One of the great night prayer hymns, “All Praise to Thee My God This Night,” appears in numerous hymnals of the English tradition. Sadly, it is not in our current breviary, but I hope that the new one might feature it. It was written by Thomas Ken in 1709 and is most often sung to the beautiful tune of Tallis’ Ordinal, which you can hear in the video below.

Ideally, night prayer should include acts of thanksgiving and praise to God along with repentance f...

As we move toward the conclusion of the Advent season, we ponder the events surrounding Christ's birth. The penultimate focus is the events leading up to the birth of St. John the Baptist, and in particular, the narrative of Zechariah and Elizabeth. While there are certainly many teachings to be drawn from this passage, there is value in pondering the imposition of silence upon Zechariah. This aspect of the story is particularly applicable to us be...

One of the great and often-missed moments in the Mass is the opening prayer, also known as the “collect.” It is called this because after priest says to the faithful, “Let us pray,” he waits a moment as they do so and then “collects” their prayers and directs them to God.

Most of the collects (pronounced káh’-lects) are quite ancient and are minor masterpieces. They are succinct, like most of the prayers of the Roman Rite, and make use of creative...

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
-- Matthew 5:8

“Holy Purity, the queen of virtues, the angelic virtue, is a jewel so precious that those who possess it become like the angels of God in heaven, even though clothed in mortal flesh.”
-- Saint John Bosco

“We must be pure. I do not speak merely of the purity of the senses. We must observe great purity in our will, in our intentions, in all our actions.”
-- Saint Peter Julian Eymard
...

For Sunday

MORNING OFFERING

With a contrite and a pure and loving heart say:

MARY, Immaculate Mother of Jesus, offer, we beseech thee, to the Eternal Father, the Precious Blood of thy Divine Son, to prevent at least one mortal sin from being committed somewhere in the world this day (night). 

"If every night, before we went to sleep," says Father Faber, "we begged our dear Lady to offer up to God the Precious Blood of her Divine Son for grace to hinder one mortal sin somewhere in the world, during that night, an...

“In him we have redemption … in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.” (Ephesians 1:7-8)

Imagine you have just arrived home after a long day and you fum­ble to unlock the door. When you step in the house you hear an erup­tion of voices calling out “Surprise!” The house is filled with family and friends, balloons, and more food than you’ve ever seen. Suddenly your plans for the evening have changed, and nothing else matters.

This ima...

“Do not be afraid.” (Matthew 10:26)

If Jesus were to ask you to do something, as he did when he sent his apostles out to preach and heal, it wouldn’t be unusual to find yourself suddenly afraid. Fear is a natural reaction.

Maybe you’re afraid because you’re having a hard time under­standing what he is asking of you. Or maybe you understand just enough to see potential difficulties or unpleasant consequences. Maybe you feel unprepared and unquali­fied, and s...

“Whoever endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22)

There are times when life is a joy­ful sprint, when you sense the wind of the Spirit propelling you along. But there are other times when it feels like a hard slog down a barren, endless road.

If you’re facing the hostility that Jesus mentions in today’s Gospel, you may well feel worn and weary. You may also feel this way if you’re unemployed, deployed, disabled, caregiving, or working two jobs to ma...

“I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks.” (Hosea 11:4)

Those of us who have been loved and cared for by our parents have some understanding of what it’s like to receive love from God the Father. Yet we understand even more when we ourselves become parents. Jesus invites us to reflect on this when he asks: “What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? … How much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spir...

“The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 10:7)

It’s no exaggeration to say that St. Benedict (480–547), whose feast we celebrate today, changed the course of history. At a time when Western society was falling apart, the monas­teries that followed his rule became oases of stability and hope. People were attracted by the monks’ peace­ful presence, and many decided to move to be closer to them. In some cases, whole towns sprang up around these centers of ...

“They were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matthew 9:36)

They may not be the most intelli­gent of all God’s creatures, but when it comes to the spiritual life, sheep do have some character traits in com­mon with us. Like us, they know that they depend on their shepherd for their provision and protection. Like us, they are capable of learning how to hear and follow their master’s voice. And again like us, they also tend to wander away f...

“I will espouse you to me forever. ” (Hosea 2:19)

Have you noticed how many businesses have begun to offer “24/7” service? This means that they will be available all the time, every hour of every day. The con­cept has become popular because people want to know that they can do their shopping any time they want or need to.

Well maybe this isn’t as new as we may think. After all, our heav­enly Father has been offering 24/7 help since the dawn of creation. Wh...

“I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel.” (Amos 9:14)

A young mother and father look on their newborn child, and they are filled with love. They have big dreams for this child’s future. Surely he or she will be the most lovely, the most brilliant, the most gifted of all children! Nothing else is possible, because this is their child, the result of their love for each other.

How much greater must God’s hopes and dreams be for our future! We are m...

“They shall wander … in search of the word of the Lord.” (Amos 8:12)

It’s hard to think of anything worse than a “famine” of the word of God. What if you lived in a country where you were forbidden to worship the Lord, own a Bible, or even speak the name of Jesus? Scripture tells us that something like this did happen to the Israelites of the Northern King­dom around 721 b.c. It seems that Amos’ prophecy was indeed fulfilled when the Assyrian army overran...

“I was no prophet.” (Amos 7:14)

When we get sick, have legal con­cerns, or want investment advice, we consult professionals with expertise in those areas. In a similar way, we may refer religious matters to trained specialists who have spent years studying theology and Scripture.

That’s what it was like in ancient Israel as well. Groups of profes­sional prophets worked together and even formed communities with each other. They supported themselves by providing ...

“They cried out to him.” (Matthew 8:29)

When Jesus entered the region Gadara, two men inexplicably ran toward him, crying out to him. It may have looked similar to the way the disciples had just rushed to Jesus and begged him to save them from a violent storm at sea (Matthew 8:25). But something was very different.

These two men were possessed by demons who saw Jesus as a threat to the hold they had over their victims. By contrast, the disciples saw him as the one...

St. Thomas

My Lord and my God! (John 20:28)

The apostle Thomas has an unfortunate reputation as the “Doubting Thomas.” For some of us, the first and only thing we remember about him is his statement: “Unless I see … I will not believe” (John 20:25). But earlier on, when Jesus told the Twelve that he was going back to a hostile Judea to help his friend Lazarus, Thomas rallied the other disciples to join him. “Let us also go to die with him” (11:16), he sa...

“Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” (Matthew 8:22)

These words can make us cringe. Does Jesus really expect us to leave the corpses of loved ones to rot while we go off and follow him? Does he really want us to show such callous disregard for our families? Of course not. Jesus used extreme statements like this to make it clear that he wants us to take the call to follow him seriously.

Jesus wasn’t telling this fellow not to bury his father. How could h...

“He looked around to see who had done it.” (Mark 5:32)

Sometimes our prayer life can feel a little like a gumball dispenser. We put a quarter in the slot, turn the handle, and expect a gumball to drop out. If we say our prayers, attend church, or do good works, we may think we automatically receive God’s grace. We put in the time, and God dispenses his grace.

But God wants so much more for us! He wants prayer to be a time when we have a personal encounter with hi...

“Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.” (Communion Rite)

Across the English-speaking world, people are stumbling through a new translation of the Mass, relearning phrases and prayers that have been in place for decades. More than a few people have exchanged sheepish glances as they have caught themselves saying something like: “And also with your Spirit!”

But this new translation includes...

The angel of the Lord … delivers all who fear God. (Psalm 34:8)

This scene sounds a lot like a suspenseful movie, doesn’t it? A hostage languishes in captivity until a heli­copter is heard in the distance. The chopper brings a group of highly-skilled forces who enter and snatch the hostage out of the mouth of dan­ger, whisking him to safety.

In today’s readings, both Peter and Paul rejoice in being rescued by God. Peter’s story in the ...

“The winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.” (Matthew 7:27)

The citizens of Jerusalem expe­rienced just such a collapse. After numerous infidelities to God, he permitted Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, to conquer them. He dashed their city to the ground, deposed their king, and dragged him into exile along with all the powerful and skilled people of the land.

In the face of such devastation, there are two equally disastro...

“The king made a covenant before the Lord.” (2 Kings 23:3)

Josiah wasn’t your average eighteen-year-old learning to be responsible. He already had too much responsibility—he was king of Judah! What’s more, the odds were against him. His father, Amon, and his grandfather, Manasseh, had been terrible rulers. Manasseh revived idol worship and various occult practices. He even murdered his own son. Amon continued with more of the same, until he himself was murdere...

“Enter through the narrow gate.” (Matthew 7:13)

That narrow gate! It’s tighter than the gap between the do’s and don’ts that we’re all familiar with. So you don’t lie, injure or kill—but what about forgiving a person who has grievously hurt you? You steer clear of coveting, cheating, and stealing— but what about giving financially, even though finances are tight? That’s a constricted road, for sure.

And how do you take time to encourage someone else...

We find the defendant guilty as charged. The judge’s gavel strikes: Crack! Crack! Crack! Bailiff, take him away. This scene is repeated count­less times on countless television shows. It is splashed over newspaper headlines and is a hot topic in books and blockbuster movies. In case you haven’t noticed, crime-and-punish­ment justice gets a lot of attention. And that side of justice isn’t a bad thing. It...

“As he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct.” (1 Peter 1:15)

At any other time in the church year, we might find this exhortation intimidating. There’s no way I can be as holy as Jesus, certainly not in every single thing I do! It’s just not humanly possible, no matter how pure my inten­tions and strong my willpower. I can’t possibly eliminate selfishness from my nature. I can’t love the way God loves.

True enough. This...

“… A new birth to a living hope.” (1 Peter 1:3)

“Yes,” your doctor says. “The test results confirm it. You are preg­nant.” The excitement you feel on hearing these words is indescribable. You’re having your first child!

As the months progress, you find yourself focusing less on yourself and more on the little person you are carrying. It’s all about the baby now. At fleeting moments you may think about the pain of childbirth or the nighttime feedings...

“With complete assurance and without hindrance he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 28:31)

Imagine being the soldier guard­ing Paul during his house arrest in Rome! He would have seen this great apostle and evangelist toward the end of his life. He has been tested by trials and proved faith­ful through all his journeys. Now Paul could take advantage of two years of relative peace to wrap up his affairs. He wrote many ...

“There is a man here left in custody by Felix.” (Acts 25:14)

If you were talking about the apos­tle Paul, is it likely that you’d refer to him simply as “a man”? Probably not. To us, Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles, an ardent ambassador for Christ, an eminent teacher, and a glorious hero of the faith. But to Festus, the Rome-appointed official who was holding him in prison, Paul is just a jailbird with odd ideas of no special interest.

As Festus discu...

I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.” (John 17:20)

When we enter into a time of intercessory prayer, it’s not uncom­mon to bring our own priorities to the forefront of our minds. We bring to God the issues that concern us and challenge us on a regular basis. How will I pay these bills? Can I trust my teenager to drive? How can I maintain a happy marriage? But if we look at Jesus’ prayer on the night before he d...

“I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely.” (John 17:13)

What would you pray for if you were facing a brutally painful, lin­gering death? Strength? Peace? The grace to endure it faithfully? Jesus prayed for his friends. He was con­cerned for what he had begun in their hearts. He wanted it to con­tinue and bear fruit until the day they were reunited with him. And guess what? He included us in his prayer. Us! With love and compas­sion, ...

"This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3)

In this wonderful prayer of Jesus, we get a glimpse of eternity: not harps and jewels but intimacy with God. Nor do we have to wait until we die to experience this. Jesus knows us inside and out, and he longs for us to know him too, to let his love begin to transform us here and now.

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me,” he says t...

“We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” (Acts 19:2)

These Ephesians were almost completely in the dark! But while they were innocently unaware of the Holy Spirit, he was, of course, well aware of them. You could even say that the Spirit sent Paul as a spokes­man to “introduce” himself. And the new friends quickly made up for lost time.

Think about your best friend. Do you remember when you met? Would you say that you’re better friends now ...

The Ascension of the Lord

Go into the whole world and pro­claim the gospel. (Mark 16:15)

What a simple, but immense, charge Jesus gave to his disciples! He even told them that those who accepted their message would be saved, while those who didn’t would be condemned.

Imagine their reaction: Really, Lord? We’re just fishermen. You can’t expect us to go out and save the whole human race! But Jesus made this a win-win situation. He did send his apostles out to pr...

“All you peoples, clap your hands; shout to God with joyful cries.” (Psalm 47:2)

Have you ever given the Lord a rousing round of applause? When we’ve enjoyed a great concert, we clap exuberantly to show our appreciation. Sometimes we cheer. We may even give the performers a standing ovation and keep on applauding until they give us an encore. So let’s take the advice of the psalmist today and join him in a round of applause and loud shouts of acclamation for t...

“No one will take your joy away from you.” (John 16:22)

Suppose you were to find a very old locket that was engraved inside. The words on the inscription may not mean much to you, but they were probably very special to the original owner of the locket. That is, after all, the nature of an engrav­ing: to convey a lasting message to a loved one.

Do you know that God has been engraving your heart with words of love since the day he created you? These declarations a...

“Greet Prisca and Aquila.” (Romans 16:3)

With all of its sermons, conver­sions, miracles, and travels, the Book of Acts gives us a bird’s eye view of the early church. It doesn’t give us the full stories of all the heroes and heroines of that first generation of Christians. To paraphrase what John said about his Gospel, “there wouldn’t be enough books in the entire world” to write down all those stories (John 21:25)!

Think, for example, about Barnabas....

“What … you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.” (Acts 17:23)

Athens: one of the great cities of the classical world. It was a cultural center and home to the philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, as well as many renowned dramatists and artists. Athens was one of the first known democracies in history, and inspired the foundation of democ­racies in our own time. Above all, Athenians were an intellectually curi­ous people. As St. Luke tells us, they ...

"About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened, there was suddenly such a severe earth­quake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open.” (Acts 16:25-26)

Paul and Silas had no idea what God was up to. They were pretty sure God didn’t want them to languish in prison for the rest of their lives, but they didn’t know whether to pray for a miraculous release, dismissal of the charges again...

St. Matthias

It is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us … become with us a witness to his resurrection. (Acts 1:21,22)

Peter, new head of the infant church, was thinking long-term. His concern, St. John Chrysostom tells us, “was to have eyewitnesses, even though the Spirit was to come upon all. It had to be someone who had lived with Jesus, not simply some­one who was a disciple.” It had to be someone who could look people in the eye and declare wit...

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” (John 15:11)

It was one o’clock in the morning when the couple received news that their two sons would be returning home from the war in two months’ time. They were so excited that they stayed awake all the rest of the night reminiscing about their boys and making plans for their eventual reunion. They knew their sons were still in harm’s way, but there was no room for doubt an...

“The Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” (Acts 16:7)

Have you ever planned a trip? Maybe you’ve arranged transporta­tion, lodging, even meal plans. You’re packed and ready to go, tickets in hand, itinerary ready. Imagine what would happen if, at the last min­ute, everything falls through. Your transportation is canceled, the hotel is full, or your money is stolen. It’s hard to overcome your aggravation to see how it might be for the best. Paul’s second...

“Some … have upset you … and disturbed your peace of mind.” (Acts 15:24)

It’s a common frustration. You buy something on eBay or an online retailer, or even at the local hardware store. Then when you begin to use the item, you discover that it’s defec­tive—nicked, outdated, or missing a crucial bolt. The product can’t do the job you thought it could do.

In a way, this is why the new Christians of Antioch were upset. However, their disappointment cen­...

“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.” (John 15:9)

How many times have we heard these words, felt warmed by them, and yet not really grasped the radi­cal truth behind them? Let’s take a look, for instance, at what Jesus means when he says, “As the Father has loved me.” Let’s consider a few instances in Jesus’ life where we get a glimpse into how much the Father loves his Son.

When Jesus was baptized by John, the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit d...

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.” (John 15:1)

In Japanese culture, the art of growing a Bonsai tree is a lifelong and rewarding experience for the grower. The spectator is also greatly rewarded by the beauty of the tree’s appearance and shape. Each tree is carefully trimmed, pruned, clamped, defoliated, and grafted for the grower’s purpose and delight. The grower carefully removes unnecessary leaves, branches, or needles that hinder its beau...

“Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27)

If you’ve ever watched a scary movie, you know how easy it is to let frightening images get stuck in your imagination. A movie, with its spe­cial effects and dramatic music, can make you forget you’re in the safety of your living room. Suddenly, you’re transported to a dangerous and scary place where everything seems malevolent.

The example may sound trite, but spiritually, there are always things ...

“When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they cried out.” (Acts 14:11)

A man who had never walked before in his life had jumped up and was standing right in front of the crowd. What an amazing miracle! It’s no wonder that the people couldn’t contain their excitement. So Barnabas and Paul seized this oppor­tunity to tell them about the One who healed this man.

Even in the midst of our own uncertainties and unresolved ques­tions, today should be a day of rej...

“They shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.” (Acts 13:51)

When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Pisidian Antioch, they followed their usual custom and went first to the town’s synagogue. There, the “children of the family of Abraham” listened attentively to Paul’s preach­ing about Jesus. Some became believers, while others invited him back to explain further. However, some of the Jewish leaders managed to turn many of their...

“Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit.” (John 15:5)

How comforting it is to know that we do not walk alone through this life! No matter how isolated or weak we may feel, the truth is that Jesus is with us and will never abandon us. With Jesus as “the vine,” we can be assured that we will receive every­thing we need to nourish and sustain us. With the Father as the “vine grower,” all the circumstances of our lives—both pleasant and difficult— becom...

“We ourselves are proclaiming this good news to you.” (Acts 13:32)

Do you recognize this story? Most likely, you do. In these few verses, through his account of St. Paul’s preaching, Luke has penned the heart of the gospel message. He managed to cram years of Jesus’ ministry into a few short sentenc­es—along with a backdrop, a plot, and a climax!

Let’s see… . Jesus came to the people he and his Father created, but we didn’t recognize him. And though he was an inno...

Sts. Philip and James

Show us the Father. (John 14:8)

Philip and James, whose mem­ory we are honoring today, were among those Jesus had specially chosen as his apostles. So they had been with him for a few years already when Jesus told them and the rest of the twelve: “If you know me, then you will also know my Father” (John 14:7). But despite all their time together, they didn’t understand what he was talking about. So Philip asked: “Master, show us the Father” (14:8).

“I came into the world as light.” (John 12:46)

My brothers and sisters, I came to earth so that everyone who believes in me may not remain in the dark­ness. So come! Come into my light!

Come into my light so that you can see the path you should follow. Many of you are facing important decisions right now. You don’t have to make these decisions all on your own. Come into my light so I can help you find the way. Let me show you my hopes, plans, and dreams for you. So often, ...

“How long are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” (John 10:24)

The Jews gathered around Jesus, demanding to know, once and for all, whether he really was the Messiah. That kind of plea surfaces in every­one at times. We all want assurances from God—both about who he is and about our own lives. What job should I take? Whom should I marry? How should I manage my finances? We all want to do the right thing, to please him, and to trust him w...

“Peter began and explained it to them step by step.” (Acts 11:4)

This is an interesting reading to have for a Mass! Rather than read the actual story of the conversion of Cornelius, the first Gentile (a power­fully dramatic account in Acts 10), the church asks us to meditate on Peter’s re-telling of the story to the believers in Jerusalem. Why should we ponder only a second-hand ver­sion of one of the most historic events in the church’s life?

Perhaps the answer is because...

“We are God’s children.” (1 John 3:2)

What a radical statement! How awesome it is that we mere mortals are children of the eternal, almighty God! What could be more wonder­ful than having the Creator of the universe as your own dad?

Being a child of God is not just a matter of doctrine or intellectual faith but of relationship—a relation­ship founded on love: “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God” (1 John 3:1).

Being his d...

“Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed. Then he turned to her body and said, ‘Tabitha, rise up.’” (Acts 9:40)

Throughout the Book of Acts, we see Peter acting confidently by the power of the Holy Spirit. He preaches powerful sermons that convert thousands. He heals a lame beggar at the Temple gate (Acts 3:1-10). He says boldly to the para­lyzed Aeneas, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up” (9:34). This is quite an impressive man!

Today’s reading gives us a glim...

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4)

Paul’s conversion on the Damascus road has all the ele­ments of a dramatic film. A villainous lead character is sud­denly stopped in his tracks by a light from the sky. A voice comes from heaven, and this villain undergoes an amazing transforma­tion and embarks on a whole new adventure.

What about your own conver­sion story? More than likely, it wasn’t so dramatic. Perhaps a friend spoke to you, or maybe you started re...

“Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?” (Acts 8:36)

Philip might have been worried. An angel from God told him to approach the chariot of a powerful official from a foreign country. But how could he cut through the cul­tural barriers? How could he come up with an effective presentation of the gospel that would change this man’s heart? Wasn’t God asking too much of him this time?

As it turned out, God had already laid a lot of the groundwork for Philip...

St. Mark

Your brothers and sisters throughout the world undergo the same sufferings. (1 Peter 5:9)

Let’s face it. Suffering is a part of life in this world. No one can escape it, not even the greatest saints. So let’s take the opportunity on this feast of St. Mark, to see how one of the church’s shining lights handled life’s slings and arrows.

Tradition tells us that St. Mark is the same John Mark who accompa­nied Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. For s...

“It was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven… . I am the bread of life.” (John 6:32,35)

The Israelites were yearning for a romantic past. Selectively forget­ting the thirst and weariness of their long desert wanderings, they focused on remembering the miraculous manna that sustained them. Since Jesus was talking somewhat mysteri­ously to them about “true bread,” they demanded a sign similar to the manna their ancestor...

“What can we do to accom­plish the works of God?” (John 6:28)

Jesus had just fed a multitude of people, and the disciples had just seen him walking on water. Take a moment to think about the immensity of these two feats. First, Jesus was able to feed thousands of hungry people with just five loaves of bread and a couple of fish. Then, he completely overrode the laws of gravity and buoyancy by striding atop a stormy sea. And he did it all so casually, so matter-of-factly, as if...

Reading 1, Acts 3:13-15, 17-19

¹³ It is the of Abraham, and Jacob, the of our ancestors, who has glorified his servant whom you handed over and then disowned in the presence of Pilate after he had given his verdict to release him.

¹⁴ It was you who accused the Holy and Upright One, you who demanded that a murderer should be released to you

¹⁵ while you killed the prince of life. God, however, raised him from the...

“He opened their minds to understand the scriptures.” (Luke 24:45)

We all love to have our minds stretched in new directions. There is nothing more exciting than listen­ing to someone who can open up new horizons in our understanding. This is one way to describe how the apostles must have felt after Jesus appeared and “opened their minds to understand the scriptures” (Luke 24:45). But something more than human learning was going on here.

When Jesus opened the apostles’ m...

“It is I.” (John 6:20)

The disciples were rowing in a strong wind. They were working hard, keeping the boat afloat despite the wind and the waves. The situ­ation wasn’t desperate. These were able watermen who knew the sea and had determined that they could make it to the other shore in these conditions. Still, something hap­pened, “and they began to be afraid” (John 6:19).

It wasn’t the wind or the waves that caused their fear. It was Jesus, appearing at a place they ...

“Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted.” (John 6:12)

The miracle of the loaves and fishes is one of the best examples of how Jesus works in our lives. In the story, Jesus put Philip to the test when, looking at the crowd that had gathered, he asked: “Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?” (John 6:5). Jesus knew what he was going to do, but he wanted Philip and the others to feel some sense of the responsibility that Jesus constantly felt as h...

“The one who comes from above is above all.” (John 3:31)

O Lord, sometimes I feel trapped by all the pressure and stress of life. All I can see are my problems, my struggles, my challenges. I feel like I am drowning in a sea of trials. It’s so hard to look above all the things that are pressing on me, demanding my immediate attention!

But you, Jesus, are from above, and you are above all. You have the serenity that comes from your divine perspective, overseeing the raging se...

“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.” (John 3:16)

Imagine a holy card that pic­tures God the Father—blazing with wrath—poised to blast this sinful world to oblivion. And next to him, straining to hold back the aveng­ing arm, God the Son, whose heart burns with love for fallen humanity.

Hopefully, you’re not carrying such an image in your prayer book! But are you carrying some version of it in your head? Do you some­times see the Father as severe and conde...

“There was no needy person among them.” (Acts 4:34)

How idyllic the early church sounds! Everything was held in com­mon. The gospel was preached in power. Everyone enjoyed the favor of God. The wealthy liquidated their assets and gave the money to the apostles. This is quite a model of what a truly Christian community looks like—or would look like if such a community were comprised of genuine, true believers.

But look again. At the top of his list, St. Luke tells us that the ...

“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31)

Only after being filled with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost did Peter and the apostles feel con­fident enough to share the gospel message and invite other people to join them in the church. Only then did they feel compelled to move into the world evangelizing with the reckless abandon of those who knew they were miraculously redeemed and completely, uncondi­ti...

Divine Mercy Sunday

This is the one who came through water and blood. (1 John 5:6)

“Throughout the world the Second Sunday of Easter will receive the name Divine Mercy Sunday, a perennial invitation … to face, with confidence in divine benevolence, the difficulties and trials that human­ity will experience in the years to come.” Twelve years ago, Pope John Paul II used these words to inaugu­rate Divine Mercy Sunday, a feast to be celebrated every year on the sec­ond Sunday...

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” (Mark 16:16)

Imagine that you’re Mary Magdalene, and you are just encoun­tering the risen Jesus for the very first time. Your heart is pounding. Your eyes are wide with wonder. Your breath comes in gasps of amazement. In a combination of joy and shock, you fall at his feet and worship him.

In the Gospel readings all this week, we have seen story after story of how disciples like Mary reacted when they discovered that Jesus ha...

It is the Lord.” (John 21:7)

What a puzzling time this must have been in the disciples’ lives! They’ve followed Jesus on the way to the cross, only to hear reports that he has come alive again. Then he is suddenly in their midst with words of comfort and mission—but then he vanishes as quickly as he appeared. What’s next?

Not surprisingly, some of them go back to their work as fisher­men—something stable. But after a long night, they have caught noth­ing. Then a stra...

“Their eyes were opened.” (Luke 24:31)

Suppose you are an archaeologist who discovers a great city hidden in the jungle for centuries. Or a police detective who finds the crucial clue that will unlock a stubbornly difficult case. Or a scientist who stumbles onto something so amaz­ing that it promises to revolutionize your field. There are few words to describe these moments—except perhaps astounding, extraordinary, and incredible!

The two disciples in today’s Gospel readin...

“God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses.” (Acts 2:32)

So how are you going to celebrate the Easter season? Here’s one way the church will do it: From now until Pentecost, we will be reading from the Book of Acts every day at Mass. That means that for the next fifty days, we will be following the first believers as they spread the news of the resurrection all the way to Rome. We will be reading story after story of how the Holy Spirit empowered these men and women ...

The resurrection of the Lord

They did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. (John 20:9)

What a humble statement! Here is John, the beloved apostle, admit­ting that he hadn’t yet grasped the truth that Jesus would rise from the dead. And not only John but Peter and the other apostles doubted that possibility. Even Mary Magdalene, who saw the empty tomb, supposed that someone had stolen Jesus’ body (John 20:2).

Now, Jesus had told his apostles that t...

Easter Vigil

Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare. (Isaiah 55:2)

There are so many powerful symbols during the Easter Vigil! We gather in darkness as a brand-new fire is ignited. That light spreads from the Paschal candle to our own tapers, swallowing up darkness and isolation in its radiant glow.

We hear how our father Abraham sacrificed a lamb caught in a thorn-bush in place of his only son, and we stand in awe before the Father who offers up his thorn...

Good Friday

It is finished. (John 19:30)

What was finished? Jesus’ mission!

If we want to understand that mission we have to go back to the very beginning of the Bible. We have to start in Genesis, with its story of the fall of our first parents. From that point on, the human race was sepa­rated from God. Subject to sin and death, all Adam’s descendants would now live under a cloud. But God did not abandon us. He established a personal covenant with Abraham to form a people w...

“My appointed time draws near.” (Matthew 26:18)

We are only two days away from Good Friday. Each year this bitter­sweet occasion moves us to focus on the injustice, humiliation, and the suffering that Jesus endured. At the same time, Jesus’ death can cause us to rejoice as we focus on all the blessings that flow from his cross.

When Jesus said that his appointed time was fast approach­ing, he was preparing his disciples for the sacrifice he was about to make for them—and ...

“I thought I had toiled in vain …” (Isaiah 49:4)

At the Last Supper, Jesus would certainly have had every reason to be disappointed. For the past three years, he had devoted his life to persuasive preaching; to giving an example of self-sacrifice and uncon­ditional love; and to bringing about dramatic victories over sickness, demonic powers, and even death. Yet no matter how hard he worked, God’s reign on earth still seemed like a distant dream.

Political leaders still dis...

“They gave a dinner for him.” (John 12:2)

Doesn’t it seem odd that Jesus would start the final week of his earthly life by attending a dinner party? You might have expected him, with good reason, to have spent extra time in prayer and conversation with his Father, or in some other way strengthening himself for the ordeal ahead. But no, he had dinner with his friends. He received their gener­osity and love. And he loved them back by spending time with them, even at a time whe...

Passion Sunday

Crucify him! (Mark 15:13)

St. Francis de Sales once wrote: “I especially commend earnest mental prayer … upon the life and Passion of our Lord. If you contemplate him frequently in meditation, your whole soul will be filled with him, you will grow in his likeness, and your actions will be molded on his.” Francis knew that if we want to see real transformation in our lives, we need to dwell deeply on the cross.

One of the best ways to do this is to imagine your...

“It is better for you.” (John 11:50)

Like missing a new exit ramp on a familiar highway, the high priest Caiaphas was about to miss the new work God was doing in Jesus. Both he and Jesus began well, with a deep respect for the Temple and the Law of Moses. As part of a priestly family, Caiaphas or a rel­ative may have presided when Joseph and Mary presented their infant son at the Temple. Perhaps he was acquainted with or even among those who, a dozen years later, marveled at ...

“I am.” (John 8:58)

When Moses asked God his name in the burning bush, God replied: “I am who am”—a phrase that can also be translated as: “I will cause to be what I will cause to be” (Exodus 3:14). Ultimately, no translation is entirely satisfactory, because “this divine name is mysterious just as God is mystery … infinitely above everything that we can understand” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 206). And yet, in telling Moses his name, God gave the Israel...

“He … cast them into the white-hot furnace.” (Daniel 3:20)

If we just look at the basic story outline of this tale of Daniel and the fiery furnace, we could easily get lost in the excitement. Nebuchadnezzar is king of almost the entire known world. He commands everyone in his kingdom to worship his statue—and only three men refuse. They assert that only Yahweh, the God of Israel, is worthy of worship and adoration. Nebuchadnezzar has these three men thrown alive into a blaz...

“If anyone who has been bitten looks at it, he will recover.” (Numbers 21:8)

How wonderful is God’s plan! Centuries before the actual event, God foreshadowed his plan to save his people through the lifting up of his Son on the cross. He was also teaching his people that through repentance, faith, and trust they could be freed from the effects of their sin.

The Israelites had been traveling through the desert for many years; their children—who knew only a nomadic life—wer...

The annunciation of the Lord

I will not tempt the Lord! (Isaiah 7:12)

In today’s first reading, King Ahaz is being offered something that he may not want—a victory that comes not from fighting but from passive waiting. Commissioned by God, the prophet Isaiah has given him an unexpected set of directions about a dangerous military threat: Sit tight, and wait for God to act. Don’t be afraid. In fact, don’t do anything! (Isaiah 7:4,7-9). But with enemies massing on his norther...

“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it pro­duces much fruit.” (John 12:24)

Have you ever seen a seed ger­minate? While it is in the soil, the skin encasing it splits open. Next, the seed itself splits in two, and the stem and root unfurl. Gradually, the seed grows smaller as it nourishes the new plant. Eventually, the seed disappears altogether. If you were to look at the plant after a while, you probably wo...

“Then each went to his own house.” (John 7:53)

The chief priests and Pharisees are stressed out. It’s the Feast of Tabernacles, and Jesus has been drawing crowds—captivating many people but agitating others. His opponents are buzzing like angry bees. But for now, they are in total disarray—divided, confused, and powerless to sting.

By the end of the day, these reli­gious leaders have been disobeyed by the Temple police (John 7:44-46), have argued over a basic point of ...

“We know where he is from. When the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” (John 7:27)

The conflict about the origins of Jesus arose because of a popu­lar belief that the Messiah’s origins would be hidden. Since the people at the Temple claimed to know Jesus’ family and hometown, they con­cluded that he could not possibly be the Messiah. The problem was that the people were thinking about Jesus’ human and earthly origins, but Jesus was referring to his divin...

“Search the Scriptures.” (John 5:39)

Have you ever picked up your Bible, read a passage from it, and then sat back and wondered what in the world God was trying to say to you? It’s possible that you may have walked away and decided that the passage didn’t have any consequence for your life. But somewhere inside your heart, you probably also sensed that there was something in that pas­sage for you, but you just couldn’t place your finger on it.

God wants to reveal himself...

“… So that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” (John 5:23)

During his earthly life, Jesus repeatedly declared that his pri­mary purpose was to do only what the Father wanted of him and to speak only the words that the Father gave him (John 4:34; 6:38; 8:28). His whole life was dedicated to bringing honor to his Father—to the point that on the night before he was arrested, he asked the Father to glorify him through his death only “so that your son may glo...

“Their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.” (Ezekiel 47:12)

In a vision, the prophet Ezekiel saw a stream of water flowing from the Temple in Jerusalem through the Arabah and into the Dead Sea. The Arabah is a geological rift that encompasses the Sea of Galilee at its northern end, the Jordan River in the middle, and the Dead Sea in the south. In this vision, the water flowed into the Dead Sea with such abundance and vitality that it fresh­ened that whole body of stagn...

St. Joseph

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. (Matthew 1:24)

In a world where so many say, “My will be done,” St. Joseph is a refreshing example of one who said to God, “Thy will be done.” Like his faithful spouse, Mary, Joseph’s yes to God was of great importance in the divine plan. We are blessed that his life was yielded to doing God’s will, no matter what the cost to himself or his reputation.

Joseph’s holiness and obedience were...

“God, who is rich in mercy.” (Ephesians 2:4)

Heavenly Father, how great is your love! I am amazed at the depth of your mercy toward me. Your love is perfect and unchanging, and you never take your eyes off of me. You are all I need, for you sustain me with the bread of life and the cup of salvation. You are worthy of all praise and honor and glory!

From the very beginning, Father, your arms have always been open wide, ready to receive me whenever I return to you in repentance a...

“The one who humbles him­self will be exalted.” (Luke 18:14)

The Pharisee in this parable came to God with his hands full. He had gathered his fasting, tithing, and obe­dience to the Mosaic law and held them up to the Lord. “See Lord,” he said. “Look at all my goodness.” And God could see it. He couldn’t deny all that the Pharisee presented to him. But there was a problem. This man’s hands were full. He had no room for God’s mercy. Indeed, focused on his own good...

“I will love them freely.” (Hosea 14:5)

In Hosea’s time, more than seven centuries before Christ, the north­ern kingdom of Israel was locked in a power struggle with the Assyrian empire. For long years, Israel repeat­edly put its trust in political solutions and military alliances instead of trust­ing in God. Making matters worse, they also began to worship false gods, hoping that these idols would make them more prosperous. Thus, they broke their covenant with God and rem...

“They did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own coun­sels and the stubbornness of their evil hearts, and went backward and not for­ward.” (Jeremiah 7:24, RSV)

The Christian life is sometimes compared to a journey. On a journey, we are headed toward a destination, and we go forward to arrive there. But in this passage, speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, God talks about his people going backward and not forward. They were walking away from their destination...

I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. (Matthew 5:17)

Imagine being called upon to do something that seems overwhelm­ing, if not downright impossible. It can be quite intimidating to ponder how—or even if—you will do it. But thanks be to God, when you actually got into the project, you found that it wasn’t so hard after all. In fact, it actually became simple! Sometimes, the Christian life is that way.

Jesus lived under the Mosaic law, with its rich layers of observances...

“As many as seven times?” (Matthew 18:21)

Peter thought he was being quite generous. Forgiving someone seven times sure does seem like a lot, doesn’t it? The truth is, forgiving repeated offenses goes against our nature. Just look at Jesus’ parable of the unmerciful servant. He had just been forgiven a debt he could never repay, and even in the afterglow of such generosity, he couldn’t find it in himself to forgive a fellow servant a mere pittance.

Jesus ...

“Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal.” (2 Kings 5:10)

Doesn’t Elisha’s method of heal­ing sound like the infomercials that tend to populate late-night tele­vision? All we have to do is drink a cup of tea with an exotic fruit extract from the Amazon, and fifteen pounds of fat will immediately melt off our bodies! No wonder Naaman found it hard to believe! Besides, he was very sick. Leprosy, or Hansen’s disease, as we now know it, is a tragic d...

“He made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple area.” (John 2:15)

Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus was angry. But just a little more than a week ago, we read how Jesus told us not to get angry. So, did Jesus commit a sin here? Did he lose his temper? Or is there a place for anger?

Maybe St. Paul can help out here. “Be angry,” he wrote, “but do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26). So there is a type of anger that isn’t sinful. In fact, there are times when ange...

“He became angry.” (Luke 15:28)

The prodigal has returned to a red-carpet welcome, and the older son is fuming. But what would he rather have happened to his younger brother?

Did he want to see the scoundrel suffer? To have the door slammed shut in his face? Maybe he hoped to see him humiliated in front of the whole village. Or might he have pre­ferred to hear that his brother had starved to death in a foreign land?

Such mean-spiritedness seems pretty extreme, doesn’t it? B...

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” (Matthew 21:42)

When we think of cornerstones, we may think of noble figures like Abraham, David, or Jeremiah. We may think of heroic saints like Mother Teresa or John of the Cross. And, of course, we think of Jesus. All of these figures stand out in our imagination as people with almost superhuman talents, skills, and dedication to their causes. But sal­vation history is also filled with the stories of many peop...

“… Like a tree planted near streams of water.” (Psalm 1:3)

Spring may not be here yet, but today is still a good time to think about planting—not flowers and vegetables but yourself. Plant your­self near the river of life, the river that flows from the throne of God (Revelation 22:1). Send roots down deep into the rich soil of faith—soil that will produce life in you.

Do you want to know the best way to do this? Root yourself in the Scriptures. Spend time each day readin...

“The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve.” (Matthew 20:28)

Talk about completely missing the point! Jesus lets the apostles in on the biggest news in history—that he was going to die and rise for all sin, and James and John have the nerve to respond by asking for places of honor and glory. It’s a wonder Jesus didn’t bang his head against the wall out of frustration! And the other apostles don’t come off much better. They were “indignant” all right, but ...

“You hate discipline; you cast my words behind you… . When you do these things, should I be silent?” (Psalm 50:17,21)

As teenagers, many of us turned a deaf ear to our parents’ advice, cast­ing their warnings behind us. But when we run into challenges down the road, we often find these pearls of wisdom echoing in our memory! “A person is known by the company he keeps.” “To have a friend, you must be a friend.” “Planned deceit is a lie.” “A stitch in time saves...

“Be merciful.” (Luke 6:36)

Imagine going to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and pouring out your heart in repentance, only to have the priest withhold absolution. This sounds absurd, since we know our sincere confession will result in for­giveness from God and his church. At the same time, we can’t expect God to forgive us if we aren’t will­ing to forgive other people. Jesus did tell us: “Forgive and you will be for­given” (Luke 6:37).

But how difficul...

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)

With these ten words, Paul begins to summarize the points he has been making so far in his Letter to the Romans. In fact, all of chapter 8 can be seen as a summary—a rousing, inspiring conclusion to the expla­nation of the gospel message Paul wrote about in chapters 1 through 7. So let’s take a look at some of these summary points.

First, Paul says that we are no less than beloved, adopted children of G...

“He makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45)

Hang on a minute! Isn’t that unfair? Why don’t the good and the just get special treatment? At the very least, the bad and the unjust should get the shorter end of the stick. If God is perfectly just, then shouldn’t that be the way things go? Well, not really. God’s justice encompasses something much more profound than a heavenly balance sheet....

“Whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” (Matthew 5:22)

Let’s face it. It’s hard not to get angry—even with those who are closest to us! And yet here Jesus is, telling us to resist sin and turn away from anger. And as difficult as it sounds, it does make sense. After all, our eternal destiny is heaven, where we will live in peace and unity with each other and Almighty God.

But we don’t have to wait until the Second Coming for unity to ...

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” (Matthew 7:12)

Most of us probably know this verse as “The Golden Rule.” But the Golden Rule did not originate with Christianity. The idea that we should treat others as we would want to be treated is found in the teachings of many religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. It’s even embraced by those who don’t hold any particular religious beliefs at all. It seems to be something that many under...

“The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time.” (Jonah 3:1)

Jonah wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. After all, spend­ing a few nights in a fish’s gut can be very persuasive. With a little imagi­nation, you can picture him trudging off in the direction of Nineveh— still dripping with seawater, but now determined to follow the leading of God.

For Jonah, it took radical mea­sures to convince him to respond to God’s call. Let’s hope it doesn...

“If you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:15)

Someone causes you to be late for an important meeting. Someone accidentally dents your car while you are stopped at a traffic light. Your husband forgets your birthday. Your son talks back to you in a disrespect­ful manner. In situations like these, you might find it easy to forgive. After all, they are understandable, and no one was hurt too badly.

But what if yo...

“Inherit the kingdom pre­pared for you.” (Matthew 25:34)

The sheep are puzzled. “What did we do to deserve such a won­derful thing as the kingdom?” they ask. “When did we ever see you hun­gry, thirsty, naked, sick, or in prison? When did we ever minister to your needs?” (Matthew 25:37-39).

Jesus’ answer is simple: “Do you remember all the times when you served the hungry? When you visited the sick in the hospital? When you donated to the food bank or...

“It is … an appeal to God for a clear conscience.” (1 Peter 3:21)

While St. Peter is describing the Sacrament of Baptism here, he could just as easily be talking about Reconciliation. For what could pos­sibly be a better way to experience a clean conscience than going to con­fession? When we confess our sins, we are forgiven—completely!

But as we all know, the real chal­lenge is keeping our consciences clear after we have received abso­lution. It’s one thi...

“Follow me.” (Luke 5:27)

These two words changed every­thing for Levi, for Simon and Andrew, for Philip, for unnamed disciples—and for us. Jesus is not pleading or begging. He is inviting, earnestly and lovingly. Follow him, who is the way, the truth, and the life. Follow him, who is the light in the darkness, the spring of water that never fails, the One who promises to guide you always.

Follow me. Not because you’re par­ticularly good or talented or holy. A...

“Why do we fast, and you do not see it?” (Isaiah 58:3)

Well-known film director Woody Allen once quipped that 90 percent of success is just showing up. Well, if that’s the case, then the other 10 percent must be absolutely crucial! There are many people who “just show up”—maybe at work, with their families, or in their neighbor­hoods—but don’t go much further, and the results are evident.

Think about the Israelites in today’s first reading. “Why do w...

“If anyone wishest to come after me … ” (Luke 9:23)

Don’t you find it amazing that Jesus Christ, the all-holy Son of God, would give us, mere mortals, a choice? He won’t force us to follow him; he simply calls us and hopes we will respond.

But what is this choice? Is it a choice to live a life of continual suf­fering, of “taking up our cross” day after day by passively accept­ing whatever trials come our way? Not at all! The real choice is to fix our eye...

Steve was just an ordinary guy. He quietly served in a church I attended years ago. He helped prepare communion, shoveled the church sidewalks in the winter, and mowed the lawn in the summer. He spent time with teenage boys who had no fathers in the home. I often heard him telling people at church in his quiet way how good the Lord was to him. During prayer meeting he didn’t talk much about himself but would ask us to pray for those he was telling about Jesus’ forgive...

Knocked Off Your Feet?

Because I’ve written many articles and a book about dealing with life’s losses, I have the privilege of being introduced to a number of fellow strugglers along life’s journey. One of my new friends is a mom whose 21-year-old daughter died suddenly in 2009, which sent her reeling. She told me, “I feel like an outcast from the normal world. I feel crushed and my soul is in so much pain.”

Indeed the losses that visit us can knock us off our feet—whether a ...

AN "IDOL" MIND IS THE DEVIL'S WORKSHOP

"They served their idols, which became a snare for them." –Psalm 106:36

Solomon, the wisest man in the world, became such a fool as to set the stage for a civil war and the massive deterioration of God's people. Solomon's downfall was the sin of idolatry. He adored false gods, such as Astarte, Milcom, Chemosh, and Molech (1 Kgs 11:5-7).

Many people aren't too upset to hear about idolatry. They may realize they have committed many sins, but they d...

SUCCESS IS SPELLED C-R-O-S-S

"Blessed be the Lord, your God, Whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel." –1 Kings 10:9

Solomon was the wisest person who had ever lived or will ever live (1 Kgs 3:12). He was amazingly rich and lived in such majesty as to leave even the sophisticated queen of Sheba breathless (1 Kgs 10:5).

The Lord made Solomon so awesome to confirm His promise that the Davidic dynasty would last forever (2 Sm 7:16) and bring forth the Messiah (1 Sm 16:1; Mi...

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JESUS, THE ULTIMATE TRADITIONALIST

"For example, Moses said..." –Mark 7:10

Christianity is based on divine traditions, that is, the handing on of what the Holy Spirit has revealed to God's people. The Bible itself is written to hand on some divine traditions (see 2 Thes 2:15). Therefore, without respect for tradition, the very basis of Christianity is undermined.

One of the main ways the devil tries to ruin our respect for tradition is by tempting us to place human traditions ahead of di...

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TEMPLE TANTRUMS

"Advance, O Lord, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your majesty." –Psalm 132:8

God was untouchable. Even if you touched the mountain that God was on, you would instantly die (Ex 19:12). God later restrained His glory enough so that people could be in the Temple with Him, although He was still untouchable as He dwelt in a dark cloud (1 Kgs 8:12).

Almost a thousand years after God first became present in the Temple, He did what is still unbelievable for much of the...

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LIFE-LINES

"Is not man's life on earth a drudgery?" –Job 7:1

Most people can relate to Job, for they have endured tragedies, deaths in their families, sicknesses, pain, and sufferings. Even those who have so far had easier lives know that life can be, and almost inevitably will be, hard. We all have the question of Job: "Is not man's life on earth a drudgery?" We feel as if we "have been assigned months of misery" (Jb 7:3). Our days and nights drag on ever so slowly (Jb 7:4), while at the...

WILD ABOUT WISDOM

"God said, 'Ask something of Me and I will give it to you.' " –1 Kings 3:5

The Lord wants to lovingly provide for us and meet our needs, even more than we want them met. The Lord is especially generous and ungrudging in giving us wisdom (Jas 1:5). For instance, Solomon asked the Lord for a wise and understanding heart. The Lord "went wild" and made Solomon the wisest human being that has ever lived or will ever live (1 Kgs 3:12).

The Lord will also lavish wisdom on us b...

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HUMAN RIGHTS

"John had told Herod, 'It is not right for you to live with your brother's wife.' " –Mark 6:18

Like John the Baptizer, we need the love and courage to say:

"It is not right to have sexual relations outside of marriage."

"It is not right to abort babies."

"It is not right to have homosexual relations."

"It is not right to use artificial means of contraception."

"It is not right to look lustfully at a person."

"It is not right to masturbate."

"It is not right to tell 'di...

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PERSEVERANCE AND THE PRESENTATION SPIRIT

"He came to the temple now, inspired by the Spirit." –Luke 2:27

"The Holy Spirit was upon" Simeon (Lk 2:25). He had long awaited the consolation of Israel and the coming of the Messiah (Lk 2:25-26). The Holy Spirit had even revealed to Simeon that he would personally see the Christ before he died (Lk 2:26).

The Holy Spirit also was upon Anna. Though Luke's Gospel doesn't explicitly link Anna and the Spirit, it calls her a prophetess (Lk 2:36). She...

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"THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH" (Rm 6:23)

"I said, 'I confess my faults to the Lord,' and You took away the guilt of my sin." –Psalm 32:5

How bad is sin? Seventy-thousand people died during a three-day pestilence because of one of David's less serious sins (2 Sm 24:15). The sin of disbelief in Jesus resulted in many staying sick and only a few being healed when Jesus visited His hometown (Mk 6:5). Sin is bad enough that God became a human being and died on the cross to save us from it. Sin is...

"I'LL RUN YOU OUT OF TOWN"

Jesus "gave the word, and with it the unclean spirits came out." –Mark 5:13

Absalom ran his father, David, out of Jerusalem (2 Sm 15:14). Later, David's army defeated Absalom's troops and ran them out of Jerusalem.

Jesus ran a legion of demons out of Gerasene territory, but then the inhabitants of that land ran Jesus out of town (Mk 5:17).

The devil used the sin of Adam and Eve to drive them and all their descendants out of Paradise and thus become the princ...

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PROPHET-ABLE

"If a prophet presumes to speak in My name an oracle that I have not commanded him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, he shall die." –Deuteronomy 18:20

If prophets prophesy something God did not tell them to say, they shall die. This makes prophets feel like being quiet. However, if prophets "do not speak out to dissuade the wicked man from his way, he [the wicked man] shall die for his guilt, but [God] will hold [them] responsible for his death" (Ez 33:8). If we ...

DEEP KNEE BENDS?

"Who can this be that the wind and the sea obey Him?" –Mark 4:41

The wind and sea obey Jesus. Demons and diseases obey Jesus (see Mk 5:13, 29). Even death obeys Jesus (Mk 5:41ff). Every knee must bend and acknowledge Jesus as Lord (Phil 2:10-11), and a number of knees have already bent – but many human beings have not yet bent their knees to Jesus.

We all realize that many people do not obey Jesus. Before we call these people to repentance, however, we must repent our...

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THINK BIG

The kingdom of God "is like mustard seed which, when planted in the soil, is the smallest of all the earth's seeds, yet once it is sown, springs up to become the largest of shrubs, with branches big enough for the birds of the sky to build nests in its shade." –Mark 4:31-32

For centuries, Christians have talked and heard about the parable of the mustard seed. However, the point of the parable in Mark's Gospel is not only the smallness of the mustard seed, but also the largeness ...

THE HEART OF A PASTOR

"My purpose in leaving you in Crete was that you might accomplish what had been left undone." –Titus 1:5

Paul and Titus had apparently been on a missionary journey to Crete, a large island south of Greece. Paul decided to leave Titus in Crete to accomplish "what had been left undone" (Ti 1:5), which apparently was quite a lot. The people of Crete, as one of their own prophets testified, "have ever been liars, beasts, and lazy gluttons" (Ti 1:12). With a reputation li...

MEET YOUR ENEMY

"Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man." –Acts 9:13

David encountered his enemy, King Saul, in a cave while Saul was going to the "bathroom." Saul was hunting down David to kill him. David found his enemy in a vulnerable position, and refused to harm him (1 Sm 24:4ff). "For if a man meets his enemy, does he send him away unharmed?" (1 Sm 24:20) The implied answer is "No."

Ananias encountered his enemy, Saul of Tarsus. Saul was hunting down Ananias and all C...

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LET THEM TALK

"David, girt with a linen apron, came dancing before the Lord with abandon." –2 Samuel 6:14

A characteristic of David's life is that he gave himself to "the Lord with abandon" (2 Sm 6:14). David didn't hold back on giving to God, no matter what others said about him.

David was upset that Goliath was insulting God (1 Sm 17:26) and was determined to defend God's honor by fighting the giant. David's brothers "grew angry with David," insulting and belittling him (1 Sm 17:28). ...

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"David was told, 'You cannot enter here.' " –2 Samuel 5:6

Yesterday was the 39th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision legalizing abortion. This precipitated the development in the USA of what Pope John Paul II called the "culture of death." We are so entrenched in this culture of death, violence, and the degradation of the human person that it seems impossible to change the situation. We have been told we cannot stop Planned Parenthood, cannot change the "politicall...

A NEW BEGINNING

"This is the time of fulfillment. The reign of God is at hand! Reform your lives and believe in the gospel!" –Mark 1:15

The Lord doesn't want us to go on with this new year without repenting, that is, reforming our lives. When we hear the Lord's call to repentance, we agree that many people need to hear that call. However, the Lord is saying that each of us needs to repent – to remove the plank from our eyes before trying to remove the splinters from the eyes of others (...

MIND GAMES

"He is out of His mind." –Mark 3:21

When Jesus' family and friends said He was "out of His mind," this was a Jewish way of saying that Jesus was possessed by the devil. Some religious leaders concurred with this judgment when they "asserted, 'He is possessed by Beelzebul' " (Mk 3:22).

Have you ever been accused of being possessed by the devil? If so, you may understand how Jesus felt. Jesus' Passion did not begin on Calvary. Even at the early part of His public ministry, Jesu...

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ARE YOU PRO-CHOICE?

David said: "I decided, 'I will not raise a hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed.' " –1 Samuel 24:11

David spared Saul's life when he had a perfect chance to kill his tormentor. David was a seasoned warrior who had killed many opponents (e.g. see 1 Sm 23:5; 30:17ff). The only reason he held back his hand was because Saul carried the anointing of leadership from God. Saul had been chosen by God (1 Sm 10:1).

Jesus "summoned the men He Himself had decided...

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TRUE HUMILITY IS GLADNESS

"Saul was very angry and resentful of the song, for he thought: 'They give David ten thousands, but only thousands to me.' " –1 Samuel 18:8

King Saul won a great victory in battle through the catalyst of young David's courageous defeat of the fierce Goliath. When the cheerleaders greeted the victors with the fight song, Saul was given opening honors and credit for thousands (1 Sm 18:7). Because of his pride, however, all Saul could focus on was that David receive...

"THE SWORD IN THE STONE"

"Blessed be the Lord, my Rock, Who trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war." –Psalm 144:1

David killed the giant Goliath with a stone and a sword (1 Sm 17:49, 51). Jesus is "the Stone Which the builders rejected" and "the Keystone of the structure" (Mt 21:42; Ps 118:22). The Holy Spirit, working through the Word of God and prayer (Eph 6:17-18), is the Sword. We will be victorious over giants – such as Planned Parenthood, secular humanism, materialism, rac...

"A LIVING SACRIFICE" (Rm 12:1)

"I have come to sacrifice to the Lord." –1 Samuel 16:5

Sacrifice is defined as "a giving up of something for the sake of something or someone else." We Catholics are used to making sacrifices, but do we make our whole life "a living sacrifice," as Jesus would have us do? (Rm 12:1) We can do so by:

• participating frequently in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, fully aware that we are sacrificially giving our all to Jesus,
• attending Mass to give back to the...

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RUNNING A RED LIGHT

"Samuel said to Saul: 'Stop!' " –1 Samuel 15:16

As we begin a new year, the Lord may be saying to us what He said to Saul. He may be saying: "Stop!" The Lord told Saul to stop disobeying Him, stop deceiving himself, and stop hating himself (1 Sm 15:17ff). However, Saul went right through the stop sign. He attempted murder, became involved in the occult, and finally crashed by committing suicide.

Will we go through a stop sign as Saul did? Will we run a red light tell...

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THE SLEEPING GIANT

"Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was." –1 Samuel 3:3

When Samuel was a child, God's people were spiritually asleep. Their leaders were weak, fat (1 Sm 4:18), lustful (1 Sm 2:22), greedy (1 Sm 2:14ff), and almost blind (1 Sm 3:2). "A revelation of the Lord was uncommon and vision infrequent" (1 Sm 3:1). When God would move and someone occasionally woke up, they were told to go back to sleep (1 Sm 3:6).

The Church, God's people in our ...

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CATHOLIC RELATIONSHIPS

"Why does He eat with such as these?" –Mark 2:16

We are God's chosen people. This means not only that God has chosen us, but He has also chosen the people with whom we are to spend our time and lives. For instance, God chooses whom we marry and how many children we have. His is the only "planned parenthood" we need. We should not join a parish we like but the one God chooses for us. God may want us to eat "with tax collectors and offenders against the law," rather t...

ONE MORE WAY TO REJECT GOD

"He prayed to the Lord, however, Who said in answer: 'Grant the people's every request. It is not you they reject, they are rejecting Me as their King.' " –1 Samuel 8:6-7

The Lord is very concerned about the structures in which we live. He made us to live in certain interconnected ways. So, if we make any unauthorized changes, the whole system gets messed up. For example, the chosen people were called to be a loose federation of tribes with God as their King. Ho...

THE AGONY OF DEFEAT

"It was a disastrous defeat." –1 Samuel 4:10

I've been gazing at a statue of the Pieta. Mary has just suffered a disastrous loss. Before her very eyes, her Son Jesus was brutally tortured and crucified. She stood near His cross (Jn 19:25), pierced with a sword of sorrow (Lk 2:35) far more painful than any spear. Now she is holding the body of her Son, looking heavenward in a gaze of docility tinged with unspeakable suffering. Though Mary suffered a disastrous loss, she...

P.U.I.

"In her bitterness she prayed to the Lord, weeping copiously." –1 Samuel 1:10

Hannah was having a bad day. In fact, she was having several bad years. She wept in her bitterness and misery (1 Sm 1:10-11). Even Hannah's prayer became a problem. Eli the priest misunderstood her condition and accused her of Praying "while Under the Influence" of alcohol (see 1 Sm 1:14). Everything seemed to be going wrong for Hannah, but the Lord changed her barrenness into fruitfulness, her weeping in...

"JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW"

"A voice came from the heavens: 'You are My beloved Son. On You My favor rests.' " –Mark 1:11

On this last day of the glorious Christmas season, the Lord wants us to do as He did: go about "doing good works and healing all who were in the grip of the devil" (Acts 10:38). The Lord calls us to establish "justice on the earth" (Is 42:4), "to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness" (Is...

WHEN THE STAR FADES...

"We observed His star at its rising..." –Matthew 2:2

In their homeland, the Magi saw a great star at its rising. Greatly impressed, they set out on their journey to follow the star to greet the newborn King at Whom they believed the star pointed. After they had traveled for a time, they could no longer see the star. They were past the point of no return, and were not sure where God was now leading them. But the Magi did not give up on God's leading; they did not qui...

"BIG CHRISTMAS"

"Jesus performed this first of His signs at Cana in Galilee. Thus did He reveal His glory, and His disciples believed in Him." –John 2:11

Tomorrow, in many countries throughout the world, we celebrate the greatest day of the Christmas season, Epiphany. Sometimes Epiphany is called "little Christmas," but it is actually "big Christmas." Epiphany may be one of the greatest days in our lives and the beginning of one of our greatest years ever. However, the glory of Epiphany i...

GIFTED AND GIVING

"God gave us eternal life." –1 John 5:11

Throughout much of the world, today is the highlight of the Christmas season, the celebration of the Epiphany. Even if we are in a country which celebrates Epiphany on Sunday, the Lord will let us be part of the glories of Epiphany today.

The wise men gave Jesus three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Mt 2:11). We too can give the Lord the gifts of our finances, prayers (see Rv 5:8), and sacrifices. We can give the Lord our ...

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LOVE LETTERS

"This, remember, is the message you heard from the beginning: we should love one another." –1 John 3:11

Love is laying down our lives for our brothers and sisters (1 Jn 3:16). If we have this love, we know we have passed from death to life (1 Jn 3:14). If we do not love, we are "among the living dead" (1 Jn 3:14). Love is not just talk, but actions (1 Jn 3:18). If we have love in action, we know "we are committed to the truth and are at peace before" God (1 Jn 3:19). Therefor...

LOOK OUT

"When Jesus turned around and noticed them following Him, He asked them, 'What are you looking for?' " –John 1:38

As we celebrate the last few days of the Christmas season and begin the New Year, Jesus turns around and asks us point blank: "What are you looking for?" What do we hope for in this Christmas season? What do we hope 2012 will bring? Some of what we are looking for is straight from the heart of God, but some of it is against the heart and will of God. We should differe...

SEEKING RECOGNITION

"I confess I did not recognize Him." –John 1:31

While in the womb, John the Baptizer was baptized in the Holy Spirit by Jesus, Who was in the womb of Mary (Lk 1:41, 15). John was a relative of Jesus. He was leading a great prophetic ministry and calling people to be baptized in repentance (Lk 3:3). John was the greatest person who had ever lived up to that time (Mt 11:11).

Nevertheless, John did not recognize Jesus, although Jesus was "the very reason" John was bapti...

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QUESTION BOX

"Who, then?" –John 1:21

We begin this new year with the question: "Who are you?" (Jn 1:19). This is a good question. How can we be what the Lord wants us to be this year unless we know who we are? However, the question of our identity is most difficult. One voice says we are God's children (see Mt 3:17; Jn 1:12; 1 Jn 3:2). We are called "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people He claims for His own" (1 Pt 2:9). But we don't feel like God's children or look ...

PEACEMAKING

"The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!" –Numbers 6:24-26

For almost fifty years, the popes have been calling us to devote this first day of the year to praying for peace and justice. Few Catholics have listened to the popes, and we have reaped the wages of our disobedience in war and death (see Rm 6:23).

May this New Year's Day be new. May we obey and be peacemakers (se...

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DESIGNATED DRIVERS AND DESIGNATED DRUNKS

"My reason for having written you is not that you do not know the truth but that you do, and that no lie has anything in common with the truth." –1 John 2:21

On this last day of the year, many people try to escape from reality by drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or staring at TV. Some feel so miserable they don't even think of not drinking. They resign themselves to despair and only hope they won't drive when they drink. They even promote "designate...

THE PAIN AND PROMISE OF FAMILY

"The Child's father and mother were marveling at what was being said about Him." –Luke 2:33

Many people idealize the Holy Family. Because Jesus is God, Mary is immaculate, and Joseph is holy, their family relationships must have been almost perfect. However, that's not the picture the Bible gives us of the Holy Family. The only scene from Jesus' childhood that we are told about is when Mary and Joseph lost Jesus for three days. You can imagine the peasant co...

CHRISTMAS AND DEATH

"It was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not experience death until he had seen the Anointed of the Lord." –Luke 2:26

At Christmas we remember loved ones who have died. These memories may be painful, but we can't help remembering. At Christmas we can experience accelerated growth in our relationship with the Lord. Because of our love for Him, the sting of death can be taken out of our lives (1 Cor 15:55). We no longer dread the memories of past Christma...

HERODS CAN BECOME "HOLY INNOCENTS"

"...Rachel bewailing her children; no comfort for her, since they are no more." –Matthew 2:18

Why does the Lord permit evil? Why did He allow "the massacre of all the boys two years old and under in Bethlehem and its environs"? (Mt 2:16) One explanation is that He loves the Herods of the world so much and wants to save them all (see 1 Tm 2:4). The suffering of these innocents is the most powerful means in God's plan of salvation for changing the most har...

LOVE SUPREME

"This fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ." –1 John 1:3

Christmas is a special time to begin or deepen our personal relationship with Jesus. Like John, we are running to Jesus and hope to end this Christmas season with a deeper faith in Jesus than ever before (Jn 20:8). We want Jesus to become so real to us that by faith we have heard His voice, seen His face, and touched His nail-scarred hands (1 Jn 1:1). Our Christmas prayer is "to grasp ful...

"IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD" (Jn 1:1)

"When they hand you over, do not worry about what you will say or how you will say it. When the hour comes, you will be given what you are to say." –Matthew 10:19

Christmas is a celebration of God's Word. On the first day of Christmas, the Church proclaims twelve readings at the various liturgies of the Christmas Masses. On the second day of Christmas we remember St. Stephen, who preached God's Word so powerfully he became the first martyr, and who...

YOU'RE SUCH A BABY

"The Lord has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations." –Isaiah 52:10

As the father of six, I have been privileged to wake up on six Christmas mornings and hold my infant child. I would stare at my baby in wonder, knowing that the Lord Jesus came to earth looking just like the infant in my arms. Despite all this experience with infants and Christmas, I have never been able to fathom the truth that God came to earth as a Baby.

Before the first Christmas, no ...

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'TWAS THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS

"Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, uttered this prophecy: 'Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel because He has visited and ransomed His people.' " –Luke 1:67-68

Today may literally be one of the most important days of your life. This is Christmas Eve. The Lord in His love has planned this day for you before He created the world. Today you may be on the threshold of the fulfillment of ancient prophecies in your life. Today is probably a very...

A DUMB CHRISTMAS?

"At that moment his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God." –Luke 1:64

Are you spiritually dumb? This Christmas, will you talk about your love for Jesus freely and openly? Or are you tongue-tied like Zechariah?

Zechariah's tongue was loosed to praise the Lord when he obeyed the archangel Gabriel by naming his son "John" (Lk 1:63). If you want your tongue loosed, go back to a point in your life where you disobeyed the Lord. You m...

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FAITH-PRAISING

"My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my Savior." –Luke 1:46-47

Mary's Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55) should be compared with the songs of praise by Hannah (1 Sm 2:1-10) and Zechariah (Lk 1:68-79). While Mary's prophetic praises stand out in many ways, the greatest difference is in their contexts. Hannah praised the Lord at the presentation of Samuel. She had been through the shame of barrenness (1 Sm 1:7). The birth of Samuel had changed all th...

"ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS _____"

"Arise, My beloved, My beautiful one, and come!" –Song of Songs 2:10, 13

Despite the constant hype the world gives to Christmas, the world only wants a minimal Christmas. People are programmed to be happy with "two front teeth," a new PlayStation, fur coat, diamond ring, Barbie doll, power tool, or even a new car. The world proclaims that getting this for Christmas is a maximum Christmas. When you focus on the gifts instead of the Giver of the gifts, yo...

SIGN LANGUAGE

"Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God." –Isaiah 7:11

When we want a sign from the Lord, He often says: "This is an evil age. It seeks a sign. But no sign will be given it" (Lk 11:29). However, when we don't want a sign because we already have our minds made up, the Lord often commands: "Ask for a sign from the Lord, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!" (Is 7:11)

We may already have our Christmas made up. We've planned it to go a certain way....

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A COMMON FAITH?

"But now you will be mute – unable to speak – until the day these things take place, because you have not trusted my words. They will all come true in due season." –Luke 1:20

Both Manoah and Zechariah had wives who were "barren and had borne no children" (Jgs 13:2; Lk 1:7). In a message from an angel, God promised each of these men that he would miraculously become a father of a son (Jgs 13:7; Lk 1:13). God also revealed to these men that their sons would be lifelong n...

"MAN-IFESTED" (Rm 16:26)

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." –Luke 1:35

King David wanted to build a temple for God so the Lord could have a house on earth in which to dwell (2 Sm 7:2ff). God told King David that He never asked for a house on earth (2 Sm 7:7), and besides, no house or temple on earth could contain Him anyway (see 1 Kgs 8:27). In fact, the earth isn't big enough to hold even the books which would have to be written about...

PROPHET-ABLE

"Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary. It was of her that Jesus Who is called the Messiah was born." –Matthew 1:16

The coming of Jesus the Messiah was the fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies over hundreds of years. For example, it was prophesied centuries before Christ that the Messiah would come from the tribe of Judah and the line of David. The coming of Jesus into the world this Christmas is also preceded by prophecy.

We find many "dry bones" in this worl...

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SUNDAY AND CHRISTMAS DAY

"My salvation is about to come, My justice, about to be revealed." –Isaiah 56:1

This Christmas, the Lord's salvation is about to come, and His justice about to be revealed. To receive His salvation and justice, we must "observe what is right, do what is just" (Is 56:1). We must especially keep the sabbath free from profanation (Is 56:2, 6). We must obey the Third Commandment and keep holy the Lord's Day, Sunday, the sabbath of the new covenant (see Ex 20:8). In do...

DON'T RUIN GOD'S PLANS FOR CHRISTMAS

"The Pharisees and the lawyers, on the other hand, by failing to receive his baptism defeated God's plan in their regard." –Luke 7:30

God is all-powerful and all-loving. He wills to love us with an everlasting love (see Jer 31:3). However, God has given us the freedom to defeat His plan in our regard. We can deprive ourselves from receiving God's love by refusing to be baptized in, that is, immersed in repentance (Lk 7:30).

This Christmas season, the...

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DESIGNER-GOD

"...God, the Designer and Maker of the earth Who established it, not creating it to be a waste, but designing it to be lived in." –Isaiah 45:18

Even as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ, we are living in a culture of death, which discourages birth. It sees people not as gifts from God but as the cause of "over-population." It views children not as joys but as burdens and attacks on our freedom. Our culture of death makes contraception and abortion its virtues, and c...

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

"But afterward he regretted it and went." –Matthew 21:30

We're halfway through Advent and some of us have not even started to prepare the way of the Lord. About two weeks ago, when the Spirit asked us to watch and pray, to fast and give alms, to repent and believe, many refused and said: "No, I will not" (Mt 21:30). Some are beginning to realize they made a terrible mistake and are regretting these past two weeks.

Repent! The Lord is merciful. Decide to enter into...

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THE CONQUERING QUEEN-MOTHER

"Blest are you among women and blest is the Fruit of your womb. But who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" –Luke 1:42-43

The title "Guadalupe" is probably a misunderstanding of the Indian word, "Tecoatlaxope," meaning: "she will crush the serpent of stone." This is a prophetic revelation that Mary is "a great sign...a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Rv 12:1). Mary leads all Chr...

DRESS FOR SUCCESS

"I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul." –Isaiah 61:10

The third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday, or Rejoice Sunday. Turn off the football games; put off that trip to the mall; set aside the Christmas decorations. It's time to "rejoice in the Lord"! (Phil 4:4)

On Christmas, many people receive various articles of clothing as presents: ties, socks, sweaters, and warm winter clothes. Today, God has better clothes to give us: garments o...

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PREPARING TO PREPARE FOR CHRISTMAS

"Elijah has already come, but they did not recognize him." –Matthew 17:12

The prophetic ministry of Elijah prepared the way for John the Baptizer's prophetic ministry. John prophesied "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Lk 1:17). Jesus even stated that John "is Elijah" (Mt 11:14). Elijah prepared the way for John, who came to "prepare the way of the Lord" (Mt 3:3).

God prepared the way for His Son's coming for centuries. He sent prophet after prophet....

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WOMAN-LIBERATION

"The woman answered, 'The serpent tricked me into it.' " –Genesis 3:13

In the wake of the first sin, on the worst day in history, the Lord said to the serpent: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel" (Gn 3:15). God's curse of the serpent is a promise of mercy for us. The woman and the snake will hate each other and be at war. The offspring of the woman will have a decided...

Y'ALL COME

"To whom can you liken Me as an equal? says the Holy One." –Isaiah 40:25

No one equals God in anything. Consider God's strength; He is unequaled in strength. Almighty God is so strong that He made and sustains the millions of stars which span light-years in space (Is 40:26).

Almighty God is willing to share His unlimited strength with us. "He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak He makes vigor abound" (Is 40:29). When God strengthens old or weak people, they can outru...

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FREE-GIFTS

"Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her slavery is at an end." –Isaiah 40:2, our transl.

St. Nicholas is famous not just for giving gifts, but for gift-giving that set people free. His gifts freed three young women from beginning lives of prostitution. What about the gifts you will give this Christmas? Will these gifts set people free, merely distract them from their slavery, or even be one more enslaving factor in their lives? Jesus came and will come this C...

SPECIAL EFFECTS

"We have seen incredible things today!" –Luke 5:26

Our society, and our human nature, is fascinated with the sensational. Movie and TV producers understand this, and so they frequently substitute special effects for substance and quality content, knowing that sensationalism attracts people.

The Lord, on the other hand, Whose ways are so high above our ways (Is 55:8-9), focuses on internals rather than on the outward appearance (1 Sm 16:7). He knows that the most spectacu...

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ARE YOU COMMITTED TO REPENTANCE?

"John the Baptizer appeared in the desert, proclaiming a baptism of repentance which led to the forgiveness of sins." –Mark 1:4

During Advent, we "prepare the way of the Lord" (Is 40:3) as we await His Christmas coming. Today, the Church proclaims that a major way to prepare is to repent.

John the Baptizer could never be accused of dabbling in repentance. Anyone watching John live day after day in a hot, arid desert, wearing camel-hair shirts and eating ...

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THE LOVE CONNECTION

Jesus "proclaimed the Good News of God's reign, and He cured every sickness and disease. At the sight of the crowds, His heart was moved with pity." –Matthew 9:35-36

In a world of bad news, God's Word is Good News. In His Word today, the Lord promises to answer our prayers, provide all our needs, give us clear direction, make us fruitful, be our light, and heal our wounds (Is 30:19-21, 25-26). The Lord loves us and expresses His love in many personal and practical ways...

LET'S OBEY GOD IN DETAIL

"Jesus warned them sternly, 'See to it that no one knows of this.' But they went off and spread word of Him through the whole area." –Matthew 9:30-31

Jesus healed two blind men, and "warned them sternly" not to let this healing be known (Mt 9:30). It wasn't yet the right time in God's plan to spread the news of Jesus' works. The groundwork for revealing Jesus' identity hadn't yet been fully laid, and without the foundation, misunderstanding could result. Nonethele...

HARD ROCK

"Anyone who hears My words and puts them into practice is like the wise man who built his house on rock." –Matthew 7:24

On this fifth day of Advent, the Church reads to us about "a strong city" (Is 26:1), "a nation of firm purpose" (Is 26:3), and a house "solidly set on rock" (Mt 7:25). God's Word is calling us to be strong, firm, and solid by building our lives on obedience to the Lord, the "eternal Rock" (Is 26:4). If we are totally committed to Jesus and obey His Word, our li...

FISH STORY

"Come after Me and I will make you fishers of men." –Matthew 4:19

After Andrew met Jesus, "the first thing he did was seek out his brother Simon and tell him, 'We have found the Messiah!' " (Jn 1:41) With his first cast, Andrew caught not just a man but the fisher of men and women, Simon Peter. Andrew, on his first try at evangelism, caught the man who would later catch three thousand on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41). Moreover, that was just the beginning. Because of this ex...

THE TRUE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

"Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit." –Luke 10:21

God's plan, including His plan for Christmas, is hidden from the learned and the clever, and revealed to the merest children (Lk 10:21). This does not mean that Christmas is for kids. "Merest children" are not people young in age; they are adults who completely depend on the Lord and have become "merest children" by the Spirit (see Mt 18:3). Thus, Christmas is neither for kids nor adults, but for people of any age ...

CLIMBING ADVENT MOUNTAIN

"Come, let us climb the Lord's mountain." –Isaiah 2:3

Advent is a time for mountain-climbing. It is climbing with all nations (Is 2:2) the highest mountain so that the Lord "may instruct us in His ways, and we may walk in His paths" (Is 2:3). Advent is being like Moses. We climb Mt. Sinai, receive the Ten Commandments, descend radiant with God's glory, and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus (see Ex 19:2ff). As more and more people climb God's holy mountain this Advent t...

HEART-RENDING

"Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down!" –Isaiah 63:19

When we see gross injustices in our society, we cry out for God to intervene. When we see people literally getting away with murder, even of infants in the womb, we beg God to put a stop to our world's perversity and wickedness. We pray in desperation: "Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before You" (Is 63:19). We pray for the Lord to come accompanied by an earthquak...

HAPPY OLD YEAR!

"I, Daniel, found my spirit anguished within its sheath of flesh, and I was terrified by the visions of my mind." –Daniel 7:15

Today is the last day of the Church year. As we look back over the year or years, we may be confused and even disappointed. The writer of the book of Daniel assures us that the Lord knows beforehand all that has happened or will happen (Dn 7:16). The Lord is in control. Out of respect for our freedom and in His infinite wisdom, He allows things...

THE MAN AND THE BEASTS

"As the visions during the night continued, I saw One like a Son of Man coming, on the clouds of heaven." –Daniel 7:13

The writer of the book of Daniel apparently believed that history is not so much human as beastly. Our rulers have been like lions, bears, leopards, or monsters (see Dn 7:3ff). In their power, they were often inhuman. Of course, all governments give the impression of being human, but they don't always act that way (see Dn 7:8). Their behavior shouts...

THANK YOU, JESUS

"May your God, Whom you serve so constantly, save you." –Daniel 6:17

Daniel and Jesus shared several striking things in common. They both were arrested, convicted, and given the death sentence. King Darius unsuccessfully worked to free Daniel (Dn 6:15), while Pontius Pilate was equally unsuccessful in freeing Jesus. Daniel was thrown into a den of lions, and the stone blocking the opening of the den was sealed (Dn 6:18). The stone blocking Jesus' tomb was also sealed (Mt ...

"THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL"

"Suddenly, opposite the lampstand, the fingers of a human hand appeared, writing on the plaster of the wall in the king's palace." –Daniel 5:5

"King Belshazzar gave a great banquet" (Dn 5:1). At this banquet, a hand wrote on the wall. This hand was not part of a body, but was just floating in space. Tomorrow, most of us in the United States will also have a banquet: Thanksgiving dinner. Very likely there will be "handwriting on the wall." For instance, after ...

INSECURE?

"The great God has revealed to the king what shall be in the future." –Daniel 2:45

The gold Babylonian, silver Median, bronze Persian, and iron Hellenistic kingdoms have crumbled (Dn 2:36ff). The great Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed with not one stone left on another (Lk 21:6). The U.S.A. is a young country which may not grow old. "The world as we know it is passing away" (1 Cor 7:31). "The heavens will vanish with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire" (2 Pt 3:10). ...

NO-KNOW?

"In any question of wisdom or prudence which the king put to them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom." –Daniel 1:20

We all need to know things which are humanly impossible to know. We need to know things about the future and about our hearts and those of others. Otherwise, we will make very poor decisions in marriage, work, parenting, ministry, finances, etc. Yet, we can't know the future or the hearts of people (Jer 17:9).

Many...

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RIGHT

Jesus "will sit upon His royal throne, and all the nations will be assembled before Him. Then He will separate them into two groups." –Matthew 25:31-32

When Christ the King returns in glory at the end of the world and on Judgment Day, we will hear King Jesus say to us one of the following two statements (Mt 25:31). Those whom King Jesus has placed at His right hand will hear the words: "Come. You have My Father's blessing! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of th...

YOURDEATH

"All seven died." –Luke 20:31

How will you die? Will it be at your home or at a nursing home? Will you die suddenly or slowly? Will you die in pain or in peace or in both? Will you die alone or surrounded by family and friends? Will you live to see Jesus' Second Coming and thereby not die?

These are good questions. A more important question, however, is: "Will we die as sons and daughters of the resurrection?" (see Lk 20:36) Or will we die in sin (Jn 8:21, 24), spiritually bli...

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HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

"Judas and his brothers and the entire congregation of Israel decreed that the days of the dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness on the anniversary." –1 Maccabees 4:59

We remember anniversaries of both good and bad events. The Maccabees celebrated "the anniversary of the day on which the Gentiles had defiled" the Temple (1 Mc 4:54). "On that very day it was reconsecrated with songs, harps, flutes, and cymbals. All the people prostrated themsel...

THE COST OF FAITHFULNESS

"Mattathias answered in a loud voice...'We will not obey the words of the king nor depart from our religion in the slightest degree.' " –1 Maccabees 2:19, 22

Mattathias would not be manipulated or intimidated into compromising his faith. He refused to be a hypocrite and a phony. He refused to be lukewarm and sickening to God (Rv 3:16). For Mattathias to be uncompromised and faithful, he had to flee "to the mountains with his sons, leaving behind in the city ...

REAL FAITH

"Seven brothers with their mother were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the king." –2 Maccabees 7:1

The members of this family were maimed, scalped, amputated, fried, and murdered one by one while the remaining family members were forced to watch. This family's courage was supernatural. The basis of their courage was faith in God, our Creator and our Resurrection. At his death, the second brother said: "You are depriving us of this present life, but the Kin...

TREED?

"He first ran on in front, then climbed a sycamore tree which was along Jesus' route, in order to see Him." –Luke 19:4

The world is full of Zacchaeuses: people not so much small of stature (Lk 19:3) as small of heart. We are surrounded by petty, mean-spirited, little people. We are sometimes that way ourselves. We need to see Jesus to become big-hearted, great-souled men and women of God.

Like Zacchaeus, we need a tree to climb so we can see Jesus. We are too petty to see over...

"I WANT TO SEE"

"Jesus asked him, 'What do you want Me to do for you?' 'Lord,' he answered, 'I want to see.' " –Luke 18:40-41

Spiritual blindness may be more common in our Western culture than spiritual sight. So many have been blinded by secular humanism, "the god of the present age" (2 Cor 4:4). If we are not totally blinded to our condition, we will cry out: "Jesus, Son of David, have pity" on us (Lk 18:38). No matter if we are as blind as the self-righteous Pharisee (Lk 18:9ff), ...

USE OR LOSE

"His master said to him, 'Well done! You are an industrious and reliable servant. Since you were dependable in a small matter I will put you in charge of larger affairs. Come, share your master's joy!' " –Matthew 25:21

The Lord expects us to be good stewards not only of the money He has given us, but also of our time, talents, spiritual gifts, and graces. Our greatest responsibility as stewards is to be "servants of Christ and administrators of the mysteries of God" (1 C...

THE WORD ON DELAY

"Will He delay long over them, do you suppose?" –Luke 18:7

Because the Lord is outside of time, His perspective on timing is far different than ours (see 2 Pt 3:8; Is 55:8-9). In our humanity, we might "consider it 'delay' " on God's part (2 Pt 3:9) when it seems He's doing nothing. However, if God seems to be moving slowly or not at all, it's because He is showing "generous patience" (2 Pt 3:9) either to us or for the sake of others. If He "delays, wait for" Him (H...

FOR NATURE LOVERS

"For if they so far succeeded in knowledge that they could speculate about the world, how did they not more quickly find its Lord?" –Wisdom 13:9

Many people are nature-lovers. They are impressed by the "might and energy" (Wis 13:4), "the greatness and the beauty of created things" (Wis 13:5), such as "fire, or wind, or the swift air, or the circuit of the stars, or the mighty water, or the luminaries of heaven" (Wis 13:2).

Nature-lovers will either become idol wors...

BUILDING BLOCKS

"I laid a foundation as a wise master-builder might do." –1 Corinthians 3:10

The international outreach of the Pope and the Vatican has probably never been greater than the present. Pope John Paul II was a prolific missionary pope. We have more dioceses and parishes than at any time in the two-thousand-year history of the Church. Geographically, the Church has never been as "catholic" (universal) as today. Nevertheless, the Church is struggling, especially in Western Europ...

"ALWAYS PREPARED"

"Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the reign of God would come, [Jesus] replied..." –Luke 17:20

At the end of the world, there will be terrible suffering. Jesus said: "A time will come when you will long to see one day of the Son of Man but will not see it" (Lk 17:22). "Those times will be more distressful than any between God's work of creation and now" (Mk 13:19).

At the end of the world, many will be confused. "They will tell you He is to be found in this p...

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"THE CULTURE OF DEATH"

"By the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who are in his possession experience it." –Wisdom 2:24

Pope John Paul II called© our Western, secularized culture "the culture of death." Married couples refuse to conceive children; we abort babies; we withdraw food from terminally ill patients so that they will die; masses commit suicide through alcohol and other drugs; we entertain ourselves by watching people kill each other on TV. We are a cul...

THE EUCHARIST, FOOD OF WISDOM

"He manifests Himself to those who do not disbelieve Him." –Wisdom 1:2

As I read the above passage, I felt goose bumps form on my body. Today Almighty God manifested Himself to me in His eucharistic presence (see Wis 1:2). I rejoiced to receive Him in Holy Communion at Mass. Jesus, Wisdom Incarnate (1 Cor 1:30), bounded out of heaven (Wis 18:15; Jn 6:33) to fill me with the Food of Wisdom.

People spend years obtaining knowledge through education and tr...

LIFE AFTER DEATH

"We would have you be clear about those who sleep in death, brothers." –1 Thessalonians 4:13

We can become clear on life after death by listening to the Church. It has listened to the Spirit, prayed over the Bible, and will give us a clear understanding of life after death.

When we die, we are judged and our spirits immediately go to heaven, hell, or purgatory. Heaven is God's home where we perpetually worship the Holy Trinity, see Jesus face to face, and share pe...

BIG THINGS AND LITTLE THINGS

"If you can trust a man in little things, you can also trust him in greater; while anyone unjust in a slight matter is also unjust in greater." –Luke 16:10

Priscilla and Aquila literally "risked their necks" for the sake of St. Paul and the Gospel (see Rm 16:3-4, RSV-CE). This is no exaggeration; Paul was martyred when Roman soldiers severed his neck. Risking thousands of dollars is a little thing in comparison to risking your life for the Gospel. Paul...

THE MISSION TO THE UNBELIEVERS

"It has been a point of honor with me never to preach in places where Christ's name was already known." –Romans 15:20

Paul focused on proclaiming Christ to people who had never heard of Jesus. We may not have the same call, but we should maximize opportunities to share our faith with unbelievers. For example, we should discern if God is calling us to join groups in which unbelievers participate. This would give us a forum in which to share our faith.

W...

KNOW JESUS; NO FEAR

"The Lord is my Light and my Salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life's Refuge; of whom should I be afraid?" –Psalm 27:1

In the Bible, the Lord says 365 times: "Do not fear." Pope John Paul II repeatedly prophesied: "Do not fear." Satan is trying to make us his slaves forever through our fear of death (Heb 2:15). However, we need not be afraid, for:

• "The Lord is my Light and my Salvation" (Ps 27:1; see also Is 12:2).
• "The Lord is my life's Refuge" (Ps 2...

THE BIBLE ON PRAYING FOR THE DEAD

"Those who trust in Him shall understand truth." –Wisdom 3:9

It is a holy and pious thought to pray for the dead (2 Mc 12:44-45). Because those in heaven or in hell don't benefit from our prayers, this implies that not everyone immediately goes to heaven or hell after they die. Therefore, when we pray for the dead, we must be praying for people in some other place, usually called purgatory (Catechism, 1031). It is a place of purging and purification...

HOLINESS,THE HOLY SPIRIT,AND THE HOLY FATHER

"Who are these people all dressed in white? And where have they come from?" –Revelation 7:13

Some of the most important questions in life are: "Will I grow in holiness, go to heaven, and see Jesus face to face?" (see 1 Jn 3:2) "Will I be at the everlasting family reunion in heaven?" "How do I become holy and go to heaven with all the holy ones?"

The Church teaches that we become holy by living the Beatitudes. This comes as quite a shock ...

A CHRISTIANITY THAT DOESN'T PAY

"No, when you have a reception, invite beggars and the crippled, the lame and the blind. You should be pleased that they cannot repay you." –Luke 14:13-14

How many begging, crippled, lame, or blind people have you had over for supper lately? Most people would probably answer: very few or none. Most Christians in Western culture don't take Jesus' command literally. However, considering the historical and Biblical context of this passage, it is very l...

THE MESSAGE, NOT THE MESSENGER

"We thank God constantly that in receiving His message from us you took it, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God." –1 Thessalonians 2:13

As a teenager, I attended daily Masses said by Father O'Hare (not his real name). His style rubbed me the wrong way; it was hard for me to concentrate on his homilies. God used him to teach me to concentrate on the message, not the messenger (1 Thes 2:13). Here are some words of God from vario...

A "KNOW IT ALL"

"I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery." –Romans 11:25

Sometimes we feel like despairing because life seems to make no sense. We wonder if God is there or if He knows what He's doing. NevertFcheless, despite severe disruptions due to our sins, the Lord has everything under control. For instance, He knows that large numbers of Jewish people will be saved after the full number of Gentiles has entered into God's kingdom (Rm 11:25-26). This will mean "riches ...

"A CHOSEN RACE" (1 Pt 2:9)

"He called His disciples and selected twelve of them to be His apostles." –Luke 6:13

Jesus called a number of disciples together and chose twelve of them to be His apostles (Lk 6:13), the ones He would specially form and mold to be the foundation of His Church (Eph 2:20; Rv 21:14). The entire basis for the Church rests on the fact that Jesus selected some for special leadership. This means that the Church is not a democracy, nor did Jesus intend for it to...

UNSTOPPABLE

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" –Romans 8:31

St. Paul asks: "Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Trial, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword?" (Rm 8:35) This was no mere rhetorical question for Paul. He had experienced firsthand all of these dangers and more (see 2 Cor 11:23ff). He knew for "certain" that nothing could separate him from the love of God (Rm 8:38, 39). This certain knowledge of God's personal l...

THE PRAYER OF A LIFETIME

"The Spirit intercedes for the saints as God Himself wills." –Romans 8:27

For more than twenty-five years, Pope John Paul II called us to great, growing, and intense prayer (The Redeemer of Man, 22). The Pope taught: "A great prayer for life is urgently needed, a prayer which will rise up throughout the world. Through special initiatives and in daily prayer, may an impassioned plea rise to God, the Creator and Lover of life, from every Christian community, fr...

GROANERS

"Yes, we know that all creation groans and is in agony even until now." –Romans 8:22

After the first sin was committed, a groan was heard for the first time. Adam groaned in his labors; Eve groaned in her labor pains (see Gn 3:16, 19). Both groaned when they saw the first dead body ever; the body of their son Abel, murdered by his brother Cain (Gn 4:8). These groanings grew increasingly worse until the whole world groaned.

Eventually, there came a Man Who groaned like the r...

REPENTANCE OR FEAR?

"You did not receive a spirit of slavery leading you back into fear, but a spirit of adoption through which we cry out 'Abba!' (that is, 'Father')." –Romans 8:15

Because we inherited a fallen nature, we were in fear from the first moment of our conception. We lived in fear (see Lk 12:32) no matter how hard we tried to be free. We would have lived in fear our whole lives (Heb 2:15), but we were set free when we received a new nature by being baptized into Jesus....

A "WHOLE" IN MY HEART

"You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart." –Matthew 22:37

We disciples are called to holiness. We are also called to "whole-liness." We are to love God with our whole heart, our whole soul, and our whole mind (Mt 22:37).

It all begins with God's love for us. "The love of God [is] poured out in our hearts" (Rm 5:5). God's poured-out love fills our hearts with love for Him and for others (Mt 22:37). So "we, for our part, love because He first love...

I'M EXHAUSTED FOR HIM

"Why should it exhaust the soil?" –Luke 13:7, RNAB

Most plants pull nutrients out of the soil. Repeated growing of certain crops can literally exhaust the soil over a period of time (see Lk 13:7, RNAB). Every few years, farmers rotate a crop of leguminous plants, which replenish the soil with nutrients, to make the soil more fertile.

Jesus calls us to be good soil, bearing thirty-, sixty-, or a hundredfold for Him (Mk 4:20). Part of being good soil for Jesus ...

SETTLERS

"When you are going with your opponent to appear before a magistrate, try to settle with him on the way." –Luke 12:58

If we can know the time when it will rain or get hot, we can know the time to settle with our opponent (Lk 12:54-58). The verses which immediately follow this passage indicate that we settle with our opponent by repenting of not bearing fruit, that is, of not leading people to Jesus (Lk 13:3, 5, 6). We either repent of not leading people to Christ or be han...

DIVIDE AND CONQUER

"I have come for division." –Luke 12:51

Jesus came to divide families, "three against two and two against three" (Lk 12:52). These divisions are tragic because they are due to the refusal by family members to give their lives to Jesus and love Him.

However, divisions are not all bad. "There may even have to be factions among you for the tried and true to stand out clearly" (1 Cor 11:19). Through divisions, those who are lukewarm in their faith turn cold. And Jes...

NO LIMITS

"More will be asked of a man to whom more has been entrusted." –Luke 12:48

Jesus has come that we might have abundant life, life to the full (Jn 10:10). He plans to fill our cup to overflowing (Ps 23:5) and lavish the Holy Spirit upon us without measure (Jn 3:34; Ti 3:6), just as He changed water into a huge amount of wine (Jn 2:6ff). God will open the floodgates of heaven to bless us with a superabundance if we obey Him in generous trust (see Mal 3:10).

In view of God's ...

WITH IT OR WITH HIM?

"I have no one with me but Luke." –2 Timothy 4:11

St. Luke was a disciple of St. Paul, a missionary, one of the four evangelists, the author of Acts of the Apostles, and a doctor (Col 4:14). On Luke's feast day, however, the Church has not chosen readings to emphasize any of these claims to fame. Our first reading simply notes that Luke was with Paul. That doesn't sound like much until we remember Jesus' last words in Matthew's Gospel: "Know that I am with you ...

DAILY BREAD IS DAILY LOVE

"Then I will say to myself: You have blessings in reserve for years to come. Relax! Eat heartily, drink well. Enjoy yourself." –Luke 12:19

Jesus didn't encourage the man who had "blessings in reserve for years to come" (Lk 12:19). Instead, He called him a fool (Lk 12:20). Jesus usually calls us to live from "day to day." He taught us to pray: "Give us today our daily bread" (Mt 6:11). Similarly, after the Exodus the Lord commanded His people not to save th...

G.P.

"Grace and peace be yours." –1 Thessalonians 1:1

Paul almost always began his letters by wishing the churches "grace and peace." Grace is the presence and power of God. We need grace because we cannot live for Christ by our natural power. We need God's supernatural power. We accept grace because we have faith in the God of grace, because we have a personal relationship with Him.

Peace in the Bible is not what our culture means by peace. Many people consider peace to be a sens...

Mass Readings: October 15

FAITH-FULL

"All depends on faith, everything is grace." –Romans 4:16

Because all depends on faith, we pray: "Lord, 'increase our faith' " (Lk 17:5). However, Jesus wondered if He would find any faith on the earth when He would return (Lk 18:8). We must either move mountains by faith or be moved and manipulated by the forces of the mass apostasy preceding Jesus' s...

KNOW JESUS; NO FEAR

"Fear nothing, then." –Luke 12:7

Three-hundred and sixty-five times, once for each day of the year, the Lord commands us in the Bible: "Do not be afraid" (Lk 12:4). Pope John Paul II repeatedly proclaimed, prayed, and prophesied: "Do not be afraid." Although Satan tries to use fear to manipulate and even to enslave us (Heb 2:15), we can overcome the t...

Mass Readings: October 13

JUST NOW

"He did so to manifest His own justice." –Romans 3:25

"Just yesterday, I was just just, just as he was." The preceding sentence contains grammatically correct English. It shows the many usages of the word "just." The sentence can be more clearly stated: "As recently as yesterday, I was merely fair, exactly as he was." The English word "just" is just plain confus...

Mass Readings: October 12

DOCILITY, NOT HOSTILITY

"Teacher, in speaking this way You insult us too!" –Luke 11:45

Jesus speaks strongly of lifestyle changes in today's Gospel reading. He gives the Pharisees and lawyers a direct warning of the consequences of their hypocrisy and pride (Lk 11:42ff). The lawyers disregarded Jesus' loving and expert warning and claimed He was insulting them (Lk 11...

Mass Readings: October 11

USE AS DIRECTED

"These men...exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator." –Romans 1:25

From the garden of Eden to the present day, man and woman have been captivated by God's good and beautiful creations. He created things to point to Himself (Rm 1:20; Wis 13:5). Many are unable to get past the beauty of creation to f...

Mass Readings: October 10

STRIVE FOR HOLINESS (Heb 12:14)

"...called to holiness..." –Romans 1:7

We are "called to holiness" (Rm 1:7). The secular culture cherishes the idea that holiness restricts our desires, implying that holy people are not free to do what they "really" want. However, "God has not called us to immorality but to holiness" (1 Thes 4:7). Only the holy "live in freedom – but not a...

Mass Readings: October 9

THE ULTIMATE FINANCIAL SECURITY

"My God in turn will supply your needs fully, in a way worthy of His magnificent riches in Christ Jesus." –Philippians 4:19

The Philippians had contributed financially to Paul's ministry on several occasions. Paul called their financial contributions a kindness (Phil 4:14), a share in his hardships (Phil 4:1...

Mass Readings: October 8

BLEST

" 'Rather,' He replied, 'blest are they who hear the word of God and keep it.' " –Luke 11:28

Because you are hearing and living God's Word, you are more blest than Mary was in being the physical mother of God. However, this does not mean you are more blest than Mary. Mary is blest among women (Lk 1:28, 42) and called blest by all ages (Lk 1:48) not primarily b...

Mass Readings: October 7

RE-POSSESS THE RE-POSSESSED

"When an unclean spirit has gone out of a man, it wanders through arid wastes searching for a resting-place; failing to find one, it says, 'I will go back to where I came from.' " –Luke 11:24

Pope John Paul II seemed to be preoccupied with what he called the "new evangelization." This means leading to Christ the people of formerly Christian countri...

Mass Readings: October 6

SELF-CLEANING OVEN

"Then you will again see the distinction between the just and the wicked; between him who serves God and him who does not serve Him." –Malachi 3:18

In the prophet Malachi's time, prosperity was considered a sign of divine approval. Malachi lamented that evildoers prospered at the expense of those who were just. Malachi wondered why God would bless evil...

Mass Readings: October 5

WORMING OUR WAY OUT

"I would be better off dead than alive." –Jonah 4:8

Jonah was so despondent that he became suicidal because 120,000 Ninevites repented and were spared destruction. Jonah wanted them to get what they deserved.

The next thing that made Jonah despondent was a worm. He seemed to be more upset by the worm than by spending three days in a fish's belly. He wa...

Mass Readings: October 4

BETTERING YOURSELF

"Mary has chosen the better portion and she shall not be deprived of it." –Luke 10:42

In yesterday's Scripture reading, Jesus told us to be good neighbors like the Samaritan who gave hands-on service to the beaten man whom he found on the road (Lk 10:33-36). In today's reading, we meet another good neighbor, Mart...

Mass Readings: October 3

LISTENING TO EVERYBODY BUT...

"This is the word of the Lord that came to Jonah." –Jonah 1:1

Jonah is both strikingly similar and dissimilar to Jesus. Jonah and Jesus are the only two people in the Bible who fell asleep in a boat during a storm (Jon 1:5). Jonah's storm was stopped by "sacrificing" him, throwing him overboard (see Jon 1:14-15). By Jesus' sacrificial death...

Mass Readings: October 2

REJECTED!

"The Stone Which the builders rejected has become the Keystone of the structure." –Matthew 21:42; Psalm 118:22

It is so easy to reject Jesus. Our lives are like houses (see Mt 7:24). If we have the opportunity to make Jesus the Cornerstone of our lives, but do not do so, then we have rejected Him. If we refuse to provide for an...

Mass Readings: October 1

"SEEK YE FIRST"

"Turn now ten times the more to seek Him." –Baruch 4:28

Our hearts have been disposed to stray from God (Bar 4:28), that is, we have been tempted to sin. Some of these temptations have been very strong. However, the Lord calls us to seek Him with a zeal ten times stronger than our strongest temptations. When we seek the Lord this zealously, we will h...

Mass Readings: September 30

VOICE LESSONS

"We have been disobedient to the Lord, our God, and only too ready to disregard His voice." –Baruch 1:19

Jesus commented that His sheep "recognize His voice" and "follow Him" (Jn 10:4). Jesus' followers "will not follow a stranger; such a one they will flee, because they do not recognize a stranger's voice" (Jn 10:5).

Sometimes the Lord's voice is not eas...

Mass Readings: September 29

ANGELS NOW MORE THAN EVER

"Thousands upon thousands were ministering to Him." –Daniel 7:10

Today's feast day honors the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the only angels mentioned by name in the Bible. We thank God for these three archangels. We need them now more than ever.

The only way to understand nearly forty years of killing millions of babies through ...

Mass Readings: September 28

I SIMPLY LOVE TO REPAIR

"How could I not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been eaten out by fire?" –Nehemiah 2:3

Nehemiah was noticeably sad because Jerusalem and its walls needed major repairs. Those promoting devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus have repeatedly emphasized the need for reparation, that is, repairin...

Mass Readings: September 27

LIGHTEN UP!

"In those days ten men of every nationality, speaking different tongues, shall take hold, yes, take hold of every Jew by the edge of his garment and say, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.' " –Zechariah 8:23

Jesus always attracted people to Himself. The rich, poor, pagans, religious, sinners, and other groups of people flocked to ...

Mass Readings: September 26

THE GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE

"Even if this should seem impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people, shall it in those days be impossible in My eyes also, says the Lord of hosts?" –Zechariah 8:6

The people of Jerusalem had been disobeying God for centuries. Zechariah prophesied the impossible: that the people of that city and maybe even our cities would...

Mass Readings: September 25

"OBEDIENCE IS BETTER..." (1 Sm 15:22)

"Which of the two did what the father wanted?" –Matthew 21:31

We Christians have told God we will obey Him, but many of us haven't. We have persisted in mass disobedience for years. Unbelievers have told God they will not obey Him, but many of them have changed their minds and do what God wants. Jesus ...

Mass Readings: September 24

THE CIRCLE OF FIRE

"I will turn their mourning into joy, I will console and gladden them after their sorrows." –Jeremiah 31:13

The chosen people had sinned. Thereby, they had been defeated, debased, and exiled. Jerusalem, its Temple, and the people's lives were in ruins. After generations of degradation, the people could hardly conceive of anything but further...

Mass Readings: September 23

THE COURAGE TO WORK

"Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes?" –Haggai 2:3

It's discouraging to see how bad things have become. It's discouraging to think that even our best efforts are very inadequate and possibly inferior to what we've done before (see Hg 2:3). It's discouraging to have your best work be overshadowed by the damage inflicted for years b...

Mass Readings: September 22

THE PLEASURES OF GOD

"Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Consider your ways! Go up into the hill country; bring timber, and build the house that I may take pleasure in it.' " –Haggai 1:7-8

If you asked yourself: "Am I happy?", what would be an honest answer? Many people are more busy than blessed (see Hg 1:6), more stuffed than nourished, and more jaded than exhilarated (see H...

Mass Readings: September 21

I'D LOVE TO ...

"As He moved on, Jesus saw a man named Matthew at his post where taxes were collected. He said to him, 'Follow Me.' " –Matthew 9:9

We hear the Lord knocking on the door and calling us by name (Rv 3:20). We sense something inside drawing us to Jesus. He is still calling today's "Matthews" to follow Him. Nonetheless, we are afraid to say "Yes." We'...

Mass Readings: September 20

CHURCH, SACRIFICE, AND PASSOVER

"They finished the building according to the command of the God of Israel." –Ezra 6:14

For the work on the house of God to be completed, we must build the building, make the sacrifices, and celebrate the Passover (Ezr 6:14, 17, 19). We have usually been successful in physically building the building. We have met in homes, built parish...

Mass Readings: September 19

OUTSIDE THE BOX

"The Lord inspired King Cyrus of Persia to issue this proclamation..." –Ezra 1:1

The greatest tragedy in the history of the Jewish people is the fall of Jerusalem and exile to Babylon in 587 B.C. For decades, Jews lived in Babylon with no temple and no hope of liberation. Then King Cyrus became the new king of Persia. Cyrus was a pagan who worshipped the fal...

Mass Readings: September 18

LIFE MEANS...

"For, to me, 'life' means Christ." –Philippians 1:21

What does life mean to you? Some of us would answer: "Life" means family, friends, and work. Life means church on Sunday, Thanksgiving dinners, a new car, or a wedding in the family.

Paul doesn't talk like this. He bluntly asserts: "Life" means Christ. Paul had "c...

Mass Readings: September 17

A STIFLING TRIO

"Their progress is stifled by the cares and riches and pleasures of life and they do not mature." –Luke 8:14

Jesus identifies three things that stifle the Word's progress in our lives if we don't surrender them to His lordship:

1. cares. We are to cast our cares upon Jesus, because He cares for us (1 Pt 5:7). He is more than "able" (Heb 7:25) to deal with o...

Mass Readings: September 16

FLEE MARKET

"Man of God that you are, flee from all this." –1 Timothy 6:11

Paul commanded Timothy to do four things (1 Tm 6:11-12): 1) flee, 2) seek, 3) fight, and 4) hold. Christians encourage each other to "hold on," "hang in there," and persevere. Sometimes we realize that to hold our ground, we must obey Paul's third commandment to Timothy. We must fight the e...

Mass Readings: September 15

THE SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN SORROWS OF MARY

"With sorrow my eye is consumed; my soul also, and my body. For my life is spent with grief." –Psa...

Mass Readings: September 14

THE CROSS, THE FATHER, AND LOVE

"He humbled Himself, obediently accepting even death." –Philippians 2:8

"God put Abraham to the test" (Gn 22:1). Abraham obediently brought his son Isaac to offer him up to the Lord (Gn 22:3). "Abraham took the wood for the holocaust and laid it on his son Isaac's shoulders" (Gn 22:6). He placed Isaac upon t...

Mass Readings: September 13

DADS WITH DIGNITY

"He must be a good manager of his own household, keeping his children under control without sacrificing his dignity." –1 Timothy 3:4

A major qualification for a bishop or deacon in the early church was for a man to be a "good manager" of his children (1 Tm 3:4, 12). He had to keep "his children under control without sacrificing his dignity" (1 Tm...

Mass Readings: September 11

THE STREAM OF MERCY

"Moved with pity, the master let the official go and wrote off the debt." –Matthew 18:27

Al...

Mass Readings: September 10

HEART-BURN

"Each man speaks from his heart's abundance." –Luke 6:45

The next time you encounter someone who is in love, pay close attention to what they say. What do they talk about? They talk incessantly about the person they love. He tells all his friends about how wonderful she is. She says that he's always on her heart. They are speaking from their heart's abunda...

Mass Readings: September 9

EYE-BEAM

"How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck from your eye,' yet fail to see the plank lodged in your own?" –Luke 6:42

St. Paul is a living example of Jesus' parable of a person failing to see the beam in their own eye. Paul describes his pre-conversion years as follows: "I was once a blasphemer, a persecutor, a man filled w...

Mass Readings: September 8

IN HIS IMAGE

"…to share the image of His Son…" –Romans 8:29

Mary certainly was conformed to the image of the Son of God (see Rm 8:29, RNAB)....

Mass Readings: September 7

LUKE TO MATTHEW TO JESUS

"Then, raising His eyes to His disciples, [Jesus] said: 'Blest are you poor.' " –Luke 6:20

In Matthew's Gospel, the Beatitudes are addressed to Jesus' disciples in the third person (Mt 5:3-10). In Luke's Gospel, they are in the second person. Therefore, in Luke, it's harder to assume that the Beatitudes are meant for someone else.

In Matth...

Mass Readings: September 6

SIN-SNATCHER

"He pardoned all our sins. He canceled the bond that stood against us with all its claims, snatching it up and nailing it to th...

Mass Readings: September 5

LOVING TO SUFFER

"Even now I find my joy in the suffering I endure for you." –Colossians 1:24

Naturally we want to avoid suffering. Supernaturally we can and must embrace certain sufferings, which are a share in Christ's sufferings. Love is the only thing stronger than our natural aversion to suffering. Those who choose suffering in the pattern of Jesus' deat...

Mass Readings: September 4

BIG MOUTH

"If your brother should commit some wrong against you, go and point out his fault, but keep it between the two of you." –Matthew 18:15

If we have been wronged, it's absolutely essential to keep it to ourselves. Only after having talked to the other person are we free to bring someone else into the situation or refer it to the Church...

Mass Readings: September 3

ERODING FAITH?

"You must hold fast to faith, be firmly grounded and steadfast in it, unshaken in the hope promised you by the gospel you have he...

Mass Readings: September 2

COMING FAST

"When the days come that the Groom is removed from their midst, they will surely fast in those days." –Luke 5:35

Jesus taught that ...

Mass Readings: September 1

PRAYING THE BIBLE

"Ever since we heard this we have been praying for you unceasingly." –Colossians 1:9

The Lord calls us not only to read the Bib...

Mass Readings: August 31

HEALING THE MIND

Jesus "stood over her and addressed Himself to the fever, and it left her. She got up immediately and waited on them." –Luke 4:39...

Mass Readings: August 30

BODY BUILD

"Build one another up." –1 Thessalonians 5:11, RSV-CE

I am attending morning Mass in an older church building. Laborers are repairing the roof, and the steady pounding of their hammers makes it difficult to hear the lector as he proclaims today's first reading. Then the lector proclaimed the phrase "build one another up" (see 1 Thes 5:11, RSV-CE...

Mass Readings: August 29

HEAD-LINES

"Stand up and tell them all that I command you." –Jeremiah 1:17

John the Baptizer called the religious leaders of his time a "brood...

Mass Readings: August 28

SUPER DUPER

"You duped me, O Lord, and I let myself be duped." –Jeremiah 20:7

God doesn't really dupe us. It just seem...

Mass Readings: August 27

TOTAL STEWARDSHIP

" 'Well done! You are an industrious and reliable servant.' " –Matthew 25:21

On Judgment Day, we will be held account...

Mass Readings: August 26

YOU'RE FIRED

"The foolish ones said to the sensible, 'Give us some of your oil. Our torches are going out.' But the sensible ones re...

Mass Readings: August 25

THE LAST WORD

"Who is the faithful, farsighted servant whom the Master has put in charge of His household to dispense food at need...

Mass Readings: August 24

KNOW BODY

"Do you believe just because..." –John 1:50

"When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, He remarked: 'This man is a true Israelite. There is no guile in him' " (Jn 1:47). Nathanael asked Jesus, "How do You know me?" (Jn 1:48) This is a revealing response. The typical response to a total stranger would be to ask: "How do you know this information abou...

Mass Readings: August 23

GULP!

"You strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!" –Matthew 23:24

The Pharisees have long been gone, but many still swallow camels today. You may be a modern-day Pharisee if:

• You lead the fight to have kneelers in your church but continue to vote for pro-abortion politicians.
• You often hint that you want your spouse to lose weight but neglect for months at a...

Mass Readings: August 22

THE PROOF IS IN THE FAITH

"We constantly are mindful before our God and Father of the way you are proving your faith, and laboring in love." –1 Thessalonians 1:3

The Christians of Thessalonica were proving their faith so well that their proven faith was celebrated "not only in Macedonia and Achaia" but "throughout every region" (1 Thes 1:8). Could your faith be accurately ca...

Mass Readings: August 21

THE KEYS

"I will entrust to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven." –Matthew 16:19

Eliakim was given "the key of th...

Mass Readings: August 20

GLEANER-GOD

"Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, but whoever humbles himself shall be exalted." –Matthew 23:12

The Lord will event...

Mass Readings: August 19

THE PRICE OF FAITHFULNESS

"Ruth said, 'Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! For wherever you go I will go, wherever you lodge I will l...

Mass Readings: August 18

BAPTISMAL, EUCHARISTIC VICTORY

"Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. 'If You deliver the Ammonites into my power,' he said, 'whoever comes out of th...

Mass Readings: August 17

MERCY WATCH

"Begin with the last group and end with the first." –Matthew 20:8

Let's look at the parable of the laborers through the lens of discipl...

Mass Readings: August 16

"SUNDAY OBLIGATION"

"While his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to save it from the Midianites, the angel of the Lord appeared ...

Mass Readings: August 15

"IN JOYFUL HOPE"

"He has deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places." �...

Mass Readings: August 14

IS YOUR CATHOLIC CHURCH CATHOLIC?

"My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples." –Isaiah 56:7

Is your church filled with members who are young and old, black and white, male and female, poor and rich, U.S. citizens and internationals? Many Catholic churches in the USA are filled with old, white, upper-middle class, Amer...

Mass Readings: August 13

WITNESS STAND

"This stone shall be our witness." –Joshua 24:27

One of the most important words in the Bible is "witness." Joshua said t...

Mass Readings: August 12

MY DIVORCE

"Because of your stubbornness Moses let you divorce your wives." –Matthew 19:8

Jesus considered a culture that permitted...

Mass Readings: August 11

A PITY PARTY

"Moved with pity, the master let the official go and wrote off the debt." –Matthew 18:27

The Lord God is "moved with pity" when we humbly beg Him to have mercy on us (Mt 18:27). He is so moved when someone asks Him for forgiveness that He celebrates (Lk 15:23) and rejoices (Lk 15:10). Father Al Lauer, longtime author of One Bread, One Body, was fon...

Mass Readings: August 10

"HE MUST INCREASE" (Jn 3:30)

"Increase your generous yield." –2 Corinthians 9:10

The Church has been fiercely attacked in the last decade...

Mass Readings: August 9

A DIPLOMA IN THE SCHOOL OF MERCY

"If he succeeds in finding it, believe Me he is happier about this one than about the ninety...

Mass Readings: August 8

PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAP

"Think!" –Deuteronomy 10:14

One of the shortest sentences in the Bible is: "Think!" We are to think about how the L...

Mass Readings: August 7

THE "WANT-TO"

"My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that there is great grief and constant pain in my heart." �...

Mass Readings: August 6

A LUMINOUS FIGURE

"He was transfigured before their eyes. His face became as dazzling as the sun, His clothes as rad...

Mass Readings: August 5

ON THE VERGE

"You led Your people like a flock." –Psalm 77:21

In today's first eucharistic reading, Moses has led the Israelites throug...

Mass Readings: August 4

ROCK OF AGES

"Order the rock to yield its waters." –Numbers 20:8

The Israelites complained about not having water. Then "Moses struck the roc...

Mass Readings: August 3

FAITH-CRIMES

"Forty years shall you suffer for your crimes." –Numbers 14:34

Today's eucharistic readings strongly ...

Mass Readings: August 2

GOD HATES JEALOUSY

"Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses." –Numbers 12:1

Moses, Aaron, and Miriam were the t...

Mass Readings: August 1

DISGUSTED WITH YOUR PARISH?

"Moses asked the Lord, 'Why are You so displeased with me that You burden me with all this people?' " –Numbers 11:11...

Mass Readings: July 31

DAILY BREAD

"Heed me, and you shall eat well, you shall delight in rich fare." –Isaiah 55:2

Isaiah prophesied "rich f...

Mass Readings: July 30

PARTY LINE

"This fiftieth year you shall make sacred by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for y...

Mass Readings: July 28

WHERE IS GOD, AND WHO AM I?

"Moses did exactly as the Lord had commanded him. On the first day of the first month of the second year the D...

Mass Readings: July 27

IN YOUR FACE

"The skin of [Moses'] face had become radiant while he conversed with the Lord." –Exodus 34:29

In the Old Covenant, the unclean and ...

Mass Readings: July 26

IMPORTANT PEOPLE

"At gatherings their wisdom is retold, and the assembly proclaims their praise." –Sirach 44:15

The Spirit has inspir...

EARTHEN VESSELS AND BLOOD-VESSELS

"This treasure we possess in earthen vessels." –2 Corinthians 4:7

Part of today's first reading is very po...

Mass Readings: July 24

FINISH LINE

"We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love God and are call...

Mass Readings: July 23

FOREVER FREE

"His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go out and pull them up?' " –Matthew 13:28

In His kingdom, God lets the wheat and...

Mass Readings: July 22

"MARY-ED" LOVE

"I found Him Whom my heart loves." –Song of Songs 3:4

In His love, Jesus became a human being and even died on the cross for us. B...

Mass Readings: July 21

THE COMMANDMENTS ARE BEATITUDES, THE BEATITUDES ARE COMMANDMENTS

"To you has been given a knowledge of the mysteries of the reign of God." –Matthew 13:1...

Mass Readings: July 20

THE COST OF FREEDOM

"Would that we had died at the Lord's hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our fleshpots and ate our fill of bread!"...

TAKE A WALK

"The Israelites marched into the midst of the sea on dry land, with the water like a wall to their right and to their left." –Exodus 14:22

Moses and the Israelites walked between two walls of water at the Red Sea. Joshua, Elijah, and Elisha stopp...

Mass Readings: July 18

LIVING ON MIRACLES

"And you, lift up your staff and, with hand outstretched over the sea, split the sea in two, that the Israelites may pass through ...

Mass Readings: July 17

DO YOU WANT TO BE HOLY?

"Let them grow together until harvest." –Matthew 13:30

If you are living for Jesus, y...

Mass Readings: July 16

"LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, FREE AT LAST"

"At the end of four hundred and thirty years, all the hosts of the Lord left the land of Egypt." –Exod...

Mass Readings: July 15

MASS EXODUS

"To You will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving." –Psalm 116:17

Try skipping all three meals today. How will your body feel tomorro...

Mass Readings: July 14

SENT AND SENSIBILITY

"I AM sent me to you." –Exodus 3:14

Throughout Scripture and Church history, the Lord is constantly sending people...

Mass Readings: July 13

HOW TO RECEIVE DIVINE REVELATION

"Father, Lord of heaven and earth, to You I offer praise; for what You have hidden from the learned and the c...

Mass Readings: July 11

THE WORD AND WORDS OF GOD

"He who brings himself to nought for Me discovers who he is." –Matthew 10:39

God's ways and thoughts are very differ...

Mass Readings: July 10

SOW THE WORD CONSTANTLY

"A farmer went out sowing." –Matthew 13:4

How often have you heard a Scripture passage twenty times...

Mass Readings: July 9

RERUNS

"Suppose Joseph has been nursing a grudge against us." –Genesis 50:15

When Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers, he ...

Mass Readings: July 8

Reprinted from , a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community.

"Not only will I go down to Egypt with you; I will also bring you back here." –Genesis 46:4

Jacob needed a special r...

Mass Readings: July 7

Reprinted from , a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community.

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY

"Now do not be distressed, and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here. It was really for the sake of ...

Mass Readings: July 6

THE CROSS OF COMMUNITY

"The names of the twelve apostles are these..." –Matthew 10:2

Jesus shared the last three years of H...

Mass Readings: July 5

Reprinted from , a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community.

A FAMILY OF LIARS

"Jacob arose, took his two wives, with the two maidservants and his eleven children..." –Genesis 32:23

Jacob's family wa...

Mass Readings: July 4

SLEEPING ON ROCKS

"Taking one of the stones at the shrine, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep at that spot." –Genesis 28:11

Jacob used a ...

THE YOKE'S ON YOU

"Take My yoke upon your shoulders and learn from Me...My yoke is easy and My burden light." �...

Mass Readings: July 2

DANGER! EXPLOSIVES!

"People do not pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined." �...

BE-LOVED

"Beloved, let us love one another because love is of God." –1 John 4:7

God calls us "beloved" (1 Jn 4:7, 11). This not only means that He loves us; it also means that He loves us every moment forever. We can live on in His love (Jn 15:10). "Trial, ...

Mass Readings: June 30

IF YOU KNEW WHAT HE KNOWS...

"Jesus was aware of what they were thinking." –Matthew 9:4

Jesus can read people's minds. Probably He read not only ...

Mass Readings: June 29

DYING TO LIVE

"Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel to rescue me." –Acts 12:11

The Lord sent an angel...

Mass Readings: June 28

"As dawn was breaking, the angels urged Lot on, saying, 'On your way!' " –Genesis 19:15

The Lord warns us to disassociate ourselves...

Mass Readings: June 27

THE SUPREMACY OF DISCIPLESHIP

"Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." –Matthew 8:19, RSV-CE.

Discipleship is very dear to the heart of...

Mass Readings: June 26

COMMUNION DISTRIBUTORS?

"I Myself am the living Bread come down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread h...

Mass Readings: June 25

WAITER ON THE LORD

"She got up at once and began to wait on Him." –Matthew 8:15

"They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they sh...

Mass Readings: June 24

PROPHET-SHARING

"At that moment his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God." –Luk...

Mass Readings: June 23

PICK ON ME

Jesus said: "None of those who cry out, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of God but only the one who does the will of My Father ...

Mass Readings: June 21

WHERE THERE'S HIS WILL, THERE'S A WAY

"Set forth and walk about in the land, through its length and breadth, for to you I will give it." –Genesis...

Mass Readings: June 20

LIFE BEGINS AT 75

"Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran." –Genesis 12:4

Scripture makes it clear that the latter years of our...

Mass Readings: June 19

3 IN 1 IN ME

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with ...

Mass Readings: June 18

THE LORD OF LIFESTYLE

"Stop worrying, then, over questions like, 'What are we to eat, or what are we to drink, or what are we to wear?' The un...

Mass Readings: June 16

STUDYING FOR THE FINAL EXAM

"Subject us not to the trial." –Matthew 6:13

The phrase in the Our Father that we commonly say, "Lead us not ...

Mass Readings: June 15

ONLY THE FATHER'S LOVE

"Your Father Who sees what is hidden will repay you." –Matthew 6:18

When we give alms, pray, or fast, we can be ...

Mass Readings: June 14

THE GREATEST LOVE

"My command to you is: love your enemies." –Matthew 5:44

Loving our enemies means to treat them as well as or better than we treat our friends (see Mt 5:45; Lk 15:29).

Loving enemies means praying for them (Mt 5:44) to be blessed by the Lord and then answering our own prayer by bountifully giving to them (see 2 Cor 8:4-5; see also Lk 15:22ff).

Lovi...

Mass Readings: June 13

LOVING TO WORK

"As your fellow workers we beg you not to receive the grace of God in vain." –2 Corinthians 6:1

The Lord calls us to be active,...

Mass Readings: June 12

FIERY TONGUES

"Tongues as of fire appeared, which parted and came to rest on each of them." –Acts 2:3

Can yo...

Mass Readings: June 11

ENCOURAGING RENEWAL

"He encouraged them all to remain firm in their commitment to the Lord." –Acts 11:23

Barnabas was sent by the church of J...

Mass Readings: June 10

UNCHAINED AND FREE

"I issued orders that he be kept in custody until I could send him to the emperor." –Acts 25:21

"There is no chaining th...

Mass Readings: June 9

I'D RATHER SWITCH THAN FIGHT

"A dispute arose between Pharisees and Sadducees which divided the whole assembly. (The Sadducees, of course, ma...

Mass Readings: June 7

THE COST OF PENTECOST

"I am on my way to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit and not knowing what will happen to me there." –Acts 20:22

Paul said ...

Mass Readings: June 6

HOW IS PEACE PRODUCED?

"I tell you all this that in Me you may find peace. You will suffer in the world. But take courage! I have overcome the world." –John...

Mass Readings: June 5

LIFT OFF

"Wait, rather, for the fulfillment of My Father's promise." –Acts 1:4

We have been in intense prayer for eighty ...

Mass Readings: June 4

PENTECOST BEGINS AT HOME

"They took him home." –Acts 18:26

"Within a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5) or, if you have a...

Mass Readings: June 3

ASK FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT

"I give you My assurance, whatever you ask the Father, He will give you in My name." –John 16:23

Today begins nine days of prayer, the Pentecost Novena, to ask God to prepare our hearts to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. God pours out the Holy Spirit beyond measure and without ration (Jn 3:34; Eph 3:20). Nevertheless, we need t...

Acknowledgement

Our Lady's Promise would like to acknowledge that One Bread, One Body is reprinted from , a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:

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Mass Readings: June 2

"OUR TOWN"

"Paul left Athens and went to Corinth." –Acts 18:1

St. Paul had been flogged and jailed during his evangelization in Philippi. Then he was run out of town (Acts 16:39). Next, after some initial success in the cities of Thessalonica and Berea, he was again forced to leave town (Acts 17:6-10, 13-15). After that, Paul was escorted to Athens, the major city in Greece,...

Mass Readings: June 1

TRUE BLUE

"When He comes, however, being the Spirit of truth He will guide you to all truth." –John 16:13

Jesus calls Himself "the Way, and the Truth, and the Life" (Jn 14:6). He promises that the truth will set us free (Jn 8:32). He prays for us to be consecrated in truth (Jn 17:19). Jesus asks the Father to send the Spirit of truth (Jn 14:16-17).

The Lord is c...

Mass Readings: May 31

VISITING PRIVILEGES

"When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." –Luke 1:41

On this feast of the Visitation, the Lord reveals to us that even infants in the womb can receive the Holy Spirit by the Lord's sovereign power (Lk 1:15). Old women can receive the Spirit merely by hearing the greeting of a Spirit-...

Mass Readings: May 30

NEXT WITNESS

"You must bear witness as well." –John 15:27

The Holy Spirit witnesses on Jesus' behalf (Jn 15:26), and we must do the same. The world is wrong about Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is calling us to the witness stand to prove this (Jn 16:8). Our testimony will convict the world on three counts – that it is wrong about sin, justice, and condemnation (Jn 16:...

Mass Readings: May 29

THE WORLD READS YOUR HEART

"Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts." –1 Peter 3:15, RNAB

Moments after I heard the above passage from the second reading proclaimed at Mass, the priest announced the Gospel reading, and everyone traced the sign of the cross on their hearts, as well as their foreheads and lips. Everyone at Mass was asking the L...

Mass Readings: May 28

PLAN B

"They next traveled through Phrygia and Galatian territory, because they had been prevented by the Holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of Asia." –Acts 16:6

The Holy Spirit is Lord (2 Cor 3:17, 18). The Holy Spirit, being God, gives orders to us (see Acts 8:29ff) rather than taking orders from us. Paul and his fellow missionaries had to go to Gal...

Mass Readings: May 27

HOW TO KNOW GOD WELL

"It is the decision of the Holy Spirit, and ours too." –Acts 15:28

Do you know God well enough to say what His decisions are? The way to know the Lord is first to become His slave. In this state, you do not know what the Lord is doing (Jn 15:15). Later, however, He will call you His friend after having made known to you all that He has heard from G...

Mass Readings: May 26

JESUS, JOY, AND US

"All this I tell you that My joy may be yours and your joy may be complete." –John 15:11

Jesus offers us His complete joy. The question is: do we really want Jesus' type of joy, that is, "complete joy," or would we rather have a cheap, temporary joy? To answer that question, let's look at what constitutes Jesus' joy:

• Jesus finds "joy" when we faithfully ...

Mass Readings: May 25

TO YIELD FRUIT, YIELD

"The fruitful ones He trims clean to increase their yield." –John 15:2

Disciples of Jesus bear a lot of fruit, and they can grow weary. They need energy, because they are consumed as they live out their calling. A major battleground of a veteran disciple is the temptation to invest time in people or things they enjoy, which "give them life" and re-energi...

Mass Readings: May 24

COME-BACKS

"I go away for a while, and I come back to you." –John 14:28