1. Jesus was Jewish, born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem between 6 and 4 BC. He grew up in Nazareth. 2. He was called Jesus, a variant of Yeshua (ישוע). His last name was not Christ. He was the son of Mary and Joseph. “Anointed one” or “Messiah” was a title given to him…
1. Humans are created in the image and likeness of God – Only humans can know and love the creator. God made us all in his liking. 2. Humans are called to happiness and holiness – God has placed the desire for happiness in our hearts. We can find true happiness only in God (the…
Sacraments are not performed in isolation. The Church has a mission to offer a special type of life and a special type of memory. It brings to memory the event of Jesus Christ and invites us to become part of this. As with all symbols and rites, the Church’s sacraments have a body and a…
With the advent of the feminist movement, the role of women in all parts of society has come under increasing scrutiny. One area of recent controversy is the role of women in the Christian Church. Some churches whose traditions and practices are less rigidly tied to Biblical doctrines have begun placing women in leadership positions…
The New Testament is mainly based on the life of Jesus and the early church. He is known as the son of God though his parents were Mary and Joseph. Jesus was born in a stable in city of Bethlehem as there was no room in the inns. Once he was born, Mary had no…
As a boy, David was a shepherd. He took care of his father’s sheep. He was a very courageous boy. When a wolf tried to steal a sheep, he didn’t run, he stood his ground and killed the wolf. One day his father told him to go to the land where his brothers were fighting…
MARK’S THEOLOGY REFLECTED IN WRITING Mark and the other evangelists used basically five ways to change, edit or enhance Jesus’ sayings to reflect their own views of Christianity. According to the Five Gospels Book, plagiarism and changing of writing was not a crime, but actually very common Mark’s time. Besides, Mark never knew Jesus first-…
The four Gospels are neither histories of the life of Christ nor biographies. They are portraits of the person and work of the long-promised Messiah, Israel’s King and the world’s Savior. As portraits, they present four different poses of one unique personality. Matthew by the Holy Spirit presents Christ as King, Mark as Servant, Luke…
Barnabas was a native of the island of Cyprus. His birthplace makes him a Jew of the Diaspora, the dispersion of Jews outside Palestine or modern Israel. He was originally named Joseph but the apostles called him Barnabas, he probably acquired this name because of his ability as a preacher. The name Barnabas was understood…
Genesis is the start of a new beginning. In the King James Translation, the book of Genesis explains how everything came to be. Lord God creates meaningful things to establish the Earth. Amongst his creation he creates man and woman. There is always a beginning for everything, but, How does it begin, is the answer…
No one completely understands the ways of God. Many of us can come up with our own opinions and justify his ways in our own minds, just as Milton did in Paradise Lost. Just as Adam and Eve, we all are gifted with free will and the responsibility of making important decisions and choices in…
Augustine states continuously that he was not yet in love, but was in love with love. This statement doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t believe that someone can be in love with something, if he or she doesn’t understand what love is. “I was not yet in love, but I was in love with…
The name Mary means “wise woman” or “lady” She came from a town called Magdala on the western side of the Sea of Galilee The story of Mary Magdalene contains four different episodes, Mary Magdalene as a disciple of Jesus, Mary at the crucifixion, Mary prepared Jesus’ body for the burial, and Mary witnessed the…
Wisdom The ability to see things as they truly are in an open-minded manner. Wisdom is like a special pair of glasses; it’s the gift we need to see reality properly. Wisdom is the opposite of narrow-mindedness. Without wisdom, we tend to see only from our own perspective, from our own point of view. Wisdom…
Mary Magdalene, from the town of Magdala located on the western Sea of Galilee, is portrayed by society as a prostitute and the ultimate opposite of the Virgin Mary.[1] However, this depiction of her has been proven by the Catholic Church to be false. Not only is Mary Magdalene a well known biblical figure in…
The parable of the workers in the vineyard is about several workers who are hired by a man who owns a vineyard, over different periods of time. At the end of the day the people who are hired first expect to be paid more than those hired later. But, the man pays all of the…
The parable of the prodigal son is about a young man who demands his father’s inheritance while he is still living. He takes the money and foolishly squanders it. He comes back and repents to his father and is taken in with open arms. Meanwhile, the father has a second son, who becomes jealous of…
The parable of the unmerciful servant is about a servant whose master ordered him to pay back 10 000 talents of money. The servant could not pay the money and asked his master for mercy. The master told him he did not have to pay off the debt. Then another servant who owed the servant,…
The parable of the ten virgins is a story about ten virgins who are awaiting a bridegroom’s arrival. There are five virgins who are prepared for the arrival and they await him with a jar of oil. The five virgins who are not prepared do not have a jar of oil and leave to go…
The parable of the lost coin is the story of a woman who loses one of her ten silver coins. She looks through her entire house and rejoices when she finds the coin. After finding this coin, the lady makes it seem like one coin has become more valuable than all of the other nine…