Monday – Wednesday in the 10th Week of Ordinary Time: 1 Kings 17-18, Matthew 5: 1-19. The first three days of this week (see Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday readings) give us consecutive readings from the first book of Kings in the Old Testament and the Sermon on the Mount from …
Wednesday of Holy Week: Isaiah 50:4-9a, Matthew 26:14-25. Today’s gospel focuses on Judas’s betrayal, much like yesterday’s reading. Coupled with the first reading from Isaiah, we get a clear look at what it means to live in the light compared to living in darkness. Today’s first reading is from a …
Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary: 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16, Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22, Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a. Today we honor the faithful foster-father of Jesus. In his homily this morning, Bishop Robert Barron calls St. Joseph “the most powerful heavenly friend we have” after …
Wednesday in the Third Week of Lent: Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9, Matthew 5:17-19. Today’s readings show Moses and the new Moses (Christ) discussing God’s law and urging their listeners to not only obey it but teach it to future generations. Jesus’s words occur during the Sermon on the Mount when he …
Tuesday in the Third Week of Lent: Daniel 3:25, 34-43, Matthew 18:21-35. Today, we read a parable about God’s great mercy, which he shares with humanity and the expectation that we will, in turn, extend that mercy to each other. Mercy, we learn, is the great master principle upon which …
Friday in the Second Week of Lent: Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17B-28a, Matthew: 21:33-43, 45-46. Today’s readings are riches in storytelling and spiritual importance. I don’t mean to give short shrift to Joseph and his jealous brothers in Genesis, but I must explore it rather briefly to leave space to plumb …
Wednesday in the Second Week of Lent: Jeremiah 18:18-20, Matthew 20:17-28. Today’s readings display two things clearly: how clueless the chosen people can be, and (somewhat related) the inevitable persecution of those who proclaim the Word of God. Jeremiah was a prophet 100 years after Isaiah, and the major power …
Tuesday in the Second Week of Lent: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20, Matthew 23:1-12. Today’s readings reveal much about the Master, that is, Christ, as well as how He wants His people to live in His Spirit. The Word of God spoken by Isaiah makes clear that religious customs won’t save the …
Second Sunday in Lent, The Transfiguration of Christ: Genesis 12:1-4a, 2 Timothy 1:8b-10, Matthew 17:1-9. Today we hear of the Lord’s glorious Transfiguration, set up wonderfully by yesterday’s readings on covenants (see The Difficult New Covenant of Love). There are many signs that point to the New Covenant, including the …
Saturday in the First Week of Lent: Deuteronomy 26:16-19, Matthew 5:43-48. A covenant is an agreement, a pact, a legal contract. When covenants are offered by God, they take on more significance, guaranteeing protection and favor for the people and adoration and obedience to God. Covenants with God are so …
