Bill Hao

The Peace of Christ In the Gospel according to John, Jesus tells His disciples: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (Jn14:27) Sometimes, it doesn’t take much for us to feel troubled: an act that we see, a conversation that we had, or even a passing thought can become the cause of our distress. What kind…

Love one another Love of neighbor was already commanded in the Old Testament. As a matter of fact, it is found in the Book of Leviticus, which deals with laws, rituals, community relationships and behavior. This is what it says: “Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen. You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev 19:18). But in today’s Gospel, Jesus gives this commandment new depth and meaning by saying, “Love one another as I have…

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd We all know Jesus as the Good Shepherd; and we know this because, like today’s Gospel says, He is willing to lay down His life for His sheep. In addition, Jesus is the Good Shepherd because His sheep know Him and He intimately knows each one of His sheep. But there is a third reason why Jesus is the Good Shepherd; and that is because He teaches us the truth, even though it can…

What must we do to gain eternal life? It seems that as a person grows older, it becomes more and more difficult to find happiness. A little child can suddenly stop crying and start smiling when offered a piece of candy, but an adult has more complicated needs and desires. Some adults choose whatever they want to do in life in the name of freedom, which in certain situations lead to spiritually detached and immoral lives. Jesus said to Peter:…

The Merciful Love of Jesus Christ   Jesus’ disciples were locked in a room for fear of the Jews. In His merciful love, Jesus appeared to the disciples who had deserted Him during His Passion and Death, and His first words to them were: “Peace be with you!” Jesus the afflicted has become Jesus the consoler. Jesus’ words fulfilled what He said to them at the Last Supper: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not…

The Easter Message St. Augustine once said that there is nothing great in believing that Christ died, because non-Christians also believe it, but the great thing is in believing the Resurrection of Christ, which is the foundation of Christian faith. For the Christian, the Resurrection is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise when he said, “I have the power to lay down my life, and I have the power to take it up again (Jn 10:17-18),” and “destroy this temple and…

The Passion of Christ   St. Luke’s version of the crucifixion and death of Christ gives us the remarkable example of Christ’s forgiveness. Hanging on the cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them: they don’t know what they do (Lk23:24).” Luke’s Gospel is unique in telling us about the two criminals who were crucified with Christ. One of them echoed the taunts of those who put Jesus to death, by saying: “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us. (Lk23:39)”.…

Lazarus! Come forth! The raising of Lazarus from the dead is the seventh and last sign or miracle in the Gospel of John. Through these miracles, Jesus revealed His identity. For example, at the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus proclaimed Himself the Bread of Life; in restoring the sight of the man born blind, Jesus proclaimed Himself the Light of the world; and at the raising of Lazarus, Jesus proclaimed Himself the Resurrection and the Life. The raising of…

The Man Born Blind The story of the man born blind in John’s Gospel is more than just a miracle story in which Jesus cured the physical blindness of a man. More importantly, it helps us to be more aware of our own spiritual blindness – our inability to see our own sins. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind.” The…