The Word

Luke is the New Testament author most responsible for our concept of the Easter season and the Ascension of Jesus At the beginning of Acts Luke rsquo s sequel to his Gospel he tells us that the risen Jesus made appearances to his disciples during the 40 days after Easter and ascended to heaven T

At its most basic level the word ldquo mysticism rdquo refers to a direct intimate union of a person with God through contemplation and love The Scripture readings for the Fifth Sunday of Easter can help explain why every serious Christian can and should be a mystic The allegory of the vine in

All over the world people seem to be searching for their ldquo identity rdquo Some find it in religion race or gangs often with disastrous results There are also others especially the young with very little sense of identity or self-esteem Here too the result is sometimes tragic issuing in

The seven weeks between Easter Sunday and Pentecost constitute the Easter season While less well known than Advent or Lent the Easter season is important because we live in the light of Jesus rsquo resurrection at Easter and are challenged repeatedly to reflect on the difference that the Easter e

The two most important days on the church rsquo s calendar are Good Friday and Easter Sunday This is so because Jesus rsquo death and resurrection are at the core of Christian faith The early Christian confessions of faith embedded in the New Testament place these events front and center In fact

The narrative of Jesus rsquo suffering and death is an important part of our collective memory as Christians For almost 2 000 years Christians have gathered at this time of year to retell the story of Jesus rsquo passion It is not the story of a mythical or fictional character Rather it is the

All our eucharistic prayers contain the phrase ldquo the blood of the new and everlasting covenant rdquo as part of the words of consecration As the sacrament of our ongoing relationship with God through Christ the Eucharist stands in the tradition of the meals at which ancient covenants were ra

In the Bible the two great attributes of God are justice and mercy While on the surface they may seem to be opposites they exist in a creative tension in which God rsquo s mercy generally wins out The Scripture readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent remind us that God is indeed rich in mercy The

In Christian theology the term ldquo paschal mystery rdquo refers to Jesus rsquo life death and resurrection and their saving significance for us The adjective paschal derives from the Hebrew verb pasach meaning ldquo to pass over rdquo and alludes to ancient Israel rsquo s rescue from slav