Category: Daily Reflections
“Herod wanted to kill John but was afraid of the people.” –Matthew 14:5 St. John the Baptizer was a prisoner, but he was free, bold, prophetic, and unable to be manipulated. He bravely stood up to King Herod, bluntly proclaiming that it was wrong for him to live in adultery (Mt 14:3-4). He spoke the truth regardless of consequences. Herod was a powerful tyrant, but he was fearful, delusional, guilt-ridden, and easily manipulated. Herod appeared to triumph over John by imprisoning John for speaking the truth about his adulterous relationship with Herodias. However, John was victorious. John’s prophetic reproach reverberated...
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“Until we all reach unity in the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:13 It takes time for intellectual and spiritual maturity to reach its full potential. In your efforts to reach maturity, you should have something against which to measure your progress. The apostle Paul teaches that we should measure our progress against nothing less than the character of Christ. Although this is an impossible goal, to aim any lower is to accept a second hand life. However, never forget Jesus’ love...
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“These, then, are the festivals of the Lord which you shall celebrate at their proper time with a sacred assembly.” –Leviticus 23:4 The Lord has created us to celebrate His love. In the midst of our life of celebration, the Lord calls us to come together repeatedly for special seasons of celebration. The Church year begins with the celebration of the Advent and Christmas seasons. In the new covenant, we also celebrate the Day of Atonement (see Lv 23:27) on Good Friday, the day Jesus atoned for all the sins which have been or will be committed. Good Friday is...
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“On the first day of the first month of the second year the Dwelling was erected. It was Moses who erected the Dwelling.” –Exodus 40:17-18 The grand finale of the book of Exodus is the completion of the Dwelling, the place on earth where God was most powerfully and intimately present. The plagues led to the Exodus, leading to the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. This was followed by Moses’ reception of the divine Law on Mt. Sinai. This finally culminated in the construction of the Dwelling. The goal of life is to enter into God’s presence most deeply...
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“The skin of [Moses’] face had become radiant while he conversed with the Lord.” –Exodus 34:29 In the Old Covenant, the unclean and unholy had the ability to contaminate that which was holy. For instance, if a person with leprosy touched a person without it, the latter person became unclean, even if they did not contract leprosy. In other words, unholiness was contagious rather than holiness. Jesus reversed this situation. Jesus touched lepers and cleansed them (Mk 1:41). Because of Jesus, holiness overpowered unholiness. Now holiness is contagious instead of unholiness. This reversal is why Jesus could say that the...
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