Bill Hao

Pentecost Sunday Jesus, the Word of God, completed His mission of redemption through His suffering, death and Resurrection. Those who repented and believed in Christ obtained salvation. This work of salvation continued after Jesus ascended into heaven to return to the Father. Jesus founded the Church upon Peter, but the mission to bring grace, to sanctify and to guide the Church, was left to the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit, in the Church as in individual souls,…

The Ascension of the Lord The Ascension is an important event not only in the life of Christ but also in the life of the Church. The two primary scripture passages on the Ascension are found in the Gospel of Luke (24:50-51) and the Acts of the Apostles (1:9-11). The event of the Ascension, which took place forty days after the Resurrection, links the life of Jesus in the Gospels to the life of the Church in the Acts of…

Coming of the Advocate In today’s Gospel, Jesus promised His disciples that He will ask the Father to send them an Advocate – someone to teach, to help and to guide them. Just as Jesus proclaimed Himself as the Truth, the Advocate who will be sent is the Spirit of Truth, who will be with them and in them always. And that is one of the things which the Holy Spirit does; to dwell in and among us so that…

Father and Son are One In today’s Gospel, Philip said to Jesus, “Master, show us the Father.” And Jesus said to him, “How can you say, show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? To see the Son is the same as seeing the Father because the Father and Son are one (Jn10:30).” With these words, Jesus revealed His divinity as the Son of God to His disciples.…

The Lost Sheep In the Gospel today, the image of the sheep that belongs to the Good Shepherd describes the authentic believer; he hears the Word of God, follows Jesus and has eternal life through Christ. The authentic believer is one who is humble of heart, one who recognizes the need for forgiveness, and one who seeks the guidance and protection of a Good Shepherd. Some people have chosen not to follow Christ. Some have rejected Him; some have ignored…

Recognizing the Lord Jesus’ disciples had locked themselves in a place for fear of the Jews. The Jews had put their Master to death, and it is quite possible that the Jews would do the same to them. However, the risen Christ appeared to the disciples who had deserted Him, and His first words to them were: “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19, 21) Jesus came to His disciples in order to dispel their fears and to bring peace to…

I desire mercy, not sacrifice Jesus’ disciples had locked themselves in a place for fear of the Jews. The Jews had put their Master to death, and it is quite possible that the Jews would do the same to them. However, the risen Christ appeared to the disciples who had deserted Him, and His first words to them were: “Peace be with you!”(John 20:19, 21) Jesus came to His disciples in order to dispel their fears and to bring peace…