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Searching carefully
The scene in the Gospel opens with tax collectors and sinners drawing near to Jesus; the scribes and Pharisees object strongly. What scandalizes them, as noted by Pope Francis in his reflection on this...
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No servant can serve two masters
Jesus makes a very blunt statement in the Gospel: One cannot serve two masters. “You cannot serve God and mammon.” Elsewhere Jesus speaks about material wealth. “Do not store up for yourselves...
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The parable of the ten virgins
MATTHEW 25:1-13 Jesus told His disciples this parable: “The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were...
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Stop making my father’s house a marketplace
The Gospel for the feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, known as the “mother of all churches,” emphasizes that God’s temple is holy and must not be profaned. We all should be deeply...
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Returned to give thanks to God
The Gospel narrates the merciful action of Jesus in curing the ten lepers. Certainly, to be healed of such a horrible affliction is a great gift, flowing from Jesus’ compassion. Surprisingly, only one...
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Cannot be observed
The Pharisees in the Gospel are again testing Jesus through many questions: When will the Kingdom of God come? Where is it to be found? Is it “here” or “there”? Jesus simply replies that God’s Kingdom...
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This widow keeps bothering me
Commenting on this Gospel about the widow who insistently implores the corrupt judge to give her justice, Pope Francis notes it manifests that God always wishes to answer His people’s needs. For...
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The parable of the talents
MATTHEW 25:14-30 [or 25:14-15, 19-21] Jesus told His disciples this parable: “A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to...
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Have sight; your faith has saved you
The Gospel narrates the experience of an “unseeing” man, a blind man, who ends up being cured. Commenting on this scene, Pope Francis notes that, though the man was blind, “he wasn’t foolish; he knew...
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Parable of the gold coins
Gospel • LUKE 19:11-28 [or MATTHEW 14:22-33] While people were listening to Jesus speak, He proceeded to tell a parable because He was near Jerusalem and they thought that the Kingdom of God would...
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You did not recognize the time of your visitation
The Gospel finds Jesus weeping at the gates of Jerusalem. The city has closed its heart to Him and His message, not wishing to receive Him. Pope Francis notes, “This closing makes Jesus weep; the...
View ArticleDrive out those… selling things
Pope Francis comments on Jesus’ cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem, which he does “with whip in hand.” Jesus drives out “pagan ways, in this case the behavior of the traders who were buying and...
View ArticleWho is My mother?
A pious tradition holds that as a child Mary was presented and educated near the Jerusalem Temple. This apocryphal story can serve to remind us of how Mary is honored and called blessed in the Church....
View ArticleThe judgment of the nations
MATTHEW 25:31-46 Jesus said to His disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit upon His glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before...
View ArticleOffered her whole livelihood
To live in poverty deprived of life’s necessities is not a value. Human persons, created in God’s image, are to have a dignified existence. Yet, Jesus declares those “blessed” in God’s Kingdom whose...
View ArticleBy your perseverance you will secure your lives
During this entire last week of the liturgical year, scripture often presents us with strange and frightening images. For example, in the Gospel Jesus speaks of persecution and imprisonment, betrayal...
View ArticleHe will come in a cloud of glory
Jesus said to His disciples: “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is at hand. Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Let those within the city escape from it,...
View ArticleWhen you see these things happening
The Lord Jesus, in the Gospel, “teaches the disciples by simple examples to understand what is happening.” As Pope Francis explains, Jesus invites them to look at “the fig tree and all the trees” and...
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