The Gospel reading at Mass this morning is taken from John 12:24-26:

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me.”

The emphasis is mine but, that line, “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.”,,, should stand out like a swore thumb to Catholics.  What is the FRUIT of a grain of wheat? The answer… bread of course!  So, here our Lord is serving up a glimpse into his passion, death and resurrection with a dash of Eucharistic theology.  It is our Lord who is that “grain of wheat”, nailed to the TREE in the garden of Calvary, lifted up in order to draw all men to himself, having put away the sword guarding the way to the FRUIT that gives eternal life,  drinking the cup of consummation, and giving up his life for all mankind.  In  losing his life,,, he took on the curse of Adam’s thorns (Gen.3:17), shed the blood of  Noah(Gen.9:6), was cast out from Abraham’s circumcision (Gen. 17:14) and cut off from the people, nailed to Moses’ tree (Duet. 21:22-23), and took the strips of King David by the sons of men (2 Sam. 7:14). Yes, of course no bone was broken but that, in his sleep of death, the living waters of baptism and life giving blood, pouring from his side, brought forth the bride,,, the Church of of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He was laid in the virginal tomb,,, in the ground of the garden sanctuary,,, that “grain of wheat” sprouted on the third day to reap the ultimate bounty, as St. Paul says in the first reading, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Cor. 9:6-10). In other words… go big or go home! So there we are, standing in the garden beholding the resurrected Lord, under the guise of the Gardner, as a type of the new Eve, Mary Magdalene refuses to let go of her beloved (John 20:15 & Song of Solomon 3:3&4)! Unlike the first Gardner, Adam, who brought forth death and destruction in the eating of fruit, this new Adam will bring forth life for eternity by becoming the fruit that WE must eat… bread from heaven,,, so that His life is in  us, and becomes ours! There is no fruit under heaven that will give you more health benefits than this… the fruit of the “grain of wheat”,,, the Eucharist,,, everlasting life!

John 6:
[48] I am the bread of life.

[49] Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

[50] This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.

[51] I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

This week on Behold The Man I will tell you the story of when I beat and mocked our Lord. When I scourged him, crowned him the thorns and nailed him to the tree! I am the one who sent him to the grave but it was God wh orasied him to forgive even me… a sinner!

* The SHOW NOTES, click HERE, to download a PDF copy.

Your Help:

*Listen to : “Saint Ignatius of Antioch” Download MP3 narrations of all 7 Epistles FREE – HERE

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Today on “Behold  The Man”, “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me”… words of our Lord from the cross that has always bothered me. Was he in utter despair? Or was he at his strongest? It was Todah… Eucharist!

Show Notes:

* The SHOW NOTES, click HERE, to download a PDF copy.

* The intro song: “Somthings Gotta Go!” from Timothy R. Smith; check out her website HERE.

*Special thanks to Dr. Michael Barber for his great talk on the Todah from the “Word of God” Conference in New Orleans 2010.

Your Homework:

*Read : “From Jewish Passover to Christian Eucharist: The Story of the Todah” by TIM GRAY – HERE

*Read: “The Thank Offering” from the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology – HERE

*Read : “The feast of faith: approaches to a theology of the liturgy” (Pages 54 -57) By Pope Benedict XVI – HERE

*Read: “Kingdom – The Covenant with the House of David” from “Letter & Spirit” by Dr. Scott Hahn  (scroll up 1 page)- HERE

*Read: “The Todah Sacrifice” by Marty Barrack” (half way down) – HERE

*Read: “The Todah Sacrifice as Pattern for the Eucharist” by Stephen Pimentel – HERE

*Read: “The Todah and the Eucharist – Dr. Tim Gray”  by Tom Reagan – HERE

*Read: “What is in a name?” by Pugio Fidel – HERE.

Your Help:

* CHECK OUT THE VERY COOL MEA CULPA IPHONE APP FOR THE SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION HERE

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Today on “Behold The Man”, we ask the question; did Jesus come to do something completely new? Or, was His plan constant from the beginning?  I argue that his plan for Salvation has been the same from the beginning and he has perfected the old in the new… thereby making all things new.  We will look at the structure, worship, and fulfillment of the old into the new.

The intro song was “Mighty King” by Steve Angrisano. Check out his  website HERE.

Pick up your Fullness of Truth conference talks on CD or MP3 disk  featuring Dr. Scott Hahn  HERE.

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Today on “Behold the Man”, we look at Genesis 26, 27, and part of 28 in our study of “A Father Who keeps His promises” by Dr. Scott Hahn.  Rebecca, knowing the Isaac was about to bestow the blessing of the first born to Easu, intercedes, and sends Jacob in to Jacob Easu & Isaac. The plan is hatched,,, carried out,,, and the blessing goes forth! The parallels to the passover, and Easter/Eucharist are amazing.

The intro song was “Love is a Beautiful Thing” by Barry Russo. Check out his  website HERE.

The Fullness of Truth conference, featuring Dr. Scott Hahn, is in 1 weeks. More info HERE.

Pick up your copy of the Book HERE and the audio book HERE and prepare yourself for the journey through Salvation History!

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Today on “Behold The Man”, we talk about the Gospel reading from the 4th week of Lent… Luke 15:11-32, the “Prodigal Son”.  This is on of the most beautiful passages of Scripture as it depicts the endless mercy of the Father for His children.  Aren’t we all in need of rescuing… of mercy… of forgiveness?  Our Lord knows this, and in the “Prodigal Son” parable he communicates this to us in abundance.

The Intro Song “Rescue Me” by Sue Peters, check out his website HERE. Catch me at the San Antonio Catholic Men’s Conference on March 20th; more information HERE. Also, check out the St Paul Center For Biblical Theology website HERE.

Really could use your help with reviews on iTunes! Subscribe, rate and review today! Click here to go to the show on iTunes.

Today, I felt the need to continue the discussion on the real presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. We tackle “The Spirit who gives life” in John 6, as well as “Do this in remembrance of me” found in Luke 22, and elsewhere.  I also show how the first century church absolutely believed, and practiced, this doctrine.

Here is a great article from Catholic Answers on the subject (the article includes quotes from early Christian writings).  Want to look up the original Greek, or Hebrew, from the bible? Check out the Study Tools down the right hand column.

The intro song was “Hosanna” by “The Glory Estate” from their new album “Fading into the Light”.  Great band and great music…. pick up your copy HERE.

Really could use your help with reviews on iTunes! Subscribe, rate and review today! Click here to go to the show on iTunes .

The unity of Heaven & Earth!

Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,”

Hebrews 12:22-24 “22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,  23: and to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24: and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel.”

Revelation 1:10-16 “10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11: saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Per’gamum and to Thyati’ra and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to La-odice’a.” 12: Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13: and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast; 14: his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, 15: his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters; 16: in his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.”

St. Luke 22:15-20 “15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; 16: for I tell you I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”17: And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves; 18: for I tell you that from now on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19: And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20: And likewise the cup after supper, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”

I’m loving this image.

Today, we talk about the Catholic Church’s doctrine of the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.  I’ve been taking a poll on the site and found that 91% do believe in this teaching but, I know there are many who do not.  So let’s dive into it!

If you want more on the topic of the priesthood of the twelve apostles check out the podcast I produced on the subject HERE.

The intro song was “Glory to Our God” by “The Glory Estate” from their new album “Fading into the Light”.  Great band and great music…. pick up your copy HERE.

Really could use your help with reviews on iTunes! Subscribe, rate and review today! Click here to go to the show on iTunes .

Pick up a copy of “Eucharistic Miracles and Eucharistic Phenomena in the Lives of the Saints” by Joan Carroll Cruz today!  CLICK HERE for more information.  Or try the one I have, from TAN, by Clicking HERE.