Category: Memory Verse

THE SPIRIT TEACHES US THE “OUR FATHER”

“This is how you are to pray.” –Matthew 6:9 Mass Readings: February 20 First: Isaiah 55:10-11; Resp: Psalm 34:4-7,16-19; Gospel: Matthew 6:7-15 Listen to the Mass Readings Prayer is to communicate with the infinite, perfect, all-holy God, Who is Love (1 Jn 4:16). Therefore, prayer is one of the most important aspects of being a human being. Prayer is an awesome privilege and power. In prayer, we are necessarily “in way over our heads.” Because of this, “we do not know how to pray as we ought” (Rm 8:26). Thankfully, the Holy Spirit “helps us in our weakness” (Rm 8:26)....

BREAD FROM HEAVEN

“Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You?” –Matthew 25:37 When Jesus comes in glory on Judgment Day, He will judge us on whether we fed Him by feeding the least of His and our brothers and sisters (Mt 25:35, 42). Jesus is so concerned with feeding us that, when Peter told Jesus that he loved Him, Jesus said: “Feed My lambs” and “Feed My sheep” (Jn 21:15, 17). To feed us, Jesus even went to the unimaginable extreme of making Himself the Bread of Life (Jn 6:35) and feeding us with His own body and blood (Jn...

METANOIA

“Reform your lives and believe in the gospel!” –Mark 1:15 Jesus began His public ministry proclaiming a direct command and challenge to everyone He saw. He proclaimed the need to repent and reform. The word for repent in this Gospel passage text is the Greek word metanoia. This word does not simply mean to be sorry for our sins, as appropriate as this is. The word means literally to turn around and go in the opposite direction. This repentance means to make a 180-degree turn in our lives if the direction in which we are traveling leads us away from...

FAST FOR CHRISTENDOM

“The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up; ‘Repairer of the breach,’ they shall call you, ‘Restorer of ruined homesteads.’ ” –Isaiah 58:12 Mass Readings: February 17 First: Isaiah 58:9-14; Resp: Psalm 86:1-6;Gospel: Luke 5:27-32 Listen to the Mass Readings If we fast this Lent in a way pleasing to the Lord (see Is 58:3-6), we will see the Lord do many miracles. For example, light will rise for us in the darkness (Is 58:10). The Lord will guide us always and give us “plenty even on the parched...

THE LOVE-FEAST AND THE LOVE-FASTING

“Jesus said to them: ‘How can wedding guests go in mourning so long as the groom is with them? When the day comes that the groom is taken away, then they will fast.’ ” –Matthew 9:15 Mass Readings: February 16 First: Isaiah 58:1-9; Resp: Psalm 51:3-6,18-19; Gospel: Matthew 9:14-15 Listen to the Mass Readings In accord with Jewish tradition, Jesus associated fasting with mourning. Not in accord with any tradition, Jesus taught that His kind of fasting was to be preceded by a wedding banquet. In some cultures, people fast before a wedding and a wedding banquet, but I don’t...