Tagged: daily bread

WISE UP

“Passing into holy souls from age to age, [Wisdom] produces friends of God and prophets. For there is nought God loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom.” –Wisdom 7:27-28 To be “friends of God and prophets,” we must be wise (Wis 7:27). To live in God’s love (Jn 15:10), we must be wise (Wis 7:28). To defeat wickedness rather than be defeated by it, we must be wise (Wis 7:30). Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah and His people would have “a spirit of wisdom” (Is 11:2). Christ crucified is “the power of God and the wisdom of God”...

TO LEAD OR NOT TO LEAD

“For those in power a rigorous scrutiny impends.”–Wisdom 6:8 Leaders in God’s kingdom have been entrusted with much, thus much will be required of them (see Lk 12:48). Those in power are mightily put to the test and scrutinized rigorously (Wis 6:6, 8; see also Jas 3:1). In addition to God’s scrutiny, leaders are also opposed by the world, the flesh, and the devil (see 1 Jn 2:16). A natural question to ask is “Why would anyone become a leader in the Kingdom of God?” Avoiding God’s call to receive power is not an option. When those whom the Lord...

THANK GOD!

“Would he be grateful to the servant who was only carrying out his orders?” –Luke 17:9 In this month of November, we think of thanksgiving and realize that Thanksgiving is not just a day but a way of life forever. “Give thanks to God the Father always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 5:20). Do we understand who is supposed to be thanking Whom? The message of today’s Gospel reading is that any lack of thanksgiving may be more than an oversight. Possibly we think we are lords who should be thanked, rather than...

CONSUMED BY LOVE FOR THE CHURCH

The angel “brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing out.” –Ezekiel 47:1 From the Church flow the living waters which will change our culture of death into a civilization of love and life and “renew the face of the earth” (Ps 104:30). For the Church to fully exercise her authority and power, she must be “built as an edifice of spirit, into a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pt 2:5). “In Him you are being built into this temple, to become a dwelling place for God...

MONEY MATTERS

Jesus “called His disciples over and told them: ‘I want you to observe that this poor widow contributed more than all the others who donated to the treasury.’ ” –Mark 12:43 What if you and your country are in a major financial crisis? You have enough for one more meal, and after that you expect to starve to death (see 1 Kgs 17:12). What should you do? You should give the little that you have (1 Kgs 17:13) to the poor and thereby to the Lord (see Mt 25:40). After the widow of Zarephath did this, “she was able to...