Theology

The Gospel reading for the Third Sunday of Easter, John 21, highlights the primacy of Peter among the Apostles.

The Incarnation is the center of all God’s plans for mankind. Two millennia ago, the Word became flesh. He dwelt among us for thirty-three years, completed His Paschal mystery, rose from the dead, and forty days later left this earth in His Ascension.

“I fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body’s sake, which is the Church.” Colossians i. 24.

On October 2, the Church honors the Guardian Angels, our protectors and our friends, those magnificent spiritual beings created by God before the creation of the world.

We are not alone on this journey because Christ has given us the Church. The Church exists for the good of the human person. It is the vehicle that allows us to stay connected with God and to be protected from the evil one as we make our journey to the tree of life.

When I was doing full-time parish ministry, one of my favorite activities was performing Baptisms.

Within the invisible creation, there exists a hierarchy of heavenly spirits. In the Bible we find various orders of the choirs of angels: Cherubim, Seraphim, Thrones, Dominions, Principalities, Powers, Virtues, Archangels, and Angels.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith affirms that Baptisms administered with modified formulas are invalid, including: “We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”.

God is eternal. In other words, God is the One who does the creating. The Book of Genesis instructs us that God created time and the universe in which we live.

That is a question that has been asked throughout the ages. We know that faith is a gift from God. And that very gift of God is meant to be nurtured in our lives, especially through prayer and the reception of the sacraments.