The candle of the First Sunday of Advent is called the Prophet’s Candle, which symbolizes HOPE. The prophet Isaiah foretold the birth of Christ the Lord: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) This prophecy gave hope to a people who have been longing for a Messiah. For Christians, this prophecy has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who came into…
Quas Primas (In the First) Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe.Do you see the crown that Jesus is wearing and the scepter in His hands? This picture of Jesus shows us that Jesus Christ is not only our King, but also the King of the entire universe. Do you also see the heart of Jesus in this picture? The burning fire in the heart of Jesus represents the burning love of Jesus for…
The Final Coming of Christ Towards the latter part of Jesus’ ministry, after He and His disciples had reached Jerusalem, Jesus foretold His final coming to His disciples (Matthew 24:29-35; Mark 13:24-31; Luke 21:25-33). Some people call this final coming the Second Coming of Christ; others call it the Day of Judgment. Whichever it is called, the Gospels tell us that it will be accompanied by cataclysmic events: the sun and moon will no longer give light, the nations on…
Love until it hurts In the Gospels of Mark (12:41-44) and Luke (21:1-4), we find the story of a widow who, although making an offering of only two small coins, was commended by Christ as giving more than the large sums given by the rich; that is because the rich gave from their surplus, while the poor widow offered her whole livelihood. Does this mean that we ought, as one expression says, “to give until it hurts”? That saying has…
God desires love more than burnt offerings The commandments in the Torah (the Jewish Written Law) are based on the love of God and neighbor. In the Ten Commandments, to have no other god besides God, not to take the name of the Lord in vain, and to keep holy the Sabbath, all demonstrate man’s love of God. The remaining commandments, to honor one’s parents, to not kill, to not commit adultery, to not steal, to not bear false witness,…
Master, I want to see! There is no record of the blind who were healed in the Old Testament. However, there are passages in the Psalms and Isaiah which mention the healing of the blind: Psalm 146 extols the Lord, the God of Jacob, who alone gives sight to the blind (Psalm 146:8). Isaiah 29 prophesies the day of redemption of Jerusalem when, on that day, the eyes of the blind shall see (Isaiah 29:18); similarly, Isaiah 35 prophesies the…
Greatness in God’s Kingdom The disciples thought that if Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, then someday He would be king, and they would be ruling the new kingdom at His side. Whoever sits at the king’s side on the right and on the left would be second only to the king himself. James and John asked Jesus that when Jesus establishes His kingdom, they may sit one at His right and the other at His left (cf. Mark 10:37; Matthew…
Still Missing One Thing Today’s Gospel from Mark is about Jesus and a rich man (cf. Mark 10:17-25). The Gospel of Matthew records a similar account (cf. Matthew 19:16-21), as well as the Gospel of Luke (cf. Luke 18:18-25). Yet another version comes from an early Christian writing known as the Gospel of the Nazoreans, which was composed between 100-160 A.D. The account is as follows: The other of the rich men said to him (Jesus): “Master, what good thing…
Marriage and Life In the dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisees on the subject of divorce, Jesus declared that the law of Moses permitted divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1) only because of the hardness of their hearts (Mark 10:4–5; Matthew 19:8). In citing Genesis 1:27 and 2:24, Jesus proclaimed that concerning human marriage, permanence has been the divine intent from the beginning (Mark 10:6–8; Matthew 19:4-6a). He reaffirmed this with the declaration that what God has joined together, no human being must…
Avoiding Scandal In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus said, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe [in me] to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42) The Gospel of Luke contains a similar saying; there, Jesus said to His disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. It would be better…