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Daily Reflections

Daily Scripture, September 17, 2025

Scripture:

1 Timothy 3:14-16
Luke 7:31-35

Reflection:

Our readings today might aptly be described as a “lesson on manners,” a brief but very insightful tutorial on how Christians ought and ought not to behave. In the passage from 1 Timothy, we are reminded that through baptism we were incorporated into “the household of God.” Even though all of us belong to multiple “households” (family, friendships, local communities, groups and organizations), none should ever become more important than the household of God, which is “the Church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.” The household of God is our true place of belonging, the foundation and center of our lives; no other “household” should ever supplant it.

Lest we think the household of God is a haphazard collection of individuals, each doing as he or she pleases, the writer insists that every member should “know how to behave in the household of God.” That’s because as we grow as members of that household, we are initiated into the ways of God that have been revealed to us in Christ. By learning the “manners” of Christ, we can fulfill our baptismal vocation of witnessing Christ in our lives until, as 1 Timothy promises, he is “believed in throughout the world.”

By contrast, today’s strange nugget of a gospel shows us how not to behave; it is a pithy, if initially perplexing, lesson in “bad manners.” Jesus zeroes in on people who are always finding fault, always criticizing, and using that as an excuse to reject the message as well as the messenger. John the Baptist comes along, and rather than taking his message to heart, they declare, “He is possessed by a demon.” Then Jesus stands right in front of them, and rather than opening their hearts to receive him, they mock him as “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.” As a result, they stay exactly as they were, untouched, unchanged, unredeemed. That’s not only bad manners; it’s also an inconsolable tragedy.

Paul J. Wadell is Professor Emeritus of Theology & Religious Studies at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and a member of the Passionist Family of Holy Cross Province.

Daily Scripture, July 1, 2022

Scripture: Amos 8:4-6, 9-12Matthew 9:9-13 Reflection: The first reading for today is a blistering attack on the rich and powerful who exploit the poor for their own gain.  Amos, the » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, June 30, 2022

Scripture: Amos 7:10-17Matthew 9:1-8 Reflection: My eye was drawn first to the line in today’s gospel reading that says, “Why do you harbor evil thoughts?” When I read the comments » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, June 29, 2022

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul Scripture: Acts of the Apostles 12:1-112 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18Matthew 16: 13 -19 Reflection: Today we celebrate two great men of the Church, Saints Peter » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, June 28, 2022

Scripture: Amos 3:1-8; 4:11-12Matthew 8:23-27 Reflection: “Lord, save us!  We are perishing!”  Don’t you hear us?  Why are you sleeping? Like the disciples, we are all very human!  We want » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, June 27, 2022

Scripture: Amos 2:6-10, 13-16Matthew 8:18-22 Reflection: Today’s Gospel reading comes from Matthew 8:18-22. A scribe tells Jesus that he will follow him wherever he goes, and another says to let » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, June 26, 2022

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21Galatians 5:1, 13-18Luke 9:51-62 Reflection: There is always a “but.” I want to lose ten pounds, but… I want to learn Spanish, but… I want to » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, June 25, 2022

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary Scripture: Lamentations 2:2, 10-14, 18-19Luke 2:41-51 Reflection: In vain they ask their mothers,“Where is the grain?”As they faint away like » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, June 23, 2022

The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist Scripture: Isaiah 49:1-6 Acts 13:22-26 Luke 1:57-66, 80 Reflection: Today the Church celebrates the Nativity of John the Baptist. Normally this would be » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, June 22, 2022

Scripture: 2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-3 Matthew 7:15-20 Reflection: And He sent them out in pairs telling them to take nothing with them – no money, no extra cloak, even their » Continue Reading.

Daily Scripture, June 21, 2022

Scripture: 2 Kings 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36Matthew 7:6, 12-14 Reflection: “Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine” Have you ever wondered what » Continue Reading.

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