Tagged: verse for the day

“…Rachel bewailing her children; no comfort for her, since they are no more.” –Matthew 2:18 Why does the Lord permit evil? Why did He allow “the massacre of all the boys two years old and under in Bethlehem and its environs”? (Mt 2:16) One explanation is that He loves the Herods of the world very much and wants to save them all (see 1 Tm 2:4). The suffering of these innocents is the most powerful means in God’s plan of salvation for changing the most hardened Herod-hearts. We see this in the deaths of the martyrs and especially in the...

“On the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away, so she ran off to Simon Peter and the other disciple (the one Jesus loved) and told them…” –John 20:1-2 St. John has been traditionally identified with “the beloved disciple” (Jn 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7). However, the Church has also interpreted John 19:26 to mean that the beloved disciple may not be specifically named to show that he represents all of Jesus’ disciples for all times. All of Jesus’ disciples are beloved. All...

“You will be brought to trial before rulers and kings, to give witness before them.” –Matthew 10:18 Christmas is a special opportunity to witness for Jesus. Because St. Stephen was the first witness to give up his life for Jesus the faithful Witness (Rv 1:5), it is appropriate that he is the first of the Christmas saints. Witnessing is not just saying good things about Jesus. Witnessing is communicating a personal experience of Jesus. St. Stephen was a witness not just because he spoke about Jesus, but because he saw Jesus at the Father’s right hand and proclaimed this to...

“Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel because He has visited and ransomed His people.” –Luke 1:68 Many hundreds of thousands of priests and religious have promised under pain of sin to pray each morning today’s Gospel reading, Zechariah’s canticle, as part of praying the Liturgy of the Hours. I promised to do this decades ago, and by God’s grace I have kept my promise. The Church so emphasizes Zechariah’s prophecy because: It is a prophecy, and prophets are part of the foundation of the Church (Eph 2:20ff). Zechariah prayed this prayer when he was “filled with the Holy...