“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14 God is so amazing. He will not be outdone in faithfulness or generosity. We’ve been praying this Advent for God to come to us: “Come, Lord Jesus!” He always fills our true needs, and He often does that in surprising ways. Think about…
“Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.” – Matthew 25:24-25 Fear holds us back from love. It is a stumbling block to serving and loving others in many ways. We can be afraid of being rejected or hurt. It can hold us back…
“Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’” – Matthew 25:11-12 Let’s try something different for this week’s reflection on the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins: a mini Bible study! First, prayerfully meditate on Matthew 25:1-13. What does the oil represent? Second, read Matthew 22:37-40, our Gospel passage from a few Sundays…
“The greatest among you must be your servant.” – Matthew 23:11 Last Sunday we considered the Greatest Commandment to love God and neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40). A key to loving God and others well is having a virtuous attitude of humility and service. Jesus pointed out a vice and pitfall to this attitude in this Sunday’s Gospel passage: pride (Matthew 23:1-12). Jesus warned His disciples not to follow the bad example set by the Pharisees. They…
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind…You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 22:37-39 Love is a gift from God, who is Love itself (1 John 4:8). The Catechism teaches, “‘God is Love’ and love is his first gift, containing all others” (CCC 733). Love pours forth from God the Father and the Son, and the result is the gift…
Come see a man who told me everything I have done. – John 4:29 This week in our Lenten adventure we travel to Jacob’s well in the land of Samaria. Jesus stopped at the well and along came a woman coming to draw water in the middle of the day. The other women did this task together in the cool of the morning. But this woman was alone. When we hear about her life we…
“…love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father.” – Matthew 5:44-45 Who is the person that comes to mind when you read this Scripture passage? Just who are your enemies? You may have a person that comes to mind, such as someone who bullied you in school or someone who treated you unfairly at work. Perhaps it is someone who mocked you, stole something…
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.- Matthew 5:17 Have you heard the saying that the secret ingredient to any special recipe or good meal is love? Actually, it’s the secret ingredient to anything creative. You can tell when something has been created with love. There’s just something “extra” you can taste or sense. This Sunday’s readings are all…
Blessed are they…-Matthew 5:1-12 The Beatitudes are a rule of life that can help us live a life that is truly happy and holy. It’s a picture of a life lived virtuously, full of faith in the Lord, confident hope in His promises, and love of God and neighbor. Following the Beatitudes is like a blueprint for conforming our hearts to Christ’s Sacred Heart. Christ is the exemplary image of each one of the Beatitudes.…
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” – Matthew 1:23 Love–caritas in Latin–is the fourth gift we focus on during Advent. Another word for love is charity. “Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor…