An account of the genealogy[a] of Jesus the Messiah,[b] the son of David, the son of Abraham.2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, 4 and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab,... Read more
In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who... Read more
Grace is a free gift that is given by God. What does one do with the grace received? When a gift is given to someone it requires upkeep or it will deteriorate and decay. In the gift of grace, we must cooperate through our own free will, or we can destroy this divine gift (Journet 2.1). Grace cleanses us from original sin, we cooperate with this grace through free will, and as a result we get oriented toward our divine... Read more
Rosary: The Perfect Prayer Throughout the world, people gather to pray the Rosary. They pray for our Pope, world peace, an end to abortion and the holy souls in Purgatory, among other intentions. Considered to be the perfect prayer, contemplating on the Rosary brings a deeper union with Jesus and Mary. “The Rosary is considered a perfect prayer because within it lies the story of our salvation.”~Saint John Paul II Crown of Roses The word, Rosary, stems from the... Read more
Did the early church believe that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ? To answer this question the writings of the following four early church fathers will be discussed: St. Ignatius of Antioch who lived from approximately 35-108 A.D., St. Justin Martyr who lived from 100-165 A.D., St. Irenaeus who lived from 130-202 A.D., and St. Augustine who lived from 354-430 A.D. There are many more who write about the subject, but this is a small sampling. St. Ignatius... Read more
Some claim that the doctrine of the Eucharist is not found in scripture, but this outlook is an indication of one reading the biblical text through a denominational lens. The last supper narratives all describe Jesus as saying “this is my body, this is my blood” in Matthew 26:17-30, Mark 14:12-25, Luke 22:7-20, and John 13:1-30. St. Paul also writes about the body and blood of Christ in the breaking of bread in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-29. Perhaps the... Read more
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
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