We must learn to "practice what we preach".

I’m going to try something new today. Instead of pasting the daily readings in their entirety, I think I’ll just put hyper-links in so you can read them for yourselves if you want to.

There are two reasons for this change. I’ve been reading a lot of other blogs on line recently and most of them are much shorter and easier to read than those that I’ve been posting. I wouldn’t want to lose readers because my blogs are too long too be read. And by the way, thanks to you who think enough of my writing and thoughts to continue reading them--as my "counter" at the left attests, I have had about 250 "hits" since I put it there 3 weeks ago. That tells me I have about 10 or so regular readers. As the Alpha Beta Supermarket ads used to say, "Tell a friend!"

The second reason is for teaching purposes. If you click on the reading “hyper-links”, it will take you to the full text of the readings but more importantly to the USCCB website, where you can also link to the New American Bible and find the readings with the commentary as well. I think this is important to understanding the “little details” behind most of the verses and help us to know why the Church teaches what She does.

Please let me know if the new format is easier to follow, harder to follow or if you think I was already on the right track and no change was needed.


1 Thes 2:9-13
Ps 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab
Mt 23:27-32

Our inner attitude and our prayer should be inspired by today’s psalm. “Where can I go from your spirit? From your presence where can I flee. If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.” (Ps 139: 7-8)

In the Gospel the last couple of days Jesus is angry, like in today's Gospel when He says, "Woe to you," and calls the Pharisees hypocrites. The harshness of His words reveals how serious it is to be a hypocrite.

Until living a virtuous life becomes habitual, we should all worry about being hypocrites. It means having self-knowledge and requires us to be on our toes. We must be careful that we don't start slipping into doing what seems and looks good, instead of being good.

That's why daily examination of conscience is recommended and finds its proper place within the Liturgy of the Hours (The Divine Office) and is celebrated at the end of our day's activities with Night Prayer.

Virtue can be accomplished only with God's grace and acceptance of the means He provides. So we should take what He has freely offered: His Sacred Word, His Precious Body and Blood; read it; eat it. Let it help you be an authentic follower of Christ, the real thing.

St. Ignatius' General Examination of Conscience:
1. Give thanks to God our Lord for the favors received.
2. Ask for the grace to know your sins.
3. Examine how you have lived this day.
4. Ask forgiveness for any faults.
5. Resolve to amend with the grace of God.