The life of a Christian is a divisive one. It forces us to choose God as our primary and central relationship. But when we do so, just as our saint today John Paul II did, we embrace that universal call to holiness which beckons all of us. And it is this holiness which will set the earth ablaze with love. Today is the Memorial of Pope St. John Paul II . For the daily readings, see the USCCB ....
There is the anxiety which threatens to overwhelm us, the psychological anxiety of the world, but as religious people we must remember that we are also in another state of religious anxiety as we await the fulfillment of the Kingdom and Christ's coming again. For the daily readings, see the USCCB .
The rich fool in the Gospel today radically miscalculates what it is that makes us wealthy. In reality his surplus has isolated him from God and neighbor and cut him off from grace. Do we, in our own lives, calculate rightly what is of value? Today is the Memorial for Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues, Priests, and Companions, Martyrs. For the daily readings, see the USCCB ....
Br. Jordan DeGuire, O.P. preaches on 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-5 for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Br. Jordan preaches on St. Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians on the importance of being steadfast and faithful in following God's call, seeing the journey as hard work, but marked by hope in knowing that God is with us. "Remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope"
Br. Thomas Mary Wagaman, O.P. preaches on Isaiah 45: 1, 4-6 for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Br. Thomas Mary preaches to remind us that all we have has come from God, the King of Kings, who calls us to use our gifts, talents, and skills for God's glory. "I have called you by your name, giving you a title,... I am the Lord and there is no other."
We are called to be leaven for the world through our prayer and our action. But often we are afraid, we allow what others might think of us to throw us off and to distract us. Fr. Patrick reminds us today of those beautiful and comforting words from Pope St. John Paul II, "Be Not Afraid!" For the daily readings, see the USCCB .
Do we ever take the time to count our blessings? We have been given every spiritual blessing in the heavens, but do we acknowledge that reality and do we offer blessings to others? Today is the Memorial of St. Teresa of Avila . For the daily readings, see the USCCB .
Jesus' rebuke of the Pharisees should hit us hard, it should be an arrow to our gut. These men did want to follow the Law, in fact, they loved the Law. But they loved the Law more than they loved God? What about us? Do we love our own righteousness more than God? Or do we live in and follow the Spirit? For the daily readings, see the USCCB .
Sin distorts our vision, preventing us from seeing things as they truly are. But time spent with Christ, particularly through the Eucharist, can help correct and purify this distorted vision, helping us to see everything anew. For the daily readings, see the USCCB .
Why do we preach? Do we preach for ourselves and for what we gain, for our egos and our pride? Or do we preach for Christ and embrace both abundance and difficulty for his sake? These are the questions Br. Joseph poses to us today. Br. Joseph reflects and preaches on Phillipians 4:12-14, 19-20 for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time "I know how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed...
As Christians we know that we belong to Christ. Christ has rescued us, his rightful creation, from the hands of the Enemy, The Strong Man, the Devil. But we tend to forget this, or worse, we tend to believe we are the ones who make ourselves righteous or that we are in control. Always we need to remember what is rightfully Christ's: Our very selves.
The mistakes the Galatians make, and for which Paul berates them, is they mistakenly think of taking their works with them to Heaven. They became motivated by vainglory rather than the Cross of Christ. We know as Christians that we go before God with empty hands. For the daily readings, see the USCCB .
Today is the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary . The readings today come from the propers of the Dominican order.
Everyone needs to know they are loved. More than anything else in the world today, people are searching for Love and for Mercy and the message that they are searching for can be found in the message of Divine Mercy which has been given to St. Faustina. Today is the Memorial for St. Faustina For the daily readings, see the USCCB .
Br. Greg Dunn, O.P. preaches on Isaiah 5: 1-7 for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Br. Greg urges us to look at the story of the vinegrower, and his disappointment with the vineyard. He prompts us to ask whether our choices always reflect the good that God, who loves us, has in mind. "The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished plant..."
Br. Dominick Jean, O.P. preaches on Philippians 4:6-9 for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Br. Dominick observes that the anxieties of the world are enough to drown us, if we don't have help. Fortunately, we have hope in our heavenly Father, who wants nothing more to help us when we cry out to him. "Have no anxiety at all, but...make your requests known to God."
God has long sent tenants to care for His vineyard, to care for his people. But those tenants don't always remember their purpose: they don't always serve faithfully, and they don't always recognize God's presence among them. Dcn. James Pierce encourages us to work faithfully in the vineyard, and in that work to always be prepared to recognize Jesus. "...the kingdom of God will be...given to a people who will produce its fruit."
God's providential care for us never tires or slackens. To provide us with an added assurance of that loving care, we have by our side at all times our guardian angels who look after us even as they gaze upon the face of the Father. Today is the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels . For the daily readings, see the USCCB .
Each day is a new chance to embark on the Little Way of love. Each day we must shake off the dust of yesterday, our past sins and failings and rise, refreshed by the Sacraments to love and serve the Lord. Today is the Feast day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux For the daily readings, see the USCCB .
For many of us, the family and the home are sources of identity. And yet for the Christian our first and primary identity must be in Christ. Christ in the Gospel tells us that the Son of Man has no place to rest his head and we must join him on that journey and become vagabonds for Christ. Today is the Memorial of St. Jerome For the daily readings, see the USCCB ....
How easy it is to lose sight of Jesus is offering us, the logic of the Kingdom of Heaven. Here are the Apostles, arguing over who is greater, right after Jesus has said that he will be taken and killed. And we do the same thing, we argue over "prizes" of power and position, not realizing that as Christians that's not the game we're called to play For the daily readings, see the USCCB .
Br. Peter Martyr reflects upon Ezekiel 18:25-28 as he asks us to look beyond our present circumstances to the hope that is promised, to the hope that is sure to come. "You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!" Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?" For the Sunday readings, see the USCCB.
The Book of Ecclesiastes calls us to reflect upon the finite nature of our life here on earth. We strive to cling to our youth and our lives here and we forget that death is a moment of communion. Are we willing to embrace that Communion when it comes? For the daily readings, see the USCCB .
The days of our lives can blend one into another and yet from time to time there comes a moment of Revelation. Perhaps a moment of great love, a moment of sin and in this revelation we find ourselves forever changed. Are we ready for this moment when God offers it to us? For the daily readings, see the USCCB .
It is so easy to look at the world and wonder if anything is truly different from day to day. The sun rises and sets, night comes and it goes and we continue to fall into the same patterns of sin. And yet as Christians we cannot answer that everything is mere vanity or that things are somehow still the same. Christ has come in the flesh, the Word Incarnate has dwelt among us and we are changed forever. And so we must begin each day anew trusting that we, and indeed everything, will be made new t...
St. Padre Pio is a Capuchin Friar who is known throughout the world today for his miraculous abilities. Miraculous healings, his bearing of the wounds of Christ (the Stigmata), and his long hours and gift for the Sacrament of Reconciliation are all a part of what make him a saint. But he became a saint because he simply wanted to be, in his own words, "a poor friar who prays." Today is the Memorial of St. Padre Pio . For the daily readings, see the USCCB ....
Do we believe that God is still hiring? It's easy in our day-to-day lives to limit God's generosity by not recognizing all the good gifts that God wants to give to us. Dcn. James Pierce invites us to turn our hearts to God, and to accept the amazing generosity on offer. "...let him turn to the Lord in mercy..." USCCB Link to Readings for 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Br. Jordan DeGuire, O.P. preaches on Phillipians 1:20-24C, 27A for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Br. Jordan preaches on St. Paul's letter to the Phillipians, reminding us that our hope is in Jesus Christ and not in man. How can we trust in Jesus more? "Christ will be magnified in my body..."
In a special way Dominicans remember the cooperator brother St. Juan Macias who was known for his great charity towards all those he encountered as a porter and a provider for the community in Peru. But where did his great charity and love for others come from? It came from the Eucharist, that sacrament which St. Thomas Aquinas calls the Sacrament of Charity. Do we partake of that great Sacrament and let it fill us with the love of Christ? Today is the Dominican Feast Day for St. Juan Macias, O....
Br. Carlos Salas, O.P. is currently on pastoral assignment at St. Peter Catholic Church in Memphis, TN. While there he recently had the opportunity to preach at Adoration for the Young Adults of the parish. In this preaching, Br. Carlos calls us to consider how we can be apostles today just as St. Paul was in his own time. Each of us is called. Are we willing to listen?
