Category: Verse for the day

“I solemnly assure you, he who accepts anyone I send accepts Me, and in accepting Me accepts Him Who sent Me.” –John 13:20 We accept Jesus and God the Father by accepting those whom Jesus sends to us. Jesus has sent us His Body, the Church. He has sent us the bishops and the Pope as leaders of the Church. The members of our parish are “God-sent.” He has sent the members of our families into our lives. Our neighbors and co-workers are “heaven-sent.” Even some of our enemies are sent by Jesus. Consequently, we accept Jesus and the Father...

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...

“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...

“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...

“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...