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Daily Readings from the USCCBThe Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. Matthew 12:14–16To souls who love God and are united to Him, today’s Gospel reveals a profound lesson about facing opposition. “The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.” Why? Because of their rigid interpretation of the Sabbath law of rest. But Jesus, as the Son of God, in union...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry…?” Matthew 12:1–3At the heart of the Old Testament Law were the Ten Commandments. But the Law also included numerous statutes, ordinances, and ritual prescriptions. This Old Covenant was good because...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Matthew 11:28–30Everything Jesus says is pure truth and pure love. Sometimes we need a loving rebuke to awaken us, but other times—when we are weighed down with heavy burdens—our Lord comes to us with the utmost empathy and care. He overlooks the things that burden...

Daily Readings from the USCCBMemorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” Matthew 11:25–27Jesus’ praise of the Father, as recorded in today’s...

Daily Readings from the USCCBMemorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin [In the Dioceses of the United States]Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.” Matthew 11:20–21Have you ever felt the urge to publicly rebuke someone, crying out in condemnation, “Woe to you!”? Most of us, at one time or another, have experienced that impulse....

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household.” Matthew 10:34–36At first glance, this Gospel sounds like a mistake. Did Jesus really say this? He certainly did. Understanding this passage requires a deep and clear awareness of Christ’s mission. He came to bring the true and...

Daily Readings from the USCCBFifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time“A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up…” Matthew 13:3–4In today’s Gospel, the Parable of the Sower is delivered from a boat, as Jesus addresses a large crowd along the shoreline. Jesus uses the natural acoustics of the water to carry His voice to the eager multitude who came to hear Him. Their earnestness offers us an opportunity for self-examination: Am I among that crowd, attentively listening as God speaks to me today? Do I go out...

By Dr. John BergsmaOrdinary Time focuses on the growth of the Church. I would prefer we called it “Extraordinary Time,” because there is nothing ordinary about the Second Person of the Divinity becoming en-fleshed in our presence through the Sacrament. Be that as it may, the Readings for this Lord’s Day are clearly united by the motif of sowing the seed of God’s Word. 1. The First Reading (Isaiah 55:10-11) is one of the earliest passages in Scripture where an explicit analogy is drawn between the natural cycles of agriculture and the fertility of God’s Word: Reading 1: Isaiah 55:10-11Thus...

Daily Readings from the USCCBMemorial of Saint Benedict, AbbotJesus said to his Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!” Matthew 10:24–25In Old Testament times, disciples learned from rabbis, often becoming teachers themselves who would pass on and further develop the traditions they received. But in today’s Gospel, Jesus profoundly redefines this relationship. Unlike the other rabbis, Jesus...

"Only God can do that" Cain says of origin of hit songThere’s a deeper meaning to “Don’t Stop Believin’” — one that might not be widely evident to the some of the fans who hear the Journey anthem played at sporting events and on classic rock radio. The song, which was released on Journey’s seventh studio album “Escape” in 1981, is actually a song based on Christian faith and dealing directly with the Holy Spirit, says the song’s co-author Jonathan Cain. Cain says that, if one really thinks about it, the song is actually about the Holy Spirit. “We don’t...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his Apostles: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans.” Matthew 10:16–18No one is naturally drawn to persecution. We flee from it. We are made for communion with one another. In Heaven, and in the New Heavens and New Earth at the...

Police Confronts UK Street Preacher for THIS 😱🤯‼️

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus said to his Apostles: “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” Matthew 10:7–8And they were off! After choosing Twelve of His disciples and naming them Apostles—that is, those who are sent—Jesus sends them out, two by two, into the towns and villages of Israel, places where He Himself would later come. They go before Him, preparing hearts to receive the fullness of the Gospel when the...

Daily Readings from the USCCBJesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the Twelve Apostles are these… Matthew 10:1–2Imagine being one of the Twelve. When each of them first encountered our Lord, he could never have imagined what would unfold. Eleven of them would become the foundation upon which the Messiah built His Church. Their words and actions have been recorded and proclaimed throughout the world and will continue to be until the end of time. By God’s will, they preached...

Daily Readings from the USCCBA demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus, and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”Matthew 9:32–33Imagine being unable to speak. You could not tell your loved ones about your day, share your hopes, joys, or sorrows. The result would be deep isolation and loneliness, the plague afflicting this demoniac. Metaphorically speaking, this demoniac symbolizes us when we do not have the words to properly express ourselves to another or to God. Our “muteness” is often...

Daily Readings from the USCCBWhile Jesus was speaking, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” Matthew 9:18–21Call to mind one of the most painful and difficult moments in your life. Perhaps you endured a serious illness or the...

A well-preserved Byzantine-era residential city in the western desert is one of two major archaeological finds announced by Egypt .. The recent discoveries at the Dakhla Oasis and at the Marina el-Alamein archaeological site, near Alexandria, are the latest findings which the Egyptian government hopes will boost the country’s vital tourism sector, partially driven by antiquities sightseeing. ... The Tourism and Antiquities Ministry said that the first discovery reveals details of daily life, urban development and economic activities in the Dakhla Oasis in the fourth century, when Egypt was part of the Byzantine empire. ... A basilica church dating back...

Daily Readings from the USCCBFourteenth Sunday in Ordinary TimeAt that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” Matthew 11:25–27This passage beautifully summarizes the entire Christian life—the life...

By Dr. John BergsmaWe are currently in Cycle A of the Lectionary, reading through the Gospel of Matthew. This Sunday we find Jesus more or less in the middle of his earthly ministry (Matthew 11), and the Readings are marked by a strong theme of the restoration of the world-wide Kingdom of David. 1. Our First Reading is Zechariah 9:9-10: Thus says the LORD: Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an...

Daily Readings from the USCCBThe disciples of John approached Jesus and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Matthew 9:14–15In Isaiah 54:5 and Hosea 2:16–20, God is portrayed as the divine Bridegroom who espouses Israel. By invoking this imagery, Jesus reveals His divine identity as the Bridegroom who establishes a new relationship between God and His people—a relationship initially...