2303AFC012023 – Take a Look at the Good Book
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A pile of keys outside an antique shop in Eton.
Psalm 27:13-14 – 13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!
Isaiah 9:2 – 2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
on them light has shined.
1 Corinthians 1:10 – oon 10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.
Matthew 4:17 – 17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Belovéd, I urge you to follow that link to see this passage in context in The Good Book. There is a demonstration of the fulfillment of the prophecy in the passage from Isaiah.)
Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Belovéd, this coming Sunday is the Third Sunday in ordinary time. In 2019, Pope Francis published an Apostolic Letter Motu proprio (under his own authority) titled “Aperuit illis”. The title, as is customary with such works, is based on the first two words in Latin of the Letter’s words “He opened.” Pope Francis opens with the words from the story The Road to Emaus wherein we read “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,” (Luke 24:45-48) and in this Apostolic Letter, he established the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time as Word of God Sunday. It is Pope Francis’ intention that all believers have abundant opportunities to expand their knowledge and application of Scripture. We are encouraged to do so in addition to Mass.
Scripture is used extensively in the Mass which begins with a passage of Scripture used as the Entrance Antiphon. Then there are several more readings – Old Testament, a Responsorial Psalm or Canticle, a reading from the Epistles, an Alleluia verse before the Gospel reading, a specified reading from one of the Gospels, a rite based on Luke 7:6-7 during the Eucharistic Prayer (Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof), and a communion antiphon. That’s 10 Scripture passages in each Sunday Mass. In weekday masses there is generally one passage fewer. Over the course of a three-year cycle, about 90% of everything in all 73 books of the Bible is heard during Mass. Pope Francis wants us to hear more, to learn more, to understand more, and to use the Written Word of God to help us to understand better and to Love better the Living Word of God, his only Begotten Son, Jesus the Christ of God. You can read the full text of the Pope’s letter here. (↔ Click Link)
Let’s continue looking into the Good Book with the entire Church and consider the Key Verse from Psalms. The Psalmist says he doesn’t have to die to see the goodness of the Lord. He can see that goodness in his own life. God will continue to bless him in due course as he waits in joyful hope for the Presence of God to deliver him from the enemies surrounding him. They seek to discredit him, but he knows that God will always take up his cause and put down his enemies. We, too, can now that God is our Light and our salvation (Psalm 27:1) and that he will never abandon us even if our own family turns against us. The radiant hope we have in God is because of his steadfast love and forgiveness. We know this Hope when we “seek the face of the Lord.” (Psalm 27:8) He will not forsake us when we sustain our lives with prayer and Love. The Psalmist exhorts his “weaker self” – the part of his heart (and ours!) that doubts – with the strength of his Faith in God, and therein comes the Victory.
In the passage from Isaiah, we also see that bright Hope. Though born into a world of darkness, we who hope and trust in the Lord will be filled with the Light of his Love. When our own personal actions in the darkness of sin turn us away from that Light, he continues to reach out to us, to direct and protect us, and when we turn back to him with all our hearts (↔ Music Link), we rejoice greatly because the yoke of sin has been removed from us if we have repented and believed the Gospel. It is one of the most beautifully mysterious aspects of God’s Absolutely Perfect Plan – his Love is everlasting (↔ Music Link). We also know that at the end of our lives we will join in Divine Worship before God’s Throne as we await the return of Christ and then the Resurrection. Indeed, his mercy endures forever. He created us to Love him because he Loved us enough to create us. Isn’t that just astounding? Oh! What a GOOD God we have! We gratefully acknowledge that his first choice was to give us Apostles, men who would share the words of the Living Word everywhere they went. (See 1 Corinthians 12:28 from last week again)
The Apostle Paul wrote our Key Verse from the Epistles in his first letter to the Corinthians which we are using today. As the Apostle to the Gentiles, his message consistently urged everyone in the churches founded by the Apostles and first Missionaries to be of one mind, to avoid divisions over pointless arguments, and to stay true to the Gospel which all the Apostles spoke with the authority Christ had given them in the Cenacle. One additional example of The Apostle Paul’s teaching on this is in Ephesians 4:1-6 – 1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body (↔ Music Link) and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. This is another dimension of the APP – it is so thoroughly consistent from beginning to end – that’s why it is THE Absolutely Perfect Plan! Repent! For the Kingdom of God is at hand! Hallelujah!
That’s what Jesus tells us in our Key Verse from the Gospel. He repeatedly told people the Kingdom was near. It is such a simple thing for our complex minds. “Where is this ‘Kingdom’? Where are its boundaries, and what is its geography?” The Kingdom of God is not a thing, not a place. It is a “he.” It is the Presence of God among us, in our hearts and in our minds. The Law is fulfilled in Jesus and we who are in Jesus are freed by his sacrifice (See Romans 6, especially v. 14). Do you recall what Moses told God’s people about the Law God delivered to their doorstep? In Deuteronomy 30:11-14 he said–
14 No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe. They were to keep the Law in the front of their hearts and minds at all times. As we know, they often failed at that, and so God gave them Judges (strong military leaders) and Prophets to remind them. In the passage of 1 Corinthians 12:28, do you recall what the second Spiritual gift was? “And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, …” Flashback to Moses again in Numbers 11:29b – “Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!” Through Christ Jesus we have become a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people – in him we are citizens of the Kingdom of God. (See 1 Peter 2:9) The Kingdom was and is, and will always be the Word who was there from “In The Beginning” and will return to us “At The End.” How do we know? (↔ Music Link) The B.I.B.L.E. tells us so! Why? 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.
When I was growing up, nearly all non-Catholic Christians had their own Bible which they carried to Sunday School, Church, and Prayer Meetings. I still have several of the Bibles I have owned over the years. My latest is the Little Rock Catholic Study Bible. I keep it right next to my workstation and use it often even though I also have access to online Bibles and multiple digital versions. It is no exaggeration for me to say “I love my Bible!” With equal intensity, I also enjoy sharing it – especially with you, Belovéd. I usually don’t put any ads in my posts, but I would like to mention for your benefit a couple of resources you might enjoy. They are available “for free” from Ascension Press and feature podcast episodes by Fr. Mike Schmitz. You may have seen him on the Internet or social media. He’s a great speaker who covers a lot of material in a short time thanks to his rapid-fire speech. There are two year-long podcasts series he has on file. The fist one was The Bible in A Year (↔ Click Link). It’s always online, always available, always “free” – and I put that in quotes because they do ask for support financially and spiritually – and I can attest that the episodes are edifying and enlightening. The second is in the same format and it is called The Catechism in A Year (↔ Click Link). I’m currently listening to that one. You can use whatever device and/or service you use for other podcasts (e.g., Apple or Spotify). There are many available resources provided for a price from Ascension. There are social media groups in the most-popular formats. There are notebooks, indexing tabs, bookmark ribbons, supporting study notes, and rock-solid teaching on the content of the catechism and its applications in our lives. “Try it. You’ll like it.” Here’s a sample from The Bible In A Year– a bit longer than most – so you can get some sense of how exciting this is. This is about the first Council of the Church before any of the New Testament was written. Listen for the names of the men among the first Missionaries were also Prophets. As St. Jerome said, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” If you or anyone you know has ever thought “Nah, I don’t need the Scriptures. I hear enough in church,” then you are, in effect saying, “Nah, I don’t need Christ. I’m good without all that.” Like my grandma used to say, “Come over. We’ll talk.”
Belovéd, you are my Belovéd, and I am praying for you every day! Please make the Bible part of your day every single day. There are periodicals for devotionals as well as hundreds of online resources. I encourage you to go to Google Play or the APP store and find the APP Laudate. There are so many Bible applications, too. Bible Gateway is the one I use for these posts. Let me close with just this: We all need to be listening to the Word of God every day because it is his Word, his Voice. If we’re not listening, it is possible to miss that voice behind you saying, “This is the way. Walk in it.” (That’s Isaiah 30:21 again) We’re walking this long stretch of the Road Home together, and while we listen to each other, we most certainly need to listen to him all the more. Take a good look at the Good Book, good pilgrims. It is indeed our Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
