Jesus gives us Peace

As the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends us

(Our story is His, we will give love, tell truth, and be crucified)

Jesus Breathes the Holy Spirit onto us and we Receive Him. 

John 20:21-22

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be to you; just as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Do not continue in disbelief 

Be a believer

Blessed are those who do not see Him and yet believe 

John 20:27-29

Then He *said to Thomas, “Place your finger here, and see My hands; and take your hand and put it into My side; and do not continue in disbelief, but be a believer.” Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you now believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”

The Gospel is written so you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God

And believing this truth you may have life in His name. 

You must receive 

John 20:31

but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you may have life in His name.

If Jesus chooses to do anything…What’s it to me?

He is God and can do as He pleases, everything is all His (Creator)

I am only called to follow Him!

I am not called to figure…but follow. 

John 21:22

Jesus *said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”

We are not cured of sin. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. 

Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. 

Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities. 

"How can I best serve Thee - Thy will (not mine) be done." 

These are thoughts which must go with us constantly. We can exercise our will power along this line all we wish. It is the proper use of the will, to do God’s will. 

“I give thanks to God always for you, because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor 1:4), writes St. Paul to the Corinthians. 

It is only God’s grace which justifies us and makes us holy: this grace comes to man through the infinite merits of our Lord Jesus, and is given freely to those who believe in him. 

“The followers of Christ,” Vatican II teaches, “are called by God not according to their accomplishments, but according to his own purpose and grace. 

They are justified in the Lord Jesus . . . truly become sons of God, and sharers in the divine nature. In this way they are really made holy. 

They must therefore hold on to, and complete in their lives this holiness which they have received” (LG 40).

Once baptized, we are saints by right; we must be so in fact also by leading a holy life, doing holy works worthy of a child of God who has been saved and redeemed by Christ and worthy of a member of the Church which is the mystical body of Christ. 

God who has called us and sanctified us in his Son will give us all the necessary graces to bring to completion the work begun. “God is faithful,” writes the Apostle “by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor 1:9).

As grace grows and matures in us who believe, it exercises a larger and deeper influence over us, and when its sanctifying influence effectively extends to all our activities, orientating us unfailingly toward the fulfillment of God’s will and his glory, we shall indeed live in communion with Christ, intimately united to God, sharing in his life and holiness. This is the fullness of grace, the fullness of Christian life, authentic sanctity.

If you do not remain in the teaching of Christ you do not have God. 

The one who remains in the teaching of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 

If someone comes to you and does not have the teachings of Christ as His rule of life-do not receive him into your home, do not even greet him. If you greet him, you participate in his evil deeds. 

The Church teaches that while error must be repudiated, the dignity of the person must always be respected. Love and respect should extend to all individuals, regardless of their beliefs or actions. This means that while one may not engage in fellowship with those who promote false teachings, it is still possible to approach them with love and compassion. Praying for those who do not share the faith is an act of love that acknowledges their dignity and seeks their ultimate good. 

By approaching non-believers with respect, kindness, and a commitment to truth, Christians can embody the love of Christ while also adhering to the teachings of the Church. This balance reflects the fullness of the Christian message, which is both a call to love and a call to truth.

2 John 1:9-11

Anyone who goes too far and does not remain in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who remains in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.

God almighty let his creation mock and slap him in the face repeatedly. 

If this is not meekness and non violence and restraining wrath I don’t know what else is. 

John 19:3

and they repeatedly came up to Him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and slapped Him in the face again and again.

There are degrees of sin by the mouth of Jesus himself. 

Even though there are degrees of sin, small sins piled up lead to hell. Cut off all sin. 

Nothing is outside the authority of God, especially evil. 

God has a purpose for all that He allows and it will be for His glory. We are to accept in Faith that it can be made for our good. 

John 19:11

Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over Me at all, if it had not been given to you from above; for this reason the one who handed Me over to you has the greater sin.”

Jesus is thirsty. 

What is Jesus thirsty for?

Like us thirsting for love??

We are dying for lack of love. 

All our anger, malice, and rage is due to being improperly loved. 

John 19:28

After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture would be fulfilled, *said, “I am thirsty.”

Individuals grow up without experiencing unconditional love, which can significantly impair their ability to trust and connect with others. This lack of love can manifest as anger and resentment, as individuals may feel abandoned or unworthy of love, leading to defensive behaviors such as malice and rage.

When individuals do not receive the love they need, they may develop a distorted view of themselves and others, often resulting in a cycle of blame and anger. Unresolved issues from one’s past can resurface in relationships, causing significant strain and emotional turmoil. This cycle of hurt can perpetuate feelings of anger and malice, as individuals may project their unresolved pain onto their loved ones.

Healing from these emotional wounds requires a process of forgiveness and self-acceptance. The act of forgiving oneself and others is crucial in breaking the cycle of anger and malice. This is echoed in the notion that understanding and accepting God’s unconditional love enables individuals to extend that same love to others, thus transforming relationships. 

Anger, malice, and rage are rooted in improper love aligns with Catholic teachings on the importance of love in human relationships. The Church calls for a recognition of the need for healing, forgiveness, and the transformative power of God’s love to overcome these negative emotions. By fostering an environment of understanding and support, individuals can break free from the cycle of hurt and cultivate healthier, more loving relationships.

There is power in the blood of Jesus, it removes, restores, revives, renews, and completely recreates anyone who believes in what Christ has done. 

Beloved, we can never cast a stone because of past sins. We all have sinned and come short of God's glory (Romans 3:23); Jesus is our only hope of redemption! His Blood does not segregate; it cleanses from every sin, every addiction, and every disease—purifying even the worst criminal.

His blood speaks salvation, grace, and mercy upon humanity. In today's verse, it says "God gave Jesus as a way to forgive people's sins through faith in Him." Jesus is our propitiation, He is the atoning victim, on our behalf! Hallelujah! He took all the sins we ever committed on Himself, because the blood sacrifice (our atonement, our payment in exchange for our souls) pays for our sins! Beloved family in Christ, Jesus' blood has atoned your sins!

Jesus Himself declares in John 14:6 that He is the only way to the Father. 

If you have not yet accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life, come to Him and be part of the family of God through faith in Jesus!

Jesus wants to have a covenant with you and redeem you from all sinfulness to be his daughter or son. Romans 5:9 says Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.

The beginning is the prototype:

God Created:

You made the world and time for us

You made animals and man (full of grace)

You made a garden (temple)

You made us to take care of your garden (temple)

You came to be with us in the garden (temple)

All was provided for in the garden (temple)

You gave us one rule

Sin: (God did not do this-we did this)

We listened to (Devil) and reasoned with someone other than you God (world thoughts), consulted our flesh (looked good to eyes n pride) - our trust died and we chose wrong. 

A Reckoning:

You called us to account

We blamed everyone but ourselves - even you 

If we accept our wrongdoing and confess our wrongdoing you will restore us

Consequences & Restoration:

You made clothes of skin (blood sacrifice) to wash away sin

You banned us from the garden (temple) cannot eat the tree of life in fallen state so as to protect us from living forever Broken!

You have us work for our daily bread with toil now

Woman will have pain and want to control

Our flesh has seven deadly sins coursing through it and have to fight it with God’s grace by staying in relationship with Him and asking for grace at every moment. The flesh appetite:(pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth)

The world thought is now in opposition to God because it has been distorted by the seven deadly sins. 

The devil has been sentenced as the one to test and try us with temptation in order to make us choose which way we want to go. 

God is willing to give us grace to choose correctly but we have to be humble to know we need help, to ask for his help, to thank him for his help, to fight the inclinations of the world, our own flesh, and the devils lies. And be called to account when we fail. 

All sin is choosing the devil’s ways over God’s ways. Not trusting that God knows best for you and thinking the world, you, or the devil know better. Or do not care about right and just want what you want. 

Same Plan from the beginning:

In the garden Adam and Eve had choice, even now we have choice. We can still choose right or wrong. We must be vigilant. This has been and always is the plan: to choose or not choose God’s ways.