Pious Bob

St. Paul makes life so simple, but yet so hard: “…For I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty…I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:4-13). Can we believe this? “I can

Nehemiah said: “And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your ordinances, by the observance of which a person shall live. They turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. Many years you

Jesus instructs us about being prepared: “Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” (Matthew 25:1-13). The parable of the bridesmaids and their lamps as told by

St. Paul commissions the spiritual battle gear for the faithful in saying: “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord

Many times Jesus communicates a truth to us through a parable. In the Gospel of Matthew we hear: “And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these

Resurrection is a hard thing to grasp for most of us. St. Paul had a tough time convincing people in his time. Resurrection is the cornerstone of our Christian Faith. Paul told the Corinthians: “Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn

While the Book of The Revelation to John can be awkward for many readers of the Bible, it can help us connect with the mystery of our Lord and God through metaphorical teachings. Just like in the words of the song, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” the description “fortress” is a metaphor communicating God’s

 St. Paul did a lot of convincing in the communities he ministered to. It’s hard for some to merge the old with the new without hanging on to the old. Here Paul says to the Galatians: “For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed

St. Paul gave us some good advice in his letter to the Corinthians. He helps us today in removing the stumbling blocks in our seeking the Lord: “You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of human masters. In whatever condition you were called, brothers and sisters, there remain with God.” (1 Corinthians 7:10-24 NRSV).

God calls

  St. Paul fires out at us over the law of his time versus the relief Christ gives us in His suffering for us in saying: 

“For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book

The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is the anchor of our Christianity. Jesus wanted to be sure that His resurrection was real and not a hoax, so he planted some seeds. He did this after His human death: “But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my

  David moved from doing things his way to doing things God’s way. He says in Psalm 5: “But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover them with

 St. Paul speaks to the Thessalonians about crediting God for His Words: “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s Word, which is also at work in you believers.” (1 Thessalonians

The world is full of leaders in all aspects of life. In reading the Gospel according to Matthew, we hear just what our Lord’s explanation of leadership is:  “...but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came

Paul’s teaching time with the Corinthians using their own words: “’All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are beneficial.’All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12-20).

Paul quotes what some Corinthians had said, that “All things are lawful for me,” and warns them of the danger of

 St. Paul reminds us concerning the origin of the word: “We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.” (1 Thessalonians 2:9-13,17-20).

 In Paul’s letter to the Romans we hear: “For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:15b-19).

The bad news is that Adam ate the forbidden fruit. The good news is that Christ has brought abundant consumable fruit. A number of

In the Gospel of Mark, we hear a man say something that many have a hard time saying today: “Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was God’s Son!” (Mark 15:33-39).

On our last day will it be said of us that, “Truly this

This portion of Psalm 91 meant much to me as I faced a hurdle in life: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” (Psalm 91:11-12).

This psalm impacted me in a time

We hear in Psalm 50 how thanking the Lord and living right is all He wants: “Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!...Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God.” (Psalm 50)

Everything that we do should

We hear in the Gospel of Matthew: “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven...” (Matthew 5:43-48).

If anyone needs praying for, your enemies do. If we were in a right relationship with God, would we pray for harm to come

In 1 John we venture into our true relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit: “For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers

In the Acts of the Apostles we hear Jesus telling Paul: “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you...” (Acts 18:1-11).

Paul was opposed and reviled in the synagogue in Corinth. He then went out to proclaim Jesus to the Gentiles in the surrounding area. The Lord spoke to Paul in

In 2-Peter we are reminded of challenges of life before us, and at the same time realize how difficult those challenges are for us: “For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness,

The Bible seems to connect with everything in life. In Leviticus we hear: “You shall not revile the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:14).

A week and a half ago my cochlear implant was activated. While my hearing ability has been deteriorating for several years

In the Acts of the Apostles we hear St. Paul speak to the Ephesian Elders: “But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace...remembering the words of the Lord Jesus,

In 1 John we see our second chances: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins

In 1 Peter we hear of God’s gift to us through Jesus: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in

In the Gospel according to Luke we hear this concerning Peter: “And he went out and wept bitterly.” (Luke 22:52-62).

Peter is destroyed as he realizes his denials, which Jesus had predicted. This was a low point in Peter’s life. He had committed everything to Jesus. He had gone the whole way of Christ’s ministry. Now, as Jesus is

In St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, he gives us some good food for thought:  “Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise;