Category: Bible Reading & Meditation

“The apostles and the presbyters accordingly convened to look into the matter. After much discussion, Peter took the floor.” –Acts 15:6-7 This meeting of the leaders of the early church in Jerusalem was one of the most important in history. This is not because they ruled against the necessity of circumcision for Gentile Christians but because they removed an obstacle to world evangelization. The result of the meeting was that “Paul and Barnabas continued in Antioch, along with many others, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord” (Acts 15:35). Furthering evangelization is the criterion by which we judge the...

“You are clean already, thanks to the word I have spoken to you.” –John 15:3 We must let the Lord clean us so that we can bear fruit abundantly. If we don’t let the Lord clean us “in the bath of water by the power of the word” (Eph 5:26), we will be thrown into the fire to be burned (Jn 15:6). “Blessed are the clean of heart” (Mt 5:8, our transl). In nine days, we will begin praying the Pentecost novena. This can be a time of miraculous cleansing, leading to unprecedented fruitfulness. If we let the Lord have...

“They called the congregation together and related all that God had helped them accomplish, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” –Acts 14:27 Because God is Love (1 Jn 4:16), He wants all people to be saved (1 Tm 2:4). Because all people are naturally alienated from God, we all needed God to do something extreme to open the door of faith and break through our resistance to His saving grace. God even became a man and let the devil kill Him. Jesus did this to show us His love for, and obedience to, the...

“Signs like this will accompany those who have professed their faith: they will use My name to expel demons, they will speak entirely new languages, they will be able to handle serpents, they will be able to drink deadly poison without harm, and the sick upon whom they lay their hands will recover.” –Mark 16:17-18 By saying “signs like this,” Jesus means that the signs and marvels He mentioned above are only a few of the signs He will work to confirm our proclamation of the gospel. There are many other ways that Jesus backs up those who spread His...

“I give you a new commandment.” –John 13:34 The Lord makes all things new (Rv 21:5). We will see “new heavens and a new earth” (Rv 21:1). We will see “a new Jerusalem” (Rv 21:2). The Lord makes all things new through us, especially as we obey the new commandment of love (Jn 13:34). “This means that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old order has passed away; now all is new!” (2 Cor 5:17) The Holy Spirit is renewing “the face of the earth” (Ps 104:30). “All that matters is that one is created...