Jesus speaks in today’s Gospel about the importance of the law in living as Christian disciples. More than rules and regulations, the Law Jesus places before us is living the Will of the Father. In order to know the Will of the Father, I must draw close to Him. Heavenly Father, draw me so close...
Young children and their teacher killed in their classroom. Others shot and injured. Parents and family members devastated. Jesus wept.
I am not called to live a good life in order to draw close to Jesus. I am called to cling to Jesus that His grace may empower me to live a good life. “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because...
Jesus states very clearly, “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid….” (Jn 14: 27). He has promised His peace to each of us in spite of and through the troubles and sufferings that fill our days. It is for me to choose His peace, to choose to walk alongside Him, to choose to...
Jesus’ instruction in today’s Gospel reading is “to love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus lived with His disciples for three years and modeled this love prior to issuing this command. They had witnessed firsthand the kind of love He spoke of: a love which welcomed all people (especially sinners) to the table,...
In today’s Gospel, Jesus states clearly, “Whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me” (Jn. 13:20). Can I believe that God in His provident love and care for me sends people into my life each day for a specific reason and mission? I meet someone...
How easy it is for me at times to be skeptical of others who make promises I doubt they will keep. Having been disappointed before, my tendency can be to assume others will not follow through. Jesus, on the other hand, assures me that he will not disappoint. “I will not reject anyone who comes...
“For the one whom God sent speaks the word of God” (John 3: 34). Jesus often reminds us that we are sent just as He was sent from the Father. We are on mission with Jesus. If we are to speak the word of God, and Jesus is the WORD of God, then we are...
“God so loved the world that He gave His only Son…” (John 3:16). God gave His only Son, not for a perfect people, but for: those who had betrayed Him those who had turned away from Him time and time again those who “replaced” Him with false gods those who thought their way was better...
At the very beginning, we are told that God walked in intimacy with Adam and Eve in the garden. After they turned away from Him in sin, however, they hid themselves, fearful and full of shame. In today’s Gospel, we are once again in a garden. This time, Mary Magdalene does not hide from God....
