our worst days. Following this example we can act accordingly…loving those around us with the love of Jesus Christ.
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Note: This post was first published on February 13, 2017.
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6th Sunday of the Year: The power of our choices. Catholic Inspiration
The Scriptures this weekend offer many aspects of the nature of our human choices. May our faith in Christ and solid common sense help us to choose wisely as we journey through this life!
Mass Readings – 6th Sunday of the Year
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Daily Mass: Lessons learned from a miracle of fishes and loaves. Catholic Inspiration
The miracle of the fishes and loaves in Mark’s Gospel reveals several insights about Jesus that can guide us as we follow the Lord today.
Mass Readings – Saturday of the 5th Week of the Year
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Daily Mass: The healing power of Jesus Christ. Catholic Inspiration
The Lord’s healing miracle in the Gospel of Mark illustrates how we are called to continue Christ’s healing ministry in our lives today.
Mass Readings – Friday of the 5th Week of the Year
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Daily Mass: A strong and steadfast faith. Catholic Inspiration
The response of the Greek woman to Jesus on behalf of her daughter shows us the power of a strong and steadfast faith. May we foster our relationship with the Lord as we put our faith into practice.
Mass Readings – Thursday of the 5th Week of the Year
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Daily Mass: Facing the darkness in our hearts. Catholic Inspiration
As Jesus speaks of the darkness found in the human heart, we are invited to face the sin that lurks within us…trusting in the Lord’s light to overcome it.
Mass Readings – Wednesday of the 5th Week of the Year
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Daily Mass: Solomon’s prayer. Catholic Inspiration
Solomon’s prayer over the newly built Temple shows us the power of a place to draw our hearts to God. May these words inspire us – at church or at home – to call upon the Lord in the places where we dwell.
Mass Readings – Tuesday of the 5th Week of the Year
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6th Sunday of the Year: Make your choice.
Study: Reflect on a time when you had to make a decision that had profound consequences. What helped you decide wisely?
Pray: Do you have a major decision in life right now? Bring your concerns before the Lord for wisdom and guidance.
Serve: How can you empower another to make good and holy choices today?
Mass Readings – 6th Sunday of the Year
Let’s start with a quick recap of the readings:
- 1st Reading – We have freedom to choose…good or evil, life or death
- Psalm – “Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!”
- 2nd Reading – Wisdom comes from the Spirit, hidden & mysterious
- Gospel – Jesus establishes a new level of intensity for faith in God
The first reading from the Book of Sirach makes it clear that we have the freedom to make choices in our lives for good or evil, life or death. This concept of Free Will – that we are so free that we can reject even God himself – comes with sobering consequences: Those who choose life will find it, and those who choose destruction will find it…
The Psalm response encourages us to choose the Lord. As we seek to know the Lord through Prayer, Scripture, Fellowship and Sacraments we conform our hearts to Christ. Following the Lord means that we seek instruction, learn God’s commands, and then apply our faith in all aspects of our lives.
The second reading reveals the mystery of God’s wisdom, hidden through the ages and revealed in Christ, which is granted to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is through the Spirit – requested by Jesus and given by the Father – that our minds and hearts receive the Good News and act on it with conviction and power.
Finally, in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus sets a new standard of living. Using four precepts of the Law of Moses, the Lord demands that we go farther than what was formerly prescribed:
- Thou shall not kill now extends to reconciliation for any offense
- Adultery now extends to all forms of lust
- Divorce takes on a larger context
- Making an oath now changes to meaning “Yes” and “No”
The Lord makes it clear that he is doing something new, building upon the precedent of the Law and moving far beyond it. Jesus calls his disciples to a deeper level of commitment, moving beyond the moral code to a morality that is written upon our hearts. We find ourselves more aware of the destructive power of sin, turning away from its snare and embracing a life in Christ.
And thus we find ourselves back at the first reading. We have a choice. No matter what has gone before we can make a break from the past and choose life! Today we seek Jesus and ask for the grace we need to choose Him with all our heart.
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Note: This post was first published on February 12, 2017.
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Catholic Inspiration – Podcast Archives of Homilies & Talks- Daily Mass: We work on ourselves first before we point out the faults of others
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Three Great Things 