Category: Favorite

Luke 4:1-13: The Test
Luke 4:1-13: The Test

Thursday, Christmas Day, December 25, 2025

Tissot: Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness
As we approach a new year, let us prepare ourselves to be tested as Christ’s followers, and let us watch the Master as he interacts with Satan. This reflection was written in January 2010 and is posted today as a Favorite . . .

Today we watch as Satan tests Jesus, hoping to tempt him into succumbing to his control. We hear Jesus remind Satan that he cannot test God. Even after his failure, Satan departed from him until an opportune time. The devil never gives up . Neither does God.

St. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians (10:9), reminds us of this again. In 2 Corinthians (2:9) he encourages us to be stalwart so that we might withstand our own test and temptation. In 8:8 and 13:5 he recommends that we test our own spirit to see where it needs bolstering. In Galatians 6:4 he again suggests that we test ourselves. To the Thessalonians he says: Test everything. Hold on to the good and avoid every kind of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)

St. James (1:12) lauds the holy one who can withstand the test.

St. John in 4:1 of his first letter writes that we are to test false prophets and stray spirits to examine the origin and veracity of their authority.

Jesus cites Deuteronomy 6:16 when he reminds the devil that we are to refrain from testing God. We are to obey the commandments, to do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord. In the Old Testament, this clinging to commandments and laws brought God’s protection and defense. In the New Testament we realize that we are graced with God’s protection as a birthright; we receive uncounted blessings each day, even in the midst of suffering.

All of this testing of self and this refusal to test God takes a great deal of effort, and by the end of each day we may be fatigued from holding firm and maintaining our own appropriate behavior. Spiritual exhaustion may accompany a life of trust in God, patience with God’s creatures, and perseverance in living a life of charity. It is for this reason that we must refill the well and give ourselves permission to rejuvenate the spirit. Perhaps when our nerves are frayed we ought to take this as a sign that we need to retreat from life for a bit.

When Jesus is tempted by Satan, he replies: One does not live by bread alone; worship the Lord your God and serve him only; and do not put the Lord your God to the test.

When we feel ready to explode, about to fall apart, or are just plain exhausted, we might repeat these words to ourselves and follow them with . . . if this is a test, dear Lord, give me the grace, the peace and the will to follow you, to know that you will convert all harm to good, and to know that we need trust only you.

In this way, we may pass each test that comes our way.

Image from: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4453/Jesus_Tempted_in_the_Wilderness_J%C3%A9sus_tent%C3%A9_dans_le_d%C3%A9sert

For more images of Jesus from the Brooklyn Museum, click on the image above or follow this link: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4453/Jesus_Tempted_in_the_Wilderness_J%C3%A9sus_tent%C3%A9_dans_le_d%C3%A9sert
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December 25, 2025

Corinthians, Galatians, James, Jesus, John, Paul, Satan, temptation, test spirits and self, Thessalonians, trusting God, wilderness
Isaiah 45: Reminders
Isaiah 45: Reminders

Wednesday, December 24, 2025

The wise men approach from the East, bearing gifts that will sanctify, purify and sustain. They are yet another sign of God’s promise to us that he loves, guards and guides us. We will want to be watching for the many reminders God gives to us as marking posts along the way of our journey.

This reflection was written on January 3, 2010 and it is posted today as a Favorite . . .

I have not spoken from hiding nor from some dark place on the earth . . . I, the Lord, promise justice, I foretell what is right.

The prophet Isaiah brings us a message today that we already know; yet we can use a frequent reminder. He announces the coming of hope, the arrival of the long-awaited one who frees us from defeat, the advent of one who helps each of us to cross our daily hurdles.

It was I who stirred up one for the triumph of justice; all his ways I make level.

If we wish to walk in the level path, we have only to follow God’s anointed one. In today’s reading it is Cyrus, the Persian king who rises up against Babylon and releases the captive nations. As the New Testament story tells us, God also sends a true Messiah who releases us from our bondage of sorrow and chaos. God comes to us in the Christ.

Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above, like gentle rain let the skies drop it down. Let the earth open and salvation bud forth; let justice also spring up!

Today we celebrate the idea that although political kings did not recognize the power of Christ, three wise magi from the East bring frankincense, gold and myrrh to the most unlikely of all kings, the child of Light, the child of Justice. Isaiah reminds us that this child brings something to us which we all seek, true peace and eternal serenity – if only we might walk with him a little way, pray with him a little while.

Come and assemble, gather together, you fugitives . . .

Rather than stand alone on the rampart, Isaiah reminds us that we must gather into phalanxes with all of the faithful, that we must put aside our squabbles so that we might rise at the sound of the Shepherd’s voice to form solidarity as we witness.

Turn to me and be safe, all you ends of the earth, for I am God; there is no other!

There is no dark corner that the eye of the Lord does not see. There is no sequestered portion of creation from which the ear of God cannot hear the plea of the weary. There is no god who can outlast our God, none who can withstand our God, not one who will win any battle against this God.

The prophet Isaiah brings us a message today that we already know; yet we can use a frequent reminder.

Turn to me and be safe, all you ends of the earth, for I am God; there is no other!

Images from: http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wise-men-ancient-text-differs-bible-tale-magi/story?id=12460820 and https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/the-three-magi/

For an interesting new twist to the Magi story, click the image above or go to http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/wise-men-ancient-text-differs-bible-tale-magi/story?id=12460820
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December 24, 2025

all-powerful, Christ, Cyrus, God knows all, justice, light, Magi, refugees
Nehemiah 6:1-14: A Great Enterprise
Nehemiah 6:1-14: A Great Enterprise

Tuesday, December 23, 2025

I am engaged in a great enterprise and am unable to come down; why should the work stop, while I leave it to come down to you?

In this portion of the rebuilding story, Nehemiah knows that Israel’s enemies – Sanballat and Gesham – plot against them, trying to create problems for the Jewish people as they rebuild their city and temple. They invite the builder to the plain of Ono – about 25 miles northwest of Jerusalem – in a plot to harm him. If he does not meet with him, they threaten, they will alert the king of Persia that Nehemiah was planning to make himself king. Nehemiah refuses their “invitation,” turning away outside threats.

We also read about the advice given to Nehemiah by Shemaiah, a prophet who was likely paid by Sanballat and Tobiah to lure the builder into breaking an important law – lay people were allowed to seek asylum by grasping the horns of the altar in the courtyard, but were not permitted to enter into the temple itself. Nehemiah fends off this “invitation” and another from the prophetess Noadiah, turning away threats from within. (Mays 348)

What was it that called these outer and inner enemies to want to overthrow Nehemiah? As we see in the previous chapter, he has the well-earned reputation of being a man lacking self-interest, he cannot be bought or bribed, and the enterprise he has undertaken is going well. His work goes well because it is God’s work, and Nehemiah trusts God to see the work finished. Those who plot Nehemiah’s end do not understand this perhaps because they do not live their lives in this way. They do not see themselves as stewards of God’s grace for this is the great enterprise in which Nehemiah sees himself engaged. It is the huge project he will not forsake.

Today we hear a portion of the third chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians read to us at Mass in which he explains this special stewardship with which each of us is charged: to share our talents – whatever they may be – with all, in order that we participate fully in God’s plan. Whether we know or believe this does not matter, we still carry this gift within, and we are meant to share it as Nehemiah shares: utterly, totally, and always. We are accountable for our own participation in the great enterprise.

Robert Morneau writes in today’s meditation and then poses questions in DAILY REFLECTIONS FOR ADVENT & CHRISTMAS: Waiting in Joyful Hope 2010-2011: Everyone is given the privilege and duty of being a steward of God’s grace . . . This stewardship, this receiving, nurturing, and sharing of God’s love and life, is a way of life and involves serious accountability . . . In what way are you called to be a steward of God’s grace? What is your unique gift? Do you have a sanctified vision of God’s plan of salvation?

William Brassey: Rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem
Nehemiah will not be drawn away from what he sees to be the work that God has laid in his hands. He is confident of God’s call in his life, and the firmness of this belief is seen in the focus he gives to this work. He allows no influence – either from within his community or from outside it – to diminish his determination. In this way, he takes up the gift and privilege of serving God. In this way, he engages in the greatest enterprise any of us will ever know, the work of God’s incomprehensible yet breathtaking plan for our salvation.

A re-post from November 28, 2011.

Mays, James L., ed. HARPERCOLLINS BIBLE COMMENTARY. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1988. 348. Print.

Morneau, Robert F. DAILY REFLECTIONS FOR ADVENT & CHRISTMAS: Waiting in Joyful Hope 2010-2011. Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2010

Images from: https://regehrlein.wordpress.com/2018/06/03/nehemiah-leader-of-wall-builders/ https://makezine.com/article/home/fun-games/model-of-herods-temple-continues-to/ and https://www.1st-art-gallery.com/William-Brassey-Hole/Rebuilding-The-Wall-Of-Jerusalem-Under-Nehemiah.html?srsltid=AfmBOooHHdg5TgGMVVW3wzPyRCxsNHCiTFHQ30OKt5NeKqKmsVvfpvFP

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December 23, 2025

determination, Ephesians, focus, God’s plan, Nehemiah, Noadiah, Robert Morneau, Sanballat and Gesham, sanctity of salvation, sharing, Tobiah
1 Corinthians 11: Imitators of Christ
1 Corinthians 11: Imitators of Christ

Monday, December 22, 2025

Written on January 29 and posted today as a Favorite . . .

Vermeer: Christ in the house of Martha and Mary
So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma. Ephesians 5:1-2

You became imitators of us and of the Lord, receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the Holy Spirit, so that you became a model in Macedonia and in Achaia . . . For you became imitators in God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: you suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered. 1 Thessalonians 1:6, 2:14

This portion of 1 Corinthians deals with problems in liturgical assembles; the church Paul established in Corinth was experiencing difficulties in maintaining the customs instituted by the apostle and so he writes to counsel them. He encourages them to remember who they are and all that God has given them; he asks them to serve as good models of Christian living – even though he, Paul, is not with them. He asks that they call upon their faith in Christ’s promise to be with them always in the offering of bread and wine. He asks that they put aside the corrupt ways they have allowed the creep into their spiritual practices.

Samaritan Woman
Some of what we read is troublesome when we look on these words from our place in the twenty-first century. Commentary tells us that Paul’s attitude toward women was in concert with the thinking of that day. Fundamentalists take these words literally and diminish women to a status below men. Most scholars today aver that if Paul were living in our world he would give women equal status with men. But rather than focus on some of Paul’s words here, what we can focus on is the way Christ himself treated women, beginning with his own mother, and the sisters of his friend Lazarus, Mary and Martha. It is clear from the Gospel stories that the Samaritan Woman in John 4, the woman with the hemorrhage in Matthew 9, Mark 5, and Luke 8, the Canaanite/Syrophoenician woman in Matthew 15, and Mark 7, the woman crippled by a spirit for thirteen years in Luke 13, the woman caught in adultery in John 8 are all important to Jesus. He uses women in his parables in Matthew 13, for example – The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough – and in Luke 15 with the woman and the lost coin. There are other instances but these few serve to show the respect with which Christ treated women and this is what we are called to model.

Bernardino Luini: Mary Magdalene
As Paul writes to the Corinthians – and to us today – about how we misuse and even abuse the gift of presence God gives to us each day either through the Eucharist or in any other form, we might remind ourselves that while we strive to imitate Christ perfectly we will miss the mark frequently. And as we read through the many stories we have about Jesus, we find one thing in common: Jesus loves us all, greatly and deeply. This is what Paul calls us to imitate. This is what we can strive to be and do. This is the person we can follow no matter our circumstance, gender, or status. This is all that God asks of us. This and nothing more.

A re-post from November 27, 2011.

Images from: http://blog.beliefnet.com/beyondblue/2011/03/the-samaritan-woman-loneliness.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_in_the_House_of_Martha_and_Mary_(Vermeer) and https://www.nga.gov/artworks/46155-magdalen

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December 22, 2025

Ephesians, Four Gospels, imitate Christ, liturgy, love, Thessalonians, women and Jesus
Exodus 36-38: The Altar of Our Lives
Exodus 36-38: The Altar of Our Lives

Saturday, December 20, 2025

At this harvest time of year when we gather to give thanks for all that we are and all that we have, let us consider our thoughts, words, and deeds in light of the Hebrews’ desert experience and in gratitude for the fulfillment of God’s best hope in us.

Written on November 16, 2008 and posted today as Favorite . . .

The Israelites were faithful to Yahweh in constructing a residence for their one true God, and this one God Yahweh – who tolerated no other gods before him – was faithful in accompanying his people to guide and protect them. Today’s reading describes the detail the Israelites followed in order to provide the appropriate altars, veil, table, ark and lampstand. The chapters preceding these describe the collection of materials and artisans. The chapters following these describe the vestments, and dwelling and how Yahweh settles into God’s home on earth among the human race.

El Greco: Christ Cleansing the Temple
In the New Testament story, Jesus comes to earth to be the new high priest and to construct a new temple in place of the former one. He also calls on artisans, and gathers his materials – the original apostles and disciples – and all those apostles and disciples who have heard his story and who have acted in faith to join this story. Yahweh also settles into God’s home on earth in the hearts, bodies and minds of all those who follow God today and all days.

In Acts we read about the coming of the Holy Spirit settling upon the original apostles in flames of fire. The Spirit still settles upon and in those who join with Christ in his mystical body to become living stones in the new living temple of Yahweh.

John Pettie (1884): Fixing the Site of an Early Christian Altar

We are creatures seeking the God who created us, the God who walks with us, the God who abides with us. We are formed for worship and for joy. Each day at our rising, each noon at our pausing, each night at our entering into the world of dreams and sleep we have a new opportunity to refurbish our temple, to keep it always a pleasing place of adoration – a place where our souls sing in communion with others who wish to walk and live in this liminal space of love and peace, mystery and serenity.

What does our God require of us? This is no mystery. God does not require holocausts or sacrifice. God does not require incense morning, noon and night. But this is what God requires: that we do what is right, love goodness, and walk humbly with our God. (Micah 6:8)

Let us offer our sacrifices of fear, anxiety, pain and anger on the altar of our lives. Let us do what is right; let us love goodness; and let us walk humbly as we work at the building of God’s temple with the surrender of our lives.

A re-post from November 25, 2011.

Images from: http://taniarubimenglish.blogspot.com/2011/02/bible-trivia-furniture-of-tabernacle.html and http://www.journeywithjesus.net/Essays/20060313JJ.shtml and https://bridgemanondemand.com/featured/fixing-the-site-of-an-early-christian-altar-john-pettie.html?product=wood-print

A good website for information concerning the Hebrew temple furnishings. http://taniarubimenglish.blogspot.com/2011/02/bible-trivia-furniture-of-tabernacle.html

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December 20, 2025

ACts, liminal space, living temple, Micah 6:8, Mystical Body, surrender to God, temple and altar, Trinity
Acts 8:4-40: Magic or Mystery
Acts 8:4-40: Magic or Mystery

Friday, December 5, 2025

Avancino Nucci: Peter’s Conflict with Simon Magus

Written on March 10 and posted today as a Favorite . . .

In today’s Noontime we have the juxtaposition of Simon the magician – who uses sleight of hand and deceit to lure in an audience – with Philip the apostle – who allows the Spirit to work through him to call others to Christ. Which are we today? Who are our friends, family, companions and colleagues? What do we expect from our world? How do we interact with all of God’s creatures and God’s creation?

Following the martyring of Stephen, the apostles scatter. This brutal act which was meant to stifle the Spirit only carries it out into the world. As always, God turns all harm to good – if we prepare ourselves to receive God’s gift of grace.

We might examine our conscience as we move into our Lenten journey.

You thought you could obtain God’s gift with money . . . Pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you . . .

Do I want to know the truth even when inconvenient?

Peter said . . . your heart is not right with God . . .

Will I accept critique, even when it is delivered unkindly?

How can I understand [the Gospel] unless someone guides me . . .?

Am I willing to listen more than I talk?

The crowds listened eagerly to what was said by Philip, hearing and seeing the signs that he did . . .

Do I consistently create time and space for God in my life no matter the circumstance?

Now those [apostles] who were scattered went from place to place . . .

Am I willing to proclaim the good news even when joy eludes me?

Philip proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus . . .

We cannot purchase or earn God’s grace in any way. God’s grace is not a trick that fools the eye or ear. God’s grace is the action of Spirit that moves within and through us. The proper response to this gift is our gratitude, our fidelity, and our willingness to build the kingdom with all who are likewise called by God.

We may be tempted to worry only about ourselves and we may want to think that our relationship with God is with God alone. We find out, once we begin to listen well, that we are to act in concord with one another despite and even because of our differences. God’s great oneness is not a monolith but a kaleidoscope variety of his creatures and creation. Once we begin to notice what attracts us to God, once we begin to discern our reason for seeking God, we will know if we are looking for magic to solve our problems, or the Spirit that transforms us into faithful kingdom builders.

A re-post from November 10, 2011.

Image from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nucci,_Avanzino_-_Petrus%27_Auseinandersetzung_mit_Simon_Magus_-_1620.jpg

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December 5, 2025

examination of conscious, John, Lent, Peter, Philip
Judith 1: A Lesson Worth Living
Judith 1: A Lesson Worth Learning

Thursday, December 4, 2025

Benjamin Jean Joseph Constant: Judith
Just this morning I was speaking with a friend about Nebuchadnezzar and when I opened the Bible for the Noontime reflection I saw his name in the middle of the page. I thought back to the conversation and remembered that my friend was saying how the extravagance at the Oscar awards celebration made her think of this man who demands that his subjects worship him. We might take a lesson from this. The beginning of the book of Judith is about how Nebuchadnezzar demands much of his vassal nations and of how he exacts his demands by making war. This is the backdrop for the story of Judith which we have visited often. It is an environment of violence and survival, a dangerous setting with various groups of people: the Assyrians, Persians, Medes, and Chaldeans. Rivers familiar to us from our school studies mark borders: the Tigris and Euphrates, the Jordan. We recognize the names of countries: Egypt and Ethiopia. The name of King Arphaxad is new and even exotic. The opening of this drama brings with it the known and unknown with destruction immediately announced. Frontiers are breached, limits are exceeded. We know that this will not be a gentle story. This dovetails, in a surprising way, with the first reading for Mass today from Sirach (17:20-24) about how one who is penitent is guided to God by God. I am wondering if these leaders in the opening chapter of Judith would heed this kind of advice if offered to them. I am wondering about people who believe they know the best way to do everything. I am hoping that I have better ears and a bigger heart than the leaders we read about today.

To the penitent God provides a way back, he encourages those who are losing hope and has chosen for them the lot of truth. Return to him and give up sin, pray to the Lord and make your offenses few.

This is good advice to follow when we find ourselves baffled, lost or alone; but it is impossible to follow if we are actively involved in anger. Strong, negative emotions are easy to use against others; they are difficult to put aside once they have become comfortable tools.

Who in the nether world can glorify the Most High in place of the living who offer their praise? Dwell o longer in the error of the ungodly, but offer your praise before death.

This is good advice to follow when we are embroiled in conflict or swamped with fear. If we can do nothing else, we can begin to praise God, even if we can only begin half-heartedly.

How great the mercy of the Lord, his forgiveness of those who return to him!

There is a good ending that comes to the faithful in today’s story if we want to read ahead; and this story teaches us a lesson worth learning. “There can be no doubt that Judith was meant as didactic fiction, not factual history . . . Part 1 narrates a military and religious struggle that begins in Persia and makes its way across the western nations to the little Israelite town Bethulia . . . Part 2 tells how the God-fearing woman Judith destroys the enemies of Israel. This ‘beautiful’ widow of Manasseh (8.7) lays aside the sackcloth of her widowhood in order to make herself ‘very beautiful, to entice the eyes of all the men who might see here’ . . . Together Parts 1 and 2 show what it means to serve only one God, to turn to this God for an easing of life’s plights, and to trust God without reserve. The book teaches that by vocation and God’s design, the covenant people are free if they fear only God and rely wholeheartedly on the covenant.” (Mays 1460-1461)

Repent, return and celebrate. This is a lesson worth learning. It is a lesson worth enacting in our lives.

A re-post from November 9, 2011.

Image from: http://bible-women.blogspot.com/2009/07/proud-judith.html

Mays, James L., ed. HARPERCOLLINS BIBLE COMMENTARY. New York, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1988. 1460-1461. Print.

Written on February 28 and posted today as a Favorite . . .

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December 4, 2025

known and unknown elements, repentance, return and celebrate, Sirach 17:20-24
Psalm 19: The Builder’s Craft
Psalm 19: The Builder’s Craft

Wednesday, December 3, 2025

If we get away from ambient light to look into the heavens on a clear night, we will see millions of stars. And it is all too breath-taking. The sky proclaims the builder’s craft.

On a clear day when we look into the skies, we see powder puffs or high horse tails of clouds; on other days the banks and streaks of clouds announce a coming storm. And it is all too awesome. The sky proclaims the builder’s craft.

If we look at the one who announces God among us, Jesus, we see that he is all too splendid. He too, proclaims the builder’s craft. He is the Lord’s law, the new law that supersedes the old and fulfills the promises made to Abraham. The psalmist describes this law, this Christ to us. He is . . . perfect, refreshing, trustworthy, giving wisdom, right, clear, pure, true, desirable, and sweet. He comes to save and restore. He is among us to transform. He is our rock and our redeemer.

We are also the builder’s craft for we are created in God’s image, adopted as Jesus’ sisters and brothers, consoled and protected by God’s Spirit. When we allow ourselves to be cleansed of our faults – both known and unknown – then shall we be blameless and innocent of grave sin.

Then will the words or our mouths meet with the Lord’s favor.

Then will we keep our thoughts ever before God.

Then will we fully know that we are, like the skies, the handiwork of God’s loving hands.

Then will we declare with full voice the glory of God, and like the skies, then will we . . . proclaim the builder’s craft.

A re-post from November 8, 2011.

Image from: http://www.arizonatourismcenter.com/scottsdale/index-scottsdale.php/Stargazing-Tours-14/

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December 3, 2025

clarity, desirable, Jesus as God’s craft, night sky, perfection, purity, refreshing, stars, sweetness, trustworthiness, truth, wisdom
Jeremiah 16: The Source of Life
Jeremiah 16: The Source of Life

Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Michaelangelo: The Prophet Jeremiah – The Sistine Chapel

Here we have the explanation for Jeremiah’s celibacy: this state has divine origin, and it announces Israel’s fate that life as they have known it has ended. With no family, Jeremiah’s social isolation is complete; there is no future. “The world has become utterly silent. There will be no mourning rituals, no feasting . . . Jeremiah’s celibacy signifies the total obliteration of daily domestic life. Vv. 10-13 ask the questions that lie at the heart of the book and belong to the experience of exile: why has God done this to us? What is our sin?” They have abandoned God, worshiped other gods and have broken the law. They may think that compromise and bartering will win them a reprieve but in the end there is nothing without God. (Barton and Muddiman 503)

All is bleak. Until we come to the end of the chapter with a liturgical song of conversion in verses 19 to 21 that serves as a model for repentance and a roadmap back to safety for the faithful who remain. Through Jeremiah’s suffering, a remnant of the people may be saved. Seen in this light, the chapter defends Yahweh from charges of injustice. Seen in this way, celibacy is seen as a source of life. Scripture is full of irony: what is lost is gained, what is empty is full, what is childless bears fruit.

Genesis 11:30: Now Sarai was barren; she had no children . . .

Eugene de Blaas: A Helping Hand

Psalm 113:9: He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children . . .

Isaiah 54:1: “Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord.

When we find ourselves cut off from our dreams, when we feel as though there are few options open to us, when we believe that we have nowhere to turn, we may want to consider our offering of suffering. It may be the source of life for others and therefore the source of life for ourselves.

A re-post from November 7, 2011.

Images from:https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blaas_Eugen_von_A_Helping_Hand_1884_Oil_On_Panel.jpg and http://www.artbible.info/art/large/74.html

Barton, John, and John Muddiman. THE OXFORD BIBLE COMMENTARY. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2001. 503. Print.

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December 2, 2025

celibacy as fruitful, conversion, Genesis 11:30, Isaiah 54:1, Psalm 113:9