“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...

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 ...

“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...