""Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain"; whereas you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that.""  (James 4: 13-14) REFLECTION Saint James enjoyed considerable authority in Jerusalem and outside of Palestine. Here he gives us gol

Reading 1 Isaiah 7:10-14 The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying: Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, "I will not ask!  I will not tempt the LORD!" Then Isaiah said: Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary people, must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel. REFLECTION “…let it be d

“”Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”” (Lk 23: 42-43) We are familiar with this scene of the crucifixion: Jesus the image of the invisible God, the innocent Lamb of God, hanging on the cross between two criminals: one, in his anger, reviled him in his last moment of life; the other, believed and asked, Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus, mercy

"Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it."  (Lk. 17:33) REFLECTION Jesus often teaches with natural phenomena for example: when a seed dies, it is born again as a new creation that bears fruit; if the seed does not die, it remains just a seed that can't bear fruit.  In the context of this chapter, He is talking about His second coming and, ""They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the

"He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain—and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot—and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?" (Lk. 12: 54-56) REFLECTION Jesus was clearly angry! Being attentive to the weather - the temporal thi

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Lk 15:8-9) REFLECTION How much are we worth? We often hear that so-and-so is worth th

"Furthermore, I count all things to be but loss for the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but as dung, that I may gain Christ."  (Philippians 3: 8), Douay Rheims Bible It's troubling to see that so many people live by the popular belief, that all we need to do, to go 'to a better place' - presumably heaven - is to die. Not so! Jesus Christ makes it clear that we must take up our cross and follow Him, a

"...and if he sees the sword coming upon the land and blows the trumpet and warns the people; then if any one who hears the sound of the...

His tools are spiritual—the Word of God, the Eucharist, mercy, and love. He must know when to prune and when to nourish, when to speak...

"Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not...

“Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.”...

“O LORD, my God, I cried out to you for help and you healed me. LORD, you brought my soul up from Sheol; you let me live, from going down...

I watched Sunday mass in Spanish today from my bedroom so as not expose anyone to my coughing and runny nose; I have not done this in 4...

Meditating on the second Luminous mystery during my drive to morning Mass today, I recalled several events of my life and asked myself...

Gospel Luke 5:1-11 "Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower...

God's Word Speaks for Itself: LORD, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar....

Today is tomorrow’s past; Think it well, then, how to live it fully; tend to its cares if you must; forget not to love tenderly those...

"And Moses said to the people, "Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today; ...the LORD...

Reading 1 Joshua 3:7-10a, 11, 13-17 The LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may...

"Do whatever he tells you." ""When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "O...