Did you know that there is a group that names a Single Christian of the Year? I didn't and thought the news story was perhaps kidding me. I did click and read it and was not surprised to learn that Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos had been selected. Tebow says he is saving himself for marriage, meaning that he is still a virgin. He has been a good role model and has been very vocal about his belief in Christ. Hopefully he has brought many sports fans to the Lord and for that I thank him. While we are on the subject of sports, I wanted to pass along a story I read about Russell Shepard. He plays for the LSU Tigers and is originally from Houston, Texas. Apparently, he has a younger brother who is not as athletically skilled as Russell but nevertheless plays football. The younger brother is a senior in high school and got a scholarship offer to play at McNeese State University next year, which is located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Russell was so thankful that his brother had received an offer, he sent the coach at McNeese a personal note of thanks. Now that is incredible. It shows what kind of person Russell is and I am sure that he and his brother have a very close relationship. All of this tells me a great deal about what kind of man Russell Shepard is and I am praying that he has a very successful career. Psalms 94, 17-19 tells us, "If the Lord were not my help, I would long have been silent in the grave. When I say, 'My foot is slipping,' your love, Lord, holds me up. When cares increase within me, your comfort gives me joy."
The twelve apostles chosen by Jesus formed the bedrock of the early Church , and their Catholic identity is deeply rooted in their direct relationship with Christ and the mission He entrusted to them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights this foundational role, stating that Jesus "instituted the Twelve as 'the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy'" ( CCC 860 ). These men were not simply followers; they were handpicked by Jesus, lived intimately with Him, witnessed His miracles and teachings firsthand, and were specifically commissioned to preach the Gospel to all nations ( Matthew 28:19-20 ). Their unique position as eyewitnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and their reception of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, established them as the authoritative leaders of the nascent Church, a reality echoed in the writings of early Church Fathers like Ignatius of Antioch, who emphasized the apostles' authority as repre...
Comments
Post a Comment