Reading: 1 Peter 2:20b-25. The small town in Oklahoma where George and Kathy raised a daughter and a son was not a stronghold of the Ro­man Catholic faith. But George and Kathy were faithfully raised as Roman Catholics, and they were determined to bring up their two children in the same manner. They

Reading: 1 Peter 1:17-23. Gloria and her husband Glen lived in one of the posh sec­tions of a Los Angeles suburb. The wealth Glen inherited from his family enabled him and Gloria to live in luxury, which both of them enjoyed as much as anything in their lives. Glen died in his early fifties of a stroke, and after Gloria had mourned

Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9. Doubt, especially self-doubt, is difficult to overcome. Some­times

Reading: Colossians 3:1-4.     “Honey, I want to do something for God. What should I do?”

PASSION (PALM) SUNDAY – HOLY WEEK

They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks across its back, and he sat on it. (Mark 11:7)

Reflection.

Reading: Philippians 2:6-11. Migrant workers poured across the Rio Grande by the thou­sands every year with their green cards, which allowed them to work in the states. They often came by families, working the harvests all the way up the mid-section of the United States.

SUNDAY – FIFTH WEEK OF LENT

Then a voice came from the sky: "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." (John 12:28)

Reflection.

Prayer to be Freed of the Seven Deadly Sins

Reading: John 11:1-45. Cheryl’s father had an affair with his secretary when Cheryl was just four years old. Cheryl’s mother, who had battled several bouts of

SUNDAY – FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

"So must the Son of Man be lifted up, that all who believe may have eternal life in Him." (John 3:14,15)

Reflection.

Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a. Saul didn’t work out, not at all. For one thing, he wasn’t, shall we say, well balanced. For another, when given the opportunity to do so, he had not put God first, and the nation of Israel was in bad shape. God said that it was time for a change, and it was as if Saul had never been king. God bypassed him altogether; Saul had no say whatsoever in leaving his throne or in naming his successor. Saul sat passively and helplessly by while the events of his undoing took place before his eyes.

SUNDAY – THIRD WEEK OF LENT

"Zeal for your house consumes me." (John 2:17)

Reflection.

Reading: Exodus 17:3-7. “Grandfather, I’m thirsty. No one has been as thirsty as I am now.” Benjamin ran to where his grandfather was cutting a piece of wood to repair a broken tool.

Benjamin’s grandfather picked him up and said, “Not thirstier than we were in the wilderness when I was a little boy. We were the thirstiest people who ever lived. Let’s get some water for you, Benjamin.”

SUNDAY, SECOND WEEK OF LENT

He was transfigured before their eyes and his clothes became dazzlingly white. (Mark 9:2-3)

Reflection.

Reading: Genesis 12:1-4. Young Ben’s family was quite active in a church that emphasized a personal commitment to Christ. Even though he was quite young, Ben had heard more than one sermon about the importance of surrendering one’s life to Christ. And so, one morning as the family sat around the kitchen table eating Cheerios, little Ben announced that he, too, was ready to give his life to Christ.

He then got up from the table and went upstairs. His mother and father looked at each other and then decided to

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

"I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth." (Genesis 9:13)

Reflection.

Reading: Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7. The children had a question. They knew that creation was a wondrous thing and that God had called it good. But if everything in the world is so great, why are there things like broccoli and Brussels sprouts and homework?

The old woman told them this story.

ASH WEDNESDAY

"Dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return." Gn. 3:19

Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. (Joel 2:13)

Reflection:

Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. A gentlemanly old pastor was walking down the street one day when one of his church members strutted up to him with a self-satisfied smile. The pastor knew this young man had been quite proud of his own Scriptural accomplishments.

The teen boasted, “Pastor, did you know that I have now read the Bible all the way through three times this year?”

Reading: Matthew 3:13-17. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Matthew depicts a scenario of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan river. When Jesus himself came to John for baptism, John tried to forestall him. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, John recognized the one who was presenting himself for baptism. John’s baptism was a sign of repentance and confession in view of forgiveness of sin. However, Jesus was sinless. He himself had no need for repentance or confession.

For this reason, the baptism of Jesus by John was a special, unique one.

SUNDAY

Invitation

What impact does Jesus have on you?

Leaders can fire our emotions and excite our imaginations. They cannot transfuse us with their own spirit. They cannot reach inside themselves and give us a portion of their own power and strength.

SUNDAY

Incarnation today

What impact did Jesus have?

God has come down to earth to us. That is what Christians celebrate. Jesus waked amongst us, freed us from sin and shared with us God’s own divine life.

SUNDAY

Incarnation

Why did Jesus become one of Us?

SUNDAY

Anticipation

What was it like before Jesus came?

The Jewish people waited and waited for the long-promised Messiah. Some of them were beginning to lose faith. It is this situation of waiting and longing for the coming of Jesus that is the focus of this week meditations.

Reading: 2 Samuel 5:1-3. The first reading on this Sunday records the third anointing of David to recognize him as king over all the tribes of Israel. The first anointing occurred when Samuel was led by the Lord to figure out the youngest son of Jesse who was shepherding his father’s flock (1 Sam 16:13). His private anointing at that time recognized David’s prospective steps

Reading: 2 Thessalonica 3:7-12. At various points throughout history, some Christians have been accused of being too focus on the end of the world. Precisely, they emphasized the life to come. Because they are unduly concerned for their ultimate destination of heaven, they easily exclude most their attentions towards this present world.

Reading: 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14. The first reading on this Sunday is from the second book of Maccabees. It should be noted that the first and second books of Maccabees do not appear in the Jewish canon. Thus, they are not recognized as canonical by Protestants or Jews. Catholic tradition, however, has always upheld their inspired character. Maccabees came from a

Reading: 2 Timothy 4:6-8; 16-18. Jimmy was ready for the race of his life. His day had finally arrived. He was ready to compete at the peak of his ability and performance. As with any qualified athlete, his training had not begun on race day. It had started years ago when he committed his body to undergo a strenuous training program. Daily, he had stretched and lifted weights. He had spent hours running and running. He

Reading: Exodus 17:8-13. The first reading on this Sunday presents the importance of prayer to overcome struggling battles of life. On the way towards the Promised Land, the Israelites were struggling against dangerous adversaries. They had to make a valiant attempt to protest against their enemies. The reading today, however, does not show that the victory

Reading: 2 Kings 5:14-17. Naaman was a Syrian military commander during the reign of King Ben-hadad. He was afflicted by leprosy at that time. A young Jewish girl, who had been taken captive, was his wife’s servant. She told her mistress, who in turn told her husband, that the prophet Elisha in Israel could heal his leprosy. Naaman told the King of Syria, and the King contacted the King of Israel to ask for his help. Elisha heard of the request, and told the King to have Naaman come to him.

Reading: 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14. In a factory where employees were left to themselves during a good deal of the time, some of the men paid very little attention to the rules. It was only when it was known that the inspector was about to make one of his rounds that they took care to keep the rubbish out of the way and their work-tables in order. One man, however, was an exception to