“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...

“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...

“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...

“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...

“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...

“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...

“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...

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 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...

'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...

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...

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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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...

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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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 ...

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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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), ...

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...

"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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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...

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...

"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...

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 ...

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...

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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: 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 15

"IN JOYFUL HOPE"

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