Category: Bible Reading & Meditation

“If we let Him go on like this, the whole world will believe in Him.” –John 11:48 Mass Readings: March 24 First: Ezekiel 37:21-28;Resp: Jeremiah 31:10-13; Gospel: John 11:45-56 Listen to the Mass Readings The chief priests, the Pharisees, and the Sanhedrin were led by Caiaphas, the high priest, to consider it necessary to put Jesus to death (Jn 11:50). Otherwise, they feared the Romans would be threatened by Jesus’ popularity, and they would sweep away the Jewish sanctuary and nation (Jn 11:48). Forty years after they had killed Jesus to solve their “problem,” the Romans nonetheless swept away their...

“I hear the whisperings of many.” –Jeremiah 20:10 Mass Readings: March 23 First: Jeremiah 20:10-13; Resp: Psalm 18:2-7; Gospel: John 10:31-42 Listen to the Mass Readings Because Holy Week, the Triduum, the Easter octave, the Easter season, and Pentecost are tremendous opportunities to grow in holiness, Satan will try to rob us of these special days with the Lord. Satan is well aware that we have been planning for some time to reject him, all his works, and all his empty promises at Easter. Satan wants to make us his slaves through sin and make a mockery of the renewal...

“Never have we been slaves to anyone. What do You mean by saying, ‘You will be free’?” –John 8:33 Jesus said: “I give you My assurance, everyone who lives in sin is the slave of sin” (Jn 8:34). Everyone who sins is a slave. Even everyone in debt is a slave, for “the borrower is the slave of the lender” (Prv 22:7). Therefore, the world is full of slaves. However, slaves can be freed from slavery to sin and the world by offering themselves to Christ to become slaves of justice (Rm 6:18). “That is why, if the Son frees...

“With their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained.” –Numbers 21:4-5 Mass Readings: March 20 First: Numbers 21:4-9;Resp: Psalm 102:2-3,16-21; Gospel: John 8:21-30 Listen to the Mass Readings God’s people complained about the manna He freely gave them daily for years. Although the Lord had freed the whole nation from slavery to Egypt, they complained against the Lord and Moses (Nm 21:5, 7). “In punishment the Lord sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died” (Nm 21:6). The Lord loves us too much to condone our selfish ungratefulness. We either...

“[Joseph] did as the angel of the Lord had directed him.” –Matthew 1:24 Mass Readings: March 19 First: 2 Samuel 7:4-5,12-14,16; Resp: Psalm 89:2-5,27,29; Second: Romans 4:13,16-18,22; Gospel: Matthew 1:16,18-21,24 Listen to the Mass Readings St. Joseph often found himself enmeshed in a series of unexpected circumstances. First, God became Lord of His marriage in a way no man could ever have imagined. Then, like a common refugee, Joseph was turned away from decent accommodations when he and Mary most needed them, at the moment of Jesus’ birth (Lk 2:7). Then, during a dark night, he had to flee from...