GOD In The Midst Of The Meek

Hello! and happy good Tuesday to all of us, GUYS.  Our "food for the soul" this Tuesday:

THE GOOD NEWS (31 May 2016)

"Cry out with joy, O daughter of Zion; rejoice, O people of Israel!  Sing joyfully with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!

YAHWEH has lifted your sentence and has driven your enemies away. YAHWEH, the King of Israel is with you; do not fear any misfortune.

On that day they will say to Jerusalem: Do not be afraid nor let your hands tremble, for YAHWEH your GOD is within you, YAHWEH, saving warrior.  HE will jump for joy on seeing you, for HE has revived HIS love.  For you HE will cry out with joy, as you do in the days of the Feast.

I will drive away the evil I warned you about, and you will no longer be shamed." - Zephaniah 3:14-18 

(The destruction on the Day of YAHWEH has left a Remnant in Zion.  This is the first time that those who wait for GOD are called poor.  It is not mainly a question of being economically poor, but rather of having the attitude of those who have nothing and are open to receive everything from GOD.  The word poverty formerly implied failure; now it will be the condition needed to seek GOD.  After that time, the "poor of YAHWEH" will mean all those in Israel who hope to find YAHWEH.  The Gospel, especially the Gospel of Luke, will proclaim the happiness of the poor [see Luke 6:20].

YAHWEH will be in Jerusalem to share HIS happiness with them.  The Holy GOD suddenly shows that HE is like a young man in love who is not concerned about social considerations.

Cry out with joy, O daughter of Zion; YAHWEH, the King of Israel, is with you; do not fear any misfortune.  In the Gospel of Luke, the same words are addressed to Mary  at the Annunciation: "Rejoice, the LORD is with you.  Do not fear, Mary, you will bear the Savior" [Luke 1:28].)

    

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We Share In The Divine Nature

Hi! and happy good first day of the week to all of us, GUYS.  For our "daily bread" this Monday:

THE GOOD NEWS (30 May 2016)

"May grace and peace abound in you through the knowledge of GOD and of JESUS our LORD.

HIS divine power has given us everything we need for life and piety.  First the knowledge of the One who called us through HIS own Glory and Might, by which we were given the most extraordinary and precious promises.  Through them you share in the divine nature, after repelling the corruption and evil desires of this world.

So, strive with the greatest determination and increase your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge, knowledge with moderation, moderation with constancy, constancy with piety, piety with mutual affection, mutual affection with charity." - 2 Peter 1:2-7 

The Eternal Mystery Of GOD

(Christians tempted to become complacent are told two things:

          - GOD's call is such a great favor that we cannot really understand it;

          - it is not enough to have been called to believe: we must confirm this election by a truly holy life that prepares us to enter heaven.

You share in the divine nature.  This paragraph, with the texts of St. John, is the strongest expression of what we are and what we shall be.  We have not merely been called to a good way of life that will be rewarded, to love a GOD who will be grateful to us.  JESUS has come to reveal who we are: HIS brothers and sisters, members of a unique Humanity that is to become part of the eternal mystery of GOD.  HE was made human so that we become all that GOD is, nothing less.) 

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Melchizedek Brought Bread And Wine

Hello! and happy holy and family day to all of us, GUYS.  For our first-thing-first this Sunday:

THE GOOD NEWS (29 May 2016)

"Then Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought bread and wine; he was a priest of GOD Most High, and he blessed Abram saying, 'Blessed be Abram by GOD Most High, maker of heaven and earth!  And blessed be GOD Most High who has delivered your enemies into your hands!'

And Abram gave HIM a tenth of everything." - Genesis 14:18-20

Melchizedek And Abram (Abraham) 

(Melchizedek brought bread and wine.  What a strange person Melchizedek is!  In Israel, kings were not priests nor did they offer bread and wine in their sacrifices.  But Psalm 110 and then the letter to the Hebrews [5:6 and chapter 7] see Melchizedek as a figure of CHRIST, the only Priest.  Abraham, despite his greatness, only prepared for the coming of the one who would obtain the blessing promised by GOD for all nations.  Here CHRIST is foretold in a veiled form as the priest and king who consecrates the bread and the wine.)

JESUS CHRIST,  The Prophet, Priest, And King  

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My Soul Thirsts For YOU!

Hello! and happy good weekend to all of us, GUYS.  Our "food for the soul" this Saturday:

THE GOOD NEWS (28 May 2016)

"O GOD, YOU are my GOD, it is YOU I seek;

for YOU my body longs and my soul thirsts,

as a dry and weary land without water.

Thus have I gazed upon YOU in the sanctuary,

to see YOUR power and YOUR glory.

YOUR love is better than life,

my lips will glorify YOU.

I will bless YOU as long as I live,

lift up my hands and call on YOUR name.

As with the richest food my soul will feast;

my mouth will praise YOU with joyful lips."

- Psalm 63:2-6

(We become weary of everything.  No human love is entirely satisfying, for the shadow of separation or of death is over it.  Only the ONE who is source of living water and not a cracked cistern can satisfy human thirst.  Saint Augustine has expressed it in a celebrated phrase: "YOU have created us for YOURSELF, LORD, and our hearts are restless until they rest in YOU."

Our works, of course, count more for GOD than do our words, but in some way our desires are still more important.  They mark an available space for GOD in us, the day HE would wish to make us rich.  JESUS and Mary in her Magnificat declare blessed those who hunger and thirst for GOD, and unhappy those who are satisfied.

Happy are we if at certain moments of our life, while meditating on the word of GOD, praying, or responding generously to GOD's call, we have had an experience of GOD through the feelings which manifest HIM: peace, joy, security, inner conviction, fullness...  Then we can kindle in others the love and thirst for GOD.)

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Live Wisely And Spend Evening Time Praying

Hi! and happy TGIF to all of us, GUYS.  Our "food for the soul" this Friday:

THE GOOD NEWS (27 May 2016)

"The end of all things is near; keep your minds calm and sober for prayer.  Above all, let your love for one another be sincere, for love covers a multitude of sins.  Welcome one another into your houses without complaining.  Serve one another with the gifts each of you received, thus becoming good managers of the varied graces of GOD.  If you speak, deliver the word of GOD; if you have a special ministry, let it be seen as GOD's power so that, in everything, GOD may be glorified in JESUS CHRIST.  To HIM belong glory and power forever and ever.  Amen." - 1 Peter 4:7-11 

(Live wisely and spend evening time praying.  Prayer requires a disciplined life.  Go to bed when it is time and give up entertainments that only devour time and make us half-wits.)

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Live A Blameless Life

Hi! and happy good Thursday to all of us, GUYS.  Our "daily bread" today:

THE GOOD NEWS (26 May 2016)

"Beloved, while you are strangers and exiles, I urge you not to indulge in selfish passions that wage war on the soul.  Live a blameless life among the pagans; so when they accuse you falsely of any wrong, they may see your good works and give glory to GOD on the day HE comes to them." - 1 Peter 2:11-12 

(Here we are invited to be model citizens, workers and spouses.  If we are slandered, that is one more occasion to show the beauty of Christian life and that those who slander us are wrong.  If the authorities begin to prosecute us, this is not an excuse to disobey the laws.)

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The Word Of The LORD Endures Forever

Hello! and happy good mid-week to all of us, GUYS.  Our "food for the soul" this Wednesday:

THE GOOD NEWS (25 May 2016)

"Remember that you were freed from the useless way of life of your ancestors, not with gold and silver but with the precious blood of the Lamb without spot or blemish.  GOD, who has known CHRIST before the world began, revealed HIM to you in the last days.  Through HIM, you have faith in GOD who raised HIM from the dead and glorified HIM in order that you might put all your faith and hope in GOD.

In obeying the truth, you have gained interior purification from which comes sincere mutual love.  Love one another, then, with all your heart, since you are born again, not from mortal beings, but with enduring life, through the Word of GOD who lives and remains forever.  It is written: All flesh is grass and glory like the flowers of the field.  The grass withers and the flower falls, but the Word of the LORD endures forever.  This Word is the Gospel which has been brought to you." - 1 Peter 1:18-25 

(Here we recognize this being born anew, being born from above, which JESUS tells Nicodemus in John 3:9.

What follows is a call to live perfectly: not attached to the things of the present, but eager to live a useful and holy life before GOD, in proportion to what we have cost HIM.)

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Be Holy

Hello! and happy good Tuesday to all of us, GUYS.  For our "daily bread" this Tuesday:

THE GOOD NEWS (24 May 2016)

"So, then, let your spirit be ready.  Be alert, with confident trust in the grace you will receive when JESUS CHRIST appears.  Like obedient children, do not return to your former life given over to ignorance and passions.  Imitate the ONE who called you.  As HE is holy so you, too, be holy in all your conduct, since Scripture says: Be holy for I AM holy." - 1 Peter 1:13-16 

(The logical consequences of baptism are developed.  We cannot go backward; giving in to the evils of the world would mean going back to the slavery from which CHRIST delivered us through HIS blood.)

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You Have Been Saved!

Hello! and happy good first day of the week to all of us, GUYS.  For our "food for the soul" this Monday:

THE GOOD NEWS (23 May 2016)

"Let us praise GOD, the FATHER of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, for HIS great mercy.  In raising JESUS CHRIST from the dead HE has given us new life and a living hope.  The inheritance that does not corrupt nor goes bad nor passes away was reserved to you in heavens, since GOD's power shall keep you faithful until salvation is revealed in the last days.

There is cause for joy, then, even though you may, for a time, have to suffer many trials.  Thus will your faith be tested, like gold in a furnace.  Gold, however, passes away but faith,  worth so much more, will bring you in the end praise, glory and honor when JESUS CHRIST appears.

You have not yet seen HIM and yet you love HIM; even without seeing HIM, you believe in HIM and experience a heavenly joy beyond all words, for you are reaching the goal of your faith: the salvation of your souls. - 1 Peter 1:3-9 

(This passage could be the preaching of a leader of a Christian community, addressed to adults who have just been baptized.  In those days people were more preoccupied than they are now about their salvation after death.  To those being baptized, the apostles spoke of the inheritance of GOD which was reserved for them and had been won by CHRIST in HIS resurrection: Beyond death, sin and all fleeting things.

The newly baptized knew that their Christian faith was threatened and persecuted.  To ask for baptism meant to commit oneself to CHRIST until death.

You have not yet seen HIM...  Hope, love for CHRIST:  the three virtues [or powers] urging Christians, go together.  CHRIST came to glory through suffering.  The Christian follows the same path and already knows true joy in the midst of trials.)

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Wisdom Calls

Hello! and happy holy and family day to all of us, GUYS.  For our first-thing-first this Sunday:

THE GOOD NEWS (22 May 2016)

"It is you, O men, I address

for my message is directed to all mankind,

so that the ignorant may learn

and the thoughtless come to their senses.

Listen to me for I speak of vital things

and everything I say is true.

Truthful words come from my mouth

and my lips do not lend themselves to evil.

All my words are right,

none are twisted or deceitful.

The intelligent will verify their truth,

the wise perceive their sincerity."

- Psalm 8:4-9

(Wisdom speaks again in this poem.  We understand that this Wisdom is the wisdom found in the books of the Bible.  Biblical words are the Word of GOD and because of that even when they seem naïve, or "old hat" at times they are always bearers of life [JESUS will say that the word of GOD is a seed]. 

All the benefits that will be reaped by the frequent reading of the Bible are listed: to begin with, the fear of GOD, that is to say, appreciating GOD above all things.  Then culture that enables us to be leaders and to undertake responsible tasks.  Finally success in life.

Many youths and adults who are not well educated think they will always be inferior: they do not believe they are capable of performing well either in ministry or in community development.  They must realize that the regular study of the Bible will not only strengthen their faith, but be a starting point for human wisdom and enabling them to guide others.)

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Let The Children Come To ME

Hi! and happy good weekend to all of us, GUYS.  For our "daily bread" this Saturday:

THE GOOD NEWS (21 May 2016)

"People were bringing their little children to HIM to have HIM touch them, and the disciples rebuked them for this.

When JESUS noticed it, HE was very angry and said, 'Let the children come to ME and don't stop them, for the kingdom of GOD belongs to such as these.  Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of GOD like a child will not enter it.'  Then HE took the children in HIS arms and laying HIS hands on them, blessed them." - Mark 10:13-16

(JESUS despite having no children of HIS own, opens to everyone the richness of HIS heart.  HE marvels at the mystery of life that begins full of hope, and discovers the likeness of the FATHER in every unknown child.  How could JESUS, who asks us to have hope, forget that the children are also our hope?

Whoever does not receive the kingdom of GOD like a child.  We must be like children in order to enter the kingdom of GOD.  We must forget our wisdom and self-sufficiency, and the bitterness of past experience in order to receive GOD's gifts and words in wonder and simplicity.)

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Look Forward To The LORD's Coming

Hello! and happy TGIF to all of us, GUYS.  For our "food for the soul" this Friday:

THE GOOD NEWS (20 May 20126)

"Beloved, do not fight among yourselves and you will not be judged.  See, the judge is already at the door.  Take for yourselves, as an example of patience, the suffering of the prophets who spoke in the LORD's name.  See how those who were patient are called blessed.  You have heard of the patience of Job and know how the LORD dealt with him in the end.  For the LORD is merciful and shows compassion.

Above all, my beloved, do not swear either by heaven or by earth, or make a habit of swearing.  Let your yes be yes and your no be no, lest you become liable for judgment." - James 5:9-12

(Patience:  the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset [Oxford Dictionaries].)

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The Misfortunes Of The Rich

Hello! and happy good Thursday to all of us, GUYS.  For our "daily bread" today:

THE GOOD NEWS (19 May 2016)

"So, now for what concerns the rich!  Cry and weep for the misfortunes that are coming upon you.  Your riches are rotting and your clothes eaten up by the moths.  Your silver and gold have rusted and their rust grows into a witness against you.   It will consume your flesh like fire, for having piled up riches in these the last days.

You deceived the workers who harvested your fields but now their wages cry out to the heavens.  The reapers' complaints have reached the ears of the LORD of hosts.  You live in luxury and pleasure in this world thus fattening yourselves for the day of slaughter.  You have easily condemned and killed the innocent since they offered no resistance." - James 5:1-6 

(The rich will lose all they have stockpiled through injustice.  Just as serious as having stolen from the salaries of workers and having condemned those who spoke of justice in the sin against hope.  "The last days already came and you were looking for riches!"  The last days are those that began with the coming of CHRIST, with the kingdom already there.  James sees the second coming of the LORD as if it was imminent and it is the only way to rightly judge riches.

What was taking place in the poor civilization of James' time is happening again today.  The prosperity of a quarter of the world depends on the system that leaves two billion people in misery.

In our countries money destroys hope in the Christian meaning of the word; life is considered as a fortune to be enjoyed by oneself, without accepting responsibilities, beginning with the transmission of life.  Far removed from us, the safeguarding of our privileges involves, like a series of cascades, the unjust death of millions of people because of famine, oppression and wars.)

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Separate Churches

Hello! and happy good mid-week to all of us, GUYS.  Our "daily bread" this Wednesday:

THE GOOD NEWS (18 May 2016)

"John said to HIM, 'Master, we saw someone who drove out demons by calling upon YOUR name, and we tried to forbid him because he does not belong to our group.'  JESUS answered, 'Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in MY name can soon after speak evil of ME.  For whoever is not against us is for us." - Mark 9:38-40

(While JESUS prepares HIS apostles, whom HE wants to leave in charge of HIS Church, others preach the Gospel and expel demons.  In the same way nowadays, outside the Catholic Church, the Church of the apostles, others of diverse Christian denominations do apostolic work.

This evangelization outside the Church, at times against the Church, offers a challenge.  If others evangelize, it is perhaps because the Church does not reach a great number of people.  GOD wants others to do what we do not.  The proliferation of separate churches is for the Catholic Church a call to reform.

For the Church finds itself paralyzed for want of a true spirit of poverty and because of its massive structures which no longer allow simple people to find there the fresh life-giving air of the Gospel.

In addition, a missionary sense is often completely absent: too many Catholics are not ready to leave their own practices and little groups, with the end result that the Church is seemingly absent in a great number of places, especially in the urban masses and among immigrants.

With that how can we condemn those who by their missionary action allow a great number of people to meet JESUS CHRIST in fervent and welcoming communities, even if everything there is not authentic?

In saying this we do not forget the many riches of Christian tradition which have often been lost by those who left the Church, especially the certitude that everything human must be redeemed and saved, and the joyful and humble way of believing and doing the will of the FATHER of which Mary is the finest symbol.

Several things seem to us out of place in these churches: the miracle used as an instrument of propaganda, the pressures on the sick, the threatening with punishments from GOD...  Many enclose themselves in their cults, far from the "world," making ecumenism impossible, that is the dialogue and common seeking with other Christians.

There is, however, no room for envy or hatred: who can harm us if we do the work of GOD?)

The Logo Of The Roman Catholic Church

The Head Of The Roman Catholic Church

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Wicked Ambitions

Hello! and happy good Tuesday to all of us, GUYS. For our today's "food for the soul":

THE GOOD NEWS (17 May 2016)

"What causes these fights and quarrels among you?  Is it not your cravings that make war within your own selves?  When you long for something you cannot have, you kill for it and when you do not get what you desire, you squabble and fight.  The fact is, you do not have what you want because you do not pray for it.  You pray for something and you do not get it because you pray with the wrong motive of indulging your pleasures.  You  adulterers!  Don't you know that making friends with world makes you enemies of GOD?  Therefore, whoever chooses to be the world's friend becomes GOD's enemy.

Can you not see the point of the saying in Scripture: 'The longing of the spirit HE sent to dwell in us is a jealous longing?  But GOD has something better to give, and Scripture also says, GOD opposes the proud but HE gives favor to the humble. Give in, then, to GOD; resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw close to GOD and HE will come close to you.  Clean your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you doubters.  Recognize your distress, be miserable and weep.  Turn your laughter into tears and your joy into sadness.  Humble yourselves before the LORD and HE will raise you up." - James 4:1-10

(You pray wrongly.  James tells us that prayer obtains for us things that enable us to respond to GOD's plan.  Our prayers will not be heard if love for the world takes place of GOD in our hearts. 

What is the friendship with the world that prevents our being heard?  GOD asks us to love all the things HE created, viewing them as means of reaching HIM, and to reject what does not serve this purpose.  Loving the world is wishing for and clinging to things, without beyond them for GOD HIMSELF and the brothers and sisters that HE gave us.  It is adultery in the same sense as the phrase from the Gospel: "No one can serve two masters" [Matthew 6:24].  We cannot divide our love between GOD and the world; neither can we ask GOD to help us satisfy egotistical ambitions.)

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True Wisdom

Hi! and happy good first day of the week to all of us, GUYS.  For our "food for the soul" this Monday:

THE GOOD NEWS (16 May 2016)

"If you consider yourself wise and learned, show it by your good life and let your actions, in all humility, be an example for others.  But if your heart is full of bitter jealousy and ambition, do not try to show off; that would be covering up the truth; this kind of wisdom does not come from above but from the world and it is earthly and devilish.  Wherever there is jealousy and ambition, you will also find discord and all that is evil.  Instead, the wisdom that comes from above is pure and peace-loving.  Persons with this wisdom show understanding and listen to advice; they are full of compassion and good works; they are impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow peace reap a harvest of justice." - James 3:13-18 

(What is wisdom?  Let us read the Wisdom books of the Bible if we wish to know something of wisdom.  They put us on the trail of a wisdom that is a gift of GOD [1 Corinthians 1:5; Ephesians 1:9], which is acquired by prayer [Wisdom 9; Sirach 51:13; Colossians 1:9], perseverance in meditation on the word of GOD [2 Timothy 3:17], the purification of the heart through ordinary living.  James does not speak of a theoretical wisdom, but of practical wisdom.)

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One Who Does Not Know How To Forgive Does Not Know How To Love!

Hello! and happy holy and family day to all to us, GUYS.  Our first-thing-first this Sunday:

THE GOOD NEWS (15 May 2016)

"On the evening of that day, the first day after the Sabbath, the doors were locked where the disciples were, because of their fear of the Jews, but JESUS came and stood in their midst.  HE said to them, 'Peace be with you'; then HE showed them HIS hands and HIS side.  The disciples kept looking at the LORD and were full of joy.

Again JESUS said to them, 'Peace be with you.  As the FATHER has sent ME, so I send you,'  After saying this HE breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit; for those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained'." - John 20:19-23

(Just as in the first creation GOD infused life into Adam, so, too, JESUS' breath communicates life to the new spiritual creation.  CHRIST, who died to take away the sin of the world, now leaves to HIS own the power to forgive.

Thus the hope of the Biblical people has been realized.  GOD led them in such a way that they felt the universal presence of sin, and so they offered animals in the Temple uninterruptedly to appease GOD.  That river of blood failed to destroy sin, and the priests themselves offered sacrifices for their own sins before praying to GOD for the others.  Ceremonies and rites had no power to purify the heart or to give the Holy Spirit.

Now, in the person of JESUS risen from the dead, a new world has begun.  Although humanity may continue to sin,  already the first of its sons and daughters, the "eldest brother of them all" is sharing fully the holy life of GOD.

Those who strive for the spiritual  life, suffer above all from a keen awareness of the universal presence of sin.  They grieve deeply at not yet having attained total liberation from sin.  Hence they recognize the forgiveness of sin as the greatest gift given to the Church.

The capacity to forgive is the only power able to release the great tensions within humankind.  Although it does not easily conquer hearts, it is an invaluable secret and the Church should consider it as its own particular treasure.

One who does not know how to forgive does not know how to love.  On making us aware of sin and purifying us from it, the Church helps us demonstrate a more authentic love for the neighbor.)

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Matthias Elected

Hi! and happy good weekend to all of us, GUYS.  Our "food for the soul" this Saturday:

THE GOOD NEWS (14 May 2016)

"It was during this time that Peter stood up in the midst of the community - about one hundred and twenty in all - and he said, 'Brothers, it was necessary that the Scriptures referring to Judas be fulfilled.  The Holy Spirit had spoken through David about the one who would lead the crowd coming to arrest JESUS.  He was one of our number and had been called to share our common ministry.

(We know that he bought a filed with the reward of his sin; yet he threw himself headlong to his death, his body burst open and all his bowels spilled out.  This event became known to all the people living in Jerusalem and they named that field Akeldama in their own language, which means Field of Blood).

In the book of Psalms it is written: Let his house become deserted and may no one live in it.  But it is also written: May another take his office.  Therefore we must choose someone from among those who were with us during all the time that the LORD JESUS moved about with us, beginning with John's baptism until the day when JESUS was taken away from us.  One of these has to become, with us, a witness to HIS resurrection.'

Then they proposed two: Joseph, called Barsabbas, also known as Justus, and Matthias.  They prayed: 'YOU know, LORD, what is in the hearts of all.  Show us, therefore, which of the two YOU have chosen to replace Judas in this apostolic ministry which he deserted to go to the place he deserved.'

Then they drew lots between the two and the choice fell on Matthias who was added to the eleven apostles. - Acts 1:15-26 

Apostles Cast Matthias

(Peter is acting here as head of the primitive Church.  The death of Judas has left a vacancy in the "college of apostles" whose twelve members bring to mind the twelve sons of Jacob.  Just as the Israel of old never accepted being deprived of one or many of its tribes, so too, Peter, will not permit the group of the Twelve to have one of its members amputated.

Peter will find a way to allow GOD make known HIS choice.  We may be surprised today that such an important decision could have been made by casting lots.  Is this not a sort of washing one's hands of the decision-making process?  We must not forget that this episode is happening in a community whose religious culture welcomes signs from GOD.  They know the qualities they would want to see in the candidates and two are eligible.  Now the question is which one to choose?  They pray to GOD to make HIS decision known and promise to accept the outcome.  This election process, not excluding those used by the cardinals in conclave, where the real challenges to the Church have often been compromised by the dishonest voting of interested parties?

It is good to focus in this passage on the conditions which Peter laid down: To have followed JESUS from John's baptism until the day when HE was taken from us.  The Good News begins with the preaching of John and culminates with the ascension [Acts 13:14-31].  In this way Mark's is the typical gospel, Matthew and Luke have both added an introduction, the infancy narratives, while John makes use of a prologue to act as a kind of preface.  For each of the evangelists, it is the resurrection accounts that dominate their gospels and give them meaning.

Like on so many occasions in the Old Testament [Jacob, Samuel, David...] GOD again chooses the second and possibly even the more simple person: let us examine the "calling card" of the first: Joseph named Barsabbas, also known as Justus while it is Matthias, without any other name or nickname, who is chosen by GOD.)

Apostle Matthias

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The Trial Before Festus

Hello! and happy TGIF to all of us, GUYS.  For our "food for the soul" this Friday:

THE GOOD NEWS (13 May 2016)

"Some days later King Agrippa and his sister Bernice arrived in Caesarea to greet Festus.  As they were to stay there several days, Festus told the king about Paul's case and said to him,

'We have here a man whom Felix left as a prisoner.  When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews accused him and asked me to sentence him.  I told them that it is not the custom of the Romans to hand over a man without giving him an opportunity to defend himself in front of his accusers.  So they came and I took my seat without delay on the tribunal and sent for the man.

When the accusers had the floor, they did not accuse him of any of the crimes that I was led to think he had committed; instead they quarreled with him about religion and about a certain JESUS who has died but whom Paul asserted to be alive.  I did not know what to do about this case, so I asked Paul if he wanted to go to Jerusalem to be tried there.  But Paul appealed to be judged by the emperor.  So I ordered that he be kept in custody until I send him to Caesar'." - Acts 25:13-21 

Paul Before Festus And Felix

(Due process.   It is not the custom of the Romans to hand over a man without giving him an opportunity to defend himself in front of his accusers.)

Paul Before King Agrippa And Festus

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Paul Appears Before The Sanhedrin

Hi! and happy good Thursday to all of us, GUYS.  For our today's "food for the soul":

THE GOOD NEWS (12 May 2016)

"The next day the commander wanted to know for certain the charges the Jews were making against Paul.  So he released him from prison and called together the High Priest and the whole Council; and they brought Paul down and made him stand before them.

Paul looked directly at the Council and said, 'Brothers, to this day I have lived my life with a clear conscience before GOD.'  At that the High Priest Ananias ordered his attendants to strike him on the mouth.  Then Paul said, 'GOD is about to strike you, you whitewashed wall!  You sit there to judge me according to the Law, and you break the Law by ordering me to be struck!'  At this the attendants protested, 'How dare you insult GOD's High Priest?'  Paul answered, 'Brothers, I did not know that he was the High Priest.  For Scripture says: You shall not curse the ruler of your people.'

Paul knew that part of the Council were Sadducees and others Pharisees; so he spoke out in the Council, 'Brothers I am a Pharisee, son of a Pharisee.  It is for the hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial here.

At these words, an argument broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the whole assembly was divided.  For the Sadducees claim that there is neither resurrection, nor angels nor spirits, while the Pharisees acknowledge all these things.

Then the shouting grew louder, and some teachers of the Law of the Pharisee party protested, 'We find nothing wrong with this man.  Maybe a spirit or an angel has spoken to him.'

With this the argument became so violent that the commander feared that Paul would be torn to pieces by them.  He therefore ordered the soldiers to go down and rescue him from their midst and take him back to the fortress.

That night the LORD stood by Paul and said, 'Courage!  As you have borne witness to me here in Jerusalem, so must you do in Rome'." - Acts 22:30-23:11

(To understand the chapters dealing with Paul's trial we have to remember that justice in the Roman empire was very well organized.  The supreme tribunal was in Rome: this was the Tribunal of Caesar, and Roman citizens fearing a mistrial in their province could appeal to the Tribunal of Caesar.  There were governors [or procurators] who administered justice in each province.  In the Jewish territory, the Romans who occupied the country kept the important cases for themselves, but they left the rest to the Jewish tribunals, especially religious affairs.  Paul was to go through various tribunals, beginning with the Sanhedrin, or religious court of the Jews, all the way to the tribunal of Caesar.

Thus, through Paul, the words of JESUS entrusting to HIS apostles the mission of proclaiming HIM before Jewish and pagan authorities was to be fulfilled.

Paul tries to make the resurrection of CHRIST the theme of his declaration.  There was a trial to condemn JESUS.  Now, Paul tries to have the governors pay attention to the cause of the risen JESUS, and he succeeds.

In every age, such will be the zeal of the witnesses of CHRIST when they are accused: to demonstrate that they are not acting out of self-interest, nor from any human motive, but because they are the servants of CHRIST.)

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"Happiness Lies More In Giving Than In Receiving."

Hello! and happy good mid-week to all of us, GUYS.  For our "food for the soul" today:

THE GOOD NEWS (11 May 2016)

"Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock the Holy  Spirit has placed into your care.  Shepherd the Church of the LORD that HE has won at the price of HIS own blood.  I know that after I leave, ruthless wolves will come among you and not spare the flock.  And from among you, some will arise corrupting the truth and inducing the disciples to follow them.

Be on the watch, therefore, remembering that for three years, night and day, I did not cease to warn everyone even with tears.   Now I commend you to GOD and to HIS grace-filled word, which is able to make you grow and gain the inheritance that you shall share with all the saints.

Paul Departing From Ephesus

I have not looked for anyone's silver, gold or clothing.  You yourselves know that these hands of mine have provided for both my needs and the needs of those who were with me.  In every way I have shown you that by so working hard one must help the weak, remembering the words that the LORD JESUS HIMSELF said, 'Happiness lies more in giving than in receiving.'

After this discourse, Paul knelt down with them and prayed.  Then they all began to weep and threw their arms around him and kissed him.  They were deeply distressed because he had said that they would never see him again.  And they went with him even to the ship." - Acts 20:28-38 

(In verses 28-30, we have the warning of divisions and heresies in the Church: the same message will reappear in the Pastoral Letters [2 Timothy 3:1-9].  We are used to seeing Christians divided.  For Paul, it was unthinkable.  When he speaks of "the Churches of CHRIST" [Romans 16:4 and 16; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 11:16], he is only thinking of the local communities who communicate among themselves and all accept without discussion the same faith and tradition of the apostles. 

Church In Ephesus

Paul alludes to what awaits him: all that we can do is to follow CHRIST, who has acquired HIS Church by HIS own blood.  Only in heaven will a leader of the Church find rest and retirement.

In verses 33-35 Paul takes up the resignation discourse of Samuel [1 Samuel 12:3].  How quickly can a person be self-serving and look after self in any apostolic work.)

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Paul's Farewell To The Ephesian Elders

Hello! and happy good Tuesday to all of us, GUYS.  For our "daily bread" today:

THE GOOD NEWS (10 May 2016)

"From Miletus Paul sent word to Ephesus, summoning the elders of the Church.  When they came to him, he addressed them, 'You know how I lived among you from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia, how I served the LORD in humility through the sorrows and trials that the Jews caused me.  You know that I never held back from doing anything that could be useful for you; I spoke publicly and in your homes and I urged Jews and non-Jews alike to turn to GOD and believe in our LORD JESUS.

But now I am going to Jerusalem, chained by the Spirit, without knowing what will happen to me there.  Yet in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that imprisonment and troubles await me.  Indeed I put no value on my life, if only I can finish my race and complete the service to which I have been assigned by the LORD JESUS, to announce the good news of GOD's grace.

I now feel sure that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom of GOD will ever see me again.  Therefore I declare to you this day that my conscience is clear with regard to all of you.  For I have spared no effort in fully declaring to you GOD's will." - Acts 20:17-27

Paul And The Elders Of Ephesus

(Paul returns to Palestine.  He had a presentiment or he knew by a revelation of the Holy Spirit that another phase of his life was about to begin: the years of prison and trials.  So he wished to say goodbye to all the leaders of the Church in the Roman province of Asia.  He did not know all of them well, since the evangelization of this province had been the work of his team of assistants.  These leaders are called elders and inspectors [or "episcopes," from which we have bishops].) 

Paul, The Apostle

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Paul In Ephesus

Hi! and happy good first day of the week to all of us, GUYS.  Our "food for the soul" this Monday:

THE GOOD NEWS (09 May 2016)

"While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the country and came to Ephesus.  There he found some disciples whom he asked, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?'  They answered, 'We have not even heard that anyone may receive the Holy Spirit.'  Paul then asked, 'What kind of baptism have you received?'  And they answered, 'The baptism of John.'

John's Baptism

Paul then explained, 'John's baptism was for conversion, but he himself said they should believe in the one who was to come, and that one is JESUS.'  Upon hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the LORD JESUS.  Then Paul laid his hands on them and the Holy Spirit came down upon them; and they began to speak in tongues and to prophesy.  There were about twelve of them in all.

Paul went into the synagogue and for three months he preached and discussed there boldly, trying to convince them about the Kingdom of GOD." - Acts 19:1-8

(For three years, Paul wanted to evangelize Ephesus.  Ephesus was one of the most beautiful and largest cities in the empire.

Luke wanted to relate the baptism of these twelve disciples of John the Baptist. As we have just said they knew something of JESUS' teaching, but as for being his disciples, they lacked what was most important: they had not received the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit came down upon them.  We must not forget that in the beginning, the Christian language was limited.  We know that the Holy Spirit is much more than the manifestations that follow the laying on of hands.  So we have such statements as: we have not heard that there is the Holy Spirit, while other texts state: that the Holy Spirit be received.  The laying on of hands is meant to confirm the change worked at baptism through the experience of the gifts of the Spirit [1 Corinthians 12:7].  Many Christians would be surprised today if they have never had this tangible experience of GOD.  Let us not say that these gifts are no longer useful or that such things do not happen today.  What is important, surely, is to believe and live one's faith rather than to feel it.  Such an experience, however, is often the shock that gives rise to a re-blossoming of our faith: it shows us that GOD is near, and HE is master of our inner self.   Perhaps our rationalist temperament and our Church life, mistrustful of all that is a personal expression, serves as a dampener of the gifts of the Spirit; perhaps it is rather the poverty of our commitment to JESUS.

They were baptized in the name of the LORD JESUS.  Are we to presume that in the beginning baptism  was in the name of JESUS and not in the name of the FATHER, the SON, and the HOLY SPIRIT?  It is not certain.

In the name of signifies: by the power of; maybe the baptism in the name of the FATHER and of the SON and of the Holy Spirit was called the baptism in the name of JESUS to distinguish it from the baptism of John and the baptisms of other religions.  It is also possible that at the moment of receiving the water in the name of the Holy Trinity, the person baptized had to make a personal invocation in the Name of JESUS.  Possibly also in early times, baptism was given "in the Name of JESUS" and later the Church modified the formula in order to distinguish itself from groups that believed in  JESUS but without recognizing HIM as Son of GOD, born of the FATHER.  There would be nothing to astonish us in such a change: the Church of the apostles had given the first formula; the same Church gave the second formula attributed to JESUS in Matthew 28:19.)

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