Tagged: verse for the day

“But what was sown on good soil is the man who hears the message and takes it in. He it is who bears a yield of a hundred- or sixty- or thirtyfold.” —Matthew 13:23 We who read One Bread, One Body pray and study God’s written Word every day. We will be among the most spiritually fruitful people in the world, if we are good ground fully receptive to the seed of God’s Word. Jesus describes two kinds of good ground: good ground with or without thorns (Mt 13:22-23). Many Christians have received the seed of God’s Word and are...

“Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips.” —Isaiah 6:5 Human beings, especially Christians, often have an identity crisis. We are much more than we realize ourselves to be. Jesus even felt compelled to assure His disciples that they were worth more than many sparrows (Mt 10:31). Jesus’ disciples must have been experiencing an identity crisis if they weren’t sure they were worth more than a few birds. To help us to realize our God-given baptismal identity, the Lord gives us callings. For example, Abraham, Moses, Samuel,...

“As you enter his home bless it.” –Matthew 10:12 In His last will and testament, Jesus left us, His disciples, shalom-peace (Jn 14:27). This is not exactly what we mean by “peace” today. Jesus left us shalom, that is, godly order and harmony. As Jesus’ disciples, we can put together the pieces of our lives in a divinely ordained harmony, which is truly an exquisite masterpiece of God’s creation. By God’s grace, we not only receive God’s shalom-peace but also have the privilege to share with the Lord in making this peace (Mt 5:9). We do this especially by sharing...

“It is time to seek the Lord.” –Hosea 10:12 The Liturgy of the Word for today’s Mass contains several references to seeking the Lord: • “It is time to seek the Lord” (Hos 10:12). • “Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord!” (Ps 105:3) • “Seek to serve Him constantly” (Ps 105:4). • In addition, the psalm response for Mass is: “Seek always the face of the Lord.” Jesus commands us to seek and we shall find (Mt 7:7; Lk 11:9). The prophet Isaiah implores: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call Him while He is near” (Is...

“The harvest is good but laborers are scarce. Beg the Harvest Master to send out laborers to gather His harvest.” –Matthew 9:37-38 Throughout our lives, we work hard for many years. We can work for the building of God’s kingdom (see Mt 6:33) and the gathering of His harvest (Mt 9:38), or we can work for ourselves. “You are not to spend what remains of your earthly life on human desires but on the will of God. Already you have devoted enough time to what the pagans enjoy” (1 Pt 4:2-3). “You should not be working for perishable food but...