Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
Bible Verse of the Day
Bible Verse of the Day
Jan 18, 2026 4:51 AM

  Daily Verse Reflection

  Commentary on Zechariah 4:1-7

  (Read Zechariah 4:1-7)

  The prophet's spirit was willing to attend, but the flesh was weak. We should beg of God that, whenever he speaks to us, he would awaken us, and we should then stir up ourselves. The church is a golden candlestick, or lamp-bearer, set up for enlightening this dark world, and holding forth the light of Divine revelation. Two olive trees were seen, one on each side the candlestick, from which oil flowed into the bowl without ceasing. God brings to pass his gracious purposes concerning his church, without any art or labour of man; sometimes he makes use of his instruments, yet he needs them not. This represented the abundance of Divine grace, for the enlightening and making holy the ministers and members of the church, and which cannot be procured or prevented by any human power. The vision assures us that the good work of building the temple, should be brought to a happy end. The difficulty is represented as a great mountain. But all difficulties shall vanish, and all the objections be got over. Faith will remove mountains, and make them plains. Christ is our Zerubbabel; mountains of difficulty were in the way of his undertaking, but nothing is too hard for him. What comes from the grace of God, may, in faith, be committed to the grace of God, for he will not forsake the work of his own hands.

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
David Deavel on popular misconceptions about socialism
At Respect Life Radio, University of St. Thomas professor of Catholic Studies David Deavel invokes Lord Acton’s famous dictum in a two-part conversation on the differences between the trendy, popular socialism in our politics today and many actual socialist states, both historically and in the present. Says Deavel, Lord Acton’s famous line that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely is … true in every system, but it is particularly true in a system where you start from a premise...
The case for capitalism
In preparation for the 2020 presidential elections, democratic candidates are playing by an increasingly progressive rule book: which candidate can promise the most (supposedly) free stuff? Sen. Elizabeth Warren has announced plans to forgive two and four-year college debt by raking in $640 billion from “ultra millionaires.” Sen. Kamala Harris wants e renters to receive billions in tax credits in addition to further Medicare expansion. South Bend, Indiana Mayor, Pete Buttigieg, recently added climate change proposals to his platform, promising...
Unseen wonders: Man’s creative power and the sacramentality of nature
When I lived in Rome I taught a religious education class for a year, preparing kids for their first Communion. When they found out I was American, some of them were confused as to why I e all the way across the Atlantic to study in Italy. In response I tried to point out that while they were used to the beauty of Rome, the closeness of the Pope, and all the rest, for those of us who didn’t grow...
7 Figures: U.S. school districts spending per pupil
Earlier this week the U.S. Census Bureau released a report that reveals how much U.S. school districts spend per pupil. Here are seven figures from the report you should know: 1. The amount spent per pupil for public elementary and secondary education (prekindergarten through 12th grade) for all 50 states and the District of Columbia increased by 3.7 percent to $12,201 per pupil during the 2017 fiscal pared to $11,763 per pupil in 2016, according to new tables released today...
Great news: Even ‘socialists’ love the free market (poll)
A Gallup poll released Monday made headlines: “Four in 10 Americans Embrace Some Form of Socialism.” However, the headline could have read, “Seven in 10 Americans reject the central premise of socialism.” When Gallup asked if “some form of socialism” would be “a good thing or a bad thing,” 41 percent said it would and 52 percent said it would not. However, the public’s response to an ill-defined “socialism” reveals less than a more detailed question buried deeper in the...
Getting the Reagan Revolution right
“In the eyes of Ronald Reagan, I saw sparks of hope,” said the old Leninist Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, about the man who became a conservative legend. Gorbachev was not alone in his assessment. Historian Paul Johnson — who knew Reagan personally — wrote that even those who profoundly disagreed with him, could not help but like him. Reagan’s charm and charisma is undisputed, but there was something more to the man that is hard...
Alejandro Chafuen in Forbes: Xi Jinping’s ‘New Long March’
Alejandro Chafuen, Acton’s Managing Director, International, writes today in Forbes of the growing trade war between the United States and China. Chinese president Xi Jinping recently characterized the road ahead as a “new Long March,” in a reference to Mao Zedong’s legendary strategic retreat from Chiang Kai-Shek’s nationalist forces in 1934. Chafuen offers his take on the two sides in this “war,” as well as on possible es and effects. Xi Jinping has proclaimed to the Chinese that they should...
Athenians and Visigoths: Neil Postman’s graduation speech
While it could be argued that youth is wasted on the young, it is indisputable mencement addresses are wasted on young graduates. Sitting in a stuffy auditorium waiting to receive a parchment that marks the beginning of one’s student loan repayments is not the most conducive atmosphere for soaking up wisdom. Insight, which can otherwise seep through the thickest of skulls, cannot pierce mortarboard. Most colleges and universities recognize this fact and schedule the graduation speeches accordingly. Schools regularly choose...
An aid to defining ‘capitalism’
I am working on a project now that has to do with the various attempts to reform, redeem, redirect, or otherwise update capitalism. And in so doing, I’m reminded of one of the most incisive, insightful, and relevant passages in all of Catholic Social Teaching. I’m of course referring to section 42 of John Paul II’sCentesimus Annus, in which he distinguishes between two definitions of capitalism. This distinction is outlined in response to the following questions: “can it perhaps be...
Robbing Pietro to pay Paolo? The zero-sum game in Italy’s welfare state
Robbing Peter to pay Paul. This is an idiomatic expression about bad – or at least disappointing – economics. Curiously, it was born within the context of the Church’s supposedly poor financial administration of its properties. While there are many sources to the origin of the idiom, there is a famous story from 17th C. England when a bishop was said to have ordered funds transferred from one old church (St. Peter’s Abbey) to another in disrepair (St. Paul’s Cathedral)....
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved