Catholic Daily Reflections

Read Online While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:6–7 (Gospel from Mass During the Night) A loving mother and father who experience the birth of their first child receive insight into the sacredness and beauty of thi...

Read Online “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David…” Luke 1:68–69 These words are the beginning of Zechariah’s song of praise, traditionally called the Benedictus , which he prayed as soon as his mouth was opened at the circumcision of his newborn son, John the Baptist...

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 Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior… He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.”  Luke 1:46; 52–53 The last two sentences quoted from our Blessed Mother’s song of praise give us much to ponder. She, who is the Mother o...

Read Online Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “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.” Matthew 1:20 Joseph knew that the penalty for adultery was death by stoning. His heart must have been deeply conflicted. On one hand, t...

Read Online In the sixth month, the 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.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” Luke 1:26–29 The phrase...

Read Online But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.” Luke 1:13–15 Unlike Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary, Zechariah doubted the angel of the Lord’s r...

Read Online When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. Matthew 1:24 The human person is a fascinating subject of study. Throughout the ages, countless philosophers, theologians, and social scientists have sought to understand the complexities of human nature. Within the Catholic philosophical tradition, Saint Thomas Aquinas stands out as a...

Read Online The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham… Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah, fourteen generations.” Matthew 1:1; 17 This lengthy list of Abraham’s and David’s descendents, leading to Jesus, is much mo...

Read Online “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. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” Matthew 21:28–31 Jesus addressed this questi...

Read Online When Jesus had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Matthew 21:25–27 The chief priests and the elders of the people were supposed to shepherd the people into eternal salvation. They were supposed to be instruments of God’s div...

Read Online “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” Matthew 11:4–6 Suppose a priest came to your church to put on a parish mission, and during that mission he miraculously healed the blind, cri...

Read Online As they were coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Matthew 17:9a & 10 The final book of the Old Testament, written by the prophet Malachi around the fifth century BC, contains a prophecy that Elijah would return to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah (see Malachi 3:23–24). The scribes used this prop...

Read Online Then 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 Of all the saints throughout the ages, none has proved to be as powerful an evangelist as the Mother of God. While on Earth, she lived a mostly hidden life, demonstrating the perfection of virtue to th...

Read Online “Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent are taking it by force.” Matthew 11:11–12 The two sentences in the passage above can be challenging to comprehend, but the insight...

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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Matthew 11:28–30 Each of us needs to hear these gentle and inviting words more than we realize. On the surface, many people project an image of happiness,...

Read Online “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? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.”  Matthew 18:12–13 Jesus teaches us a powerful lesson using a familiar image: the shepherd who discovers one of his sheep is missing, goes o...

Read Online The 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.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Luke 1:26–29 The Blessed Virgin Mary was “ful...

Read Online “I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11–12 This passage comes just...

Read Online “Jesus went around 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 This one line speaks volumes about Jesus’ public ministry. He didn’t just preach a few sermons or heal a few who were sick. He “went around to all the towns and villages…teaching…proclaiming the Gospel…” and cured “ev...

Read Online As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” Matthew 9:27 Picture these two men for a moment. Just before this passage, Jesus had cured a leper, healed a Roman centurion’s servant, restored Peter’s mother-in-law to health, made a paralytic walk, and stopped a woman’s years-long hemorrhages. He had cast out demons, freeing people from thei...

Read Online “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.” Matthew 7:24 &amp...

Read Online At that time: Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet, and he cured them. Matthew 15:29–30 Why did Jesus perform so many miracles when He walked the earth? The Church Fathers and saints offer various insights. His...

Read Online Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.” Luke 10:23–24  We rejoice over many things in life. We might rejoice if we win a game, do well on a test, complete some task at home or work, or attend a celebration or party....

Read Online When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 8:10–11 Jesus looks into the heart, not just at one’s exterior. Today’s Gospel presents us with t...