Category: Memory Verse

“It was to you and your children that the promise was made, and to all those still far off whom the Lord our God calls.” —Acts 2:39 On the third day of Easter, the Lord brings to our attention the birthday of the Church. At the first Christian Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out, three thousand people were baptized, and the Church was born (see Acts 2:41). Peter mentions at the beginning of his discourse that “it is only nine in the morning.” After one-hundred and twenty people received the Holy Spirit, Peter preached the Good News of Jesus’...

The women “hurried away from the tomb half-overjoyed, half-fearful, and ran to carry the good news to His disciples. Suddenly, without warning, Jesus stood before them and said, ‘Peace!’ ” —Matthew 28:8-9 The women who came to Jesus’ tomb on the first day of the week did not meet Jesus at the tomb but on the road. He told them to tell His brothers to travel the road to meet Him in Galilee (Mt 28:10). That first afternoon after His Resurrection Jesus Himself met two disciples on the road and journeyed with them for about seven miles (Lk 24:13ff). The...

“Through baptism into His death we were buried with Him, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life. If we have been united with Him through likeness to His death, so shall we be through a like resurrection.” —Romans 6:4-5 Alleluia! Jesus is risen! “Death has no more power over Him” or over us (Rm 6:9). Alleluia forever! We are “raised up in company with Christ” (Col 3:1) and begin to live a risen life by being baptized into Christ and thereby into His death...

“He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity.” —Isaiah 53:3 Pontius Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent (Jn 18:38; 19:4, 6) so he justly sought to release Jesus. Nevertheless, Pilate wanted the Jewish leaders to agree to Jesus’ release. Perhaps Pilate thought that people sometimes have a human tendency to respond to others’ sufferings by lessening or changing their hatred and opposition to them. So Pilate unjustly had Jesus brutally scourged and then “Pilate went out a second time and said to the crowd: ‘Observe what I do. I am going to bring Him...

“This is My body, which is for you.” —1 Corinthians 11:24 The Eucharist is the Body and Blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. The Eucharist is not only a gift from God, but the Gift Who is God. Therefore, the Eucharist is the greatest of all gifts. How are we to respond when God gives us His Body and Blood? The right response to the greatest Gift is communion (see Ps 116:12ff), that is, the sharing of covenanted, unconditional love. Therefore, when Jesus gave us His Body and Blood, He presented us not only with the greatest Gift but also...