 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE CHURCH HAVE A BLESSED PENTECOST! THIS DAY WE CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH Sunday, June 8, is Pentecost Sunday. Mass Readings Vigil: Genesis 11:1-9; or Exodus 19:3-8, 16-20; or Ezekiel 37:1-14; or Joel 3:1-5; Psalm 104:1-2, 24, 35, 27-30; Romans 8:22-27; John 7:37-39 Sunday: Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23 Our Take Perhaps the best way to see the true drama of Pentecost is to look at all of the available readings the Church offers for the Pentecost vigil and Pentecost Sunday. Here is a quick overview: The Tower of Babel is one option. The story tells us how haughty humanity looks to technology ... Read more » |
 Jesus Christ, God and Man by Fr. William G. Most Summary This write up teaches that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer promised to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15, the only Son of God, and by that very fact, Lord of all Creation. He is the second Person of the Holy Trinity, sent to the world by the Father to become man and save us from our sins. So St. Peter said in Matthew 16:16: "You are the Christ, the son of the Living God". The name Jesus means Savior, as we see from Matthew 1:2. The name "Christ," "Messiah" in Hebrew, means the Anointed one (cf. Acts 10:38). Jesus is God "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us" wrote St. John (1:14). So, the Second Perso ... Read more » |
 BEING CHRIST LIKE SUPPOSE TO BE THE FOCUS OF ALL BELIVERS OF CHRIST. I remember vividly the major question that perplexed me (and my friends) as a young Christian. It was this: What is God’s purpose for His people? Granted we had been converted, but what next? Of course we knew the famous statement of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, that “man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” We also toyed with a yet briefer statement of only five words such as “love God, love your neighbor.” But neither seemed wholly satisfactory. So I want to share with you where my mind has come to rest as I approach the end of my pilgrimage on earth. It is this: God wants His people to become like Christ, for Christlikene ... Read more » |
 Life in Christ: Living Like a ChristianChristians are saved by God’s gift, not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Good behavior cannot earn us salvation. But Christianity does have behavioral expectations. It involves changes in the way we live. God created us for relationships, and so he has certain desires for the way we interact with other people. We are to live for Christ, not for ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:15). One of the last things that Jesus told his disciples to do was to teach people “to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Jesus gave commands, and as his disciples, we also teach commands and obedience. These commands are not a means of salvation, and are not a standard of condemnation, bu ... Read more » |