“Appear not before the Lord empty-handed.” –Sirach 35:4 Whenever we pray, whenever we enter into God’s presence, we must come like the wise men to the manger, bearing gifts (Mt 2:11). Since Jesus is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rv 19:16), we enter into His courts bearing gifts. Praying hands are never empty hands. It’s not difficult to always have something to give to the Lord. For when we give, we find that “the Lord is One Who always repays, and He will give back” to us sevenfold, that is, indefinitely (Sir 35:10). We can give everything constantly,...

“Seeing His mother there with the disciple whom He loved, Jesus said to His mother, ‘Woman, there is your son.’ In turn He said to the disciple, ‘There is your mother.’ ” –John 19:26-27 I once heard a homily on the above Scripture passage. The priest noted that the order of Jesus’ words on the cross is important. Jesus first talked to Mary. This does not mean He was providing for her future, but that He was giving her a commission for the future. Jesus is handing over to His mother Mary the Church and all His disciples whom He...

“ ‘Peace be with you,’ He said again. ‘As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.’ ” —John 20:21 How did your fifty-day Easter season go? Did you shout Alleluia each day? Since Ascension has the Lord worked a miracle in your life? Have you prayed with a new heart in anticipation of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit? You may be thinking, “I’m tired and can barely make it through the day.” Don’t despair! Today is a day of new beginnings. It’s not too late to receive the fresh breeze of the Holy Spirit (see Acts...

“Your business is to follow Me.” —John 21:22 Today, on the last day of our novena to the Holy Spirit and the next to last day of the Easter season, we read the last words of the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of John. May today be the beginning of our never again refusing to act on God’s commandments. When the Lord commands us to follow Him to Calvary, He doesn’t want us to turn and ask: “But, Lord, what about him?” (Jn 21:21) The Lord doesn’t want us to hinder the spread of His Word by comparing...

“Do you love Me?” —John 21:15, 16, 17 Christianity is the only religion in history to believe in the Incarnation, that is, in God becoming a man. Thus, only Christians believe we can have a personal relationship with God as a person. The uniqueness and essence of Christianity is personal relationship, communion, intimacy, and love. Some would argue that Jesus’ Ascension ends the opportunity for a personal relationship with God because we can no longer see, hear, and feel Jesus’ physical body. Yet, Jesus promised: “It is much better for you that I go. If I fail to go, the...