Association Of Catholic Bloggers

My husband held the nest out to me. "Feel how soft it is inside." I touched the coarse pine needles woven into a perfect shallow bowl. The exterior felt rough, like bark, and blended into the trunk and boughs of the nectarine tree where the parent birds had painstakingly built the nest. Inside, the softest grasses, layered with moss, formed a lovely cushion for their young nestlings. I don't think it's a coincidence that my husband found the nest and presented it to me just minutes after I returned home from church after hearing Luke 11: 1-13. Parent birds know to give their children good things like a soft nest -- how much more does God care for us, His children? A few thoughts today on The Gift that He Gives at Writer Jeanne Grunert .

Today’s Gospel:  Luke 11: 29-32 Did you notice this Gospel reading opens when the crowds gathering around Jesus were actually increasing? Christ’s angry reaction to this growing number of followers is shocking at first glance. However, these people were really curiosity seekers, who were not humbly looking for the truth with open minds, but arrogantly seeking proof with closed hearts; all the while convinced Jesus was a phony. Jesus calls them evil because they demanded a sign to authenticate His claims. continue reading

Today’s Gospel:  Matthew 2, 13-18  – Holy Innocents Today is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, a day when Catholics remember the baby boys in Bethlehem slaughtered by Herod. It is also called Childermas, instituted around 450 AD, and celebrated during the octave of Christmas to not only remember but honour the Church’s first martyrs who gave their life for Christ. More recently, the modern Church annually reaffirms her commitment to the sanctity of life on this feast. However, I want to focus on the question of the existence of evil in our world.  continue reading

Today’s Gospel:  Matthew 8, 5-11 In today’s Gospel reading, a Roman centurion comes to Jesus to beg the Lord to heal his sick servant. However, when Jesus responds that he will come and cure his servant, the centurion responds, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” Every day at the height of the every Mass, just before Communion, throughout the entire world, Catholics call to mind the words of this Gentile, a Roman soldier hated by the Jews: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” We are asking the Lord to heal not our servant, but our inmost being. Catholics repeat the words of this soldier from 2,000 years ago words to prepare us for an incredibly intimate Divine encounter.         continue reading

In preparation for Mass this weekend, Father Steven LaBaire of Holy Family Parish in Worcester offers his insight on the gospel reading: "In the ancient world, the journey up a mountain often symbolized “enlightenment” or “seeing” things in a “new” or different way from previously. In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus takes his students (disciples) up a very high mountain. (Mark 9:2-10)" Click here to continue.

Today’s Gospel:  Mark 6:1-6   Jesus is not accepted in his hometown What is disturbing about this famous gospel passage about the reaction Christ receives in his hometown is Jesus’ neighbors  admit  He speaks with wisdom and He has performed great deeds. They are astonished, in fact, by His reputation. Yet they cannot admit His miracles and His words come from God. They sputter, “ Where  did this man get all this?” They know his family and He was a simple carpenter. So, they cannot even acknowledge His anointing as a prophet, never mind perceiving that He is the Son of God. The key to their negative attitude towards Jesus is their pride. They are  offended . Their pride shuts their hearts and souls to the truth. Perhaps their noses are out of joint because they are still ordinary. Ironically, it is precisely ordinary, little people who flock to Jesus and who are healed and loved and taught about the wonderful secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven. Howeve...

One of the most beautiful images of heaven in the scriptures is the royal banquet and  the  wedding celebration given by the Bridegroom.  We have been invited to the most important banquet of all . However, Jesus’ parable of this Great Banquet takes an unexpected twist  when “they all alike began to make excuses”. Nobody could come to the great banquet. Seems preposterous.  Why on earth would everyone who had been invited to a great banquet in advance,  not drop everything and attend?   They knew ahead of time. They had a warning it was coming.  Don’t you think that they would be planning their days, weeks even months around this extravagant feast? continue reading

Gospel reflection Today’s Gospel:  John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 This section of scripture leaves me feeling irritated, almost as irritated as Jesus seems to be. Of course part of that frustration is because this was written by John who loves to talk in circles, leaving his readers hanging. At first glance this passage simply talks about Jesus moving around Galilee, not wishing to travel to Judea because the Jews are trying to kill Him. In the end He does slip secretly into Jerusalem but everyone is gossiping about whether He is the Christ or not. Finally Jesus seems angry as He actually shouts out  in the temple. Remember, this is John’s gospel, so Jesus speaks in riddles telling the crowd that yes people know where He comes from physically. However they do not fully grasp where He actually comes from because they do not really know the one who sent Him. Naturally the authorities know that  Jesus is referring to God, the Almighty. They try unsuccessfully to arr...

Today’s Gospel:  Mark 10:28-31 Today is Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. In keeping with tradition, some of us will devour pancakes and syrup, a last splurge before Lent. However, the Gospel reading leading up to Lent is much more sober. Peter reminds Jesus that the disciples have given up everything to follow Him. Seems like Peter is worried. He is really asking, “Have we given enough?” Jesus encourages Peter and His disciples, promising them eternal life as a reward and then adds, ” for the last will be first and the first will be last “. Another divine paradox to rattle our brains. Nothing Jesus says really makes sense to our Western sensibilities. In fact, most of the sayings of Jesus did not make sense to a first century Eastern mind, either, and so the gospel of Mark repeats this phrase twice more, just so it sinks in. continue reading>