I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11 Imagine a little lost sheep, all beat up and stuck in the brambles of the wilderness. She wandered away from the flock and now lost, hungry, hurt, and afraid, she is in need of someone to save her. She can’t save herself this time. Sheep are known for straying off like this. When we sin, our souls “stray…
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have. Luke 24:39 These words should shock you: “God is dead.” Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote these famous words in criticism of morality and religion. He wrote, “the belief in the Christian God has become unbelievable,” and everything that was “built upon this faith, propped up…
Jesus “did not need anyone to testify about human nature. He himself understood it well.” – John 2:25 In the last line of our Gospel passage this Sunday*, St. John tells us that Jesus knows our human nature. What does he mean by this? For one, Jesus knew how fickle the crowds in Jerusalem were. They were coming to believe in Him because of the signs He was doing (John 2:23). Because He is God…
“People…were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.” – Mark 1:5 Advent is a time of preparation and penance to help us prepare our hearts for Christmas. One of our parish priests said recently that lighting the candles on our Advent wreaths reminds us that “Christmas is near, not here.” It’s so easy to want to rush the Christmas festivities. But our Church,…
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…
O God, be merciful to me a sinner. – Luke 18:13 It can be difficult for me to admit my wrongdoings. It’s not easy to look at myself with honesty to see my true faults. In truth, I can only do this peacefully by seeing myself as a beloved child of God, no matter what my sins have been. This Sunday’s Gospel passage shows us a model for what admitting our sinfulness means. First off,…
Then Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.” – John 8:11 As I watch the Gospel scene of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11) play out in my imagination, I notice the looks on the people’s faces. The Pharisees and scribes who brought the woman look judgmental and disgusted. They “forced her to stand in their midst.” Imagine her trapped there between all these…
From wanton sin especially, restrain your servant; let it not rule over me. – Psalm 19:14 Imagine that you are being held captive. Your hands are tied with ropes. You are a slave to another. You must do what the other commands. You are ruled over. This is what the Psalmist prays to God to protect him from: being ruled by serious sin. When I look back over my life, especially before I became Catholic…
“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…
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…