Would the disciples have accomplished anything without the Holy Spirit? No. Will we? That question needs to ring continually in our ears because we Christians are usually highly motivated self-starters. If we weren’t, we probably wouldn’t have gotten past all the obstacles there are to involvement in evangelism. Because we’re highly motivated we look ahead. We  Read more …

“Ecclesia.” What is the church? Who makes its rules? Last Sunday, confused, anxious and troubled by the news of Jesus’ departure, the disciples asked what that meant. What will we do without Him? In the Gospel today, Jesus answers, saying that “The Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you  Read more …

In the celebration of the Eucharist, the glorified Christ becomes present under the appearances of bread and wine in a way that is unique, a way that is uniquely suited to the Eucharist. In the Church’s traditional theological language, in the act of consecration during the Eucharist the “substance” of the bread and wine is  Read more …

Facing the Unknown The disciples are anxious and fearful because Jesus said that it is expedient that He go back to the Father. They are worried about their “unknown” future without Him. Facing and dealing with the unknown is a reality we all struggle with on a daily basis: There are known unknowns, that is  Read more …

Peace not Food! Peace not toilet paper, Peace not hand sanitizers or mask. That is what the good Lord brought his disciples in his first appearance after death. In their confinement, He brought them Peace not Food. “Peace be with you”. These are the first words that the Lord addressed his apostles who were still  Read more …

“The resurrection of the Lord is our hope- Resurrection Domini, spes nostra” Jesus rose again so that we, though destined to die, should not despair, worrying that with death life is completely finished; Christ is risen to give us hope. Indeed, one of the questions that most preoccupies men and women is this: what is  Read more …

“Do not be afraid…I know what you are looking for…come and see.” The Church throughout the world echoes the angel’s message to the women: “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised… Come, see the place.” This is the  Read more …

There’s something strangely comforting about the messy stories of God’s saints in Scripture. We might expect the heroes of the Bible to go from one episode of obedience to the next, successive faith victories on the path to eternal glory. But that’s not what we find in the Bible. Take Abraham, for instance. In Genesis  Read more …

Bread of life God promised that he will feed his people well. Given this promise, the story in the Gospel reading appointed for this Sunday makes perfect sense: Jesus feeds the people who come to him with bread. The scene for the miraculous feeding of thousands takes place in a desert as did the miraculous  Read more …

Evil is real and fatal. Demons have played a large part in mythology, books, movies, and even music. Films such as “Paranormal Activity” and “The Exorcist” have made demons something to fear. Movies, however, rarely scratch the surface of just how evil these corrupt former servants of God can be. Everywhere the Bible sees a  Read more …