Bill Hao

I will follow Jesus The Gospel passage from Luke 9:51-62 marks the beginning of the journey of Jesus and His disciples to Jerusalem. Luke sets the tone of this journey by stating the firm determination of Christ to fulfill His mission in Jerusalem; i.e., His Passion, Death and Resurrection. There were four incidents in this Gospel narrative: the refusal of the Samaritans to welcome Jesus and His group of disciples and three incidents of would-be disciples. These four incidents contain…

The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ The Eucharist has always been celebrated by the Church since Jesus instituted it at the Last Supper. There are some things that never changed: the matter of bread and wine, the form of the celebration has always included the sharing of the word and the memorial of the Last Supper, and the firm conviction of true believers that the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Christ. Many Christians do not believe…

The Holy Trinity and the supernatural virtues The 3 supernatural virtues of faith, hope and love relate directly to God, and they dispose the Christian to live in a right relationship with the Holy Trinity. The source, the motive and the object of the 3 supernatural virtues is the Holy Trinity. By God’s grace, they are infused in the souls of the faithful to make them capable of living as God’s children and of meriting eternal life. (see CCC 1812-1813)…

Come Holy Spirit Many Christians do not realize it, but FAITH begins with Holy Spirit. St. Paul wrote to the early Church in Corinth: “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.” (1 Cor 12:3) St. Irenaeus, who was bishop of Lyons in 130-202 AD, taught that “it is impossible to see God’s Son without the Spirit, and no one can approach the Father without the Son, for the knowledge of the Father is the Son,…

Jesus Christ Ascended into Heaven When the earthly mission of Christ was fulfilled, He ascended into heaven to return to His Father. Is heaven a place where God lives? According to the Catechism of the Church, heaven is not just one kind of thing. What is Heaven? Heaven is the perfect life with the Most Holy Trinity – a communion of life and love with the Trinity, the Virgin Mary, the angels and the saints. Heaven is the ultimate goal…

The Peace that Christ gives  What is peace? Many people think of peace as the absence of problems or conflict. That is true, and in many cases problems or conflict can either be external or internal, or even both. External conflict like wars or civil disturbance affect a lot of people; they deprive communities, cities and countries of peace. In other cases, problems arise when disagreements between persons escalate into anger or hurtful behavior. On the other hand, illness, uncertainty…

Love one another After Judas left at the Last Supper, Jesus said to His disciples: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35) What does this commandment mean and what are the implications of this bible verse? In the Pentateuch, only God gave commandments; therefore, giving a…

God’s appointed Shepherd It was the Feast of the Dedication and the Jews gathered around Jesus in Jerusalem. They confronted Jesus and said, “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” (John 10:24) Jesus replied, “I told you and you do not believe… You do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.” (cf. John 10:25-26) Is there a connection between the Feast of the Dedication and Jesus as the Good Shepherd? The Feast of the Dedication (Hanukkah) is…