Tagged: Daily Reflection

“Force them to come in.” –Luke 14:23 Today’s Scripture passage in which Jesus commands His disciples to “force” people to enter His kingdom can be difficult to comprehend. Perhaps an example from my life might shed light on Jesus’ meaning. I was an intensely shy college student and found it beyond my ability to join in with other students in Catholic activities. I vividly recall after one Mass hearing several students talking excitedly about that night’s prayer gathering at the Newman Center. Their excitement stirred a longing in me to attend. I walked to the Center and was suddenly too...

“As gold in the furnace, He proved them.” –Wisdom 3:6 It is “a holy and pious thought” to pray for the dead (2 Mc 12:45). It is a good thing to do, but how good? Should praying for the dead be a footnote in our Christian life, or should it be a high priority? Those who move from purgatory to heaven due to our prayers obviously think it a high priority. Furthermore, our prayers for those in purgatory not only help them but help us to more greatly benefit from the prayers of the poor souls for us (Catechism, 958)....

“Who are these people all dressed in white? And where have they come from?” –Revelation 7:13 Today we thank God for saving and sanctifying the saints on earth and in heaven. We especially thank Him for taking our family members, relatives, and friends to be with Him in heaven. We look forward to becoming holy and joining Jesus and the family in heaven. We cannot do this by our own power but we can let it be done to us (see Lk 1:38). The Father and the Son have sent the Holy Spirit to make us holy. All we have...

“Blindness has come upon part of Israel until the full number of Gentiles enter in, and then all Israel will be saved.” –Romans 11:25-26 St. John Chrysostom taught: “God attached so much importance to [man’s] salvation that He did not spare His own Son for the sake of man. Nor does He ever cease to work, trying every possible means, until He has raised man up to Himself and made him sit at His right hand” (Catechism, 358). The Lord uses every means to call us to conversion. For example, by the Jews’ “transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles”...

“I speak the truth in Christ.” –Romans 9:1 St. Paul described his sufferings as follows: “…labors and imprisonments, with far worse beatings and frequent brushes with death. Five times at the hands of the Jews I received forty lashes less one; three times I was beaten with rods; I was stoned once, shipwrecked three times; I passed a day and a night on the sea. I traveled continually, endangered by floods, robbers, my own people” (2 Cor 11:23-26). Paul suffered greatly, and much of this was due to his own people’s hatred and persecution of him. Nevertheless, Paul had a...