Tagged: Daily Reflection

“Be filled with the Spirit.” –Ephesians 5:18 At our Baptisms, we became the temples of the Holy Spirit. The Lord wants us to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18; see also Acts 2:4). Paul taught that those filled with the Holy Spirit do the following four things. They: address “one another in psalms and hymns and inspired songs” (Eph 5:19), “sing praise to the Lord” (Eph 5:19) in their hearts, “give thanks to God the Father always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph 5:20), and “submit to one another out of fear of...

“A man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife, and the two shall become as one.” –Matthew 19:5 This “is the case between man and wife” (Mt 19:10): A husband loves his wife sacrificially, as Jesus loves us (Eph 5:25). He must give up his life for his wife (Eph 5:25). In imitation of Jesus, he tells his wife: “This is my body to be given for you” (Lk 22:19). Thus, he gives up his schedule, interests, and availability for the good of his wife. He is “occupied with pleasing his wife” (1 Cor 7:33). A...

“Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know I am with you.” –Joshua 3:7 The Lord exalts Christian parents so that their children will listen to them and be disciples for Jesus. The Lord also exalts godly workers so that they will have the influence to impact the secular world with the Gospel. The Lord exalts humble pastors and leaders so that people will follow them into the promised land (see Mt 23:12). The Lord exalts us by doing miracles through us. For example, Moses called down ten plagues on Egypt...

“If your brother should sin against you, go correct him.” –Matthew 18:15, our transl. Baptized Christians are our brothers and sisters, whether or not we realize this. If they commit a sin against us, we must forgive and correct them, “but keep it between the two” of us (Mt 18:15). Lamentably, although this first step in reconciliation works most of the time, it is not done very often. Notice this command applies to brothers and sisters in Christ, not to unbaptized people. We must forgive, pray for (1 Jn 5:16), and evangelize the unbaptized, but we may not always be...