Daily Reflections
The evangelist Luke revisits the beautiful passage of the Beatitudes found in Matthew (5:2-12), simplifying it and adding four “woes” to the four blessings. Luke contrasts two lifestyles, turning our perspectives upside down. According to worldly logic, those who lead a comfortable life are considered blessed and fortunate, while Luke…
Read MoreMatthew 5:48 says, “Be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” For most of my life, I have had a very distorted view of this injunction to perfection. Sure, in a vague, amorphous sense, I understand the need to strive for these ideals. But therein lies the rub. How…
Read MoreIn today’s Gospel, Jesus refers to Himself as the “Lord of the Sabbath” and uses this authority to rebuke the Pharisees for their misplaced zeal in the observance of the Jewish Sabbath. Yet, His dominion over the Sabbath should also call us to reflect on our observance of the Sabbath…
Read MoreThe first statement of St. Paul in today’s first reading reminds me immediately of the autobiography of Blessed Fulton Sheen, Treasure in Clay. This wonderful book and many other books of his, especially, The Priest Is Not His Own, helped immensely to deepen my insight into the Catholic priesthood. St.…
Read MoreI do not know about you, but growing up I thought that I knew better than anybody. When I had to do something, I worked out a plan or I decided a course of action, and I was convinced that they were the absolute best. Indeed, it was always hard…
Read MoreAs humans, we love to categorize – both others and ourselves – into specific groups, whether it be our political affiliations, our sports team loyalties, our personality types, and even our worship preferences. Somehow, by defining these aspects of ourselves, we think we can communicate our identity more effectively. Yet,…
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