Tagged: message of the day
“And you, O child, shall be called prophet of the Most High; for you shall go before the Lord to prepare straight paths for Him, giving His people a knowledge of salvation in freedom from their sins.” –Luke 1:76-77 Do you have a Scripture verse which is a mission statement for your life? The above verse, Luke 1:76-77, serves as an apt mission statement for St. John the Baptizer’s life, along with Isaiah 40:3, which reads “A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!” Luke...
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“He will sit refining and purifying [silver], and He will purify the sons of Levi.” –Malachi 3:3 Before Christ’s coming this Christmas, we must be purified. In fact, that’s putting it mildly. We need to be refined by fire and have our crimson-stained sins (Is 1:18) whitened by “the fuller’s lye” (Mal 3:2). We need to be purged, detoxified, and baptized in repentance (Mk 1:4). Most Christians don’t consider themselves so dirty as to require such extreme forms of purification. I’m sure Zechariah, being a just man and a blameless priest (Lk 1:6), didn’t think he needed nine months of...
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“I have swallowed up my enemies; I rejoice in my victory.” –1 Samuel 2:1 Hannah prophesied that the bows of the mighty would be broken (1 Sm 2:4) and that the Lord would lift up the poor to be seated with nobles (1 Sm 2:8). Hannah does not explicitly prophesy the downfall of the powerful but only the empowerment of the poor. Mary’s prophecy in today’s Gospel reading is much more revolutionary. She proclaimed that the proud would be confused and the mighty deposed from their thrones (Lk 1:51-52). In Mary’s prophecy, the lowly will not join the powerful but...
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“Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel.” –Zephaniah 3:14 Christmas is Jesus’ birthday. Birthday parties often feature shouting and singing. The birthday boy or girl usually shouts when opening the presents. Then, of course, everybody sings “Happy Birthday.” If Jesus is going to have a real birthday party this Christmas, we must give Him presents that will get Him to shout and “sing joyfully…as one sings at festivals” (Zep 3:17-18). Pretty packages, a cake, and candles will not get Jesus to sing. In fact, it’s difficult to give Him a birthday or Christmas gift because He already...
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“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34 Many people like to sit and brood over their problems. If we do this we allow worry to flourish and then we lose hope. Write down your worries clearly and simply. Then calmly pray about each one and scale them down to their real size. Prayerfully confirm that God is in control of every situation and that worry will no longer affect your tranquility and peace of mind. The secret is to take your burdens to God in...
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