Catholic Daily Reflections
My Catholic Life! presents the beauty and splendor of our Catholic faith in a down to earth and practical way. These daily audio reflections come from the "Catholic Daily Reflections Series" which is available in online format from our website. They are also available in e eBook or paperback format. May these reflections assist you on your journey of personal conversion!
August 15, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - A Promise and Sign of Hope
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A Promise and Sign of Hope
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name.” Luke 1:46–49
Today we celebrate one of the great solemnities on the Church’s liturgical calendar: the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Belief in her bodily assumption first took root in the early Church among those who witne...
Friday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Marriage and Divine Union
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Marriage and Divine Union
Some Pharisees approached Jesus, and tested him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?” He said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, man must not separate.” Matthew 19:3–6
In Jesus’ tim...
Thursday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Limitless Forgiveness
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Limitless Forgiveness
Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21–22
In the Book of the Prophet Amos, a poetic formula is repeated: “For three crimes of Damascus, and now four—I will not take it back…” (cf. Amos 1). By the time of Jesus, rabbinic tradition had adopted the interpretation of this passage to mean that God forgives three times, but not four and, therefore, so shou...
Wednesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Fraternal Charity
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Fraternal Charity
Jesus said to his disciples: “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” Matthew 18:15–16
Fraternal charity is an absolute necessity. We are called to love everyone unconditionally, even those who have sinned against us. Moreover, our charity must go beyond an interior dispos...
Tuesday of the Nineteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Divine Logic
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Divine Logic
The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.” Matthew 18:1–5
Divine logic upends worldly assumptions and reveals the gentle majesty of God’s ways, as today’s Gosp...
August 10, Feast of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr - Producing Much Fruit
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Producing Much Fruit
Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me.” John 12:24–26
Saint Lawrence, whom we honor today, has been highly...
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) - Overcoming Fear with Faith
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Overcoming Fear with Faith
“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Matthew 14...
Saturday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Moving Mountains
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Moving Mountains
A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said, “Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Jesus said in reply, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring the boy here to me.” Matthew 17:14–17
Before this encounter, Jesus had sent His disciples out two by two to preach, heal, and cast o...
Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time - A Triple Command
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Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:24–25
Today’s Gospel begins with a triple command that forms the foundation of authentic Christian living: We must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. Let us consider the implications of these commands.
First, it is important to note that Jesus uses the word “must.” This is more than an...
August 6, Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord (Year A) - Glory and Mystery Combined
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Jesus took Peter, James, and his brother, John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Matthew 17:1–3
Jesus’ Transfiguration, which we celebrate today, is cloaked in glory and mystery. Only Peter, James, and John were invited to witness the event. One might think that if our Lord were going to do something so spectacular, He would have invited great crowds to ascend the moun...
Wednesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time - The Gift of Counsel, Given and Received
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The Gift of Counsel, Given and Received
At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” Matthew 15:21–23
At first glance, this interaction is surprising. Yet Jesus is performing an act of love toward the Canaanite woman, whi...
Tuesday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Year A) - Reviving Religious Habits
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Reviving Religious Habits
He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand. It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.” Then his disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” Matthew 15:10–12
Jesus’ words would have stunned His Jewish listeners because He challenged deeply rooted religious beliefs about purity and impurity. He was not denying the value of external practices when they are rightly understood and...
Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Year A) - The Storms of Life
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The Storms of Life
Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. Matthew 14:22–25
Only God, in His perfect Wisdom, could convey profound spiritual me...
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) - God’s Providential Care
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God’s Providential Care
“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” Then he said, “Bring them here to me,” and he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full. Matthew 14:17–20
In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, there ar...
Saturday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time - Charity Unto Death
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Charity Unto Death
Now Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, for John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Although he wanted to kill him, he feared the people, for they regarded him as a prophet. Matthew 14:3–5
Saint John the Baptist was unwaveringly bold in his preaching, humble in his disposition toward God, and faithful to the truth he proclaimed. These holy virtues, however, did not spare him from the clutches of Her...
Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time - Our Native Places
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Our Native Places
Jesus came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. Matthew 13:54–57
Though this passage recounts the sorrowful rejection Jesus experienced in His hometown, it also reveals something deeper: the mystery of the I...
Thursday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time - Testifying to the Truth
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Testifying to the Truth
Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.” Luke 10:1–3
One of the clearest safeguards for ensuring the authenticity and integrity of Christian duty is that we proclaim the Gospel in communion with others. The Christi...
Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time - Living in the Kingdom
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Living in the Kingdom
Jesus said to the disciples: “The Kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away.” Matthew 13:47–48
Today’s Gospel concludes a series of parables about the Kingdom of Heaven and offers a profound meditation on the final judgment, the call to discipleship, and the harmonious use of the Old and New Testaments in coming to know Divine T...
July 29, Memorial of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus - Friends of Our Lord
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Friends of Our Lord
Many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother [Lazarus, who had died]. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. John 11:19–20
The Gospel for today’s Memorial begins with grief. Grief brings the community together and prepares us for the divine drama to unfold. As Jesus approaches the house, He is met with sorrow, yet He is ready to transform it into a house of hope and joy.
Martha, Mary...
Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time - Entering and Becoming the House of God
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Entering and Becoming the House of God
Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” Matthew 13:36
Today’s Gospel begins with a subtle yet significant detail: “Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house.” This transition from the public to the private reflects a recurring pattern in the Gospels: Our Lord teaches the crowds in parables, veiling the mysteries of the Kingdom, while reserving their fuller explanation for the disciples in the quiet intimacy o...
Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time - From Humble Beginnings
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From Humble Beginnings
Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.” Matthew 13:31–32
Today’s Gospel presents two brief yet profoundly rich parables—the mustard seed and the leaven—each revealing distinct dimensions of the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven. Together, they draw ou...
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) - A Priceless Discovery Awaits!
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A Priceless Discovery Awaits!
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” Matthew 13:44–46
In the first parable above, a person unexpectedly discovers a treasure buried in a field. Imagine that you take a metal detect...
July 25, Feast of Saint James, Apostle - Drinking Christ’s Chalice
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Drinking Christ’s Chalice
The mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, “What do you wish?” She answered him, “Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your Kingdom.” Jesus said in reply, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said to him, “We can.” Matthew 20:20–22
Among the Twelve Apostles, two were named James...
Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Receptive to the Gospel
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Receptive to the Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples: “Hear the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom without understanding it, and the Evil One comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground…” Matthew 13:18–20
After preaching the Parable of the Sower to the crowds and then explaining to His close disciples (likely the Twelve) the purpose of parables, Jesus, in today’s Gospel, offers them an interpretation of the parable. He speaks cle...
Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Lifting the Sacred Veil
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Lifting the Sacred Veil
The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?” He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not li...
July 22, Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene - A Model of Holy Love and Desire
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A Model of Holy Love and Desire
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him.” John 20:1–2
When Jesus first encountered Mary Magdalene, she was afflicted by seven demons. Many Church Fathers interpret this number as symbol...
Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Familial Kinship in the Kingdom
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Familial Kinship in the Kingdom
Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.” But he said in reply to the one who told him,“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Matthew 12:47–50
Those unfamiliar with Catholic teaching and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary might misinterpret this passage as diminishing Jesus’ love fo...
Monday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time - The Certitude of Faith
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The Certitude of Faith
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” He said to them in reply, “An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.” Matthew 12:38–39
Imagine if Jesus had responded differently to the scribes and Pharisees, saying, “Yes, I will perform a sign right now. Whatever you ask of Me, I will do.” Suppose they then asked Him to part the Sea of Galilee—just as Moses parted the...
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) - Transformed by God’s Word
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Transformed by God’s Word
He spoke to them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.” Matthew 13:33
Yeast is small—invisible once it is worked into the dough. And yet, its influence is pervasive and powerful. This simple image—yeast worked into three measures of flour, causing it to slowly rise—reveals that the Kingdom of Heaven is built quietly, almost imperceptibly, from within. Like leaven silently transforming dough from the inside, so too does...
Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - The Quiet Strength of Meekness
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The Quiet Strength of Meekness
The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. Matthew 12:14–16
To souls who love God and are united to Him, today’s Gospel reveals a profound lesson about facing opposition. “The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.” Why? Because of their rigid interpretation of the Sabbath law of rest. Bu...
Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Loving Beyond Legalism
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Loving Beyond Legalism
Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry…?” Matthew 12:1–3
At the heart of the Old Testament Law were the Ten Commandments. But the Law also included numerous statutes, ordinances, and ritual prescription...
Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - The Heavy Burdens of Life
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The Heavy Burdens of Life
Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Matthew 11:28–30
Everything Jesus says is pure truth and pure love. Sometimes we need a loving rebuke to awaken us, but other times—when we are weighed down with heavy burdens—our Lord comes to us with the utmost...
Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Gratitude For Divine Wisdom
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Gratitude For Divine Wisdom
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” Matthew 11:25–27
Jesus’ praise of the Father, as recorded in today’s Gospel, is...
Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Loving as Is Needed
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Loving as Is Needed
Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.” Matthew 11:20–21
Have you ever felt the urge to publicly rebuke someone, crying out in condemnation, “Woe to you!”? Most of us, at one time or another, have experienced that impulse. When we are hurt, dismissed...
Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time - The Sword of Truth and Peace
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The Sword of Truth and Peace
Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household.” Matthew 10:34–36
At first glance, this Gospel sounds like a mistake. Did Jesus really say this? He certainly did. Understanding this passage requires a deep and clear awarenes...
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) - The Generous Sower
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The Generous Sower
“A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up…” Matthew 13:3–4
In today’s Gospel, the Parable of the Sower is delivered from a boat, as Jesus addresses a large crowd along the shoreline. Jesus uses the natural acoustics of the water to carry His voice to the eager multitude who came to hear Him. Their earnestness offers us an opportunity for self-examination: Am I among that crowd, attentively listening as God speaks to me today? Do I go ou...
Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Following the Teacher
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Jesus said to his Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!” Matthew 10:24–25
In Old Testament times, disciples learned from rabbis, often becoming teachers themselves who would pass on and further develop the traditions they received. But in today’s Gospel, Jesus profoundly redefines this relationship. Unlike the other rabbis, Jesus is not anot...
Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Heralds of the Gospel
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Heralds of the Gospel
Jesus said to his Apostles: “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans.” Matthew 10:16–18
No one is naturally drawn to persecution. We flee from it. We are made for communion with one another. In Heaven, and in the Ne...
Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time - An Ever Deepening Mission
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Jesus said to his Apostles: “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” Matthew 10:7–8
And they were off! After choosing Twelve of His disciples and naming them Apostles—that is, those who are sent—Jesus sends them out, two by two, into the towns and villages of Israel, places where He Himself would later come. They go before Him, preparing hearts to receive the fullness of the Gospel whe...
Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time - Chosen and Sent
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Chosen and Sent
Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the Twelve Apostles are these… Matthew 10:1–2
Imagine being one of the Twelve. When each of them first encountered our Lord, he could never have imagined what would unfold. Eleven of them would become the foundation upon which the Messiah built His Church. Their words and actions have been recorded and proclaimed throughout the world and will continue to be until the end of t...
