Category: Daily Reflections

“I am coming to you in a dense cloud, so that when the people hear Me speaking with you, they may always have faith in you also.” –Exodus 19:9 God manifested Himself in a mighty way to the Israelites at Mount Sinai (Ex 19:16ff), speaking to them both directly and through Moses, and giving them the Ten Commandments. Yet within a short time, they abandoned Him to worship a golden calf (Ex 32:1ff). Jesus spoke to the Israelite people of the kingdom of God in parables (Mt 13:10), discourses (Mt 5:1ff), and in signs and wonders. Though Jesus gave them...

“I will seek Him Whom my heart loves.” –Song of Songs 3:2 Love can never be completely satisfied or complacent. Love by its very nature must be expressed, grow, and always find greater ways to bless the beloved. “Love following upon love” (Jn 1:16) always seeks the good of the other. Love, in a sense, is restless because love cannot rest until all is well with the beloved. Love ignores personal safety and comfort. It always finds a way to increase the welfare of the beloved. Love seeks the beloved day and night (Sg 3:1-2). Love always seeks a way...

“The Israelites had marched on dry land through the midst of the sea, with the water like a wall to their right and to their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel on that day.” –Exodus 14:29-30 The Church requires that today’s first reading be read at Easter Vigil, the most important liturgical service of the year. The Church emphasizes this reading from Exodus because in an exceptional way it prefigures Baptism, and Baptism is the greatest event in our lives. Only at Baptism do we receive a new nature and become adopted sons and daughters of God. At Baptism, we...

“We want to see You work some signs.” –Matthew 12:38 To those who wanted to see Him work a magic trick, Jesus replied: “An evil and unfaithful age is eager for a sign! No sign will be given it but that of the prophet Jonah. Just as Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man spend three days and three nights in the bowels of the earth” (Mt 12:39-40). In other words, in answer to their request for a sign, Jesus gave them the sign of the cross. The...

“Jesus saw a vast crowd. He had compassion on them.” –Mark 6:34, our transl. Some people ruined Jesus’ vacation (see Mk 6:31). They wouldn’t even let Him and His apostles rest a little and eat (Mk 6:31). If a crowd of people made life that difficult for us, we might resent it or be upset. However, Jesus felt compassion for the crowd and “began to teach them at great length” (Mk 6:34). Do you have the heart of Jesus for people who demand a lot from you, inconvenience you, or even hurt you? Are you willing to lay down your...