Posts by Arrowood
Most Poignant Times for Candlelight Services
Though electricity has replaced candles as the primary source of lighting, there is still a place for them in Catholic spirituality. Less of a necessity and more of a symbol nowadays, religious ceremonies are the perfect time to light candles. Candles represent both the light of Christ and our offering of sacrificial prayer. They also…
Read MoreDaily Bible: Blessed the Man Who Follows Not the Wicked
Read Today’s Readings In today’s first reading from Revelation 1:1-4,2:1-5 we hear Jesus’ message to the Church (diocese) in Ephesus. Jesus praises them for the faithfulness they showed in the past, but he then criticizes them: Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first. Realize how far you have…
Read MoreDaily Bible: Testified to Love
Read Today’s Readings In 3John 5-8 Saint John celebrates another local church that is showing its love by supporting others. I think it shows a lot about how we need conversion of heart when we see how parishes and dioceses tend to compete with each other rather than loving and supporting each other for the…
Read MoreDaily Bible: God is Faithful
Read Today’s Readings What would your life be like if you could imitate Saint Paul as he describes himself in Philippians 4:10-19, content in all circumstances because of faith in Jesus? The eternal perspective given to us by faith should be an anchor for us in any life circumstance. Note how Saint Paul encourages the…
Read MoreSpiritual Project: Discerning Your Mission
Officially, and by officially I mean if you look through the catechism, if you look through Church documents, the Church doesn’t really talk much about a personal mission. It talks a lot about a vocation, but even there, “officially” the Church usually talks about vocation in terms of priestly vocation or the call to religious…
Read MoreSunday Reading: The people saw the sign he had done.
Today’s Readings for the Holy Mass It’s interesting that Jesus’ “multiplication of the loaves” miracle was first performed by the prophet Elijah. Interesting, but not surprising. In fact, much of what Jesus does in his earthly ministry is a fulfillment of the Old Testament signs. For Elijah, the miracle was a sign of God’s love…
Read MoreSunday Reading: Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while
Today’s Readings for the Holy Mass I love the first reading today from the prophet Jeremiah. God is tired of the Hebrew leaders who are leading His people away from Him. At the time Jeremiah proclaimed this message, those leaders were unfaithful kings and priests. In Jesus’ time they were many of the scribes and…
Read MoreDaily Reading: His Disciples Were Hungry
Today’s Readings for the Holy Mass In today’s first reading from Isaiah, King Hezekiah is faced with his mortality and pleads with God for healing. God grants his request and heals him from his terminal illness. The psalm reminds us that God is the Lord of Life. While the psalmist doesn’t seem to fully grasp…
Read MoreLean Into Joy
Emotional happiness is like a rabbit. If you have ever observed one, you can relate to this story. Rabbits are fluffy and cute while they sit and munch on their food. Their outward appearance is content and happy. But, if they hear an unexpected noise they quickly change their demeanor. They hop high in the…
Read MoreLean Into Goodness
Have you ever met someone who you considered to be good? By following their actions you were able to determine they weren’t just doing good deeds, but that they themselves were full of goodness. Goodness is a fruit that can be cultivated and grown in our lives. When it’s grown into virtue, then goodness becomes…
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