Category: Bible Reading & Meditation

“Barnabas and Saul…sent forth by the Holy Spirit…set sail from there for Cyprus.” —Acts 13:2, 4 Barnabas was likely the leader for the Church’s first missionary trip, as indicated by the fact that his name came before Saul’s. Of all the possible destinations in a world without the Lord, the Holy Spirit sent Barnabas home, to Cyprus (Acts 13:4). Remember that Barnabas came “from Cyprus” (Acts 4:36). After evangelizing Cyprus, Barnabas and Saul evangelized numerous cities. Thus, with home serving as a launching pad, “the word of the Lord continued to spread and increase” (Acts 12:24). Jesus once delivered a...

“My sheep hear My voice. I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” —John 10:27-28 Today is traditionally called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” The image of God as a Shepherd is ancient and powerful. People of almost every culture have been and are profoundly inspired and consoled by the image of the Good Shepherd. Millions of people have prayed with all their hearts: “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps 23:1). Nevertheless, some cultures look down on shepherds (see Gn 46:34). In fact, the traditional conflict between shepherds and...

“It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless.” —John 6:63 At Thursday’s Mass, we heard about the Holy Spirit directing Philip (Acts 8:29). Yesterday, we read about Saul being “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 9:17). Today, we hear that with “the increased consolation of the Holy Spirit,” the early Church grew in numbers (Acts 9:31). On Monday we will read about the descent of the Holy Spirit on Cornelius and his household (Acts 11:15). The Lord through His Church’s daily Eucharistic readings is making it very clear that we must not quench the Spirit (1 Thes...

“Jesus…appeared to you…” —Acts 9:17 The Lord Jesus has enemy-converting power. The fury of enemies cannot stand against the Lord. Saul saw Jesus, or at least the blinding flash of Jesus, the Light (Jn 9:5). This vision of Jesus remained with Saul the rest of his life. Throughout the rest of his life, Saul (later called Paul) would experience sporadic eye problems limiting his physical sight (see Gal 4:13-15; 6:11). However, his spiritual vision was a perfect 20-20; Paul never took his eyes off Jesus again. Paul came face-to-face with Jesus, and his life was forever transformed. Coming face-to-face with...