Daily Reflections
What is the nature of the human heart, at its core? Can we ever really mean what we say? Or are we, in our fallen human natures, doomed always to some element of perjury, of internal discord? Today’s Gospel reading, though seemingly simple, draws us deep into these questions. Jesus…
Read MoreToday’s Good News comes from Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount, through which Jesus began to teach his disciples the morality of the Kingdom of God, which brings true beatitude. Today’s passage underscores the fact that judgment belongs to God alone. His disciples are called to be merciful…
Read MoreToday, September 8th , the Church marks the feast of the nativity of the blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus. This feast day was introduced in Rome from the Eastern Church in the seventh century. Only a few people enjoy the privilege of a birthday celebration in the Church’s…
Read MoreA priest went out to dinner with a group of friends; one was married and other was single. The one who was single said to him: “I know that for you priests, it must be difficult to remain without a woman in your life.” And he replied: “the same as…
Read MoreIt is worthy of note that Jesus spent an entire night in prayer before He chose His apostles. This was not the only time He spent hours in prayer during His ministry on earth. It was His lifestyle. Although He was and still is God, He knew that as an…
Read MoreToday we observe Labor Day and consider the importance of work in our lives. When I think of Labor Day, I remember living in eastern Europe just a few years after the fall of Communism. They still celebrated May Day, the great Communist holiday adulating work. People joked that they…
Read MoreHey, St. Paul! Who are you calling “rubbish and scum” in today’s reading from Corinthians? Presumably, it is the church in Corinth, because you and Apollos address the letter that way. We know that the Bible is written to us, so that would put us in the same heap of…
Read MoreWhen We Follow Our Own Plan, Things Don’t Always Work Out Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you put plans in place, and you were so self-assured everything was going to be just perfect? Or you were participating on a team where you felt if you were…
Read MoreStewardship is related to responsibility. And it is sometimes used interchangeably with servanthood. The root meaning of “steward” as used in the New Testament Greek means literarily, a “house-distributor”; that is, a manager of a house (and or the resources being housed) in which sense, an overseer, in a sense…
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