Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Ezekiel 47:1-9,12  +  John 5:1-16
April 2, 2019

Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus because he did this on a sabbath.

It was divine love that moved Jesus to heal the sick man in today’s Gospel passage.  It was this love that motivated Jesus to risk incurring the wrath of the Jewish people by healing this man on the Sabbath.  Sadly, even the man who is healed by Jesus does not quite understand Him.  When the healed man is confronted by the Jews about the “inappropriateness” of this miracle being performed on the Sabbath, he does not give faithful witness to Jesus’ love for Him.  Instead, he lamely tries to pass the buck to Jesus so that he himself is not blamed. Continue reading →

During these latter weeks of Lent I’ll be posting each day’s reflection separately, instead of a week at a time…

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Isaiah 65:17-21  +  John 4:43-54
April 1, 2019

“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”

The Fourth Sunday of Lent—sometimes known by the Latin name “Laetare Sunday”—is roughly the mid-point of Lent.  Before this mid-point, at the weekday Masses of Lent the Gospel Readings are taken from non-sequential chapters among the first three Gospel accounts.  For example, on the first four days of Lent, the Gospel Readings are taken from Matthew 6, Luke 9, Matthew 9, and Luke 5, respectively. Continue reading →

The Fourth Sunday of Lent [C]
Jos 5:9,10-12  +  2 Cor 5:17-21  +  Lk 15:1-3,11-32
March 31, 2019

“But now we must celebrate and rejoice….”

One of the great treasures of our Catholic Faith is a work written by the Catholic husband, father, statesman and martyr, Saint Thomas More.  He wrote this work, titled The Sadness of Christ, in the Tower of London before he was executed. In this work, he meditates on the agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Continue reading →

The Annunciation of the Lord
Isa 7:10-14;8:10  +  Heb 10:4-10  +  Lk 1:26-38
March 25, 2019

… the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel….

In the person of Jesus Christ, God and man are united.  This is the good news that Saint Gabriel came to announce to Mary:  that she would bear in her womb the one through whom all human beings could find eternal life.  The profundity of this news overwhelmed Mary, and made her fearful.  What would this mean for her life? Continue reading →

The Third Sunday of Lent [C]
Ex 3:1-8,13-15  +  1 Cor 10:1-6,10-12  +  Lk 13:1-9
March 24, 2019

Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert.

Both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, gardens, plants and trees of all sorts serve as symbols of growth—and decay—in the spiritual life.  The very first story of the Bible takes place in a garden called Eden.  In this Sunday’s Gospel passage, Jesus tells us a parable along a similar line. Continue reading →

Monday of the Second Week of Lent
Daniel 9:4-10  +  Luke 6:36-38
March 18, 2019

But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness!

Lent is a season of perspective.  Our “great and awesome God”, as Daniel describes him, is infinite in all His qualities:  beauty, simplicity, and mercy, to name only a few.  God’s mercy is our great focus during this season. Continue reading →

The Second Sunday of Lent [C]
Gen 15:5-12,17-18  +  Phil 3:17—4:1  +  Lk 9:28-36
March 17, 2019

But our citizenship is in heaven….

In this Sunday’s First Reading from Genesis, we hear about God’s relationship with Abram, whom God renames “Abraham” a few chapters later.  In the snapshot of their relationship presented by the First Reading, we see the kernels of a life of prayer. Continue reading →

Monday of the First Week of Lent
Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18  +  Matthew 25:31-46
March 11, 2019

“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

At the beginning of this first full week of Lent, Jesus preaches to us about the Final Judgment.  The parable that Jesus preaches in today’s Gospel passage reminds us of the old adage:  “Always begin with your end in mind.”  This saying is good for reflection first thing in the morning, as an entire day upon God’s green earth stretches out before us.  At the beginning of the day we pray the Morning Offering, which reminds us that each day on earth is about God:  living in His love, and for His glory. Continue reading →

The First Sunday of Lent [C]
Deut 26:4-10  +  Rom 10:8-13  +  Lk 4:1-13
March 10, 2019

He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm….

There are many different types of freedom.  For example, sometimes we want to be free from the influence that another person holds over us.  Sometimes we want to be free from a job, or from an agreement we’ve made with someone, or from an assignment that we’ve been handed.  But that’s not the type of freedom that Jesus gave up his life to offer us. Continue reading →