Category: Message of the Day

BEYOND PERSONALITIES

“Here is my Servant Whom I uphold, My Chosen One with Whom I am pleased, upon Whom I have put My Spirit.” –Isaiah 42:1 Jesus comes to us this Holy Week “not crying out, not shouting, not making His voice heard in the street. A bruised reed He shall not break, and a smoldering wick He shall not quench” (Is 42:2-3). Jesus comes quietly and gently. Jesus calls us to respond to Him this Holy Week as did Mary of Bethany. He wants us to passionately, boldly, and extravagantly throw ourselves at His feet and anoint Him with the perfume...

A SINGULAR LOVE

“This is My body to be given for you.” –Luke 22:19 For love of you, Jesus gave His “back to those who beat” Him (Is 50:6). For love of you, Jesus did not shield His face “from buffets and spitting” (Is 50:6). For love of you, Jesus obediently accepted “even death, death on a cross!” (Phil 2:8) Jesus suffered and died for love of you! Almost everyone believes Jesus died on a cross. This is a matter of historical record. Well over a billion people have said they believe Jesus died on a cross for love of humanity. Yet how...

GOD’S PLANS FOR DAD AND YOU

“Yes, he is our father in the sight of God in Whom he believed.” –Romans 4:17 God has a wonderful plan of salvation (see Eph 1:9-10). Abraham was an important part of that plan. “He is father of us all” (Rm 4:16). David also had an important part in God’s plan, for from his family came Jesus, the Messiah (2 Sm 7:12ff). We all have special parts in God’s plan, and it’s important to know our parts (Col 1:9) and those of others. For example, St. Joseph’s part in God’s plan was to be the foster-father of Jesus and husband...

Love Brings Life

“We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. ” 1 John 3:14 Everything Jesus was, everything He taught, and everything He did, was a manifestation of God’s love. The love of God enriches the lives of everyone who allows Him to pour it into their hearts. It is possible to experience the love of God firsthand and to allow your life to become a channel of God’s love. This is the wisest way we can choose to live. The opposite of love is hate. Hate follows the path of bitterness, dissension and torn...

A ROCKY RELATIONSHIP

“The Jews again reached for rocks to stone Him.” –John 10:31 How ironic that the Jews reached out for a rock to throw at Jesus! If they only knew Who was standing before them, they could have reached out for their Rock, Jesus (see 1 Cor 10:4). These pious Jews were in the Temple area (see Jn 10:23). Presumably they were celebrating the Feast of the Dedication (Jn 10:22), a time of reconsecration and rededication. On this occasion, a faithful Jew would praise God, perhaps addressing Him as “my Rock and my Salvation” (Ps 62:3), my “Rock of refuge” (Ps...