The Messianic Kingship: Warning To Ruler And Nations

 "'Behold the king I have installed,

in Zion, upon MY holy hill!'

I will proclaim the decree of YAHWEH.

HE said to ME: 'YOU are MY son.

This day I have begotten YOU.

Ask of ME, and I will give YOU 

the nations for YOUR inheritance;

the ends of the earth, for YOUR possession.

YOU shall rule them with iron scepter

and shatter them as a potter's vase.'

Now therefore, learn wisdom, O kings;

be warned, O rulers of the earth.

Serve YAHWEH with fear

and fall at HIS feet;

lest HE be angry; and you perish

when HIS anger suddenly flares.

Blessed are all who take refuge in HIM!"

- Psalm 2:6-11

(Temple and palace stood side by side on Zion.  GOD's arm supported the scepter of the anointed Davidic king, HIS 'CHRIST'.  On this same hill our LORD declared HIMSELF both Temple and King--shrine of the Godhead and ruler of the world.  The earliest Church, therefore, seized upon our psalm: 'JESUS is the victorious anointed of David's stock' [Acts 4:25ff]; HE rules 'with an iron rod... and on HIS armor is written King of kings' [Revelation 19:15-16].  The victory is won not by this world's kings [by Antipas and Pilate], not by the 'princes' or leaders of Israel, but by the one they crucified [Acts 4:26-27] who initially was proclaimed: "YOU are MY Son.  This day I have begotten YOU" [Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5 and Luke 3:22].  The persecution of Christians and the passion of CHRIST are one and the same [Acts 4:29], and the victory of resurrection is equally assured.  On Christian lips, our psalm is a song of defiance of the spirit in the name of GOD and trust in our sure refuge.)

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The Magnificent Promises Of GOD

 "I will sing forever, O YAHWEH, of YOUR love, and proclaim YOUR faithfulness from age to age.

I will declare how steadfast is YOUR love, how firm YOUR faithfulness.

I have found David MY servant, and, with MY holy oil, I have anointed him.

MY hand will be ever with him; and MY arm will sustain him; no enemy shall outwit him, nor the wicked oppress him.

MY faithfulness and love will be with him; and, by MY help, he will be strong.

He will call on ME, 'YOU are my FATHER, my GOD, my Rock, my Savior.'"

- Psalm 89:2-3. 21-22. 25. 27

(Those very powerful words "love" and "faithfulness" occur at least 4 times each in this psalm, and not without a purpose.  JESUS has explained to us in no uncertain terms throughout the Gospels the power of these words.  If only these could become part of our daily agenda, then we can assure ourselves of happiness here on earth and eternity.

Here is a good psalm to pray in times of national or international conflict.  If a human being is injured, GOD is injured.  The love of GOD is faithful.  Despite everything, the love of  GOD cannot turn back.)

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I Have Come Into The World As Light, So That Whoever Believes In ME May Not Remain In Darkness

 "Yet JESUS had said, and even cried out, 'Whoever believes in ME, believes not in ME, but in HIM who sent ME.  And whoever sees ME, sees HIM who sent ME.  I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in ME may not remain in darkness.

If anyone hears MY words and does not keep them, I AM not the one to condemn him; for I have come, not to condemn the world, but to save the world.  The one who rejects ME, and does not receive MY words, already has a judge: the very words I have spoken will condemn him on the last day.

For I have not spoken on MY own authority; the FATHER, who sent ME, has instructed ME what to say and how to speak.  I know that HIS commandment is eternal life, and that is why the message I give, I give as the FATHER instructed ME.'" - John 12:44-50 

(John stresses the sin of the majority who were not committed to CHRIST, although within themselves they secretly respected HIM.  Somehow the Jewish people suspected that JESUS came from GOD, but to believe in what HE claimed and asked was another matter.

For us, too, to believe in the Gospel is to take a stand: we cannot pass by the Church JESUS founded even though it may not be totally transparent.  HIS word comes to us amidst numerous preoccupations, and most often we feel inclined to respond: "I'll see later!"  When we neglect HIS word, we often think it is not grave.  Actually it is GOD and HIS truth that we reject and we may not have another occasion to receive it.  All eternity is decided today.

There is absolutely nothing in the Scriptures that support the belief that we will have other lives in order to repair our errors of today.  If so many people of our time have grasped this belief in a succession of lives, it is above all because it encourages them to delay making real decisions; the devil takes charge of spreading this belief.)

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The Foundation Of The Church At Antioch

 "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 was spoken but where there was an important Jewish community.  Luke does not tell us who presented the 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?)

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Peter Justifies His Conduct

 "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 

(That Peter went to baptize a non-Jew seems to us the most normal thing.  Let us not forget that the Christians of Jerusalem remained Jews, with their education, their prejudices and their sensibility.  They did not see how a person could be part of JESUS' family without first belonging to the people of GOD who, for them, identified itself with the Jewish nation.  Could someone become their brother without first being circumcised?  The warning they gave Peter is the first witness of the constant pressure that Christians have always brought to bear on their priests and bishops throughout history.  Every time that someone would like to open our Church to people of another culture, a powerful group will only be willing to accept those who consent to lose their own identity and be Christians in the way we ourselves are.  These believers in Jerusalem are not acting in bad faith and they accept Peter's explanations.  Like him, what courage the leaders of the Church will need to respond to the calls of the Holy Spirit when faced with the prejudices of a group!)

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We Are GOD's Children And We Must Live As Such

 "See what singular love the FATHER has for us: we are called children of GOD, and we really are.  This is why the world does not know us, because it did not know HIM.

Beloved, we are GOD's children, and what we shall be has not, yet, been shown.  Yet, when HE appears in HIS glory, we know, that we shall be like HIM, for, then, we shall see HIM as HE is." - 1 John 3:1-2 

(Here begins the second part of the letter: we are GOD's children and we must live as such.  How do we prove that we are GOD's children?  According to the same criteria that we have already seen: breaking away from sin, keeping the commandment of love, proclaiming our faith.  There are many ways of saying we are GOD's children.  One person might simply think: "GOD loves people" means that human beings have great dignity.  Here John calls our attention to two points:

- you are sons and daughters, but in order to become like GOD, do not seek anything else but to be perfect as GOD is perfect;

- you are children who will return to the FATHER.  Do you really think about the unique and transcendent end for which GOD has chosen you?  Being aware of this, let us understand that GOD purifies us in a thousand ways, because only in this way can we attain our goal.

We shall be like HIM: sharing all that GOD is and somehow becoming GOD with GOD [see 1 Corinthians 13:13].  Those who now bear their lives of suffering with CHRIST will be transfigured like HIM [Mark 9:2-3; Colossians 3:4].  Then the universe will reach its goal, having the children of GOD as its center [Romans 8:19] or better, the New Creature.)

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Peter Visits The Churches

 "Meanwhile, the Church had peace.  It was building up throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, with eyes turned to the LORD, and filled with comfort from the Holy Spirit.

As Peter traveled around, he went to visit the saints who lived in Lydda.  There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed, and had been bedridden for eight years.  Peter said to him, 'Aeneas, JESUS CHRIST heals you; get up and make your bed!'  And the man got up at once.  All the people living in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the LORD.

There was a disciple in Joppa named Tabitha, which means Dorcas, or Gazelle.  She was always doing good works and helping the poor.  At that time, she fell sick and died.  After having washed her body, they laid her in the upstairs room.

As Lydda is near Joppa, the disciples, on hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, 'Please come to us without delay.'

So Peter went with them.  On his arrival, they took him upstairs to the room.  All the widows crowded around him in tears, showing him the clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.  Peter made them all leave the room; and then, he knelt down and prayed.  Turning to the dead body, he said, 'Tabitha, stand up.'  She opened her eyes, looked at Peter and sat up.  Peter gave her his hand and helped her up.  Then he called in the saints and widows, and presented her to them alive.  This became known throughout all of Joppa; and many people believed in the LORD because of it." - Acts 9:31-42 

(Peter appears in his role of "inspector" of the churches [the word bishop means inspector].

It is said here that he visits the saints.  In the years prior to CHRIST, the word "saints," namely, those consecrated to GOD, was used especially to designate the new people of GOD since the coming of the Messiah [see Daniel 7:27].  Christians are the new people of GOD since they are the Church [see 5:11]; they also the saints.

The raising of Tabitha is similar to what JESUS did.  It is an echo of the Resurrection of CHRIST, as the raising of Lazarus [John 11] or the widow's son had been [Luke 7:11].

GOD wished to grant these signs to strengthen faith in JESUS' resurrection.  Besides the people who had been witnesses of HIS Resurrection, it was necessary that, in various places, the communities could see for themselves that GOD "raises the dead" [see Hebrews 11:19].  Similar resurrections have been seen in the Church even in recent years.)

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World-Wide Call To Praise GOD

 "Alleluia!

Praise YAHWEH, all you nations;

all you peoples, praise HIM.

How great is HIS love for us!

HIS faithfulness lasts forever."

- Psalm 117:1-2

(Less than a quarter of a psalm, but all is there: goodness (grace, favor) and fidelity (truth) that is the truth of GOD.  We can pray with this psalm, keeping in our heart the ecumenical cause.)

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Philip Baptizes The Ethiopian

 "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 that 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.  Then 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 

(Note how the Holy Spirit leads Philip towards a man who was neither a Jew nor a Samaritan, the first person of another race to receive the Gospel. 

The Ethiopian who is baptized is simply a man who 'fears the LORD.'  This is the way they referred to people of other races who were attracted to the religion of the Jews and to faith in the one GOD.  Without following all the Jewish customs, they read the Scripture and liked to take part in the Jewish ceremonies.

The conversation with Philip begins on the basis of a text from Isaiah 53:7.  This poem, called Servant of the LORD, speaks of a just man unjustly condemned who, through HIS sufferings, atones for the sins of all humankind.  In this text the apostles saw one of the passages which best prefigured CHRIST: see Mark 14:24 and 1 Peter 2:24-25.  Isaiah's poem concludes with a veiled reference to the resurrection of the "Servant of the LORD."  It is marvelous to see how Philip can give a testimony of the Resurrection with such conviction that the Ethiopian believes in him.)

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All Those Whom The FATHER Gives ME Will Come To ME

 "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 is 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 

(All those whom the FATHER gives ME will come to ME.  Not all those who take pride in belonging to the true religion come to CHRIST, but only those whom the FATHER knows.  Though the church embraces many people of all descriptions, only those to whom the FATHER has given this grace will find their way to the controversial and humble CHRIST.  While acknowledging the value of the sacraments and good works, we should not forget what JESUS taught: none of our own efforts can substitute for the grace of being chosen by the FATHER who calls us to know HIS Son in truth.)

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