Browsing the 2020 archive of Blog

St. Kateri's Firm Faith | July 14

Posted by Amanda Nobis on 7/14/20

Click here to read the daily readings from the USCCB website.

Today is the memorial for Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. When she was 4, small pox ravaged her Mohawk village. She lost her parents and she was left disfigured and half blind. She was adopted by her uncle and raised ... Read More »

July 12, 2020 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time Fr Andy Upah

Posted by Helen Kilburg on 7/13/20

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

Reading  1 IS 55:10-11

Thus says the LORD:Just as from the heavensthe rain and snow come downand do not return theretill they have watered the earth,making it fertile and fruitful,giving seed to the one who sowsand bread to the one who eats,so shall my ... Read More »

Counterculture | July 13

Posted by Amanda Nobis on 7/13/20

Click here to read the daily readings from the USCCB website.

I think Jesus’s words are timely for today’s political and social climate. “I have come to bring not peace but the sword.” Yep. Relatable. Tolerance is the new golden virtue, but tolerance doesn’t mean in practice what it ... Read More »

A Purifying Ember | July 11

Posted by Amanda Nobis on 7/10/20

Click here to read the daily readings from the USSCB website.

“Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”

The prophet exclaims, “Here I am. Send me!”

If only all Christians would respond with the same evangelical fervor!

But notice what happens before that. Isaiah encounters the Lord ... Read More »

Is God's Love Conditional on Our Repentance? | July 10

Posted by Amanda Nobis on 7/10/20

Click here to read the daily readings from the USCCB website.

The first reading contains a beautiful description of what God has in store for Israel. As I wrote yesterday, I feel like we often hear about God’s wrath for Israel’s transgressions. We hear about the consequences of their ... Read More »

Anxious but Precious and Honored | July 9

Posted by Amanda Nobis on 7/09/20

Click here to read the daily readings from the USCCB website.

St. Fuastina recorded in her diary these words from Jesus: “My child, know that the greatest obstacles to holiness are discouragement and exaggerated anxiety” (Paragraph 1488)

This is something I have to repeat to myself almost every day. ... Read More »

The Fruit of Piety | July 8

Posted by Amanda Nobis on 7/08/20

Click here to read the daily readings from the USSCB website.

I love the Psalms. They’re rich in emotion and expression, in length and in symbolism. I love how today’s Psalm seems to contrast the first reading, and yet they are intimately related with each other and the Gospel reading.

Once again in the reading from the Old Testament God chastises Israel. He makes them fruitful, but “their heart is false.” They do not worship Him in truth, but as always He reminds them that salvation is at hand if they just reject their false ways and seek the ... Read More »

July 5, 2020 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time Fr Andy Upah

Posted by Helen Kilburg on 7/07/20

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1 ZEC 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 ass.He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim,and ... Read More »

Giving God the Credit | July 7

Posted by Amanda Nobis on 7/07/20

Click here to read the daily readings from the USCCB website.

In our Gospel today the Pharisees are playing their usual roles as antagonists. They are consumed with envy as they see Jesus performing many miracles and they fear losing their influence in the Jewish community. Their pride likely ... Read More »

Jesus Rose and Followed | July 6

Posted by Amanda Nobis on 7/06/20

Click here to read the daily readings from the USCCB website.

“My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.” Jesus rose and followed him.

Wow. We see here the fruit of a bold faith. The official from today’s Gospel simply asked ... Read More »