The Sending of the Holy Spirit Jesus said to His disciples, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name — He will teach you everything and…
The Good Shepherd’s Flock Why did Jesus say that He is the Good Shepherd in John 10? John 10 is a continuation of John 9; therefore, Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees who spoke against Him after He cured the man born blind on a Sabbath. Jesus likens the Pharisees as thieves and robbers – those who do not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but climb over to get to the sheep; they also come only to steal and…
The Breaking of Bread What does “breaking of bread” mean? According to Jewish custom, communal meals began with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God over a loaf of bread, which was then broken and given to the participants. This “breaking of bread” is a special rite with fraternal and religious significance. The Gospels tell us that Jesus “broke bread” with His disciples, especially at the Last Supper. On the night before He offered Himself as Sacrifice on the…
What is Faith? For Christians, what is faith? Faith is a personal adherence of man to God; i.e., a person has a relationship of attachment and commitment with God. At the same time, faith is a free assent to everything that God has revealed; i.e., a person approves and agrees freely with everything that God has revealed. (cf. CCC 150) For a Christian, faith means believing in Jesus Christ, the beloved Son of God — the One sent by God…
Happy Easter! The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ The story of the Resurrection of Christ is a real human experience; it is not a fairy tale where everyone suddenly lives happily ever after. Beginning with the original disciples of Christ, the story of Christ’s Resurrection lives on in the hearts and minds of Christians even today. Who were the first doubters of the Resurrection of Christ? The faith of the disciples was drastically put to the test by their…
Redemption and Salvation What is Redemption? Redemption is the act in which Jesus Christ paid the price of His own sacrificial Death on the Cross in order to free mankind from the slavery of sin. In his epistle, St. Peter told the early Christians: “You were ransomed from your futile conduct not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb.” (1Peter 1:18-19) By sending His own Son in…
Life and Death The Gospel account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead has several points of spiritual significance, here are three of them: Reference to the resurrection of the dead in the Old Testament can be found in the Book of Daniel: Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some to everlasting life, others to reproach and everlasting disgrace (Dan 12:2). In Jesus’ time, the Jews were divided about the resurrection of the…
Light and Blindness Scripture reading: Healing of the man born blind (Jn 9:1-41) The miracle of the healing of the man born blind is closely connected to Jesus as the Light of the world. It is not clear from the Gospel text when it was exactly that Jesus declared to the scribes and the Pharisees, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12); but…
Listen to Him! The Gospel account of the Transfiguration appears in all three synoptic Gospels; comparing all three with one another gives us a fuller picture of the event: In summary, Jesus led Peter, James and John up a high mountain where He was physically transfigured – His face shone like the sun and His clothes became dazzling white (white as light). Moses and Elijah appeared and conversed with Jesus; they talked about His exodus that He was to accomplish…
Lessons from the Desert After Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert; He was alone and He fasted for forty days. Jesus seemed vulnerable and Satan came to tempt Him. Point (1) The devil tempts us when we are physically, mentally and spiritually weak and vulnerable. Satan’s objective was to thwart God’s plan of salvation which Jesus, the Son, intended to carry out; this plan will ultimately lead…