Wednesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time [I]
2 Corinthians 9:6-11  +  Matthew 6:1-6,16-18 
June 19, 2019

   “And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”   

Today’s Gospel passage is—to the verse—the same passage that we hear every year on Ash Wednesday.  The Church proclaims it today, in the middle of a week in Ordinary Time, because the cycle of Gospel passages for weekday Mass tends to go sequentially through a Gospel account.  This is different than the cycle for Sunday Mass, in which the Gospel passage more often jumps throughout the course of the Gospel account. Continue reading →

Tuesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time [I]
2 Corinthians 8:1-9  +  Matthew 5:43-48 
June 18, 2019

   “…pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father….”   

Today’s Gospel passage is from the first third of the “Sermon on the Mount”.  This “inaugural address” is recorded in full only in Matthew, in Chapters 5-7.  Today’s Gospel passage forms part of a series in Chapter 5 of five contrasts between the commands of the Law and Jesus’ commands to love.  Each contrast uses a variation of the form, “You have heard it said… but I say to you.” Continue reading →

Monday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time [I]
2 Corinthians 6:1-10  +  Matthew 5:38-42
June 17, 2019

   “Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back….”   

As we continue to hear Our Lord preach the Sermon on the Mount, it is striking how down to earth His words are.  He does not speak fluff:  the sort of words that we hear from so many spiritual gurus.  He gives very practical advice about how to treat others.  In doing so, Our Lord is drawing us into a deeper relationship with the Father. Continue reading →

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity [C]
Prv 8:22-31  +  Rom 5:1-5  +  Jn 16:12-15
June 16, 2019

   “I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.”   

The Church celebrates today the central mystery of our Christian Faith.  The life of the Most Holy Trinity is the mystery from which all other mysteries of our Catholic Faith flow.  Yet the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is difficult to wrap our heads around. Continue reading →

Saturday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time [I]
2 Corinthians 5:14-21  +  Matthew 5:33-37
June 15, 2019

   “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’”   

Saturday is the day of the week dedicated to Our Blessed Mother Mary.  We ought, each Saturday morning and/or afternoon, spend time in devotion to her.  One way to foster such devotion is to reflect on the Scriptures from that morning’s Mass in light of Mary’s life and vocation. Continue reading →

Friday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time [I]
2 Corinthians 4:7-15  +  Matthew 5:27-32 
June 14, 2019

   “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.’”   

Jesus continues in today’s Gospel passage to give examples of the Law being fulfilled.  These two examples are about adultery and divorce.  While both examples concern human sexuality, Jesus’ teachings about these two grave sins take different approaches. Continue reading →

St. Anthony of Padua, Priest & Doctor of the Church
2 Corinthians 3:15—4:1,3-6  +  Matthew 5:20-26
June 13, 2019

   “But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment….”  

In yesterday’s Gospel passage, Our Lord stated that He had come not to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.  Beginning today, in the Gospel at weekday Mass we hear examples of Jesus fulfilling the Law. Continue reading →

Wednesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time [I]
2 Corinthians 3:4-11  +  Matthew 5:17-19 
June 12, 2019

   “I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”   

This week we’ve begun to hear Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, from the fifth chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel account.  Jesus today sets the framework for the teachings He’s about to offer the disciples.  We could sum up this framework with these words:  “I have come not to abolish [the Law] but to fulfill.”  Continue reading →

St. Barnabas, Apostle
Acts 11:21-26;13:1-3  +  Matthew 5:13-16
June 11, 2019

   “But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?”   

At weekday Mass we hear this week from the Sermon on the Mount, which is found in the fifth through seventh chapters of the Gospel account of Saint Matthew (5:3—7:27).  In today’s passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls His disciples “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”.  Either of these could serve you as the basis for a long period of meditation.  But consider just one aspect of what Jesus sets before you today. Continue reading →