Daily Catholic Reflection: September 1, 2023, Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

1 Thes 4:1-8

Ps 97:1 and 2b, 5-6, 10, 11-12

Mt 25:1-13                                  Full Readings             

Saint Giles

Be Prepared

In today's Gospel, Jesus makes a clear distinction between the wise and the foolish maidens who were waiting for the bridegroom. Five of them took extra oil with them for their lamps and foolish ones never took more extra oil. When the bridegroom came, he found that the lamps of foolish ones had gone off and had no more oil. On going out to buy oil. the wise ones entered inside with the Lord and the door was locked. On coming back and knocking on the door so that the Lord can open for them, the bridegroom told the five foolish virgins, "I don't know you." With this parable, the Lord calls for our preparedness for the final day for we never know the day when he will come back.

Daily Catholic Reflection: August 31, 2023, Thursday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

 

1 Thes 3:7-13

Ps 90:3-5a, 12-13, 14 and 17

Mt 24:42-51                                  Full Readings             

Saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus 

Stake Awake

Today's Gospel presents to us Jesus telling his disciples to stay awake because they do not know when the son of Man will come in glory to judge the living and the dead. He compares this warning with the thief who comes to steal as a surprise without warning, otherwise if the master of the house knew that the thief is coming, he would prepare for him and catch him. In the same way will Jesus come back on the final judgement day, the day which nobody knows. This is why Jesus' message to the disciples is also our message today so that we stay awake so that that day finds us ready to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Wednesday, August 30, 2023, Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

1 Thes 2:9-13

Ps 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab

Mt 23:27-32                           Full Readings             

Saint Jeann Jugan

Religious Integrity

In the Gospel today, we see the other two of the seven woes to the Pharisees. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.” "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous...Thus, you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets..."

Daily Catholic Reflection: Monday, August 28, 2023, Memorial of Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

1 Thes 1:1-5, 8b-10

Ps 149:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6a and 9b

Mt 23:13-22                                Full Readings             

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Do Not Close the Doors of the Kingdom

Jesus went to the heart of the matter when he called the religious leaders of his day blind Pharisees and hypocrites! A hypocrite is an actor or imposter who says one thing but does the opposite or who puts on an outward appearance of doing good while inwardly clinging to wrong attitudes, selfish desires and ambitions, or bad intentions. Many scribes and Pharisees had made it a regular practice to publicly put on a good show of outward zeal and piety with the intention of winning greater honors, privileges, and favors among the people. Jesus had a very good reason for severely rebuking the scribes and Pharisees, the religious teachers and leaders, for misleading people and neglecting the heart and essence of God's law - love of God and love of neighbor.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Thursday, August 24, 2023, Feast of Saint Bartholomew, Apostle

Rv 21:9b-14

Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18

Jn 1:45-51                                 Full Readings             

Saint Bartholomew

The Good in Everything

Today we celebrate the feast day of Saint Bartholomew, one of the twelve whom scripture scholars identify as Nathaniel whom we see being brought by Philip to Jesus in the Gospel today. Philip after finding the Messiah, he invited his friend Nathaniel, "Come and See." How often do we invite others to Jesus, or are we like the Pharisees and Scribes who block people's way to Jesus and the kingdom of heaven? Nathaniel had prejudice about Nazareth and that's why when Philip tells him that he had found the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, he asked, "can anything good come from Nazareth?" What a prejudice! Being a devout Jew, he asked himself: how could the Messiah come from Galilee when the prophets said he would come from Bethlehem of Judaea? But indeed, Jesus was born in Bethlehem though he was raised in Nazareth. Aren't we all a bit like Nathaniel? We are skeptical when someone tries to convince us of the truth until we can comprehend it for ourselves.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Wednesday, August 23, 2023, Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time

Jgs 9:6-15

Ps 21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

Mt 20:1-16                                 Full Readings             

Saint Rose of Lima

God's Generosity 

Today's gospel presents to us another parable of the kingdom where landowner hired workers for his vineyard early in the morning, and then again at nine o’clock, noon, three o’clock and finally at five o’clock. But at the end of the day, he paid them all the same daily wage as if they had all been working since early morning. The ones hired first were upset thinking it was unfair that those who worked just an hour were paid the same wage as they were. But the landowner concludes, “What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?”

Daily Catholic Reflection: Tuesday, August 22, 2023, Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

Jgs 6:11-24a

Ps 85:9, 11-12, 13-14

Mt 19:23-30                                 Full Readings             

Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Rich and the Kingdom

Today’s gospel is the continuation of the message of yesterday and continues to shed light on the inadequacy of riches in inheriting the kingdom of God. The word of God describes how hard it is for rich people to enter the kingdom of heaven. This is not a denigration of material wealth. We must know that material wealth is a gift from God. In fact, the Bible also sometimes describes salvation in terms of material wealth. But Jesus uses imagery from his time to show the incompatibility of the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven with one whose heart is full of earthly treasures.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Monday, August 21, 2023, Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope

Jgs 2:11-19

Ps 106:34-35, 36-37, 39-40, 43ab and 44

Mt 19:16-22                                 Full Readings             

Saint Pius X

Using Riches to Gain Eternal Life

Jesus today gives us only and if not the only way of how we can use our wealth and riches to gain eternal life. Mostly in the gospels, the inadequacy of riches in helping to gain eternal life are exposed, a good example being Lazarus and rich man. But today, Jesus gives this way in which we can use our riches to gain eternal life: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Jesus tells the young rich man, who had come asking Jesus of what good he can do to gain eternal life, to go and sell all he had and give the money to the poor. The young man could not imagine this because he had so much, and he went away very sad. What is our attitude to riches? of this young man or the attitude Jesus gives us today. The big temptation with riches is always to gain more and more and become more selfish than giving out to the needy and the poor. If we fall into this temptation, then we may lose eternal life.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Sunday, August 20, 2023, Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Is 56:1, 6-7

Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8

Rom 11:13-15, 29-32

Mt 15:21-28                               Full Readings             

Saint Benard of Clairvaux

Salvation is for All

This Sunday's readings teach us that salvation is not for a specific group of people but for all those who believe in God and follow his commands. God in the first reading saying that he will bring all those who trust in him to his holy mountain, and they will delight in his house of prayer. This is also seen in the second reading where Paul says that because the Jews refused the salvation, which was prepared for them from long ago (which Jesus clearly states it in the gospel that he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel), the Gentiles are enjoying it. Finally in the Gospel, a gentile woman’s daughter is healed because the woman showed great faith in Jesus. Salvation is therefore for those who show great faith in the Saviour Jesus Christ; it doesn't matter the colour of your skin, or the nationality, or the race or status quo but what matters is the response to God's revelation and his son through faith that saves. Are you among those privileged to receive that salvation and are you ready to receive it?

Daily Catholic Reflection: Friday, August 18, 2023, Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Jos 24:1-13

Ps 136:1-3, 16-18, 21-22 and 24

Mt 19:3-12                                Full Readings             

Saint Louis of Toulouse

The Two Vocations

Jesus, today, is talking about two vocations, marriage and celibacy. Marriage is modeled to reflect the love of God that forgives and endures as we sing in today's responsorial psalm. The long and everlasting love and fidelity that should exists between a man married a woman who are in marriage is shown by the love and fidelity that God had for his people Israel. The first reading tells us all the wonders and good things that God did for His people right away from slavery in Egypt until he settled them in Canan, a land of milk and honey. This love of God should that which exists in our vocations whether married or single for the Lord. This love thinks first of the good of the other person. This love inspires compassion because it understands other people’s mistakes and weaknesses. This love sees the good in others and does not give up on them.

Daily catholic Reflection: Thursday, August 17, 2023, Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Jos 3:7-10a, 11, 13-17

Ps 114:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Mt 18:21–19:1                  Full Readings             

Saint Joan of the Cross

Forgive and You will be Forgiven.

The end of the community or ecclesial discourse of Matthew teaches us today another very important aspect of living in peace with one another as well as the whole Church. After being approached by Peter and being asked how many times we should forgive, Jesus responds seventy-seven times. He later tells a parable of a wicked servant who was forgiven the huge debt he owed his master and in turn the servant could not forgive the fellow servant a small debt. When his master heard of this, it made his master withdraw the forgiveness from him and then put him in prison.

Daily Catholic Reflection: August 16, 2023, Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time

 

Dt 34:1-12

Ps 66:1-3a, 5 and 8, 16-17

Mt 18:15-20             Full Readings                 

Saint Stephen of Hungary

Making Peace

Today's Gospel is part of the community or ecclesial discourse which Matthew presents in the whole of Chapter 18. This discourse gives the guidelines upon which the church of Christ will depend on in preserving the memory of Christ and in spreading the Gospel. Jesus today teaches us the best way to make peace with one another and says that if a person wrongs you or if you wrong any person, go to that person individually ask for forgiveness and if you win his or her heart then you have won your brother or sister back. But if the person refuses, don't give up take a trusted friend or friends who are not judgmental, to talk to the person, and if the person refuses again, then tell the Christian community, and if the person refuses, you have done your part and you are no longer guilty, regard the other one as a sinner. He gives a stern warning that whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose here will be loosed in heaven. After, Jesus shows the power which is in unity and a community prayer for where two or three are gathered in his name, He is in their midst and when we pray together through him, God will answer our prayers. He ends by promising to be with us always.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Tuesday, August 15, 2023, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

RV 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB

PS 45:10, 11, 12, 16

1 COR 15:20-27

LK 1:39-56             Full Readings                   See Vigil Readings

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

God Raises those Who Glorify Him

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Assumption of Mary into heaven, one of the greatest feasts of the Catholic Church. We remember when Mary was taken into heaven with her body just as her Son ascended into heaven after his resurrection. The Blessed Virgin Mary completed her life on earth, she was taken body and soul into Heaven to be with her resurrected Son so as to adore the Most Holy Trinity forever. It’s an amazing fact to consider that she retains her body and soul, united as one in Heaven, in anticipation of that glorious day when the new Heavens and Earth will be created and when all the faithful will rise so as to live in a new bodily form forever with God.

Daily catholic Reflection: Monday, August 14, 2023, Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Priest and Martyr

Dt 10:12-22

Ps 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20

Mt 17:22-27                      Full Readings

Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe

Where to Compromise

Jesus did not only preach and live the kingdom of God alone, but he also showed an example of how we should live socially and even politically. In one instance he told us to give what belongs to Caesar to him and what belongs to God to God in a way of teaching us to always follow and give the demands of the state. In today's Gospel, Jesus instructs Peter to go fishing and open the mouth of the first fish caught, get a shekel and pay the tax which every male Jew was supposed to pay for upkeep of the temple. Jesus was not supposed to pay this tax because kings' sons are exempt from paying taxes, so Jesus was not obligated to pay a tax to a temple belonging to his Father. But "so as not to offend these people," Jesus makes this unique and only miracle in the gospels from which he benefits.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Sunday, August 13, 2023, Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a

Ps 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14

Rom 9:1-5

Mt 14:22-33                       Full Readings

Blessed Michael J McGivney 

Fighting Fear with Faith

The first reading and the gospel have the similar message, the revelation of the face of God. In the first reading God manifests himself to Elijah in a completely new way, different from the pagan gods and from the way to which Israel was accustomed as they knew these gods would come in overwhelming appearance. Elijah experienced God only silence and so we also need some time in silence in order to experience God in our lives.