We are indeed so filled with joy as God's people. God, in Jesus, has come down to Earth, to be part of our very humanity. And, being fully human, while fully God, He rescues us from the troubles of this world: sin, darkness, illness, ailments, and death, restoring us to life, found in relationship with Him. He is the Great High Priest anointed by God to offer the sacrifice that frees us.
We cry out to Him as the One who alone saves us, recognizing we are saved by faith in God who is able to deliver us from all ills as He establishes His Kingdom. And He gives purpose to our lives as we follow in His way.
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Sunday, October 18, 2015
October 18, 2015: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Unlike what the Apostles and many others thought, Jesus, the anointed Messiah, came not to reign as a mighty King, lording authority over others, but as a suffering servant. He came as a human, to suffer and die, for our sake, that we would be forgiven of our sin. That is how He achieves true greatness. Now He intercedes for us gloriously, having once faced the same weaknesses we do, pleading for us before the Father, that we may be free from sin, and follow in His way, that we might find greatness in serving.
During my freshman year of college, I chose the passage that is this Sunday's Gospel reading as the narrative climax of the Mark Gospel in an essay I wrote, because serving, even through suffering, is the reason Jesus came, and is now exalted.
During my freshman year of college, I chose the passage that is this Sunday's Gospel reading as the narrative climax of the Mark Gospel in an essay I wrote, because serving, even through suffering, is the reason Jesus came, and is now exalted.
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
October 11, 2015: 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time
When a rich young man asks Jesus about what he must do to inherit Eternal Life, Jesus invokes the commands of the Law. Further along in the conversation, Jesus indicates that it's not enough to abide by the Law in a cut-and-dry way: We must let the Law, the very words of God, shape our attitude and the way we live.
Like in the First Reading from Wisdom, God's Word, often portrayed in a similar way to Wisdom, is something we must seek after as a precious possession above all. And God's Word is a powerful force, piercing into us, searching our hearts, exposing what is there, especially anything that might be contrary to a life that pleases God.
Like in the First Reading from Wisdom, God's Word, often portrayed in a similar way to Wisdom, is something we must seek after as a precious possession above all. And God's Word is a powerful force, piercing into us, searching our hearts, exposing what is there, especially anything that might be contrary to a life that pleases God.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
October 4, 2015: 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
God specially crafted our human relationships. He created Adam and Eve as humans to be the crown of His creation, and to be in a special relationship with each other and Him.
When pressed about the question of divorce, Jesus returns to the beginning, to Creation, stating that God meant for humans to be joined as one in marriage, a special relationship.
God Himself even came close to us by becoming a human.
And God delights in letting those who are obedient to Him experience the beauty of relationships, because they are a means by which we glorify Him, as we live His love toward others.
When pressed about the question of divorce, Jesus returns to the beginning, to Creation, stating that God meant for humans to be joined as one in marriage, a special relationship.
God Himself even came close to us by becoming a human.
And God delights in letting those who are obedient to Him experience the beauty of relationships, because they are a means by which we glorify Him, as we live His love toward others.
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