Is the Gospel we celebrate at Christmas in sync with the moralism of Dickens' Christmas Carol or the Incarnation, as embraced by the early Church? Some materials for reflection.
Adventide 2020
Focus of the Season. Advent is the season for God’s people to reflect on the Person of Christ Jesus, and especially the mystery of His Incarnation that He is both fully God and fully man, as summarized in the Nicene Creed. This reflection looks both backward and forward. We look back to His First Coming … Continue reading Adventide 2020
Should We Celebrate Ascension Sunday?
Forty days after Resurrection Sunday and ten days before Pentecost Sunday is technically the Day of the Ascension, when Christ was assumed to Heaven to sit at the right hand of God (see Acts 1:9-11). In the medieval church (and in the Roman Catholic Church to this day), this was typically considered a feast day. … Continue reading Should We Celebrate Ascension Sunday?
Paul’s Letter to the Galatians
This week's New Testament readings are from Paul's letter to the Galatians. The letter was probably written around AD 49, just after Paul and Barnabas completed the First Missionary Journey and before the Council of Jerusalem, which was either that same year or in AD 50. This timing is important.
Appreciating Pentecost
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells the congregation there, “Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey, wherever I go. … Continue reading Appreciating Pentecost