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 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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The Good Shepherd

 "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." - John 10:11-16 

(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.)

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"How Long Will YOU Keep Us In Doubt? If YOU Are The Messiah, Tell Us Plainly."

 "The time came for the feast of the Dedication.  It was winter, and JESUS walked back and forth in the portico of Solomon.  The Jews then gathered around HIM and said to HIM, 'How long will YOU keep us in doubt?  If YOU are the Messiah, tell us plainly.'  JESUS answered. 'I have already told you, but you do not believe.  The works I do in MY FATHER's name proclaim who I AM, but you don't believe because, as I said, you are not MY sheep.

MY sheep hear MY voice and I know them; they follow ME and I give them eternal life.  They shall never perish, and no one will ever steal them from ME.  What MY FATHER has given ME, is greater than all things else.  To snatch it out of the FATHER's hand, no one is able!  I and the FATHER are One.'" - John 10:22-30 

(When Scripture speaks of the Shepherd, it usually refers to GOD HIMSELF, the only king of Israel, but sometimes means the King-Messiah sent by GOD.  JESUS spoke of only one shepherd.  Though distinct from the FATHER, HE is one with HIM.)

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It Is The Spirit That Gives Life, Not The Flesh

 "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 very 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].)

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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 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.  Then the Ethiopian official said, 'Look, here is water; what is to keep me from being baptized?'  And Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.'  And he answered and said, 'I believe that JESUS CHRIST is the Son of GOD.'

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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The Bread That Comes Down From Heaven Is Not Something, But Someone, And That Is CHRIST

 "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 

(For this reason, GOD now proposes something new.  The bread that comes down from heaven is not something, but someone, and that is CHRIST.  That true bread communicates eternal life to us, but to receive it, it is necessary to take a step, that is, to believe in CHRIST and to make a personal commitment to HIM.

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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JESUS said, "I AM The Way, The Truth And The Life; No One Comes To The FATHER But Through ME."

 "JESUS said, 'I AM the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the FATHER but through ME.  If you know ME, you will know the FATHER also; indeed you know HIM, and you have seen HIM.'

Philip asked HIM, 'LORD, show us the FATHER, and that is enough.'  JESUS said to him, 'What!  I have been with you so long and you still do not know ME, Philip?  Whoever sees ME sees the FATHER; how can you say, 'Show us the FATHER'?  Do you not believe that I AM in the FATHER and the FATHER is in ME?

All that I say to you, I do not say of MYSELF.  The FATHER who dwells in ME is doing HIS own work.  Believe ME when I say that I AM in the FATHER and the FATHER is in ME; at least believe it on the evidence of these works that I do.

Truly, I say to you, the one who believes in ME will do the same works that I do; and he will even do greater than these, for I AM going to the FATHER.  Everything you ask in MY name, I will do, so that the FATHER may be glorified in the Son.  Indeed, anything you ask, calling upon MY name, I will do it.'" - John 14:6-14 

(Now, knowing what is the goal, we should walk towards this definitive communion.  "I AM the way," says JESUS.  HE became human precisely so that we might see the FATHER in HIM.  HE followed HIS way, so disconcerting for us, so that, meditating on HIS actions, we would progress towards the truth.  Although in the beginning we may not understand HIM well, with time, we will discover the LORD and understand that HIS way is ours.  Passing through the cross and death, we will achieve our own truth and arrive at life.)

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What Are The Works That GOD Wants Us To Do?

 "Next day, the people, who had stayed on the other side, realized that only one boat had been there, and that JESUS had not entered it with HIS disciples; but rather, the disciples had gone away alone.  Other boats from Tiberias landed near the place where all these people had eaten the bread.  When they saw that neither JESUS nor HIS disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for JESUS.

When they found HIM on the other side of the lake, they asked HIM, 'Master, when did YOU come here?'

JESUS answered, 'Truly, I say to you, you look for ME, not because of the signs which you have seen, but because you ate bread and were satisfied.  Work then, not for perishable food, but for the lasting food which gives eternal life.  The Son of Man will give it to you, for HE is the one on whom the FATHER has put HIS mark.'

Then the Jews asked HIM, 'What shall we do?  What are the works that GOD wants us to do?'  And JESUS answered them, 'The work GOD wants is this: that you believe in the One whom GOD has sent.'" - John 6:22-29 

(People struggle for adequate food, and their first preoccupation is to survive, because if they do not eat they will cease to live.  We do not have life in ourselves and have to constantly depend on others for what is necessary to maintain life.  In spite of everything, some day life escapes us because we have not encountered the lasting food.

In fact, we need much more than bread: beyond eating and drinking, we seek something that permits us to no longer experience hunger or thirst.  We will find this on the day of the resurrection, in the assembly of all the Saints in Heaven, where there will be total and perfect peace and unity.  That is precisely what the Work of the Son of Man [the Human One] is.

The discourse begins with a question from the Jews: Which are the works that GOD wants us to do?  JESUS replies: The Work that GOD wants is that you believe.  The FATHER does not demand "works," that is, the practices of a religious law, but rather faith.  In the previous chapter, JESUS declared that HIS work is to raise people up.  Here HE indicates our work: to believe in the Messenger of the FATHER.)

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Thanksgiving For Recovery From Sickness

 "I extol YOU, O YAHWEH, for YOU have rescued me; my enemies will not gloat over me.

YAHWEH, YOU have brought me up from the grave, YOU gave me life when I was going to the pit.

Sing to YAHWEH, O you HIS saints, give thanks and praise to HIS holy name.

For HIS anger lasts but a little while, and HIS kindness all through life.

'Hear, O YAHWEH, and have mercy on me; O YAHWEH, be my protector.'

But now, YOU have turned my mourning into rejoicing; YOU have taken off my sackcloth and wrapped me in the garments of gladness.

And so my soul, no longer silent, now sings praise without ceasing.  O YAHWEH my GOD, forever will I give YOU thanks."

- Psalm 30:2. 4. 5-6. 11-12. 13

('The devil was sick, the devil, a monk would be.  The devil was well, the devil, a monk was he.'  This is said of those persons who, in times of sickness or danger make pious resolutions, but forget them, when danger is past and health recovered.  There is some truth in this.  Good health has its own unconscious arrogance and is even accompanied sometimes, by a deceptive feeling of holiness.  Sickness opens our eyes.  We look back on our lives and are frightened by the selfishness of our motives.  When we recover, our conduct may not improve, but at least we may be grateful for our recovery in our prayers.  But the real sickness is of mind and soul, and if we ask GOD to cure us of this, the dawn will break.

Nothing is definitive in this life.  The LORD alternates joys and sorrows according to what we need, for the development of our faith.  We are, at times, surprised: the trials discourage us as if GOD no longer existed, and when GOD grants favors, we find it hard to believe them to be true.

Those who know they are besieged by sickness and are threatened by death can pray with this psalm.)

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