Posts by Jerry DeMelo Jr.
James and his Letter of Contradictions
Who Was the Author of the Letter of James? Lokobos Mikros, more commonly known as James the Less, or James the Younger – an apostle and first bishop of Jerusalem wrote the Letter of James. He was also one of the brothers of the Lord, a fact that can be discerned by a careful reading…
Read MoreThe Healing of the Paralytic
The Setting for the Miracle: The healing of the paralyzed man by Jesus in Capernaum is covered in all three synoptic Gospels. It appears Our Lord had not returned in a public manner but had done so in a private way. Eventually, it became known that He was back in Peter’s house, and a large…
Read MoreThe Continuing Influence of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe is not just a symbol of faith or an accident of history. She has promoted unity without sacrificing cultural identity and her influence still transcends religious boundaries, extending into the realms of social justice thus leaving an indelible mark on the Americas. The Cultural Unifier The story of her apparition to…
Read MoreThe Parable of the Ten Virgins – a Jewish Insight
The Yom Kippur overlay: The parable of the Ten Virgins is centered around 10 Virgins awaiting a long-delayed Bridegroom who would arrive and open the doors to a Wedding Feast. It was important to be prepared for His arrival, for once he entered the doors would be locked. To fully understand the parable, we must…
Read MorePersistence – Lack of Faith or Hope in Action
Knocking on a Friend’s Door: “Here you go, since you persisted in waking up all of my children to give you bread. Now go home and quit bothering us.” -A paraphrase. Today’s Gospel begins with the parable of a man who at midnight goes to a friend seeking bread loaves to feed a traveler who…
Read MoreChrist: Truth and Lord
Preamble – Dear Friends – I prepared a Reflection that I did not really like, so I contacted Richard Jones, former Anglican priest – now fervent Catholic- for his insight. He proposed the following which I Iiked so much that I forwarded it unedited, as he submitted. Here it is: Introduction Although we live in…
Read MoreLove the Lord Your God
The Shema Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad. Hear O Israel, The LORD is our God, the Lord is One. So begins the prayer that every Jew prays before going to sleep at the end of the day. Believe in One God The Shema holds a central place in both Jewish and Christian Scriptures, declaring…
Read MoreThe Mission of the Apostles
Today’s gospel records the sending of the twelve Apostles to preach the Gospel to the lost sheep of Israel. Jesus summons his twelve disciples and gives them the authority to cast out unclean spirits and cure every disease and sickness. We cannot read this Gospel without being reminded of the importance of our own mission…
Read MoreThe Basics – The Beatitudes
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This beatitude promises a present blessing, while others offer future blessings. Note the difference as you read. Others have a “will be” future tense consolation. Here, we must recognize our spiritual poverty and our need for God’s grace. We cannot rely on…
Read MoreThe Jerusalem Council and the Synod of Synodality
The Jerusalem Council – Church Unity through Dialogue We should not be afraid of the Church periodically calling a Council or a Synod to resolve important issues of faith or morals. We must, however, follow the Apostolic example. The Apostles and priests met in Jerusalem around 48AD to decide whether a Gentile convert needed to…
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