Daily Reflections
Today’s gospel recounts the story of a Pharisee inviting Jesus to dine with him. The Pharisee is horrified that Jesus neglected to wash hands before the meal. Jesus rebukes the Pharisee, saying “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled…
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Throughout my childhood I considered myself a skilled reader, until in fourth grade when I received an embarrassing critique from my teacher: I was reading the words and sentences of the story but wasn’t actually comprehending the meaning. Reading, I discovered, was not simply about deciphering individual words, but understanding…
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“The LORD has revealed to the nations His saving power!” (Psm 89:2b) This refrain from today’s Responsorial Psalm is the theme of our Mass readings. Because “all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God,” we are all commanded to sing joyfully to God and praise…
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The readings of today illustrate the qualities of faith in comparison to law or tradition. The first reading from Paul’s letter to the Galatians (Gal 3:22-29) centers on justification by faith. On its part, the Gospel (Lk 11:27-28) reminds us of the imperative obedience to God’s word. Whether in Christian…
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Growing up, I belonged to a popular pious society of young children known as the Bloc-Rosary Crusade. This is a movement that brings together children from our local villages and communities every evening after dinner to pray the Rosary, in line with the Fatima message. It was in this association…
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We know from experience that we do not receive everything we ask for in prayer. There are some intentions we have often brought to God in prayer and for a long period but we are yet to get answers to these prayers. Yet the Lord promised in today’s gospel reading,…
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Today is the optional memorial of one of the most popular saints of our day, St. Faustina. Faustina grew up in Poland. From the age of seven she felt a call to religious life. She asked her parents’ permission for this when she was 18, but they refused. “After this…
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Today we honor St. Francis of Assisi, one of my favorite saints. The picture at the beginning of this reflection is of the St. Francis statue that we have placed in both of our previous gardens. I appreciate that he is said to have practiced sermons in front of the…
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Brothers and Sisters, today let us become introspective. Let’s look inward and decide where our hearts lead us in our faith. As we see in the first reading, Saint Paul is amazed that some followers of Christ are so easily swayed by those wishing to corrupt the gospel of Christ.…
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The apostles prayed to God, “Increase our faith.” Our Lord’s response to their request shows they already have what they were asking for. They weren’t asking Jesus to grant them some bit of the gift of faith. They asked for an “Increase”! Does anyone feel a need for an “increase”…
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