Category: Bible Reading & Meditation

Jesus “said to him, “Follow Me.’ Matthew got up and followed Him.” –Matthew 9:9 When Matthew met Jesus, he repented of selling out to the world, immediately walked away from his job, and became a disciple of Jesus. Because Matthew was so in love with Jesus, he invited many tax collectors and other sinners to meet Jesus (Mt 9:10). Matthew was so thankful for Jesus having mercy on him, he would have thought it merciless if he had not invited others to meet Jesus. Matthew, the first of the Gospel evangelists, shows us that the essence of life in Christ...

“I handed on to you first of all what I myself received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that He was buried and, in accordance with the Scriptures, rose on the third day.” –1 Corinthians 15:3-4 A miracle is an act of God which goes beyond the laws of nature. Christianity began with the miracle of the Incarnation, God becoming man. The essence of Christianity is Jesus’ death on the cross when He took away the sins of everyone who has lived or will ever live. He gave everyone the opportunity to be begotten from...

“There are in the end three things that last: faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love.” –1 Corinthians 13:13 Without love we are nothing (1 Cor 13:2), and we gain nothing (1 Cor 13:3). “The man without love has known nothing of God, for God is Love” (1 Jn 4:8). Therefore, we all like to think of ourselves as loving. Yet are we actually loving? Signs of true love are: suffering patiently a long time for others (1 Cor 13:4 in the Greek), kindly bearing others’ burdens (1 Cor 13:4 in the Greek), forgiving others and...

“The body is one and has many members, but all the members, many though they are, are one body; and so it is with Christ.” –1 Corinthians 12:12 If you were on a football team, would you know what position you played? If you work in a company, do you know your job? If you are baptized, you are a member of the body of Christ (see 1 Cor 12:27). Do you know what part of the body you are? Are you an apostle, prophet, teacher, miracle worker, healer, assistant, administrator, one who speaks in tongues, or one who interprets...

“Do this in remembrance of Me.” –1 Corinthians 11:24 The early Church met in homes for the first several centuries of its existence. The liturgical form of the Mass was still evolving. Thus, the admonitions St. Paul mentions in today’s first reading may sound foreign to our ears (1 Cor 11:20-22). There was some fellowship and hospitality in the homes in addition to the Mass. Some people overindulged while others went hungry. Decades ago, I attended a retreat which illustrated the scenario mentioned in today’s first reading very nicely. The retreat closed with a common meal in which everyone ate...