Ross Dizon
Foreigners No Longer, But Citizens Rather
Jesus, our peace, makes one the Jews and those who are not Jews: the foreigners. He tears down, through the cross, the wall of hate that separates them.
Win With the Victorious Over the World
Jesus has overcome the world. That is why those who put their faith and trust in him cannot but win in the face of trials, woes, doubts.
God-with-us in Our Joys and Our Griefs
Jesus, God-with-us, is the first of the brothers and sisters who rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those...
Gather the Scattered, Lost, Separated
Jesus Christ is our peace and rest. He is with us to gather those whom the bad shepherds have scattered, misled and driven apart. The apostles gather together with Jesus. They tell him how they have fulfilled the task he gave them. The Teacher, for his part, sees...
Choose the One Who Chooses Us First
Jesus leads and completes the mission of those he sees fit to choose on his own initiative. They, in turn, keep their eyes on him; he shows them to be like him and do as he. It is Jesus who takes the initiative to choose his apostles, missionaries or those he sends. ...
Prophets After Jesus Christ’s Own Heart
Jesus is the prophet of prophets. And we who have, due to our baptism, the calling to be prophets will be so only we do as he. The people take Jesus as one of the prophets (Mt 14, 5; Mk 8, 28; Lk 7, 16; Jn 7, 40). The learned, in contrast, take pride in not being so...
Person of Jesus More than Proposition
Jesus takes away our diseases and bears our illnesses (Mt 8, 17; Is 53, 4). Hence, for the disciple, to live a life of faith is to be the mercy of the Teacher in person. Jairus falls at Jesus’ feet and pleads that he goes with him. For his little daughter is dying...
Trials We Have to Go through to Be New
Jesus dies for us so that we may live for him and in him. To live so means to go through trials and thus get to be a new creation. Jesus has been teaching the crowds with parables. One lesson is about trust in God who carries out fully what starts out, even if...
Sisters and Brothers All by Blood
Jesus is the only Son who is in the bosom of the Father. Through him, we are children by adoption, and so we cry, “Father,” which then means we are sisters and brothers. Jesus says that his mother, sisters and brothers are those who do God’s will (Mk 3, 35). It...
Worshipers of the Father in Spirit and Truth
Jesus embodies what to worship the Father in Spirit and truth means. Hence, we Christians are to be such worshipers. We humans can spoil everything (SV.EN XI:247. 249. 310. 313. 388; SV.EN XII]:92. 131. 139). We spoil worship of God even, and so become false...
Noise, Driving Wind, Tongues of Fire
Jesus sends us the Holy Spirit that comes from the Father (Jn 15, 26). And not to have this Spirit is not to belong to Christ, and not be but noise. It is not that God likes noise. In fact, he was in a soft whisper (1 Kgs 19, 12). But he has to vie for people’s...
Heaven, Where the Risen Christ Is
Jesus went up to heaven and sits at the right hand of God. That is why we gaze on him, the same one who also came down to earth. To rise with Christ means to seek what is in heaven (Col 3, 1). But after the ascension, the eleven go forth to preach. Is it due to...