Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Numbers 11:25-29; Psalm 19:8,10,12-14; James 5:1-6; Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48) Being Prophetic, Speaking God’s Word to a Broken World “Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets!” (Numbers 11:29) Moses had it right. Joshua was upset that Eldad and Medad were prophesying in the Israelite camp, but Moses couldn’t […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 50:5-9; Psalm 116:1-6,8-9; James 2:14-18; Mark 8:27-35) Developing the Gift of Discernment “Get behind me, Satan.” (Mark 8:33) Wouldn’t you hate to hear Jesus say these words to you? You can just imagine the look on Peter’s face when Jesus rebuked him. He must have gone […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 35:4-7 Psalm 146:7-10; James 2:1-5; Mark 7:31-37) Being Healed by Christ in Spirit, Mind, and Body “Be opened!” (Mark 7:34) Scripture tells us that Jesus performed countless healings during his public ministry. So we may wonder why some healing stories are preserved in the Bible, while […]
Whoever endures to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10:22) For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—oracle of the LORD—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope. When you call me, and come and pray to me, I will listen to […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8; Psalm 15:2-5; James 1:17-18,21-22,27; Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23) Allowing the Word of God to Transform Our Lives “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” (James 1:22) Words, words, words! We live in a very verbal world. Televisions, radios, iPods, tablet computers, newspapers, billboards, books, magazines—they […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Joshua 24:1-2,15-18; Psalm 34:2-3,16-21; Ephesians 5:21-32; John 6:60-69) Letting Go and Receiving from God “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” (John 6:60) What was “this saying” that the people could not accept? It was Jesus’ words that we needed to eat his flesh and drink […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Proverbs 9:1-6; Psalm 34:2-7; Ephesians 5:15-20; John 6:51-58) Opening Ourselves to God’s Heavenly Food Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” (Psalm 34:9) We can all relate to eating. We all know what hunger feels like. We all need to eat in order to survive. But […]
Please read Using the Gifts God Has Given You, Part 1, Using the Gifts God Has Given You, Part 2 and Using the Gifts God Has Given You, Part 3. The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Exodus 16:2-4,12-15; Psalm 78:3-4,23-25,54; Ephesians 4:17,20-24; John 6:24-35) Spending Time with Jesus, The Bread of Life “My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.” (John 6:32) After another long day of traveling in the desert, you and your fellow Israelites are tired, hungry, and discouraged. “Is […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Saying Yes to God’s Call and Promptings “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.” (John 6:9) Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you bring your gifts to Jesus as this young boy did, nothing much seems to happen? They just […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Being Open to the Promptings of the Holy Spirit His heart was moved.” (Mark 6:34) In today’s Gospel, Jesus was encouraged because the apostles had just returned from a very successful missionary trip. They had healed some people, delivered others from demons, and brought many to conversion. […]
Please read Using the Gifts God Has Given You, Part 1 and Using the Gifts God Has Given You, Part 2. I remind you to stir [fan] into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. (2 Timothy 1:6) Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion Opening Ourselves to Receiving God’s Divine Graces “In him we have redemption … in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us.” (Ephesians 1:7-8) Imagine you have just arrived home after a long day and you fumble to unlock the door. When you […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Ezekiel 2:2-5; Psalm 123:1-4; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Mark 6:1-6) Allowing the Holy Spirit to Speak Through Us “They shall know that a prophet has been among them.” (Ezekiel 2:5) We tend to think of a “prophet” as someone who forecasts the future. Of course, some Old Testament […]
Please read part one of this article here: Using the Gifts God Has Given You. If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. (Matthew 7:11) I remind you to stir [fan] into […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24; Psalm 30:2,4-6,11-13; 2 Corinthians 8:7,9,13-15; Mark 5:21-43) Prayer, A Time for a Personal Encounter with the Lord “He looked around to see who had done it.” (Mark 5:32) Sometimes our prayer life can feel a little like a gumball dispenser. We put a […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Isaiah 49:1-6; Psalm 139:1-3,13-15; Acts 13:22-26; Luke 1:57-66,80) Being Filled with the Joy of the Lord The Lord called me from birth. (Isaiah 49:1) What do you think is the most amazing thing about John the Baptist? His zeal for the Lord? His passionate preaching? Maybe his […]
The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:1-3) For as in one body we have many parts, and […]
Reflections for Sunday, June 17, 2012 Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Mark 4;26-34; Ezekiel 17:22-24; Psalm 92:2-3,13-16 2; Corinthians 5:6-10; Mark 4:26-34) Trusting in the Lord’s Work in Our Lives “The seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.” (Mark 4:27) When you were a child, you may have been given […]
The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Exodus 24:3-8: Psalm 116:12-13,15-18; Hebrews 9:11-15; Mark 14:12-16,22-26) Being Transformed by the Eucharist “Take; this is my body.” (Mark 14:22). Have you ever had the experience of recalling a past event, or a person […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Deuteronomy 4:32-34,39-40; Romans 8:14-17; Psalm 33:4-6,9,18-20,22; Matthew 28:16-20) Immersing Ourselves in the Truths of the Trinity and Proclaiming it to Others Go, therefore… (Matthew 28:19) Have you ever started to leave a friend’s house, but then turned turn back to say: “Oh, and one more thing… .” […]
And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. (Luke 1:35) When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104:1,24,29-31,34; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13; John 20:19-23) Pentecost, A Time to Say Yes to the Work of the Holy Spirit in Our Lives Scholars tell us that the first Pentecost took place during the Jewish Feast of Weeks. This was a festival at which the […]
Meditation and Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion (Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47:2-3,6-9; Ephesians 1:17-23; Mark 16:15-20) Saying Yes to Jesus’ Call to Proclaim the Gospel to Others Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel. (Mark 16:15) What a simple, but immense, charge Jesus gave to his disciples! He even told them that […]
