Pentecost Sunday (Cycle A) - Mass during the Day

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Pentecost (Day) Lectionary:  63 Reading 1 -  Acts 2:1-11 Responsorial Psalm -  Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34 Reading 2 -  1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 Alleluia Gospel -  John 20:19-23 Receive the Holy Spirit LESSON: The Church's Work: Reuniting Mankind Today our 50 day Easter season concludes with Pentecost Sunday, commemorating that day in the early Church … when the Father and the Son poured out the Holy Spirit in a special way upon the Apostles … who then took up the mission of proclaiming the Gospel throughout the whole world.  This makes Pentecost one of the most significant moments in our Christian faith. However, before it was a Catholic feast, it was a Jewish feast … and when we look at Pentecost in that context, we add a deeper and richer understanding of what it all means for us today. In its Greek origin, the word “Pentecost” means simply “fifty” … and … for Christians … occurs 50 days after the Easter Resurrection of our Lord Jesus and marks ...
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Review: The Genius of Jesus: The Man Who Changed Everything

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The Genius of Jesus: The Man Who Changed Everything The Genius of Jesus: The Man Who Changed Everything by Erwin Raphael McManus

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The author is the lead pastor of Mosaic, a nondenominational christian megachurch based in Los Angeles. In this book, he explores the concept of Genius, starting with how he defines it … which basically holds two things … it is nonconforming and it is transformational (the author actually splits nonconforming into three parts: 1. They are heretical. 2. They are original. 3. They are extremist). There are two ways that genius manifests: transforming what we do is the most common measure and transforming who we are is the second and most overlooked aspect. Conceptionally this is a pretty good fit into my own philosophy on what religion is supposed to do and it is the latter which describes the Genius of Jesus (who shows us how to transform ourselves).

The author then makes a bold statement: “Before you were twelve, you were a prodigy.” I think that is quite a stretch to basically say that we all have the potential for greatness … a potential that decreases as we get older when we don’t use the talents given to us by our creator. While the author may be engaging in a bit of fanciful optimism here; I can see what he is driving at and he comes up with some pretty good questions to get you started …

* Have you embraced your identity? Do you know who you are?
* Have you discovered your intention? Do you know why you’ve been put on this earth?
* Are you endlessly inquisitive? Are you asking the right questions?
* Are you expanding the parameters of your intuition? Are you open to the unknown?
* Is your essence grounded in intimacy with God? Do you know the God who loves you?

“Whatever genius is within you, it was not given to you for your personal benefit but for the good of others. Genius is a form of stewardship. To unlock your genius, you must choose to bear the weight of great responsibility.” Which is another way of saying we are called to follow Christ’s example … but do we really understand that example?

McManus then introduces us to the different aspects of The Genius of Jesus:

Chapter 3: The Genius of Empathy
Chapter 4: The Genius of Power
Chapter 5: The Genius of Grace
Chapter 6: The Genius of Good
Chapter 7: The Genius of Truth
Chapter 8: The Genius of Beautiful

I don’t always see his point nor do I always agree with his opinions (and even some of his facts or presumptions), but I can always see what he is trying to say and the is the true essence of communications. This book will help you re-examine your [Christian] faith and hopefully find within it something the will transform who you are … and that is the Genius of Jesus :-)

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

#TheGeniusOfJesus #NetGalley

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