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, …

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 …

The idea of becoming perfect and complete as a person is a spiritual goal for all Christians. Jesus’ instruction to his disciples found in the Gospel According to Matthew 5:48 (NABRE) to “be perfect just as your heavenly father is perfect” remains a call that applies to us all. What …

In the Gospel According to Luke 20:27–38 (NABRE), Jesus talks with the Sadducees about resurrection. In the Gospels, resurrection is an interesting term that is connected with eternal life but not synonymous with it. The Greek word for resurrection is ἀνάστασις (anastasis). This word literally means “standing up” and so also means …

In the Second Letter to the Thessalonians 1:11—2:2 (NABRE), Paul prays that God may make the Thessalonians worthy of their calling. This is quite a significant ask. In our society where we so often feed a sense of entitlement to whatever it is that we want, any sense of worthiness …