Mass Reading & Meditation for September 1, 2009

Catholic Meditations
Meditation: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6,9-11
Surprise! You walk into a room and find your friends gathered to wish you a happy birthday.
Delighted to see them, you put aside your plans for the afternoon and enjoy their company and the party they put together in your honor.
Surprise! The business is closing, and you have only a day [...]

Mass Reading & Meditation for August 31, 2009

Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Luke 4:16-30
Let’s try a different kind of meditation today.
Close your eyes, and pretend that you are one of Jesus’ townsfolk sitting in the synagogue as he reads from the Scriptures. “Who does this guy think he is?” you ask yourself. “Did he really just call himself a prophet? Does he really think that [...]

Mass Reading & Meditation for August 29, 2009

Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Mark 6:17-29
The Beheading of John the Baptist
Heavenly Father, we turn to you today and ask you to grant us forerunners like John the Baptist. Send out men and women who will go before the Lord to prepare his way. Raise up zealous missionaries who will break new ground for the gospel. Inspire men [...]

Mass Reading & Meditation for August 28, 2009

Catholic Meditations
Meditation: 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8
Moved by his affection for them, Paul urged the Thessalonians to hold fast to all that he had told them.
Judging from this passage, it seems that he didn’t tell them only about faith in Jesus Christ but about personal issues as well. It seems that Paul had been forced to leave [...]

Mass Reading & Meditation for August 27, 2009

Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Matthew 24:42-51
The old maxim that exhorts us to “keep on keeping on” is another way to interpret today’s Gospel reading.
Jesus says, “Stay awake!” He encourages us to keep serving him despite whatever difficulties and temptations we encounter. Granted, it’s not always easy to do. We get tired, we want to let others take [...]

Mass Reading & Meditation for August 26, 2009

Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Matthew 23:27-32
You have probed me, and you know me. (Psalm 139:1)
Jesus had X-ray vision. He could see right into the hearts of the people who came to him for healing and help. In today’s Gospel, Jesus shows us that he also knew the hearts of the people who hated and opposed him: the [...]

Mass Reading & Meditation for August 25, 2009

Catholic Meditations
Meditation: Matthew 23:23-26
Many homes have a junk drawer or catch-all closet that the owners don’t really want other people to know about.
When company approaches, stray papers and miscellaneous objects are quickly deposited into these hiding places. And with these distractions out of sight, the house appears orderly, and guests get a good impression. Still, [...]