Tagged: daily message

“Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel because He has visited and ransomed His people.” –Luke 1:68 Many hundreds of thousands of priests and religious have promised under pain of sin to pray each morning today’s Gospel reading, Zechariah’s canticle, as part of praying the Liturgy of the Hours. I promised to do this decades ago, and by God’s grace I have kept my promise. The Church so emphasizes Zechariah’s prophecy because: It is a prophecy, and prophets are part of the foundation of the Church (Eph 2:20). Zechariah prayed this prayer when he was “filled with the Holy...

“…to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers…” –Malachi 3:24 Many earthly fathers don’t have hearts for their children. In today’s culture, there is an epidemic of fatherless children whose father is still alive. Sadly, too many children are “fatherless” even though their dad lives in the same house. Many fathers also do not have a heart for their possible future children. The job of a father is difficult, and is greatly under attack by Satan and his pawns who shape the modern, secular culture. However, God calls fathers...

“My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my Savior.” –Luke 1:46-47 The words of today’s Gospel passage, commonly known as the Magnificat, are prayed every single day by Catholic priests, religious, and some lay people in the Liturgy of the Hours. These are words to unite people each day. Mary had a heavy cross to bear. When she prayed her Magnificat, she didn’t know if Joseph would receive her or reject her. She could have said, “My cross is heavy, my future unsure, and I’m scared.” However, she focused on the Lord, rejoiced...

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” –Luke 1:35 Mary is a model disciple. She is worthy of being imitated. Mary did God’s will, no matter what it entailed as the servant of the Lord. She welcomed and received the Holy Spirit. Then she ministered with the Spirit’s power and the gifts during her visit to Zechariah and Elizabeth. She gave her body to the Lord. So many these days will not let the Lord have their body. Often in today’s me-first culture, we hear: “It’s my body, and my...