Let us start by stating that the Sacraments are the expression of God’s Grace and God’s unconditional love. Therefore, these are undeserved gifts from God to humankind. Sacraments differ from ordinances because Sacraments are God’s actions (gifts), but ordinances are humans’ actions (obedience). This aspect differentiates the Methodist understanding of baptism from other Christian beliefs, for example.
Nobody has made it yet! The Apostle Paul was aware of it and his decision was just to forget what was behind, and then, to move forward to the aim, the goal. A very executive decision.
Without any doubt, one of the most beautiful names of Jesus is ‘Immanuel’, God with us. I never cease to marvel at being able to come closer to understanding the scandalous nature of a God, who did not ask us to ‘divinize’ ourselves, because recognized our inability to do so; but rather, the Divine became human. That same God taught us in his life that the broad path is hatred and that excellence is in love.
Mary | Thanks be to God for fixing their eyes on that virtuous woman, who embraced the child in her womb and led him with love, dedication, and hope. Through her lineage, salvation came to the world, thus becoming an example to follow for thousands of generations; not only for being the bearer of good news in the fruit within her, but for her actions and faith in God which were magnified by the gracious Father in heaven.
In the beginning was the Word, who was not only with God, but was God; an eternal mystery that tells us about the most complete and beautiful relationship of all, love.
As we are getting into the Advent season, we can take this opportunity to reflect on the meanings of a God who decides to become as a human being and embody the Word (John 1). Perhaps, we can read that Word incarnate through the life that was lived by Jesus, the carpenter of Galilee.
Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing – Luke 23:34
This prayer concerns, among other things, our relationships with others. Sinners, brothers and sisters, religious leaders, and rulers.
Using the phrase “in the name of Jesus,” has become a Christian catchphrase that cannot be ignored in any prayer, declaration, decree, preaching, event, sermon, etc. For many years, it has been believed that this phrase has a certain mystical or powerful charge in the spiritual world, and its misuse can cause prayers to be ineffective, or simply ignored by God.
In this scenario, Jesus comes up with a very interesting and revolutionary message for his time. He intends to introduce the image of God as the Father among the Jews. Let us remember that when Jesus walked in First Century Palestine, the entire territory was under the rule of Rome, achieved through war and barbarism.
On the one hand, there is a group of believers who maintain that God indeed ordered each of the wars described in the biblical text, with all their barbarities, attacks, children dashed against rocks, etc. Most of those who defend this idea explain that God manifested himself in one way in the Hebrew Bible and in a different way in the New Testament, being the same God, but with different plans for each moment in history
Embracing my inner atheist, I notice some situations that I would like to consider: Although God is the same yesterday, today, and always, in the Hebrew Bible we read that God is too violent. This is manifested in all the wars in which God ordered the annihilation of entire towns without having mercy on anyone (by the way, there is not much difference between these texts and the current actions of some extremists, violent groups in the world, specially in the Middle East).
I see on television and social media the atrocious images of terrified people seeking refuge after having risked their lives crossing the sea aboard small paper boats. Behind them is death that awaits them with its jaws open once again. Ahead, they find fences erected by governments that exude fear of the different, ordering their lackeys to repel the avalanche of nobodies. And I can only remember Jesus of Nazareth…
Many words have been dedicated to understanding matters around prayer. Almost every current of Christianity has a different position on its power or its applicability. Many debates even arise in different media, leading to heated discussions about the relevance of praying in one way or another according to the biblical mandate or personal and community experiences.
In war there are no winners, we are all losers. Oppressed people are those who bring, from their midst, the war victims, the deaths, the tears, the hunger, the hopelessness, the pain. War has been narrated in inks of different colors,...
Welcome to Trinity...
Where the invisible throw shadows,
the weak lead, the silent are heard,
and the pushed aside
are called into the center
where they are listened to,
lifted up and loved.
Whoever you are, you are welcome here!
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