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Thursday of the First Week of Lent
Today’s readings If we take one thought out of Lent, it should be this: we need a Savior. Even before Jesus’ time, Esther knew this. Esther’s adoptive father Mordecai was a deeply religious man. His devotion incurred the wrath of Haman the Agagite, who was a court official of King Ahasuerus of Persia. Mordecai refused…
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Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Today’s readings The prophet Isaiah and Jesus speak today about the great power of words. Isaiah speaks specifically of the power of God’s word, a word that will not return empty but will go out and accomplish the purpose for which God sent it. We see the word that the prophet speaks of here, of…
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Monday of the First Week of Lent
Today’s readings Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy. People often balk at the mere suggestion of being called to personal holiness. Oftentimes, this is wrapped up in a misplaced and false humility, that kind of humility that says that since I’m good for nothing, and so there is no way I…
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The First Sunday of Lent: Remember Who You Are
Today’s readings It’s really easy for us to forget who we are. That’s what all that tempting in the desert was all about. The devil wanted Jesus to forget who he was, what he came to do, and so then have power over him. He would have Jesus forget that real hunger is not satisfied…
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Ash Wednesday
Today’s readings In a sense, you know, we’re doing this wrong. We just heard Jesus give very explicit directions to his disciples that they were not to make a big deal about their fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. They were to go to their rooms, close the door, and let it all happen before God alone, who sees…
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Thursday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings This morning’s readings give us a sense, I think, of the urgency of repentance and the real need for discipleship. The first reading from the book of Sirach reminds us that God’s patience should not be mistaken for acceptance of our sins. Just because God does not strike us down on the spot…
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Monday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings So the disciples are waiting for Jesus to come down the mountain after the Transfiguration. They have attempted to cure a man’s son from the hold of a demon, but they were apparently unable to do so. This seems to have led to an argument between them and the scribes. You can almost…
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Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter
Today’s readings Today we celebrate the feast of the Chair of Saint Peter the apostle. This is a feast that commemorates Jesus giving the servant authority of the Church to Saint Peter, as we heard in today’s Gospel. This is a special day of prayer for the Pope, the successor of Saint Peter among us.…
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Thursday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings In the aftermath of the great flood, what’s left is what God wants us to know is important: life. Life is the way we participate in the essence of our Creator God. And that life is so important that absolutely nothing could completely blot it out – not even the waters of the…
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Monday of the Sixth Week of Ordinary Time
Today’s readings We’re still in the opening chapters of human history in our first reading, and in these opening chapters we see some of the less beautiful parts of human nature. The first reading reads like an exposition of deadly sins, and these sins have continued to plague humanity ever since. We start with envy,…
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