Tagged: Daily Reflections

“But here you are, putting your trust in deceitful words to your own loss!” –Jeremiah 7:8 Some Catholics are still trusting in “deceitful words” today: “It’s OK to live with your girlfriend and still receive Holy Communion at Mass each week. You’re a Catholic, and you’ll go to heaven. No one goes to hell anymore.” “Is it really a sin to use artificial birth control? All your Catholic friends do it. Look, the music minister and lector had vasectomies. Why should you go to Confession for that?” “So you got pulled over for a few DUI violations. Don’t worry, you’re...

“My mouth shall declare Your justice, day by day Your salvation.” –Psalm 71:15 The Lord has promised to place His words in your mouth, as He did for Jeremiah (Jer 1:9; see also Mt 10:20). From that day, He will “set you over nations and over kingdoms, to root up and to tear down, to destroy and to demolish, to build and to plant” (Jer 1:10). With God’s Word in your mouth, you will be a world force. In fact, the Lord will not only occasionally place a word in your mouth; He will fill it (see Ps 81:11) with...

“Who are My brothers?” –Matthew 12:48 Jesus transformed the relationship between husband and wife when He said that the Biblical provisions for divorce were no longer necessary (Mt 19:6ff; Dt 24:1-4). He transformed motherhood when He commanded His mother Mary to be the mother of all His disciples (Jn 19:26-27; cf Rv 12:17). Jesus transformed the meaning of fatherhood, sonship, and daughterhood when He told us to call God our Abba, that is, Father (Mt 6:9; Rm 8:15; Gal 4:6). This made us brothers and sisters of Jesus and of each other. Jesus said: “Whoever does the will of My...

“The Lord has a plea against His people, and He enters into trial.” –Micah 6:2 Jesus promises that on Judgment Day we will be judged on whether we repented at His preaching (Mt 12:41). In some sense, Jesus is preaching in the circumstances of everyday life, but most literally Jesus Himself is preaching at the Eucharistic liturgy (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1088). This does not mean that every word the priest or deacon says during the homily is straight from the Lord. Yet it does mean that, by virtue of the nature of Jesus’ priesthood and the nature of...