Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one. – 1 Corinthians 15:49 Imagine an artist creates a clay sculpture of a person. It bears a striking resemblance to the model it was sculpted after. Now imagine that the sculpture was damaged in an earthquake. It toppled and fell to the floor. It was not entirely broken, for it still bears resemblance to…
Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit. – Jeremiah 17:7-8 In mid-February, I start daydreaming about being outside working in my garden or taking walks under…
Once you begin to read the Old Testament with the New Testament in mind (and vice versa) you start to see the amazing ways that these two parts of the Bible connect to each other. One way to interpret our first reading, “The Call of Isaiah,” is as a powerful prefigurement of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Isaiah sees the Lord on His throne surrounded by a choir of angels singing, “Holy, holy, holy…
Love is patient, love is kind… – 1 Corinthians 13:4 St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, “To love is to will the good of another” (ST I-II, Q26, A4). Our second reading today is the gorgeous gem of St. Paul’s definition of love in 1 Corinthians 13. It is at the same time one of my favorite pieces of Scripture and one that challenges me most. I read it each morning and try to live up to…
Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks, and allot portions to those who had nothing prepared; for today is holy to our Lord. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord is your strength! – Nehemiah 8:10 The Word of God is as important to our spiritual lives as water is to our physical lives. In our first reading, Ezra read from the book of the law of Moses: Genesis, Exodus,…
As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you. – Isaiah 62:5 It’s no surprise that Jesus performs His first sign in the Gospel of John at a wedding (John 2:1-11). There is rich marriage imagery in the Bible from Genesis to Song of Songs to Isaiah. It continues through the Gospels and epistles and culminates in…
And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” – Luke 3:22 Baptism washes away sin, so why did Jesus need to be baptized? He was sinless: “…he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). This is why John the Baptist tried to prevent him from being baptized: “‘I need to be baptized by you, and do…
The holy star guided the magi on their journey to adore the Christ child: “And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother” (Matthew 2:9-11). It must have been a beautiful sight, and a wonder as it led them…
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. – Luke 2:19 I imagine Mary’s Immaculate Heart like a beautiful jewelry box: decked with delicate flowers on the outside, yet still pierced with a sword (Luke 2:35). Like Christ’s Sacred Heart, it is on fire with love. Inside, her heart is lined with soft velvet, a sacred place to ponder the mysteries of Christ’s childhood. Her beautiful heart contains precious memories, prayers,…
Christ is nearly here! Just a few more days and our arms shall be filled with the Christ child. In today’s reading, we hear of Jesus’s first encounter with humankind. While carrying Jesus in her womb, Mary journeys to the outskirts of Jerusalem, to the hill country of Judah. In the Old Testament, the ark of the covenant—the most holy and powerful object in Israel—traveled through this very hill country on its way to Jerusalem.…