Now there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where he was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
While this is just one verse of the Gospel text, we must not overlook the depth of this man’s faith as he expresses it in both his body language and his words. Upon seeing Jesus, the man...
The Gospel passages from the infancy narratives of the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke are not long enough to fill the Christmas Season. Consequently, the Church chooses to use scenes from his adult life that reveal the motivation behind God’s choice to become one of us. Today’s Gospel text from the Gospel of St. Luke references a particular prophecy from the prophet of...
The church chooses the First Letter St. John as the first reading for the liturgies of the Christmas season to help us to better understand the mystery of the Incarnation. St. John offers us the good news of God’s love for us. Without God’s love for us, the Incarnation would be meaningless. God chose to become one of us because God loves us.
Many people in our world today have...
The First Letter of St. John was written toward the end of the first century after the composition of the Gospel of St. John. It is most frequently referred to as a response to a situation which developed in the Christian community by certain members who denied the human nature of Jesus and maintained that the appearance of Jesus as a man was simply a stepping stone to a higher knowledge of...
The Wise Men, or “Magi,” cross into one more kingdom in their long journey. Courteously they visit the monarch of that kingdom, not knowing he was the infamous Herod. I suppose every amenity took place: formal welcome, diplomatic over-do, huge meals, fine drinks. Such excesses must take place, even in a commonplace kingdom. Finally, when the moment arrives, our Magi pose the...