Category: Bible Reading & Meditation

“The chief priests planned to kill Lazarus too, because many Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in Him on account of Lazarus.” –John 12:10-11 Jesus, the Life (Jn 14:6), will not even quench a smoldering wick (Is 42:3). In fact, when the smoldering wick, that is, Lazarus, was extinguished and was buried, Jesus raised him back to life (Jn 11:43ff). The chief priests, however, were not content with putting Jesus the Life to death; they planned to kill Lazarus too (Jn 12:10ff). When you choose death instead of life, one death is never enough. Once you make a...

“Those preceding Him as well as those who followed cried out: ‘Hosanna!’ ” –Mark 11:9 When Jesus entered Jerusalem shortly before His death, the great crowd “got palm branches and came out to meet Him. They kept shouting: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ” (Jn 12:13) Every time we go to Mass, the Church calls us to continue these praises when we pray: “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord....

“If we let Him go on like this, the whole world will believe in Him. Then the Romans will come in and sweep away our sanctuary and our nation.” –John 11:48 If we let Jesus go on, if we let it be done to us according to His Word (Lk 1:38), if we “let go and let God,” we will lose our lives (Lk 9:24) and lifestyles. If we let Him be the Lord of our lives, He will turn the world upside down, or more precisely, right side up. Jesus will change our plans, dethrone us, topple our kingdoms,...

“The Lord is with me, like a mighty Champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.” –Jeremiah 20:11 We are on the threshold of what may prove to be two of the most important weeks of our time on earth. In Holy Week, the Triduum, and the Easter octave, we will see Jesus do the works of His Father and come “to realize what it means that the Father is in” Jesus and Jesus in Him (Jn 10:38). In the next two weeks, many will come to believe in Jesus (Jn 10:42). However, the amazing graces of Holy Week,...

“Jesus answered them: ‘I solemnly declare it: before Abraham came to be, I AM.’ ” –John 8:58 Jesus is blunt. He does not beat around the bush. He is far from diplomatic. He called people “liars” (see Jn 8:55). Then He openly and clearly called Himself “God” by using the title “I AM,” the name God had given to identify Himself (Ex 3:14). It’s not surprising that people tried to stone Him and eventually succeeded in crucifying Him. Jesus ruffled a lot of feathers, overturned the money-changers’ tables in cleansing the Temple, and unabashedly called the Pharisees “blind guides,” “fools,”...