Category: Bible Study

SPECK-TACULAR

“You will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” –Luke 6:42 Mass Readings: September 9 First: 1 Corinthians 9:16-19,22-27; Resp: Psalm 84:3-6,12; Gospel: Luke 6:39-42 Jesus has commissioned us to remove the specks from other people’s eyes. The sins of other people are our concern because we love these people enough to try to keep them from destroying themselves through sin. However, we are not ready to work on others’ eyes until we have first let the Lord deal with our own spiritual blindness due to sin (Lk 6:42). Blind eye surgeons do much more harm...

UPSIDE-DOWN

“Those whom He foreknew He predestined to share the image of His Son.” –Romans 8:29 Mass Readings: September 8 First: Micah 5:1-4; Resp: Psalm 13:6; Gospel: Matthew 1:1-16,18-23 It’s not surprising when children look like their parents; after all, children inherit their genetic makeup from their parents. However, Mary looked like Jesus. Although she was Jesus’ mother, she was made in the image of her Son (Rm 8:29). This is because those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son (Rm 8:29). Mary was conformed to the image of God. Her birth prefigures our...

THE BEATITUDES-BATTLE

“Then, raising His eyes to His disciples, [Jesus] said: ‘Blest are you poor; the reign of God is yours.’ ” –Luke 6:20 Mass Readings: September 7 First: 1 Corinthians 7:25-31; Resp: Psalm 45:11-17; Gospel: Luke 6:20-26 Because “the Beatitudes are at the heart of Jesus’ preaching” (Catechism, 1716), they are extremely important and therefore are vehemently opposed by the devil. Because the Beatitudes are “paradoxical promises” (1717), which “confront us with decisive choices concerning earthly goods” (1728), we naturally resist living the Beatitudes. Because the world, the flesh, and the devil hate the Beatitudes, they put extreme pressure on us...

SUING AND REAPING

“Why, the very fact that you have lawsuits against one another is disastrous for you.” –1 Corinthians 6:7 Mass Readings: September 6 First: 1 Corinthians 6:1-11; Resp: Psalm 149:1-6,9; Gospel: Luke 6:12-19 The Lord reveals in the Bible that it is disastrous for Christians to sue Christians. This results in injuring and cheating those who may have injured and cheated us (1 Cor 6:8). Suing other Christians can make us unholy and deprive us from inheriting God’s kingdom, even though we have been “washed, consecrated, justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our...

THE YEAST OF THE BRETHREN

“Do you not know that a little yeast has its effect all through the dough?” –1 Corinthians 5:6 Those who commit sin are like yeast which has its effect all through the Christian community. Therefore, we must: overcome temptations to sin so as not to hurt ourselves and others, repent and go to Confession as soon as possible if we have sinned, forgive those who are sinning and are thereby hurting themselves and our community, be ministers of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18) by praying for those who have sinned (1 Jn 5:16), correcting them (Lk 17:3; Mt 18:15; Ez 3:18;...