Grace and Truth

"The Word was the real light that gives light to everyone . . . The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that he has from the Father as only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:9, 14).

  • What We Truly Need This Season, the Gentleness of Christ (Luke 7)

    In Luke 7:11-17, we read about a widow whose only son has died.  Verse 13 says, “when the Lord saw her, he felt sorry for her and said to her, don’t cry.”  Jesus then restored the young man to life and gave him to his mother (Luke 7:14-15).   The Lord’s gentleness and tenderness in this encounter are… Read more

  • Generous Love (Luke 6)

    In reading Luke 6, I was especially touched by two themes—first, how intimately the Lord knows each of us, and second, generosity (Luke 6:38).  In Luke 6:7, the scribes and Pharisees were watching Jesus to see if he would cure someone on the Sabbath, hoping to find a charge to bring against him.  Verse 8 says that… Read more

  • Perseverance (Luke 5)

    One of the passages within Luke 5 that especially touched me today was the cure of the paralyzed man and the perseverance of the man and his friends who brought him to Jesus for healing.  The word of God says, “now some men appeared, bringing on a bed a paralyzed man whom they were trying to… Read more

  • What Is It In His Words? (Luke 4)

    The theme that especially touched me in reading Luke 4 is the power of the word of God.  The chapter begins with Jesus’s testing in the desert by the devil.  Jesus resisted and rejected each of the devil’s temptations by quoting Scripture (Luke 4:4, 8, 12).  Then, “having exhausted every way of putting him to the test, the… Read more

  • Identity, Mission, Humility, and Healing (Luke 3)

    We see from the third chapter of the Gospel of Luke that John the Baptist was very clear about his identity—who he was and who he was not.  Verse 15 says that “a feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to wonder whether John might be the Christ.”  He declared, “I baptize you… Read more

  • Joy, Openness to the Spirit, and Prayer (Luke 2)

    In reading the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke, three themes stood out to me, namely, joy, openness to the Holy Spirit, and prayer.   First, when an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds, the angel said, “I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people.  Today… Read more

  • On Fear, God’s Timing, and the Light of Christ (Luke 1)

    Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I hope you all are well.  I felt the Lord calling me to devote more time to reading the Scriptures this Advent, so I am hoping to read the Gospel of Luke and to share some short reflections over the course of this month.  I would like to invite you also… Read more

  • We Are God’s Work of Art

    One of the devil’s tactics is to make us doubt our identity.  He is full of lies; in him, there is no truth at all (John 8:44).  In the desert, the devil tested Jesus by questioning his identity, whether he really was the Son of God—“if you are Son of God, tell this stone to turn into… Read more

  • Always and Everywhere, Give Thanks to God

    “It is good to give thanks to the Lord” (Psalm 92:1).  When we do, our hearts turn towards God; we begin to recognize his tremendous gifts and the countless ways he is working in our lives and for our good.  In thanksgiving, we acknowledge the truth—that he is God, and we are not (Psalm 46:10), and that… Read more

  • I Wish You Joy in the Lord

    The first letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians encourages us to “always be joyful . . . this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18).  Indeed, St. Paul describes himself as “in pain yet always full of joy” and “overflowing with joy” in all his hardships (2 Corinthians 6:10,… Read more