Tagged: Daily Reflection

“I solemnly assure you, you shall see…” –John 1:51 Several hundred years ago, the archangel Gabriel was especially recognized through the custom of praying the Angelus. In the Angelus, we think of the annunciation of the good news of Jesus’ Incarnation and our salvation. It is customary to pray the Angelus at morning, noon, and evening. Over a hundred years ago, Pope Leo XIII composed the St. Michael Prayer and thus made the archangel Michael better known and appreciated than ever before. The St. Michael Prayer is a clear statement about the reality and importance of spiritual warfare, that is,...

“Even if this should seem impossible in the eyes of the remnant of this people, shall it in those days be impossible in My eyes also, says the Lord of hosts?” –Zechariah 8:6 The Lord wants us to have an ever-increasing faith that He is the God of the impossible. He wants us to say with the Archangel Gabriel and believe with Mary that “nothing is impossible with God” (Lk 1:37). The Lord says to us what He said to Nathanael: “You will see much greater things than that” (Jn 1:50). Jesus even says: “Amen, Amen, I say to you,...

“If your hand is your difficulty, cut it off! Better for you to enter life maimed than to keep both hands and enter Gehenna with its unquenchable fire.” –Mark 9:43 Years ago, I had to change a flat tire at night. While attempting to remove the tire, the jack shifted unexpectedly, and the car fell off the jack. My fingers were pinned underneath the tire. Because the full weight of the car kept my fingers pressed to the road, I could not pull my fingers free, no matter how hard I tried. After some time, praise God, some passersby found...

“The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of men.” –Luke 9:44 Jesus said to His disciples: “Pay close attention to what I tell you” (Lk 9:44). Then He told them about the sufferings He would endure (Lk 9:44). The disciples did not grasp the meaning of Jesus’ words at all (Lk 9:45). In fact, they did not even want to understand the Lord. “They were afraid to question Him about the matter” (Lk 9:45). This unwillingness to hear the message of the cross continues to the present day. The message of the cross is the power of...

“Who is left among you that saw this house in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem like nothing in your eyes? But now take courage.” –Haggai 2:3-4 Since Vatican II, the Church in the Western world has seen the closing of parishes, high schools, seminaries, retreat centers, and other Catholic institutions. Some of these institutions the Lord wants to rebuild. For example, in 1999 Bishop Terry Steib of Memphis reopened five inner city schools. In 1998, the diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska bought a hospital and converted it into a seminary. The diocese...