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If Paul Wrote to the Christians Today

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  He didn’t avoid naming real divisions, and he didn’t soften hard truths. At the same time, he always wrote as a spiritual father, not a commentator. If St. Paul did send a letter to all Christians today it would possibly sound something like this: Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle by the will of God, To all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to God always for you, because the name of Christ is still proclaimed among you, and many have come to believe. Yet I cannot commend you in this: that you are divided, and your divisions have multiplied beyond measure. For it has been reported to me that among you there are quarrels, and that each of you says, “I follow this teacher,” or “I follow that tradition,” or “I follow no one but the Scriptures as I interpret them.” Is Christ divided? Was the Lord crucified for your private judgment? Some among you ha...
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"If it’s just a symbol to hell with it" Reflection on Luke 24:13-35

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"If it’s just a symbol to hell with it"-Flannery O'Connor  The Road to Emmaus account in Luke 24:13–35 reveals something profound about how Christ chooses to make Himself known. The disciples walk with Him, hear Him explain the Scriptures, and yet “their eyes were kept from recognizing Him.” It is only later “in the breaking of the bread," that their eyes are opened. This is no small detail. Christ is fully present to them on the road, yet He is not recognized. It is in the breaking of the bread that recognition comes. Word and Sacrament are both present, but it is the Eucharistic act that becomes the moment of revelation. From the beginning, this pattern shaped Christian worship. As seen throughout Acts of the Apostles, believers gathered not only to hear teaching, but to devote themselves to “the breaking of the bread.” The Eucharist was not an optional symbol, but the very heart of their encounter with the risen Christ. For over a thousand years, Christians unders...
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Reflection on Luke 17:11–19 — Thanksgiving Day

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  In today’s Gospel, Jesus heals ten lepers, yet only one returns to give thanks. The miracle itself is striking, but an often overlooked detail is that Jesus sends them to the priests. In the Old Covenant, the priest did not heal a leper, God did. But the priest was the one who examined the person and officially declared them clean, restoring them to the community. We see a powerful parallel here with the Sacrament of Confession our Lord instituted in the Gospel of John 20:21–23. When we approach Jesus with our spiritual wounds; our sins, it is He who heals us. His mercy restores our soul. Yet, just as in the days of old, He still chooses to work through His priests. In Confession, the priest is not the source of forgiveness; he is the instrument through whom Christ speaks the words that officially restore us to the life of grace. When we hear that we have absolved of our sins, Christ heals; the priest declares clean. But then there is the one missing leper, that lone figure who d...
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May they be one just as We are One.

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 Gospel Reflection – 06.04.25- John 17:11b-19 "…so that they may be one just as we are one." In today’s Gospel, we hear of Jesus’ heartfelt prayer to the Father before His Passion. His words are not only intimate—they are deeply urgent. Jesus prays for the unity of His followers, not a vague spiritual unity, but a real, visible oneness: “that they may be one just as we are one.” This isn't just poetic language. He is speaking of the same unity He shares with the Father, a unity of love, truth, and purpose. The body of Christ was in union for the first 1000 years of Christianity before the Great Schism. Now the other half of the Apostolic Church is fragmented. With no earthy visible overseeing head, with no councils they are divided. Then, after 1500 years the body of Christ has become even more divided after the Protestant Revolt. And Protestantism is even more fragmented than Orthodoxy.  This Gospel resonates deeply with me because our Lord’s prayer for unity is also my ...
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Other Blog

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Redd Between the Lines;  Main Blog Sermon Blog
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