E52 The Mission of Jesus

“Why do some of us experience Christianity as a burden and others as a refuge? The answer, I am convinced, has to do with grace. Grace is the Big Relief at the heart of Christianity. When grace is down-played or qualified, faith turns into a project and then a burden. Project religion - the ancient…

“The act of confessing our sins to one another is a graced invitation to practice the way of faith, hope, and love. The soul tempted to despair will be particularly allergic to ecclesial confession, but it is here that they will find great remedy for their agonizing condition. For in confessing the…

“And to this the voice bellowed: ‘I AM WHO I AM.’” . . . “At first, I thought maybe this was just God’s way of saying, ‘Hey, I exist. I AM real. Notice me!’ Or maybe it was God’s way of avoiding the question. I ask, ‘Who are you?’ and he says, ‘I AM WHAT I AM.’ In other words, it’s none of your bus…

“Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his discipl…