Romans 5 is a fantastic summary of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So, I’d like to look at it in more detail and step through the verses. First, St. Paul begins by noting that we are justified by faith. What does it mean to be justified? It just means to be “made right,” like when you justify text in a …
Monthly Archives: February 2018
Our focus for today is the fact that Jesus Christ stands in our place. This is brought home to us in both the reading from Genesis and from Mark (Genesis 22:1-18, Mark 1:9-15). In Genesis, Abraham is tested by God. God tells Abraham to take his only-begotten son Isaac and sacrifice him on Mount Moriah. This is the location where, …
Today is Valentine’s Day to most of the world, but it is also Ash Wednesday to the Church, marking the beginning of the season of Lent. This is a time of repentance, and the traditional readings from Joel 2:12-19 and Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 reinforce this theme. In both texts there is a contrast between those who have a repentant faith …
Today in our readings for this Transfiguration Sunday, we find ourselves in the company of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. The two Old Testament readings tell of Moses and Elijah (Exodus 34:29-35 and 2 Kings 2:1-12). Long before Elijah’s time, God had used Moses to lead the Israelites up out of their captivity in Egypt. And after bringing the people out …
It’s flu season, and this year it seems like it’s particularly bad. Of course, there’s not much you can do when you have a virus, other than getting plenty of rest and drinking plenty of liquids. There are now some anti-viral medications that seem to help too. When we get sick, normally we head to the doctor to be treated. …