Tagged: promise of the day
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you.” –Jeremiah 1:5 For the next two weeks at daily Mass, the Church reads to us from the prophet Jeremiah. Initially, Jeremiah balked at accepting God’s call to prophesy. He tried the excuse that he was too young (Jer 1:6). God did not accept this excuse (Jer 1:7). Throughout much of Jeremiah’s life, he continued to have problems answering God’s call, although he was for the most part faithful to the Lord. Many Christians can relate to Jeremiah because they too are ambivalent in...
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“Show us wonderful signs.” –Micah 7:15 The Lord wants to show us signs. One sign for our guilt-ridden world is that the Lord will not only remove our guilt, but also tread it underfoot (Mi 7:18-19). Guilt has a way of weighing on us, but Jesus has a way of stomping on it and thereby freeing us from it. Moreover, in our sin-sick world, sin clings to us (see Heb 12:1) with tentacles that imbed themselves into our flesh. However, Jesus will break the hold of sin in our lives, “cast into the depths of the sea all our sins”...
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“God Himself is the Judge.” –Psalm 50:6 In all three eucharistic readings today, a type of courtroom scene is portrayed. The prophet Micah announces a cosmic court session. “The Lord has a plea against His people, and He enters into trial with” them (Mi 6:2). He demands to know why His people have turned away from Him, despite all the marvelous deeds and loving provisions He has bestowed on them. God says to His people: “Answer Me!” (Mi 6:3) The psalm response continues the cosmic trial scene. God “summons the heavens from above, and the earth, to the trial of...
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Nehemiah 8:10 (WEB) Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to him for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Don’t be grieved; for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.” Promise #196: Do not be sad for My joy is your strength. In this passage of Scripture, Israel had assembled to listen to the Word of the Lord. It sounds like it was a very intense time and people were weeping in such a solemn assembly. No doubt they might have been surprised when...
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Psalm 28:9 (WEB) Save your people, and bless your inheritance. Be their shepherd also, and bear them up forever. Promise #195: I will shepherd My inheritance and carry them forever. In this Bible verse, David is crying out for God to save His people, bless His inheritance, feed them and lift them up forever. In the NIV and NLT versions, he cries out for God to be their shepherd and carry them forever. We know that David was a man after God’s own heart. As a boy, David learned a thing or two about the heart of a shepherd. In...
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