of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Good News Of God’s Reign (Mt 9:35-10:1) Prayer: O Jesus, your goodness is everywhere. Imagination: Picture Jesus with his disciples, healing the crowds. Context: The gospels are filled with Jesus compassion and power. Now, he extends that compassion to physical healings and to being a shepherd to the poor. Unable to do all …
Continue reading “Saturday, December 9, 2023 Week One Of Advent”
Mary’s Questioning And Acceptance (Lk 1:26-38) Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit. Help me to say “Yes” to God’s plan. Imagination: Picture Mary speaking with the Angel. Context: Luke records the greatest moment in human history, when God becomes flesh in Mary’s womb. This text highlights Mary’s struggle to understand the mystery. Once all is clear, …
The Parable Of The Two Houses (Mt 7:24-27) Prayer: O Jesus, I will put your word into practice so my house will always stand. Imagination: Picture Jesus with His disciples. Context: Jesus chooses an example from the people’s daily experiences. In Israel, the rains come suddenly. A dry canal becomes quickly a raging stream. …
Continue reading “Thursday, December 7, 2023 Week One Of Advent”
Multiplied Blessings (Mt 15:29-37) Prayer: O Jesus, let me hunger for your food. Imagination: Picture Jesus and his disciples with the hungry crowds. Context: The multiplication of food is the only miracle told in all four gospels. It is preceded by multiple healings. These stories highlight the Advent season when we await the Lord …
Continue reading “Wednesday, December 6, 2023 Week One Of Advent”
Revealed To The Children (Lk 10:21-24) Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me a humble and accepting heart. Imagination: Imagine Jesus reprimanding his disciples. Context: Jesus sent out 72 disciples to proclaim the Kingdom. They have just returned with all the good news of their successes. This text is filled with rejoicing. Advent, unlike Lent, is …
Continue reading “Tuesday, December 5, 2023 Week One Of Advent”
A Centurion With Great Faith (Mt 8:5-11) Prayer: O Jesus, fill me with faith in your power. Imagination: Picture Jesus with the Centurion. Context: Advent is a time of faith and the church selects the Gentile centurion as the first model. He believed that Jesus could heal at a distance (unheard of in Judaism). …
Continue reading “Monday, December 4, 2023 Week One Of Advent”
The Watchman at the Gate (Mk 13:33-37) Prayer: O Lord, let me be ready to welcome you. Imagination: Picture Jesus teaching his disciples in the temple area. Context: With these words, Jesus concludes a long speech that spoke of Jerusalem’s destruction, persecutions and the end of the world. His final advice uses the image of …
Continue reading “Sunday, December 3, 2023 First Sunday Of Advent (Year B)”
Final Words Of Advice (Lk 21:34-36) Prayer: O Jesus, teach me to watch and to pray constantly. Imagination: Picture Jesus in the temple teaching his disciples. Context: Jesus is worried. He will not be returning to earth soon and the disciples will wonder why he delays. So, he exhorts them not to grow indulgent, …
Continue reading “Saturday, December 2, 2023 Week Thirty-Four Of Ordinary Time”
The Events Are Near (Lk 21:29-33) Prayer: O Jesus, help me to act now. So much is about to happen. Imagination: Picture Jesus teaching his disciples. Context: Jesus has just predicted the fall of Jerusalem and declared that, at a given moment, he will come on clouds of glory. Because people think that this …
Continue reading “Friday, December 1, 2023 Week Thirty Four – Ordinary Time”
St. Andrew, Apostle (Mt 4:18-22) Prayer: Lord Jesus, invite me today to be your disciple. Imagination: Picture Jesus calling his first disciples along the Sea of Galilee. Context: This gospel text begins “After John was arrested” and it records Jesus’ first homily of his public ministry. He repeats John’s teaching that the reign of …
Continue reading “Thursday, November 30, 2023 Week Thirty-Four Of Ordinary Time”
The Trials Of A Disciple (Lk 21:12-19) Prayer: O Jesus, help me in the moments of my trials. Imagination: Picture Jesus explaining to the disciples their future difficulties. Context: After discussing all the wars and famines and earthquakes that will occur, Jesus turns to two other difficulties. The disciples will find themselves hauled into …
Continue reading “Wednesday, November 29, 2023 Week Thirty-Four Of Ordinary Time”
Not Yet The End (Lk 21:5-11) Prayer: O Jesus, let me persevere until the end. Imagination: Picture Jesus teaching his disciples. Context: In teaching about his Second Coming, Jesus keeps putting it off, always speaking of events that must happen first. The “coming” is always “later.” He stresses perseverance so the disciple does not …
Continue reading “Tuesday, November 28, 2023 Week Thirty-Four Of Ordinary Time”
The Widow’s Mite (Mk 12:38-44) Prayer: O Jesus, to you I give all I have. Imagination: Picture Jesus in the temple with his disciples. Context: This gospel joins two different people, linked by the word widow. The scribes want everyone to see their goodness while secretly they steal widow’s money. The widow, on the …
Continue reading “Monday, November 27, 2023 Week Thirty-Four Of Ordinary Time”
The Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) Prayer: O Jesus, You are the King who is to come. Imagination: Picture Jesus with His disciples. Context: Some people die without ever hearing about Jesus. How will they be judged? In this parable, Jesus confronts this question of how they will be judged. Although they do not know …
Continue reading “Sunday, November 26, 2023 Week Thirty-Four”
Living Like Angels (Lk 20:27-40) Prayer: O Lord, fill me with strong desires to live like the angels. Imagination: Picture Jesus in confrontation with the Sadducees. Context: The Sadducees (unlike the Pharisees) did not believe in the immortality of the soul nor the resurrection of the dead. They bring to Jesus what seems to …
Continue reading “Saturday, November 25, 2023 Week Thirty Three Of Ordinary Time”
A Cleansed But Unrepentant Temple (Lk 19:45-48) Prayer: O Jesus, make me your purified disciple. Imagination: Picture Jesus cleansing the Temple. Context: In all four gospels, Jesus cleanses the temple. (Therefore, it is a very important event). Luke, in his gentle manner, omits many details known from the other gospels. He focuses on Jesus’ …
Continue reading “Friday, November 24, 2023 Week Thirty-Three Of Ordinary Time”
Jesus’ Lament Over Jerusalem (Lk 19:41-44) Prayer: O Jesus, let me know the time of your visitation. Imagination: Picture Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. Context: As Jesus comes close to Jerusalem, he suddenly stops and weeps. He knows the future destruction of this city and describes it clearly. He pinpoints the cause of the failure. …
Continue reading “Thursday, November 23, 2023 Week Thirty-Three Of Ordinary Time”
The Servants Entrusted With Money (Lk 19:11-28) Prayer: O Jesus, make me your faithful servant to whom you can entrust your blessings. Imagination: Picture Jesus teaching his disciples. Context: Jesus tells this parable to the disciples because they falsely believe that the reign of God is about to appear. The parable stresses the personal …
Continue reading “Wednesday, November 22, 2023 Week Thirty Three Of Ordinary Time”
The Man Up In The Tree (Lk 19:1-10) Prayer: O Jesus, come and stay in my house this day. Imagination: Picture Jesus finding Zaccheus in a tree. Context: Zaccheus is the second wealthy man to receive an invitation from Jesus. He accepts the gift and uses his wealth to restore justice. This story highlights …
Continue reading “Tuesday, November 21, 2023 Week Thirty Three Of Ordinary Time”
The Blind Beggar (Lk 18:35-43) Prayer: O Jesus, let me cry out to you in great hope. Imagination: Picture Jesus and the crowd with a beggar by the roadside. Context: This journey to Jerusalem began with Jesus healing a blind man and culminates with another healing of blindness. This contrasts with the disciples’ growing …
Continue reading “Monday, November 20, 2023 Week Thirty-Three Of Ordinary Time”