Catholic Daily Reflections

Read Online When Jesus came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” He stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I will do it. Be made clean.” His leprosy was cleansed immediately. Matthew 8:1–3 After leading the Israelites out of Egypt, God gave Moses not only the Ten Commandments b...

Read Online “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers....

Read Online When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all w...

Read Online Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Matthew 7:6 Today’s Gospel contains one of Christ’s more difficult teachings. At first glance, His words seem harsh. Yet they reveal a profound truth: the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven require a heart properly dispos...

Read Online “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3–5 It is easy to ju...

Read Online “What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” Matthew 10:27–28 When you pray, does God “whisper” to you? Do you sense His presence? Has He convicted your heart about Himself a...

Read Online “So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own e...

Read Online Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” Matthew 6:19–21 Today’s Gospel is one that many find difficult to take literally...

Read Online Jesus said to his disciples: “In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This is how you are to pray: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…” Matthew 6:7–9 Many pagans of Jesus’ time believed they could manipulate divine action by sheer p...

Read Online Jesus said to his disciples: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.” Matthew 6:1 Authenticity draws others in. A person who lives with genuine humility and virtue naturally inspires trust. In contrast, hypocrisy—an outward display of righteousness without interior virtue, done for hu...

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father… So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:43–45, 48 The Law of Moses, contained in the first five books of the Old Testament, taught the i...

Read Online Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil… Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles.” Matthew 5:38–39, 41 The phrase “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” refers to the Mosaic Law of Retaliation (cf. Exodus 21:23–25). When...

Read Online At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36 As Jesus went “to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness” (Matthew 9:35), He was moved with deep compassion for the crowds. The Greek verb s...

Read Online Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow. But I say to you, do not swear at all… Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the Evil One.” Matthew 5:33–34, 37 When someone’s honesty is questioned, it is not uncommon to respond emphatically by sayin...

Read Online “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves…” Matthew 11:28–29 The words gentle and power do not often appear side by side. Yet when we contemplate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, these two seemingly opposite qualities unite perfectly within the di...

Read Online Jesus said to his disciples: “I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20 This statement would have been shocking to Jesus’ audience. At that time, the scribes and Pharisees were well-known for their meticulous observance of the Law of Moses, attending scrupulously to even the smallest d...

Read Online Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” Matthew 5:17–18 Sometimes it can be challenging to reconcile the Old Testament...

Read Online “You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:14–16 Light and darkness are not opposing forces; rathe...

Read Online When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven…” Matthew 5:1–3 Like Moses, Jesus “went up the mountain” to deliver divine teaching. Rather than issuing commandments, He proclaimed invitations to partake in God’s very life. The B...

Read Online Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” John 6:51–52 It must have been shocking to Jesus’ listeners the first time He boldly proclaimed that...

Read Online “Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.” Mark 12:43–44 How generous are you? This is a challenging question, yet one worth considering. Does your generosity reflect God’s boundless generosity? Do...

Read Online As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said, “How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said: The Lord said to my lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet. ’ David himself calls him ‘lord’; so how is he his son?” The great crowd heard this with delight. Mark 12:35–37 Today’s Gospel presen...

Read Online One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Mark 12:28 We continue to read about Jesus’ various interactions, teachings, and prophetic actions in the Temple area during Passover, just days before He would be arrested and killed. During the week, Jesus cleansed the Temple of moneychangers and merchants and was confronted with hostility b...

Read Online Some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and put this question to him, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us, ‘If someone’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother.’ Now there were seven brothers…” Mark 12:18–20 The Sadducees were a Jewish sect composed mainly of the Temple leaders, includi...

Read Online Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech. They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” Ma...