The first reading is the story of a widow who had a very small amount of food for herself and her son to eat in a time of famine. The prophet asked her to share some of the little she had. Understandably she was very slow to do so but eventually, she did what Elijah asked. She shared the very little food that she had. In doing so she discovered that the Lord provided for her in abundance. We are reminded of another widow in the gospels; she put a very small amount into the Temple treasury but in doing…

  O Jesus, you showed us your infinite compassionate love by exhausting the very last drop of blood and water from your body. From this day forward, with full confidence, we entrust our families to Your Divine Mercy. We abandon our past, our present and our future. We place into your wounds all of our wounds which are caused by lack of love, understanding and trust. Jesus, expel Satan and all evil from our families, free us from the consequence of sin and protect us from further harm. Heal our wounds. May our families learn to venerate your Divine Image…

1 Kgs 17:1-6 Mt 5:1-12 The gospel reading this morning is one of the most familiar texts in the gospels. Its very familiarity can blunt our awareness of how radical a message is being spoken. Jesus declares blessed those who live according to certain values and attitudes. They are blessed, not so much because of their present situation, but because of a future situation that God will bring about for them. The poor in spirit are those who are aware of their own lack of resources and look to God for salvation. The ‘gentle’ is the opposite of those who…

Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9 2 Cor 13:11-13 Jn 3:16-18 In the Godhead, there are three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Here, we see a community of persons who share one Essence. We have so much to learn from the diversified unity that exists in the Holy Trinity. 1. Collaboration, not Competition: Despite their distinct personalities, the three persons of the Holy Trinity are eternally collaborating. We could also recall their respective roles during the Baptism of the Lord. We can do better and achieve more when we work together than when we indulge in…

2 Tm 4:1-8 Mk 12: 38-44 In the gospel reading, Jesus observes two kinds of gifts being given to the temple treasury. Some put a great deal of money into the treasury. Yet, it was the widow’s gift of two small pennies that caught Jesus’ eye. Even thought her small gift was worth little, it was the most valuable gift of all, because in giving that small sum, she gave her livelihood – she gave her life. Jesus deliberately points her out to his disciples. It is very likely that if Jesus had not pointed out this widow to his…

SAINT NORBERT was born at Xanten near Köln (Cologne) about the year 1080. As a young cleric he resided at the court of the Archbishop of Köln and then at that of the emperor where he allowed himself to be influenced by the spirit of the world. But he was won back by grace; caught by a storm during a journey on horseback he made up his mind to take his clerical obligations seriously. After ordination to the priesthood, he devoted himself to itinerant preaching. In 1120, on the advice of the bishop of Laon, he settled in the forest…