Today’s Gospel: John 5, 1-16

The question that Jesus asked of the beggar by the pool seemed like an easy one with an obvious answer: ‘Do you want to be well?’ Yet, instead of responding with an immediate “YES” after being lame for thirty-eight years, the man offered up excuses for why he was still sitting there. Clearly, Jesus was asking the question to reveal a deeper truth about his circumstance. Jesus will often do the same with us when we are seeking healing. In the midst of our seemingly unanswered prayers when we are steeped in our own misery, woundedness and weakness, we can imagine that Jesus might gently inquire “Do you want to be well?” In doing so, He may be asking:
Do you want to change or are you willing to be changed by God’s grace? Will you move out of the comfort zone and routine of your current situation and risk or reach for something better?
If wellness means a lifestyle change, will you embrace the challenge of self-care; taking responsibility and exercising the good judgment and discipline that might be required to maintain it?
Are you willing to trust in God’s healing? Can you let go of your grudges, pain, or a sense of entitlement to your wounds?
Are you ready to relinquish the role of victim?
Jesus doesn’t just want to heal us on the surface, but He wants to go deeper to set us free from all that binds us. To do so, we need to cooperate with His grace and answer His questions in prayer at the heart level.

Ponder:

What is getting in the way of your healing?

Pray:

Holy Spirit, enlighten me and unburden my heart of all that keeps me from being completely well in mind body and soul. Amen.

Copyright 2016 Anne Costa

Anne Costa is a Catholic author, inspirational speaker and spiritual mentor. She is Michael’s wife and Mary Grace’s mom and active in promoting the teachings and spirituality of St. Edith Stein and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary.

The post Daily Gospel Reflection for March 8, 2016 appeared first on CatholicMom.com – Celebrating Catholic Motherhood.

Today’s Gospel: John 4, 43-54

Today’s Gospel reminds us the power of faith. The man in today’s Gospel believed Jesus when he said “You may go; your son will live.” This man believed Jesus and left to return to his son. On his way back one of his slaves met him and told him not only did his son live; he began to recover exactly at the time Jesus told him his son would live. This man’s faith in Jesus gave life to his son and served as proof of who Jesus was.

When we open our hearts and allow our faith to grow, the sky is the limit. Through Jesus our lives can be transformed. Having faith doesn’t mean we will get everything we ask for. Having faith means trusting that God will guide us and do for us what is best for us. God has an amazing plan for each and every person he creates. We may not know what that plan is, and sometimes we may get lost, but God is steady. He loves us and guides us back to the path that leads us to Him.

Ponder:

Do I open my heart to allow my faith in God to grow?

Pray:

Father, please help my heart to be open to your will, increasing my faith, knowing you have a great plan for me.

Copyright 2016 Lorrie L. Dyer

In addition to writing for CatholicMom.com, Lorrie L. Dyer is the Catholic Religious Education Coordinator for her local base chapel and facilitates for the Virtual Learning Center for Faith Formation (VLCFF), University of Dayton. Lorrie also writes poetry and short stories. She is married with three children and lives on a Christmas tree farm (in the making) with her dog, three horses and miniature donkey.

The post Daily Gospel Reflection for March 7, 2016 appeared first on CatholicMom.com – Celebrating Catholic Motherhood.

Today’s Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 – Fourth Sunday of Lent

Today’s Gospel describes the parable of a man and his beloved sons. The two sons were equally distributed their inheritance and one set off alone to squander his fortune. Quickly realizing his mistake, he returned home and sought forgiveness from his father. The man’s brother, who had dutifully remained at home to assist his father, was consumed with anger. How could his father welcome his brother home after such blatant disregard for his gifts?
Jealousy often rears its ugly head in our lives. Comparison strips us of our joy, which should be grounded in the knowledge that God is forgiving, always. The man’s brother was blinded by his envy and misunderstanding.
The father’s joy at his son’s return is how God rejoices when we open our hearts to Him. Our “coming home” is a joyous occasion, marked by reconciliation and forgiveness. The father in the parable displays his unconditional love for his son, just as God does for us.
What an excellent example to set for both men!

Ponder:

Do you seek forgiveness or need to forgive someone? Reconcile with the Lord, He is waiting with loving arms!

Pray:

Lord, I trust in you. Help me to have an open and forgiving heart so that I may live your holy example for all of my life. Amen.

Copyright 2016 Karen T. Reep

My name is Karen Reep and I live in Kansas. I have been married nineteen years and have six children. I am a stay at home mom who loves to write, read, and run. I teach PSR to tenth grade girls in our parish. I blog at Raising The Reeps. I am also a columnist for Catholic Stand. I love my faith and strive to set an example for my children by living it out authentically.

The post Daily Gospel Reflection for March 6, 2016 – Fourth Sunday of Lent appeared first on CatholicMom.com – Celebrating Catholic Motherhood.

Today’s Gospel: Luke 18, 9-14

This is a difficult Gospel to reflect on because it points the finger at all of us who try hard to do the right thing on a daily basis. Like the Pharisee, it can be all too easy for us to feel smug and superior. We can look around at others and think, “Well, I may have my (minor) faults, but at least I haven’t done (fill in the blank).”

This Gospel convicts us of the sin of pride, and many of us, myself included, are guilty as charged. God doesn’t want to hear a litany of the good things that we have done. Instead, He wants us to look honestly at our hearts, and see the areas where we need to improve.

How can we love God and neighbor more? We can start by not judging others. We can keep our eyes on our own paper and worry about all of our own faults and failings, including that sin of pride we seem to fall into so often. God wants us to be like the tax collector, truly sorry and begging for His mercy.

Ponder:

When was the last time you went to the Sacrament of Reconciliation? God is waiting to offer you pardon and peace. Look up the times the Sacrament is available and write it on your calendar. Make it a priority to go!

Pray:

Dear God, please help me be aware of the areas in my life where I need to improve. Please help me to love both You and my neighbor more each day.

Copyright 2016 Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur

Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur is a life-long Roman Catholic, homeschooling mom of two teen boys and an adopted young girl. The editor of Today’s Catholic Homeschooling, she is also the author of “The Catholic Baby Name Book” and “Letters to Mary from a Young Mother,” and has a Master’s Degree in Applied Theology. She blogs at spiritualwomanthoughts.blogspot.com

The post Daily Gospel Reflection for March 5, 2016 appeared first on CatholicMom.com – Celebrating Catholic Motherhood.

Today’s Gospel: Mark 12, 28-34

At my first reading of this Gospel, it struck me funny that the scribe was affirming Jesus’ answer on His own commandment; little does this fellow really know who he is talking to! But then I got to thinking; it had been a long, hard road for Jesus to get through to His twelve disciples’ thick heads, at times, much of His teachings due to their free will. So for this scribe to have such a clear, open-hearted, and firm understanding of the commandments, no wonder Jesus was very pleased! This scribe not only believed these two great commandments to be of God, he also knew how they basically rendered burnt offerings and sacrifices as base! Clearly this fellow knew and accepted this new way of thinking and proved that without a doubt to Jesus in his own words.

The kingdom of God is close at hand for this man and it can be for us as well. However, free will and self-comfort are easier to appease than reaching out past our noses; but if we open our minds and truly acknowledge that God is the one and only God to believe in, and that loving our neighbor as ourselves is the way we should live, plain and simple, the kingdom of God will be in our grasp as well.

Ponder:

The scribe was very confident in his understanding of the teaching. Is there a teaching that you feel confident about? How hard are Christ’s teachings to apply to daily life?

Pray:

Dear Jesus, please open our hearts to your teachings, help us to put you first in everything that we do throughout the day. Also, we pray that our love for you will shine through to everyone that we meet. Amen

Copyright 2016 Elizabeth Weidner

Elizabeth “Ebeth” Weidner is a Master Catechist writing for CatholicMom for the past 6 years, along with a number of other online and printed resources. A former Catholic homeschooling mom, she and her scientist husband have three amazing young adults that call them mom and dad! She writes on her blog, A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars.

The post Daily Gospel Reflection for March 4, 2016 – Day of Abstinence appeared first on CatholicMom.com – Celebrating Catholic Motherhood.

Today’s Gospel: Luke 11, 14-23

In this Gospel reading, Jesus drives a demon from a man and immediately, people within the crowd link the exorcism with false reason and purpose. They go so far as to attribute the healing to a demon! Jesus, using his usual calm, patient and loving candor and logic, explains that a house or kingdom divided against itself will fail, therefore, He could not have expelled a demon by the power of another demon. What purpose would that have served within the demon world? He explains that the healing was done “by the finger of God” and ends with the exhortation: “Whoever is not with me is against me and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” That’s a lot to consider.

Isn’t Jesus’ logic and forthrightness always amazing? That’s because His words are Truth! This explains why few others can be as totally convincing as Jesus when arguing against untruth. After all, Jesus is completely and utterly divinely inspired. But, even his human dimension is perfectly brilliant as well.

Another take away from this reading is that we need to study Jesus’ responses and use them when facing those who advocate falsehood. Not that any of us will be exorcising demons, but we are going to have to answer detractors who insist that God doesn’t have anything to do with today’s problems and solutions.

Jesus also warns of the consequences of division which will occur when we are not being obedient to the Will of God. A stronger one will plunder and scatter us. Who is this stronger person? It seems that Jesus is referring to himself in one sense and our enemy in another.  John the Baptist declares that Jesus “is mightier than I.” [Luke 3:16]. If we yoke ourselves to Jesus, the stronger, we will be protected from evil! But if we refuse to yoke ourselves to Jesus, we will lose everything. The consequences of trusting in ourselves — rather than in God – are severe. We will be overtaken, our possessions will be plundered, our house will fall and we will face division.  At the end, Jesus simply states it like it is: if we are not with him, we are against him. And whoever does not gather with Jesus will scatter.

This is his invitation to us. This is our call to evangelize others about our Faith. He is calling us to love as he loves. He is calling us to give witness to Hope and Truth. It is our call to become an active participant in God’s plan for salvation. And if we decide not to do anything for him, we will be acting against him. We will scatter rather than gather. Others will probably lose out on the opportunity to know, love and serve God because we helped scatter them.

Ponder:

Do others know whether you are for or against God? How do they know this? Why is division so harmful — whether it be in the Church, our families, communities or larger society? What and how do I scatter? What and how do I gather?

Pray:

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.

Copyright 2016 Linda Kracht

Fortifying Families of Faith –  www.fortifyingfamiliesoffaith.com

http://fortifyingfamiliesoffaith.blogspot.com

The post Daily Gospel Reflection for March 3, 2016 appeared first on CatholicMom.com – Celebrating Catholic Motherhood.

Today’s Gospel: Matthew 5, 17-19

In light of this reading, how can it be that the faithful followers of Jesus do not still follow all 613 of the Mosaic laws? I am pretty sure that the Canadian bacon on my breakfast sandwich was not in keeping with the Mosaic prohibition against pork. How can we reconcile the two?

The word “fulfill” can be defined in two ways: 1) as in filling a role, or 2) as in completing something. In the Gospel today, the word “fulfill” meets both of these definitions in the person of Jesus. Not only will he fulfill the role of the perfect sacrifice for our sins to satisfy the Law, but he completes the prophecies by healing the sick and forgiving our sins, and ultimately by rising from the dead. But this reading covers more than Jesus’ earthly life.

When Jesus comes to us in the Sacraments, he fulfills those things in us as well.  Through our Baptism and Confirmation, we are called to become Jesus’ hands and feet in the world. As Christians, we are called to be “little Christs” – to become perfected as we grow closer to Jesus through frequent reception of the Eucharist. When we take Jesus into our bodies in Communion, we participate in that completion as he fills up all that is lacking in us and makes us fit to serve.

So, it’s true, the Law and the Prophets have not passed away. Jesus makes sure that they live on in us as we actively participate in the sacramental life of the church as members of his body. The challenge is to live that fulfillment through a life of love, sacrifice, and service as he did.

Ponder:

Lord Jesus, help me to be a part of the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Show me how to love as you would love, how to sacrifice as you would sacrifice, and how to serve as you would serve. Amen.

Pray:

How can I be Jesus’ hands and feet in the world today?

 Copyright 2016 Katie O’Keefe

Katie O’Keefe, mother of two and Oma to two more, is a great fan of nifty new tools and dusty old books. Katie is a recent graduate of Ohio Dominican University with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and plans to pursue further study in that field.

The post Daily Gospel Reflection for March 2, 2016 appeared first on CatholicMom.com – Celebrating Catholic Motherhood.

Today’s Gospel: Matthew 18, 21-35

I am passive in conflicts. I take everything in and internalize, but don’t react physically or verbally when someone is upset with me or I with them. This leads to those feelings building up. I may be letting things slide, but I am not letting them go. This culminates into a large argument when I’ve hit my limit, which is what happened.

The resentment between us boiled over and we vented our frustrations loudly. After cooling down, I felt the need to apologize. Then I decided that I wanted to hold onto my spite. I felt justified in my anger. I may have been in the wrong, but that doesn’t make them right. So I went to sleep bitter and bruised.

I awoke wanting resolution and healing, but couldn’t bring myself to reach out. Then I read today’s Gospel. It was one of those times that I felt God giving me a love tap upside the head (à la NCIS).
Jesus answers Peter that he should forgive not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Seven is an important number in the bible. It signifies perfection and completeness (i.e. the number of days creation took). Therefore 77 times is Jesus being emphatic. Absolutely always forgive.

God in His love sent His son, Jesus, for the forgiveness of sins. He offers that grace and forgiveness to me always, through the Sacraments. I, therefore, need to offer that reconciliation as well. Through it we find healing. Through it we find peace.

Ponder:

What relationships in your life need healing? Who do you need to forgive?

Pray:

Thank you, Lord, for your love and forgiveness. Holy Spirit, fill us with your charity, peace and generosity; Give us understanding in our relationships. Help us to forgive others from our hearts.

Copyright 2016 Brandon Christison

Born and raised Catholic, Brandon is a music minister in the Diocese of Fresno. In 2012 he released the album “Made for Jesus”. The first track “One” was played on Pandora over 1 million times in 2014. “Made for Jesus” debuted at #4 on the Catholic Music Countdown and reached #1 shortly thereafter. His website is MadeforJesus.com.

The post Daily Gospel Reflection for March 1, 2016 appeared first on CatholicMom.com – Celebrating Catholic Motherhood.

Today’s Gospel: Luke 4, 24-30

In today’s Gospel Jesus rebukes his own people—the people of his hometown Nazareth—because of their hardness of heart. He challenges them for their reluctance to accept him as their messiah.

Those who should know Jesus best misunderstand him. The people of Nazareth are skeptical about Jesus because they are already familiar with him. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” They think they know enough about him to decide just what he can and cannot do. And the carpenter’s son surely cannot be the messiah. And so they close their hearts to accepting the greatest news the world has ever heard, from the greatest man (okay, I know, he’s also God) this world has ever seen.

At times I find myself acting like the people of Nazareth. I’m tempted to think that I already know enough about Jesus, that I’ve had enough experience with him to know just what he can and cannot do. I think, “You’re great and all, Jesus, but I highly doubt you can heal this wound in my heart, or transform this (seemingly) hopeless situation.” I know it’s crazy, but I often underestimate the power and the depth of God’s infinite love.

Pope Francis invites us to “Let God surprise us.” What a beautiful invitation! God loves when we are open to receiving great and unexpected gifts from him. He loves when we trust in his desire and ability to do miraculous things in our lives. That the carpenter’s son from Nazareth was actually the Son of God come to save us was surely a joyful surprise. The Incarnation, the Resurrection, the Eucharist—these are glorious surprises from God. Perhaps today on leap day, a surprising day in itself, we can open our hearts confidently to receive the surprises God has in store for us.

Ponder:

Am I open to being surprised by God’s love, which always surpasses my expectations? In what ways have I received and accepted the gifts that God has offered me recently?

Pray:

Lord, I trust confidently in your love for me and in your ability to work in my life. Please open my heart so I receive all of the abundant and surprising gifts you wish to give me.

Copyright 2016 Will Hudson

Will works for the Apostleship of Prayer as the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. He joined the AoP in 2015 after completing his master’s degree in Theology at Boston College. He was born and raised in Kansas and received his undergraduate degree from Benedictine College in Atchison, KS, where he met his beautiful wife Jenna.

The post Daily Gospel Reflection for February 29, 2016 appeared first on CatholicMom.com – Celebrating Catholic Motherhood.

Today’s Gospel: Luke 13, 1-9 – Third Sunday of Lent

What is Jesus talking about in the first part of this Gospel passage? And how does it even connect to the parable he shares? With the help of a little research I finally felt the urgency that is expressed in this passage. The details of the tragedies Jesus describes are lost on our modern ears, but we can make easy parallels to today: the political and religious persecutions carried out around the world, natural disasters that take innocent lives, senseless acts resulting in tragic loss of life.

There are days when I scan through my Facebook feed and my heart hurts with the visual reminders of persecutions and natural disasters. I want to ask God, “why?” Why does God allow these things to happen? Why does God allow this senseless loss of life? Jesus, in today’s Gospel passage, doesn’t ask that question. Instead he turns it back to us, he asks if we are ready. We need to repent and change our ways or we, too, could be struck down before we are ready.

Life is short, life is fragile, life is vulnerable. These tragedies remind us of that. Twice Jesus tells us to repent. There is no time, we may be called before God for judgement in the next hour, day, or year. Don’t wait, Jesus says, repent now!

How does the parable relate? Again, Jesus is telling us that we do not know the day or the hour. Like the fig tree, our life is short. Will we bear fruit before God calls us home? Or will we remain barren and be cut down before we have a chance to repent? Fortunately we are not trees, we have a choice and can repent, follow God’s ways, and be ready for whenever our time comes.

Ponder:

If you were to meet God today, would you be ready? How often do you make use of the gift of the sacrament of Reconciliation?

Pray:

Lord Jesus, I am truly sorry for my sins and ask for Your mercy and forgiveness. Help me to always be mindful of my need for repentance. Amen.

Copyright 2016 Kerri Baunach

Kerri Baunach is a Catholic wife, mom of three boys (plus 3 in heaven), lives in central Kentucky, and is currently a Benedictine Oblate Novice. Kerri works as a music librarian, was a musician for over 20 years, is passionately pro-life, and can’t cook. Kerri writes for and is a member of the board of CatholicSistas.com.

The post Daily Gospel Reflection for February 28, 2016 – 3rd Sunday of Lent appeared first on CatholicMom.com – Celebrating Catholic Motherhood.