Category: Bible Study

“He encourages those who are losing hope.” –Sirach 17:19 Hope in the Lord leads directly to strength. Those who hope in the Lord will never fail in strength (1 Mc 2:61) and actually renew their strength (Is 40:31). This is because “hope remains” after all else passes away (see 1 Cor 13:13). A people of hope is forever a people of strength. Since hope is so critical to strength, it follows that Satan would relentlessly attack people to prevent them from growing in hope. To beat down our hope, Satan bludgeons us with: a delaying game. “Hope deferred makes the...

“It was in one Spirit that all of us, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, were baptized.” –1 Corinthians 12:13 On Pentecost, after praying for nine days (see Acts 1:14), we “receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:22). In fact, we are “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4). Better than that, we are baptized in the Spirit (Acts 1:5), that is, we are immersed in the Spirit. We not only drink the waters of the Spirit but, in a spiritual sense, we are under and stay under these waters. Living under the waters of the Spirit is a new...

“Follow Me.” –John 21:22 The Holy Spirit comes to confirm us – to make us strong and faithful to the Lord. Before Pentecost, Jesus’ disciples were like chameleons. Their commitment to Jesus changed according to the circumstances. For example, they said they would never disown Christ (Mt 26:35), but they all deserted Him in the Garden of Gethsemani (Mt 26:56). Jesus commanded St. Peter to follow Him, but Peter was more concerned about what other people were doing or not doing (Jn 21:21). Only by the power of the Spirit can we be faithful to the Lord. St. Paul began...

“I bless the Lord Who counsels me.” –Psalm 16:7 God the Father is “great in counsel” (Jer 32:19), always guiding us in every situation. He counsels us by day and by night (Ps 16:7). “He has counsel in store for the upright” (Prv 2:7). God the Father has sent us Jesus, the “Wonder-Counselor” (Is 9:5). Jesus counsels us through His Word (see Ps 119:24), through direct personal guidance (see Is 30:21), and through the teaching ministry of His Church (see Lk 10:16). Jesus and the Father have sent us the Holy Spirit. The Spirit counsels us in practical ways. For...