In this week’s Gospel, Mark paints a touching portrait that is familiar to most of us, of the Christ who loves all children: And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come […]
For I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek. (Romans 1:16) The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. Two […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Genesis 2:18-24; Psalm 128:1-6; Hebrews 2:9-11; Mark 10:2-16) Learning from Our Mistakes “Let the children come to me.” (Mark 10:14) In his apostolic letter introducing the coming Year of Faith, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that “faith commits every one of us to become a living sign of […]
I am going to go out on a limb here and talk a little about Ephesians Chapter 5. First let’s quote it, and then I’ll proceed to my thoughts on the topic: “Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is […]
“They had been discussing among themselves . . . who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, ‘If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.’ “Taking a child, he placed it in the their midst, and putting his […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Numbers 11:25-29; Psalm 19:8,10,12-14; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48) Being Prophetic, Speaking God’s Word to a Broken World “Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets!” (Numbers 11:29) Moses had it right. Joshua was upset that Eldad and Medad were prophesying in the Israelite camp, but Moses couldn’t […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 50:5-9; Psalm 116:1-6,8-9; James 2:14-18; Mark 8:27-35) Developing the Gift of Discernment “Get behind me, Satan.” (Mark 8:33) Wouldn’t you hate to hear Jesus say these words to you? You can just imagine the look on Peter’s face when Jesus rebuked him. He must have gone […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 35:4-7 Psalm 146:7-10; James 2:1-5; Mark 7:31-37) Being Healed by Christ in Spirit, Mind, and Body “Be opened!” (Mark 7:34) Scripture tells us that Jesus performed countless healings during his public ministry. So we may wonder why some healing stories are preserved in the Bible, while […]
Whoever endures to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:22) For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—oracle of the LORD—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope. When you call me, and come and pray to me, I will listen to […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8; Psalm 15:2-5; James 1:17-18,21-22,27; Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23) Allowing the Word of God to Transform Our Lives “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” (James 1:22) Words, words, words! We live in a very verbal world. Televisions, radios, iPods, tablet computers, newspapers, billboards, books, magazines—they […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Proverbs 9:1-6; Psalm 34:2-7; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58) Opening Ourselves to God’s Heavenly Food Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” (Psalm 34:9) We can all relate to eating. We all know what hunger feels like. We all need to eat in order to survive. But […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Saying Yes to God’s Call and Promptings “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.” (John 6:9) Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you bring your gifts to Jesus as this young boy did, nothing much seems to happen? They just […]
THE FACT IS … After college I landed a job as a reporter. “Meatball journalism”—four or five stories daily—was the quota. The editor, Joe D., took me under his wing. He said, “Kid, remember two things about newspapering. First, we are obliged to report the facts.” “What’s the second thing, Joe?” “Never let the facts […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Being Open to the Promptings of the Holy Spirit His heart was moved.” (Mark 6:34) In today’s Gospel, Jesus was encouraged because the apostles had just returned from a very successful missionary trip. They had healed some people, delivered others from demons, and brought many to conversion. […]
That I, Paul, might not become too elated, because of the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Opening Ourselves to Receiving God’s Divine Graces “In him we have redemption … in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.” (Ephesians 1:7-8) Imagine you have just arrived home after a long day and you fumble to unlock the door. When you […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Ezekiel 2:2-5; Psalm 123:1-4; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Mark 6:1-6) Allowing the Holy Spirit to Speak Through Us “They shall know that a prophet has been among them.” (Ezekiel 2:5) We tend to think of a “prophet” as someone who forecasts the future. Of course, some Old Testament […]
Imagine this. A religious leader—his name is Jairus—has just received the worst news that any parent could hear: “Your daughter has died.” These words strike terror in his heart, are too real to deny. He turns to Jesus, who says, “Do not be afraid; just have faith” (Mk 5:36). Jesus knows what he’s all about. […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24; Psalm 30:2,4-6,11-13; 2 Corinthians 8:7,9,13-15; Mark 5:21-43) Prayer, A Time for a Personal Encounter with the Lord “He looked around to see who had done it.” (Mark 5:32) Sometimes our prayer life can feel a little like a gumball dispenser. We put a […]
The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:1-3) For as in one body we have many parts, and […]
Reflections for Sunday, June 17, 2012 Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Mark 4;26-34; Ezekiel 17:22-24; Psalm 92:2-3,13-16 2; Corinthians 5:6-10; Mark 4:26-34) Trusting in the Lord’s Work in Our Lives “The seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.” (Mark 4:27) When you were a child, you may have been given […]
No matter how many times I attend Mass, I still rarely attend with the presence of mind to realize I am attending a marriage ceremony. This is the most central and important aspect of my Christian life, and it just doesn’t occur to me that this is a wedding taking place. More specifically, the Mass […]
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Exodus 24:3-8: Psalm 116:12-13,15-18; Hebrews 9:11-15; Mark 14:12-16,22-26) Being Transformed by the Eucharist “Take; this is my body.” (Mark 14:22). Have you ever had the experience of recalling a past event, or a person […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Deuteronomy 4:32-34,39-40; Romans 8:14-17; Psalm 33:4-6,9,18-20,22; Matthew 28:16-20) Immersing Ourselves in the Truths of the Trinity and Proclaiming it to Others Go, therefore… (Matthew 28:19) Have you ever started to leave a friend’s house, but then turned turn back to say: “Oh, and one more thing… .” […]
