Tagged: Daily Reflections

“She ran off to Simon Peter and the other disciple (the one Jesus loved).” –John 20:2 On this third day of Christmas, the Lord through His Church brings to our attention St. John, who has been customarily identified as the beloved disciple. The beloved disciple is nameless in John’s Gospel, possibly to indicate that all Jesus’ followers are beloved disciples. When we realize that the Lord loves us personally, perfectly, infinitely, and unconditionally, we are: deeply rooted and securely grounded (Eph 3:17), affirmed and fulfilled, freed from fear (1 Jn 4:18), able to give this great love which we have...

“I see an opening in the sky, and the Son of Man standing at God’s right hand.” –Acts 7:56 Mass Readings: December 26 First: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Resp: Psalm 31:3-4,6,8,17; Gospel: Matthew 10:17-22 Listen to the Mass Readings When a baby is born, he can be held, seen, heard, touched, and kissed. We celebrate a birth because after a baby is born we can enter into a new dimension of personal relationship with that baby. We likewise celebrate the birth of Jesus because His birth made it possible for Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men, and us to become...

“…lest I come and strike the land with doom.” –Malachi 3:24 Mass Readings: December 23 First: Malachi 3:1-4,23-24;Resp: Psalm 25:4-5,8-10,14; Gospel: Luke 1:57-66 Listen to the Mass Readings In the last words of the Old Testament, the Lord warns us that unless fathers turn their hearts to their children and vice versa, He will “come and strike the land with doom.” The last words of the New Testament and of the Bible are: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen!” (Rv 22:21) Life is either doomed or graced. Life before we live for Christ is doomed,...

“Now I, in turn, give him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord.” –1 Samuel 1:28 Mass Readings: December 22 First: 1 Samuel 1:24-28; Resp: 1 Samuel 2:1,4-8; Gospel: Luke 1:46-56 Listen to the Mass Readings The meaning of Christmas is: “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son” (Jn 3:16). Christmas is God’s gift of a Child. To be in the Christmas Spirit, we should be like Hannah and give our children to the Lord (1 Sm 1:28). This is done by: married couples lovingly having all the...

“For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth.” –Song of Songs 2:11-12 Mass Readings: December 21 First: Song of Solomon 2:8-14; Resp: Psalm 33:2-3,11-12,20-21; Gospel: Luke 1:39-45 Listen to the Mass Readings When the Church tells us on the first day of winter in the northern hemisphere that “winter is past,” it is calling us to walk by faith and not by sight (see 2 Cor 5:7). Faith is “conviction about things we do not see” (Heb 11:1). Mary was a pregnant teenager, who could have been divorced by her...