Category: Message of the Day

“Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel because He has visited and ransomed His people.” –Luke 1:68 Many hundreds of thousands of priests and religious have promised under pain of sin to pray each morning today’s Gospel reading, Zechariah’s canticle, as part of praying the Liturgy of the Hours. I promised to do this decades ago, and by God’s grace I have kept my promise. The Church so emphasizes Zechariah’s prophecy because: It is a prophecy, and prophets are part of the foundation of the Church (Eph 2:20ff). Zechariah prayed this prayer when he was “filled with the Holy...

“…to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers.” –Malachi 3:24 Many earthly fathers don’t have hearts for their children. In today’s culture, there is an epidemic of fatherless children. Sadly, too many children are “fatherless” even though their dad lives in the same house. Many fathers also do not have a heart for their possible future children. The job of a father is difficult and is intentionally under attack by Satan and his pawns who shape the modern, secular culture. God calls fathers to one of the greatest causes...

“All ages to come shall call me blessed.” –Luke 1:48 At her visitation to the house of Elizabeth and Zechariah, the Blessed Virgin Mary prophesied that all generations would call her “blessed” (Lk 1:48). This prophecy has been proven true. Throughout the history of the Church, she has been called the “Blessed Mother.” Likewise, she is called the “Blessed Virgin Mary” in the Eucharistic Prayers II, III, and IV of the Mass. In the Hail Mary prayer, we likewise fulfill this prophecy by praying the words of Elizabeth: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the Fruit of your...

“Your God is in your midst, a victorious Warrior. He will exult with joy over you, He will renew you by His love; He will dance with shouts of joy for you as on a day of festival.” –Zephaniah 3:17, JB Zephaniah 3:17 can be translated as “God will dance over you with joy.” Another possible translation is “God rejoices over you with bodily movement.” Of course, “God is Spirit” (Jn 4:24) and not man. Yet Scripture at times describes God in human terms, which makes it easier for us to relate to Him. God loves His people like a...

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; hence, the holy Offspring to be born will be called Son of God.” –Luke 1:35 The Church encourages us to pray the “Angelus” on waking, at noon, and in the evening. Three times a day we pray and think about Jesus’ Incarnation. When we pray the rosary, we refer to the Incarnation fifty-three times — each time we pray the “Hail Mary.” We pray about the Incarnation when we pray the first joyful mystery of the rosary. The Holy Spirit has led the...