When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time,... Read more
In the New Testament there are many passages that speak of grace as liberation. Sin is a plague that has overtaken the world, and it enslaves us (Stevens 9). We are born in original sin, and though that is washed away through the sacrament of Baptism, concupiscence remains. Concupiscence is the tendency to still drift toward sin. This concept of liberation is seen in Romans 5:17 where St. Paul writes, “because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through... Read more
In sacred scripture we read that man was created he had a perfect relationship with God. Man is the pinnacle of creation, and God gave man everything. In return the Lord asked man not to each of one tree in the garden. Man did not listen, rebelled, and had to face the consequences of sin for the first time. The sin of our first parents also applies to us, through original sin. We all have sinned, and the penalty for... Read more
What would Jesus Do? This phrase became very popular in the 1990’s and had the power of merchandising behind it. Christian Rock bands made songs by the title, T-shirts were made, and a bracelet that simply read “WWJD” was all the rage. Jesus is our ultimate example. By seeking to better understand Jesus Christ we can benefit from the Bible’s teaching that Jesus is our genuine example. Imitating Christ/What would Jesus Do? In imitating Christ we are just not imitating... Read more
It has been a tough year. We are going about our business, doing ministry at our parishes, and all of a sudden life changed because of the pandemic. People still need the Gospel and the church. Ministry never stops and we have to adapt. Coincidently, during this time the tech firm Glass Canvas releases a new platform named TILMA. What Is TILMA? TILMA was piloted in the Archdiocese of Vancouver prior to the pandemic beginning. The goal was to get... Read more
Repentance, in my opinion, is something we do not hear enough of. In sacred scripture we read of the great heroes of faith constantly turning away from sin and toward the Lord. The same can be said about the lives of the great saints we celebrate throughout history. Why is it that we hear so little of repentance? Perhaps it depends on the parish and setting, but how often do we hear of the love of God and His mercy?... Read more
But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”- Matthew 1:20-21 NRSV In my opinion, Joseph is the unsung hero of the... Read more
First, it is unfortunate that Deuteronomy, and the Pentateuch as a whole, are for the most part ignored. They are a part of divine revelation and as such should be discussed a bit more. In all fairness I am also guilty of this. I admit that I am not a priest or deacon, but do teach children, and to a lesser extent some adults. However, the message contained in Deuteronomy is one that is applicable to us all. Deuteronomy has... Read more
He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; 2 he also saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; 4 for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.-Luke 21:1-4 NRSV Gifts Of The Poor Widow The Gospel reading from today’s Mass always brings up... Read more
Today Steve Ray joins me to talk about what it means to be born again. We discuss what we meant by it when we were both evangelicals, but he digs deep into scripture. Born Again The Bible Way Starting with the Old Testament Steve works forward to get the proper context of John Chapter 3 and what it means to be born again the Bible way. Steve Ray On The Journey Home on EWTN He has a great article on his... Read more
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