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Sunday, February 3, 2008
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Scripture from today's Liturgy of the Word:
Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13
Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Matthew 5:1-12a
A reflection on today's Sacred Scripture:
With this Fourth Sunday, we're up to our necks in "ordinary time"—living the Christian life in the messiness of everyday life.
We're into the boring grind of "just living." Perhaps it's not so boring if we have the right equipment . . . like tough faith, tough love, and lots of humility! We're talking here about the Beatitudes. If you think the Ten Commandments are demanding, try the Beatitudes on for size! They make the Decalogue look like a piece of cake!
With even more authority than Moses, Jesus is pictured in the Gospel as sitting down, the traditional posture for delivering solemn edicts. He turns middle-class values upside down. Have you ever had your picture taken while standing on your head? You'd look pretty foolish, wouldn't you? Well, that's the way the Beatitudes make a comfortable, easy-going Christian look—just plain foolish!
So we protest: "Do you mean that I have to sit down on the street and cry with a homeless person, or a poor woman just evicted from her apartment? Or . . . ?" Perhaps nothing so dramatic. Let's try a different approach.
Have you ever in your life written to your congressman about unjust legislation? Currently, in New York State, there's the Governor's Program Bill #16 (S.5829). It's called the Reproductive Health and Privacy Protection Act. It would allow abortions into the third trimester at an outpatient clinic that could be performed by any health care practitioner. For more information, go to www.nyscatholic.org or ask your parish secretary to give you the address of the New York State Catholic Conference. Then sit down and write! This is how an ordinary Catholic can live the Beatitudes.
Or have you ever taken the time to visit a home for the elderly, or volunteered your time as an auxiliary at your local hospital? Have you ever asked your pastor for the names of some shut-ins who need a phone call, or a note, or a sick person who could use a bowl of soup, or someone to bring them Holy Communion?
It's a question of attitude, looking at those less fortunate from the conviction that you yourself have been incredibly blest by the Lord, and hoping to give just a little bit back in thanksgiving.
And what are the rewards? Zephaniah says the faithful remnant will live a life of peacefulness, and Jesus says such a person is "blessed," and they will have unimaginable rewards in the Kingdom.
It would be impossible to assess the influence of the Sermon on the Mount on the history of Christianity. Those who have taken seriously the "option for the poor" have suffered great loss economically, politically, and personally. Jesus told us to expect that treatment. After all, He is the prime example for the martyrdom that results when Truth confronts Power. Only God's grace can give us the courage to imitate the Lord in whatever ways our circumstances will suggest. Then, we need not wait very long to experience the solace, the peace, and the joy of heart flowing into our souls from defending the poor and the powerless of this world.
- Msgr. Paul Whitmore | email: pwhitmore29@)yahoo.com
EXPLORE # 216 on initial list on Sunday, February 3, 2008; # 368 & # 454 on 02-04-2008.
A section of the Taoist classic text Daodejing by Laozi (老子道德经下篇). I'm not sure why it's so scratched-up.
And it's yummy right now in the heat of summer...
"All the vegetation will blossom forth for you, flowering in fruition; imbued with this sublime essence, you shall never leave it again. No other sweet and tasty flavors can compare to it. Says Nanak, the Guru has become my Support."
Sri Guru Granth Sahib
The Guru Granth Sahib (Punjabi), or Adi Granth, is the religious text of Sikhism. It is a voluminous text of 1430 Angs, compiled and composed during the period of Sikh gurus, from 1469 to 1708. It is a collection of hymns (shabda) or baani describing the qualities of God and why one should meditate on God's name. Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), the tenth guru, affirmed the sacred text Adi Granth as his successor, elevating it to Guru Granth Sahib. The text remains the holy scripture of the Sikhs, regarded as the teachings of the Ten Gurus. The role of Adi Granth, as a source or guide of prayer, is pivotal in worship in Sikhism.
(from Wikipedia)
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Proverbs 14:16
A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil ... (KJV)
#Scriptures #Truth #Theology #VOTD #Disciple #TheTruth #WordOfWisdom
At his home, Pastor Calvin continues pulling the Isaiah 9 Christmas prophecy into context.
Pastor Calvin: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." We have seen that our Lord, Christ Jesus, is the Wonderful Counselor, that He will perfectly guide us. We have seen that He is God of very God, come to save us in His love. Now, know that He is The Prince of Peace.
The world cannot give you peace. The world and the things of the world are passing away. God has engineered us to desire peace because He is the source of all peace.
Our Lord says in John 14, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."
May we all come to know Him by turning away from our sin, our lives, and turning to Him in absolute trust that He will save us and change us. In coming to know Him, we will come to know His peace. Merry Christmas, friends.
All: Merry Christmas!!
my favorite photos > www.flickr.com/photos/roderickma/sets/72157623272274082/
my photo sets > www.flickr.com/photos/roderickma/sets
A man reads aloud from the bible at the corner of Bank Street and Somerset Street in Ottawa Ontario. His dog seems to listening intently.
Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
[Psalm 8:1-4 NIV]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.
I can't say it any better than scripture. I do have choices and can take control of some things but ultimately God is in all control and what a great peace and comfort to know that as I pursue dreams and goals that I can totally trust God, the creator and sustainer of the universe, who loves me and has a perfect plan!
The Bereans are a good example to follow, as sometimes, even well-meaning people may lead you astray as they themselves may have an incorrect understanding of the Scriptures. It's always a good idea to search the Scriptures for yourself.
A.I. generated image.
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and to them that look for Him will he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Hebrews 9:28
Once. One offering was sufficient to provide us a way to be free from our sins and be forgiven in His sight.
–Carli
handletting by me.
The Workers Are Few
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
[Matthew 9:35-38 NIV]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
"All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."
– 2 Tim 3:16-17.
Photo uploaded for World Book Day 2021.
Mosaic from the basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna.
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
[2 Peter 1:1-2 NIV]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
Jesus worked hard all His life. But His greatest works was achieved in those three dark hours on Calvary when He died for us on the cross.
He never did anything wrong!
Not once said anything amiss!
They called Him every name in the book and He said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used His body to carry our sins to the cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became our healing.
This is the kind of life He invites us into. He lived this kind of life and suffered everything that came His way so that we would see and know that we, too, can live that way. He showed us and He still shows us step by step how.
James tells us to endure under trial and we will receive the crown of life! Where is he coming from? Isn't grace free ... or is this about grace at all? Eternal life and the crown of life are two different things. The free gift of salvation means we have eternal or everlasting life. James is saying here that we have a sovereign King that will crown us when we persevere ... but it has battles that impact us.
Life was treacherous for believers during the Roman Empire. It was a time when being a believer meant dealing with injustice for their beliefs. They endured torment, persecution, ridicule and even death. Yet James gives us a reason ... the crown of life to those that love and persevere for God!
The trials (peirasmos in Greek) of daily living can help purge us from the impurities of the carnal life -- like the fire purges the impurities out of a metal like gold, refining it so that the foreign substances are removed and it becomes pure and valuable. This is what being approved means, that we persevere, or bear up under pressure and persevering (hupomenō in Greek) under the injustice, being confident that our King is truly in control. Carnal life happens to be at war with the truth, and we must persevere to be refined, like gold, to become valuable to serve our Creator! We gain maturity as believers. This is not earning salvation (that's a free gift from God for believing Jesus Christ is your Savior), but the reward of receiving the crown of life for growing and maturing in our faith!
Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 1 Timothy 4:6-8, 1 Peter 3:13-16 for more illumination.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
[Galatians 5:1 NIV]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
[Jeremiah 29:10-14 NIV]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
Dear friend, here are 5 things you should know:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
Sincerely,
Someone who cares about you