Much of what the Gospel of John quotes Jesus as saying has to do with the relationship that exists between the two. It can be summed up in this very short sentence from chapter ten: The Father and I are one. (John 10:30) This is, to say the least, a bold statement. Whether Jesus actually said this is not the issue. How did the Christian community come to understand that Jesus and the...
. . . and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26c).
The term "Christ" comes from the Greek "christos" which is translated "anointed." By association, it has also come to be synonymous with the word "Messiah" since such a person would have been anointed as such. The term was actually applied to many figures in Jewish Scripture and lore and designated...
We have reached the point in the Acts of the Apostles where the task of proclaiming the Good News takes a radical new tack and veers toward bringing the Word of God to the Gentiles. Up until this point, the task of proclaiming the Resurrection has been focused on the Jewish community, first in Jerusalem and then in neighboring towns and villages. Notably, it is Peter, the erstwhile leader of...
Fr. Lawrence reflects on the readings for the 4th Sunday of Easter, the C Cycle of the Lectionary.
Although most of the Acts of the Apostles concentrates on the activities of Saints Peter and Paul, today we read a story concerning Philip, a story that has always inspired and intrigued me.
There are some details in the story that baffle me. Foremost among them is the fact that Philip came upon the Ethiopian eunuch while he was reading the Prophet Isaiah while seated in his...