The liturgical feast of Pentecost has roots going back into the Old Testament, where it’s established in the book of Exodus 34:22 (NABRE). The common name of the feast comes from a Greek root word, Πεντηκοστή (pentecoste), meaning “fiftieth” because it occurs on the fiftieth day (seven weeks) after Easter. The …

The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is the feast that marks Jesus going up to heaven following his Resurrection. Jesus’ Ascension is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles 1:6-11 (NABRE). In the United States, dioceses are allowed to celebrate this solemnity on either Thursday or the last …

In the Gospel According to John 14:15–21 (NABRE), we encounter Jesus’ well-known description of the Holy Spirit as an Advocate, Paraclete, or helper. This view of the Holy Spirit is essential to the Evangelist’s view of the role of the third person of the Most Holy Trinity, so it’s worthwhile …

In the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel According to John (NABRE), Jesus uses fairly abstract language to describe his relationship to the Father and the place he’s creating for his followers. Due to that abstraction, there’s one extremely significant parallel that’s easy to miss. In the Gospel According to John …

One of the great promises of Christianity is the forgiveness of sins. The Old Testament offered a stay of judgment through the sacrifice of animals in various rites all designed to delay or to defer the death that results from sin. The animal would serve as a substitute for the …

The Gospel According to Luke 24:13–35 (NABRE) records the familiar story of the two disciples on who meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus. There are several hints in the text that suggest this encounter is a precursor to the Mass. It happens on the first day of the week, …

The Gospel According to John 20:19–31 (NABRE) focuses on issues of faith and trust in the well-known context of the disciple Thomas’ doubt and pathway to belief. Jesus calls all Christians also to believe, and we well might ask what that belief looks like. The Greek word πίστις (pistis) is translated …

This week we celebrate Holy Week, which includes the Triduum services on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and finally Easter. In this three-day celebration (from a Jewish point of view, evening Thursday is considered Friday), we walk through Jesus’ last conversation with his followers, his Passion, death, and Resurrection. Because of …

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion is described in an account from the Gospel According to Matthew. Much of the Christian focus around this feast is on the timing of the Passover, but from a Jewish point of view, the Passover is only a part of the larger eight-day feast. …

The eleventh chapter of the Gospel According to John (NABRE) contains the account of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. This event serves as the culmination of the signs Jesus performs in the Fourth Gospel, and it serves as a foreshadowing of Jesus’ own Resurrection. The Gospel According to …