Tagged: message of the day

“Jesus said, ‘Let the children come to Me. Do not hinder them. The kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’ ” –Matthew 19:14 When Jesus sees children, He thinks of His Father’s kingdom, for “the kingdom of God belongs” to those who are like children. Jesus teaches that to be like children of the kingdom means to: choose to become lowly (Mt 18:4), choose poverty in spirit, that is, voluntary poverty (Mt 5:3). When we as disciples of Jesus imitate Him by living below our means, the kingdom of God is ours (Mt 5:3), live so faithfully and openly...

“I now say to you…” –Matthew 19:9 Before Jesus’ Incarnation, divorce was considered necessary. Laws regulating divorce even appear in the Bible (see Dt 24:1-4). Before Jesus saved us, polygamy, not monogamy, was widely practiced. Before Jesus, single persons were usually considered cursed. Before Jesus, our understanding of love, marriage, sexual relations, the dignity of the human person, and vocations was very incomplete and perverted. After we accept Jesus as Lord of our lives, we have the grace to develop great marriages of total self-giving. This usually results in large, happy, and beautiful families. In Christ, the divorced do not...

“How often must I forgive him?” –Matthew 18:21 Peter questioned Jesus: “How often must I forgive” my brother? Jesus answered: “seventy times seven times.” We must forgive all who have hurt us indefinitely times indefinitely (Mt 18:22). Other questions about forgiveness are the following: Question: Do I have the power to forgive? Answer: No, “to err is human; to forgive is divine.” Only God has the power to forgive. Q: Then how can I forgive? A: You can decide to accept God’s grace to forgive. This grace is always available. Q: How quickly must I forgive? A: Immediately. Otherwise, you...