Category: Bible Reading & Meditation

Married in the Church and in the Trinity

“The two shall become as one. They are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore let no man separate what God has joined.” —Mark 10:8-9 God is three Persons in one God. He is Trinity-Unity. He calls us to be one as He is one (see Jn 17:21). The Trinity made the Church one so that we can share in Trinity-Unity through the Church. Jesus made the two spouses in marriage as one (Mk 10:8) to be a sign of Christ’s love for the Church and of the mystery of Trinity-Unity (see Eph 5:32). Thus, unity with and in God...

Running with the Angels

“My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites; and I will wipe them out.” —Exodus 23:23 Each one of us has a guardian angel, but many deny or ignore that reality, so their guardian angels are underemployed. We would have personal experiences of angels if we lived in such a way as to need angelic guard duty. Angels are not primarily security guards but resemble guards on a football team. A football guard pulls from the line of scrimmage and blocks for the one running with the ball so the...

LOST IN THE TRANSLATION

“If the miracles worked in your midst had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have reformed in sackcloth and ashes.” –Luke 10:13 Jesus chastised some towns where He did many miracles. He expected these miracles to be translated into repentance (Lk 10:13). We likewise need to repent. We have sinned repeatedly but are hardly aware of it. We may not even feel very sorry. We are “hard and impenitent” (Rm 2:5). Hopefully, we will come to our senses when Jesus heals us. We will feel ashamed of rebelling against and rejecting Jesus, Who was wounded that we...

DOUBLE EXPOSURE

“Ezra read plainly from the book of the law of God, interpreting it so that all could understand what was read.” –Nehemiah 8:8 Ezra read the Bible to the people from daybreak until midday (Neh 8:3). The people heard God’s Word for nearly six hours. This extensive exposure to the Word led them to life-changing commitment (Neh 8:6), tearful repentance (Neh 8:9), and joyful celebration (Neh 8:10). When we expose ourselves to God’s Word for an extended time, amazing things happen. For example, the risen Jesus spent much of the afternoon on His Resurrection day explaining the Scriptures to the...

A WINNING TEAM

“Michael and his angels battled against the dragon…Satan, the seducer of the whole world, was driven out.” –Revelation 12:7, 9 St. Michael the Archangel and his angels battled Satan and his demons. They overpowered him and drove him away (Rv 12:7-9). Michael stands as a bulwark against Satan, a reinforced wall to block his plans (Dn 10:21—11:1, NAB). St. Raphael also defeats demons, overpowering and binding them (Tb 8:3). Jesus, Whose poured-out blood defeats Satan (Rv 12:11), has given the Church power to “overcome all demons” (Lk 9:1). We members of the Church do our part by our testimony to...