Christ is in our Midst

(Read Joel 4:12-21)

The prophet Joel presents a vision both terrible and glorious—a revelation of divine judgment and renewal that compels every generation to reflection. The nations are summoned to the Valley of Decision, where the Lord Himself sits as Judge. It is a scene of awe and trembling—the earth quakes, the heavens darken, and the voice of God resounds from Zion. Yet within this fearful vision lies the assurance that the Lord is a refuge for His people and a stronghold for all who trust in His Name.
Continue reading →

(Read St. Luke 11:15-26)

The ministry of Jesus Christ often provoked both wonder and hostility. In this passage, His casting out of demons leads some to an accusation that He does so by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons. Others, unwilling to believe, demand yet another sign from heaven. Their blindness is not of the eyes but of the heart. They behold divine power at work before them, yet attribute it to evil. Christ, perceiving their thoughts, exposes the absurdity of their claim—a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Evil does not destroy itself. If demons are cast out, then a stronger power must be present — the very power of God. The Lord’s words unveil a spiritual truth of enduring relevance. Every human soul is a battleground of kingdoms. The kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness contend for mastery within the heart. To yield to sin is to strengthen the adversary; to repent is to invite the reign of God. A divided heart cannot long endure. The person who professes faith yet clings to secret sins, who prays but harbours resentment, who confesses Christ but refuses obedience — such a one builds upon shifting sand. Only a heart wholly surrendered to the Lord can stand firm against the assaults of evil.
Continue reading →

(Read St. Luke 11:5–13)

Following His teaching on prayer, our Lord deepens the lesson with a parable that reveals both the persistence required in prayer and the generosity of God who answers it. A man goes to his friend at midnight seeking bread for a traveller in need. Though the friend is reluctant, the petitioner’s persistence prevails. Christ draws from this familiar image a lesson that extends beyond human relationships — if even imperfect men respond to persistence, how much more will the heavenly Father, who is perfect in love, hear the cries of His children.
Continue reading →

(Read St. Luke 11:1-4)

In this passage we see the disciples not asking for power, wisdom, or signs, but for instruction in prayer. Having witnessed the Lord at prayer, they long to share in that same communion. Their request, “Lord, teach us to pray,” expresses the deepest yearning of the human heart — to speak rightly with God. Christ responds with the words that have become the very breath of the Church, “Our Father who art in heaven.”

The prayer begins not with the self, but with God. It lifts the soul above its private concerns into the reality of divine sonship. To call God “Father” is an act of grace; it acknowledges that we are not strangers or slaves, but His children, adopted through love. To hallow His Name is to desire that all creation glorify Him, and to pray for His Kingdom is to long for His reign to be fully revealed both in the world and within the heart.
Continue reading →

(Read Jonah 3:1–10)

The account of Jonah and the repentance of Nineveh is among the most vivid portrayals of divine mercy in the Bible. It is a testimony not only to God’s sovereignty but to His boundless compassion, showing that even the most wayward of peoples may be restored if they turn from evil and seek His face. The word of the Lord comes to Jonah a second time—a gracious phrase in itself, for it reveals that the Almighty is patient even with His reluctant prophet. Jonah had fled from his calling, yet God did not cast him aside. The divine purpose endures even when human faith falters.
Continue reading →

“And behold, a certain lawyer stood up, making trial of him, and saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And he said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answered and said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” (St. Luke 10:25-37)

In this Gospel reading we see the encounter between Christ and the lawyer; we are drawn into the heart of the Gospel itself—the call to love. The question posed, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?”, is not one of spiritual hunger, though it is mingled with the lawyer’s desire to test the Lord. Yet Christ, in His divine wisdom, does not rebuke him but directs him to the Law that he already knows. The path to eternal life, our Lord shows, is not hidden from human understanding; it has been written upon the pages of the Holy Scriptures and, more deeply still, upon the human heart. The lawyer’s reply — to love God wholly and to love one’s neighbour as oneself—unites heaven and earth in a single command. Love is not presented as sentiment, but as the very substance of the divine life into which humanity is called. Our understanding of salvation is precisely this—participation in the life of God through love. To love God with heart, soul, strength, and mind is to surrender the totality of one’s being to Him, that His energies might transfigure every part of our existence. Such love demands not portions of affection but the full consecration of the person to the will of the Creator.
Continue reading →

(Read St. Luke 10:17–24)

The disciples return rejoicing, filled with holy awe at the authority granted to them through the Name of Christ. Even the demons, they declare, are subject to His power. However, the Lord gently redirects their joy. He acknowledges the victory they have witnessed — the fall of Satan, swift and irrevocable as lightning — but reminds them that true rejoicing must rest not so much in triumph over evil, but in the eternal security of belonging to God. “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” This is the joy that endures when miracles fade and earthly labours cease.

The Lord’s words teach us to discern the nature of spiritual joy. Power and success, even when exercised in the service of the Kingdom, are never the foundation of our peace. The essence of Christian joy is not found in what we accomplish for God, but in what God has done for us. He has inscribed our names in the Book of Life; He has claimed us as His own. The disciples’ authority is real, but their salvation is the greater miracle — the restoration of communion between creature and Creator.
Continue reading →