Catholic Daily Reflections
1,225 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 433 ratingsMy Catholic Life! presents the beauty and splendor of our Catholic faith in a down to earth and practical way. These daily audio reflections come from the "Catholic Daily Reflections Series" which is available in online format from our website. They are also available in e eBook or paperback format.
May these reflections assist you on your journey of personal conversion!
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Episodes
Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time - Confronting Evil with the Gospel
January 19, 2023 12:00 - 4 minutes - 3.93 MBHe appointed Twelve, whom he also named Apostles, that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. Mark 3:14–15 The Twelve Apostles were first called by Jesus and then sent to preach with authority. The authority they were given was for the purpose of driving out demons. But how did they do that? It’s interesting to note that the authority they were given over demons was, in part, associated with their commission to preach. And tho...
Thursday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time - Single-Minded Devotion
January 18, 2023 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.37 MBHe told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him. He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. Mark 3:9–10 It’s fascinating to ponder the enthusiasm that so many people had toward Jesus. In the passage above, we see Jesus asked His disciples to have a boat ready for Him so that He would not be crushed as He taught the crowd. He had been curing many who were sick, and the crowd was pres...
Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time - Grieved at the Hardness of Heart
January 17, 2023 12:00 - 5 minutes - 4.83 MBThen he said to the Pharisees, “Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they remained silent. Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and his hand was restored. Mark 3:4–5 Sin damages our relationship with God. But hardness of heart is even more damaging because it perpetuates the damage done by sin. And the harder one's hea...
Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time - Keeping Holy the Sabbath
January 16, 2023 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.3 MBAs Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?” Mark 2:23–24 The Pharisees were greatly concerned about many things that were distortions of the law of God. The Third Commandment calls us to “Keep holy the Sabbath Day.” Furthermore, we read in Exodus 20:8–10 that we are not to do any work on the Sabbath but are to us...
Monday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time - To Fast or Not to Fast
January 15, 2023 12:00 - 3 minutes - 3.57 MB“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.” Mark 2:19–20 The passage above reveals Jesus’ response to the disciples of John the Baptist and some Pharisees who question Jesus about fasting. They point out that the disciples of John and the Pharisees each follow the Jewish laws on fasting, but Jesus’ discip...
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) - Behold, the Lamb of God!
January 14, 2023 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.42 MBJohn the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” John 1:29 Saint John the Baptist speaks these words about Jesus at the moment that he sees Jesus coming to him in the distance. John knew, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus was the “Lamb of God.” He knew, by this interior revelation, that Jesus would become the Sacrificial Lamb Who would lay down His life for the salvation of the world. Perhaps John did not ...
Saturday of the First Week of Ordinary Time - Discerning the Will of God
January 13, 2023 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.04 MBAs he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs post. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed Jesus. Mark 2:14 How do you know the will of God for your life? In his spiritual classic, The Spiritual Exercises, Saint Ignatius of Loyola presented three ways in which we come to know the will of God. (See mycatholic.life/ignatius for more.) The first way is the clearest and most definitive way. It is a time in which the person experiences a “clarity beyond...
Friday of the First Week of Ordinary Time - An Act of the Greatest Charity
January 12, 2023 12:00 - 4 minutes - 3.84 MBThey came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. Mark 2:3–4 This paralytic is a symbol of certain people in our lives who seem to be incapable of turning to our Lord by their own effort. It’s clear that the paralytic wanted healing, but he was unable to come to our Lord by his own effort. Therefore, the friends of t...
Thursday of the First Week of Ordinary Time - Be Made Clean
January 11, 2023 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.33 MBA leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand, touched the leper, and said to him, “I do will it. Be made clean.” Mark 1:40–41 If we come to our divine Lord with faith, kneel down before Him and present our need to Him, then we also will receive the same response given to this leper: “I do will it. Be made clean.” These words should give us hope in the midst of any and every challenge in life. What...
Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time - More Demons Driven Out
January 10, 2023 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.15 MBWhen it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him. Mark 1:32–34 Today we read that Jesus once again “drove out many demons...” The passage then adds, “...not permitting them to speak because they knew him.” Why would Jesus not permit these demons to speak? Many of the early...
Tuesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time - Confronting the Evil One
January 09, 2023 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.18 MBIn their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!” Mark 1:23–25 There were numerous times when Jesus directly confronted demons in the Scriptures. Each time He rebuked them and exercised His authority over them. The passage above illustrates one such case. The fact that the devil shows himself over and o...
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord - “You are My Beloved Son”
January 08, 2023 12:00 - 5 minutes - 4.95 MBIt happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:9–11 (Gospel from Year B) The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord concludes for us the Christmas Season and transitions us into the beginning of Ordinary Time. From a Scriptural po...
The Epiphany of the Lord - A Manifestation to the World
January 07, 2023 12:00 - 4 minutes - 3.85 MBWhen Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." Matthew 2:1–2 The Magi were most likely from Persia, modern-day Iran. They were men who regularly engaged in a study of the stars. They were not Jewish but were most likely aware of the popular belief of the Jewish people that a king would be born who would save t...
January 7, when before Epiphany - A Command of Love
January 06, 2023 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.34 MBHis mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” John 2:5 This short phrase, inserted within the story of the Wedding Feast of Cana, gives us much to ponder. It is a command of love, spoken by our Blessed Mother to the servants at the wedding. And though her words were initially spoken to those servants so as to bring forth the first miracle and sign of Jesus’ divinity, we can be certain that our Blessed Mother also speaks them to each one of us. “Do whatever he tells you.” What ...
January 6, when before Epiphany - The Genealogy of Jesus
January 05, 2023 12:00 - 5 minutes - 5.01 MBWhen Jesus began his ministry he was about thirty years of age. He was the son, as was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Melea… Luke 3:32–24 One of the two options for today’s Gospel is the genealogy of Jesus according to Saint Luke. Recall that Matthew’s Gospel also shares a genealogy of Jesus. Matthew’s version might be more familiar since it comes at the very beginning of his Gospel. Though the two genealogies differ significantly for various reasons, they both have the goal...
January 5, when before Epiphany - Conversion is Contagious
January 04, 2023 12:00 - 6 minutes - 5.79 MBJesus decided to go to Galilee, and he found Philip. And Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the town of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” John 1:43–45 Recall that in the previous passage of John’s Gospel, Andrew had gone to his brother Peter to tell him that he had found the Messiah. As a result, Peter went to see Jesus and al...
January 4, when before Epiphany - Come, and You Will See
January 03, 2023 18:39 - 5 minutes - 4.87 MBThey said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. John 1:38–39 What an interesting exchange. Andrew was one of two disciples of John the Baptist who heard John say that Jesus was the “Lamb of God.” As a result, Andrew and the other disciple left the Baptist and started to physically follow Jesus. As they began to follow Jesus, He turned ...
January 3, when before Epiphany - Hearing God Speak
January 02, 2023 12:00 - 5 minutes - 4.86 MBJohn testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.” John 1:32–34 It’s interesting to note that in the Gospel of John, Saint John the Baptist never baptized Jesus, as is depicted in the Gospels of Matth...
January 2, when before Epiphany - The Greatness of Humility
January 01, 2023 12:00 - 4 minutes - 3.93 MB“I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.” John 1:26–27 Now that our Christmas Octave is completed, we immediately begin to look toward the future ministry of our Lord. In our Gospel today, Saint John the Baptist is the one who points us to that future ministry of Jesus. He acknowledges his mission to baptize with water is one that is temporary and only a preparation for the One W...
January 1, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God - The Mother of Jesus is the Mother of God
December 31, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 4.75 MBAnd Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Luke 2:19 Today, January 1, we complete our octave celebration of Christmas Day. It’s an often overlooked liturgical fact that we celebrate Christmas Day for eight straight days. We do this also with Easter Day, which concludes with the great celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday. On this, the eighth day of the Octave of Christmas, we turn our focus to the unique and beautiful fact that God chose to enter our world through a hu...
December 31, Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas - Light Dispels Darkness
December 30, 2022 12:00 - 4 minutes - 3.88 MBWhat came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:3–5 What a great image for meditation: “...the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” This line completes the unique approach taken by John’s Gospel to introduce Jesus, the Eternal “Word” Who existed from the beginning and through Whom all things came to be. Though there is much to meditate on in th...
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph - The Family as a Communion of Love
December 29, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 4.73 MBWhen they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him. Luke 2:39–40 (Gospel Year B) Today we honor family life in general by pausing to ponder the particular and beautiful hidden life within the home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. In many ways, their daily life together would have been very similar to other families at that time. But in...
December 29, Fifth Day in the Octave of Christmas - Wonder and Awe
December 28, 2022 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.3 MBThe child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2:33–35 When something truly supernatural takes place, the human mind that grasps that supernatural event is filled with wonder and awe. For Mother Mary and S...
December 28, Feast of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs - Courage in the Face of Evil
December 27, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 4.64 MBWhen the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Matthew 2:13 The most glorious event ever to take place in our world also filled some with hatred and rage. Herod, who was jealous of his own earthly power, felt greatly threatened by the message shared with him by the Magi. And when the Magi failed to ret...
December 27, Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist - The Beloved Disciple
December 26, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 5.04 MBOn the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. John 20:1–3 It’s interesting that Saint John refers to himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” Of course, Jesus loved all people. He loved all of the disciples. But in John’s Gospel, this unique title of the beloved ...
December 26, Feast of St. Stephen, First Martyr - God’s Promised Inspiration
December 25, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 5.22 MB“When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” Matthew 10:19–20 These words of our Lord came to fruition in the life of Saint Stephen, the Church’s first martyr. Saint Stephen was martyred within a couple of years after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven. He was one of seven deacons who the Apostles appointed to assis...
December 25, The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) - Pondering the Birth of Christ
December 24, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 5.4 MBSo they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Luke 2:16–19 Merry Christmas! Our Advent preparations have been completed, and we are now invited by our Lord to enter into the glorious celebration of His birth! How well do you un...
December 24, Mass in the Morning - Transformation by the Holy Spirit
December 23, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 4.92 MBZechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free…” Luke 1:67–68 Our story of the birth of Saint John the Baptist concludes today with the song of praise spoken by Zechariah after his tongue had been loosened on account of his transformation in faith. He had moved from doubting what the Archangel Gabriel had spoken to him to believing and following the command of the Archangel to nam...
December 23 - Zechariah’s Victory
December 22, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 4.94 MBImmediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Luke 1:64 This line reveals the happy conclusion to Zechariah’s initial failure to believe in what God revealed to him. Recall that nine months earlier, as Zechariah was fulfilling his priestly duty of offering sacrifice within the Holy of Holies in the Temple, he received a visit from the glorious Archangel Gabriel, who stands before God. Gabriel revealed to Zechariah the good news that his wife would conceive i...
December 22 - Proclaim and Rejoice!
December 21, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 5.33 MB“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” Luke 1:46–47 There is an age-old question that asks, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Well, perhaps it’s an age-old “question” because only God knows the answer to how He created the world and all the creatures within it. Today, this first line from the glorious song of praise of our Blessed Mother, the Magnificat, poses to us another question. “Which comes first, to praise God or to rejoice in H...
December 21 - Bringing Christ to Others
December 20, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 5.25 MBMary set out in those days and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. Luke 1:39–40 We are presented today with the glorious story of the Visitation. When Mary was about two months pregnant, she traveled to be with her cousin Elizabeth who was to give birth within a month. Though much could be said about this as an act of familial love given from Mary to Elizabeth, the central focus immediately becomes the pr...
December 20, Advent Weekday - Running to the Will of God
December 19, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 4.86 MBAnd the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” Luke 1:35 Try to set aside all that you know about Jesus and simply ponder these words of the Archangel Gabriel as if you were to hear them as our Blessed Mother did for the very first time. She was told she would have a child, even though she had not had relations with a man. She was told that this p...
December 19 Weekday - Faith or Doubt
December 18, 2022 12:00 - 4 minutes - 3.89 MB“I am Gabriel, who stand before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.” Luke 1:19–20 Imagine if the Archangel Gabriel appeared to you. What would that have been like? This particular Archangel stands before the incomprehensible beauty and splendor of the Most Holy Trinity and brings fort...
Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year A) - Embracing the Mysteries of Life
December 17, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 5.09 MB“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20–21 As we begin the Fourth Week of Advent, we focus ever more directly upon the miracle that took place over 2,000 years ago. The passage quoted above presents us with the words of the angel of the Lord who spoke to Joseph in a...
December 17 Weekday - An Amazing Reality
December 16, 2022 12:00 - 4 minutes - 3.76 MBEleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Matthew 1:15–16 The last line of the Gospel passage above offers much for us to meditate upon this day and throughout the week ahead. “Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.” What an amazing reality we celebrate! God Himself took on our human life, experienced conception, birth, infancy, childhood, etc. As a human, He als...
Friday of the Third Week of Advent - The Love of the Father
December 15, 2022 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.38 MB“John was a burning and shining lamp, and for a while you were content to rejoice in his light. But I have testimony greater than John’s.” John 5:35–36 It’s true that when we have something good, something we enjoy, something we are grateful for, we easily rejoice in that good thing. But when the good thing we have is replaced by something even better, we move on from the old and cling to the new. On a supernatural level, this is what happened as people moved from being followers of Saint J...
Thursday of the Third Week of Advent - Sharing in God’s Divinity
December 14, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 4.96 MBThis is the one about whom Scripture says: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, he will prepare your way before you. I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John; yet the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.” Luke 7:27–28 Saint John the Baptist was truly great. He was the promised prophet foretold by Isaiah who would be the “messenger” who would precede the Christ, the Messiah. Many believe that John was sanctified within the womb when he leapt for...
Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent - The Transforming Power of Christ
December 13, 2022 12:00 - 4 minutes - 3.98 MBAnd Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” Luke 7:22 One of the greatest ways that the transforming power of the Gospel is proclaimed is through the works accomplished by our Lord. In this Gospel passage, Jesus points to the works He has done to answer a question about His identity. The disciples of John ...
Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent - It's Time to Change
December 12, 2022 12:00 - 4 minutes - 3.97 MBJesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards he changed his mind and went. Matthew 21:28–29 This Gospel passage above is the first part of a two-part story. The first son says he will not go work in the vineyard but changes his mind and goes. The second son says he will go but does not go. Which son are yo...
December 12 - Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
December 11, 2022 12:00 - 6 minutes - 5.68 MBThen the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.” Luke 1:30–31 Today we celebrate five successive apparitions of our Blessed Mother to Juan Diego, who was an Indian convert to the faith. Early in the morning of December 9, 1531, Juan was traveling to the town of Tlatelolco where he intended to attend a catechism class and the holy Mass. However, on his way, as he passe...
Third Sunday of Advent (Year A) - Change and Newness in Christ
December 10, 2022 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.35 MBWhen John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Matthew 11:2–3 Why did Saint John the Baptist send his disciples to Jesus to ask this question? Recall that John had previously stated about Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). So if John knew that Jesus was the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” the...
Saturday of the Second Week of Advent - Approaching the Word of God
December 09, 2022 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.13 MB“I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. Matthew 17:12–13 The last of the Old Testament Prophets was Malachi. He concluded his ministry about 400 years prior to the coming of Christ. Malachi prophesied that a “messenger” would come before the Messiah so as to prepare the way before Him. Mal...
Friday of the Second Week of Advent - Dancing and Mourning
December 08, 2022 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.42 MBJesus said to the crowds: “To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’” Matthew 11:16–17 What does Jesus mean when He says “We played the flute for you…” and “we sang a dirge…?” The Church Fathers clearly identify this “flute” and “dirge” as the word of God that has been preached by the prophets of old. So many came before Jesus to p...
December 8, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception - Full of God's Grace!
December 07, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 5.46 MBThe angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” Luke 1:26–28 What does it mean to be “full of grace?” This is a question at the heart of our solemn celebration today. Today we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Savior of the World, under the unique title of “The Immaculate Concept...
Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent - Laying Down Your Burdens
December 06, 2022 15:48 - 4 minutes - 3.96 MB“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 One of the most delightful and healthy activities in life is sleep. This is especially the case when one is able to enter into a deep and refreshing sleep. Upon awakening, the person who has slept deeply feels refreshed and ready for a new day. Of course, the opposite is also true. When sleep is difficult and restless, the person can suffer numerous ill effects, especially when a lack of healthy sleep b...
Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent - The Joy of Our Lord
December 05, 2022 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.51 MB“Jesus said to his disciples: “What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?” Matthew 18:12 This Gospel passage goes on to say that the man who finds that one stray sheep “rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.” At first, this might seem unfair. Why not primarily rejoice over the ninety-nine who did not stray? Saint Hillary, in commenting on this passa...
Monday of the Second Week of Advent - Loving the Proud and Arrogant
December 04, 2022 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.47 MBAnd some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence. But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles into the middle in front of Jesus. Luke 5:18–19 It’s interesting to note that, as the paralyzed man’s faith-filled friends lowered him down from the roof in front of Jesus, Jesus was surrounded by Pharisees and teachers of the law “from ...
Second Sunday of Advent (Year A) - Public Repentance
December 03, 2022 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.23 MBWhen he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.” Matthew 3:7–8 This was both a very intense and yet very holy encounter. It was intense in that Saint John the Baptist, who had become quite popular and respected and was considered a great prophet, spoke harshly toward the Pharisees and Sadducees. “You brood of vipers!” he says. This was...
Saturday of the First Week of Advent - On Mission From Christ
December 02, 2022 12:00 - 4 minutes - 4.22 MB“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Matthew 9:37–38 What does God want of you? What is your mission? Some fervent Christians may dream of becoming a popular evangelist. Some may dream of doing heroic acts of charity that are praised by all. And others may wish to live a very quiet and hidden life of faith, close to family and friends. But what does God want of YOU? In the passage above, Jesus exhorts His ...
Friday of the First Week of Advent - The True Messiah
December 01, 2022 12:00 - 5 minutes - 4.82 MBAnd their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread word of him through all that land. Matthew 9:30–31 Who is Jesus? This question is much more easily answered today than it was at the time Jesus walked the Earth. Today we are blessed with countless saints who have gone before us who have prayerfully and intelligently taught much about the person of Jesus. We know Him to be God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Sav...