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Let it be done to me according to your word! At the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel said to Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you (Lk 1:35).” The term “overshadow” is rarely used in the bible. One other place it is used is in the Book of Exodus chapter 40 verse 34: it describes a mysterious cloud that overshadowed the tent in which Israel kept the Ark of the…

Saint Mark (martyred 68 AD) Feast Day: April 25 In 41 AD, Herod Agrippa I, king of Judea had James, the son of Zebedee, killed. He also had Peter arrested, but Peter was miraculously saved by angels and escaped (Acts 12:1–19). Peter then went to Antioch, through Asia Minor and arrived in Rome in the second year of Emperor Claudius. Along the way, Peter met Mark and took him as travel companion and interpreter. Mark wrote down the sermons of…

The USCCB Asian and Pacific Island Affairswill hold a National Conference for Asian and Pacific Island Catholics in Indianapolis, Indiana from July 15 to 17, 2024. You are invited to participate in this grand event. Please go to scapa@usccb.org to register.

Medieval theologians argued the Immaculate Conception. Historically, the Dominicans were strong opponents of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, largely due to the influence of St. Thomas Aquinas, who argued Mary needed to be redeemed like everyone else. The Dominicans clashed with the Franciscans who championed the doctrine. Blessed John Duns Scotus (真福若望·董思高) was a Franciscan friar born in Scotland. Duns Scotus’ defense of the Immaculate Conception: There is a distinction between the order of nature and the order of…

Our church GARAGE SALE will be on Saturday, October 7 from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Please check if you have clothes, household and gift items in good condition to donate. Thank you for your support! Attention parents and youth! We will hold a Youth Retreat on November 4 from 10:00am to 2:00pm in our church. Participant ages are middle school and high school. A certified youth minister will be leading the retreat. We will also have a fun event…

James the Greater & James the Less Six of the twelve Apostles have similar names: Simon, whom Jesus later named Peter, and Simon the zealot; Judas the son of James (Luke 6:16), who was also called Thaddeus (Matthew 10:3), and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus; James the son of Zebedee (aka James the Greater) and James the son of Alphaeus (aka James the Less).  Among these six Apostles, people have the most difficulty telling apart the two James. Who was…

Who is St. Justin Martyr? St. Justin Martyr was born around 100AD near the ancient biblical city of Shechem in Samaria. He studied philosophy, but he was not satisfied with the pagan philosophers. Eventually, he converted to Christianity. He became an early Christian apologist, defending the Christian faith. His works include “The First Apology” and “Dialogue with Trypho.” After defying an order to sacrifice to the pagan gods, St. Justin Martyr was beheaded, along with six other companions. Selected works…

The Way of Christ  Jesus said to His disciples, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) What does it mean that Jesus is the Way? The disciples of Christ were first called Christians at Antioch (cf. Acts 11:26); back then and now, to be called a Christian meant that one is a follower of Christ. But even before the term “Christian” was used, the followers of…

Step by Step in Faith A little background on John 4: Samaria was a region located between Judea in the south and Galilee in the north. In Jesus’ time, Samaria was joined to Judea under Roman rule. Travelers from Judea to Galilee and vice-versa had to pass through Samaria; otherwise, they had to make a detour through the Transjordan (region east of the Jordan River). Some Jews preferred to take the detour because of the hostility between Jews and Samaritans;…