Tagged: message of the day

THE TRUTH IS NOT NEGOTIABLE

“The way of truth I have chosen.” –Psalm 119:30 Jesus, the Truth (Jn 14:6), stood for the truth. He paid for this stand with His life, as His opponents used deceit, lies, and intimidation of witnesses to condemn Him to death. St. Stephen stood for the truth. He paid for this stand with his life, as his opponents likewise used deceit, lies, and intimidation of witnesses to condemn him to death. The Catholic Church stands for the truth, regardless of whether or not the truth is “politically correct.” The Church proclaims the truths that Jesus is really present in the...

CATCH-Y?

“The apostles for their part left the Sanhedrin full of joy that they had been judged worthy of ill-treatment for the sake of the Name.” –Acts 5:41 Peter went back into the fishing business and quit following Jesus (see Jn 21:3). He probably did this because of his long-standing problems with Jesus’ command to take up the cross. When Jesus had first mentioned the cross to His disciples, Peter had downplayed the whole thing. Then “Jesus turned on Peter and said, ‘Get out of My sight, you satan!’ ” (Mt 16:23) Peter had made plans to stay on the mountain...

MORE FAST FOOD?

“The number of disciples grew.” –Acts 6:1 In our American society, we want more, and we want it fast. We even super-size our fast food. The Lord also wants more, and He wants it fast. However, He wants not more material things or more pleasures. Rather, He wants more conversions. He wants us to be able to say: “The word of God continued to spread, while at the same time the number of the disciples in Jerusalem enormously increased. There were many priests among those who embraced the faith” (Acts 6:7). Moreover, the Lord wants this great harvest of evangelization...

Be Fervent and Persevere in Prayer

“So He left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.” Matthew 26:44 Some Christians wonder why, if God is all-seeing and omniscient,, they still need to persevere in the discipline of prayer. They feel guilty about troubling God over and over with issues that He is already aware of. Remember, you often know about problems in people’s lives but you do not usually intervene unless asked to do so. If you feel that a particular matter in your life needs God’s intervention, do not hesitate to bring it before Him. Remind Him...

TESTING OUT

“The apostles for their part left the Sanhedrin full of joy that they had been judged worthy of ill-treatment for the sake of the Name.” –Acts 5:41 Jesus “tested” his apostles (see e.g. Jn 6:6). His tests were designed to prepare them for future tests. They didn’t always pass these tests. The Jewish Sanhedrin also tested the apostles, very severely. The apostles passed the tests beautifully; they could not be defeated or suppressed. Scourging only caused the apostles to rejoice all the more, and persevere with even more joy. Jesus’ death did not cause His ministry to die, as happened...