Posts by Paul Verderber
Faith In Action
Today we honor St. Francis, one of the most well-known Saints. Because of his love for animals, we traditionally have the “blessing of the animals” today. I get a kick out of the kids dragging their animals to the church grounds to be blessed. It can be a scene of chaos and fun and excitement.…
Read MoreDon’t Give Up on God
The first reading for today, from Colossians, set the tone for my reflection. It states that if we persevere in our faith, then we can be with God in Heaven someday. If we keep on the firm and stable ground of faith, and not venture into the swamp of evil deeds, we have a chance…
Read MoreStand Up for Yourself
Today’s Gospel is the story of the mother with a demon-tormented daughter. She’s not Jewish, so was not part of the target audience of conversion to the new religion soon to be called Christianity. However, she gets the miracle she needs from Jesus. The theme of today’s reflection will be about standing up for yourself.…
Read MoreA Little Goes a Long Way
Today we celebrate the memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, who are the parents of the Virgin Mary, the In-Laws of Joseph, and Jesus’ earthly grandparents. Imagine the amount of holiness in one house as they got together for sharing meals, birthdays or special events. Today’s Gospel gave me the thoughts that I turned into…
Read MoreChildlike, Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
Today we remember Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American to be canonized. She was called the Lily of the Mohawks, which is a tribe in the Northeastern USA, in present day New York State. Smallpox took her family, but she survived the disease, but got massive scars on her face. She had very poor…
Read MoreStarting Line Up
Jesus picked a group of twelve rag-tag folks to be his closest friends, confidants, and leaders of his upcoming ministry. Not generally well educated, rich, famous, or experienced, Jesus selected this team to help bring His ministry to the world. All but one would die as martyrs. One would turn Jesus over for thirty silver…
Read MoreCan You Come Home?
Happy Fourth of July to all of our readers in the United States. This is a day, or even a weekend, to celebrate the birth of our great nation. We were founded under many solid principles, including the freedom to practice our own religion, or choose not to. For this holiday, many people travel to…
Read MoreTreasure in the Heart
The first reading today is from Second Corinthians, and Paul recounts the trials and tribulations that he endured. If his life of ministry were a movie, most would see it as simply make believe. His words in the Bible are true, as are the beatings, shipwrecks, hunger, thirst and exposure. He was stripped of all…
Read MoreEncouraged for Success
There are lots of topics to reflect upon in today’s readings. “Sermon on the Mount” reminds me of all the cool things that happen on mountains in the Bible. “Counting our Blessings” was another idea, as “blessed” gets mentioned often today. However, I’m going to focus on “encouragement”. Encouragement Some form of the word “encourage”…
Read MoreSeeing the Light
Thousands of years before Lasik surgery, cataract replacements, and other eye procedures, poor eyesight was difficult or impossible to overcome. Even in recent history, it’s not always easy to see. Then and now, a lack of eyesight causes many challenges. So what to do? In the Bible, we learn of scales falling off Paul’s eyes,…
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