Category: Memory Verse

DARK SHADOWS

Bible Quiz – 89 (May 2022) Bible Section : Ephesians 1 – 3 “I have come to the world as its Light, to keep anyone who believes in Me from remaining in the dark.” –John 12:46 Have you come out of the darkness of the tomb into the light of the resurrection this Easter season? Isn’t that what Easter is all about? For example, John Mark moved from darkness into light. He accompanied Sts. Paul and Barnabas on the relief mission for starving Jerusalem (Acts 12:25). He also accompanied them on the first missionary journey (Acts 13:5). The first encounter...

FAITH IS SPELLED R-I-S-K

“News of this eventually reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, resulting in Barnabas’ being sent to Antioch.” –Acts 11:22 St. Barnabas “was a good man filled with the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24). The Lord called him to live his faith in high-risk situations. We first hear of Barnabas (at that time named Joseph) selling his farm and laying the proceeds at the apostles’ feet (Acts 4:36-37). If you did such a thing, would you be taking a risk? What if the Church did not provide for you? What if you lost everything? Barnabas’ next great act...

HEAR YE, HEAR YE

“They will not follow a stranger; such a one they will flee, because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” –John 10:5 Did you ever unknowingly put yourself in a situation which in retrospect was definitely not God’s will? Obviously you weren’t hearing the Lord. He must have warned you hundreds of times, but you must have missed it time after time. This seems to indicate that Jesus’ voice is strange to you. You’re in trouble. When you don’t hear Jesus, you don’t hear the Word (Jn 1:1) and the Truth (Jn 14:6). You don’t hear the only One Who...

FILL UPS

“The disciples could not but be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” —Acts 13:52 What if the only thing you knew how to do was “to be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit”? After Sts. Paul and Barnabas were violently abused and thrown out of town, the disciples knew how to react in only one way — not with violence, fear, unforgiveness, or bitterness but “with joy and the Holy Spirit.” What if we were rejected, insulted, or falsely accused? We would probably know how to react with something other than joy. However, Jesus’ early disciples could be...

YOU’RE OUT!

“Many of His disciples broke away.” —John 6:66 The beginning of the persecution of the Church caused many of the disciples to “go out” into the world (see Acts 8:1). This intense persecution was an opportunity to spread the Gospel (Acts 8:4). Unfortunately, in the Gospel passage for today’s Mass, other disciples also went out; they “broke away [from Jesus] and would not remain in His company any longer” (Jn 6:66). The hard words of the Lord were “too much for them” (Mk 6:3). St. Peter would not leave Jesus (Jn 6:68-69), but Peter also “went out,” going into the...