Seeking Wisdom and Truth

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

“I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.”—Wis 7:7 Friends, today I invite you to consider this question: What do you seek? What is the deepest desire of your heart, your mind? If God granted you one gift of your choosing, what would that be? In our readings today, we encounter…

Read More

Death to Self

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain.  But if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.” –John 12:24 Today’s Gospel reading invites us into the very heart of the Christian faith.  Jesus tells us that unless a grain of wheat “falls to the earth and…

Read More

Martyrs for Christ

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

“Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”—Matt 10:31 For every person, living in the world means coming to terms with fear. Because our lives are full of uncertainty, we all wrestle with fear, whether we know it or not: fear of death, of poverty, of loss, of suffering. Often throughout…

Read More

Unveiled Before the Lord

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

And all of us, with faces unveiled, seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed… –2 Cor 3:15 Today’s reading from St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians brims over with the imagery of light. Let us take a moment to immerse ourselves in this objective power and beauty of light,…

Read More

Following Christ

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

“An hour is coming when those who kill you will think they are offering worship to God.”—John 16:2 Choosing to follow Christ has never been an easy path. Today’s reading from Jesus’ farewell discourse offers a glimpse into the reality of discipleship. In these last hours before His death, Jesus prepares His apostles for the…

Read More

See the Light

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

“We cannot keep from proclaiming what we have seen and heard.”—Acts 4:20 Friends, during this season of Easter, I invite you to meditate on this simple but rather powerful line from the book of Acts: “We cannot keep from proclaiming what we have seen and heard.”  Etch these words on your heart today, for the…

Read More

Not to Abolish, But to Fulfill

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

Many people, both inside and outside the Christian faith, tend to regard Jesus as one who stood athwart the Jewish traditions and laws.  Before him, there were the numerous commandments detailing how Israel was to worship the Lord; after him, we are given the Beatitudes, the law of love.  Were these not entirely separate things? …

Read More

Clean Hearts

A conversation on chastity and mastery over pornography

Mk 7:14-23: “It is from within, from the human heart.” Today’s reading from the Gospel of Mark gives us a haunting glimpse into the depths of the human heart.  Jesus reveals that we are defiled not by what we touch or eat, but by what comes out of us.  There is a secret inwardness in…

Read More

You are My Son, the Beloved

Gratia Vobis Ministries, Inc.

Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of Our Lord, the first of the Luminous Mysteries in the life of Christ.  Let us take a few moments today to reflect both on this particular scene, as well as the gift of baptism for each of us. St. Mark’s telling is spare but luminous.  We read of…

Read More