stealthily, for they are afraid of the people (cf. 11:32). The people considered that John Baptist was a prophet; they seem to have a similar or even higher regard for Jesus, especially as we consider their response to his entry into Jerusalem (11:1-10). The chief priests and scribes...
Jesus prays and asks his closest friends to pray, telling them: “I am deeply grieved,” and “The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me” (Mt 26:38NRSVandGNT). Jesus models speaking truth to your closest friends… …gives permission to speak the truth of your hear...
Reflect upon all the writings of Bahá’u’lláh, whether epistles or prayers, and ye shall surely come across a thousand passages wherein Bahá’u’lláh prays: ‘O God! Bring to naught the violators of the Covenant and defeat the oppressors of the Testament.’‘He who denieth the Cove...
I’ve appreciated the sermons I’ve heard this term on inviting God’s kingdom to be present in the church. Our passage today also contributes, where Jesus is told, “You have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth”. I’ve not heard many se...
Eulene always prays that God’s angels will “sing to her” as she asks for God’s help. Certainly, each song she has composed is a gift from God, but it seemed that especially as she was aging during her composition of the book of Matthew, God specially intervened to see that ...
John is saying, “Because God is love, when God lives in us, we are like Jesus to the world around us. Our loving action is the primary way that others will see God.” These are the principles John has been writing about throughout the chapter, as we’ve seenhereandhere. ...
“And it is by resorting to the divine Revelation, documented in the Holy Scriptures, that the Church fulfills its mission, bringing to the questions and the search for men that light which comes from the Word inspired by God, capable of shining in the heart of all the ...
But, Jesus was telling the truth. Surprisingly, many Christians do not know that it was Jesus who instructed Moses to deliver the children of Israel. Not only did Jesus pre-exist, but He took the claim of being God. Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of ...
1 Peter 3:19; 4:6 – Jesus preached to the spirits in the “prison.” These are the righteous souls being purified for the beatific vision. Rev. 21:4 – God shall wipe away their tears, and there will be no mourning or pain, but only after the coming of the new heaven and the ...
Jesus himself said that the way that will show our love for him is by doing what he says. Obedience, no natural rebel’s favorite word, is one way to love well. Do you love God? Do you do what he says? If you answered Yes and then No, you have something to work on, like the...