The Inner Room- Emotions in the Bible

The story of the debtor who cannot forgive is ours. We can struggle with it. The Lord can help us

The story of Naaman, a Syrian army commander who has leprosy and goes to Elisha to be cured, shows us how we can close our heart to miracles right at the moment when they’re about to happen. When we let pride and anger take over we close off. In the story of the Gospel of Luke, we find Jesus traveling to Nazareth and speaking in the synagogue about this very story. He says that a prophet is not we...

The parable of the prodigal son teaches us to experience and extend mercy. Psalm 103 teaches us to thank God for His mercy

Exodus 20: 1-17 teaches us the 10 Commandments. They are the law for our life. We will be judged according to it. Jesus shows His zeal at the Temple throwing out the tax collectors. God is merciful and just.

Genesis 37 tells the story of Joseph called a master of dreams by his brothers and thrown into a cistern to be finally sold to the slavery to a caravan of salesmen. Dreams? Who has shown great jealousy for you? How has the Lord redeems your heart? The Gospel tells the story of the land owner of a vineyard. His son is killed by his servants. Sometimes things that are so unfair and horrific happen i...

Jeremiah 17, 5 - 10 speaks about trusting in the Lord. Psalm 1 says blessed are they who hope in the Lord. What is hope? The choice to trust in the Lord in the midst of difficulties.

Jeremiah and Jesus both endured gossip. Psalm 31 teaches us to pray-save me oh Lord in your kindness. Psalm 31 also has the words of Jesus on the cross “into your hands I commend my spirit.” Let us be humble and let us come in our spirit of God in the midst of difficulties like gossip.

Come now says the Lord, Go to your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow. (Isaiah 1) Psalm 50 Jesus tells us not to be like the Pharisees and scribes who seek to be exalted. He says the greatest amongst you must be your servant

The reading from the book of Deut tells us to pray to God asking for His mercy, one of his qualities. We recognize our sinfulness, rebellion, disobedience. We appeal to God to help us. The Psalm for today is 79 - we ask God to not deal with us according to our sins. Jesus tells us “Be merciful just as your Father is merciful” a measure with which you judge you will be judged.

The first reading from the book of Genesis shows us Abraham ready to do God’s will in bringing his son Isaac to be sacrificed. This is a terrifying story that shows us the ability of a heart to align with God, even when one does not understand what God is asking. Do we trust in God’s character to be true? Do we trust that he will not go against his own Commandments? Abraham does. Abraham shows a r...

It is not easy to love our enemies. But Jesus asks us for the kind of perfection. In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 26 Moses says that we must follow the Commandments, decrees and statutes of the Lord. We must walk in His ways and observe all that He has commanded. This is the definition of holiness, to be people set apart by our behavior. Psalm 119 says “blessed are they who follow the law of th...

In the readings for today we hear Jesus ask what does it mean for our righteousness to surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees? Righteousness means obedience, and alignment with the ways of God. Jesus says if you find yourself angry with your brother on the way to the temple, go first to reconcile. Psalm 130 says if you are lord mark inequities who can stand? In the first reading from the Prophe...

Queen Esther prostrates herself with her handmaids from morning until evening with ashes in sackcloth asking for God’s help. How do you ask for help from the Lord? Do you give thanks to the Lord with all your heart as you worship and petition? It is important to remember that the Lord answers we call for help. This is Psalm 38. Do you remember how God has helped in our lives and moved obstacles wi...

Jonah is such a great Bible character. We are so like him! God invites us to help in some way and often we go in the opposite direction. When Jonah finally relents and obeys, he converts an entire city.

God keeps His promises. Sometimes it may take a long time according to our desires. for something to come to pass. God always delivers.

Feast of the Chair of Peter. Peter speaks to the presbyters as one himself. He speaks with the authority given to him by Jesus in Caesarea Philipi when He gives Peter the keys to the Kingdom. Peter is a shepherd, caring for the flock. Today we celebrate that in the succession of that authority, we continue the mission entrusted to Peter today.

The first reading today is from Genesis 9, and tells the story of Noah and his family being saved. In Mark 1 Jesus says that the time of fulfillment is here, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. His instruction for us this Lent is to repent.

Read Isaiah 58, where we get specific instructions on how to renew our strength when we stop oppression, false accusations and malicious speech, when we focus our energy on giving bread to the hungry and satisfying the afflicted. Then says Isaiah, light shall rise from us in the darkness. Isaiah invites us to keep the Sabbath holy so that we may delight in the Lord. In Psalm 86 m, we ask God to te...

In the readings from today, we learn why we fast. Isaiah 58 has a list of all the things that are pleasing to the Lord when we fast: clothe the naked children, shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, set free the oppressed. Psalm 51 reminds us that God will not spurn a contrite and humble heart. And in Matthew 9, Jesus reminds the disciples that while he’s with them they’re not going to fast but wh...

That are only two ways as Moses in Deuter 30,In the way of life. Lent gives us a way to align ourselves with the plan of God for our lives. Psalm 1 says “Blessed are those who hope in the Lord.” As we make a plan for lent to Fasti, to pray, and to get around, we place our hope in the Lord. Jesus tells us that we must pick up across the line ourselves with God’s plan. The cross is our sword, the Wo...

We praise the Lord in hardship. We prepare ourselves with prayer, alms giving and fasting

Genesis 6 tells the story of Noah being saved in the great flood. He found faith and favor. Psalm 29 reminds us to praise the Lord, to bless his name, and to ask God to bless us with his peace in the midst of hardship. In the gospel, Jesus ponders with the disciples why their hearts are hardened, why they can’t remember what God has done for them. Do we do the same thing? Do we lose faith? Let us...

In Genesis we see the birth of Cain and Abel. Abel, keeper of flocks finds favor before God; not so for Cain, tiller of the soil. The Lord sister Kay not to be resentful, to keep his head up in hardship, to practice being masterful. But Cain kills his brother. Lack of faith is based on lack of understanding on the basis of the relationship with God. Jesus is tested by the Pharisees, who seek a sig...

In today’s readings Jesus touches a leper, a radical move for the Israelites’ code of conduct. In the book of Leviticus from the first reading we see that a leper living outside of the city limits was to cry “unclean, unclean” to make sure that nobody approached him, to prevent contagion. This leper kneels before Jesus and asks that Jesus’ will be to make him clean. Jesus wills it Jesus wills it f...

In the book of Genesis today in chapter 3, God imparts justice on Adam and Eve, and on the serpent after Adam and Eve comment a sin. How do we act when we have been caught in an action that was improper? Psalm 90 tells us to find refuge in the Lord, He is a God of mercy and welcomes us. In the gospel reading from Mark 8, Jesus feeds 4000 people from seven loaves of bread. He takes the loaves, give...