Valentin de Boulogne: Saint Paul Writing his Epistles
Although we have closed Christmastide we pause to spend a few moments with some of Paul’s words to the Ephesians about the secret plan of God, the mystery of Christ, the Word who arrives to live among us. These words remind us whywe have nothing to fear.
The following verses are from THE MESSAGE translation. When we use the scripture link and drop-down menus to compare other versions, God’s plan begins to clarify for us.
Paul tells the Ephesians – and us – that he is imprisoned because of his belief in Christ; yet he appears to have no fear of his impending punishment.
This is why I, Paul, am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so-called. I take it that you’re familiar with the part I was given in God’s plan for including everybody. I got the inside story on this from God himself, as I just wrote you in brief.
Paul tells the Ephesians – and us – that he is confined because of his belief in Christ; yet he appears to have no fear of his approaching trial.
As you read over what I have written to you, you’ll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery of Christ. None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our time has it been made clear by God’s Spirit through his holy apostles and prophets of this new order.
Paul tells the Ephesians – and us – because of his belief in Christ, that he has nothing to fear in this world.
The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I’ve been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board.
Paul tells the Ephesians – and he tells us – that because of our belief in Christ, we have nothing to fear in this world. Paul tells us that we need only step into the Christmas gift of grace, peace, joy and hope. And he tells us that when we witness to this gift, we begin to act with and in Christ in our world.
Wishing each of you in the Noontime circle a New Year filled with Christ’s grace and peace, joy and hope.
Although Christmastide has come to a close, we continue to carry the message of hope and rescue with us beyond our celebration the true arrival of the Christ in our lives.
We might best prepare ourselves for the discovery and acceptance of this amazing gift by remembering Aaron’s blessing to the tribes. With this reception of God’s grace, and with all that we have encountered in this season of Christmas, we are hopeful that we will remember . . . we have nothing to fear.
May theLordbless you and take care of you;
And may we remember that the Christmas gift of Jesus lives and breathes and moves in each of us . . . even our enemies.
May theLordbe kind and gracious to you;
And may we remember that the Christmas grace of the Christ moves and acts and witnesses to each of us . . . even when we have separated ourselves from God.
May theLordlook on you with favor and give you peace;
And may we remember that despite what we se, despite what we hear, despite what we feel . . . we have nothing to fear.
Amen.
Wishing each of you Christmas peace and joy throughout the year.
To compare other translations of this blessing, use the scripture link and the drop-down menus to explore.
As we move from the Advent to the Christmas season, let us decide to make our hopes tangible, our dreams a prayer for our reality, our faith unwavering and our love secure. Let us cleave to the Creator, follow the Redeemer and rest in the Spirit. This week let us give one another the gift of preparing for the very real promise of eternity.
The prophets tell us that the Lord is about to move among us.
For lo, theLordis coming out of his place,and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.(NRSV)
The prophecy describes how God wants to be one of us.
TheLordis coming from his holy place; he will come down and walk on the tops of the mountains.(GNT)
These verses remind us that we receive the gift of holiness through God’s invitation of unity in our diversity.
For — look! —Adonaiis coming out of his place, coming down to tread on the high places of the land. (CJB)
The prophets call us to rejoice in our gladness by acting in meekness and integrity, and by living in love.
Look, here he comes!God, from his place! He comes down and strides across mountains and hills.
Mountains sink under his feet, valleys split apart;
The rock mountains crumble into gravel, the river valleys leak like sieves.(MSG)
Behold, the Lord comes to walk among us with peace and joy. The Lord calls us to humility, justice and love.
When we explore other translations of this prophecy, we discover the gift of love we already hold.
Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the HolySpirit that has been given to us. (NSRV)
Avoiding sorrow, we forfeit an opportunity to grow in God’s love.
Rejecting obstacles, we lose our intimacy with Christ.
Refusing to see that goodness overcomes harm, we reject the healing touch of the Spirit.
Surviving through faith, we receive hope.
Living in Christ, we experience peace and grace.
Handing ourselves over to God’s offer of love, we grow in endurance.
Resting in grief, we blossom in grace to develop patience that carries us home.
When we use the scripture link and the drop-down menus, we come to see that adversity trains us in the development of patience, a patience that will serve us in our journey home.
As we watch the Middle East devolve into chaos once again, we reflect on the concept and practice of peace.
Stories of the Maccabees family are interwoven with those of various powers vying for control of the eastern bowl of the Mediterranean Sea. The dreams of Daniel long ago foretold the series of empires that would rule the land of God’s people. Today we see them reach out to the mighty Roman Empire to strike a treaty in an attempt to throw off their Greek rulers. The Jewish nation seeks to restore the protection it lost at the fall of its own empire. The Jewish people want to shelter under the umbrella of the Pax Romana, the Roman Peace. They look for political stability, for predictability, for an end to oppression and enslavement. We know how this story evolves. Within the century the Jewish people groan under the control shared by the Roman Emperor and their own puppet Kings, Herod the Great from 73 B.C.E. to 4 C.E. and Herod Antipas from 4 to 39 C.E. What do they really gain when they enter into this earthly Pax? What do they forfeit?
Martin Niemöller, a prominent Protestant pastor who opposed the Nazi regime
We fool ourselves when we seek peace at all costs, for the price of some bargains can be too dear. The only force we ought to seek is that of the Spirit, the Spiritthat resides with the Father and Son, the Spiritthat counsels, guides and saves.
Too many times we have heard the phrases: I just wanted to keep the peace, I didn’t want to get into it with him, I didn’t want to upset her, I didn’t want to rock the boat, I did not have the energy to speak, I just went along, I don’t think I can make a difference. We know the outcome of those stories and the results are always the same when we settle. The cost is great. Greater than we will want to pay in the end.
Tomorrow, God’s peace.
Adapted from a favorite written on February 15, 2009.
As the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest to settle her young, my home is by your altars, Lord of hosts, my king and my God. Psalm 84:4
Men and women disciples accompanied Jesus to Jerusalem, to the Cross, and to the Grave. Women and men sought Jesus at the empty tomb and witnessed to the truth of Jesus’ resurrection. Their perseverance and fidelity were rewarded by many encounters with the Resurrected Christ. We too, have the opportunity to encounter Christ as we move along our own Jerusalem road. We too, might build nests beneath God’s altars as we stop along the way.
We are allGod’s ministering children. Let us, with courage then, take up our personal burden, greet one another with a Christian Kiss of Peace, and join Christ on the road back to freedom. Let us go up to Jerusalem – women and men together – and minister to one another. For in this act we will encounter Christ. In this act we will find our own infinity.
For more on women at the tomb, click the image above or visit: https://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/justintaylor/2014/04/11/women-empty-tomb/
We have spent a great deal of time with this portion of Sirach which deals with the value of constancy in relationships. Today we might focus on one verse: Happy is the one who finds a friend . . .
Too often we do not open ourselves to spiritual intimacy with one another; this assures momentary safety but ultimate loss. Being open to one another brings us more fully to the Holy Spirit and today’s MAGNIFICAT Meditationis about how this opening of self can be a two-edged sword: Let the word of God penetrate you as the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, to assay the thoughts and purposes of your heart. Then all secrets will lie open before you in a way you could never have dreamed. There is your inmost center the Spirit will scrutinize all, even the depths of God’s nature!
We are created to return home to God. We are created in a variety of looks, dreams, resources and gifts. When we open ourselves to God’s scrutiny we find our true depth, our true weaknesses and our true strengths. We fear knowing the worst and long to hear the best about ourselves and yet, in an odd way, when we hear the worst about ourselves we are able to rise to the best in ourselves. And this is what a true friendship can do – give us a safe harbor to reveal our inner self for loving scrutiny. This scrutiny brings us wisdom. This wisdom brings us peace. This peace is seen by many as we carry the voice of God into the world. This scrutiny is worth the price wrought by the two-edged sword which pierces to the joints and marrow, assaying the thoughts and purposes of our hearts.
Cameron, Peter John. “Meditation of the Day.” MAGNIFICAT. 22.9 (2009). Print.
Then Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Scholars speculate about Jesus’ request that those he cures tell no one about their healing. We find this request in a number of places in Matthew: 12:15-16, 16:20, 17:9 and we notice that neither Jesus nor Matthew rebuke the exuberance of those who receive Jesus’ gift. In the HARPERCOLLINS BIBLE COMMENTARY we find this statement: “[T]hough Jesus did not seek to attain ‘celebrity status’ for his miraculous powers, the effects of his works were simply too marvelous to be kept a secret”. (Meeks 881)
Perhaps we need to point this out to those who are our sports and entertainment icons. Celebrity is a gift to be treasured and used well.
Catholic monk welcomes Muslim worshipers in a church in Nice
Many crowds followed him, and he cured all of them, and he ordered them not to make him known. (Matthew 12:15-16) Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. (Matthew 16:20)
In the CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE commentary tells us that, “To this [Matthew] adds a full citation from the First Servant Song (Is 42, 1-4) . . . emphasizing the meekness of Jesus, the Servant of the Lord, and foretelling the extension of his mission to the Gentiles”. (Senior 26)
Perhaps we need to point this out to those who would be our social or political leaders. Power is strongest when used in service to the poor and broken.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” (Matthew 17:9)
Others speculate that Jesus was waiting until a particular moment to reveal his true nature to the world. Again from the CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE commentary: “[O]nly in the light if Jesus’ resurrection can the meaning of his life and mission be truly understood; until then no testimony to the vision will lead people to faith”. (Senior 37)
Perhaps we need to point this out to our religious leaders. Influence is purest when used in the Spirit of the Living God.
And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him. (Mark 8:27-30)
Muslim faithful walk behind a religious man as they attend Mass in tribute to slain priest
Jesus asks his closest followers to refrain from announcing his presence to the world. From the CATHOLIC STUDY BIBLE commentary: “Jesus acknowledges this identification [as messiah] but prohibits [the disciples] from making his messianic office known to avoid confusing it with ambiguous contemporary ideas on the nature of that office”. (Senior 81)
Perhaps we need to point this out to ourselves. Humility, sacrifice, and an authentic reverence for the Way that the Living God asks us to live. These are the marks of authentic leaders and followers.
Our modern society and instant global communication have brought a new tension to our lives; but they have also brought a rapid means of connecting with others in a positive and healing way. We must look for constructive strategies to form solidarity with those who carry the good fruits of Christ’s story into the world. “Tell no one,” Jesus said in the beginning of the ministry. Now that his resurrection has begun the transformation of the world, we must not lose heart. Now we must tell everyone we know the Good News that Jesus is among us, calling each of us to a life of faith, hope, peace and love.
Representatives of the Muslim community go to Catholic Mass at Milan’s Santa Maria
Today, let us consider an act of solidarity we might make with others as we speak to our own entertainment, sports, political, social, and spiritual leaders and ask for lasting peace that transforms society.
It is in this chapter of Romans that we receive our greatest challenge of all challenges: Only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps even for a good person one might even find the courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
We read today one of the great paradoxes of Christian living – that we receive the gifts of faith, hope, love, grace, peace and life eternal when we are willing to die to self with Christ, so that we might rise again in new life. We are reminded that none of our transgressions can turn God away. Our creator is always waiting to comfort us, save us and free us from all that makes us unhappy. It is wewho forget this as Paul reminds us in his letter to the Philippians 4:6-7: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. The peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Commentary tells us that here we see the law and sin in proper relationship to one another – only through the sacrifice of Jesus. We may well wonder how we view our own transgressions against God, self and neighbor in light of this good news. Do we shrink from examining our conscience, afraid of what we might find to confess? Do we eagerly give ourselves over to recollection and self-questioning in order that we more fully understand our proper relationship with God through his Spirit? If the former, we take consolation from today’s Noontimethat reassures us that no human can surprise God with sin. If the latter, we do not hesitate to quiet ourselves within so that we might fully understand and believe that God wants nothing more than to love us and be loved in return.
The difficulty with genuine and authentic love is this, that it imitates Christ. It is willing to die to self even for enemies, because genuine and authentic love knows that through Christ there is always the opportunity to transform. Through Christ we are each called to rise and live again. In this way through Christ, our hearts and minds are guarded in Christ Jesus. We can find no better champion than Christ. We can find no better protector than Christ. We can find no better lover than Christ. For it is Christ who makes all difficult things possible, through his abundant and difficult love.
