"Peace be with you; I give you, MY peace. Not as the world gives peace do I give it to you. Do not be troubled; do not be afraid. You heard ME say: 'I AM going away, but I AM coming to you.' If you loved ME, you would be glad that I go to the FATHER, for the FATHER is greater than I.
I have told you this now before it takes place, so that when it does happen you may believe. It is very little what I may still tell you, for the prince of this world is at hand, although there is nothing in ME that HE can claim. But see, the world must know that I love the FATHER and that I do what the FATHER has taught ME to do. Come now, let us go." - John 14:27-31
"Whoever keeps MY commandments is the one who loves ME. If he loves ME, he will also be loved by MY FATHER; I too shall love him and show MYSELF clearly to him.
Judas--not Judas Iscariot--asked JESUS, 'LORD, how can it be that YOU will show YOURSELF clearly to us and not to the world?' JESUS answered him, 'If anyone loves ME, he will keep MY word and MY FATHER will love him; and WE will come to him and live with him. But if anyone does not love ME, he will not keep MY words; and these words that you hear are not MINE, but the FATHER's who sent ME.
I told you all this while I AM still with you. From now on the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the FATHER will send in MY name, will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I have told you." - John 14:21-26
"I AM the true vine, and MY FATHER is the vine grower. If any of MY branches doesn't bear fruit, HE breaks it off; and HE prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more fruit.
You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you. Live in ME as I live in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself, but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you, if you don't remain in ME.
I AM the vine, and you are the branches. As long as you remain in ME and I in you, you bear much fruit; but apart from ME you can do nothing. Whoever does not remain in ME is thrown away, as they do with branches, and they wither. Then they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.
If you remain in ME and MY words remain in you, you may ask whatever you want, and it will be given to you. MY FATHER is glorified when you bear much fruit: it is then that you become MY disciples." - John 15:1-8
"The following Sabbath almost the entire city gathered to listen to Paul, who spoke a fairly long time about the LORD. But the presence of such a crowd made the Jews jealous. So they began to oppose, with insults, whatever Paul said.
Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out firmly, saying, 'It was necessary, that GOD's word be first proclaimed to you, but since you now reject it, and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we turn to non-Jewish people. For thus we were commanded by the LORD: I have set you as a light to the pagan nations, so that you may bring MY salvation to the ends of the earth.'
Those who were not Jews rejoiced, when they heard this, and praised the message of the LORD; and all those, destined for everlasting life, believed in it. Thus, the word spread, throughout the whole region.
Some of the Jews, however, incited God-fearing women of the upper class, and the leading men of the city, as well, and stirred up an intense persecution against Paul and Barnabas. Finally, they had them expelled from their region. The apostles shook the dust from their feet, in protest against this people, and went to Iconium, leaving; the disciples, filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. - Acts 13:44-52
"'Do not be troubled! Trust in GOD and trust in ME! In MY FATHER's house there are many rooms; otherwise, I would not have told you that I go to prepare a place for you. After I have gone and prepared a place for you, I shall come again and take you to ME, so that where I AM, you also may be. Yet you know the way where I AM going.'
Thomas said to HIM, 'LORD, we don't know where YOU are going; how can we know the way?' JESUS said, 'I AM the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the FATHER but through ME.'" - John 14:1-6
"Then HE told them, 'Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be condemned. Signs like these will accompany those who have believed: in MY name they will cast out demons and speak new languages; they will pick up snakes, and if they drink anything poisonous, they will be unharmed; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.'
So then, after speaking to them, the LORD JESUS was taken up into heaven and took HIS place at the right hand of GOD. The Eleven went forth and preached everywhere, while the LORD worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it." - Mark 16:15-20
"Those who had been scattered, because of the persecution over Stephen, traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, proclaiming the message, but only to the Jews. But there were some natives of Cyprus and Cyrene among them who, on coming into Antioch, spoke also to the Greeks, giving them the good news of the LORD JESUS. The hand of the LORD was with them so that a great number believed and turned to the LORD.
News of this reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the manifest signs of GOD's favor, he rejoiced and urged them all to remain firmly faithful to the LORD; for he, himself, was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. Thus large crowds came to know the LORD.
Then Barnabas went off to Tarsus, to look for Saul; and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year, they had meetings with the Church and instructed many people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians." - Acts 11:19-26
(Antioch, 500 kilometers north of Jerusalem, was the principal town of the Roman province of Syria, a pagan country, where Greek Christian faith to the pagans for the first time, nor how that happened. The Christians of Jewish origin that did it would deserve a statue, or better still a feast in our liturgy. So, there is at Antioch for the first time a community where Jews and non-Jews are assembled: the future of the Church was there. The Jerusalem community is the Rome of the primitive Church. It is conscious of its authority and immediately asks to examine more closely this extraordinary new happening: a Church where Jews accept to rub shoulders with the uncircumcised.
The Jerusalem community behaved as having authority over the new churches; the case of Antioch would touch everyone since, for the Palestinian Jews, accepting pagans was something of a scandal. Did not the law of Moses forbid living with "uncircumcised" people?)
"News came to the apostles and the brothers and sisters in Judea that even foreigners had received the Word of GOD. So, when Peter went up to Jerusalem, these Jewish believers began to argue with him, 'You went to the home of uncircumcised people and ate with them!'
So, Peter began to give them the facts as they had happened, 'I was at prayer in the city of Joppa when, in a trance, I saw a vision. Something like a large sheet came down from the sky and drew near to me, landing on the ground by its four corners. As I stared at it, I saw four-legged creatures of the earth, wild beasts and reptiles, and birds of the sky. Then I heard a voice saying to me: 'Get up, Peter, kill and eat!' I replied, 'Certainly not, LORD! No common or unclean creature has ever entered my mouth.' A second time the voice from the heavens spoke, 'What GOD has made clean, you must not call unclean.' This happened three times, and then it was all drawn up into the sky. At that moment three men, who had been sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were staying. The Spirit instructed me to go with them without hesitation; so these six brothers came along with me, and we entered into the man's house. He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and telling him: Send someone to Joppa and fetch Simon, also known as Peter. He will bring you a message by which you and all your household will be saved.'
I had begun to address them when suddenly the Holy Spirit came upon them, just as IT had come upon us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the LORD had said: 'John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. If then, GOD had given them the same gift that HE had given us when we believed in the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who was I to resist GOD?'
When they heard this, they set their minds at rest and praised GOD saying, 'Then GOD has granted life-giving repentance to the pagan nations as well'." - Acts 11:1-18
"I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives HIS life for the sheep. Not so the hired hand, or any other person who is not the shepherd, and to whom the sheep do not belong. They abandon the sheep as soon as they see the wolf coming; then the wolf snatches and scatters the sheep. This is because the hired hand works for pay and cares nothing for the sheep.
I AM the good shepherd. I know MY own and MY own know ME, as the FATHER knows ME and I know the FATHER. Because of this, I give MY life for MY sheep.
I have other sheep which are not of this fold. These I have to lead as well, and they shall listen to MY voice. Then there will be one flock, since there is one shepherd.
The FATHER loves ME, because I lay down MY life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from ME, but I lay it down freely. It is MINE to lay down and to take up again: this mission I received from MY FATHER." - John 10:11-18
(Scripture foretold the day in which GOD would come to gather together the dispersed sheep of HIS people, so that they would live in their land. JESUS is the Shepherd and HE has come to accomplish what was announced, but HE will not do it in the expected way. The Jews thought that the Shepherd would revive their former prosperity: they would again be a privileged nation among other nations.
JESUS says clearly that HIS people are not to be thought of as identical to the Jewish nation. Those who believe, and only they, are HIS. HE will take from among the Jews those who are HIS; likewise, HE will take sheep which are not of this fold as well, that is, from among the nations other than the Jewish nation. Therefore, HE will lead them all and will guide this flock--which is not a nation with land boundaries--to where HE knows. The only flock [not the only "fold", as people say], that is, the only Church, moves freely through history, not confined to any one nation or era of civilization.)
"After hearing this, many of JESUS' followers said, 'This language is very hard! Who can accept it?'
JESUS was aware that HIS disciples were murmuring about this, and so HE said to them, 'Does this offend you? Then how will you react when you see the Son of Man ascending to where HE was before? It is the spirit that gives life, not the flesh. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. But among you there are some who do not believe.'
From the beginning, JESUS knew who would betray HIM. So, HE added, 'As I have told you, no one can come to ME unless it is granted by the FATHER.'
After this many disciples withdrew and no longer followed HIM. JESUS asked the Twelve, 'Will you also go away?' Peter answered HIM, 'LORD, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We now believe and know that you are the Holy One of GOD.'" - John 6:60-69
(This language is very hard. How could JESUS' listeners believe that HE, the "Son of Joseph," had come from GOD? And today how can we believe that we need the Eucharist? JESUS tells us why HE came: The Son of GOD came down to us, so that later HE would ascend to where HE was before. HE came from GOD to communicate to us the very life of GOD and then to bring us to the bosom of GOD [John 14.12].
It is the spirit that gives life, not the flesh. JESUS spoke of giving us HIS flesh, but this should not be understood as a continuation of the Jewish religion, in which the meat of sacrificed animals was eaten. In Hebrew culture, flesh and blood denote "the world below," where humankind moves and where one has no access to communication with GOD. The Eucharist is different. This is the body, or flesh, of the risen CHRIST transformed by the Spirit, which acts in us spiritually and brings us into communion with GOD.
LORD, to whom shall we go? Many of JESUS' followers left but, in the name of those who remained, Peter pledged his fidelity [see also Matthew 16:13].)
"The Jews were arguing among themselves, 'How can this man give us HIS flesh to eat?' So JESUS replied, 'Truly, I say to you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink HIS blood, you have no life in you. The one who eats MY flesh and drinks MY blood lives eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
MY flesh is really food, and MY blood is truly drink. Those who eat MY flesh and drink MY blood, live in ME, and I in them. Just as the FATHER, who is life, sent ME, and I have life from the FATHER, so whoever eats ME will have life from ME. This is the bread from heaven; not like that of your ancestors, who ate and later died. Those who eat this bread will live forever.'
JESUS spoke in this way in Capernaum when HE taught them in the synagogue." - John 6:52-59
"An angel of the LORD said to Philip, 'Go south, toward the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert road. So, he set out and, it happened that, an Ethiopian was passing along the way. He was an official in charge of the treasury of the queen of the Ethiopians. He had come on pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was on his way home. He was sitting in his carriage and reading the prophet Isaiah.
The Spirit said to Philip, 'Go and catch up with that carriage.' So, Philip ran up and heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah; and he asked, 'Do you really understand what you are reading?' The Ethiopian replied, 'How can I, unless someone explains it to me?' He then invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. This was the passage of Scripture he was reading:
He was led like a sheep to be slaughtered; like a lamb that is dumb before the shearer, he did not open his mouth. He was humbled and deprived of his rights. Who can speak of his descendants? For he was uprooted from the earth.
The official asked Philip, 'Tell me, please, does the prophet speak of himself or of someone else?'
Then Philip began to tell him the Good News of JESUS, using this text of Scripture as his starting point. As they traveled down the road, they came to a place where there was some water. The Ethiopian official said, 'Look, here is water; what is to keep me from being baptized?'
Then he ordered the carriage to stop. Both Philip and the Ethiopian went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the LORD took Philip away. The Ethiopian saw him no more, but he continued on his way full of joy.
Philip found himself at Azotus; and he went about, announcing the Good News in all the towns, until he reached Caesarea." - Acts 8:26-40
"JESUS said to them, 'I AM the bread of life; whoever comes to ME shall never be hungry, and whoever believes in ME shall never be thirsty. Nevertheless, as I said, you refuse to believe, even when you have seen. Yet all those whom the FATHER gives ME will come to ME, and whoever comes to ME, I shall not turn away. For I have come from heaven, not to do MY own will, but the will of the One who sent ME.
And the will of HIM who sent ME is that I lose nothing of what HE has given ME, but instead that I raise it up on the last day. This the will of the FATHER, that whoever sees the Son and believes in HIM shall live eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.'" - John 6:35-40
"Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Some persons then came forward, who belonged to the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia and Asia. They argued with Stephen, but they could not match the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. As they were unable to face the truth, they bribed some men to say, 'We heard him speak against Moses and against GOD.'
So, they stirred up the people, the elders and the teachers of the law; they took him by surprise, seized him and brought him before the Council. Then they produced false witnesses, who said, 'This man never stops speaking against our Holy Place and the law. We even heard him say that JESUS, the Nazorean, will destroy our Holy Place and change the customs which Moses handed down to us.' And all who sat in the Council fixed their eyes on him; and his face appeared to them like the face of an angel." - Acts 6:8-15
(Philip will be mentioned in Acts 8:5 and 21:8. Stephen is the only one remembered here.
Being a Hellenist, Stephen did not share the blind faith of the Jewish people in their temple and its rituals. He understood that the Church had to become free from the patterns of the past and move away from the Jews, if they refused to believe.
Stephen's long discourse before the Sanhedrin [the Great Council] is an outstanding summary of the Old Testament. It emphasizes the increasing initiatives of GOD who calls, gives, promises, corrects and saves. Confronting this untiring love is the permanent rebellion of Israel who despises GOD and rejects those HE sends. The prophet Hosea, eight centuries before CHRIST, already expressed the drama of the rejected love of GOD by HIS people [Hosea 11:1-4]. Stephen proclaims it again: the drama reached its culmination when JESUS, the Son-of-GOD-made-man, was nailed to the cross [Acts 2:23; 3:15; 4:10].
Stephen dies as CHRIST did. He becomes the first martyr [martyr means witness]. He is a witness to CHRIST because he proclaims HIM, but even more so because he does as CHRIST did, he forgives his murderers.
Like Peter after the Pentecost, Stephen still hopes for a conversion of the Jewish people: a minority at least will be converted. This hope will fade in time with the persecutions raised against the Church. The murder of Stephen would be the first sign leading the converted Jews to understand that apostolic work must be undertaken beyond the frontiers of the Jewish fortress.)
"My little children, I write to you, that you may not sin. But if anyone sins, we have an intercessor with the FATHER, JESUS CHRIST, the Just One. HE is the sacrificial victim, for our sins, and the sins of the whole world.
How can we know that we know HIM? If we fulfill HIS commands.
If you say, 'I know HIM,' but do not fulfill HIS commands, you are a liar, and the truth is not in you. But if you keep HIS word, GOD's love is made complete in you. This is how we know that we are in HIM: he who claims to live in HIM must live as HE lived." - 1 John 2:1-6
"In those days, as the number of disciples grew, the so-called Hellenists complained against the so-called Hebrews, because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve summoned the whole body of disciples together, and said, 'It is not right, that we should neglect the word of GOD to serve at tables. So, friends, choose from among yourselves seven respected men, full of Spirit and wisdom, that we may appoint them to this task. As for us, we shall give ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.'
The whole community agreed; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit; Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenus and Nicolaus of Antioch, who was a proselyte. They presented these men to the apostles, who, first prayed over them, and then, laid hands upon them.
The word of GOD continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly; and even many priests accepted the faith. - Acts 6:1-7
"But one of them, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law highly respected by the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin. He ordered the men to be taken outside for a few minutes and then he spoke to the assembly.
'Fellow Israelites, consider, well, what you intend to do to these men. For some time ago, Theudas came forward, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, and all his followers were dispersed or disappeared. After him, Judas, the Galilean, appeared, at the time of the census and persuaded many people to follow him. But he, too, perished; and his whole following was scattered. So, in this present case, I advise you to have nothing to do with these men. Leave them alone. If their project or activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. If, on the other hand, it is from GOD, you will not be able to destroy it; and you might indeed, find yourselves fighting against GOD.'
The Council let themselves be persuaded. They called in the apostles and had them whipped; and ordered them not to speak again of JESUS, the Savior. Then they set them free.
The apostles went out from the Council, rejoicing that they were considered worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of the Name. Day after day, both in the temple and in people's homes, they continued to teach, and to proclaim, that JESUS was the Messiah." - Acts 5:34-42
"HE who comes from above is above all; he who comes from the earth belongs to the earth and his words, too, are earthly. The One who comes from heaven speaks of the things HE has seen and heard; HE bears witness to this, but no one accepts HIS testimony. Whoever does receive HIS testimony acknowledges the truthfulness of GOD.
The one sent by GOD speaks GOD's words and gives the Spirit without measure. For the FATHER loves the Son and has entrusted everything into HIS hands. Whoever believes in the Son lives with eternal life, but he who will not believe in the Son will never know life and always faces the justice of GOD." - John 3:31-36
"The High Priest and all his supporters, that is the party of the Sadducees, became very jealous of the apostles; so they arrested them and had them thrown into the public jail. But an angel of the LORD opened the door of the prison during the night, brought them out, and said to them, 'Go and stand in the Temple court and tell the people the whole of this living message.' Accordingly, they entered the Temple at dawn and resumed their teaching.
When the High Priest and his supporters arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin, that is the full Council of the elders of Israel. They sent word to the jail to have the prisoners brought in. But when the Temple guards arrived at the jail, they did not find them inside, so they returned with the news, 'We found the prison securely locked and the prison guards at their post outside the gate, but when we opened the gate, we found no one inside.'
Upon hearing these words, the captain of the Temple guard and the high priests were baffled, wondering where all of this would end. Just then someone arrived with the report, 'Look, those men whom you put in prison are standing in the Temple, teaching the people.' Then the captain went off with the guards and brought them back, but without any show of force, for fear of being stoned by the people." - Acts 5:17-26
"YAHWEH reigns, robed in majesty;
YAHWEH is girded with strength.
The world now, is firm; it cannot be moved.
YOUR throne stands from long ago, O YAHWEH;
from all eternity YOU are.
"In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from GOD to a town of Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent to a young virgin who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
The angel came to her and said, 'Rejoice, full of grace, the LORD is with you.' Mary was troubled at these words, wondering what this greeting could mean.
But the angel said, 'Do not fear, Mary, for GOD has looked kindly on you. You shall conceive and bear a son and you shall call him JESUS. HE will be great and shall rightly be called Son of the Most High. The LORD GOD will give HIM the kingdom of David, his ancestor; HE will rule over the people of Jacob forever and HIS reign shall have no end.'
Then Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be if I am a virgin?' And the angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the holy child to be born shall be called Son of GOD. Even your relative Elizabeth is expecting a son in her old age, although she was unable to have a child, and she is now in her sixth month. With GOD nothing is impossible.'
Then Mary said, 'I am the handmaid of the LORD, let it be done to me as you have said." - Luke 1:26-38
"The whole community of believers was one in heart and mind. No one claimed private ownership of any possessions; but rather, they shared all things in common. With great power, the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the LORD JESUS, for all of them were living in an exceptional time of grace.
There was no needy person among them, for those who owned land or houses, sold them and brought the proceeds of the sale. And they laid it at the feet of the apostles, who distributed it, according to each one's need." - Acts 4:32-35
"After this, JESUS revealed HIMSELF to the disciples by the Lake of Tiberias. HE appeared to them in this way: Simon Peter, Thomas who was called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and two other disciples were together; and Simon Peter said to them, 'I'm going fishing.' They replied, 'We will come with you.' And they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
When the sun came up, JESUS was standing on the shore, but the disciples did not know that it was JESUS. JESUS called out, 'Friends, have you anything to eat?' They answered, 'Nothing.' Then HE said to them, 'Throw the net on the right side of the boat and you will find something.' When they had lowered the net, they were not able to pull it in because of the great number of fish.
Then the disciple JESUS loved said to Peter, 'It's the LORD!' At these words, 'It's the LORD!' Simon Peter put on his clothes, for he was stripped for work, and jumped into the water. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish; they were not far from land, about a hundred meters.
When they landed, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it, and some bread. JESUS said to them, 'Bring some of the fish you've just caught.' So Simon Peter climbed into the boat and pulled the net to shore. It was full of big fish--one hundred and fifty-three--but, in spite of this, the net was not torn.
JESUS said to them, 'Come and have breakfast.' And not one of the disciples dared to ask HIM, 'Who are YOU?' for they knew it was the LORD. JESUS came and took the bread and gave it to them, and HE did the same with the fish.
This was the third time that JESUS revealed HIMSELF to HIS disciples after rising from the dead." - John 21:1-14
JESUS led them almost as far as Bethany; then HE lifted up HIS hands and blessed them. And as HE blessed them, HE withdrew, and was taken to heaven. They worshiped HIM, and then returned to Jerusalem full of joy; and they were continually in the temple, praising GOD." - Luke 24:46-53
"Once when Peter and John were going up to the Temple at three in the afternoon, the hour of prayer, a man crippled from birth was being carried in. Every day they would bring him and put him at the temple gate called 'Beautiful'; there he begged from those who entered the Temple.
When he saw Peter and John on their way into the Temple, he asked for alms. Then Peter with John at his side looked straight at him and said, 'Look at us.' So, he looked at them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, 'I have neither silver nor gold, but what I have I give you: In the name of JESUS of Nazareth, the Messiah, walk!'
Then he took the beggar by his right hand and helped him up. At once his feet and ankles became firm, and jumping up he stood on his feet and began to walk. And he went with them into the Temple walking and leaping and praising GOD.
All the people saw him walking and praising GOD; they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple, and they were all astonished and amazed at what had happened to him." - Acts 3:1-10
