Category: Bible Reading & Meditation

“They saw a large crowd standing around, and scribes in lively discussion with them.” –Mark 9:14 A boy was possessed by a mute and deaf spirit, but all the religious leaders could do was discuss it. On another occasion, on the afternoon of His Resurrection, the apostles had abandoned the Lord, then Jesus had been crucified, Judas had committed suicide, but the two disciples on the road to Emmaus made small-talk about major happenings (Lk 24:14-15). “The kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power” (1 Cor 4:20). The “preaching of the gospel” should not be “a...

“To you who hear Me, I say, love your enemies.” –Luke 6:27 Loving enemies is more than an attitude. It is expressed in: actions. “Do good to those who hate you” (Lk 6:27). speech. “Bless those who curse you” (Lk 6:28). prayer. “Pray for those who maltreat you” (Lk 6:28). To love is to reach out — even to enemies. We cannot reach out and at the same time be defensive. Our defensiveness, which is our natural reaction to enemies, must be put aside if we are to reach out to them in love. Therefore, Jesus teaches: “When someone slaps...

“You must perceive that a person is justified by his works and not by faith alone.” ––James 2:24 Jesus loves you (Jn 15:9; Eph 5:2). His Word is “living and effective” (Heb 4:12). It’s clear He will not lead us astray. Have you looked lately at judgment passages in the Bible? Our eternal destiny is linked to what we do in this life. It’s not up for debate: Are we ready for our life review? “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book...

Jesus said: “Who do you say that I am?” –Mark 8:29 Many of you have acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah (Mk 8:29). You have even accepted Him as your Savior. After being overwhelmed by life’s problems, you’re happy to be saved. But who wants a Lord? Who wants to be told what to do and give up getting their own way? Nevertheless, some have even accepted Jesus as Lord. The next step is to know the Lord so deeply as to recognize He is Lord God. Now we not only obey Him but worship Him. After we acknowledge Jesus as...

“A second time Jesus laid hands on his eyes, and he saw perfectly.” –Mark 8:25 In today’s Gospel reading, it took a bit of extra time and a second prayer for the blind man to be fully healed. In tomorrow’s Gospel reading, we will see that St. Peter also needed some time to be fully formed. Through divine inspiration, Peter recognized that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God (Mk 8:29). Shortly afterwards, Peter showed that he still needed more growth, as he allowed the devil to speak through him (Mk 8:33). In a few years, however, Peter was...