Bill Hao

The Breaking of Bread What does “breaking of bread” mean? According to Jewish custom, communal meals began with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God over a loaf of bread, which was then broken and given to the participants. This “breaking of bread” is a special rite with fraternal and religious significance. The Gospels tell us that Jesus “broke bread” with His disciples, especially at the Last Supper. On the night before He offered Himself as Sacrifice on the…

What is Faith? For Christians, what is faith? Faith is a personal adherence of man to God; i.e., a person has a relationship of attachment and commitment with God. At the same time, faith is a free assent to everything that God has revealed; i.e., a person approves and agrees freely with everything that God has revealed. (cf. CCC 150) For a Christian, faith means believing in Jesus Christ, the beloved Son of God — the One sent by God…

Happy Easter! The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ The story of the Resurrection of Christ is a real human experience; it is not a fairy tale where everyone suddenly lives happily ever after. Beginning with the original disciples of Christ, the story of Christ’s Resurrection lives on in the hearts and minds of Christians even today.   Who were the first doubters of the Resurrection of Christ? The faith of the disciples was drastically put to the test by their…

Redemption and Salvation What is Redemption? Redemption is the act in which Jesus Christ paid the price of His own sacrificial Death on the Cross in order to free mankind from the slavery of sin. In his epistle, St. Peter told the early Christians: “You were ransomed from your futile conduct not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb.” (1Peter 1:18-19) By sending His own Son in…

Life and Death The Gospel account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead has several points of spiritual significance, here are three of them: Reference to the resurrection of the dead in the Old Testament can be found in the Book of Daniel: Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some to everlasting life, others to reproach and everlasting disgrace (Dan 12:2). In Jesus’ time, the Jews were divided about the resurrection of the…