Category: Daily Promises

“You have contended with divine and human beings.” –Genesis 32:29 Mass Readings: July 11 First: Genesis 32:23-33; Resp: Psalm 17:1-3,6-7,8,15; Gospel: Matthew 9:32-38 Listen to the Mass Readings Jacob contended with a messenger of God in a wrestling match and prevailed (Gn 32:25, 29; Hos 12:5). “As a man he contended with God” (Hos 12:4). A Jacob lurks inside each of us. Jesus calls us to beg the Father for laborers for the harvest and to answer our prayer by becoming one of those laborers ourselves (Mt 9:37-38). Yet how often do we contend with God for long periods of...

“Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head, set it up as a memorial stone, and poured oil on top of it. He called that site Bethel.” –Genesis 28:18-19 Mass Readings: July 10 First: 2 Corinthians 4:6-11,16,17;Resp: Psalm 59:2,10,17-18; Gospel: Matthew 16:24-27 Listen to the Mass Readings Jacob came upon a pagan shrine. There he fell asleep and had a dream in which he met God and received special revelation. “He called that site Bethel,” that is, “the house of God” (Gn 28:19). The Lord wants each of us to have several Bethels in our lives. For...

“See, your King shall come to you; a just Savior is He, meek…” –Zechariah 9:9 Zechariah prophesied that the Messiah would enter Jerusalem “meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt” (Zec 9:9). Jesus continues to invite us: “Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29, our transl). Jesus promises: “Blessed are the meek; they shall inherit the earth” (Mt 5:5, RSV-CE). The Greek word translated “meek” is sometimes translated “gentle,” “lowly,” and “mild.” Meekness is not weakness. In fact, it is strength. The meek are so strong that they overcome the temptations to...

“Then they will fast.” –Matthew 9:15 Mass Readings: July 8 First: Genesis 27:1-5,15-29; Resp: Psalm 135:1-6; Gospel: Matthew 9:14-17 Listen to the Mass Readings Jesus’ disciples did not fast, while the Pharisees and John’s disciples did fast (Mt 9:14). Jesus explained that His disciples would fast later after they had received a new life in the Spirit. This was necessary because fasting in Jesus’ name is so powerful it would be incompatible with the old lifestyle. For example, Jesus’ kind of fasting is sometimes very extreme. Jesus fasted for forty days and nights (Mt 4:2). This was much longer than...

“She died.” –Genesis 23:2 Mass Readings: July 7 First: Genesis 23:1-4,19; 24:1-8,62-67; Resp: Psalm 106:1-5; Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13 Listen to the Mass Readings Sarah died at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven (Gn 23:1). Abraham, her husband, died thirty-eight years later at the age of one hundred and seventy-five (Gn 25:7). God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of nations and receive the promised land. When Abraham died, he owned a few feet of the promised land which he purchased for Sarah’s burial plot (see Gn 23:19). At his death, Abraham had only two grandchildren from...