Posts by Jerry DeMelo Jr.
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
Jacob’s Well I had the pleasure of going to Jacob’s Well along with two young priests and my son deep into Samaria near Nablus. We rode in a properly marked Taxi Cab, with Iyad (the right Cab Driver) and left from Jerusalem before sunrise. In the back of my mind was the thought that if…
Read MoreHow Jesus Parents the Children of His Father
First, the Goal The goal of a mature person is reflected in their examination of conscience regarding sin. “I confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do…”…
Read MoreA Leper’s Prayer
Isolation and Desolation We are probably coming out of the recent Covid pandemic. For two years we experienced uncertainty at the hands of the virus. We spoke of it as if it was a living organism that we could kill. Viruses are not living agents – yet they can kill living beings. A person infected…
Read MoreOur Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared in Mexico in 1531 as the pregnant mother of the Son of God, Jesus the Christ. She appeared to Juan Diego, a simple widower, who is now the first canonized saint indigenous to the Americas. The Virgin Mary holds a special place in the Mexican culture. It’s precisely because she…
Read MoreWhy the Feast of St Josaphat is Important
The Ruthenian Rite was once an Orthodox rite, separated from Rome as part of the Great East-West Schism of 1054. How is it then, that Pope Francis in 2013 was able to name Fr Burnette as a bishop in that Eastern Ruthenian Rite? St Josaphat, a Peacemaker Archbishop In many regards, we owe this to…
Read MoreThe Struggle of Flesh Against the Spirit
We are created in His image We must start where God started, in the beginning. We were created in His image and likeness, unlike all the rest of creation and creatures. As such we possess an intellect that seeks truth and a will that seeks happiness. While God saw that creation was good, He noted…
Read MoreThe Eucharist – a Pious Anamnesis of Our Lord’s Passover
The institution of the Eucharist communicated by Jesus to Paul The words “I received from the Lord” taken literally indicate that the teaching on the Eucharist was so important to Our Lord, that Jesus taught it directly to St Paul. Paul did not have to rely on Peter or James or John for the liturgy…
Read MoreMarriage – The Devil is in the Details
Satan’s Original Three Temptations Matthew documents the first temptations by the devil when Jesus was led into the desert after His baptism. (Mt 4:1-11). Jesus was hungry, so the tempter suggested He command that stones become loaves of bread. Then the devil transported Jesus from the desert near Jericho to the Parapet of the Temple…
Read MoreWhat Should I Do – Discernment Thoughts
Ask and You Shall Receive Discerning God’s will can be complicated when someone is not engaged in a moral decision. Most moral decisions are relatively easy. What would Jesus do? Go, and do likewise. Other decisions are more difficult. Do I take this job or another? Should I move to another location and be far…
Read MoreSolemnity of the Most Holy Trinity: God Continues to Guide His Church Today
The Council of Jerusalem In 50 AD, as documented in the Acts of the Apostles, we learn about the first council of the church. There, at the Council of Jerusalem, the issue presented for consideration was whether circumcision was required of a person to become a disciple of Christ. Proponents of circumcision were centered primarily…
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