Tagged: memory verse

“…a herald’s voice in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.’ ” —Matthew 3:3 The purpose of Advent is to prepare the way of the Lord, Who is coming to us in a new personal way this Christmas season. But there are different kinds and degrees of preparation. The Church teaches with John the Baptist that our preparation for Christ’s coming this Christmas needs to be very extensive. We even need a baptism of repentance, that is, to be immersed in repentance (see Mt 3:11). Our preparation for Christ this Christmas is comparable to a...

“The reign of God is at hand.” —Matthew 10:7 When the Messiah, the Christ, comes: “No more will you weep” (Is 30:19). Our prayers will be answered quickly (Is 30:19). The Lord will meet our needs (Is 30:20). The Lord, our Teacher, will give us practical direction for our lives (Is 30:20-21). We will prosper (see Is 30:23ff). We will live in a supernatural light (Is 30:26). The Lord will bind up our wounds and heal us (Is 30:26). Partly because these messianic promises do not seem fulfilled, conservative Jews believe that the Messiah, the Christ, has not yet come...

“As Jesus moved on from there, two blind men came after Him crying out, ‘Son of David, have pity on us!’ ” —Matthew 9:27 What if you went blind right now? How would Christmas be? The Church speaks to us today about blindness. It implies we have been spiritually blinded by sin. If not healed, our blindness will ruin Christmas since we cannot see Christ, the meaning of Christmas. The Lord promises through the prophet Isaiah: “Out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see” (Is 29:18). Jesus stretches forth His hand to touch our eyes, so...

“The rains fell, the torrents came, the winds blew and lashed against his house. It collapsed under all this and was completely ruined.” —Matthew 7:27 The stock market will tumble. Our country will destroy itself from the inside. Family life in the USA will further deteriorate. Christmas will mean little more than an empty time of self-indulgence for millions. Are these statements the fearless forecasts for the year 2020? No, they are not predictions but logical conclusions unless Americans repent. The fact is that a house built on sand will collapse (Mt 7:26-27). A building without a strong foundation will...

“For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.” —Isaiah 25:10 The Church begins the Advent season by taking us up a mountain. On Sunday, we were told to “climb the Lord’s mountain” (Is 2:3). There we will receive God’s Word and God’s peace. Yesterday the Lord promised: “There shall be no harm or ruin on all My holy mountain” (Is 11:9). This will be done by the Holy Spirit resting on and working through the Messiah and His followers. Today the Lord promises: “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast...