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: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 Responsorial: Psalm 128:1-5 2nd Reading: Colossians 3:12-21 Gospel: Luke 2:41-52 Reflecting God’s Love and Care in Our Love and Care for Our Parents Take care of your father when he is old. (Sirach 3:12) Many of us are already living […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Micah 5:1-4 Responsorial: Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 2nd Reading: Hebrews 10:5-10 Gospel: Luke 1:39-45 Advent, A Time to Rejoice in the Lord’s Great Love for Us He takes away the first to establish the second. (Hebrews 10:9) Here we are, just two days […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Zephaniah 3:14-18 Responsorial: (Psalm) Isaiah 12:2-6 2nd Reading: Philippians 4:4-7 Gospel: Luke 3: 10-18 Advent, A Time to Rejoice in the Lord’s Great Love for Us Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! (Philippians 4:4) St. Paul believed that […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Baruch 5:1-9 2nd Reading: Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11 Responsorial: Psalm 126:1-6 Gospel: Luke 3:1-6 Advent, A Time to Fix Our Eyes on Jesus and His Presence in Others God is leading Israel in joy. (Baruch 5:9) When was the last time you saw Jesus […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Jeremiah 33:14-16 2nd Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:12–4:2 Responsorial: Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14 Gospel: Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 Advent, A Time to Make Room for Jesus and Prepare for His Coming The days are coming, says the Lord . . . (Jeremiah 33:14) We often […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Mass Readings: 1st Reading: Daniel 7:13-14 2nd Reading: Revelation 1:5-8 Responsorial: Psalm 93:1-2, 5 Gospel: John 18:33-37 The Difference between Jesus’ Kingdom and Kingdoms of This World My kingdom does not belong to this world. (John 18:36) According to Scripture, Cain, who killed his brother Abel, also […]
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. […]
