DAILY PRAYER

“Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (Jn 3:18-19).

It is easy to say, “I believe.” True faith, however, transforms our existence. It gives a new dimension to life, and it projects us into the fullness of everlasting life.

“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (Jn 3:16).

This is not easy to realize in an inactive and lazy faith. People who live their faith act in ways that show they have a cordial friendship with Jesus. 

“Whoever does not believe has already been condemned… this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed”  (Jn 3:18-21).

Because of our faith, we should allow Christ to transform us, although it can be a painful transformation that requires a commitment to proper living in holiness.

“Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life” (Acts 5:20).

Faith that does not lead us to a transformation is an empty, useless faith.  True faith urges us, living like Jesus, to fulfill the will of Almighty God.

Christian, is your faith sincere?

Reflection and commentary

Psalm 19:8 “The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul.”

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DAILY PRAYER

“Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit’” (Jn 3:7-8).

Jesus is speaking not of flesh and blood.  Rather He is speaking of the immortal Spirit reborn into life through two things:  By water and the spirit  (The greater of the two being the Spirit, without which the water would be nothing more than an exercise in wetness).  He who has been washed clean in the waters of life must purify himself in the Spirit and set himself afire for a rebirth if he desires eternal life.

We have but one chance at living the life God has set before us.  We must be born again.

Millions have arrived at the turning point in which they realize that life is not about an endless pursuit of satiating the senses, amassing things, and passing time.  They begin by seeing the world as but a proving ground offering a soul freedom and unity with its Lord.

How is a man born again?

Being born again is an act of the will and heart of the Lord.  It is the fervent desire to know and accept Him.

There is nothing ever written to assure us that Nicodemus ever was able to allow himself to be reborn… ever able to give of himself — to let himself go enough to stop trusting in his “Pharisee world” or for that matter, to walk away from the surety of the Mosaic Law. 

Born again means to give in to the to Lord’s will and give up our haughtiness!  

Reflection and commentary

Psalm 139:7 “Where can I hide from your spirit?”

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DAILY PRAYER

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; hence, the holy offspring to be born will be called Son of God”  (Lk 1:35).

The eternal project of the salvation of the human race began to be the reality when God, setting His gaze upon a young servant girl from Nazareth, sent her a message through an angel.  This message carried with it effects and implications in which we are feeling, enjoying, and rejoicing now and into eternity.

Even though the Hebrew people were the depository of the Promises of Yahweh, and even though He confided eternal destiny in them, they still did not recognize His message when at last it came—the long-awaited Messiah.

St. Paul says: “The mystery of Christ, unknown in former ages but now revealed by the Spirit to the holy apostles and prophets.  It is no less than this:  in Christ Jesus, the Gentiles are now co-heirs with the Jews, members of the same body and sharers of the promise through the preaching of the gospel” (Eph 3:5-6).

The liberation from sin, the possibility to be reoriented toward the love of God… and all that our salvation and redemption entails began with this small dialog between the angel and Mary.

“I am the servant of the Lord.  Let it be done to me as you say.”

The unfolding of the entire holy will of Almighty God begins with a simple yes.   Let that yes be our own too.

Reflection and commentary

Psalm 31:20 “How great is the goodness, O LORD, which you have in store for those who fear you.”

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DAILY PRAYER

“Jesus stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.   Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the holy Spirit.   Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained’” (Jn 20:19-23).

Jesus wants to bless us with the benefits of His Resurrection, and to participate with Him in His Father’s house.

The apostles were fearful and disoriented, without hope, and confused. They had locked themselves indoors out of fear for their lives from Jesus’ enemies.

After appearing to His disciples, Jesus imparted to them the peace and serenity of His presence — a true peace of mind and heart.

Jesus, in this first appearance, established that His apostles would take His place when He went on to Heaven to carry on the mission as they had been prepared: “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age”  (Mt 28:20). 

Sin is the greatest division between Jesus and us.  It is a wall that only He can topple. He has done so through His Cross.  Our job is to seek out the grace through which we shall receive His pardon: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them.” That is why we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a font of mercy Christ left to us.

Reflection and commentary

Psalm 57:10 “I will praise you among the peoples, Lord.  Your love towers to the heavens; may your glory appear above all the earth.”

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DAILY PRAYER

“Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, they were amazed, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

Peter and John were common folk.  They were not particularly studied or cultured, yet they were prepared to fight it out with the Scribes and the priests, who were accustomed to unquestioning respect. Jesus had warned His followers:

“They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute” (Lk 21:12-15).

The priests were arbitrary:  “So that it may not be spread any further among the people, let us give them a stern warning never again to speak to anyone in this name” (Acts 4:17)

Peter and John answered:  “Whether it is right in the sight of God for us to obey you rather than God, you be the judges.  It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).

Perhaps we will never be tried in the same manner before worldly powers over our Lord.   Yet, if we lay claim to the title Christian, we should give constant witness of our fidelity to Jesus by our actions and words.

Reflection and commentary

Psalm 19:9   “The command of the LORD is clear, enlightening the eye.” 

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DAILY PRAYER

“While they were still speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees confronted them, disturbed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They laid hands on them and put them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening”   (Acts 4:1-3).

Power, regardless of the type, is exercised arbitrarily, depending on the whim of the person wielding the power — unless it is based on something greater than itself.

To a person exercising arbitrary power, nobody else’s opinion holds weight. The only opinion that counts is that of someone more powerful.

This was the dynamic with Peter and John in today’s second reading. Without any official judgment, without a jury, and without even accusations of wrongdoing, the apostles were jailed.   They were locked up because those with power judged them to be a danger to their interests, all very independent of whether what they were doing was right.

It wasn’t until the next day, in a mock trial,  that the principal figures among the priests interrogated Peter and John. Peter and John did not back down in fear. They took the opportunity to give testimony for Jesus:  “All of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed” (Acts 4:10).

Are we willing, in the face of danger, to stand up for Jesus?

Reflection and commentary

Psalm 71:4:  “My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked.”

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DAILY PRAYER

“Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away, and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment and send you the Messiah already appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old” (Acts 3:19-21).

The healing of the paralytic by Peter at the entrance to Jerusalem’s Temple caused a scene:  “All the people hurried in amazement toward them in the portico called ‘Solomon’s Portico.’  ‘You Israelites, why are you amazed at this, and why do you look so intently at us as if we had made him walk by our own power or piety?’”   (Acts 3:11-12)

Peter used the situation and the rising expectations of the people to stress the message of salvation in Christ, and to invite them to respond to the Lord’s love:  “Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.”

He explained that salvation will come in its fullness when God, through Christ, reestablishes the natural order and harmony in all things, but principally in the hearts of people.

“You shall listen to the prophet in all that he may say to you…”  (Acts 3:22)

Peter’s advice is equally valuable to us. We must live the teachings of Jesus for our good and the good of our brothers and sisters in search of the truth.

We are living in the time of Christ as He is bringing all things together in Himself.

Reflection and commentary

Psalm 18:31  “God’s way is unerring; the LORD’S promise is tried and true; he is a shield for all who trust in him.”

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DAILY PRAYER

“He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.  Peter said, ‘I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, (rise and) walk.’ Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong” (Acts 3:4-7).

Jesus promised that His heavenly power would remain with His apostles, and they would be able to perform many signs, wonders, and miracles in His name (Mk 16: 17-18).  He did this to confirm that His divine power was behind the words spoken by the apostles for the benefit of the Kingdom.  He entrusted and empowered them to preach His message.

“It is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Lk 24:46-47).

The apostles first began preaching to their people, the Jews. The first great wave of conversions took place among the residents of Jerusalem. Afterward, the message began to spread among the Gentiles, who received it with great enthusiasm.

Today, the promise that the Gospel would be preached to all the nations is being fulfilled by our truly ‘Catholic’ Church — that is, we are blessed with a universal faith through which all God’s children can be saved.

Reflection and commentary

Psalm 106:47 “Save us, LORD, our God; gather us from among the nations, so that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in praising you.”

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DAILY PRAYER

Whom are you looking for?’ She thought it was the gardener and said to him, ‘Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.’  Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni,’ (meaning ‘Teacher’)”  (Jn 20:15-16).

Mary Magdalene was one of the women in Jesus’ company, serving Him and His apostles.

“Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources” (Lk 8:1-3).

Like the apostles, these pious women collaborated with the mission of spreading the Good News. They were profoundly grateful and equally obligated and followed Jesus to the foot of the cross with Mary, the mother of Jesus, and afterward, to His tomb.

Magdalene was temperamental and emotional; before knowing what had happened, she ran to tell the others that Jesus’ body had been stolen. Later, crying alone at the tomb, she received the consolation of a singular love — that of Jesus risen from the dead.

Jesus divinely responds to us in the measure of love, faithfulness, and sacrifice that we can muster for Him and His people. 

To him who loves greatly, great too will be his reward.

Reflection and commentary

Psalm 25:14 “The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him, and his covenant, for their instruction.” 

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OPENING PRAYER

“Some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. They assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them what to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’” (Mt 28:11-13)

The scheming of these men was the cause of Jesus’ death.  Once they succeeded in that task, they saw their principal objective as limiting the effect of his death on the people. They had never accepted the veracity of Jesus’ teachings. They certainly weren’t going to accept His place as the Promised One, the Messiah.

They well understood the power of his teachings.  Yet they could not accept Him as it would cost them the loss of prestige. Assigning guards to the tomb demonstrated their fear of the possibility of His Resurrection.

“The chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, ‘Sir, we remember that this impostor while still alive said, ‘After three days I will be raised up.’  Give orders, then, that the grave be secured until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal him and say to the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’” (Mt 27:62-64)

Human pride is the root of all sin. It may be the cause of our downfall as well.

Reflection and commentary

Psalm 36:3-5 “For they live with the delusion: their guilt will not be known and hated. Empty and false are the words of their mouth; they have ceased to be wise and do good.  They hatch plots; they set out on a wicked way; they do not reject evil.”

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