Tag: John
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The Three Choices
Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent Jeremiah 11:18-20; Psalm 7:9; Luke 8:15; John 7:40-53 Years ago, the leader of a religious cult said that God told him the world was going to end soon; he even gave the day. When that day came and went, a few members lost their faith and drifted away. […]
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The Invitation to Dare: Divine Mercy Sunday
Acts 4:32-35; 1 John 5:1-6; John 20:19-31 The gospel according to John has been called the gospel of encounters. Each follows the same basic pattern: Jesus encounters someone, they test him, there is an exchange, and the encounter ends with those who tested Jesus finding that in reality they are the ones being tested: Will […]
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Out of Blindness: Feast of St. Maria Goretti
1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20; John 12:24-26 The priest, psychologist, and spiritual writer Henri Nouwen once said that there are two types of spiritual loneliness, each a kind of blindness. The first comes from being out of touch with God; this is the blindness of too little light. The second is just the opposite; it is […]
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A Mother’s Love: Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Acts 1:12-14; John 19:25-34 If my mother said one thing to me consistently from the time I can remember, it was that she loved me. She said it all the time. When she felt the need to go beyond that, she’d say, “You will never know how much I love you until you have children […]
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Holy Thursday: The Primacy of Service
John 13:1-15 Today we read from John’s account of the last evening that Jesus spent with his disciples before his Passion and death. The other evangelists take this opportunity to provide us with the Institution Narrative, or the words spoken by Christ that to this day are repeated by the priest during the Consecration at […]
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The Standard of Love: Tuesday of Holy Week
So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas (John 13:26). Judas was chosen by Christ; he accompanied Him throughout his ministry. Like every disciple, he was fed spiritually and physically. Empowered by our Lord, Judas healed, expelled demons, preached the coming of the kingdom, and shook the dust of unbelieving towns […]
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A Fragrant Aroma: Monday of Holy Week
John 12:1-8 Awhile after my father died, my mother asked if I would help her sort out his things. As I took some clothes out of his dresser it struck me; they still smelled like him. It was as if my father was right there. It took me several minutes to regain my composure. Scientists […]
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Holy and Immaculate: Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes
Isaiah 66:10-14c; John 2:1-11 Between 1830 and 1858 the Blessed Mother made three separate visits to France. First in Paris to Sr. Catherine Laboure, whence came the Miraculous Medal and the prayer, “Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” Next she appeared to two shepherd children near La Salette in […]
Mark 10:45 