Category: Bible Reading & Meditation

“Where do You stay?” –John 1:38 Two disciples of St. John the Baptist were following Jesus, but at a distance. This is often the way Christians follow Jesus. We try to do God’s will for the most part, but intentionally keep Jesus more than “arm’s length” away. We don’t let Him get close to us. However, Jesus will turn around and challenge us by asking: “What are you looking for?” (Jn 1:38) If we truthfully answer Jesus’ question, we may have to say that we’re looking for blessings, security, or peace of mind, although we should say we’re looking for...

“The reason the world does not recognize us is that it never recognized the Son.” –1 John 3:1, NAB If we don’t recognize Christ, we don’t recognize Christians, Christmas, and other dimensions of Christianity. If we don’t recognize Christ, we don’t recognize the only Way to God the Father and Truth Himself (Jn 14:6). Thus we would deprive ourselves of Life (Jn 14:6). Yet, we have difficulty recognizing Christ. Even St. John the Baptist, whose purpose in life was to prepare for Christ’s coming, did not recognize Christ for some time (Jn 1:31, 33). How then can we recognize Christ,...

“Remain in [Jesus].” –1 John 2:27 During Advent, we opened our hearts to be ready to receive Jesus. We grew ever closer to Him. After the world-changing, calendar-defining, cosmos-altering birth of Jesus, we flocked to Church to receive Jesus in a deeper way at Christmas. Now it is more than a week past Christmas. Numerous people are packing away the ornaments and taking down the Christmas tree, even though the Christmas season still has another week liturgically. Today’s first reading from 1 John challenges us to “remain in” Jesus (1 Jn 2:27) rather than packing Him away until next Advent....

“Mary treasured all these things and reflected on them in her heart.” –Luke 2:19 The world begins the year with noisemakers, fireworks, and cacophony. The Church begins the year at the manger with Mary, treasuring “all these things” and “reflecting on them in her heart.” The world begins the year with a noisy night; we Christians begin with “silent night.” That which begins with a bang often ends in “dead silence.” That which begins in “live silence” often ends in a bang, which changes the world. The Lord commands us, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10,...

“You have the anointing.” –1 John 2:20 The word “Christ” means “Anointed One,” the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah.” Therefore, by calling ourselves “Christians,” we call ourselves “anointed ones.” Moreover, the word “Christmas” means “the Mass of the Anointed One.” The word “antichrist” means “against the Anointed One.” Thus, the idea of anointing is very dominant in Christianity or, we could say, in “the way of the Anointed.” The heart of following Christ, “the Anointed One,” is to “have the anointing that comes from the Holy One” (1 Jn 2:20). “The anointing” we “received from Him” must remain...