In spiritual counseling, one of the most difficult spiritual errors to correct regarding Christianity is the error of a “Gospel of Plenty”. Sometimes it is referred to as the “Gospel of Prosperity” or the “Health and Wealth Gospel”.

Here is the core of the error: Many believe that if we are good Christians, God should reward us in this life. The opposite also occurs, with the belief that God is punishing us when bad things happen. [Read more…]

Catholics are often challenged with the question, “Why do we baptize infants?

The answer is, “To give them Life: Eternal Life.” We also have Jesus’ commandment to his disciples,

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
Mat 28:19-20

By “All nations” Jesus means everyone (Not just adults).

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“God sets a father in honor over his children;
a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons.”
(Sirach 3:2)

God shows us that we need family to learn to love and to have and raise children. God gave Jesus a mother, Mary, and an adopted father, Joseph. And God gave Jesus a family tree with cousins and aunts and uncles. In some places in the Gospels we hear of Jesus’ brothers and sisters. However, that language is an accident of translation. There is no vocabulary in Hebrew for brothers and sisters of a nuclear family. In fact, the word for first cousins and brothers and sisters is the same word. It is quite likely that in Nazareth Jesus lived within a home of an extended family of cousins. Jesus was shaped in a robust human family.

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Human history is divided into two parts: before and after the Messiah. The zero point, the center of our history is the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. The center of our history is Christmas.

The Old Testament deals with all human history from creation of the universe, the creation of our first parents, and the history of our salvation prior to the birth of Christ. The New Testament of the Bible begins with the birth of Jesus and the coming of the kingdom of God down to present times. We live in New Testament times.

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Consider your own redemption. God always wanted to call us back to him, to live with him in eternal friendship.

We cannot separate the Immaculate Conception from the premise of our own Baptism. By our Baptism we are cleansed of our Original Sin. John the Baptist’s baptism was not our Christian Baptism. John’s baptism was an outward sign of an inner reality regarding the repentance of those who listened to John’s message. John called people to repentance, and the ancient cleansing baptism with water in the Jordan was the outward sign of their desire to be cleansed of their sins.

Jesus’ Baptism is a sacramental gift of life. Christian baptism gives life. By our baptism we are restored to eternal friendship, eternal life with God. By our baptism we become just like Mary. Mary was born without original sin. Mary did not sin. Mary could not die. When we are baptized we become like Mary, so we can share divine life with her in God.