A Jesuit Adventure

  My dear friends, Lent is finally over and it's time to let loose and celebrate Easter, right? But what exactly are we celebrating and why are we celebrating it? The resurrection of Jesus is not only central to our faith but it is the cause for the existence of our faith - no resurrection, no Christianity. It is therefore important to dwell a little on why the resurrection is the greatest miracle recorded in history and not only a made-up story by the disciples. When we consider the gospel of John especially we can derive three evidences for Jesus’ bodily resurrection from the dead. The first evidence of Jesus’ resurrection is that the tomb was empty. Had the disciples stolen Jesus’ body or bribed the guards to take it away, they wouldn’t have endured the persecution and eventual martyrdom to proclaim what they knew to be fake news. The second evidence of Jesus’ resurrection is the grave clothes. Jewish burials involved wrapping the corpse with linen strips. The dead body was an...

  My dear brothers and sisters, have you ever wondered why did Jesus die on the cross? Or what would happen if Jesus didn’t die on the cross? Don’t worry you are not alone, this question about the suffering and death of Jesus has been a challenge right from the very beginning of Christianity. The early Church had to grapple much with the question of why did Jesus have to die on the cross and what was the significance of it all. The 1 st reading today taken from Isaiah which is also known as the fourth of the suffering servant songs was one of the most important passages that helped the early Christians interpret the suffering and death of Jesus. The Servant is not suffering for the sake of suffering, the song speaks of the Servant taking on griefs and sorrows, iniquities, and sins of others – it is a revelation of God’s mercy. In the 2 nd reading taken from Hebrews, Jesus is presented as a great high priest. In ancient times, high priests functioned as mediators between God and...

  My dear friends, today we enter into the Holy Week with the celebration of Palm Sunday. In a previous video, I covered the history of Palm Sunday, the entry into Jerusalem, the first reading about the suffering servant and the second reading about the kenosis. You'll find the link up here. I shall therefore focus in this video primarily on the gospel. We can divide the Passion narrative in Mark into four parts - the first part is the Anointing and Passover. The second part is about Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. The third part is the trial of Jesus and the last part is the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Let’s look at some of the major themes that emerge from Mark’s gospel which are useful for our reflection. One of the dominant themes that run through the Gospel of Mark, is that the disciples of Jesus are not sure about the identity and mission of Jesus. The disciples are portrayed as fearful and ignorant, and they eventually abandon Jesus. We also see another theme emer...

  My dear friends today we celebrate the Fifth Sunday of Lent and the readings present to us plenty of paradoxes which challenge modern thought. The first reading taken from the prophet Jeremiah gives us an insight into the New Covenant. Jeremiah, also known as the weeping prophet was called to his prophetic ministry around the time when King Josiah began leading the nation in a great reform from the widespread idolatry. However, these reforms were not enough to save the people from the impending exile. Today’s text is addressed to the people in exile who faced physical and spiritual devastation. Not only had they lost their Temple, land and King they also felt that they were abandoned by God and He no longer loved them. Israel broke the original covenant by its repeated disobedience—by unfaithfulness to Yahweh—by going after other gods. With the original covenant in tatters, the Israelites are helpless to restore it. Only a new covenant can save them. Therefore, Yahweh is tak...

  My dear friends today we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Lent which is called Laetare Sunday. The Latin ‘ Laetare ’ means Rejoice. Since this Sunday occurs in the middle of Lent, just as Gaudete Sunday is celebrated midway through Advent, Laetare Sunday reminds us that Easter is close at hand. As on Gaudete Sunday, rose-colored vestments may replace violet and flowers may grace the altar. The central theme of today’s readings is that our salvation is the free gift of a merciful God given to us through Jesus. The first reading is taken from the book of 2nd Chronicles. Now the book of the Chronicles was produced by somebody who lived a couple hundred years after the Israelites returned from the Babylonian exile. For this author, Jerusalem and the temple were built some time ago but yet the expected Messianic rule was not established. The author of Chronicles has reshaped the stories of the past to provide a message of hope for the futur...