Tagged: Daily Reflections

“He addressed the man with the shriveled hand: ‘Stand up here in front!’ ” –Mark 3:3 Is any part of your life shriveled, withered, atrophied? Do you use the power given by your Baptism to evangelize, heal, free, and feed the broken, starving masses? Are you exercising your spiritual muscles, or are they atrophied because of non-use? Jesus wants to heal you. He wants every part of His body and of our bodies and spirits to work. Perhaps your ability to produce children is atrophied through the shriveling effects of artificial contraception, sterilization, or abortion. Jesus wants every part of...

“Like a sure and firm anchor, that hope extends beyond the veil.” –Hebrews 6:19 In the Christian life, the old saying is true: “All’s well that ends well.” Some people are like the good thief who probably lived a terribly sinful life but repented moments before his death (Lk 23:42-43). Others may be like Judas Iscariot, who spent every day with Jesus for three years, but in the end betrayed Christ and committed suicide. Will each of us persevere in our faith? “Our desire is that each of you show the same zeal to the end” (Heb 6:11). We persevere...

“On that day they will fast.” –Mark 2:20 Many years ago there was an expression: “He couldn’t punch his way out of a wet paper bag.” This was a way of calling someone a weakling. People questioned why Jesus’ disciples did not fast. Jesus answered that the fasting by His disciples would be so powerful and extreme that their lives wouldn’t be able to take the effects of it. It would be like pouring fermenting, volatile new wine into an old wineskin (Mk 2:22). Only after Jesus’ death, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven culminating in Pentecost would His disciples have...

“The wine ran out, and Jesus’ mother told Him, ‘They have no more wine.’ ” –John 2:3 In John’s Gospel, Jesus began His public ministry at a wedding feast where they had “no more wine.” Likewise, many people begin to let Jesus work in their lives when they realize they are out of wine, love, strength, energy, ideas, or hope. In the weakness of our emptiness, God’s power in us can reach perfection (2 Cor 12:9). It is literally true that without Jesus we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). Of ourselves, we are always on “empty” in the important things...