Posts by Jerry DeMelo Jr.
John the Baptist – Penance or Exultation
Whoever Has Two Coats Jesus declares that John the Baptist was the greatest of prophets born of woman. (Lk 7:28). John understood the will of God for those who came to him. -Whoever has two coats should share with the one who has none. -Whoever has food should do likewise. -Tax Collector, stop collecting more…
Read MoreEveryone Has a god – A Follow Up
The “Wisdom” of St. Paul Last month while preparing my monthly reflection for this ministry, I shared insights from St. Paul’s discourse on the existence of God in Rom 1:16-25. We saw then, the evidence for God is so clear in His creation, that no one has an excuse for continued disbelief. Furthermore, if a…
Read MoreEveryone Has a God
“Let Me Show You My God” “Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever.” Rom 1: 24-25 Therefore? A sentence…
Read MoreI Wish You Well, Make It the Best Way You Can
Let Me Show You My Faith “Go in peace, keep warm, eat well,” (James 2:16). These words can save or condemn a person. Why? Because the speaker confesses the awareness of a need. If the words are spoken after the speaker sincerely offered or provided assistance, and the motivating factor in the assistance is obedience…
Read MoreJoshua and our Promised Land Crossing
Christian Journey analogy The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know I am with you, as I was with Moses. Now command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant to come to a halt in the Jordan when you reach…
Read MoreJust Do It!
Context, Context, Context “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother …” “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of…
Read MoreI Have Lost My Child
I have not experienced the death of any of my children. As a father, I never had occasion to ponder the possibility that at any particular moment, one of my children might be dead. Yet, I hear of such events daily. For every child reported in the news to have died, there is a grieving…
Read MoreSaint Paul and the “Common Ground”
Let’s have some fun—just this once. There is a lot going on in today’s first reading of Acts 17 as we ponder the interaction between St Paul and the Greek judges at the Areopagus. The foundation for the dialogue is framed in today’s Gospel. There, Jesus tells His disciples that He has much more to…
Read MoreWhy was Nicodemus Different?
It is impossible to reflect on the dialogue between Nicodemus and Jesus in today’s Gospel without thinking about Baptism. In fact, the importance of Baptism was St John’s purpose in memorializing the encounter. Jesus taught unequivocally about the necessity of water and spirit for Nicodemus to be born anothen (sometimes translated born from above or…
Read MoreLove Your Neighbor as Yourself
All Jews recite the Shema before their feet hit the floor every morning, with hands covering the eyes: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one. Therefore, you shall love the LORD your God, with all your heart, all your being, and with all your strength.” In the reading today, Jesus affirms the great…
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