Category: Daily Reflections

“One of their own number, Nicodemus (the man who had come to Him), spoke up to say, ‘Since when does our law condemn any man without first hearing him and knowing the facts?’ ” –John 7:50-51 In John’s Gospel, Nicodemus is introduced as “a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin” who came to Jesus at night (Jn 3:1-2). Later, Nicodemus is referred to more briefly and discreetly as “the man who had come to [Jesus]” (Jn 7:50). After Jesus’ death, Nicodemus came to bury Jesus and is again referred to as “the man who had first come to Jesus at night”...

“Once His brothers had gone up to the festival He too went up, but as if in secret and not for all to see.” –John 7:10 Two weeks from today will be Good Friday, and we will be in the midst of the Triduum, the three most holy days of the year. We are on the threshold of the glorious Easter season. Jesus will be going up to the festival of His Resurrection, “but as if in secret and not for all to see” (Jn 7:10). At His Resurrection, He was “completely changed in appearance” (Mk 16:12) and few recognized...

“If you believed Moses you would then believe Me, for it was about Me that He wrote.” –John 5:46 We must believe in the Word of God in its fullness. For example, if we don’t believe the part of the Bible attributed to Moses, called the Pentateuch, we won’t believe Jesus and what He said through His body, the Church, in the New Testament. Jesus said: “If you believed Moses you would then believe Me, for it was about Me that he wrote. But if you do not believe what he wrote, how can you believe what I say?” (Jn...

“Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” –Isaiah 49:15 Isaiah prophesied the above message from the Lord God over 2,500 years ago. At that time, children were considered blessings from the Lord. The strongest possible human bond was between mother and child. Yet even then, some mothers “forgot” their children and allowed them to be sacrificed to pagan gods (e.g. see Lam 4:10). At present, surgical and chemical abortions occur in staggering numbers. In some countries, women abort more than twice as many...

“There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God, the holy dwelling of the Most High. God is in its midst.” –Psalm 46:5-6 In less than three weeks, hundreds of thousands of catechumens will be baptized on Easter Vigil. At that time, the billion Catholics in the world will be asked to renew their baptismal promises. In preparation for this greatest event of the year, the Church will read to us on Easter Vigil how the Lord used the waters of the Red Sea to free His people after their Exodus. On Good Friday, the Church will also...