August 30, 2025
For everyone who has, more will be given, and he will grow rich. (Matthew 25:29) In today’s Gospel, the above words resonate with the reality of our profound intimacy with Jesus Christ. Grace and the activity we ignite to it comes from the Incarnation of love we receive and put to use in the name […]
August 29, 2025
Memorial of the Passion of Saint John the Baptist In our Gospel for today, I feel inclined to reflect on the steadfastness and integrity of John the Baptist. Saint Peter Julian Eymard expressed his desire for martyrdom when he prayed that he might become the first Marist martyr. Although I pray for holiness, I honestly […]
August 28, 2025
Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church In the first reading, Paul reveals his heart. We recognize a shepherd’s love who shows attentive care for his converts and constant prayer for them. He urged them to be vigilant in expectation of the Parousia and to strive for holiness. In today’s reading, the […]
August 27, 2025
The tone of our two readings today differs significantly from one another. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians is the earliest of this kind of message we have. The central city he visited was Thessalonica, a provincial capital in Macedonia. Paul’s letter is different from any other he wrote: the first three chapters express his […]
August 26, 2025
Today, the Lord strikes again the Pharisees and Scribes who pretend to be orthodox to the law and righteous in spirituality. The mode of prayer was much more important than the prayer itself. The ritual was way higher than the spirituality within it. Jesus reminds them: You cleanse the outside of the cup and the […]
August 25, 2025
Optional Memorials of Saint Louis of France and Saint Joseph Calasanz Both of today’s saints illustrate the importance of focusing our Christian lives on love of God and neighbor. Saint Louis was king of France in the 13th Century, the only French monarch to be declared a saint. His life demonstrates his intense focus, from childhood […]
August 24, 2025
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time The words of Scripture can comfort, cause us to squirm, and challenge us. Today’s readings do all three. We draw comfort from Isaiah knowing the broad expanse of God’s love and acceptance of all. Boundaries give way to God’s abundant desire to welcome all, including us. Jesus does not answer […]
August 23, 2025
“See how the Lord blesses those who fear him.” To fear the Lord is not to be terrified of him but to recognize who the Lord is: God almighty, a holy God, sovereign over all creation, an all-loving God. So, we surrender our lives to him in love, obedience, and trust, living accordingly to the […]
August 22, 2025
Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary The Bible is rich with examples of faith, and more often than not, that faith begins when someone encounters an evangelizer—someone who proclaims the Word of God. The story of Ruth offers a particularly beautiful and unusual example. Ruth came to know God through her mother-in-law, […]
August 21, 2025
Once again, our just God utilizes a parable to instruct us how we ought to be, and how we ought not to be. In the Parable of the Wedding Feast, we learn that many who have been invited to a kingly feast reject the invitation. The king then continues to invite others who also refuse […]