Category: Daily Reflections

“We found the jail securely locked and the guards at their posts outside the gates, but when we opened it we found no one inside.” –Acts 5:23 Listen to the Mass Readings The Sanhedrin thought the apostles were locked in jail, but actually they were in the Temple preaching “to the people all about this new life” in Jesus (Acts 5:20). The public school system thinks it has its teachers’ faith and prayers locked up in a jail of laws forbidding evangelization and prayer in public schools. However, some public school teachers, and even principals, are obeying God rather than...

“The church that is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greeting, as does Mark my son.” –1 Peter 5:13 Listen to the Mass Readings During the Easter season, the Church presents to us a gallery of resurrection-witnesses. We see Mary Magdalene, Thomas, Stephen, Philip, Peter, and now Mark. Each of these people were in the tomb of sin but miraculously rose from the dead into the risen light. We know (John) Mark was a dropout, someone manipulated by fear rather than walking by faith. He left Paul’s first missionary journey (Acts 13:13). Although Paul refused to let him...

“They were filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God’s word with confidence.” –Acts 4:31 Listen to the Mass Readings The apostles were thrown into prison by the Jewish leaders for healing a crippled man and then “teaching the people and proclaiming the resurrection of the dead in the person of Jesus” (Acts 4:2). They were then threatened by the leaders to never mention the name of Jesus again (Acts 4:17) and were released. The apostles returned to the other disciples and prayed for complete assurance when they proclaimed the Word of God (Acts 4:29-30). After this prayer,...

“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men’s sins, they are forgiven them.” –John 20:22-23 Mass Readings: April 23 First: Acts 2:42-47; Resp: Psalm 118:2-4,13-15,22-24;Second: 1 Peter 1:3-9;Gospel: John 20:19-31 Listen to the Mass Readings In the evening of the day on which Jesus rose from the dead, Jesus came to His disciples, showed them His nail-scarred hands and wounded side, breathed on them, gave them the Holy Spirit, and sent them out (Jn 20:19-22). Jesus sent His disciples out not to just make a general announcement of His Resurrection but to specifically invite us to confess our sins and...

Jesus “took them to task for their disbelief and their stubbornness.” –Mark 16:14 Mass Readings: April 22 First: Acts 4:13-21;Resp: Psalm 118:1,14-21;Gospel: Mark 16:9-15 Listen to the Mass Readings After Jesus’ Resurrection, Mary Magdalene “went to announce the good news to His followers” (Mk 16:10). Yet “they refused to believe it” (Mk 16:11). “Later on, as two of them were walking along on their way to the country, He was revealed to them” (Mk 16:12). Yet when they announced the good news of Jesus’ Resurrection, the apostles “put no more faith in them than in Mary Magdalene” (Mk 16:13). Jesus,...