Posts by Jerry DeMelo Jr.
The 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…
Read MoreOn The Road with Jesus to Emmaus with Chat GPT
My query: Give me a Catholic Reflection on Luke 24:13-35 Jesus on the Road to Emmaus. Chat GPT, an Artificial Intelligence bot, replied with the following: Answer: Luke 24:13-35 tells the story of Jesus appearing to two disciples on the road to Emmaus after his resurrection. The disciples were saddened and confused by the events…
Read MoreJesus 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…
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