THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Saturday of the Second Week of Lent, March 7th, 2015
First Saturday of the Month
Liturgical texts here
THREE minutes in a pig barn, and your clothes are done for the day. Imagine the prodigal son, hanging out with swine, feeding them day after day, too poor to even buy a change of clothes. I have no doubt that the father would have smelled his son returning home before he saw him. But when the father did see him, something amazing happened…
THE RIGHT SPIRITUAL STEPS:
Your Duty in
God’s Imminent Plan of Holiness
Through His Mother
by Anthony Mullen
YOU have been drawn to this website to be prepared: the ultimate preparation is to be really and truly transformed into Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit working through the Spiritual Motherhood and Triumph of Mary our Mother, and the Mother of our God. The preparation for the Storm is simply one (but important) part in the preparation for your “New & Divine Holiness” that St. John Paul II prophesized would occur “to make Christ the Heart of the world.”
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Friday of the Second Week of Lent, March 6th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
Rescued By Love, by Darren Tan
THE parable of the tenants in the vineyard, who murder the landowners servants and even his son is, of course, symbolic of centuries of prophets that the Father sent to the people of Israel, culminating in Jesus Christ, His only Son. All of them were rejected.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Thursday of the Second Week of Lent, March 5th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
TRUTH without charity is like a blunt sword that cannot pierce the heart. It might cause people to feel pain, to duck, to think, or step away from it, but Love is what sharpens truth such that it becomes a living word of God. You see, even the devil can quote Scripture and produce the most elegant apologetics. [1]cf. Matt 4;1-11 But it is when that truth is transmitted in the power of the Holy Spirit that it becomes…
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. Matt 4;1-11 |
|---|
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent, March 4th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
Ecce Homo, by Michael D. O’Brien
JESUS was not crucified for His charity. He was not scourged for healing paralytics, opening the eyes of the blind, or raising the dead. So too, rarely will you find Christians being sidelined for building a women’s shelter, feeding the poor, or visiting the sick. Rather, Christ and His body, the Church, were and are persecuted essentially for proclaiming the truth.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent, March 3rd, 2015
Liturgical texts here
WHEN it comes to weeding out sin this Lent, we cannot divorce mercy from the Cross, nor the Cross from mercy. Today’s readings are a powerful blend of both…
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Monday of the Second Week of Lent, March 2nd, 2015
Liturgical texts here
THERE is a line from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings that, among others, jumped out at me when the character Frodo wishes for the death of his adversary, Gollum. The wise wizard Gandalf responds:
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Saturday of the First Week of Lent, February 28th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
I listened to Canada’s state radio broadcaster, the CBC, on the ride home last night. The host of the show interviewed “astonished” guests who could not believe that a Canadian Member of Parliament admitted to “not believing in evolution” (which usually means that one believes that creation came into existence by God, not aliens or the implausible odds atheists have put their faith in). The guests went on to highlight their unflinching devotion to not only evolution but global warming, vaccinations, abortion, and gay marriage —including the “Christian” on the panel. “Anyone who questions the science really is not fit for public office,” said one guest to that effect.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Friday of the First Week of Lent, February 27th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
The Prodigal Son, by John Macallen Swan, 1888 (Tate Collection, London)
WHEN Jesus told the parable of the “prodigal son”, [1]cf. Luke 15:11-32 I believe He was also giving a prophetic vision of the end times. That is, a picture of how the the world would be welcomed into the Father’s house through Christ’s Sacrifice… but eventually reject Him again. That we would take our inheritance, that is, our free will, and over the centuries blow it on the kind of unbridled paganism we have today. Technology is the new golden calf.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. Luke 15:11-32 |
|---|
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Thursday of the First Week of Lent, February 26th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
The Intercession of Christ and the Virgin, attributed to Lorenzo Monaco, (1370–1425)
WHEN we speak of a “last chance” for the world, it is because we are talking about an “incurable evil.” Sin has so entwined itself in men’s affairs, so corrupted the very foundations of not only economics and politics but also the food chain, medicine, and the environment, that nothing short of cosmic surgery [1]cf. The Cosmic Surgery is necessary. As the Psalmist says,
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. The Cosmic Surgery |
|---|
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Wednesday of the First Week of Lent, February 25th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
THERE is a lot of chatter today about when this or that prophecy will be fulfilled, particularly over the next few years. But I frequently ponder on the fact that tonight might be my last night on earth, and so, for me, I find the race to “know the date” superfluous at best. I often smile when I think of that story of St. Francis who, while gardening, was asked: “What would you do if you knew the world would end today?” He replied, “I suppose I would finish hoeing this row of beans.” Herein lies the wisdom of Francis: the duty of the moment is the will of God. And God’s will is a mystery, most especially when it comes to time.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Tuesday of the First Week of Lent, February 24th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
PONDER again these words from today’s Gospel:
…thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Now listen carefully to the first reading:
So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.
If Jesus gave us this “word” to pray daily to our Heavenly Father, then one must ask whether or not His Kingdom and His Divine Will shall be on earth as it is in heaven? Whether or not this “word” we have been taught to pray will achieve its end… or simply return void? The answer, of course, is that these words of the Lord will indeed accomplish their end and will…
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Monday of the First Week of Lent, February 23rd, 2015
Liturgical texts here
IT is from a total and complete abandonment to God that something beautiful happens: all those securities and attachments that you clung desperately to, but leave in His hands, are exchanged for the supernatural life of God. It is hard to see from a human perspective. It often looks about as beautiful as a butterfly still in a cocoon. We see nothing but darkness; feel nothing but the old self; hear nothing but the echo of our weakness steadily ringing in our ears. And yet, if we persevere in this state of total surrender and trust before God, the extraordinary happens: we become co-workers with Christ.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Friday after Ash Wednesday, February 20th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
THE animal kingdom is essentially content. Birds are content. Fish are content. But the human heart is not. We are restless and unsatisfied, constantly searching for fulfillment in myriad forms. We are in an endless pursuit of pleasure as the world spins its advertisements promising happiness, but delivering only pleasure—fleeting pleasure, as if that were an end in itself. Why then, after buying the lie, do we inevitably continue seeking, searching, hunting for meaning and worth?
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Thursday after Ash Wednesday, February 19th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
IT is pretty clear, even by a mere cursory glance at the news headlines, that much of the first world is in a free-fall into unbridled hedonism while the rest of the world is increasingly threatened and scourged by regional violence. As I wrote a few years ago, the time of warning has virtually expired. [1]cf. The Last Hour If one cannot perceive the “signs of the times” by now, then the only word left is the “word” of suffering. [2]cf. The Watchman’s Song
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. The Last Hour |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | cf. The Watchman’s Song |
Still trying to decide
what sacrifice or penance to make for Lent?
How about giving up 5 minutes a day with Mark, meditating upon the daily Now Word in the Mass readings for these forty days.
A sacrifice that will feed your soul!
SUBSCRIBE here for free.
Read today’s message for Ash Wednesday.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Ash Wednesday, February 18th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
ASHES, sackcloth, fasting, penance, mortification, sacrifice… These are the common themes of Lent. So who would think of this penitential season as a time of joy? Easter Sunday? Yes, joy! But the forty days of penance?
A Light to the Gentiles by Greg Olsen
WHY did Jesus come to earth as He did—clothing His divine nature in the DNA, chromosomes, and genetic heritage of the woman, Mary? For Jesus could very well have simply materialized in the desert, entered immediately upon forty days of temptation, and then emerged in the Spirit for His three year ministry. But instead, He chose to walk in our footsteps from the very first instance of His human life. He chose to become little, helpless, and weak, for…
WHEN a ship goes off course by only a degree or two, it is barely noticeable until several hundred nautical miles later. So too, the Barque of Peter has likewise veered somewhat off course over the centuries. In the words of Blessed Cardinal Newman:
The Supreme Court Justices of Canada
IT was a strange convergence this past weekend. All week long at my concerts, as a preamble to my song Call Your Name (listen below), I felt compelled to speak about how truth is being turned upside down in our day; how good is being called evil, and evil good. I noted how “judges are getting up in the morning, having their coffee and cereal like the rest of us, and then go into work—and completely overturn the Natural Moral Law that has existed since time memorial.” Little did I realize that the Supreme Court of Canada was planning to issue a ruling last Friday that opens the door for doctors to help kill someone with a ‘grievous and irremediable medical condition (including an illness, disease or disability)’.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Wednesday, February 4th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
AFTER Mass today, the words came strongly to me:
My young priests, do not be afraid! I have put you in place, like seeds scattered among fertile soil. Do not be afraid to preach My Name! Do not be afraid to speak the truth in love. Do not be afraid if My Word, through you, causes a sifting of your flock…
As I shared these thoughts over coffee with a courageous African priest this morning, he nodded his head. “Yes, we priests often want to please everyone rather than preach the truth… we have let the lay faithful down.”
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Wednesday, February 4th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
DISCIPLINE, mortification, fasting, sacrifice… these are words that tend to make us cringe because we associate them with pain. However, Jesus did not. As St. Paul wrote:
For the sake of the joy that lay before him, Jesus endured the cross… (Heb 12:2)
The difference between a Christian monk and a Buddhist monk is precisely this: the end for the Christian is not the mortification of his senses, or even peace and serenity; rather it is God himself. Anything less is falling short of fulfillment as much as throwing a rock in the sky falls short of hitting the moon. Fulfillment for the Christian is to allow God to possess him that he may possess God. It is this union of hearts that transforms and restores the soul into the image and likeness of the Holy Trinity. But even the most profound union with God can also be accompanied by a dense darkness, spiritual dryness, and sense of abandonment—just as Jesus, though in complete conformity to the Father’s will, experienced abandonment on the Cross.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015
Opt. Memorial St. Blaise
Liturgical texts here
MANY Catholics go to Mass every Sunday, join the Knights of Columbus or CWL, put a few bucks in the collection basket, etc. But their faith never really deepens; there is no real transformation of their hearts more and more into holiness, more and more into Our Lord himself, such that they can begin to say with St. Paul, “yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me.” [1]cf. Gal 2:20
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. Gal 2:20 |
|---|
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Thursday, January 29th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
THE Old Testament is more than a book telling the story of salvation history, but a shadow of things to come. The temple of Solomon was but a type of the temple of Christ’s body, the means by which we could enter into the “Holy of holies”—the very presence of God. St. Paul’s explanation of the new Temple in today’s first reading is explosive:
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Monday, January 27th, 2015
Opt. Memorial for St. Angela Merici
Liturgical texts here
TODAY’s Gospel is often used to argue that Catholics have invented or exaggerated the significance of the motherhood of Mary.
“Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
But then who lived the will of God more completely, more perfectly, more obediently than Mary, after her Son? From the moment of the Annunciation [1]and since her birth, since Gabriel says she was “full of grace” until standing beneath the Cross (while others fled), no one quietly lived out the will of God more perfectly. That is to say that no one was more of a mother to Jesus, by His own definintion, than this Woman.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | and since her birth, since Gabriel says she was “full of grace” |
|---|
ONE day to go before, what is now, a twenty-date concert tour begins. I am excited, because I sensed when my latest album was produced, that these songs would begin healing in many souls. Then along came Pope Francis calling the Church to become a “field hospital” for the wounded. [1]cf. The Field Hospital And so, on Tuesday my wife and I are setting up the first “field hospital” in our ministry as we begin a journey through the prairie province of Saskatchewan. Please pray for us and especially for all those that Jesus wants to heal and minister to.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. The Field Hospital |
|---|
WARS and rumors of wars… And yet, Jesus said these would only be “the beginning of the birth-pangs.” [1]cf. Matt 24:8 What, then, could possibly be the hard labor? Jesus answers:
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. (Matt 24:9-11)
Yes, the violent death of the body is a travesty, but the death of the soul is a tragedy. The hard labor is the great spiritual struggle that is here and coming…
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. Matt 24:8 |
|---|
Among the reasons why one would have a “heart of stone,” [is that someone] has gone through a “painful experience.” The heart, when it is hardened, is not free and if it is not free it is because it does not love…
—POPE FRANCIS, Homily, Jan. 9th, 2015, Zenit
WHEN I produced my last album, “Vulnerable”, I put together a collection of songs I’ve written that speak of the ‘painful experiences’ that many of us have gone through: death, family breakup, betrayal, loss… and then God’s response to it. It is, for me, one of the most moving albums I’ve created, not only for the content of the words, but also for the incredible emotion that the musicians, backup singers, and orchestra brought to the studio.
And now, I feel it is time to take this album on the road so that many, whose hearts have been hardened by their own painful experiences, can perhaps be softened by the love of Christ. This first tour is through Saskatchewan, Canada this Winter.
There are no tickets or fees, so everyone can come (a free-will offering will be taken up). I hope to meet many of you there…
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Friday, January 16th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
THERE is so much happening in our world, so quickly, that it can be overwhelming. There is so much suffering, adversity, and busyness in our lives that it can be discouraging. There is so much dysfunction, societal breakdown, and division that it can be numbing. In fact, the world’s rapid descent into darkness in these times has left many fearful, despairing, paranoid… paralyzed.
But the answer to all this, brothers and sisters, is to simply be faithful.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for January 13th, 2015
Opt. Memorial of St. Hilary
Liturgical texts here
WE have entered a period of time in the Church that will shake the faith of many. And that is because it is going to increasingly appear as though evil has won, as though the Church has become completely irrelevant, and in fact, an enemy of the State. Those who hold fast to the whole of the Catholic faith will be few in number and be universally considered antiquated, illogical, and an obstacle to be removed.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for January 5th-10th, 2015
of the Epiphany
Liturgical texts here
I have had countless parents come up to me in person or write me saying, “I don’t understand. We took our children to Mass every Sunday. My kids would pray the Rosary with us. They would go to spiritual functions… but now, they’ve all left the Church.”
The question is why? As a parent of eight children myself, the tears of these parents has sometimes haunted me. Then why not my kids? In truth, every one of us has free will. There is no forumla, per se, that if you do this, or say that prayer, that the outcome is sainthood. No, sometimes the outcome is atheism, as I’ve seen in my own extended family.
First published January 8th, 2015…
SEVERAL weeks ago, I wrote that it is time for me ‘to speak directly, boldly, and without apology to the “remnant” who are listening. It is only a remnant of readers now, not because they are special, but chosen; it is a remnant, not because all are not invited, but few respond….’ [1]cf. The Convergence and the Blessing That is, I have spent ten years writing about the times we live in, constantly referencing Sacred Tradition and the Magisterium so as to bring balance to a discussion that perhaps too frequently relies only on private revelation. Nonetheless, there are some who simply feel any discussion of the “end times” or the crises we face is too gloomy, negative, or fanatical—and so they simply delete and unsubscribe. So be it. Pope Benedict was pretty straightforward about such souls:
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. The Convergence and the Blessing |
|---|
The truth appeared like a great candle
lighting the whole world with its brilliant flame.
—St. Bernadine of Siena
A POWERFUL image came to me… an image that carries both encouragement and warning.
Those who have been following these writings know that their purpose has been specifically to prepare us for the times which lay directly ahead of the Church and world. They are not so much about catechesis as calling us into a safe Refuge.
Milan Cathedral in Lombardy, Milan, Italy; photo by Prak Vanny
SOLEMNITY OF MARY, HOLY MOTHER OF GOD
SINCE the last week of Advent, I have been in a perpetual state of contemplation of the incomparable beauty of the Catholic Church. On this solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God, I find my voice joining in with hers:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior… (Luke 1:46-47)
Earlier this week, I wrote about the stark contrast between the Christian martyrs and those extremists who are destroying families, towns, and lives in the name of “religion.” [1]cf. The Christian-Martyr Witness Once again, Christianity’s beauty is often most evident when the darkness increases, when the shadows of the day’s evil reveal the beauty of light. The lamentation that rose up in me during Lent in 2013 has been ringing in my ears at the same time (read Weep, O Children of Men). It is the dirge of a sun setting upon a world bewitched into believing that beauty lies solely within technology and science, reason and logic, rather than the life of faith that comes from believing in and following Jesus Christ.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. The Christian-Martyr Witness |
|---|
Mallett Family, Christmas 2014
THANK you for every prayer, every letter,
every kind word, every gift this past year.
I am filled with a deep joy and sense of wonder
at the great gift of not only our Savior
but of His Church, which has spread to every nation.
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD.
Love and blessings from the Mallett clan
with gratitude and prayers for your joy, peace, and refuge in
Jesus Christ Our Savior.
IT was the last leg of my flight home from a speaking tour in the United States a few years ago. I was still lingering in the graces of Divine Mercy Sunday as I arrived at the Denver airport. I had some time to spare before my final flight, and so I walked around the concourse for awhile.
I noticed a shoe shine station along the wall. I looked down at my fading black footwear and thought to myself, “Nah, I’ll do it myself when I get home.” But when I returned past the shoe-shiners several minutes later, something inside was prodding me to go have my shoes done. And so, I finally stopped after passing them for a third time, and mounted one of the chairs.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for December 19th-20th, 2014
of the Third Week of Advent
Liturgical texts here
THE Immaculate Conception of Mary is one of the most beautiful miracles in salvation history after the Incarnation—so much so, that the Fathers of the Eastern tradition celebrate her as “the All-Holy” (Panagia) who was…
…free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 493
But if Mary is a “type” of the Church, then it means that we too are called to become the Immaculate Conception as well.
Gethsemane
THERE is no question that one of the aspects of this writing apostolate is to warn and prepare the reader for the colossal changes coming, and already begun in the world—what I sensed the Lord several years ago call a Great Storm. But the warning has less to do with the physical world—which is already changing dramatically—and more to do with the spiritual dangers that are beginning to sweep through humanity like a Spiritual Tsunami.
Like many of you, I sometimes want to run from these realities; I want to pretend that life will go on as normal, and I am sometimes tempted to believe it will. Who wouldn’t want it to? I often think of St. Paul’s words calling us to pray…
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for December 17th, 2014
of the Third Week of Advent
Liturgical texts here
HOW are we to understand the prophetic texts of Scripture which imply that, with the coming of the Messiah, justice and peace would reign, and He would crush His enemies beneath His feet? For would it not appear that 2000 years later, these prophecies have utterly failed?
NINE years ago today, on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I wrote Persecution… and the Moral Tsunami. Today, during the Rosary, I sensed Our Lady once again moving me to write, but this time about the coming Spiritual Tsunami, which has been prepared by the former. I think it is no coincidence that this writing falls again on this feast… for what is coming has very much to do with the decisive battle between the Woman and the dragon.
Caution: the following contains mature themes that may not be suitable for younger readers.
THE words have been on my heart for some time,
Comfort My People.
They are drawn from Isaiah 40—those prophetic words from which the people of Israel drew their comfort knowing that, indeed, a Savior would come. It was to them, “a people in darkness”, [1]cf. Isa 9:2 that the Messiah would visit from on high.
Are we any different today? In fact, this generation is arguably in more darkness that any before it for the fact that we have already seen the Messiah.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. Isa 9:2 |
|---|
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for December 9th, 2014
Memorial of St. Juan Diego
Liturgical texts here
IT was almost midnight when I arrived at our farm after a trip to the city a few weeks ago.
“The calf is out,” my wife said. “The boys and I went out and looked, but couldn’t find her. I could hear her bawling towards the north, but the sound was getting further away.”
So I got in my truck and started to drive through the pastures, which had nearly a foot of snow in places. Any more snow, and this would be pushing it, I thought to myself. I put the truck in 4×4 and started driving around tree groves, bushes, and along fencelines. But there was no calf. Even more puzzling, there were no tracks. After a half hour, I resigned myself to waiting till morning.
WHEN you walk into a room with fresh flowers, they are essentially just sitting there. Yet, their fragrance reaches you and fills your senses with delight. So too, a holy man or woman may not need to say or do much in another’s presence, for the aroma of their holiness is enough to touch one’s spirit.
