THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 2nd, 2014
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
IN yesterday’s first reading, when an angel took Ezekiel to the trickle of water that was flowing to the east, he measured four distances from the temple from where the small river began. With each measurement, the water became deeper and deeper until it could not be crossed. This is symbolic, one could say, of the “four ages of grace”… and we are on the threshold of the third.
SINCE the launch of the daily Now Word Mass reflections, the readership to this blog has skyrocketed, adding 50-60 subscribers each week. I am now reaching tens of thousands each month with the Gospel, and several of them priests, who use this website as a homiletic resource.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for April 1st, 2014
Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
Photo by Elia Locardi
I had been debating lately with an atheist (she finally gave up). At the beginning of our conversations, I explained to her that my belief in Jesus Christ had little do with the scientifically verifiable miracles of physical healings, apparitions, and incorruptible saints, and more so to do with the fact that I know Jesus (insofar as He has revealed Himself to me). But she insisted this was not good enough, that I was irrational, duped by a myth, oppressed by a patriarchal Church… you know, the usual diatribe. She wanted me to reproduce God in a petri dish, and well, I just don’t think He was up to it.
As I read her words, it was as if she was trying to tell a man who’d just come out of the rain that he isn’t wet. And the water I speak of here is the River of Life.
IN my last general reflection, I wrote of the Great Antitdote that St. Paul gave to his readers to counter the “great apostasy” and deceptions of the “lawless one.” “Stand firm and hold fast,” said Paul, to the oral and written traditions that you have been taught. [1]cf. 2 Thess 2:13-15
But brothers and sisters, Jesus wants you to do more than cling to Sacred Tradition—He wants you to cling to Him personally. It’s not enough to know your Catholic Faith. You have to know Jesus, not just know about Him. It is the difference between reading about rock climbing, and actually scaling a mountain. There is no comparison to actually experiencing the difficulties and yet the exhilaration, the air, the elation of reaching plateaus that bring you to new vistas of glory.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. 2 Thess 2:13-15 |
|---|
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 31st, 2014
Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
WHAT happens when a person gives their life to Jesus, when a soul is baptized and therefore consecrated to God? It’s an important question because, after all, what is the appeal of becoming a Christian? The answer lies in today’s first reading…
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 28th, 2014
Friday of the Third Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
JESUS said my sheep hear my voice. He did not say “some” sheep, but my sheep hear my voice. So why then, you may ask, do I not hear His voice? Today’s readings offer some reasons why.
I am the Lord your God: hear my voice… I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Hear, my people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, will you not hear me?” (Today’s Psalm)
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 27th, 2014
Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
HOW did Satan tempt Adam and Eve? With his voice. And today, he works no differently, except with the added advantage of technology, which can propel a horde of voices at us all at once. It is the voice of Satan that led, and continues to lead man into darkness. It is the voice of God that will lead souls out.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 26th, 2014
Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
BRINGING the presence of Jesus into the world is not a complicated process requiring a Masters in Divinity. It is a matter of imitating Jesus:
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. (John 15:10)
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 25th, 2014
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
Liturgical texts here
VAST parts of the world no longer believe in God because they no longer see God among us. “But Jesus ascended into Heaven 2000 years ago—of course they don’t see Him…” But Jesus Himself said that He would be found in the world in His brothers and sisters.
Where I am, there shall my servant be also. (cf. Jn 12:26)
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 24th, 2014
Monday of the Third Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
WE are called to give a prophetic witness to others. But then, you should not be surprised if you are treated as the prophets were.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 21st, 2014
Friday of the Second Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
THE Church needs to become prophetic again. By this, I do not mean “telling the future,” but by our lives becoming a “word” to others that points to something, or rather, Someone greater. This is the truest sense of prophecy:
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 20th, 2014
Thursday of the Second Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
TWENTY years ago, my wife and I, both cradle-Catholics, were invited to a Baptist Sunday service by a friend of ours who was once a Catholic. We were amazed at all the young couples, the beautiful music, and the anointed sermon by the pastor. The outpouring of genuine kindness and welcoming touched something deep in our souls. [1]cf. My Personal Testimony
When we got into the car to leave, all I could think of was my own parish… weak music, weaker homilies, and even weaker participation by the congregation. Young couples our age? Practically extinct in the pews. Most painful was the sense of loneliness. I often left Mass feeling colder than when I walked in.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. My Personal Testimony |
|---|
Stand your ground…
HAVE we entered into those times of lawlessness that will culminate in the “lawless one,” as St. Paul described in 2 Thessalonians 2? [1]Some Church Fathers saw the Antichrist appearing before the “era of peace” while others toward the end of the world. If one follows St. John’s vision in Revelation, the answer seems to be that they are both right. See The Last Two Eclipses It is an important question, because our Lord himself commanded us to “watch and pray.” Even Pope St. Pius X raised the possibility that, given the spread of what he called “a terrible and deep-rooted malady” that is dragging society to destruction, that is, “apostasy”…
…there may be already in the world the “Son of Perdition” of whom the Apostle speaks. —POPE ST. PIUS X, E Supremi, Encyclical On the Restoration of All Things in Christ, n. 3, 5; October 4th, 1903
Footnotes
| ↑1 | Some Church Fathers saw the Antichrist appearing before the “era of peace” while others toward the end of the world. If one follows St. John’s vision in Revelation, the answer seems to be that they are both right. See The Last Two Eclipses |
|---|
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 19th, 2014
Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
Solemnity of St. Joseph
Liturgical texts here
Ecce Homo, by Michael D. O’Brien
ST. PAUL once said that “if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching; empty, too, your faith.” [1]cf. 1 Cor 15:14 It could also be said, if there is no such thing as sin or hell, then empty too is our preaching; empty too, your faith; Christ has died in vain, and our religion is worthless.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. 1 Cor 15:14 |
|---|
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 18th, 2014
Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent
St. Cyril of Jerusalem
Liturgical texts here
“SO why do you Catholics call priests “Fr.” when Jesus expressly forbids it?” That’s the question I am frequently asked when discussing Catholic beliefs with evangelical Christians.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 17th, 2014
Monday of the Second Week of Lent
St. Patrick’s Day
Liturgical texts here
AS I read today’s first reading and Psalm, I was immediately moved to pray it with you as a prayer of repentance for this generation. (I want to make a comment on today’s Gospel by looking at the Pope’s controversial words, “Who am I to judge?”, but in a separate writing for my general readership. It is posted here. If you are not subscribed to my Spiritual Food for Thought writings, you can be by clicking here.)
And so, together, let us beg God’s mercy upon our world for the sins of our times, for refusing to hear the prophets He has sent us—chief among them the Holy Fathers and Mary, Our Mother… by praying with our hearts today’s Mass readings:
THEY are words that, just a little under a year later, continue to echo throughout the Church and the world: “Who am I to judge?” They were Pope Francis’ response to a question posed to him regarding the “gay lobby” in the Church. Those words have become a battle cry: first, for those who wish to justify homosexual practice; second, for those wish to justify their moral relativism; and third, for those who wish to justify their assumption that Pope Francis is one notch short of the Antichrist.
This little quip of Pope Francis’ is actually a paraphrase of St. Paul’s words in the Letter of St. James, who wrote: “Who then are you to judge your neighbor?” [1]cf. Jam 4:12 The Pope’s words are now being splattered on t-shirts, fast becoming a motto gone viral…
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. Jam 4:12 |
|---|
THE past month has been one of palpable sorrow as the Lord continues to warn that there is So Little Time Left. The times are sorrowful because mankind is about to reap what God has begged us not to sow. It is sorrowful because many souls do not realize that they are on the precipice of eternal separation from Him. It is sorrowful because the hour of the Church’s own passion has come when a Judas will rise up against her. [1]cf. The Seven Year Trial-Part VI It is sorrowful because Jesus is not only being neglected and forgotten throughout the world, but abused and mocked once again. Hence, the Time of times has come when all lawlessness will, and is, breaking forth across the globe.
Before I go on, ponder for a moment the truth-filled words of a saint:
Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and everyday. Either he will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings. —St. Francis de Sales, 17th century bishop
Indeed, this blog is not here to scare or frighten, but to confirm and prepare you so that, like the five wise virgins, the light of your faith will not be snuffed out, but glow ever brighter when the light of God in the world is fully dimmed, and darkness fully unrestrained. [2]cf. Matt 25:1-13
Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour. (Matt 25:13)
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. The Seven Year Trial-Part VI |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | cf. Matt 25:1-13 |
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 14th, 2014
Friday of the First Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
ARE you merciful? It is not one of those questions that we should toss in with others such as, “Are you extroverted, a choleric, or introverted, etc.” No, this question lies at the very heart of what it means to be an authentic Christian:
Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Luke 6:36)
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 13th, 2014
Thursday of the First Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
IT was a cool evening as I stood outside my father-in-law’s farmhouse. My wife and I had just temporarily moved in with our five young children into a basement room. Our belongings were in the garage overrun with mice, I was broke, jobless, and tired. It seemed that all my efforts to serve the Lord in ministry were failing. That’s why I’ll never forget the words I heard Him speak in my heart at that moment:
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 12th, 2014
Wednesday of the First Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
PURGATORY is perhaps the most logical of doctrines. For which one of us loves the Lord our God with all our heart, all our mind, and all our soul? To withold one’s heart, even a fraction, or to give one’s love to even the smallest of idols, means there is a part that doesn’t belong to God, a part that needs to be purified. Herein lies the doctrine of Purgatory.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 11th, 2014
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
DOES God hear every prayer? Of course He does. He sees and hears everything. But God doesn’t listen to all our prayers. Parents understand why…
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 10th, 2014
Monday of the First Week of Lent
Liturgical texts here
I OFTEN hear people say, “Oh, he’s so holy,” or “She is such a holy person.” But what are we referring to? Their kindness? A quality of meekness, humility, silence? A sense of God’s presence? What is holiness?
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 7th, 2014
Friday after Ash Wednesday
Liturgical texts here
HEAVEN, not earth, is our home. Thus, St. Paul writes:
Beloved, I beseech you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh that wage war against your soul. (1 Pet 2:11)
We all know there is a battle brewing everyday of our lives between the flesh and the spirit. Even though, through Baptism, God gives us a new heart and renewed spirit, our flesh is still subject to the gravity of sin — those inordinate appetites that want to drag us from the orbit of holiness into the dust of worldliness. And what a battle it is!
NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 6th, 2014
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Liturgical texts here
Pilate washes his hands of Christ, by Michael D. O’Brien
WE are a Church that has become soft on sin. Compared to the generations before us, whether it’s our preaching from the pulpit, penances in the confessional, or the way we live, we have become rather dismissive of the importance of repentance. We are living in a culture that not only tolerates sin, but has institutionalized it to the point that traditional marriage, virginity, and purity are made out to be the real evils.
NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 5th, 2014
Ash Wednesday
Liturgical texts here
FOR eight years, I have been writing to whoever will listen, a message that can be summed up in one word: Prepare! But prepare for what?
In yesterday’s meditation, I encouraged readers to reflect on the letter Dear Holy Father… He is Coming! It is a writing that, in summarizing the early Church Fathers and the prophetic words of the Popes, is a call to prepare for the “day of Lord.”
NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 4th, 2014
Opt. Memorial for St. Casimir
Liturgical texts here
THE fulfillment of God’s Covenant with His people, which will be fully realized in the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, has progressed throughout millennia like a spiral that becomes smaller and smaller as time goes on. In the Psalm today, David sings:
The LORD has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
And yet, the revelation of Jesus was still hundreds of years away. So how could the salvation of the Lord be known? It was known, or rather anticipated, through prophecy…
NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for March 3rd, 2014
Liturgical texts here
Jesus, looking at him, loved him…
AS I ponder these words in the Gospel, it’s clear that when Jesus looked at the rich young man, it was a gaze so full of love that it was remembered by witnesses years later when St. Mark wrote about it. Although this glance of love did not penetrate the young man’s heart—at least not right away, according to the account—it penetrated the heart of someone that day such that it was cherished and remembered.
WHEN I wrote about Revolution! a few years ago, it was not a word being used much in the mainstream. But today, it is being spoken everywhere… and now, the words “global revolution” are rippling throughout the world. From the uprisings in the Middle East, to Venezuela, Ukraine, etc. to the first murmurings in the “Tea Party” revolution and “Occupy Wall Street” in the U.S., unrest is spreading like “a virus.” There is indeed a global upheaval underway.
I will rouse Egypt against Egypt: brother will war against brother, neighbour against neighbour, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. (Isaiah 19:2)
But it is a Revolution that has been in the making for a very long time…
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 28th, 2014
Liturgical texts here
No Compromise – Daniel in the Lions Den, Briton Rivière (1840-1920)
FRANKLY, “ecumenism” is not a word that invokes a lot of positive connotations. It has often been associated with interdenominational Masses, watered down theology, and other abuses in the wake of the Second Vatican Council.
In a word, compromise.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 27th, 2014
Liturgical texts here
WE cannot speak of “evangelization”, we cannot utter the word “ecumenism”, we cannot move toward “unity” until the spirit of worldliness has been exorcised from the body of Christ. Worldliness is compromise; compromise is adultery; adultery is idolatry; and idolatry, said St. James in Tuesday’s Gospel, sets us against God.
Therefore, whoever wants to be a lover of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)
THERE is a phrase in the Catechism that is, I think, critical to repeat at this time.
The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter’s successor, “is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful.” —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 882
The office of Peter is perpetual—that is the official teaching of the Catholic Church. That means, until the end of time, the office of Peter remains a visible, permanent sign and source of God’s judicial grace.
And that’s despite the fact that, yes, our history includes not only saints, but seeming scoundrels at the helm. Men like Pope Leo X who apparently sold indulgences to raise funds; or Stephen VI who, out of hatred, dragged his predecessor’s corpse through city streets; or Alexander VI who appointed family members to power while fathering four children. Then there is Benedict IX who actually sold his papacy; Clement V who imposed high taxes and openly gave land to supporters and family members; and Sergius III who ordered the death of anti-pope Christopher (and then took the papacy himself) only to, allegedly, father a child who would become Pope John XI. [1]cf. “Top 10 Controversial Popes”, TIME, April 14th, 2010; time.com
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 26th, 2014
Liturgical texts here
I was in the grocery store the other day, and there was a Muslim woman at the till. I told her I was a Catholic, and was wondering what she thought of the magazine rack and all the immodesty in Western culture. She replied, “I know Christians, at their core, believe in modesty too. Yes, all the major religions agree on the basics—we share the basics.” Or what Christians would call the “natural law.”
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 25th, 2014
Liturgical texts here
EVEN before the Church was conceived from the pierced Heart of Jesus and birthed at Pentecost, there was division and infighting.
After 2000 years, not much has changed.
Once again, in today’s Gospel, we see how the Apostles cannot comprehend the mission of Jesus. They have eyes to see, but cannot see; ears to hear, but cannot understand. How often they want to remake Christ’s mission into their own image of what it should be! But He continues to present them with paradox after paradox, contradiction after contradiction…
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 24th, 2014
Liturgical texts here
ECUMENISM. Now there’s a word that, ironically, can start wars.
Over the weekend, those subscribed to my weekly reflections received The Coming Wave of Unity. It speaks of the coming unity that Jesus prayed for—that we would “all be one”—and was affirmed by a video of Pope Francis praying for this unity. Predictably, this has created confusion among many. “This is the beginning of the one world religion!” say some; others, “This is what I have been praying for, for years!” And yet others, “I am not sure if this is a good or a bad thing….” Suddenly, I hear again the question that Jesus directed to the Apostles: “Who do you say I am?” But this time, I hear it re-phrased to refer to His body, the Church: “Who do you say My Church is?”
ON THE FEAST OF THE CHAIR OF ST. PETER
FOR two weeks, I have sensed the Lord repeatedly encouraging me to write about ecumenism, the movement toward Christian unity. At one point, I felt the Spirit prompt me to go back and read the “The Petals”, those four foundational writings from which everything else here has sprung. One of them is on unity: Catholics, Protestants, and the Coming Wedding.
As I began yesterday with prayer, a few words came to me that, after having shared them with my spiritual director, I want to share with you. Now, before I do, I have to tell you that I think that all of what I’m about to write will take on new meaning when you watch the video below that was posted on Zenit News Agency’s website yesterday morning. I didn’t watch the video until after I received the following words in prayer, so to say the least, I have been utterly blown away by the wind of the Spirit (after eight years of these writings, I never get used to it!).
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 21st, 2014
Opt. Memorial of St. Peter Damian
Liturgical texts here
IF Martin Luther would have had his way, The Letter of James would have been axed from the canon of Scriptures. That’s because his doctrine sola fide, that we are “saved by faith alone,” was contradicted by St. James teaching:
Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 20th, 2014
Liturgical texts here
Peter’s Denial, by Michael D. O’Brien
ONE of the greatest dangers to the Christian life is the desire to please people rather than God. It is a temptation that has followed Christians since the Apostles fled the garden and Peter denied Jesus.
Likewise, one of the greatest crises in the Church today is the real lack of men and women who courageously and unashamedly associate themselves with Jesus Christ. Perhaps Cardinal Ratzinger (Benedict XVI) gave the most compelling reason as to why more and more Christians are abandoning the Barque of Peter: they are caving into a…
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 19th, 2014
Liturgical texts here
“IT is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” wrote St. Paul. [1]cf. Heb 10:31 Not because God is a tyrant—no, He is love. And this love, when it shines into the un-loving parts of my heart, exposes the darkness that clings to my soul—and that is a difficult thing to see, indeed.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. Heb 10:31 |
|---|
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 18th, 2014
Liturgical texts here
THE little big lie. It is the lie that a temptation is the same thing as the sin, and therefore, when one is tempted, he has already begun to sin. It is the lie that, if one does begin to sin, you might as well carry through with it to the end because it doesn’t matter. It is the lie that one is a sinful person because he is so frequently tempted with a certain sin…. Yes, it is always a seemingly little lie that is really a big lie in the end.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 17th, 2014
Opt. Memorial of The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order
Liturgical texts here
AS I sat to write this meditation over the weekend, my wife was in the other room with terrible cramps. An hour later, she miscarried our tenth baby at the twelfth week of her pregnancy. Even though I had been praying from day one for the baby’s health and a safe delivery… God said no.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 14th, 2014
Memorial of Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius, Bishop
Liturgical texts here
CAN you hear it? Jesus is leaning over humanity again, saying, “Ephphatha” that is, “Be opened”…
Jesus groans again over a world that has become “deaf and dumb,” a people that has so compromised that we have completely “lost the sense of sin.” So it was with Solomon whose idolatry would tear his kingdom apart—symbolized by the prophet tearing his cloak into twelve strips.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 13th, 2014
Liturgical texts here
What’s left of Solomon’s Temple, destroyed 70 A.D.
THE beautiful story of Solomon’s achievements, when working in harmony with God’s grace, came to a halt.
When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods, and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God.
Solomon no longer followed God “unreservedly as his father David had done.” He began to compromise. In the end, the Temple he constructed, and all its beauty, was reduced to rubble by the Romans.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 12th, 2014
Liturgical texts here
The Little Flower, St. Thérèse de Lisieux
WHETHER it is the Temple of Solomon, or St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, their beauty and splendor are types and symbols of a much more sacred temple: the human body. The Church is not a building, but rather the mystical body of Christ made up of the children of God.
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for February 11th, 2014
Opt. Mem. of Our Lady of Lourdes
Liturgical texts here
EVERY morning, it’s the same ritual for millions of people: have a shower, get dressed, pour a cup of coffee, eat breakfast, brush teeth, etc. When they come home, it’s often another rhythm: open the mail, change out of work clothes, start supper, etc. Furthermore, human life is marked by other “traditions”, whether it is setting up a Christmas tree, baking a turkey at Thanksgiving, painting one’s face for game-day, or placing a candle in the window. Ritualism, whether it’s pagan or religious, seems to mark the life of human activity in every culture, whether it is that of neighbourhood families, or that of the ecclesial family of the Church. Why? Because symbols are a language unto themselves; they carry a word, a meaning that conveys something deeper, whether it is love, danger, memory, or mystery.
