Tagged: daily message

“Children, it is the final hour; just as you heard that the antichrist was coming, so now many such antichrists have appeared.” –1 John 2:18 Many “antichrists have appeared.” “It was from our ranks that they took their leave – not that they really belonged to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have stayed with us” (1 Jn 2:19). There are baptized Christians who are officially members of the Church but do not belong to the Church in their hearts. These people have joined the Church socially and culturally but have not totally given their lives...

“On the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away, so she ran off to Simon Peter and the other disciple (the one Jesus loved) and told them…” –John 20:1-2 St. John has been traditionally identified with “the beloved disciple” (Jn 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7). However, the Church has also interpreted John 19:26 to mean that the beloved disciple may not be specifically named to show that he represents all of Jesus’ disciples for all times. All of Jesus’ disciples are beloved. All...

“You will be brought to trial before rulers and kings, to give witness before them.” –Matthew 10:18 Christmas is a special opportunity to witness for Jesus. Because St. Stephen was the first witness to give up His life for Jesus the faithful Witness (Rv 1:5), it is appropriate that he is the first of the Christmas saints. Witnessing is not just saying good things about Jesus. Witnessing is communicating a personal experience of Jesus. St. Stephen was a witness not just because he spoke about Jesus, but because he saw Jesus at the Father’s right hand and proclaimed this to...

“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” –John 1:14 At Christmas, we do not celebrate primarily that God became a human being but that God, a human Being, was born. At His birth, Jesus moved from the womb of Mary to the outside world. This made it possible for people to relate to Him in a personal way. Jesus was then able to be held, kissed, touched, seen, and heard. He was also able to be hit, hurt, rejected, and crucified. The change from being in the womb to living in the outside world is dangerous. That’s...