The ancient battle between good and evil continues today in each human heart. God calls; darkness seduces; and here, now, each one of us is faced with the choice on which our fate rests, a choice as old as the angels and our first parents. Will we accept life with God, embracing in all humility the path He lays out for us? Or will we draw up hedges around our egos, echoing those fallen words: “I will not serve”? The decision is ours; our eternal destinies are in our hands.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
The controversy sparked by the life of Jesus has followed his Church down through the ages. Deemed a refuge for the ignorant as often as the ark of salvation, a haven for barbarism as often as a lover of freedom, Darth Vadar as often as a queenly and tender mother, the Church remains plagued by division, confusion, and betrayal in its adherents. And yet it continues to find new converts, new Christians, even in a secularized and materialist culture. For in its most significant aspects, the Church has served as the keeper of the sacraments: visible signs of the invisible reality that God has kept his promise – the human race will be made new.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
Pentecost ushered in the apostolic age of the Church, those years in which Peter, Paul, and all the apostles ventured across the known world, spreading the Gospel to all nations, evangelizing Jews and Gentiles alike. Before long, small churches popped up across Asia, Africa, and Europe, even as disciples began to cultivate a Tradition and the beginnings of a book of Scriptures, all amidst an atmosphere of persecution and martyrdom. The Church had taken root.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
Where is the great drama of human history headed? What does the Christian know about his future? We consider here what we know and what we do not know about the pilgrimage of the human race toward its ordained end. As we await the end of history as we know it, the “end times,” the “apocalypse,” the final judgment, in what (or whom) shall we place our hope?
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
After His Resurrection, Jesus’s disciples wondered: would he now establish the long-awaited messianic kingdom, authoritative and powerful beyond measure? But Jesus had something different – and far more satisfying – in store. The divine Logos was to ascend once more to the Father, sending down the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, establishing the Lord’s presence within each of His followers. And the fruit of the Spirit would become manifest in each of them: in dramatic form as the Apostles spoke in tongues at Pentecost and in subtler form as they went out into the world with tender hearts, clear minds, and resilient wills for the mission they were to carry forward.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
The Resurrection of Christ formed the culmination of his ministry. It was Mary Magdalene who first received news of the event, having come upon the empty tomb guarded by an angel. There Jesus came to her, bidding her to tell all of his followers that he had risen from the dead. And so the first Easter brought with it the defeat of death, the lifting of the ancient curse, the realization of God’s promise to bring new life, a new Kingdom, into being.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
When he arrived at Jerusalem, Jesus went directly to the Temple and declared that his Father's house was not be profaned. For Passover, Jesus took his apostles to an upper room, celebrating the Seder meal with them and instituting the Eucharist in their presence. He went next to the Garden of Gethsemane, where he anticipated his betrayal at the hands of Judas. And upon his betrayal, Jesus was tried by Pontius Pilate, condemned to be scourged at the pillar and crucified on Golgotha. It was there that he died, surrounded only by his mother, Mary, a few other women followers, and his beloved disciple, John. And it was there, too, that the Messiah established his reign.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
Jesus’s ministry was neither haphazard nor inefficient. Rather, it was careful, systematic, organized, and impressive, as Jesus arranged his followers into bands of fellow leaders, preachers, and attendants who ventured throughout the region of Galilee. His following became a particularly potent force... one which Roman officials and Jewish Pharisees who were worried about the disruption of order would be justified in fearing. And so by the time Christ set out to march on Jerusalem, all eyes were upon Him: what would the next days bring?
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
What was the “Good News” that Jesus brought to the human race? It was the news that God continued to be present and interested in human lives. It was the news of God’s readiness to forgive the guilty, to respond with both justice and mercy. And it was the news of his promise to heal sinners, defeat Satan, destroy death, and adopt human persons into the life of the Trinity. But all this would come at a cost: a disciple of Jesus would called to repentance, a task the fallen human nature resists. Once again, humanity’s destiny was to be determined by our free choice.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
Jesus’s life and work were the sources of tremendous controversy: here was a man claiming not only to be a great teacher, but Lord over the Sabbath; a man claiming not only to be an eloquent teacher, but “the way, the truth, and the life.” Eventually, two camps formed around: those who worshipped him as God himself, and those who stiffened in resistance to him.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
Jesus’s miracles, well-known to many, pointed to his authority as the Son of God. Among his most famous was the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Who is this man who had the authority not only to heal paralytics and those possessed by demons, but also to command even death itself? These acts had a deeper purpose: to reveal Christ’s capacity to heal far deeper wounds, namely those of sin, those of the soul.www.primematters.com
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
Jesus began his ministry by slowly and carefully revealing himself as the Messiah. He took up the identity of a recognizable Jewish figure a prophet and rabbi... yet to all who encountered him, he seemed like more. Jesus ventured from town to town, teaching in a way that was in keeping with Jewish law and tradition even as he deepened the demands of love, mercy, and conversion. He gave his “Sermon on the Mount,” taught the beatitudes, and commanded that we love our enemies. He also performed deeds of astonishing power, healing the sick and the blind, tending to the poor, and loving widows, prostitutes, and outcasts.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
John the Baptist, having first encountered Jesus while still in Elizabeth’s womb, leaping with joy at Mary’s visitation, served as the forerunner to the Messiah. Living in the desert and preaching Christ’s coming, he prepared the way for the King of the Jews, eventually baptizing him. After Jesus had been baptized by John he went into the wilderness for forty days and forty nights to be tempted by the devil, thus beginning his ministry as the New Adam. Upon his return, Jesus would call the twelve Apostles: Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Nathanael, Matthew, Simon, James, Thomas, Jude, and Judas Iscariot.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
In the city of Bethlehem, Joseph's ancestral home and the place to he and Mary had been called for a census, the Christ-child was born. His humble beginnings are well-known, having been born in a stable, unnoticed. Still, angels were soon sent to a small band of shepherds, proclaiming the good news of the first Christmas. The promised Messiah had come.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
What does it really mean for God to have become incarnate? Why was it so necessary for Jesus to take on human flesh? How was his doing so a particular response to the problem of human guilt and shame? Here we pause to consider the real meaning of the Incarnation and its pertinence to the transformation of human beings into godlike creatures, worthy of entrance into the life of the Trinity – in other words, human beings’ divinization.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
The narrative continues in Nazareth of Galilee, where Mary, a young Jewish girl set aside by God from the moment of her Immaculate Conception, met with great astonishment the angel Gabriel: “Hail, Mary, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” She was told that she would bear the Son of God, a son to be named Emmanuel, “God is with us,” who was to be the long-awaited Messiah-King, the Savior of Israel. “Let it be done unto me,” she responded, and in the quiet of her bed-chamber, the whole world started over again. The human race was to receive a new mother, a new Eve.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
The destruction of the temple and the end of the Davidic kingly line marked the beginning of the time of the “diaspora,” when Jews would be scattered across many lands. Alexandria in Egypt and Antioch in Syria became major centers of Jewish life, and local synagogues took on new importance in Jewish communities. During this time, the Jewish longing for the Messiah took on growing intensity, urged on by the prophet Daniel. This resulted in unrest and uprisings, including the famous revolt of the Maccabees. Groups like the Pharisees and the Sadducees formed and celebrations like Hanukkah were initiated.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
Renowned for his wisdom, Solomon ruled over a kingdom finally at peace, allowing him to build a new Jewish temple on Mount Zion. Within it resided the Holy of Holies, which housed the Ark of the Covenant, and priests descended from Aaron offered sacrifices there while the tribe of Levi kept it in working order. Solomon, however, would succumb to the irreligious forces around him, even as God raised up a line of prophets – Elijah and Elisha, Amos, Joel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel – warning of the consequences of Israel’s unfaithfulness. The Israelite kingdom would fall to the Assyrians of Mesopotamia and the Babylonians, and, most heartbreakingly, the temple would be destroyed leaving the Jews yearning for a renewal of their covenant.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
Even after the Israelites were firmly established in the Promised Land, they had yet to conquer the Canaanite peoples. In the years that followed, tribal leaders such as Samuel, Jephthah, Gideon, Deborah, and Barak would rise up to defend the Israelites from the paganism around them. But it was ultimately David who was led down the road to kingship, following his heroic victory over the Philistine champion, Goliath. Though troubles afflicted him in dealings with figures like Saul, Uriah, Nathan, and Bathsheba, David would remain the archetypical King of Israel, handing on his kingship to his gifted son, Solomon.www.primematters.com
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
Having entered into a covenant with God, the Israelites begin to make their way to Canaan, the Land of Promise. Their journey would take forty years, led by Moses, his brother Aaron, his sister Miriam, and his lieutenant Joshua. The Israelites would be supplied with the gift of manna along the way, led by fire and cloud, and yet they were afflicted with discouragement and near rebellion for the whole course of those forty years. It was only after Moses’s death that the Israelites would, at last, enter the land of Canaan. Here they would receive the promise of freedom from an even deeper form of slavery. This promise would take hold of the Jewish imagination.
A text version of this project is under production by ActsXXIX. See www.primematters.com/text.
