Category: Bible Reading & Meditation

“In that place, many came to believe in Him.” –John 10:42 In the temple, at Solomon’s Portico, Jesus was rejected. Many people reached for rocks to stone Him (Jn 10:31). They also tried to arrest Him (Jn 10:39). Jesus “eluded their grasp” and “went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing earlier” (Jn 10:39-40). “In that place, many came to believe in Him” (Jn 10:42). Why was Jesus not accepted in the holy place, the temple, but believed in “down by the riverside”? It was because St. John the Baptizer had been administering his baptism...

“Whom do You make Yourself out to be?” –John 8:53 Lent is an opportunity to discover who we are in Christ. As a result of this Lent, we should be able to answer the question, “Who am I?” First, we must meet I AM WHO AM before we know who we are. That’s how Abraham knew he was to be the father of many nations (Gn 17:5). He first met Yahweh, the great I AM (Gn 15:7). Likewise, Moses realized his identity after meeting I AM in the burning bush (Ex 3:14). Jesus said, “You will surely die in your...

“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who sent His angel to deliver the servants that trusted in Him.” –Daniel 3:95 In eleven days, the Lord will call us to renew our baptismal promises. In every Catholic church in the world, at every Mass on Easter Sunday, the Lord will challenge us to answer “I do” to six questions. If God has His way, this will be the greatest act of faith we have ever made in our lives. Even if we have totally committed our lives to the Lord previously, He is not calling us to rerun...

“Because He spoke this way, many came to believe in Him.” –John 8:30 Jesus told people they would die in their sins unless they believed that He was God (Jn 8:24). Like the Israelites who were bitten by the saraph serpents, humanity is sentenced to death and damnation unless it looks at Jesus with faith (see Nm 21:8; Jn 3:14). People desperately need to know and love Jesus. Although the greatest need of every person is to believe in Jesus and although He commanded us to be His witnesses, many Christians don’t share their faith in Jesus with others. One...

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” ––Psalm 23:1 Many people reading this are Catholic. We tend to think of Bible passages in terms of a Sunday Mass. We focus on the first reading, which is generally from the Old Testament. Next, we think about the second reading. It’s often an exhortation from St. Paul. The Liturgy of the Word reaches its high point with the Gospel proclamation (see Mk 13:10). But there’s an important collection of verses tucked between the first and second readings. Do we give equal attention to the Psalm? It can be overlooked. Catholic...