Gospels Archives - Amazing Catechists

On Being Ordinary

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I love Ordinary Time. It is Mac-n-Cheese on a Friday night, comforting, predictable and filled with love. Unlike Advent or Lent, Ordinary time is neither a time of preparation nor a particularly penitential period. It is not a time of celebration like Christmas or Easter; it is, well, ordinary.

When you work in ministry, the other seasons of the liturgical year are often accompanied by a frenzied pace. As an RCIA Coordinator, I find Lent especially challenging. There are Rites to celebrate, paperwork to do and catechesis to finish before the Easter Vigil. Ordinary Time provides an opportunity to slow down and appreciate the everyday beauty of the Mass and the Gospel. I find it a time for reflection and a time to breathe in my faith…deeply.

As a wife and mother, I recognize that many of the moments I treasure most are not those that happen on vacations or holidays but those nestled into the most normal of days. When my adult son sends me a text in the morning to say he loves me or the older kids unexpectedly help the younger ones, those are the things that take my breath away. In the same way, I see and hear the Mass differently during Ordinary Time. Small nuggets of wisdom pop out of the readings and into my consciousness when it is not cluttered by the busyness of other seasons. I see the Consecration as if in slow motion, savoring each second. I do not feel rushed.

As the days of this period will pass by quickly, I will enjoy the blessings that are anything but ordinary.

Book Review: The Case for Jesus

By Maureen Smith

Tomorrow marks the release of Dr. Brant Pitre’s newest book, The Case for Jesus. I am happy to review this book and hope that you are able to get your hands on a copy!

In his other works, Dr. Pitre has unlocked the meaning of Scripture and Tradition in light of Christianity’s Jewish roots and now he reveals for us the historical context and purpose of the Gospels and their authors.

Dr. Pitre brings an ancient freshness to the Gospel texts, allowing readers to see each of them from the perspective of their author and those to whom the Gospels were first proclaimed.

The Case for Jesus is a helpful resource to anyone studying Scripture or Christology, or to anyone wishing to deepen their relationship with Christ.

In the opening chapters, The Case for Jesus tackles the myth that the Gospel’s were anonymously written. Dr. Pitre displays the overwhelming evidence of their authorship and deepens our understanding of each of the Gospels.

After guiding us through the historical evidence for the authorship of the four Gospels, Pitre doesn’t just leave us at the doorstep of the New Testament. He then helps us to understand some of the basic Christological questions that may have gone unanswered in our Sunday school classes or even in our religious studies courses, such as those concerning Jesus’ own self-perception. He confirms for us what the Church has taught for almost two thousand years in a manner that is both engaging and is also accessible to today’s laity, making it a great guide for Bible studies and small group discussions.

This literary pilgrimage enables readers to encounter Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as friends. They become close companions in our quest to come to know the Person of Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah and Divine Son of God. As he discusses the Gospels, Pitre also weaves in passages from the Old and New Testaments as well as other sources, helping us to access the deeper meaning behind many of the of Scriptural texts.

As I journeyed through The Case for Jesus, the life of Christ was fleshed out for me. I can approach Sacred Scripture with new eyes and greater confidence in my comprehension of the Gospels. Many of the Scripture passages that have always been a mystery to me are now fonts of wisdom for my spiritual life.

I highly recommend this work for anyone wishing to gain greater access to Scripture and to the Person of Jesus. To all who read The Case for Jesus, this book will not only enable you to answer tough questions. It will also be a navigation guide as you read the Gospels and at the same time enrich your life of prayer.

Enjoy!

Weary Souls Rejoice!

By Elizabeth Tichvon

Wherever we turn these days, Christmas music plays, and for some of us this year, the words to the traditional carols we’ve come to know by heart have suddenly taken on new meaning. Old, familiar jingles about Christ’s birth now seem to resound with significance, bursting with the presence of His Gospel!

The popular hymn, O Holy Night, is full of such moving words; it speaks of the world lying long in sin, “’til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.” Such were the great crowds of the lame, blind, deformed and mute in today’s Gospel.

Imagine them – the sick and weary, the hungry, approaching Jesus up on the mountain, filled with “a thrill of hope.” Envision them “falling on their knees” as our compassionate Savior placed them at His feet and cured them! Jesus took pity on that crowd of four thousand and fed them with only seven loaves and a few fish. Imagine the “weary souls rejoicing!”

Jesus holds no less compassion for our weariness and hunger as He continues to heal us with His Word and feed us through the Eucharist. We give thanks for these gifts which we receive in faith, and rejoice along with the souls on that mountain, “Sweet hymns of joy! In grateful chorus raise we! Let all within us praise His holy Name!”