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...

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...

"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...

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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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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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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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...

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...

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...

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...

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 "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...

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 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 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: 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 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 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 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 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 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: 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 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...

But anyone who would approach this gracious sacrament while guilty of deadly sin would receive no grace from it, even though such a person would really be receiving me as I am, wholly God, wholly human. But do you know the situation of the soul who receives the sacrament unworthily? She is like a candle that has been doused with water and only hisses when it is brought near the fire. The flame no more than touches it but it goes out and nothing remains but smoke. Just so, this soul ...

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...

The Blessed Sacrament is God. Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament is simply divine worship. Turn it which way we will, throw the light of love and knowledge now on one side of it, now on another, still the result is the same, the one inexhaustible sweet fact of the Real Presence. In the hands of the priest, behind the crystal of the monstrance, on the tongue of the communicant, now, and for a thousand times, and almost at our will and pleasure, there are the Hands and Feet, the Eyes a...

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...

"I do not know," the pastor had said, "whether she will see the Saviour today." This occurs only when she has passed the night in expiatory suffering. Then she can receive an entire host, although ordinarily she swallows a small part with difficulty. The parish Mass was over now and the pastor took his time, even though his little lamb was almost passing away with longing for the sacred food. I almost felt like begging him in sympathy to hurry. First the children were dismissed in o...

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: March 29

QUESTIONS ON FORGIVENESS?

"Peter came up and asked Him, 'Lord, when my brother wrongs me, how often must I forgive him? Seven times?' " –Matthew 18:21

Most of us are like Peter. We have many questions about forgiveness.

1. "How often must I forgive?" Seven times, that is, indefinitely, or, as Jesus emphatically states, seventy times seven times, that is, indefinitely...

2 Thes 1  —  "BLESSED ASSURANCE"

"In God's communities we can boast of your constancy and your faith in persecution and trial." —2 Thessalonians 1:4

Paul wrote to the Thessalonians again because they were suffering more persecution and confusion. He assured them: "You endure these as an expression of God's just judgment, in order to be found worthy of His kingdom — it is for His kingdom you suffer" (1:4-5). The Lord "will provide relief to you who are sorely tried, as well as t...

1 Thes 1  —  BEAUTIFUL BABY CHRISTIANS

"Our preaching of the gospel proved not a mere matter of words for you but one of power; it was carried on in the Holy Spirit and out of complete conviction." — 1 Thessalonians 1:5

The Thessalonians were baby-Christians when Paul wrote to them. Paul was praying for them constantly, and they became models "for all the believers of Macedonia and Achaia" (1:7). He wrote: "Throughout every region your faith in God is celebrated" (1:8). The peop...

Acts 1  —  THE UPPER ROOM

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes down on you; then you are to be My witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, yes, even to the ends of the earth." —1:8

In an upper room, Jesus gave us His body and blood in Holy Communion at the Last Supper. In an upper room, Jesus baptized His disciples with the Holy Spirit. The upper room was a place of prayer. For nine days, "together they devoted themselves to constant prayer" (1:14).

T...

Mt 1  —  VIRGIN BIRTH

"A family record of Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers." —Matthew 1:1-2

Our heavenly Father has the nerve to begin the New Testament, the greatest revelation of all times, with what appears to be a page from the phone book. His ways are certainly not our ways (Is 55:8). God's meaning here is that all Israelite history leads to the miraculou...

This book gives the origins of the Jewish feast of Purim. The word "pur" means "lot," referring to the lot cast by Haman to determine the time for the extermination of the Jews. Haman's plan was dramatically reversed. The Jews were able to destroy their enemies instead of being destroyed. This reversal was due to the fasting, courage, and wisdom of Queen Esther. This supernatural reversal of a plan for destruction into overwhelming victory is celebrated in the feast of Purim and pre...

Sacrifice is necessary in our lives if we want to realize the tenderness of God's love. Sacrifice is his love in action. God sent Jesus to teach us this love. And you will find out in your own life. Have you ever experienced the joy of loving? Have you ever shared something with the sick, with the lonely, together making something beautiful for God. This is something that has to come from within us. That is why Jesus made himself the Bread of Life–to create that in our life. If it is...