Daily Reflections

Readings Here Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time Isaiah 1:10–17 Isaiah begins with a wound. He does not flatter his people. He does not soften the blow. He calls them rulers of Sodom, people of Gomorrah. These are not gentle words. They are fire. But behind the fire is the anger of God against a terrible lie: hands lifted in prayer, while hands are stained with blood. The people still bring sacrifices. They still gather for feasts. They still keep the holy days. They still enter the temple. ...

Readings Here Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 55:10–11; Romans 8:18–23; Matthew 13:1–23 The summer heat was nearing forty degrees. It was another day without a drop of rain on Timor Island. The soil had turned to stone. The trees had lost their leaves. The grass had dried out. The land looked harsh, stern, almost repellent. Everything cried out for water. Then, at last, the redeeming rains came. And the land changed. ...

Readings Here Saturday, Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot Isaiah 6:1–6 Isaiah’s vision of God is one of the most unforgettable passages in the Bible. It has entered songs. It has inspired poetry. It has shaped Christian liturgy. It has moved painters, writers, and theologians. Above all, it has given us a glimpse of God’s holiness. The year was 734 BC. Amos and Hosea were trying to save the northern kingdom of Israel from destruction. ...

Readings Here Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Hosea 14:2–10 Today, we conclude our encounter with Hosea on a positive note. After all the condemnations, after all the predictions of destruction, the Lord and Israel reconcile. Just as Gomer finally decided not to run after the one with whom she was infatuated, Israel decided not to worship idols anymore. And just as Hosea renewed his relationship with the woman he loved, ...

Readings Here Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Hosea 11:1–4, 8e–9 Today’s reading begins with one of the most tender lines in the book of Hosea: “When Israel was a child, I loved him.” Israel was like a child in Egypt. Weak. Enslaved. Unable to save himself. If not for the Lord, Israel would have remained in slavery. God says: “I taught Ephraim to walk. I took them in my arms.” ...

Readings Here Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Hosea 10:1–3, 7–8, 12 In today’s reading, Hosea speaks about a strange danger: prosperity that leads to idolatry. He preached when the northern kingdom of Israel was enjoying wealth and success. But as prosperity increased, so did the altars of idols. It was as if the people believed that their prosperity came not from the Lord, but from the idols they had made for themselves. ...

Readings Here Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Hosea 8:4–7, 11–13 The night before his wedding, his friends teased him: “After tomorrow, you will have no say anymore.” He protested. So they challenged him: “Then prove it. When the priest asks you, do not answer immediately.” For reasons hard to understand, he listened. The next day, when the priest asked, “Do you take Anna to be your wife?” ...

Readings Here Monday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Hosea 2:16, 17c–18, 21–22 The Bible begins with marriage. Adam sees Eve and says: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.” And the Bible ends with marriage: the wedding feast of the Lamb. Between these two moments, the prophets often use marriage as an image of the relationship between God and His people. ...

Readings Here Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Zechariah 9:9–10; Romans 8:9, 11–13; Matthew 11:25–30 Today, we are given a glimpse into one of Jesus’ prayers. It begins with an intimate word: “Father.” “Abba.” Then Jesus reveals this Father as “Lord of heaven and earth.” In biblical language, “heaven and earth” means everything created. So today, we could render Jesus’ prayer in this way: Abba, Father, Lord of the whole universe. ...

Readings Here Saturday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time Amos 9:11–15 It was five in the morning. I was standing in a queue for bread. The bakery would not open until seven, but the line was already long. I had brought a book with me, to escape for a while from the harsh reality of life into a fictional world of adventure, where good still triumphed over evil. I hoped I would get a loaf of bread for my family. ...