'The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter) (John 1:35-42).” On hearing John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, and another disciple left

' The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God (Jn. 1:29-34).”' John the Baptist declared Jesus to be the Lamb of God which in OT times would have conjured up the image of a sacrificial lamb being offered up as a sin offering, an atonement for sin in accordance with Mosaic Law (2 Chron. 29:20-24; Is. 53:7; Ex. 12:6-7).  John the Baptist acknowledged Jes

This four part series is based on the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church By DeLisle Callender & Ivo Corazza The Bible or Sacred Scripture is comprised of books which contain the truth of God’s Revelation and were composed by human authors inspired by the Holy Spirit. [1] Since Sacred Scripture is inspired, there is another and no less important principle of correct interpretation; “Sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted in the light of the same Spirit by whom it was written.” [2] The Second Vatican Council indicated three criteria for interpreting Scripture in accordance with the Holy Spirit who inspired it. [3] 1.       Be especially attentive “to the content and unity of the whole Scripture.” Scripture is a unit by reason of the unity of God’s plan, of which Christ Jesus is the center and heart, open since his Passover. [4] 2.       Read the Scripture within “the living Tradition of the whole Church.”   According to a saying of the early Church Fathers, Sacre

'As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “[Lord,] let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” [To him] Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God (Lk. 9:57-62).”' At the start of Jesus’ ministry, the first disciples left everything and followed him (Lk. 5:11, 28).  Now that Jesus is approaching the end of his ministry some of the new would-be disciples are still attached to their old ways of life.  Just as Jesus was firmly committed to going to Jerusalem, even though he knew what was waiting for hi

'When the days for his being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village (Lk. 9:51-56).'  The period of Jesus’ ministry on Earth was coming to an end and, after his death and resurrection, he would return (his assumption) to his Father and send the Holy Spirit.  Jesus was determined to fulfill his Father’s will by going to Jerusalem.  Samaritans disliked Jews (Jn. 4:9) especially when they were passing through Samaritan territory going to the holy city Jerusalem to worship.  Samaritans believed that Moses commanded the Israelites to worship on Mount Gerizim (

'Jesus again in reply spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’ Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But whe

'Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’” Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Messiah of God.” He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.  He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised (Lk. 9:18-22).”’ In Luke, Jesus prays before an important event.  The disciples’ answer to Jesus’ question was similar to what Herod the Tetrarchs heard about Jesus (Lk. 9:7-9).  Peter, who is the spokesperson for the disciples, answered Jesus based on what he has seen Jesus do and the power and authority Jesus gave the disciples over demons and to cure diseases in his name (Lk. 9:1-6).  Jesus told the disciples about what will happen to

'Then the disciples of John approached him and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast [much], but your disciples do not fast?” Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved (Mt. 9:14-17).”’ From antiquity, fasting was a common religious practice.  It was a way of humbling yourself before God and strengthening yourself in prayer.  Respect was given to Jesus by the way the question was asked in that they did not ask why Jesus did not fast.  Jesus compares fasting to mourning, and his disciples to guests at a wedding, an occasion of jo

'As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners (Mt. 9:9-13).”’ Jesus left Capernaum after healing a paralytic and called Matthew a tax collector to follow him.  Matthew is called Levi in the other Synoptic Gospels of Mark and Luke.  Tax collectors were disliked by the Jews because they worked for the Roman authorities.  The Romans were an oppressive occupying force.  Tax collectors were considered disloyal and their collaboration with the Romans was considered

“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe [in me] to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. [ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. [ And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.  Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another (Mk. 9:42-50).” Jesus warned of the consequences for anyone who puts an obstacle in the path of a member of the commun

'John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.” Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. Temptations to Sin (Mk. 9:38-41).' The disciples were upset because someone that was not in Jesus’ inner circle was performing exorcisms and they tried to stop him.  Jesus told them that no one who performed exorcisms in his name could at the same time speak ill of him so do not try to stop him.  It is through the Holy Spirit that such deeds are performed.  Things that are done out of love in the name of Jesus will receive God’s blessing.  Jesus was teaching about the way the Church should function.  The disciples need to be open minded and expect

'They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Taking a child he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me (Mk. 9:33-37).”’ Jesus and his disciples were on the way from Caesarea Philippi to Jerusalem and they stopped off at Capernaum.  Simon Peter and Andrew had a home in Capernaum where Peter’s Mother-in-Law was cured (Mk. 1:29-31).  The disciples, in their lack of understanding, were discussing who among them was the greatest disciple.  James and John took it a step further and asked Jesus if they could sit on his ri

Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men (Mk 1:17).”  When Jesus called the first disciples, they immediately answered his call.  When we hear God’s call, we should do the same.   Once we say yes to Jesus we embarked on a demanding, difficult, and an internally solitary but fulfilling spiritual journey.  Solitary because each one is called in a different way, and each one accepts the call according to desires of his/her heart.  God does not tell us how much of His grace to accept.  He showers us abundantly with His Grace, and each one bathes in His grace as long as he/she wants to.   So here we are, called by God, armed with His grace, but not sure how to proceed because we have not yet been taught how to serve Him.  We have the first disciples as examples.  We need to be taught just as they were taught.  We should read Sacred Scripture, pray as often as we can, and ask for guidance from the Holy Spirit.  There are Bible study groups and online courses fr

"Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you realize that we will be judged more strictly, for we all fall short in many respects. If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body also. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide their whole bodies. It is the same with ships: even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot’s inclination wishes. In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions. Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze. The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restl

'And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way (Lk. 6:20-26) ' Jesus told the disciples how one receives blessedness from the Kingdom of God which he is inaugurating.  Jesus is not speaking about the poor or the rich as classes of people.  The