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El Shaddai Windsor Outreach, St. Alphonsus Church 85 Park Street East, Windsor, ON (2026)

06/15/2026

TODAY'S WORD OF GOD - June 15, 2026

Ahab went home disturbed and angry. (1 Kings 21:4)

Ahab was truly blessed! As ruler of the northern kingdom of Israel, he had access to countless riches—but he desired more. He longed to own a vineyard that was conveniently located right next to his palace. But it belonged to a man named Naboth. To Ahab, it was prime real estate, but to Naboth, it was much more than that. It was his “ancestral heritage,” and as such, he was not permitted to sell it (1 Kings 21:3; Leviticus 25:23). So Naboth refused Ahab’s request.

Ahab should have known that he was asking for something forbidden by the Law of Moses, but covetousness clouded his thinking. He became so embittered that he took to his bed, stared at the wall, and even refused to eat. All this over a vineyard!

Look at how things escalated. First, Ahab saw a fruitful vineyard right next door, and he began to desire it. That desire led to an illegal request that Naboth sell it to him. With Naboth’s righteous refusal, Ahab became obsessed. His desire led to underhanded schemes, which led to murder, which ultimately led to Ahab’s downfall.

We can head down a similar path when we allow our own fallen desires to lead us to envy, covetousness, and greed. The path may not lead to physical death as it did for Ahab, but it can lead to a kind of spiritual death.

So how do we deal with the temptation to covet “anything that belongs to your neighbor” (Exodus 20:17)? By shifting our gaze. The more we focus on “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,” the more our hearts will be shielded from unjust and dishonorable desires like greed and envy (Philippians 4:8). Similarly, the more we fix our eyes on Jesus—who generously surrendered his life for us—the more we’ll long for his Spirit to lift us up and heal those desires.

Today, try to keep a running list of the good, the true, and the Christlike thoughts that arise in your heart—as well as the Christlike people you come across. Then, at the end of the day, read over your list. Let the truths of God’s goodness that you see in that list convince you that Jesus is your greatest treasure!

“Lord, heal me of all envy and covetousness!”

06/14/2026

TODAY'S WORD OF GOD - June 14, 2026

How much more . . . (Romans 5:9)

This passage can seem so complex that we might feel tempted to gloss over it. But don’t! Spend a little time with it, and you’ll see that it is filled with words of great encouragement and promise.

First, Paul explains that Jesus offered himself up for us “while we were still helpless” (Romans 5:6). He admits that we were trapped in sin and unable to pull ourselves out of it. If anything, we kept digging ourselves into a deeper hole. But, Paul proclaims, that’s what makes Jesus’ sacrifice so astounding. He gave his life for me when I was in such a sorry state!

Paul says, in fact, that this is how God “proves” how much he loves us: “While we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus’ cross forever stands as the evidence that no matter how low we may fall, no matter how selfish and prideful we may be, God still loves us. He still wants to rescue us and restore us to himself.

Having explained how God proves his love for us, Paul goes on to describe the confidence this love can give us. And he does it by stacking one rhetorical question on top of another: if Jesus has rescued us by his death, how much more will he protect us from “the wrath” that sin produces in the world (Romans 5:9)? How much more “will we be saved” from every evil in this world (5:10)? How much more indeed! There’s no limit to his love.

So every time you catch yourself wondering whether you are “good enough” for Jesus to love you, remember those three words: how much more! Remember the cross. Remember the love that moved him to give himself up to death—for you. Gaze upon the cross and let Jesus tell you how valuable and how precious you are to him. Then stand tall and joyfully “boast” to yourself about the love that God has for you. (Romans 5:11). Rejoice in the love that redeems and reconciles and saves and heals. The love that does so much more.

“Jesus, I am amazed by your love for me!”9

06/13/2026

The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Memorial) - June 13, 2026

Do not swear at all. (Matthew 5:34)

Does it sound as if Jesus is being overly negative about oaths in today’s Gospel? After all, oaths are serious business! Doctors take their Hippocratic Oath very seriously, and married couples solemnly promise that they will be true to each other “in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live.”

Of course, Jesus isn’t saying that oaths or vows like these are bad things in and of themselves. But he is warning us not to take them lightly. “Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’” he tells us, “and your ‘No’ mean ‘No’” (Matthew 5:37). If we live that way, we won’t need to swear to the truth of everything we say or the reliability of every promise we make. People will trust us not because of our words but because of the integrity of our lives.

We might consider these words from Jesus as little more than common sense or typically sound advice. But in reality, they get right to the heart of the Christian life. Jesus told us, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it” (Luke 11:28). He warned that we will have to “render an account for every careless word” that we speak (Matthew 12:36). And he said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (7:21). Clearly, Jesus wants our actions to speak for us—and our words to reflect the truth behind our actions.

Words matter to Jesus. There was never a conflict between what he said and what he did because he was perfectly committed to living out the truths he professed. In a similar way, he wants our words to be a clear reflection of the state of our hearts. So guard your words. Pay attention to what comes out of your mouth today, and see how your words match your deeds and your intentions. And where you see a discrepancy, seek the help of the Lord. Tell him that you want to become as honest and trustworthy as he is!

“Jesus, help me to be honest in word and deed!”

06/12/2026

TODAY'S WORD OF GOD - June 12, 2026

We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. (1 John 4:16)

Have you ever heard about the difference between “head knowledge” and “heart knowledge”? When it comes to our faith, head knowledge is important. We need to understand what the Church teaches. But without heart knowledge, it can get us only so far. Because we also need to understand, from the depths of our being, how precious we are to the Lord and how much he loves us.

That’s what today’s feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is all about. As the incarnate Son of God, Jesus’ heart is aflame with love for each one of us. Before you were even born, Jesus loved you. Even when you were lost in sin, he loved you enough to die for you. And even today, he wants you to “know and to believe”—in your heart as well as in your head—this unquenchable, unending love (1 John 4:16).

Writing about St. John Henry Newman’s devotion to the Sacred Heart, Pope Francis had this to say:

St. John Henry Newman took as his motto the phrase cor ad cor loquitur [heart speaks to heart], since, beyond all our thoughts and ideas, the Lord saves us by speaking to our hearts from his Sacred Heart. This realization led him, the distinguished intellectual, to recognize that his deepest encounter with himself and with the Lord came not from his reading or reflection, but from his prayerful dialogue, heart to heart, with Christ, alive and present. (Dilexit Nos, 26)
We can deepen our knowledge and belief in God’s love as we spend time with Jesus in our own “prayerful dialogue,” as we come “heart to heart” with him in prayer. We can speak to him of our joys and burdens, our dreams and desires. We can express our love for him and our gratitude for all he has done for us. Then we can listen for his word to us, a word that will reassure us that he holds us, now and always, in the depths of his own Sacred Heart.

To honor this great feast, try to set aside some time to speak to the Lord heart to heart—and come to know, ever more deeply, the love Jesus has for you!

“Jesus, help my heart to burn with love for you!”

06/12/2026

TODAY'S WORD OF GOD - June 11, 2026

He was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. (Acts 11:24)

St. Barnabas, whose feast we celebrate today, had an impressive résumé. He was a pioneering missionary, evangelist, and teacher. He also had a gift for relating to people. He’s the one who convinced the apostles to welcome Paul, the former persecutor, as a brother in the Lord (Acts 9:26-28). When the apostles sent Barnabas to Antioch, where Jewish and Gentile believers had come together to form a new church, he encouraged them all to persevere in love for one another (Acts 11:23).

How did Barnabas accomplish all of this? He was, of course, a dedicated disciple. But as today’s first reading tells us, he was also “filled with the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24).

Today’s reading gives us one example of how the Holy Spirit took Barnabas’ natural gift of encouragement and filled it with divine grace. But there are others. When he sought to ease the apostles’ concerns about Paul’s sincerity, it wasn’t just his words that convinced them. The Spirit, working through him, helped calm their fears. And at Antioch, Barnabas’ humility and openness to the Spirit made it easier for the believers there to receive his encouragement to remain united in Christ.

Today the Church honors Barnabas, not just as a great hero of the faith, but also as a model for us to follow. We can all become like Barnabas because every one of us who has been baptized has received the same Holy Spirit that he did. Like Barnabas, each of us can invite the Spirit to can take our natural gifts and fill them with his grace and power.

It’s good to remind yourself every now and then that you are “filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.” Whether you are working, studying, or parenting, he is with you to increase your patience and your faithfulness to your calling. When you are in the midst of a difficult conversation with someone, he is with you to help you choose your words wisely and to give you his compassion and peace. The Spirit is always ready to fill you and empower you to share your gifts with everyone around you.

“Lord, help me to remain open to your Spirit today.”

06/10/2026

TODAY'S WORD OF GOD - June 10, 2026

The Lord’s fire came down and consumed the burnt offering. (1 Kings 18:38)

In 2013, historians confirmed a grim reality: the Phoenician worshippers of Baal, like the ones in today’s first reading, likely practiced child sacrifice. This offers a chilling context to the story we read today. When Elijah stood on Mount Carmel and called out the prophets of Baal, he wasn’t just challenging a different religious opinion. He was confronting the powers of darkness—darkness that had crept into Israel’s own land and that some of God’s people had embraced.

This dramatic confrontation reached its climax when God sent his fire to consume the sacrifice Elijah had first drenched with water. Beyond all expectations and even in defiance of the laws of physics, the Lord showed that he had accepted the sacrifice of Elijah—and not the sacrifice of the prophets of Baal. Seeing the sudden burst of fire, all the people cried out, “The Lord is God! The Lord is God!” (1 Kings 18:39).

When Elijah prepared his sacrifice, he wasn’t simply setting the stage to prove God’s existence. He was standing in for a people who had strayed away from their true purpose. His offering was a sacrifice of repentance on behalf of the people in the hopes that a demonstration of God’s power would bring them “back to their senses” (1 Kings 18:37). It wasn’t the sins of the followers of Baal that moved the Lord to send fire. It was the offering of intercession made by his faithful prophet.

Our world is not so different from Elijah’s. Violent atrocities dominate the headlines. In a world with so much injustice, it’s easy to wonder why God doesn’t just come and destroy all evildoers so that the righteous can live in peace.

But look at the fire on Carmel, and you’ll see something different. You’ll see God reaching out to accept your offerings just as he accepted Elijah’s. You’ll see his fire surrounding your prayers, your acts of obedience, and the sacrifices you make in serving his people. He never rejects the offering of a heart intent on loving him!

“Here I am, Father; I offer you my thoughts, my words, and my actions—my very life—as a sacrifice of praise!”

06/09/2026

TODAY'S WORD OF GOD - June 9, 2026

You are the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:13)

Everybody’s looking for something. Some strive for wealth, others pursue power, and still others seek human affirmation. But none of these are truly satisfying. As Pope St. John Paul II told the pilgrims gathered for World Youth Day 2000, “It is Jesus in fact that you seek when you dream of happiness; he is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you.”

In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples how they can help people find the One who satisfies their deepest longing. He declares that they are “the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). He is saying that a “holy” person brings flavor and life into the world. A holy person—a disciple of Jesus—reflects the goodness of God simply by becoming the man or woman God created them to be.

This turns our ideas about holiness upside down! When we consider the saints, we think, “That could never be me.” With their heroic deeds and their self-denial and suffering, they seem more like Jesus than like us.

But it’s important to remember that Jesus spoke these words not only to his apostles, but also to the crowd gathered around them. He spoke them to everyday men and women just like us. That means that we can all be “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). As we “lose” our lives and follow Jesus, we “find” a more lively, exciting, “flavorful” life growing within us. We become more generous with our time and resources. We are more merciful and kind to the people around us. And we demonstrate the peace of Christ, even in challenging circumstances. And that new life makes us more attractive to everyone else.

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, “Grace does not destroy nature but perfects it” (Summa I.1.8). To be holy is not to deny our humanity. It is the way God made us to live. His sanctifying grace builds upon the nature and personality we already have, making it clearer, stronger, and more beautiful.

Without Jesus, life can be a bland, endless, and futile flight from pain and difficulty. But with Jesus, life becomes an adventure with the God who loves us. As we walk with him, we become more ourselves and yet more like him. And that makes us more “salty” in a world yearning for life.

“Jesus, I want to become more like you—the salt of the earth.”

06/08/2026

TODAY'S WORD OF GOD - June 8, 2026

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. (Matthew 5:8)

When Jesus talks about “the clean of heart” seeing God in today’s Gospel, he’s talking about the beatific vision, that glorious moment when the blessed—everyone whose hearts have been purified—see God face-to-face (Matthew 5:8). What a contrast to our experience in this life! We all know what it’s like to have our vision of Jesus obscured by sin. It’s like wearing glasses that are smudged and filled with dust and dirt.

But the promise of the gospel is that we can turn away from sin. We can be set free from its power over us. And as we repent, we become able to see God a little more clearly. Our hearts become a little more purified. And we find the grace to act differently, to love God and love our neighbor in a way that prepares us for the full beatific vision of heaven.

But it’s not just clearing up our vision that purifies us; it’s also keeping our eyes fixed on the Lord throughout the day. As we hold fast to our vision of Jesus, however cloudy that vision might be, the Holy Spirit takes our efforts and exchanges them with his own divine grace. He helps our intentions line up even better with God’s vision and he makes us even more ready for heaven.

Here’s one small example of how this process of purification might play out in our lives. Let’s say you’ve been getting drawn into neighborhood gossip and have caught yourself saying unkind things about people behind their backs. You’ve brought the sin to Confession. The next week, you overhear two neighbors talking about the person down the street. They’re criticizing her for not weeding her garden.

This time, instead of getting sucked into saying something negative, you find a way to steer the conversation to a different topic. Maybe you even make a positive comment about the neighbor with the weedy garden. That’s God at work! And because you cooperated with him, your vision of him became just a little clearer and your heart just a little more like his.

So keep cleaning your spiritual glasses and asking yourself, “Where will I see God today?”

“Jesus, I long to see you. Help me turn away from sin. Purify my heart as I gaze on you.”

06/08/2026

TODAY'S WORD OF GOD - June 7, 2026

The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. (John 6:51)

Today we celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Christ. We stand in awe that Jesus makes himself truly and entirely present in the Eucharist. We marvel at the glorious mystery that the Divine Son of God not only became a man and offered himself on the cross but that he also comes to us, Body and Blood, soul and divinity, so that we can receive him into our own bodies in Communion.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is early in his ministry, but he is already pointing people toward his Last Supper, passion, and death. He tells them that just as God had fed his people Israel with manna in the desert, he would feed them. But Jesus is not speaking only about physical bread and the miraculous multiplication of the loaves (John 6:1-15). He is promising the “food that endures for eternal life” (6:27). He is proclaiming that he himself is “the living bread that came down from heaven” and that he will give them his own “flesh for the life of the world” (6:51).

Two thousand years later, we encounter this same Jesus at every Eucharist. What a glorious gift! He offered his Body and Blood on the cross to save us, and now he gives us that same Body and Blood on the altar.

At Mass today, as the priest lifts up the Host, fix your eyes and heart on Jesus. As you pray, “Lord, I am not worthy,” trust in the mercy of your crucified Savior. As you come forward to receive Jesus, proclaim your faith in his true, Real Presence in what was once only bread and wine. And as you kneel in grateful prayer, praise and thank him for giving his life to you and offering himself for the whole world.

“Lord Jesus, I believe you are truly present in the Eucharist. I adore you and I give my life to you."

06/06/2026

TODAY'S WORD OF GOD - June 5, 2026

Remain faithful to what you have learned and believed. (2 Timothy 3:14)

By all accounts, Timothy was a hardworking and loyal servant of God. He was so trustworthy, in fact, that St. Paul appointed him as leader of the church in Ephesus. A vibrant city of about two hundred fifty thousand, Ephesus was a hub of imperial power and pagan worship. Given that there were only a few hundred believers in such a huge city, Timothy had his work cut out for him!

But despite his diligence, Timothy appeared to be a somewhat anxious, timid young man. He had a weak stomach and was prone to “frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23). Paul felt that he needed to urge Timothy to “stir into flame” his faith and to stop being “ashamed” to be known as a follower of Christ (2 Timothy 1:6, 8).

Paul’s answer to Timothy’s anxieties was surprisingly simple. After detailing his own challenges, he counseled his young friend simply to “remain faithful” to the things he had “learned and believed” about the life of a disciple (2 Timothy 3:14). Timothy had received a treasure trove of teaching and guidance from his mother and grandmother—he should lean on that. He also had access to the Hebrew Scriptures, which Paul referred to as “inspired by God” and as being very “useful” in keeping him on the right path (3:16).

Remain faithful. Paul’s words to Timothy apply just as much to us. Hold fast. Stand firm. In a world where so much can feel complicated and uncertain, know that in Christ you have all that you’ll ever need to cut through the noise and the worries of life in this world.

Remain faithful. When the way seems unsure, take a step back, and ask the Spirit if there is one simple principle of faith—something you have “learned and believed” (2 Timothy 3:14)—that can help you move forward. Is it the call to forgive? To be generous? To speak a difficult truth to someone firmly but with care? Take that one step and see where it leads.

Remain faithful. Don’t let the anxieties of life or the complexities of the world hold you back. You are a child of God, an heir to a vast treasury of heavenly wisdom and strength. Hold fast to that, and you can always find the way forward.

“Lord, help me remain faithful to you.”

El Shaddai Windsor Outreach

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