Tagged: Bible Reading & Meditation

“If we are unfaithful He will still remain faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” –2 Timothy 2:13 Which of us can honestly claim that we have been perfectly faithful to all the Lord’s commands? We all fall short; we are all sinners in some way (see Rm 3:23). The Good News is that God remains faithful to us, despite our sins and failings. Faithfulness is at the core of God’s very self. God loves us unconditionally, even if we have completely turned our back on Him. “God is Love” (1 Jn 4:8, 16). Even should a mother forget her child...

“I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God…” –2 Timothy 1:6 In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus speaks of flame when He references the burning bush (Mk 12:26). Moses saw an angel of the Lord appear to him “in fire flaming out of a bush” (Ex 3:2). That experience stirred into flame a blazing fire for God in Moses’ heart. In our Baptism and Confirmation, we have been given gifts of the Spirit (Rm 12:6; Eph 4:8). Hundreds of millions of people on this earth have received incredible gifts from the Holy Spirit. Why then is the world...

“Whose head is this and whose inscription is it?” –Mark 12:16 The Pharisees and Herodians were able to identify the owner of the Roman coin because of what was stamped on it. The seal on the coin marked it as belonging to Caesar. When we were baptized into Christ, we too were stamped with an image, “sealed” with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13; 2 Cor 1:22). We were “formed anew in the image of [our] Creator” (Col 3:10), and now we “share the image of His Son,” Jesus (Rm 8:29). God marked us with His own seal to identify us...

“The man replied, ‘The woman whom You put here with me — she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.’” –Genesis 3:12 Most of us are very familiar with the story of the fall. Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation and thwarted God’s plan. Because our first parents were disobedient, we suffer the wounds of original sin. Shortsightedly, we could label Adam and Eve the ultimate scapegoats. But we and they are family! “The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living” (Gn 3:20). Have you pondered your lineage? Eve gave...

“When the day of Pentecost came it found them gathered in one place.” —Acts 2:1 Father Otto Rauschenbach, a Maryknoll missionary in South China, was killed by bandits on May 14, 1945. Because of the war, Father Otto had to hide in the mountains. He knew that if he came out of hiding, he was risking his life. Yet Father wanted to celebrate Pentecost with his people so he tried to return to his parish (cf Lk 22:15). However, he was murdered before he got to his parish and before he could celebrate Pentecost Mass. Would you risk your life...