Tagged: verse for the day

“We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” –Hebrews 10:10 At the Christmas liturgies, in hundreds of nations, billions of people will look at statues or pictures of the body of Baby Jesus. Moreover, hundreds of millions of people always carry with them crucifixes depicting the crucified body of Jesus. There is something awesome and mysterious about the body of Jesus. When the body of Jesus was just beginning to be formed shortly after Mary conceived Him, Mary took Jesus’ body “into the hill country to a town of Judah, where she...

“…even as He promised our fathers, promised Abraham and his descendants forever.” –Luke 1:55 Mary’s response to Elizabeth in the words of the Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55) shows her to be a woman completely grounded in God’s Word. Mary’s lifelong relationship with the Word of God reached its fulfillment when she became pregnant with Jesus, “the Word” (Jn 1:1). The mother of the Word Incarnate was so filled with the Word that Scripture flowed from her lips effortlessly. Nearly every line of her Magnificat echoes an Old Testament passage. Mary was undoubtedly familiar with Hannah’s canticle in today’s responsorial Psalm (1...

“He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from His mother’s womb.” –Luke 1:15 The Holy Spirit filled St. John the Baptist even while he was in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth. The Spirit stirred young Samson as he grew into manhood (Jgs 13:25). As a youth, “the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David” (1 Sm 16:13). Today’s Scriptures, and numerous other verses throughout the Bible, show that the Holy Spirit works powerfully through pre-born babies, infants, children, and youth. It’s no wonder, then, that Satan, his demons, and pawns have promoted and attempted to mandate the widespread...

“Joseph, son of David, have no fear about taking Mary as your wife. It is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived this Child. She is to have a Son and you are to name Him Jesus.” –Matthew 1:20-21 To prepare us for Christ’s Christmas coming, the Church introduced us yesterday to Judah (Gn 49:8). We have already been introduced to John the Baptizer, Elijah, Francis Xavier, Juan Diego, Lucy, John of the Cross, and other Advent saints. Of course, Mary, the immaculately conceived mother of God and our Lady of Guadalupe, is the major saint the Lord has...

“A family record of Jesus Christ…” –Matthew 1:1 Family was everything to the Jews. The bloodline was of extreme importance. Each family line carried significant meaning. The Jews committed their genealogies to memory and recited them to one another. This verbal transmission was the norm, as most people could not read. God didn’t simply come down to earth, rescue us impersonally, and then leave us. Jesus entered into family life and family lines, thereby showing God’s personal love. Jesus bore our burdens (Is 53:4; Mt 8:17), our human nature, and even our family line. So here we are, dwelling in...