Category: Verse for the day

“It is He Who is our Peace, and Who made the two of us one by breaking down the barrier of hostility that kept us apart.” –Ephesians 2:14 Micah prophesied that the Messiah would not only be peaceful or make peace but that He would be Peace (Mi 5:4). Moreover, Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount, the quintessence of His preaching, by proclaiming: “Blest too the peacemakers; they shall be called sons of God” (Mt 5:9). On the night before He died, Jesus announced that He would leave peace to His disciples in His last will and testament (Jn...

Jesus “will not contend or cry out, nor will His voice be heard in the streets. The bruised reed He will not crush; the smoldering wick He will not quench until judgment is made victorious.” –Matthew 12:19-20 There are many evil things occurring right now. Family farmers, home owners, and many others are being victimized by subtle maneuvers (see Mi 2:1ff). Also, plots are being hatched (see Mt 12:14), people are being tortured, children are being aborted, and many other sins are being committed. This can be discouraging, but there’s much more taking place. Jesus is peacefully, quietly, and gently...

“I will heal you: in three days you shall go up to the Lord’s temple; I will add fifteen years to your life.” –Isaiah 38:5 God is the Lord of time. He can add to our time here on earth. He added fifteen years to Hezekiah’s life. The Lord can even stop time, as He did for Joshua for a day (Jos 10:13). The Lord, of course, can multiply time, as He multiplied the loaves and the fish. Astoundingly, the Lord can put time in reverse, as when the sun went backwards as a sign to Hezekiah (Is 38:8). The...

“As a woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pains, so were we in Your presence, O Lord.” –Isaiah 26:17 Maimonides, a Jewish rabbi in the twelfth century, listed 613 commandments in the Old Testament. Moreover, the commands in the New Testament are much more challenging than those of the Old (see Mt 5:22, 28, etc.). We are obligated to obey God’s commandments, for if we don’t act on God’s Word, we deceive ourselves (Jas 1:22). Moreover, “whoever falls into sin on one point of the law, even though he keeps the entire remainder, has become...

“Will the axe boast against Him Who hews with it?” –Isaiah 10:15 We are instruments and tools in God’s hands. Our loving Father employs us according to who we are and what gifts we have. We can experience this both in the present and through hindsight, seeing how the Father has directed our lives. Our Father employs us using a symphony of our free choices and His divine, loving omnipotence. As an example of this, the homilist at today’s Mass mentioned that his own free choice to attend a Calvinist seminary was used by God as a part of His...