Monday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 273
Reading 1ACTS 6:8-15
Stephen, filled with grace and power,
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyreneans, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.
Then they instigated some men to say,
“We have heard him speaking blasphemous words
against Moses and God.”
They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes,
accosted him, seized him,
and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
They presented false witnesses who testified,
“This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law.
For we have heard him claim
that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place
and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”
All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him
and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
was working great wonders and signs among the people.
Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,
Cyreneans, and Alexandrians,
and people from Cilicia and Asia,
came forward and debated with Stephen,
but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.
Then they instigated some men to say,
“We have heard him speaking blasphemous words
against Moses and God.”
They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes,
accosted him, seized him,
and brought him before the Sanhedrin.
They presented false witnesses who testified,
“This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law.
For we have heard him claim
that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place
and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.”
All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him
and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Church, was a deacon. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and with the Wisdom of God. Such that no man could withstand him in debate. So, false charges were brought about him in order to quiet him since he was so successful in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And when he was arrested and brought to trial, his face was like that of an angel. This reminds me of Moses, after he would speak to God, his face would shine with God's glory.
Exodus 34:29
And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.
Responsorial PsalmPS 119:23-24, 26-27, 29-30
R. (1ab) Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Though princes meet and talk against me,
your servant meditates on your statutes.
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
I declared my ways, and you answered me;
teach me your statutes.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Though princes meet and talk against me,
your servant meditates on your statutes.
Yes, your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
I declared my ways, and you answered me;
teach me your statutes.
Make me understand the way of your precepts,
and I will meditate on your wondrous deeds.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Remove from me the way of falsehood,
and favor me with your law.
The way of truth I have chosen;
I have set your ordinances before me.
R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed are they who keep the commandments of God. God will shed His mercy upon them. Blessed are they who are merciful, God will be merciful to them. Follow the Lord and do good and He will save you. This is the Good News of Jesus Christ.
GospelJN 6:22-29
[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.]
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea
saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,
but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias
near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea
saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,
but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias
near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
After Jesus fed the five thousand, and His disciples saw Him walking on the water, and the boat miraculously arrived on shore, the next day, the people followed Him across the sea. But they wanted material satisfaction. And Jesus began to teach them about the Spiritual good which He could give. He began teaching them that they must have faith in Him. They must believe Him even when things look impossible. This is the preparation for the Teaching on the Eucharist. If is by faith alone that we discern the Body and Blood in the bread and wine. This is not Luther's faith alone. Because we believe that by consuming the Eucharist, we are justified and brought into union with Our Lord, Jesus.
Nice reminder about Moses face, I will keep it on my bible study. Thanks De Maria.
ReplyDeleteThis also ties back to the mountain of Transfiguration:
ReplyDeleteMatthew 17:2
And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
Here on this mountain, Jesus spoke to Moses and Elias (aka Elijah).
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
I think this shows that both Moses and Stephen (as well as Jesus, the Son of God) had a relationship with God. Although they were separated by centuries of history. Both were filled with the grace of God as that it shown in their face.
Not to be outdone, Elias called down fire from heaven and himself produced mighty signs by the grace of God.
It is good to meditate upon the Word of God. Thanks also for your contributions with respect to meyu on the Shameless Popery blog.
Thanks for mention Matthew 17:2. It's great. Yesterday I got thei bible discussion with Jehovah witnesses regarding life after death, and used that verses for telling them that people not just sleeping but alive, and there are places for our spirit when we die. I pointed out also Luke 16 regarding Lazarus and the rich man and some verses on Revelation 7:9. They couldn't answer it and call their elders to discuss with me further rregarding this topic and trinity . So I will meet them in 2 weeks for the subject.
ReplyDeleteSince I apply your method scripture verses scripture , could you help me with John 1:1-3 in original language I mean Greek, so I can handle it , just in case the question arise since jw bible is very bad translate. Btw, I use thEUR bible. Thank you.
Actually I wrote in shameless property by following you, I want to use your method also I need to know how you make a respond to all the questions.
Well, Meyu needs plenty of prayers.
Anna Vinsensia KoliApril 15, 2013 at 2:45 AM
ReplyDeleteThanks for mention Matthew 17:2. It's great. Yesterday I got thei bible discussion with Jehovah witnesses regarding life after death, and used that verses for telling them that people not just sleeping but alive, and there are places for our spirit when we die. I pointed out also Luke 16 regarding Lazarus and the rich man and some verses on Revelation 7:9. They couldn't answer it and call their elders
Awesome!
to discuss with me further rregarding this topic and trinity . So I will meet them in 2 weeks for the subject.
That is plenty of time to brush up on Jehovah Witness apologetics.
Since I apply your method scripture verses scripture , could you help me with John 1:1-3 in original language I mean Greek, so I can handle it , just in case the question arise since jw bible is very bad translate. Btw, I use thEUR bible. Thank you.
1. I don't speak Greek. And if you don't, I don't recommend you not get into the Greek.
2. They probably don't understand Greek either. They will simply be using someone else's interpretation of the Greek.
3. What I do is explain to them that all the Bibles are interpretations of the Greek. THE ONLY BIBLE that does not say that the Word is God, is the NWT, the Jehovah Translation.
Therefore, I conclude that it is more likely that the Jehovah Translation is in error, rather than the other 100 or so versions of the Bible.
Actually I wrote in shameless property by following you, I want to use your method also I need to know how you make a respond to all the questions.
1. Well, the very most important thing is prayer.
2. Another very important thing is Sacred Tradition. If you know Sacred Tradition, you know the New Testament because the New Testament is Sacred Tradition written down.
3. A good Bible with a search engine. I use the Biblegateway.
cont'd
cont'd
DeleteOk, lets talk about those.
1. Prayer.
a. I practice the Presence of God devotion. Don't be scared by the technical explanation. It is very simple. Simply talk to God all day. Ask Him questions and tell Him your concerns. Speak to Him as though He were a friend or relative in your family.
b. I also pray the Rosary and the Divine Mercy when I have time.
c. And I pray several small ejaculations in between. Here's a list at the bottom of this page. But a simple one to start out with is, "Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner."
2. Sacred Tradition is vast. But Catholics know Sacred Tradition very well. So, when reading what an anti-Catholic is saying about the Catholic Church, ask yourself if that is true. They frequently mix error and truth and it is hard to separate them.
So, an anti-Catholic might say,
"Catholics are idol worshippers because they pray to dead saints."
What is true in that statement and what is false?
a. We do not worship any idols.
Idols are representations of gods. We don't pray to any idols of any gods.
b. But we do pray to dead saints.
That is true. Anti-Catholics might object, but the New Testament is a new dispensation wherein we come into contact with the Spirits made perfect in heaven. Here is the proof from Scripture:
Hebrews 12:18-24
King James Version (KJV)
18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:
20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Look at the contrast between the Old and New Testament. We are not come to a place where we are to fear the inhabitants. We are come unto our home. We dwell with the Saints in heaven when we are joined to the Catholic Church.
c. But you might ask, "what about pray, doesn't that mean to worship?" That depends upon the context. When we say we pray to the Saints, we mean that we ask for their assistance and intercession.
Does that help any?
Sincerely,
De Maria
They are really great help. Thank you De Maria.
Delete