I am troubled now. Yet what should I say? “Father, save me from this hour?” But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” John 12:27-28 Lent is a time when we can practice dying to ourselves. By dying to our own desires, we learn to live this verse: “whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life” (John 12:25). Hating our lives does…
But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God. – John 3:21 Have you noticed that the sun sets later each evening now? The vernal equinox—the start of spring!—is just a week away on March 20. The light will increase from now until it begins to decrease after the summer solstice on June 20. Interestingly, this is just a few days before we…
“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” John 2:19 Wow! Jesus made quite a mess when He cleansed the temple. Take a moment and place yourself at the scene of this Gospel passage. Imagine the chaos as Jesus flipped over tables, brandished a whip, and angrily ordered the money changers to leave. People and animals scattered. As the tables turned over, coins rolled to the ground and people climbed over…
If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31 What does it mean for God to be “for us?” We can begin to understand by thinking of it in ways that are familiar to us. Do you have a family member or good friend who is always there for you? He or she is there to support you, just listen, or act on your behalf when you need it. They are always…
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…
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…