Tagged: Bible Reading & Meditation
“He meant to pass them by.” —Mark 6:48 Are you rowing against the wind in the middle of the night? (see Mk 6:48) You need Jesus to pass by. When Jesus comes by, the wind dies down (see Mk 6:51). Jesus’ presence makes all the difference in the world. The best Christmas present is His presence: Jesus’ full, substantial presence in the Eucharist. A deeper faith in Jesus’ Eucharistic presence at Mass is the present after which this season is named, “Christmas.” The Lord is also present in His Word. The teachings of the Church, particularly the Bible, are truly...
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“Love, then, consists in this: not that we have loved God but that He has loved us and has sent His Son as an Offering for our sins.” —1 John 4:10 Every Christmas season, the Lord through the Church calls us to read, pray, and live the first letter of John. In this letter, the Lord calls us His “beloved,” who are called to love one another (1 Jn 4:7). The Lord God even reveals that He is Love and those who abide in Love abide in Him (1 Jn 4:16). Because God is Love, it is most important that...
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“Every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ come in the flesh belongs to God, while every spirit that fails to acknowledge Him does not belong to God. Such is the spirit of the antichrist which, as you have heard, is to come; in fact, it is in the world already.” —1 John 4:2-3 Most of us are Christians. That means that we do things not primarily because they are good but because they are ways of imitating Christ. For example, we heal the sick not primarily to help the sick but to imitate Christ, for He heals the sick (see Mt...
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“We observed His star at its rising…” —Matthew 2:2 In their homeland, the Magi saw a great star at its rising. Greatly impressed, they set out on their journey to follow the star to greet the newborn King to Whom they believed the star pointed. After they had traveled for a time, they could no longer see the star. They were past the point of no return, and were not sure where God was now leading them. But the Magi did not give up on God’s leading; they did not quit and return back home. Instead, they did the reasonable...
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“It was to destroy the devil’s works that the Son of God revealed Himself.” —1 John 3:8 The purpose of God becoming man, and therefore the purpose of Christmas, is to destroy the devil’s works. That’s why the anti-Christ denies Christ come in the flesh (1 Jn 4:2-3). That’s why Herod “convulsed” in a violent reaction when he heard about the newborn King of the Jews (see Mt 2:2ff). Herod did not overreact but understood the true meaning of Christmas much better than most people. Christmas is God’s invasion of the devil’s privacy here on earth. Christmas is an attack...
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