JESUS WEEK

Jesus Week – Day 1

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O Lord, I have heard of your renown;
your work, O Lord, inspires me with awe.
Make it live again in our time,
make it known in our time;
in wrath remember mercy.
(Habb 3:2, RNJB)

 

or on YouTube here

 

The Spirit of Prophecy

 

So much of the discourse on prophecy today is about the “signs of the times”, the distress of the nations, and future events. Wars, rumors of wars, upheaval in nature, society, and the Church dominates discussion. Add to that the more dramatic prophecies of a coming Warning, refuges, and the appearance of Antichrist. 

Of course, much if not all of this is documented in the Revelation to St. John (the Apocalypse). But in the midst of the tumult, an angel “wielding great authority”[1]Rev 18:1 declares to the apostle: 

The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Rev 19:20)

This is the very heart of all authentic prophecy: the Word of Jesus, who is the “Word made flesh.”[2]cf. John 1:14 Every apparition, every private revelation, every word of knowledge and prediction has as its locus Jesus Christ — His mission, life, death, and resurrection. Everything should return to that; everything should bring us back to the central invitation of the Gospel found in Jesus’ own first public words…Continue reading →

Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 Rev 18:1
↑2 cf. John 1:14

Jesus Week – Day 2

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Ecco Homo
“Behold the man”
(John 19:5)

 

Jesus, Lord

or on Youtube

 

Jesus asked His Apostles, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matt 16:15). The question lies at the heart of His entire purpose. Today, Muslims say he is a prophet; Mormons, believe he was conceived by the Father (with a heavenly wife) as a lesser god and to whom no one should pray; Jehovah Witnesses believe he is Michael the Archangel; others say he is a mere historical figure while others, a myth. The answer to this question is no small thing. Because Jesus and Scripture say something entirely different, if not outrageous: that He is God.Continue reading →

Jesus Week – Day 3

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At a time when you did not know God,
you became slaves to things
that by nature are not gods…
(Galatians 4:8)

 

Jesus, Liberator

or listen on YouTube.

 

Before all things both visible and invisible existed, God was — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Their shared love, joy, and happiness was limitless and without defect. But precisely because the nature of Love is to give Itself, it was their Will to share this with others. That meant creating others in their likeness with the capacity to share in their divine nature.[1]cf. 2 Pet 1:4 So God spoke: “Let there be light”… and from this word, the entire universe teeming with life came into being; each plant, creature, and heavenly object revealing something of God’s divine attributes of wisdom, kindness, providence, and so forth.[2]cf. Rom 1:20; Wis 13:1-9 But the very pinnacle of creation would be man and woman, the ones created to participate directly in the interior life of love the Holy Trinity.Continue reading →

Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 cf. 2 Pet 1:4
↑2 cf. Rom 1:20; Wis 13:1-9

Jesus Week – Day 4

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I, the LORD, am your healer.
(Exodus 15:26)

 

Jesus, Healer

or on YouTube.

 

Jesus not only came to “set the captives free” but to heal us of the effects of captivity — slavery to sin.

He was pierced for our sins, crushed for our iniquity. He bore the punishment that makes us whole, by his wounds we were healed. (Isaiah 53:5)

Thus, the ministry of Jesus began with not only the proclamation to “repent and believe the good news” but involved “curing every disease and illness among the people.”[1]Matthew 4:23 Today, Jesus still heals. The sick are being cured in His name, the eyes of the blind are being opened, the deaf are hearing, the lame walk again, and even the dead are being raised. It’s true! A simple search on the internet reveals the testimonies of countless people who have experienced the healing power of Jesus Christ in our times. I have experienced the physical healing of Jesus![2]cf. St. Raphael’s Little Healing

Continue reading →

Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 Matthew 4:23
↑2 cf. St. Raphael’s Little Healing

Jesus Week – Day 5

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Behold, the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world.
(John 1:29)

 

Jesus, Food

or on YouTube

 

As I said yesterday, Jesus wants to overwhelm us with His love. It wasn’t enough for Him to take on our human nature; it wasn’t enough to expend Himself in miracles and teaching; nor was it enough for Him to suffer and die on our behalf. No, Jesus wants to give even more. He wants to offer Himself over and over again by feeding us with His own flesh.Continue reading →

Jesus Week – Day 6

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For the sake of my brothers and friends I say,
“Peace be with you.”
(Psalms 122:8)

 

Jesus, Friend

or on YouTube

 

The religious history of mankind is filled with gods who are as far from humans as ants are from us. And that’s what makes Jesus and the Christian message so extraordinary. The God-man comes not with lightning bolts and fear but love and friendship. Yes, He calls us friends:Continue reading →

Jesus Week – Day 7

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You have but one Teacher,
and you are all brothers.
(Matthew 23:8)

 

Jesus, Teacher

or on YouTube

 

The generosity and numerous ways in which Jesus gives Himself to us is awesome. As St. Paul rejoiced in his letter to the Ephesians:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before Him. (Ephesians 1:3-4)

Continue reading →

Jesus Week – Day 8

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He is Risen… 
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who will judge the living and the dead,
and by His appearing and His kingly power:
proclaim the word.
(Mk 16:2, 2 Tim 4:1-2)

 

Jesus, King

or on YouTube

 

Jesus is Lord, Liberator, Healer, Food, Friend, and Teacher. But He is also King to whom judgment of the world belongs. All of the aforementioned titles are beautiful — but they’re also meaningless unless Jesus is just, unless there is an accountability for every thought, word, and action. Otherwise, He would be a partial judge, and love and truth would be an ever shifting ideal. No, this is His world. We are His creatures. He is allowed to set the terms of not only our participation in His creation but of our communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And how beautiful His terms are:Continue reading →