Category Archives: Ordinary Time

Feb 05 2021

Leading Others to Christ

Click here for daily readings The First Reading, a letter to Hebrews, reminds us of the importance of our Christian witness. The Holy Scripture reminds us to always welcome strangers, keep others in mind and hold up a mo...

Feb 04 2021

Sent on Mission

Click here for daily readings Take only a walking stick and sandals. I’ll be honest, I don’t know if I could do it! Jesus thinks of everything I would try to stuff in my pockets or layer up so I had some ment...

Feb 03 2021

Our Tangible Faith

Click here for daily readings Today is the feast of St. Blaise. Many will find themselves driving to church to seek the traditional blessing of the throats. Two candles tied together with a ribbon somehow give us comfort ...

Feb 02 2021

My Eyes Have Seen Your Salvation!

Click here for daily readings Today is the 25th anniversary of the day of prayer for women and men in consecrated life, instituted in 1997 by Pope Saint John Paul II. The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is a beauti...

Feb 01 2021

Take Comfort

Click here for daily readings It’s St. Brigid’s feast day in Ireland and the first day of spring, too. I’m a third generation immigrant. This means I have two U.S.-born parents but at least one foreign-...

Jan 31 2021

Take Care—No, Really

Click here for daily readings I live on Cape Cod, where many of the old ships’ captain’s houses have been converted into inns. A couple of years ago a friend of mine, who owned one of them, told me in some di...

Jan 30 2021

He Cares

Click here for daily readings “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” When we read these words in the Gospel it’s easy to think that the apostles are acting ridiculous. “Of course he cares!&rdqu...

Jan 29 2021

Finding Hope in Suffering

Click here for daily readings It is said that the only two constants in life are death and taxes. I would add a third to this list – suffering. Suffering is a natural part of human life. We all suffer at some point...

Jan 28 2021

Light is Meant to Shine

Click here for daily reading Today is the memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, a great saint and a Doctor of the Church. As most of us already know, Aquinas is a giant in the Catholic theological and philosophical sphere. He...

Jan 27 2021

Does Jesus Hold Back?

Click here for daily readings What a wonderful way to start the day by remembering Angela Merici. She was a very special lady that lived in the 16th century. She was born in Italy and was orphaned at an early age and was ...

Jan 26 2021

Our Families and God’s Family

Click here for daily readings Families are messy. From the outside, a family can appear ideal but underneath it all, every family, even the one that seems perfect, has issues by virtue of the fact that all families are co...

Jan 25 2021

Our Damascus Events

Click here for daily readings One of my favorite images of the Conversion of St. Paul is found in the Apostolic Palace and is pictured here. It was painted by Michelangelo between 1542 and 1546. January 25 is a big deal ...

Jan 24 2021

Teach Me Your Ways, O Lord

Click here for daily readings In this Sunday’s readings, three particular lines stand out to me. In the First Reading, “Teach me your ways, O Lord.” Too commonly do we rely on our own understandin...

Jan 23 2021

Jesus Heals

Click here for daily readings In today’s reading from the Gospel of Mark, crowds of people surrounded Christ and His disciples. They approached Christ because they heard that He had healed many. They, too, wanted to...

Jan 22 2021

Following Christ

Click here for daily readings Sometimes when I read the Twelve Apostles’ names, my mind wonders what did Jesus see in each one of these men that drew him to invite them to be his followers? Did Jesus see a light in ...

Jan 21 2021

There is Nothing I Shall Want

Click here for daily readings Desire: it can often be geared towards holy and beautiful things, but how often do our desires become absorbed in the culture around us? Do we let the world convince us of what should be most...

Jan 20 2021

Choosing Not To Choose Is Choosing

Click here for daily readings There is a battle going on in today’s Gospel, but Jesus is the only one who speaks! The Pharisees don’t need to open their mouths – in fact, they willfully remain silent &n...

Jan 19 2021

Hope

Click here for daily readings There is a light snow falling as I write. It covers the dulled yellow and green grasses that are still visible here in West Michigan, making things look fresh. Snow on roadways can be quite ...

Jan 18 2021

New Wine and Fresh Wineskins

Click here for daily readings On December 12, 2020, I gave my life to God. Again. Reflecting upon this realization that I was promising to do God’s will, not my own, yet another time in my life, I wanted to co...

Jan 17 2021

Steps to Spiritual Growth

Click here for daily readings In twelve-step programs, one of the tools used for spiritual growth is the “three A’s”: Awareness, Acceptance, and Action. Each of our readings today highlights one or more...