Day 259: The Sermon on the Mount (2024)

As Fr. Mike reads from Nehemiah today, we hear about how the hearts of the people of Israel were moved as Ezra reads the book of the law of Moses to them. In our reading of Esther, we have the beginning of the crisis that will unfold throughout the book as Haman, backed by the ki ...  Show more

Fr. Mike continues reading from the book of Nehemiah as we read of the many attempts to prevent Nehemiah from doing the great work of God. We also see the events that lead to Esther being chosen as queen and the goodness she will bring even in the midst of a broken system. Today’ ...  Show more

“The Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus’ preaching,” the Catechism tells us. Jesus’ proclamation in Chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew purifies our hearts, sets a standard for earthly discernment, and directs our actions towards heaven. Fr. Mike invites us to choose God’s ways ...  Show more

When Jesus recounts the Laws from the Torah, he doesn’t simply address the behavior, he gets to the heart of sin. John Mark explores Jesus's commandments surrounding lust and divorce and highlights how God's heart is for us to honor one another as brothers and sisters in ...  Show more

At the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us to pray through his own prayer to the Father. As we watch Jesus pray, his prayer becomes our template for our own prayer. Fr. Mike emphasizes that our prayer should not just be external, but rather should be an internal conversion of h ...  Show more

What happens to us when we go to Confession? Fr. Mike explains the powerful ways the Sacrament of Reconciliation spiritually restores and perfects us. We also learn about the eternal and temporal consequences of sin, and finally, Fr. Mike discusses the four aspects to an indulgen ...  Show more