The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. – Mark 1:12 Lent has arrived. We began our journey on Ash Wednesday, and we continue it today in the desert with Christ. The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert to fast and be tempted. We go out with Him into the desert of Lent, fasting, praying, and giving alms. We also will be…
Then I acknowledged my sin to you, my guilt I covered not. I said, “I confess my faults to the Lord,” and you took away the guilt of my sin. Psalm 32:5 This is the last Sunday before Lent, which begins this Wednesday. Lent is a time to prepare ourselves to celebrate Easter. It is an especially good time to examine our lives and bring the Lord anything that is “unclean” in our hearts and…
Praise the Lord, for he is good…He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. – Psalm 147:1, 3 I am the Divine Physician. I can heal you from your every wound, if you want to be healed (John 5:6). The wounds and illnesses of your body, the faults and deficiencies of your mind, the brokenness or hardness of your heart, and even the sins of your soul (Matthew 9:6). Come to Me with trust…
Moses spoke to all the people, saying: “A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you from among your own kin; to him you shall listen. – Deuteronomy 18:15 Have you ever heard of “active listening?” It’s an exercise where you seek to actively listen to and understand the sentiment that a person is communicating to you. It takes an effort to listen, refrain from interrupting, and strive to truly understand…
Then they abandoned their nets and followed him. Mark 1:18 What are some things in your life that you have left behind? Your school years? A past job or career path? Certain relationships? In this Sunday’s Gospel passage, we continue the theme of discipleship that we talked about last week. We hear how Jesus called His first disciples and what they left behind to follow Him. Simon and Andrew left behind their livelihood as fishermen…
“What are you looking for?” John 1:38 We are all looking for something in this life. We wake up each day searching for it. We often think that people or things can bring it to us. The Declaration of Independence affirms that all people are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” and the thing we are all looking for is one of them. Do you know what it is yet? 🙂 The thing…
You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased. Mark 1:11 Imagine yourself in our Gospel passage today. You are standing on the bank of the Jordan River. John is baptizing people, and Jesus appears, asking John to baptize Him. He enters the river and is submerged into the water. When He comes back up, you see the sky being torn open (cf. Mark 1:10). What does that look like? Does it make…
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. Isaiah 60:1 Throughout Advent, we prayed for Jesus, the Light, to come. We lit the candles of our Advent wreaths slowly, one by one, until all four were lit. Then, on one of the darkest days of the year, the Light was born into the world, and His name is Emmanuel: God with us. We prayed for the…
All readings for this celebration of the Holy Family have a common thread: obedience to God. The peace that reigned in the Holy Family was due to the fact that God was the absolute center of their lives. We can ask ourselves if God is truly the center of our lives, as well. A great place to focus on placing God first on our priority list is by reclaiming Sunday as a day for worship…
Fourth Sunday of Advent “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”– Mary, The Annunciation, Luke 1:38 Yes, Lord, may it be done to me according to Your Word (Luke 1:38). Yes, Lord, I will follow You no matter where You lead me. Shepherd me and I will be Your beloved sheep (Psalm 23:1) Yes, Lord, I accept all the successes You will bring me.…