Tagged: Daily Reflections

“Lord, Son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is terribly troubled by a demon.” –Matthew 15:22 Jesus delivered many people from demons. Sometimes He delivered children from demons (Mt 15:22; Mk 9:17ff). This raises the question: How can innocent children who could not have grievously sinned or been knowingly involved in the occult be possessed or troubled by demons? Children suffer innocently for the sins of their parents and the world. This suffering seems to include even harassment from the evil one. Sins committed by any of us can result in the severest form of child abuse: exposing...

“Let him accept this teaching who can.” –Matthew 19:12 God’s ways are not our ways (Is 55:9). His standards are so high above ours, yet His grace, so lavishly outpoured, is so high above our expectations as well. Living by God’s high standards of sexual purity is like walking on water. The temptations are so strong, especially in today’s secular culture, that most don’t even try to get out of the boat and attempt to walk on the water of a lifestyle of purity. Some people, however, are like Peter; they leave the boat and start walking toward Jesus on...

“I have made you a sign.” –Ezekiel 12:6 Radical forgiveness is a sign that amazes people. God asks Ezekiel to be a sign by performing a series of bizarre activities — going about blinded, walking aimlessly, acting as an exile. These behaviors were commanded by God to attempt to shock the Israelites into examining the reality of their distance from God. A few weeks ago in the daily Mass readings, Jeremiah buried the loincloth (his underwear) in the rock in obedience to God’s command. Weeks later, when God directed him to retrieve the loincloth, it was wormy, rotted full of...

“Pass through the city [through Jerusalem] and mark an X on the foreheads of those who moan and groan over all the abominations that are practiced within it.” –Ezekiel 9:4 The Lord destroyed the idolators of Jerusalem. Only those marked with a cross-like figure on their foreheads were spared (Ez 9:6). This was a prefigurement of the end of the world. Only those with the seal of the Lamb of God will be saved (Rv 7:3). Those with the mark of the beast (Rv 13:17) will be damned. We can receive the seal of the Lamb of God only by...

“Open your mouth and eat what I shall give you.” –Ezekiel 2:8 The Lord commanded Ezekiel to eat a scroll covered with messages of “lamentation and wailing and woe” (Ez 2:10). This hardly sounds like a tasty treat, but Ezekiel found it “as sweet as honey” in his mouth (Ez 3:3). “How sweet to my palate are Your promises, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Ps 119:103) God’s Word, including even the most difficult of His words, is sweet, nourishing, and fulfilling. God’s Word is not only like honey but also like bread, milk, and meat (Mt 4:4; Heb 5:12;...