Tagged: message of the day

“I wept bitterly because no one could be found worthy to open or examine the scroll.” –Revelation 5:4 Mass Readings: November 17 First: Sirach 26:1-3,15-18,24;Resp: Psalm 31:4-5,8-9,20,24-25;Gospel: Matthew 25:31-40 What is God’s plan for the world and for your life? If you don’t know God’s plan, perhaps Jesus has wept over you and said: “If only you had known the path to peace this day; but you have completely lost it from view!” (Lk 19:41-42) You too should weep bitterly. However, we don’t have to be ignorant of God’s plan, for Jesus “has won the right by His victory” to...

“Holy, holy, holy…” –Revelation 4:8 Mass Readings: November 16 First: Revelation 4:1-11; Resp: Psalm 150:1-6; Gospel: Luke 19:11-28 The book of Revelation gives us a vision that lifts our minds and our spirits from an earthly to a heavenly perspective. St. John’s vision helps us to set our hearts on heaven rather than earth (Col 3:1-2). More than anything else on earth, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass enables us to have not only a heavenly perspective, but even a heavenly experience. In the Mass, Jesus is present in the Eucharist. Jesus Himself said: “I Myself am the Living Bread...

“…heed the Spirit’s word to the churches.” –Revelation 3:22 Mass Readings: November 15 First: Revelation 3:1-6,14-22; Resp: Psalm 15:2-5; Gospel: Luke 19:1-10 In His seven letters to the churches in chapters 2-3 of Revelation, Jesus uses the word “repent” seven times. When’s the last time you wrote a letter that mentioned the word “repent” even once, much less seven times? Since Jesus is the same today as He was two-thousand years ago (Heb 13:8), He surely wants churches and individuals to make repentance a top priority. There are 168 hours in a week. It’s not uncommon for parishes to schedule...

“At that very moment he was given his sight and began to follow Him, giving God the glory.” –Luke 18:43 Mass Readings: November 14 First: Revelation 1:1-4; 2:1-5; Resp: Psalm 1:1-4,6; Gospel: Luke 18:35-43 In the coming year, a world in slavery can be freed, debts can be forgiven, and the dispossessed can have their lands and lives restored to them (see Lv 25:8ff). Because our society is so far removed from God’s Biblical order and because we are in such great need, most people, even Christians, don’t see how freedom will ever happen. Can we realistically expect bankers to...

“It will lead to your giving testimony.” –Luke 21:13, RNAB Persecutions are great opportunities for giving testimony to Jesus. A testimony is our personal witness to what the Lord Jesus has done in our life. Did you know that Satan is defeated by our testimony to Jesus? “They defeated [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony” (see Rv 12:11). Jesus uses our testimony to soften the hearts of those who listen. People can disagree with our theological positions, but no one can deny what happened to us and our personal experience of and relationship...