Tagged: message of the day

“Were not our hearts burning inside us?” –Luke 24:32 Jesus spent the afternoon of the day of His resurrection walking and talking with two of His disciples. “He interpreted for them every passage of Scripture which referred to Him” (Lk 24:27). As Jesus taught His disciples the Scriptures, their hearts began to burn within them (Lk 24:32). This sensation indicated that their hearts were being purified. Thus, Jesus spent the afternoon of His resurrection day purifying hearts through teaching the Bible (see Eph 5:26). Jesus is doing the same thing on this resurrection day (see Heb 13:8). If we let...

“Rather, go to My brothers and tell them.” –John 20:17 Jesus is risen, and we are His witnesses! After you renewed your baptismal promises on Easter, did you explode from the starting blocks, run into the whole world, and proclaim joy, freedom, and victory in the risen Christ? If so, you are like Mary Magdalene on resurrection day. Keep on running for Jesus (see 2 Tm 4:7). If, however, on this third day of the Easter octave beginning the Easter season, you are not running with the gospel, but are dawdling at the starting line, then repent, renew your baptismal...

“They hurried away from the tomb half-overjoyed, half-fearful.” –Matthew 28:8 “Jesus said to them: ‘Do not be afraid!’ ” –Matthew 28:10 When the first followers of Jesus learned that He had risen, some were half-fearful and half-overjoyed (Mt 28:8). This divided reaction still occurs today. When we first encounter the risen Jesus, we rejoice with great joy. Yet we also realize quickly that risen life brings new challenges and new responsibilities, especially in evangelization. Satan couldn’t prevent the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, so now he is reduced to trying to stop us from spreading the good news that...

“If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is void of content and your faith is empty too.” –1 Corinthians 15:14 What did Jesus do between His death and resurrection? Did He just lay in the tomb? During the time Jesus was buried, “it was in the spirit also that He went to preach to the spirits in prison” (1 Pt 3:19). “The reason the gospel was preached even to the dead was that, although condemned in the flesh in the eyes of men, they might live in the spirit in the eyes of God” (1 Pt 4:6). Because Jesus...