Category: Daily Prayer

“Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” –Matthew 26:25 Notice that in St. Matthew’s account of the Passion, Judas addressed Jesus merely as “Rabbi,” not as “Lord” (Mt 26:25; see also Mt 26:49). The other disciples all addressed Jesus as “Lord” (Mt 26:22). Calling Jesus “Rabbi,” that is, “Teacher” (see Jn 1:38), gives evidence that Judas had already stopped recognizing Jesus as his Lord and Master. Since no man can have two masters (Mt 6:24), Judas now had a different master than Jesus; he transferred his loyalty to the Jewish chief priests (see Mt 26:14ff). How tragically sad! Judas betrayed Jesus...

“You are My servant…through whom I show My glory.” –Isaiah 49:3 I’m writing this teaching on my birthday, two years before you read it. So at Mass today, when I heard the passage: “The Lord called me from birth, from my mother’s womb He gave me my name” (Is 49:1), it gave me chills to hear that He “formed me as His servant from the womb” (Is 49:5). For over thirty years, I’ve been blessed to lead the One Bread, One Body ministry. There certainly have been fleeting moments during this ministry when I have felt like “I had toiled...

“The groups preceding Him as well as those following kept crying out: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ ” —Matthew 21:9 Today begins “Holy Week.” The Lord wants this week to be unlike any other week in our lives — a week of grace, sorrow, repentance, and love. The week begins with the praises of Palm Sunday, changes into the screams of the crucifixion, and ends with the dead silence of the tomb. Throughout the week, we hear the sounds of crying, whipping, hammering, and blaspheming. The sounds of Holy Week are piercing and thunderous. “Jesus cried out in a...

“What do you think? Is He likely to come for the feast?”—John 11:56 If Jesus came in His physical, glorified body to your church for Easter, would He be accepted? What if He decided to cleanse the sanctuary? Would the ushers apprehend Him? (Jn 7:44-46) What if Jesus said He didn’t believe in our American lifestyle and its influence on the lifestyles of the members of our parish? Would we be open to the truth? There is “a plan afoot to kill” Christ (Jn 11:53). Does your parish want Jesus interfering with Church business? Is your parish more interested in...