Holy Spirit, Make Your Home in Me
Biblical Meditations on Receiving the Gift of the Spirit
As I was growing up, my family could have said, with the disciples of John the Baptist whom Paul discovered at Ephesus, "We haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit" (Acts 19:2). Continue »
Fishers of Men
Excerpt from My Lord and My God
How often God chooses the most improbable people to move forward his purposes! A cowardly Jonah fled from God's commission to preach to the Ninevites (Jonah 1:1-3). Israel's great King David committed adultery (2 Samuel 11:2-5). Continue »
The Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:13-20)
Excerpt from Matthew: A Catholic Guide for Personal Study and Faith Sharing
Much of Matthew's gospel deals with the question of faith, and it offers a climactic answer with the proclamation of Jesus as "the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). Continue »
The Outrageous Generosity of God
The Laborers in the Vineyard (Excerpted from Treasures Uncovered, The Parables of Jesus)
For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage [a denarius], he sent them into his vineyard. Continue »
A Cry for Mercy (Psalm 51)
Excerpt from "Forgiveness, A Guide for Prayer"
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." Continue »
Inexpressible Joy: Meditation on the Transfiguration
(Excerpt from Surrender: A Guide for Prayer)
Luke 9:28-36 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. Continue »
The Treasure and the Pearl
Matthew 13:44-46 (Excerpt from Treasures Uncovered: The Parables of Jesus by Jeanne Kun)
"The pearl of great price and the treasure hidden in a field were a reminder of the vastness of what is at stake. Compared with that, all other successes are meaningless; men will make the kingdom their own only if they are willing to sacrifice everything else for it." (Frank Sheed, To Know Christ Jesus) Continue »
“Thomas” Reflecting on the Word
An Excerpt from "My Lord and My God"
Thomas knew with a certainty that Jesus was dead. All of Jerusalem knew that the rabbi from Galilee had been crucified and hastily buried. How then, he reasoned logically, could he possibly give any credence to the other disciples’ report that Jesus had returned to life and appeared to them (John 20:19-20, 24-25; see also Luke 24:36-43)? Continue »
It’s All About Love
"It was just another ordinary afternoon. We were all in the van and Mom was mad."
You’ve got to be kidding!" I protested hotly. "How could this possibly be all about me?"
Continue »The Key to Effective Time Management
Four Little Words: Thy Will Be Done.
Here’s a piece of advice you won’t find in most time management books: If you want to make better use of your time in 2006, your best bet is to consult the Maker of time, God himself. Only by discovering his plan for you and your family can you truly and fully make the most of this year. Continue »