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“But the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). Because He understands our struggles in this life, the Holy Spirit continually prays for us before the Father’s throne. In the midst of life’s many difficulties and stressful times, there is hardly anything more comforting than knowing you have a friend—someone on your side. In the legal realm, an attorney formally argues your case when you need to settle a judicial or financial dispute. This concept of friend and advocate is right at the heart of the Holy Spirit’s role as our Paraclete, one called...

"Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17). To wield the sword of the Spirit is to apply specific Biblical principles to specific situations. Jesus gave us the perfect example of skillful and precise use of the sword of the Spirit. Following His baptism, "Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, command that...

The church is our mother, but it is Christ’s bride. In this role, we are the objects of Christ’s affection. We, corporately, are His beloved. Stained and wrinkled, in ourselves we are anything but holy. When we say that the church is holy or refer to her as “holy mother church,” we do so with the knowledge that her holiness is not intrinsic but derived and dependent upon the One who sanctifies her and covers her with the cloak of His righteousness. As the sensitive husband shelters his wife and in a chivalrous manner lends her his coat when she...

September 24, 2015   Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Hg 1:1-8 On the first day of the sixth month in the second year of King Darius,The word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggaito the governor of Judah, Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel,and to the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak: Thus says the LORD of hosts: This people says:“The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD.”(Then this word of the LORD came through Haggai, the prophet:)Is it time for you to dwell in your own paneled houses,while this...

“And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow-heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him” (Romans 8:17). The Holy Spirit confirms within our hearts the hope of eternal glory. I believe people today instinctively know they are devoid of glory (see Rom. 1:18-21), but they explore all the wrong avenues in seeking to regain it. They look for personal glory by building successful careers, spending many hours in community service, being generous to charities, and so forth. But such efforts only lead to jealousy and pride. Unregenerate...

"Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17). God’s Word is your primary offensive spiritual weapon. All the armor Paul lists in Ephesians 6 is defensive, with one exception: the sword of the Spirit. That's your offensive weapon for defeating Satan. We've seen that Roman soldiers carried two swords: the large broadsword and the small dagger. The Greek word translated "sword" in verse 17 refers to the dagger, which was anywhere from six to eighteen inches in length and was carried in a sheath or scabbard at the soldier's side. The...

September 23, 2015 Memorial of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, Priest Reading 1 Ezr 9:5-9 At the time of the evening sacrifice, I, Ezra, rose in my wretchedness,and with cloak and mantle torn I fell on my knees,stretching out my hands to the LORD, my God. I said: “My God, I am too ashamed and confounded to raise my face to you,O my God, for our wicked deeds are heaped up above our headsand our guilt reaches up to heaven.From the time of our fathers even to this daygreat has been our guilt,and for our wicked deeds we have been...

But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.( Matthew 23:8-10)Isn’t it interesting that the man who is hailed as the very “Vicar of Christ” , and who in the name of the Church of Christ recently signed a peace treaty with the so-called “Palestinian State” has come to America to meet with the man who virtually gave the terrorist state...

“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:14-16). The Holy Spirit confirms in our hearts the reality of adoption into God’s family. In first-century Rome, people did not practice adoption exactly the same as they do today. A father sometimes adopted a young man outside the...

The monastery is the sacred home of God, but also home to the nuns and monks who have dedicated their lives to God. Romania’s monasteries are known worldwide for their magnificent beauty, but what do we know about the people that live there? How different is the life they lead? How different is the way they see the world? Behind the Monastery Walls presents a selection of intimate and inspiring interviews in which nuns and monks in Romanian monasteries lay bare their thoughts and real beliefs. Behind the Monastery Walls is my graduation film from BA Media Production Coventry University....

September 22, 2015   Tuesday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 EzR 6:7-8, 12b, 14-20 King Darius issued an order to the officialsof West-of-Euphrates:“Let the governor and the elders of the Jewscontinue the work on that house of God;they are to rebuild it on its former site.I also issue this decreeconcerning your dealing with these elders of the Jewsin the rebuilding of that house of God:From the royal revenue, the taxes of West-of-Euphrates,let these men be repaid for their expenses, in full and without delay.I, Darius, have issued this decree;let it be carefully executed.” The elders...

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. (Revelation 13:11)Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.( I John 4:1)Jesus warned us that one of the scourges of the last days; endangering and threatening his church and deceiving the world in the last days, would be the proliferation of false prophets. The desperately needed Word of God, as sounded forth by those few choice true servants of...

“You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” (Romans 8:9). The indwelling Holy Spirit gives us an assurance of salvation. Assurance of salvation is essential to our Christian lives, and I can’t imagine living without it. And we must have clarity about it from a truly biblical standpoint. This begins with realizing that a genuine believer is in the Spirit and has been given a new nature (see John 3:6). If the Holy...

"Take the helmet of salvation" (Eph. 6:17). The key to conquering doubt is to focus on the preserving power of God. Doubt comes to Christians in many ways. After you've sinned, your conscience might hiss at you, saying, "Surely you're not a Christian. Why would God save you anyway? You don't deserve His mercy. You're not good enough. How presumptuous to think God could ever use you!" Such doubts are common among Christians who focus on their performance rather than God's power. All too often we're quick to acknowledge God's power to save us but slow to understand His power...

September 21, 2015 Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist Reading 1 Eph 4:1-7, 11-13 Brothers and sisters:I, a prisoner for the Lord,urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,with all humility and gentleness, with patience,bearing with one another through love,striving to preserve the unity of the Spiritthrough the bond of peace:one Body and one Spirit,as you were also called to the one hope of your call;one Lord, one faith, one baptism;one God and Father of all,who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each of...

“In order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4). If the Holy Spirit resides within us, we will be able to fulfill the demands of God’s law. Augustine once said, “Grace was given, in order that the law might be fulfilled.” When God saves us He, by His Spirit, creates within us the ability to obey His perfect law. Because we now live “according to the Spirit”—walking by the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit—we are able to do the...

"Take the helmet of salvation" (Eph. 6:17). Discouragement and doubt are deflected when you know you’re secure in Christ. The Roman soldier's helmet was a crucial piece of armor designed to deflect blows to the head—especially the potentially lethal blow of a broadsword. Soldiers of that day carried a swift and precise dagger designed for close- quarter hand-to-hand combat. But they also carried a giant broadsword, which was a two-edged, three to four-foot long sword. It had a massive handle that, similar to a baseball bat, was held with both hands. With it they could take broad swipes from side...

September 20, 2015 Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Wis 2:12, 17-20 The wicked say:Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;he sets himself against our doings,reproaches us for transgressions of the lawand charges us with violations of our training.Let us see whether his words be true;let us find out what will happen to him.For if the just one be the son of God, God will defend himand deliver him from the hand of his foes.With revilement and torture let us put the just one to the testthat we may have proof of his gentlenessand...

“Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ” (Ephesians 5:21). Spirit-filled believers will submit to one another. To the world, submission implies personal weakness or the coercive dominance of one person by another stronger, more intimidating individual. Such perspectives, however, are unbiblical. The noted expositor Martyn Lloyd-Jones describes submission’s original meaning in a military context, which helps us understand its scriptural definition: It is the picture of soldiers in a regiment, soldiers in a line under an officer . . . and if he [the soldier] begins to act on his own, and independently of the others, he...