Tagged: Daily Reflections

“I will wall up its breaches, raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old.” –Amos 9:11 In our culture of death, many people and things are in ruins. Marriages, families, ministries, neighborhoods, cities, finances, and whole lives are in ruins. Humanly, it is impossible to raise up these ruins. However, “nothing is impossible with God” (Lk 1:37). In fact, the Lord promises that He will raise up even the ancient ruins – lives and things that have been ruined for so long that hardly anyone even thinks of their restoration. Yet the Lord promises: “They...

“Yes, days are coming, says the Lord God, when I will send a famine upon the land: not a famine for bread, or thirst for water, but for hearing the word of the Lord.” –Amos 8:11 St. Matthew was a tax collector who resembled those in today’s first reading who longed to cheat for profit (Am 8:4-6). Nothing has changed in human nature since Amos prophesied. Individuals and corporations continue to exploit people and the land through power plays, shady deals, cheating, and the like in order to make money. Matthew also lived to make money, as that’s what Jews...

“Some of the scribes said to themselves, ‘The Man blasphemes.’ Jesus was aware of what they were thinking.” –Matthew 9:3-4 Everyone present in the scene of today’s Gospel account had the opportunity to have a part in Jesus’ healing the paralyzed man. Jesus did the healing and the forgiving. The man’s friends had faith to bring the paralyzed man to Jesus (Mt 9:2). The paralyzed man had the humility to receive Jesus’ forgiveness for his sins (Mt 9:2). The crowd responded to the healing with praise (Mt 9:8). The scribes too could have participated by faith, repentance, and/or praise. Instead...

“The entire town came out to meet Jesus. When they caught sight of Him, they begged Him to leave their neighborhood.” –Matthew 8:34 Some of you may have been rejected several times during your life. Rejections can be an intensely painful experience. Although Jesus is the only Person Who has never rejected anyone (see Jn 6:37), He has been and continues to be rejected more than anyone who has ever lived. The people near the Gadarene boundary rejected Jesus and begged Him to leave their town (Mt 8:34). At the cost of several thousand pigs, Jesus had profited the town...

“You became a believer because you saw Me. Blest are they who have not seen and have believed.” –John 20:29 Contrary to the old saying, seeing is not believing. Faith is “conviction about things we do not see” (Heb 11:1). However, seeing is a platform from which we make “the leap of faith,” as Blaise Pascal called it. Jesus told St. Thomas that those who jumped or leaped to the conclusion that Jesus was Lord and God were especially blest if they did this without ever seeing Jesus physically. Jesus specifically prays for these people who believe in Him through...