Sacrifice and Its Purpose
John Riccardo John Riccardo

Sacrifice and Its Purpose

Jesus’ loving sacrifice on the cross, offered once for all on Calvary, is sacramentally made present at each and every Mass. Unlike how some misunderstand this teaching, the Church teaches that Jesus’ sacrifice offered once for all is made present for us in an unbloodied manner, and then – wonder of wonders! – His Blood (and Body) are not sprinkled on us but given to us to eat, so that real transformation might happen in our lives and our hearts might be ever more conformed to His Sacred Heart, the real Holy of Holies. Every time we receive the Eucharist we do something that the priests of the Old Testament would marvel at: we are actually transformed and made holy. 

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Who in the World Is Melchizedek?
John Riccardo John Riccardo

Who in the World Is Melchizedek?

The Bible, it has been said, is a library. That is not to say there isn’t one sacred Author of all the books – God –  who is revealing both in word and deed. It is to say that the Bible is not a single genre but is rather made up of many different genres. Within the Bible is poetry, historical narrative, apocalyptic, psalms, and many other styles of literature. What genre is The Letter to the Hebrews? 

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Wait – Jesus Is a … Priest?
John Riccardo John Riccardo

Wait – Jesus Is a … Priest?

All this is, indeed, extraordinarily beautiful. In prayer, you can contemplate this admirable love of God: Jesus "had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in the service of God". He has accepted humiliation, suffering and death with immense generosity.

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The Scrutinizing Power of the Word
John Riccardo John Riccardo

The Scrutinizing Power of the Word

The saints knew that God had entrusted to them a mission in this life, a mission to both evangelize and go about the work of recreation and transformation of this world that He loves until Jesus returns and makes all things new.

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