Category: Verse for the day

THE YEAST OF THE BRETHREN

“Do you not know that a little yeast has its effect all through the dough?” –1 Corinthians 5:6 Those who commit sin are like yeast which has its effect all through the Christian community. Therefore, we must: overcome temptations to sin so as not to hurt ourselves and others, repent and go to Confession as soon as possible if we have sinned, forgive those who are sinning and are thereby hurting themselves and our community, be ministers of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18) by praying for those who have sinned (1 Jn 5:16), correcting them (Lk 17:3; Mt 18:15; Ez 3:18;...

SUPREME AND EXTREME LOVE

“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, his wife and his children, his brothers and sisters, indeed his very self, he cannot be My disciple.” –Luke 14:26, our transl Mass Readings: September 4 First: Wisdom 9:13-18; Resp: Psalm 90:3-6,12-13,14-17; Second: Philemon 9-10,12-17; Gospel: Luke 14:25-33. A traditional hymn begins: “Jesus, my Lord, my God, my All, how can I love Thee as I ought?” We love Jesus as we ought by loving Him with all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, and all our strength (Lk 10:27). When we give our “all” to Jesus, our...

“A GREAT CONTEST OF SUFFERING” (Heb 10:32)

“God has put us apostles at the end of the line.” –1 Corinthians 4:9 Mass Readings: September 3 First: 1 Corinthians 4:6-15; Resp: Psalm 145:17-21;Gospel: Luke 6:1-5 Paul repeatedly published lists of the sufferings of Christians (see 2 Cor 6:4ff; 11:23ff). Paul described the apostles as “men doomed to die in the arena,” “a spectacle to the universe,” “fools on Christ’s account,” sneered at, “hungry and thirsty, poorly clad, roughly treated, wandering about homeless,” insulted, persecuted, and slandered (1 Cor 4:9-13). Paul stated that, in effect, Christians should expect to be treated as the world’s garbage; “that is the present...

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE

“They will surely fast in those days.” –Luke 5:35 Mass Readings: September 2 First: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Resp: Psalm 37:3-6,27-28,39-40; Gospel: Luke 5:33-39 When we are baptized into the new life of Jesus and decide to live our Baptisms, “the old order has passed away; now all is new!” (2 Cor 5:17) Fasting, for example, becomes so new that the Lord uses our fasting to drive out the most entrenched demons (Mt 17:21, NAB), to initiate missionary outreaches (Acts 13:2-3), and to establish leaders for His Church (Acts 14:23). New Testament fasting is often frequent (see 2 Cor 11:27; 6:5)...

SINNER-FRIENDLY

“I am a sinful man.” –Luke 5:8 Mass Readings: September 1 First: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23; Resp: Psalm 24:1-6; Gospel: Luke 5:1-11 After the miraculous catch of fish, “Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord. I am a sinful man’ ” (Lk 5:8). For Simon Peter, this was a flash of light in the midst of a life of self-deception. Peter was indeed a sinful man. He proved it by denying Christ three times (Lk 22:61) after boasting that he would die for Christ (Lk 22:33). Peter was a sinful man. Nonetheless, Christ chose him to...