Category: Prayers

“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...

“I have come to rate all as loss in the light of the surpassing knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ.” —Philippians 3:8 Because of Paul’s “surpassing knowledge” of Jesus, he came to rate all as loss. Paul’s personal relationship with Jesus changed the “ratings” in his life. Things he used to rate high were reassessed as worthless and empty. All of us have a “surpassing knowledge.” Usually, our knowledge of and attraction to pleasure surpasses all else. For many people, even Christians, food, entertainment, TV programs, money, or lifestyle rate the highest. These surpass everything else. Eventually, we experience a...

“Then each went off to his own house.” —John 7:53 Zacchaeus encountered Jesus and opened his house to Him. That day, salvation came to his house (Lk 19:9). A royal official encountered the Lord, and Jesus promised to heal his son. “Jesus told him, ‘Return home’ ” (Jn 4:50). The royal official’s son was healed and his entire household “became believers” (Jn 4:53). A demon-possessed man met Jesus and was set free. He wanted to follow Jesus, but Jesus “told him instead: ‘Go home’ ” (Mk 5:19). The man told his family of the mercy of Jesus and all were...

“His life is not like other men’s, and different are His ways.” –Wisdom 2:15 In two weeks, it will be Good Friday. We are approaching the conclusion of Lent, a forty-day period of prayer and fasting culminating in the renewal of our baptismal promises on Easter Sunday. When we were baptized, we were “begotten from above” (see Jn 3:3-5). Our old nature was drowned in the waters of Baptism, and we became new creations (2 Cor 5:17). We were no longer of the world, because Jesus chose us out of the world (Jn 15:19). That’s why the world hates us...

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down at once to your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved.’ ” –Exodus 32:7 What if a good friend who was an artist drew your picture, and it looked like a pig? If your artist friend explained that you and the pig looked the same, you would feel bad. You could say what Jesus replied to Philip: “After I have been with you all this time, you still do not know Me?” (Jn 14:9) Your so-called friend did not even know you were a human...