Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter
Lectionary: 274
Reading 1ACTS 7:51—8:1A
Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes:
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,
you always oppose the Holy Spirit;
you are just like your ancestors.
Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute?
They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one,
whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.
You received the law as transmitted by angels,
but you did not observe it.”
When they heard this, they were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth at him.
But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
But they cried out in a loud voice,
covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks
at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them”;
and when he said this, he fell asleep.
Now Saul was consenting to his execution.
“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,
you always oppose the Holy Spirit;
you are just like your ancestors.
Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute?
They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one,
whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.
You received the law as transmitted by angels,
but you did not observe it.”
When they heard this, they were infuriated,
and they ground their teeth at him.
But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God
and Jesus standing at the right hand of God,
and Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened
and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
But they cried out in a loud voice,
covered their ears, and rushed upon him together.
They threw him out of the city, and began to stone him.
The witnesses laid down their cloaks
at the feet of a young man named Saul.
As they were stoning Stephen, he called out,
“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice,
“Lord, do not hold this sin against them”;
and when he said this, he fell asleep.
Now Saul was consenting to his execution.
St. Stephen, the first martyr of the Catholic Church, was preaching loudly about the sins of the Jewish people who having killed all the Prophets which God sent them, also killed Our Lord, Jesus Christ. For this, the Jewish people stoned him to death.
And Saul, consented to his death. This person, Saul, is very interesting. If you don't know how he is, you should read more.
Responsorial PsalmPS 31:3CD-4, 6 AND 7B AND 8A, 17 AND 21AB
R. (6a) Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
My trust is in the LORD;
I will rejoice and be glad of your mercy.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety.
You are my rock and my fortress;
for your name’s sake you will lead and guide me.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you will redeem me, O LORD, O faithful God.
My trust is in the LORD;
I will rejoice and be glad of your mercy.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let your face shine upon your servant;
save me in your kindness.
You hide them in the shelter of your presence
from the plottings of men.
R. Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit. These are the words that Jesus spoke to the Father on His dying breath. And these are the words which St. Stephen spoke to Jesus upon his dying breath. But let us not wait until we are dying to give our souls to God. Let us do it everyday, with every breath we have in our bodies. Let us begin, now.
GospelJN 6:30-35
The crowd said to Jesus:
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:
He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”
So they said to Jesus,
“Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?
What can you do?
Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written:
He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
So Jesus said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven;
my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.”
So they said to Jesus,
“Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me will never hunger,
and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”
This is the beginning of the Bread of Life discourse. Jesus had just fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Therefore, the people wanted to make Him their King. But Jesus knew that they only wanted material satisfaction and He can offer Spiritual good. So, He revealed to them that He is the Bread which comes from heaven. This is the Teaching which is the foundation of the Doctrine of the Eucharist, the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Bread and Wine, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. Read more.
Act 7:55, shows that Jesus is not God, and Jehovah is the only God based on my JWs friend testimony.
ReplyDeleteI felt so humiliated because I failed to defend my own faith, the price of become a cafeteria catholic.
Anna Vinsensia KoliApril 15, 2013 at 10:12 AM
ReplyDeleteAct 7:55, shows that Jesus is not God, and Jehovah is the only God based on my JWs friend testimony.
That is not true. They simply took the verse out of context. Read a bit more. If Jesus were not God, would St. Stephen say?
59…. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
And then, would he address Jesus as "Lord". To the Jews, Lord means God.
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
I felt so humiliated because I failed to defend my own faith, the price of become a cafeteria catholic.
Oh no, don't. Everyone has to start somewhere. Let me tell you the first time I started to respond to a Protestant on the internet, it was over Matt 16:18-19. He rattled me so bad that I almost reconsidered my faith. But I prayed and the next day, God sent to me an angel. A real person who calls himself, the Fulltruth. He broke down and rebutted the Protestant arguments and explained the Catholic doctrine beautifully.
So, I thought, the Protestant can say nothing to this response. But no, the Protestant came back and rebutted the Fulltruth and again, I was rattled. The conversation went on for about a week. But, like meyu on the Shameless Popery, the Protestants arguments were weak. The Protestant never changed his mind. But I had my first taste of apologetics and I learned that people are not converted simply because of truth. Their heart must be converted by the grace of God.
Don't feel that you did anything wrong. You plant the seeds, God makes the growth. You did very well. Here's a good book to read to prepare you for Biblical Apologetics.
Sincerely,
De Maria
Thank you De Maria, you are so sweet.
ReplyDeleteWell, JWs. Used the same word lord but it different meaning, it is just like master or sir but not God, that's why the word Lord on act 7:60 becomes Jehovah. fyi, I used JWs bible.
Then I showed my friend, Phil 2:10 in the name of Jesus every knees shall bow in heaven , on earth and under the earth. So this verse contradicts your doctrine, but they said it's not interpret that way, it is exception for Jehovah only, and then I said you must show me the verses that back up your interpretation, they couldn't find so my friend will invite one of the elders to discuss this topic, which I agree within 2 weeks time. Honestly I need time to do my own homework. I've been searching into your blog and others too. But Iam sure ii will prepare it well for our next bible study.
De Maria, thank you once again for your encouraged words, I am thinking Our Lord Jesus was humiliated and suffered more, so what I felt it was nothing to compare to Him.
God bless you.
Anna Vinsensia KoliApril 15, 2013 at 11:51 PM
DeleteThank you De Maria, you are so sweet.
You're welcome.
Well, JWs. Used the same word lord but it different meaning, it is just like master or sir but not God, that's why the word Lord on act 7:60 becomes Jehovah. fyi, I used JWs bible.
I see. Any Bible will do. The Jehovah Bible is bad, but even they can't remove all Catholic Teaching from the Bible.
Two things here.
1. Jesus is Jehovah. The name Jesus means, "Jehovah saves." "Je" stands for Jehovah. The Jews were forbidden to pronounce the entire name.
2. It doesn't matter what meaning they give a word. It is the meaning the Church gives the word which matters to us. Eph 3:10 says that the Church teaches the Wisdom of God. Always remind them of that. And 1 Tim 3:15 says that the Church is the Pillar of Truth. The Jehovah Witness group did not exist when these verses were written. The Catholic Church did. In fact, the Catholic Church wrote those verses. Because the Catholic Church wrote the entire New Testament.
Then I showed my friend,
Its good that you are friends. Its easier to talk to friends.
Phil 2:10 in the name of Jesus every knees shall bow in heaven , on earth and under the earth. So this verse contradicts your doctrine, but they said it's not interpret that way, it is exception for Jehovah only, and then I said you must show me the verses that back up your interpretation, they couldn't find so my friend will invite one of the elders to discuss this topic, which I agree within 2 weeks time. Honestly I need time to do my own homework. I've been searching into your blog and others too. But Iam sure ii will prepare it well for our next bible study.
Excellent! And don't be afraid to say, "I don't know. But I can get you the answer, later."
I always like to work into my conversations with the JW's, the history of the Church. For instance, they might say, "The Church committed apostasy in the year 300." I cut in as soon as I can and say something like.
"Sorry, but I believe the promise of Jesus Christ who said, the gates of hell will not prevail against my Church (Matt 16:18-19)." And, to this day, the same Church continues teaching His Traditions. Your group began in the 1800's. Our Church began in the year 33ad, when Jesus was crucified upon the Cross.
Yes, yes, I know you say that it was a stake and not a cross. But that isn't so, because it is the Catholic Church which was anointed by God with infallibility and she says it was a Cross…."
I say things such as these. I am, however, an old man and the people who come to my door are usually younger than me.
Whereas, you sound young and perhaps have elders coming to your door. It is difficult to speak boldly to older people.
De Maria, thank you once again for your encouraged words, I am thinking Our Lord Jesus was humiliated and suffered more, so what I felt it was nothing to compare to Him.
Amen! Your courage will be remembered in heaven.
God bless you.
And you.
Sincerely,
De Maria
I thought you are a lady, based on your name.SORRY. My mother's name Maria too when she became Catholic.
ReplyDeleteI am.not young either, I am 43 and my friends are around this age.
I'll take note all your advice, I do bible study in small restaurant not at home coz JWs here like to do bible study out side like in the park, it's quite relax.
Sincerely, Anna
Anna Vinsensia KoliApril 18, 2013 at 2:33 AM
ReplyDeleteI thought you are a lady, based on your name.SORRY.
No problem.
My mother's name Maria too when she became Catholic.
That's a beautiful name. I use it because in Spanish it indicates that I belong to Mary.
I am.not young either, I am 43 and my friends are around this age.
That is quite young.
I'll take note all your advice, I do bible study in small restaurant not at home coz JWs here like to do bible study out side like in the park, it's quite relax.
That sounds really nice. Are there any other Catholics there?
Sincerely, Anna
Your servant in Christ,
De Maria