Tagged: verse for the day

“Jesus turned around and saw her and said, ‘Courage, daughter! Your faith has restored you to health.’ That very moment the woman got well.” –Matthew 9:22 The Lord wants to inspire us to greater faith through the example of the synagogue leader and the hemorrhaging woman. The synagogue leader showed great faith in Jesus. His daughter was dead, so he did not ask Jesus to heal her but to raise her from the dead (Mt 9:18). Before Jesus raised the girl from the dead, a woman hemorrhaging for twelve years expressed her faith in Jesus by touching the tassel of...

“My grace is enough for you.” –2 Corinthians 12:9 Alleluia! Today is Resurrection day, the weekly celebration of that first Easter morning when Jesus rose from the tomb, triumphed over sin and death, and made all things new for us. Today is a day of unity, when believers from all over this earth gather to worship almighty God, listen to His living, all-powerful Word, and receive the Bread of Life, Jesus Himself (Jn 6:35). Today we learn again that God loves us so much that He can never give us enough of His blessings. Alleluia! How wonderful is God’s plan...

“My Lord and my God!” –John 20:28 At the elevation of the host at Mass, we proclaim with St. Thomas, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28) Jesus invited Thomas to touch His body, so that he might believe that Jesus was truly risen. In Holy Communion, Jesus likewise invites us to touch and receive His Body, that we might also grow in faith. There is a connection, then, between St. Thomas’ doubt and the physical body of Jesus. In the first letter of John, we are told that every true spirit recognizes Jesus Christ come in the flesh (1...

“As He moved on, Jesus saw a man named Matthew at his post where taxes were collected. He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ ” –Matthew 9:9 When your spouse dies, Jesus is there as Lord of the burial. As with Sarah’s burial, He wants to use this occasion to prepare others to enter the promised land (see Gn 23:20). When you’re attracted to someone of the opposite sex and even contemplating marriage, Jesus is there as Lord of the courtship. When you’re thinking about getting a job or changing jobs, Jesus is there to be Lord of your employment and...

“When Jesus saw their faith He said to the paralytic, ‘Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.’ ” –Matthew 9:2 When Jesus forgave the paralytic’s sins, He claimed to do something only God can do. Thus, He claimed to be God. The only possible responses to this were to charge Jesus with blasphemy (Mt 9:3) or to worship Him as God. Jesus repeatedly claimed to be God when He claimed to be the Lord of the Sabbath (Mt 12:8), the Son of God (see Jn 5:18), and the great I AM (Jn 8:24, 28, 58). Jesus is the Word made...