Growing up my Godparents always gave me the greatest Christmas gifts. I was excited every year, to see what they would get me. For my thirteenth birthday, the gift that they gave to me was this Bible and I was really disappointed. I mean, what thirteen-year-old when he becomes a teenager wants a Bible (laughter)? But what I realize now is that this is the only gift I remember from my thirteenth birthday. I don’t remember what else I got. At that time, I didn’t know the gift that they had given to me, but all these years later, thirty years later, this is a treasure. This is the Bible that I pray with so often. My Godparents wrote in the beginning of this, “To our Godson, Michael. May this Bible fill you with joy, wisdom, and abiding faith all the days of your life. All our love, Uncle Dee and Auntie Marsha, May 15, 1992, your thirteenth birthday.”
St Paul says that when we go to scripture, we go there for
endurance, encouragement, and hope. All of us Catholics should be familiar with the Bible so much so that we should know where to go to in the Bible for encouragement, endurance, and hope. I know a lot of you, at your thirteenth birthday, maybe didn’t get a Bible and maybe you don’t even know where it is. I’d like to ask you, how many of you have a Bible at home, raise your hand? All right, great, I think you’ve all got one. If you don’t have a Bible, give yourself an early Christmas gift and go to the religious goods store or online and buy the most beautiful Bible you can so that it is something you enjoy praying with. The second question is, how many of you know where your Bible is, raise your hand? OK good, you all know that. The third is, how many of you open your Bible and pray with it every day, raise your hand? Oh, we got a little bit less on that one.
We all need endurance, encouragement, and hope, but I know sometimes we don’t know where to look for that in the Bible. Sometimes the Bible can be very intimidating for us. My encouragement would be, if you don’t know passages that would bring you endurance, encouragement and hope, just ask somebody what their favorite scripture passage is. Anyone, friends, family. Ask them, “What is your favorite scripture passage?” After they tell you, ask them why. For example, I want to do that right here at Mass today. I want to ask you, if you could be so brave as to raise your hand, if you can tell me what your favorite scripture verse is, and why (Father walks into the congregation).
John 3:16, “He so loved the world that he gave his only son.”
Proverbs 3: 5 and 6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways and he will make straight your path.” That’s wonderful that we have it so memorized.
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans, chapter 8. Very good.
“I can do all things through the Lord that strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13.
Matthew 28:18. “All power in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go there making disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I command you. Behold I am with you all days even until the consummation of the world.”
“Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4.
“Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7.
Now, each one of those that you knew by heart, it would be interesting to ask why, why is that your favorite scripture passage? Tell me more about that. You can do this with anyone. Almost everybody will have a scripture passage that they love. Then after you hear different ones, you can go back to your Bible and open up that verse and pray with that passage.
The one that brings me endurance is Exodus 14:14. It’s a simple phrase, “The Lord himself will fight for you. You have only to keep still.” That brings me great peace that God is the one that will fight for me.
The one that brings me encouragement is Psalm 139, “The Lord searches me and knows me. He knows my resting and my rising. With all my ways he is familiar. He places his hand on my head.”
And the one that gives me hope is Luke 15, all of the three passages, but especially the Prodigal Son. “That while he was still a long way off, the father caught sight of his son, ran to him, embraced him and kissed him.” It brings me hope that sometimes, when I feel like I’m still a long way off, the father will run to me.
I compiled 100 verses for you and on the way out of mass you’ll have papers that you can take with you. It’s just the scripture passage with just a short phrase to kind of get you thinking and maybe looking it up. Like, that’s one I would like to look up.
You’ll have 100 phrases. That’s your homework. You can just find your Bible, pull it out, put it next to your Advent Wreath, and let this be a time in Advent of coming to grow in love of scripture, which is, as St. Paul says, “They will bring us endurance, encouragement and hope.”
Joshua 1:9 — “Be strong and steadfast.”
Isaiah 41:10 — “Do not fear: I am with you.”
Psalm 23:1 — “The Lord is my shepherd.”
Psalm 23:4 — “You are with me.”
Psalm 27:1 — “The Lord is my light.”
Psalm 27:14 — “Wait for the Lord.”
Psalm 34:18 — “The Lord is close.”
Psalm 46:1 — “God is our refuge.”
Psalm 55:22 — “He will sustain you.”
Psalm 91:1 — “In the shelter of the Most High.”
Psalm 91:4 — “Under his wings you may take refuge.”
Psalm 103:8 — “Merciful and gracious is the Lord.”
Psalm 121:1-2 — “My help comes from the Lord.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 — “Trust in the Lord.”
Isaiah 40:29 — “He gives power to the faint.”
Isaiah 40:31 — “They will soar on eagles’ wings.”
Isaiah 43:1 — “I have called you by name.”
Isaiah 43:2 — “I will be with you.”
Isaiah 54:10 — “My love shall never leave you.”
Jeremiah 29:11 — “Plans for your welfare.”
Jeremiah 31:3 — “I have loved you forever.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 — “His mercies are renewed each morning.”
Zephaniah 3:17 — “He will rejoice over you.”
Matthew 5:4 — “They will be comforted.”
Matthew 6:25 — “Do not worry about your life.”
Matthew 6:33 — “Seek first the kingdom.”
Matthew 7:7 — “Ask and it will be given.”
Matthew 11:28 — “I will give you rest.”
Matthew 19:26 — “For God all things are possible.”
Matthew 28:20 — “I am with you always.”
Mark 9:23 — “Everything is possible.”
Mark 11:24 — “Believe that you have received.”
Luke 1:37 — “Nothing will be impossible.”
Luke 6:38 — “Give and gifts will be given.”
Luke 12:32 — “Do not be afraid.”
Luke 18:1 — “Pray always without becoming weary.”
Luke 24:38 — “Why are you troubled?”
John 1:5 — “The light shines in the darkness.”
John 3:16 — “God so loved the world.”
John 6:35 — “I am the bread of life.”
John 10:10 — “Life in abundance.”
John 10:28 — “No one can take them out of my hand.”
John 11:25 — “I am the resurrection and the life.”
John 14:1 — “Do not let your hearts be troubled.”
John 14:27 — “My peace I give you.”
John 15:5 — “Without me you can do nothing.”
John 15:11 — “My joy may be in you.”
John 16:33 — “Take courage; I have conquered the world.”
Acts 1:8 — “You will receive power.”
Acts 2:21 — “Everyone who calls… will be saved.”
Romans 5:5 — “Hope does not disappoint.”
Romans 8:1 — “No condemnation now exists.”
Romans 8:18 — “The glory to be revealed.”
Romans 8:28 — “All things work for good.”
Romans 8:31 — “If God is for us…”
Romans 8:32 — “He will give us everything else.”
Romans 8:37 — “We conquer overwhelmingly.”
Romans 8:38-39 — “Nothing can separate us.”
Romans 12:12 — “Rejoice in hope.”
1 Corinthians 1:9 — “God is faithful.”
1 Corinthians 2:9 — “What eye has not seen.”
1 Corinthians 10:13 — “Not beyond your strength.”
1 Corinthians 13:7 — “Love bears all things.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 — “The God of all encouragement.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 — “Struck down but not destroyed.”
2 Corinthians 4:16 — “We are not discouraged.”
2 Corinthians 5:7 — “We walk by faith.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 — “My grace is sufficient.”
Galatians 2:20 — “Christ lives in me.”
Galatians 5:22-23 — “The fruit of the Spirit.”
Galatians 6:9 — “Do not grow weary.”
Ephesians 1:3 — “Every spiritual blessing.”
Ephesians 2:4-5 — “Rich in mercy.”
Ephesians 2:10 — “Created in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 3:20 — “Far more than all we ask.”
Ephesians 6:10 — “Be strong in the Lord.”
Philippians 1:6 — “He who began a good work.”
Philippians 2:13 — “God is the one who works in you.”
Philippians 4:4 — “Rejoice in the Lord always.”
Philippians 4:6-7 — “The peace of God… will guard you.”
Philippians 4:13 — “I can do all things.”
Colossians 1:11 — “Strengthened with every power.”
Colossians 3:15 — “Let the peace of Christ control you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 — “Encourage one another.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 — “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing.”
2 Thessalonians 3:3 — “The Lord is faithful.”
1 Timothy 1:15 — “Christ came to save sinners.”
2 Timothy 1:7 — “Spirit of power, love, and self-control.”
2 Timothy 2:11-12 — “If we endure, we shall also reign.”
2 Timothy 4:17 — “The Lord stood by me.”
Titus 3:5 — “He saved us.”
Hebrews 4:16 — “Approach the throne of grace.”
Hebrews 10:23 — “Hold unwaveringly to our confession.”
Hebrews 11:1 — “Faith is the realization.”
Hebrews 13:5 — “I will never forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:6 — “The Lord is my helper.”
James 1:2-4 — “The testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
1 Peter 5:7 — “Cast all your worries.”
1 John 3:1 — “See what love the Father has bestowed.
