RajahJun

The Covid-19 pandemic which has been raging for two years has disrupted every part of our lives. The disruption has been unsettling. We try to find ways to live with the situation though it hasn't been easy. Every day, for two years, we struggle to cope.  Countries around the world have turned to medical science to control the virus. Though there have been some progress, the fight through science is far from over.  There is still so much to learn from the virus which continues to mutate. Meanwhile, man-made laws are being introduced with the goal of controlling the virus. But the new laws not only tried to control the spread of the virus but controlled basic human rights like movement and choices. We are seeing emerging clashes of viewpoints on this. Ideas on how to fight the virus continue to surface everywhere especially in social media. Even wild and fake news about the virus add to the confusion. It seems like we're on a boat tossed around by wild waves with the possibilit...

After Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus, Jesus later assigned Paul to bring the good news about him to the Gentiles (Acts 22:21). Jesus gave that mission to Paul because he possessed attributes that made him the best man for the job.  Foremost, he was a devout Pharisees, therefore, he was well-informed about the Jewish faith, scriptures and Pharisaic movement. He would use that knowledge to convince Gentile and Jews everywhere of Jesus' divinity.  He knew the inner workings of the Sanhedrin which he would use to get him out of a tight spot. Paul was Roman citizen which he would use to his advantage. He spoke Greek which enabled him to speak Gentiles outside Jerusalem who mostly spoke in Greek.  Those attributes allowed him to travel and spread the good news outside Jerusalem. He made his first missionary journey across Asia which is modern Turkey and Greece. He was successful in his mission because of the advantages of his personal attributes. During his mission outs...

Joseph the husband of Mary and the father of Jesus played an important part in our redemption from sin. Perhaps, if Joseph had been an unwilling participant, our redemption from sin through Jesus Christ would not be possible.  Although, there were few accounts about him, Matthew, one of the gospel writers, shared some insights about Joseph's background, character, and circumatances. Joseph came from the lineage of David. Actually, his ancestry goes all the way back to Abraham. Matthew wrote in detail the genealogy of Joseph (Matthew 1: 1-16).  Because of his ancestry, we can conclude that he is pious in the Jewish faith. He surely knows the  scriptures and perhaps he was aware of the prophecy about a savior. When unsettling events started happening in his life, Joseph could have pieced together the fulfillment of the prophecies in the scriptures about Jesus. He probably sensed that he had a role to play in that prophecy.  His suspicions about the prophecy could have ...

Christmas day reminds us of the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate his birth because it is the fulfillment God's promise to finally redeem mankind from sin. God's promise were written down in old testament scriptures. Being the son of God, Jesus could have been born to a royal family. His childbirth could have happened inside the comfort of a palace and attended by royal physicians. Instead, he was born into an ordinary family. His actual childbirth was pitiful when Joseph and Mary, because of their circumstances, had to give birth to Jesus inside a stable in Bethlehem.  In usual circumstances for an ordinary family from that period, childbirth is usually done inside the safety and comfort of the parents' house. God could have arranged for a more comfortable place for Mary to give birth to Jesus. But that was not the case. Luke, one of the gospel writers, recounted Jesus' childbirth in Bethlehem (Luke 2: 1-7). Verse 7 says when Mary gave birth to Jesus, she ...

Christmas day is just around the corner. It's the time of gift-giving and being with family and friends. Though the pandemic has limited the enjoyment of that special day, we find ways to celebrate it despite the prevailing situation. For Christians all over the world, Christmas day is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a celebration of hope. It also reminds us of God's unconditional love by offering a sure-fire way to finally redeem mankind from sin once and for all. That is through his son Jesus. We all know that God sent his son to be with us and to show us the way to redemption. Matthew wrote in one of the verses in his gospel (Matthew  1:22) about a fulfillment of a prophecy of a virgin who will be with a child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel - which means "God with us." Matthew mentioned a virgin who is Mary the mother of Jesus. She played a big part in our redemption and our Christmas day celebration today. If she h...

In the Catholic tradition, we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of Mary every year on December 8. That yearly celebration reminds us that Mary was conceived without sin. Though Mary had ordinary human parents who conceived her in the usual way, God had already redeemed Mary from original sin the moment her parents conceived her.   That kind of redemption from original sin that Mary had is the same kind of redemption that Jesus would giving to everyone when he grew up to be a man. Mary had received it earlier because she would be playing the crucial role as the biological mother of God. In Luke 1: 26 -28, the verses strongly suggest that Mary had received that kind of redemption ahead of time. As a Catholic myself, I have mistakenly thought that the Immaculate Conception celebration was about Mary's conception and virgin birth of Jesus. I have studied in Catholic schools in my young life and I guess I did not pay attention when that doctrine was being taught during Religion c...

Jesus chose Paul, also known as Saul, to be his apostle to preach his teachings to the Gentiles. Paul's apostle story is written down in the book of Acts  (Acts 9: 1 -18).  His  conversion was different from Jesus' first disciples.  The first disciples had the privilege and opportunity to be with Jesus during his earthly ministry. They had the privilege of special training and teaching from Jesus. They spent some considerable time together for several years and perhaps developed a strong bond like family.  In the case of Paul, he met Jesus for the first time on the road to Damascus. Jesus had already died a few years before. That meeting changed Paul's life forever.  On that dusty road, Jesus confronted him, though not physically but in the spirit, because he had been persecuting his followers.    Paul was the exact opposite of Jesus' first disciples. He had so much zeal in defending the Jewish faith. In Jerusalem, he searched from house -to-house...