Daily Gospel Reflection on Veritas Catholic Network

Be Merciful as Your Heavenly Father is Merciful - Daily Gospel Reflection

Today's Gospel Reading is Lk 6:36-38
"Be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful".
How does one do this? You stop judging so that you will not be judged. God is the only one is capable of making those judgements because God is love itself, and thus able to speak intelligently to sin and mistakes. 
God gives His mercy to all who seek it with a contrite heart. Do we offer mercy to everyone we meet? Chances are we don't do it perfectly. 
Let us pray that today we would be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful. 
Praised Be Jesus Christ!

The Transfiguration of Jesus - Daily Gospel Reflection

Today's Gospel Reading is Mark 9:2-10
The Story of the Transfiguration. Jesus Transfigured before Peter, James, and John, the Father says “this is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, listen to him”. Moses and Elijah both attest to Him. In other words, everything is pointing to listening carefully to Jesus and following Him in His teachings!
The Transfiguration in the context of Lent is to remind us what is to come. The goal is Transfiguration, that everything us would become a sign of God’s glory, not just for our own benefit, but for the sake of the Glory of God.
The Transfiguration promises us hope before the Passion. We are reminded of the fruit of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The fruit of what happens when you say yes to Jesus.
Praised Be Jesus Christ!
 

Be Perfect Like Your Heavenly Father is Perfect - Daily Gospel Reflection

Today’s Gospel Reading is Mt 5:33-38
Jesus tells us to be perfect just as our Heavenly Father is perfect. He shows us that there’s lots of good things we can do, but anything on the natural level is just that. Natural, not supernatural.
Are we striving for the spiritual perfection that God desires for us? Jesus is inviting us into His supernatural union with the Father. He is calling us to be like God Himself, to have God as our standard, to have God as the focus of our lives, and have God’s goodness and perfection as the goal for which we search.
Praised Be Jesus Christ!

A Heart Filled with Love for Christ - Daily Gospel Reflection

Today’s Gospel Reading is Mt 5:20-26
Jesus tells us that our righteousness must surpass that of the scribes and the pharisees. The scribes and pharisees live out the law “perfectly”.
If they are faithful, what is Jesus asking us? How do you pass perfection? Jesus means it isn’t just about doing things the right way, it’s about understanding the law in light of the Gospel. It is the law of love.
Let us pray for a heart enflamed with love for Jesus Christ!
Praised be Jesus Christ!

You are Peter and on this Rock I will Build My Church - Daily Gospel Reflection

Today’s Gospel Reading is Mt 16:13-19
You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. With this confession of faith, Jesus says, “you are Peter and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
If Jesus is the Son of the Living God than everything that He promises us is true. He is able to make Himself available for us in the Eucharist, He is able to forgive our sins through the ministry of the priest, He is able to give us new life in Baptism, He is able to offer us His healing, grace, and presence.
On the feast of the Chair of Peter, we are reminded of where our faith rests, upon the Rock of Peter.
Today, we must pray for our Pope, the Successor of Peter, that he would be faithful and hand on the gift of Faith to each of us.
Praised be Jesus Christ

Jesus is Even Bigger than the Beatles - Daily Gospel Reflection

The Gospel Reading from Catholic Mass Today is Lk 11:29-32
Jesus reminds the crowd about what is really happening. He puts Himself in the proper context by comparing Himself to King Solomon & the prophet Jonah.
Naturally, Fr. Sam compares Jesus to the Beatles (who, to be fair, compared themselves to Jesus first). The thing to be understood (that Paul, John, George and Ringo probably didn’t understand) is that Jesus isn’t claiming fame for His own sake. This is for us. We need to let the Gospel penetrate our hearts because something greater than Jonah and Solomon is here.
Today, let us ask the Lord for the grace of having our hearts and minds transformed by the Gospel.
Praised Be Jesus Christ!

Praying the Our Father = Praying Perfectly - Daily Gospel Reflection

The Gospel Reading from Catholic Mass today is Mt 6:7-15
Jesus gives us the “Our Father”, teaching us how to pray. The whole Lenten season is about learning how to pray more intensely.
The Our Father reminds us to praise God and to recognize us that God is our Father. It also reminds us that our fellow Christians are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus teaches us to ask boldly for what we need, to depend on God for our sustenance, and the importance of forgiving others.
Lent is the invitation to enter into prayer in a more perfect way. When we pray the Our Father, the way Jesus taught us to, we are praying in a perfect way.

Are You a Sheep or a Goat? - Daily Gospel Reflection

The Gospel Reading from Catholic Mass today is Mt 25:31-36
This is the famous parable of the sheep and the goats. Jesus speaks to those who have followed him and have done his will. He says blessed are you because you have fed me, you have clothed me, you visited me and took care of me.
To those who ignored him in need he says, when I was hungry and thirsty you did nothing for me. Whatever you did to the least of my brothers you did to me.
How is your almsgiving going? How are your works of charity going? We may confront these questions and find we haven’t done much. Now is the time to choose to take action, performing works of mercy out of love for Jesus.
Let us pray for the grace of following Jesus better! 
AMDG!

The Time of Fulfillment is NOW! - Daily Gospel Reflection

The Gospel Reading from Catholic Mass today is Mk 1:12-15
Mark’s Gospel is written with a great sense of urgency. In this passage, Jesus, who had just driven out into the desert for forty days in order to be tested by Satan, returns and begins to preach that it is the “time of fulfillment”.
While the "time of fulfillment" happened when Jesus said it, because He remains present to us through the Sacraments, it is still happening right now! 
Let us pray for urgency in following Jesus during the time of fulfillment! 
AMDG!

Jesus Calls Matthew (and You!) - Daily Gospel Reflection

The Gospel Reading from Catholic Mass today is Lk 5:27-32 
Jesus calls the tax collector Levi (Matthew). When Jesus sees him at the booth he says, “come follow me”, and Matthew immediately gets up to do so. This a perfect example of the way we are called to respond to Jesus, especially during Lent. Jesus calls us now, “come follow me”, and we are to go, immediately.
Jesus comes to call sinners to repentance and healing to those who need it. Are you a sinner? Are you broken? Jesus is calling.
Let us pray that we would hear the call of the Lord, and like Matthew, follow him immediately.

Seeing Jesus Face to Face? - Daily Gospel Reflection

The Gospel reading from Catholic Mass today is Mt 9:14-15
This reading reminds us what the season of Lent is all about. In it, Jesus explains to his disciples that He knows (and now we know) where the ministry of Jesus leads. That while we have been saved from our sins and can really commune with Jesus, there is a very real difference in the way Jesus accompanies us. He doesn’t walk with us in the human form he once did.
May this season be truly one of penance so we may one day see the bridegroom face to face.

Pick Up Your Cross & Follow Me - Daily Gospel Reflection

The Gospel reading from Catholic Mass today is Lk 9:22-25
"If anyone wishes to come after he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me".
Now is a time for repentance and penance. Penance is a mortification of the body mind and spirit. We mortify the appetites so as to increase our discipline and empower us to live a fruitful spiritual life. Penance is also a sacramental grace where we receive God’s grace and mercy.
Let us pray for the grace of a fruitful mortification of the senses. 
AMDG! 

Ash Wednesday: Prayer, Fasting, & Almsgiving - Daily Gospel Reflection

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent!  The three primary pillars of this season are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. In these three pillars we commune with God, go without lesser goods so as to seek out greater goods, and give in charity to those who are poor.
All Christians are called to all three of these during the Lenten season. When we rely on God He unlocks our capacity for goodness. He helps us become who we are.
AMDG! 
 

Jesus Provides for Us & Mardi Gras! - Daily Gospel Reflection

The Gospel reading from Catholic Mass today is Mark 8: 14-21.
The perfect reading for Mardi Gras! The disciples have only brought one loaf of bread and are going to be hungry. Jesus, of course, provides for them.
As we get ready for lent we should be thinking about prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Thus, along with the disciples, Jesus is reminding us of the times miraculously fed so many.
In the midst of our fasting, let us remember that God is close to us and will help us to persevere by providing for us everything that we need!

The Sign of Jonah & Searching for Signs - Daily Gospel Reflection

Today's Catholic Mass Gospel Reading is Mark 8:11-13
The Pharisees are pushing Jesus for a sign. Since we’re in the 8th chapter of Mark’s Gospel, they’ve already seen Jesus cleanse Lepers, drive out demons, and perform many miracles. In other words, they should know that Jesus teaches with authority. Thus, Jesus tells them that they won’t receive another sign, because until they see the sign of Jonah, see the “end result”, they won’t believe.
There is something instructive here. Are we pushing for signs? Are looking for one more when we need to be bold and step out in faith?
Let us pray for the wisdom to know the difference between seeking the sign and knowing the goodness and mercy of Jesus Christ.

Jesus's Healing and Our Lady of Lourdes - Daily Gospel Reflection

Today’s Sunday Gospel Reading is Mark 1:40-45
Jesus heals a leper with a compassionate touch, telling the him that He does in fact “will” the his healing, that he’d be made whole. We are all called to some kind of healing, and while not all will experience a physical healing, Jesus seeks to make us whole!
Ordinarily we’d be celebrating our Lady of Lourdes today. A common theme, every year thousands upon thousands of people pilgrim to Lourdes to experience physical, spiritual, or emotional healing. In Lourdes you see the same Jesus reaching out to touch us and saying “I want to heal you”
Let us pray for our sick brothers and sisters today, that through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes, they would experience the healing power of God.

Jesus and the Deaf Man - Daily Gospel Reflection

The Gospel reading from Catholic Mass today is Mark 7:31-37
Today’s Gospel illustrates the importance of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Jesus performs physical acts. He prays over the man he heals, He puts his finger in the man’s ear, he says “Ephphatha”, which means “be opened” and the man receives the gift of hearing and speech.
The deaf man represents all of us. How often are we incapable of hearing the Word of God? How often are we unable to speak the truths of the Gospel? Christ groans in prayer that we too would “be opened” and thus His witness to the entire world.
Let us pray for the capacity to hear the Word of God and spread the Word of God.

Jesus and the Syrophoenician Woman - Daily Gospel Reflection

The Gospel Reading from Catholic Mass today is Mark 7: 24-30
Jesus encounters the Syrophoenician woman. She comes asking Jesus for something and at first Jesus does something surprising… nothing.
Why would Jesus ignore this woman? Jesus ignores her so that she will come even closer to Him, so that her desire for Him would grow. Jesus engages her in conversation: “what is that you really desire, what is that you really want?”.
Ultimately, this woman is motivated by faith, and because of her persistence Jesus reveals the universality of the call to Salvation. He hasn’t come to save only the Chosen People, but to save all through the Chosen People.
Let us pray today that we would have the same confidence and faith of the Syrophoenician Woman.

Blessed are the Pure of Heart - Daily Gospel Reflection

Today’s Gospel Reading is Mark 7:14-23.
 
Jesus informs us that what enters us can not defile us spiritually, but rather, it’s what comes from within (the thoughts and motivations of the heart) that actually defile us.
 
This is all contrary to how the Jewish people understood the “cleanliness” of food. They believed that if you ate an unclean food, there was a real defilement of the soul that happened. So food actually made YOU unclean.
 
As Jesus reminds us that it is our sin that makes us unclean let us pray for purification of our hearts and minds.
 
Please rate and share so the Gospel message can reach more people! Thank you! 

Let Your Yes Be Yes - Daily Gospel Reflection

Mark 7:1-13
This is a tough Gospel if we’re being honest. It’s difficult because Jesus is criticized for his disciples not observing every the law. Then, Jesus points out that the pharisees aren’t following the law as they should be. Namely, they’re finding loopholes.
Is finding loopholes the right spiritual disposition we should have? Are we selective about which commandments we follow? Do we find for ways to excuse ourselves? Or do we allow our “yes” to be “yes” and our “no” to be “no”?
Let us pray for the grace to follow the whole of the Law of the Gospel.