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…
In the interest of providing a Safe Environment for our children while they are in our church, VIRTUS Training for Children (Grades K to 12) will be offered at our church on Sunday, August 21 at noon. Parents may choose not to have their children take the training by signing an opt-out form.
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…
A love so great Three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” Three times Peter responded, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” (John 21:15-17) And three times Jesus told Peter to care for His sheep. The three-fold affirmation of Peter’s love for Christ counteracts his previous three-fold denial of Christ. The Peter after the Resurrection of Christ was no longer the same Peter just a few days ago. Peter, who once feared being pointed out as a…
Testimony and Mercy Just because Thomas said, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe,” some people may quickly conclude that his faith was not as great as the other disciples. However, the story of the doubting Thomas (John 20:24-29) provides testimony to the Resurrection of Christ. Other stories of testimony include the story of Mary Magdalene and…
Have you ever wished that you have more faith? John’s Gospel tells us that at the Resurrection, the disciples “did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead” (John 20:9). At the time of Jesus’ Resurrection, the disciples had not yet understood what Jesus was all about, nor had they put all the pieces together about Him. What was that scripture passage that had to do with the Resurrection? There are 3: Psalm 16:10: “You…
The Perfect Sacrifice Does good come out of suffering? The short answer is – it really depends. The Gospel reading for Palm Sunday is the account of the Passion of the Lord. Jesus entered Jerusalem in order to carry out the final phase of His mission on earth, where ultimately, He was to suffer and die on the Cross and in three days rise again. In Jesus’ case, God made something really bad and turned it to something immeasurably good.…
Casting stones The story of the woman caught in adultery brings to mind a similar trap through which the Pharisees and Herodians attempted to ensnare Jesus; they asked Jesus: “Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” (Matthew 22:17) In the case of the woman brought before Jesus by the scribes and the Pharisees, they asked Jesus: “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us…