Maurice Blumberg is a Jewish convert to the Catholicism, and the father of five children. He is currently the Director of Partner Relations for The Word Among Us Partners, a ministry of The Word Among Us to the Military, Prisoners, and women with crisis pregnancies or who have had abortions. Maurice was also the founding Executive Director of the National Fellowship of Catholic Men and was Chairman of the Board of The Word Among Us, a Catholic devotional magazine.
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Daniel 12:1-3 Responsorial: Psalm 16:5, 8-11 2nd Reading: Hebrews 10:11-14, 18 Gospel: Mark 13:24-32 Always Be Ready for Jesus Second Coming Live Each Day As If It Were Your Last Of that day or hour, no one knows. (Mark 13:32) When Jesus said […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Deuteronomy 6:2-6 Responsorial: Psalm 18:2-4, 47, 51 2nd Reading: Hebrews 7:23-28 Gospel: Mark 12:28-34 Understanding the Difference between “Fear the Lord” and “Perfect Love Drives out Fear” Fear the Lord, your God. (Deuteronomy 6:2) What does it mean to fear the Lord? Should […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Jeremiah 31:7-9 Responsorial: Psalm 126:1-6 2nd Reading: Hebrews 5:1-6 Gospel: Mark 10:46-52 Saying Yes to Jesus’ Call to Follow Him and No to the Call to Follow the Things of the World He began to cry out. (Mark 10:47) Bartimaeus makes it perfectly […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Isaiah 53:10-11 Responsorial: Psalm 33:4-5, 18-20, 22 2nd Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16 Gospel: Mark 10:35-45 Answering the Call to Serve Jesus and Build the Kingdom of God The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Wisdom 7:7-11 2nd Reading: Hebrews 4:12-13 Responsorial: Psalm 90:12-17 Gospel: Mark 10: 17-30 . . . with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. (Mark 10:30) Today in Rome, Pope Francis will canonize Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador, in addition […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Genesis 2:18-24 Responsorial: Psalm 128:1-6 2nd Reading: Hebrews 2:9-11 Gospel: Mark 10:2-16 It is not good for the man to be alone. (Genesis 2:18) Doesn’t it sound as if God created Adam and then noticed that something was missing? Maybe he realized that […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Numbers 11:25-29 Responsorial: Psalm 19:8, 10, 12-14 2nd Reading: James 5:1-6 Gospel: Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 Eldad and Medad. (Numbers 11:27) We all know that Moses was filled with the Spirit of the Lord, but today’s first reading tells us that God took […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Wisdom 2:12, 17-20 Responsorial Psalm: 54:3-6, 8 2nd Reading: James 3:16–4:3 Gospel: Mark 9:30-37 The Son of Man is to be handed over to men. (Mark 9:31) What a remarkable statement! As he begins his journey to Jerusalem, Jesus tells his disciples—and us—that […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Isaiah 50:5-9 Responsorial: Psalm 116:1-6, 8-9 2nd Reading: James 2:14-18 Gospel: Mark 8:27-35 Get behind me, Satan. (Mark 8:33) Try to imagine the look on Peter’s face when Jesus rebuked him. He must have gone from a beaming smile to a forlorn frown in […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Isaiah 35:4-7 Responsorial: Psalm 146:7-10 2nd Reading: James 2:1-5 Gospel: Mark 7:31-37 The burning sands will become pools. (Isaiah 35:7) Isaiah’s promises seem extravagant, don’t they? If we look at them literally, they are quite marvelous. God will permanently alter the Holy Land […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 Responsorial: Psalm 15:2-5 2nd Reading: James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27 Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 Be doers of the word. (James 1:22) In today’s second reading, James compares the Scriptures to a mirror. When we read the word of God, or […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Joshua 24:1-2, 15-18 2nd Reading: Ephesians 5:21-32 Responsorial: Psalm 34:2-3, 16-21 Gospel: John 6:60-69 Master, to whom shall we go? (John 6:68) Preparing the Israelites to recommit themselves to their covenant with God, Joshua recounted the many ways God had delivered them from […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading Proverbs 9:1-6 Responsorial: Psalm 34:2-7 2nd Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20 Gospel: John 6: 51-58 Be filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18) Today is exam day. And to make it a little easier, we have reprinted today’s second reading: 15Watch carefully how you live, not […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: 1 Kings 19:4-8 Responsorial: Psalm 34:2-9 2nd Reading: Ephesians 4:30–5:2 Gospel: John 6:41-51 Get up and eat! (1 Kings 19:5) Elijah was downcast. Queen Jezebel had just ordered his death. Just a few days earlier, Elijah had found himself in a moment of […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15 Responsorial: Psalm 78:3-4, 23-25, 54 2nd Reading: Ephesians 4:17, 20-24 Gospel: John 6:24-35 Be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self. (Ephesians 4:23-24) There are usually two sections to an epistle by St. Paul. […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: 2 Kings 4:42-44 2nd Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6 Responsorial: Psalm 145:10-11, 15-18 Gospel: John 6:1-15 A large crowd followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing. (John 6:2) If you want a key to understanding the Gospel of John, you could probably […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6 Responsorial: Psalm 23:1-6 2nd Reading: Ephesians 2:13-18 Gospel: Mark 6:30-34 He . . . broke down the dividing wall of enmity. (Ephesians 2:14) In almost poetic language, St. Paul invites the Ephesians to marvel at the unity they are experiencing. Many […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Amos 7:12-15 Responsorial: Psalm 85:9-14 2nd Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14 Gospel: Mark 6:7-13 He chose us in him, before the foundation of the world. (Ephesians 1:4) In June of last year, the United Nations estimated that there were 7.6 billion people living on Earth. […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Wisdom 1:13-15, 2:23-24 Responsorial: Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13 2nd Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15 Gospel: Mark 5:21-43 If I but touch his clothes . . . (Mark 5:28) If you could use only one word to describe today’s story of the woman’s […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Isaiah 49:1-6 Responsorial Psalm: 139:1-3, 13-15 2nd Reading: Acts 13:22-26 Gospel: Luke 1:57-66, 80 Being Filled with the Holy Spirit and the Joy of the Lord All were amazed. (Luke 1:63) What do you think is the most amazing thing about John the […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading Ezekiel 17:22-24 Responsorial: Psalm 92:2-3, 13-168 2nd Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 Gospel: Mark 4:26-34 Without parables he did not speak to them. (Mark 4:34) Did you know that you are quirky? It’s true. The fact that you are taking time out to read […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Genesis 3:9-15 Responsorial: Psalm 130:1-8 2nd Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:13–5:1 Gospel: Mark 3:20-35 We are not discouraged. (2 Corinthians 4:16) If anybody had a right to be discouraged, it was St. Paul. During the course of his ministry, he was beaten, shipwrecked, betrayed, […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading Exodus 24:3-8 2nd Reading: Hebrews 9:11-15 Responsorial: Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18 Gospel: Mark 14:12-16, 22-26 This is my body. (Mark 14:22) It’s a well-known saying: We are what we eat. But what happens when we take that saying and apply it to our spiritual […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40 2nd Reading: Romans 8:14-17 Responsorial: Psalm 33:4-6, 9, 18-20, 22 Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20 Knowing and Experiencing More Deeply the Great Love and Mercy of the Trinity In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy […]
