Category: Memory Verse

“Zeal for Your house consumes Me.” –John 2:17 Mass Readings: November 9 First: Ezekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12; Resp: Psalm 46:2-3,5-6,8-9; Second: 1 Corinthians 3:9-11,16-17; Gospel: John 2:13-22 Listen to the Mass Readings The Greek word for “church” means “called out.” The Church is the gathering of people Jesus has chosen out from this world (Jn 15:19). Jesus founded the Church in the shadow of the worldly city, Caesarea Philippi (Mt 16:13). He implied the Church would begin attacking the gates of hell by storming the gates of the worldly city (Mt 16:18). We live in the world geographically; spiritually, however, we are...

“Go out into the highways and along the hedgerows and force them to come in. I want My house to be full.” –Luke 14:23 God wants His house to be full for His heavenly banquet (Lk 14:23). His strategy for filling His house is to send His servants all over His kingdom, especially to the byroads (Mt 22:9), alleys (Lk 14:21), and other unlikely places. Thus, God’s banquet will only be filled if His servants “come upon” (Mt 22:9) people that are hard to catch up with. Jesus understands this dilemma. That’s why He specifically calls His servants “fishers of...

“Owe no debt to anyone except the debt that binds us to love one another.” –Romans 13:8 Mass Readings: November 8 First: Romans 13:8-10; Resp: Psalm 112:1-2,4-5,9; Gospel: Luke 14:25-33 Listen to the Mass Readings Many Christians in the Western world are in debt. They owe on their houses, cars, and credit cards. Consequently, they seem to be disobeying the Lord’s command that we owe no debt. Some people try to rationalize this by saying that many other people are in debt – even Christians and churches. However, just because disobedience is popular doesn’t make it something other than disobedience....

“…how inscrutable His judgments, how unsearchable His ways!” –Romans 11:33 Mass Readings: November 6 First: Wisdom 3:1-9; Resp: Psalm 23:1-6; Gospel: John 6:37-40 Listen to the Mass Readings The Lord has said: “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways” (Is 55:8). That we are so different than God is initially seen as a problem. We even wish that God was more like us. However, if we joyfully accept God’s transcendence and mystery, we can begin to look behind the worst situations and see the hand of God. This fills us with hope rather than discouragement....

“And now, O priests, this commandment is for you.” –Malachi 2:1 “The lips of the priest are to keep knowledge, and instruction is to be sought from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts” (Mal 2:7). When priests do not properly exercise their God-given ministry of teaching, they cause “many to falter” by their instruction (Mal 2:8). Then the Lord, in order to protect His people, tries to correct His priests by turning their blessings into curses (Mal 2:2) and by making the priests “contemptible and base before all the people” (Mal 2:9). If you...