Category: Daily Reflections
“I have no one with me but Luke.” –2 Timothy 4:11 St. Luke compiled his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles not to describe how good things were in the early Church but to address how bad things were becoming after the first generation of Christianity. The Christian community got bogged down with internal problems and was no longer motivated to evangelize. The Church was lukewarm (Rv 3:16). Luke composed his Gospel and Acts of the Apostles to change this. When things go wrong and discouragement begins to set in, it’s hard to be the only one motivated and...
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“Through His suffering, My Servant shall justify many, and their guilt He shall bear.” —Isaiah 53:11 The Lord removes some sufferings from our lives to make room for other sufferings which are redemptive. He heals us to free us to be vulnerable and exposed to hurt. He gives us the grace to love ourselves, so we have courage to be hated and persecuted for the sake of the Gospel (see 2 Tm 1:8). He blesses us with self-acceptance and a good self-image so we will be able to suffer rejection and contempt. Jesus wants to forgive and heal us, and...
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“The Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment all that should be said.” –Luke 12:12 There are four passages in the Gospels in which Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will put words of wisdom in our mouths that cannot be opposed (Mt 10:17-20; Mk 13:9-11; Lk 12:11-12; 21:12-15). In each passage, the context is that a disciple has been involuntarily detained to be put on trial for their witness to Jesus. Jesus promises us: “In that hour, say what you are inspired to say. It will not be yourselves speaking but the Holy Spirit” (Mk 13:11). We may...
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“Now the justice of God has been manifested apart from the law, even though both law and prophets bear witness to it – that justice of God which works through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” –Romans 3:21-22 Prophets had been murdered for thousands of years, “from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah” (Lk 11:51). Yet not one of these murders was atoned for over all this time. Jesus said: “This generation will have to account for the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world” (Lk 11:50). All the people...
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“…but will not lift a finger to lighten them.” –Luke 11:46 Jesus does not show us our sins to condemn us, but to save us (Jn 3:17). He illuminates our sins to show us the damage they have caused, and also to show us how we cannot erase that damage by our own efforts. Only Jesus can pay that price (Is 26:18; Ps 49:8-9). We must allow Him to pay it. Jesus’ standards are even higher than those of the Pharisees and the scholars of the law (Mt 5:18). Jesus is most definitely not lax on sin; He takes sin...
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