What beautiful complementarity we see in today's first reading and Gospel. In the first reading we see a penitent and humble Queen Esther pleading with God for salvation. In the Gospel, Jesus invites us all to come to Him with the same confidence that Esther had. 

So today’s Gospel comes in the same chapter after Jesus was casting an evil spirit out of someone and the man was healed physically, but some of the people who saw it were saying that Jesus was doing these healings by the power of the devil.

Do you realize how much God loves you? "Of course!" you'll say. "I've heard that all my life! How could I not know that?" Unless you have experienced God's love for you and kept it in the front of your mind ever since. 

Today is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. Once again, we have another random, awesome feast. Why celebrate a chair, you ask? Well... it's not so much the chair itself but what the chair stands for. 

As we begin Lent, here in these first few days, we have heard this statement from Jesus a couple of times now, “Repent and Believe in the Gospel.”

Fasting is meant to enact real change. It might seem from today's first reading that God is denouncing fasting in favor of action, but the two necessarily go hand in hand. God doesn't change, and yet Jesus says in the Gospel that "they will fast." That must mean that fasting is something desired by God after all.

It's Lent! Today we begin a spiritual pilgrimage through the desert with Jesus as we examine His life, death, and resurrection. Lent is about entering in to the story ourselves. Jesus says, "If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." The three pillars, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, of Lent are all ways by which we deny ourselves. 

Do you ever worry about something you have planned in the future and after the fact you realize it wasn’t so bad after all? It’s tempting to be apprehensive about our future and situations we can’t control. The devil must enjoy using our doubts and fears against us.

When is it appropriate to ask God for a sign?  In today's Gospel we see "the Pharisees [come] forward and [begin] to argue with Jesus, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him." Jesus doesn't take it very well. 

What a week here at Nativity! Many left our parish mission renewed in spirit and healed in mind and body.

If you have ever planned a trip or vacation, you know there are several steps: decide on a destination, make travel arrangements, reserve a hotel, plan your meals and so forth. There is usually some euphoric point very early in the trip when everything is going well. The time spent planning and organizing the details has paid off and everything is going according to plan.

What a fitting Gospel reading for this week! These next three days will prove remarkable for our community. Jesus is planning on doing amazing things through this parish mission. I can tell you that because of today's Gospel.

I see a funny comparison between the first reading and the Gospel. Paul says, "Do not neglect hospitality.... Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment." And then the Gospel tells the story of King Herod taking John the Baptist into custody and ultimately beheading him. That's the first example of how NOT to be a good host. 

Wow. What a reading from Hebrews. What a parallel Paul creates between the Old Covenant and the New. In the first half of the reading Paul describes a fearful God, one that is far and harsh and grand. The second half details a God no less grand, but One that loves and that is full of joy and mercy.

This is a pretty intense first reading today. Paul lays out how challenging the Christian life is meant to be. The first line sums up as "well you haven't died yet so keep working." As the athlete disciplines his or her body, so we must discipline ourselves in the habits of discipleship.

The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary are my favorites: The Annunciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Presentation of the Lord, which we celebrate today and the finding of Jesus in the temple.

Today's Gospel is the story of the man possessed by Legion. He approaches Jesus and the demons are bargaining with Him to spare them. Ultimately Jesus casts them into the herd of 2000 swine which run into the river.

"Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy."

Do you ever get burnt out? I feel like that's the perennial question. It doesn't matter what you do for a living. That feeling of not being able to go on, not making a difference, unmotivation and alone-ness is familiar to us all. 

Today is the Memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus. St. Paul was blessed with these friends who helped him form the early Church while he was in prison. His love and trust in them is evident in his epistles.