“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”- Luke 23:42 For me, this Bible verse sums up what it means to be a disciple in the Kingdom of Christ: “Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts” (1 Peter 3:15). This reminds me that Jesus is the Lord of my heart; He reigns there as King. Our solemnity this Sunday is Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. If I want Jesus to be…
I will get up and go to my Father and shall say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. – Luke 15:18 Have you ever felt like the prodigal son, far away from home? I have. Like the prodigal son, I had to listen to my conscience and come to my senses (cf. Luke 15:17). I knew I had the open arms of the Church to come home to, and I…
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…
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…
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.…
For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice. – John 18:37 Happy Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe! Wow—what a title. Jesus, our brother who died for us, is the king of the entire universe. Jesus, who we receive in the Eucharist under humble appearances of bread and wine, has “dominion,…
As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. – John 6:66 Notice one particular group of people in today’s Gospel: the ones who walked away. These were Jesus’s followers, but they abandoned their discipleship over Christ’s teaching on the Eucharist. It was just too difficult for them to believe that they were to eat something that looked like bread and wine, but…
In the desert, prepare the way of the Lord! – Isaiah 40:3 & Mark 1:3 Christmas is coming, and it’s time to prepare! It’s time for planning gifts, special food, decorations…the list goes on. It’s also time to prepare our hearts for Christ’s coming. Repentance, or turning away from old behaviors that do not glorify God or serve us, is a key way to focus on preparing our hearts during Advent. We can vow to…
“I myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock…” -Ezekiel 34:11 This Sunday, we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. King of the Universe! This brings up images of the grandest splendor: fine garments, a glorious throne, a magnificent array of pomp and circumstance. But listen closely to the scripture readings for this feast today. They’re focused on Christ the Good Shepherd. Shepherds…
The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Catholic faith. Our faith, hope, and love flow out of our prayerful reception of Christ’s Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity that we receive each time we worthily receive Holy Communion. The union with Christ that we experience after receiving Holy Communion is a foretaste of the goal of our faith: being one with Christ in heaven. Receiving Holy Communion enables us to become one with Christ,…