Gospel e-Letter

To most Roman Catholics, the saints are the members of an exclusive club of departed Catholics who had been canonised by the Vatican. But the Bible says that all true believers are saints. For example, in his letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul greets them, “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse.” He addresses Christians as “saints,” “faithful” (believers), and “brethren.” He is not writing to three groups; no, rather saints, faithful and brethren are designations of the same people. Who, then, are the saints? According to Catholicism, the saints are those individuals who are canonised by the Pope after their death. But the New Testament repeatedly says that all Christians are saints, even during their lifetime, and even though they are sill subject to error and sin. Paul did not write his epistle to the saints in heaven, but to ordinary Christians. So, whether they live in Colosse in the first century, or in Siġġiewi in the twenty-first century, al...

In the midst of our busy schedules, it is good to stop for a moment and ask some really important questions about our life. What's the point of it all? 1. What is the purpose of my life? My ultimate purpose is love — I want to love and I desire to be loved. Physical health, wealth and prosperity are fine but dispensable and temporary. Better still is the love of my family and friends. But even that is not enough. My heart yearns for more. There is an infinite space in my soul that can never be filled except by the love of my Creator. “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps 42:1). 2. What keeps me from experiencing God’s love? Sin. I know what’s good and bad, yet often I do not follow my conscience. I know God’s law and that I should be obedient to him. Yet many a time I have said ‘no’ to the God who has created me and who keeps me alive. I have challenged his authority. I have offended him. I am gui...

Two men indulged in all sorts of evil and wickedness throughout their lives. Now they had now come to the end of the line. In a short time, they would appear before their Creator for judgment. They had a unique opportunity to speak to Jesus and request whatever they desired. The first man was not sorry for the evil deeds he had done. He had no interest in Jesus; he only asked him to spare him from death. He yearned to return to his former manner of life and continue to enjoy the pleasures this world can offer. Jesus did not answer him. The man died and he was eternally lost. The heart of the other man, conscious of his guilt, was gripped by the fear of God. He believed that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the King who will reign forevermore. He wanted to be with Jesus even though the people nearby were heaping scorn and ridicule on "the King of the Jews". He asked Jesus to remember him. Jesus granted his request. Today he is enjoying fellowship with the King in paradise. ...

The Bible teaches that the church is the pillar and ground of truth. The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy so that he 'may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth’ (1 Timothy 3:15). The church is pictured like a pillar and ground, upholding and supporting God’s revealed truth. The apostle identifies the church as God's household; he is referring to every true Christian, not only to their leaders. The whole church - all Christians - are collectively the pillar and buttress of truth. Throughout history, God’s people upheld the truth by believing, proclaiming and defending the gospel, by their godly conduct, and sometimes with their blood. That is also our duty today. Paul calls the church, not the Bible, ‘the pillar and ground’ of truth. Being the Word of God, the Bible is not merely ‘the pillar and ground,’ but the ‘truth’ itself. Jesus prayed to the Father, ‘Sanctify them in the truth; your wo...

What should we think about reports of apparitions, allegedly of Mary, and other paranormal phenomena? While we must distinguish between natural causes (such as fraud and psychiatric disorders) and supernatural ones, we must also keep in mind that the latter may be of divine or demonic origin. The Bible warns that 'Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light' (2 Corinthians 11:14). The word 'angel' simply means a messenger; 'light' is symbolic of truth, righteousness and God himself. Therefore, Satan, whom Jesus calls the father of lies, changes his form into the likeness of a messenger of God! He can certainly appear in the form of Mary and deceptively claim to come from heaven. So at least we should admit that some, if not all, of the supposedly Marian apparitions, could be deceptive apparitions of the Devil. Even the Roman Catholic Church does not officially acknowledge all apparitions as authentic. The Catholic Church endorses some apparitions, bu...

The Bible does not record all that Jesus and his apostles said and did. The apostle John admits that ‘Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book’ (John 20:30). Does this imply, as some argue, that the Bible is not sufficient and that we need an additional source of revelation, namely Sacred Tradition? I think it is crucial to make a very important distinction. We must not confuse ‘sufficient, enough, adequate, ample’ with ‘all, exhaustive, comprehensive.' Do we really need to know all that Jesus said and did, and all that the apostles taught and did? Even if God did provide us with that vast amount of data, could we handle the tsunami of information? If I’m thirsty, do I need to drink all the fresh water in the world? No, of course, not! A glass or two will be enough to satisfy my thirst. Or, to give another illustration, when I diagnose a young boy with asthma, I spend time with the child and his parents to teach them about ...

It was Christmas Eve, a few years ago, when my wife asked our daughter, Elizabeth, “What would you like for Christmas?” The girl promptly answered, “I want to play with sick children and give food to the poor.” Despite her young age, Elizabeth had already grasped the core meaning of the Christmas message. It’s all about generosity and giving, or more precisely, Christmas is about the Gift of God to humanity. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son .” Jesus is God’s Gift to the world. How wonderfully generous of God! He could not have given us anything better, for God gave us his own heart … God gave us His Beloved Son. And this Gift came with much sacrifice for the Son of God. At his birth, his mother Mary placed him in a wooden manger — a sign of the suffering that awaited him — and indeed, his life ended on a wooden cross. For Jesus came for this very purpose, he came to die to pay the penalty for the sins of his people. Finally, think about the utility of God...