Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.
Sirach 27:7 – 7 Do not praise anyone before he speaks, for this is the way people are tested.
Psalm 92:1 – 1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High (Elyon)
1 Corinthians 15:58(GNT)[1] – 58 So then, my dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless.
Luke 6:45 – 45 The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. Today’s title is drawn from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) §531 where we find the phrase “a daily life spent without evident greatness.” It Isaiah description of the “hidden life” of Jesus and the Holy Family of Joseph – his foster father, Mary – his Blesséd Mother (and ours, too), and Jesus for all those years between infancy and age 12 and then twelve to presumably age 30 or so. What did he do? Where did he go? How and where did he learn all the things he later said? Was he really a carpenter? What kind of food did he like – or not like? Did he really bring a kid back to life when he was a kid? Did he make a bird in his own little hands and it flew away? The answer to all of these questions is, “God knows, but he’s not telling.” Why? Those things are not important. A couple of pages previous in the CCC we find this: The whole life of Christ is a mystery
§514 Many things about Jesus that interest human curiosity are not mentioned in the Gospel. Almost nothing is said about his life in Nazareth, and even a large part of his public life is not narrated (cf. John 20:30). What is written in the Gospels is written “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). What is written in the Gospels is written “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). That which is important, that which we need to learn and believe is what Jesus did in selfless obedience to his Father, and what he said during his Sacred Pilgrimage to Calvary. Think about this: if we did not have Scripture and Tradition, how would we know who Jesus was and what Jesus did? And, if we did not have the teaching authority of the Church – the Magisterium – how would we know and understand what Jesus said?
What he said and what he did are important and inseparable. Of these two things, one cannot be sustained without the other. If we rely only on Scripture which tells us only what Jesus said and did, we have what is called Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone – which leaves the teaching and understanding of Scripture open to many sources of understanding – hence we now have about FOUR-THOUSAND+ different ways to interpret, understand, and apply Scripture. That is because, without the Magisterium there is no unified standard of catechesis.
If Scripture and Tradition are inseparable, is it possible that one is more important than the other? Personally, I don’t think so. Sometimes each can be used separately. We know that Tradition precedes Scripture – the texts that are in the Canon were originally transmitted through spoken words – and we know that Scripture follows Tradition in form and function. Remember this: Everything that has ever existed in Time and Space began with the spoken Word of God.
When we wish to better understand Scripture, we look to Tradition for context taking note of what was said, and where, and why, and how, by whom, to whom – the era, the conditions, the languages, the genre – and our understanding is fortified by that knowledge. When we wish to examine Tradition, we use Scripture and the Magisterium to illuminate what has been passed down to us ahead of, within, and by, and through those resources. We could sum it up in a sort of extension of what is often expressed here:
What we do says who we are. Actions speak louder than words.
and
What we say reveals how we walk in The Way.
We know it is true that Scripture and Apostolic Tradition were generated through the spoken Word. Words tell us about deeds and deeds tell us about purpose. This is how we know that everything done by God from creation to the present moment is for the purpose of establishing the Salvation given to us in the Grace of God. Without the words that tell us of the deeds, we would not know anything about everything. Think of it! We would not know about Creation, the Fall of earthlings, the promise of Salvation, the calling of Abram, the Priestly Order of Melchizedek, or anything else between “Let there be,” and Revelation 22:21 – 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. Nonetheless, there are a lot of “blank spots” here and there, times of silence and even Mystery.
One of those Mysteries we’ve just mentioned: “Why don’t we know more about Jesus growing up, where he went to school, and who taught him?” As we always say for such Mysteries – from why I banged my elbow to how Jesus was raised from the dead – “It is a Mystery.” Why is that? Why won’t God fill in those answers for us? We really want to know; however, all of the “files” containing those data are marked “NTKO” and “EOG” – Need To Know Only and :Eyes Only: God. See, all of that stuff is stuff we want to know, but “God doesn’t always give us what we want. He only gives us what we need.
God’s silence is every bit as Powerful as his Word. When he does not speak or act (same-same in his actuality), nothing in Eternity changes because it is his will that it does not change. Our perception of change or lack of change doesn’t have any effect on the origin or outcome of his silence. He will not tell us those things we do not need to know. Now comes the question that often comes up in sophomoric arguments: “if we want to know something but we don’t need to know it, how can we learn what we don’t need to know.” The answer is simple: LOOK and LISTEN for an answer. If none is apparent, we don’t need to know. It’s OK to ask. It’s not OK to pout about God’s silence on the matter.
Should we really just dismiss everything that we can’t comprehend as “one of God’s Mysteries?” No. We do not dismiss God’s Words, and neither should we dismiss his silences. Our Blesséd Mother has sound advice on dealing with God’s Words and God’s Silence. She told her experiences to the Apostles, and eventually Luke wrote down her account of it in Luke 2:19(GNT)[1] – 19 Mary remembered all these things and thought deeply about them. I try to remember it this way: Those things about which God is silent are things of Heaven, not of Earth. In Heaven, the only thing there that is of the Earth are the scars (↔ Music Link) in the hands of Jesus. In a future post we’ll talk about why those scars were still visible after the Resurrection.
In our first Key Verse today we read we should wait until we hear someone speak before we praise them. If what they say is praiseworthy, then we should let them know. If not, we should just turn away, or confront them so that they will flee (Follow this link to discover how!) We ask therefore, “Is what the Lord God Almighty says praiseworthy?” Most assuredly! God is Infinitely more trustworthy, praiseworthy, and worthy of all Glory and Honor than any earthling in all his Creation. That is why the Psalmist says It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High (Elyon). We recall that The Apostle Paul told us to Rejoice always, (↔ Music Link), pray without ceasing. (See 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17) How do we do that? well, one option is a Daily Offering (Stop here and read this.) because that basically makes your entire day a continuous prayer. You can give it a boost by following The Apostle Paul’s advice about saturating your day with the presence of Christ: Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless.AND
“Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
15 Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, 20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Finally, remember our Gospel Key Verse, Luke 6:45 – 45 The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. If we but combine the words of The Apostle Paul and Jesus, we can give ourselves to God at the start of every day and then brighten the day by singing all those Wonderful Words of Life (↔ Music Link).
Jesus’ quiet, hidden life isn’t given to us in the Gospels because we don’t need those things for the purpose of knowing about his saving Grace and why God gives us that Grace in Christ Jesus. All we need to know is that everything, everyone, every place, and every time is given to us through Love. We should not want more, and we need nothing less. If our lives seem to be “a daily life spent without evident greatness” not to worry! We’re in good company! And besides, our Lord and God certainly knows the content of all the “blank spots.”
Today we also recall another extraordinary woman in the Bible – Sarah. That name was given to her by God when he established his covenant with Abram. He told Abram (See 2503AFC011725) he would be the Father of Many Nations and changed his name to Abraham. He also promised Sarai that she would bear a son and call him Isaac. At that time God changed her name from Sarai to Sarah. Sarai means Princess or my Princess. She was the Princess of her household and probably of he Tribe. When God established that covenant, the tradition was to ratify the covenant which was the creation of a new relationship with God. the symbol of that ratification was the new names given to Abram and Sarai – Abraham and Sarah – which was a symbol or Type of a new relationship based on faith and the joint promise of a new life and greatly enlarged lineage. Sarah’s hopelessness in being barren was totally reversed by God’s Gift of extraordinary Graces to her.
Adelphos, we share in their covenant-joy as we are grafted in to that lineage! Our God is SO GOOD!!!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Belovéd!
About the keys by the Key Verses: they look like something is missing, but what is missing is not important because they still unlock or lock whatever they were constructed to manage – just like Scripture and Tradition. The key-ring in the middle is like the Magisterium which keeps the two connected so that neither is lost while using the other.
Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.
Sirach 27:7 – 7 Do not praise anyone before he speaks, for this is the way people are tested.
Psalm 92:1 – 1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High (Elyon)
1 Corinthians 15:58(GNT)[1] – 58 So then, my dear friends, stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless.
Luke 6:45 – 45 The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.
Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. Today’s title is drawn from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) §531 where we find the phrase “a daily life spent without evident greatness.” It Isaiah description of the “hidden life” of Jesus and the Holy Family of Joseph – his foster father, Mary – his Blesséd Mother (and ours, too), and Jesus for all those years between infancy and age 12 and then twelve to presumably age 30 or so. What did he do? Where did he go? How and where did he learn all the things he later said? Was he really a carpenter? What kind of food did he like – or not like? Did he really bring a kid back to life when he was a kid? Did he make a bird in his own little hands and it flew away? The answer to all of these questions is, “God knows, but he’s not telling.” Why? Those things are not important. A couple of pages previous in the CCC we find this: The whole life of Christ is a mystery
§514 Many things about Jesus that interest human curiosity are not mentioned in the Gospel. Almost nothing is said about his life in Nazareth, and even a large part of his public life is not narrated (cf. John 20:30). What is written in the Gospels is written “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). What is written in the Gospels is written “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). That which is important, that which we need to learn and believe is what Jesus did in selfless obedience to his Father, and what he said during his Sacred Pilgrimage to Calvary. Think about this: if we did not have Scripture and Tradition, how would we know who Jesus was and what Jesus did? And, if we did not have the teaching authority of the Church – the Magisterium – how would we know and understand what Jesus said?
What he said and what he did are important and inseparable. Of these two things, one cannot be sustained without the other. If we rely only on Scripture which tells us only what Jesus said and did, we have what is called Sola Scriptura – Scripture Alone – which leaves the teaching and understanding of Scripture open to many sources of understanding – hence we now have about FOUR-THOUSAND+ different ways to interpret, understand, and apply Scripture. That is because, without the Magisterium there is no unified standard of catechesis.
If Scripture and Tradition are inseparable, is it possible that one is more important than the other? Personally, I don’t think so. Sometimes each can be used separately. We know that Tradition precedes Scripture – the texts that are in the Canon were originally transmitted through spoken words – and we know that Scripture follows Tradition in form and function. Remember this: Everything that has ever existed in Time and Space began with the spoken Word of God.
When we wish to better understand Scripture, we look to Tradition for context taking note of what was said, and where, and why, and how, by whom, to whom – the era, the conditions, the languages, the genre – and our understanding is fortified by that knowledge. When we wish to examine Tradition, we use Scripture and the Magisterium to illuminate what has been passed down to us ahead of, within, and by, and through those resources. We could sum it up in a sort of extension of what is often expressed here:
What we do says who we are. Actions speak louder than words.
and
What we say reveals how we walk in The Way.
We know it is true that Scripture and Apostolic Tradition were generated through the spoken Word. Words tell us about deeds and deeds tell us about purpose. This is how we know that everything done by God from creation to the present moment is for the purpose of establishing the Salvation given to us in the Grace of God. Without the words that tell us of the deeds, we would not know anything about everything. Think of it! We would not know about Creation, the Fall of earthlings, the promise of Salvation, the calling of Abram, the Priestly Order of Melchizedek, or anything else between “Let there be,” and Revelation 22:21 – 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. Nonetheless, there are a lot of “blank spots” here and there, times of silence and even Mystery.
One of those Mysteries we’ve just mentioned: “Why don’t we know more about Jesus growing up, where he went to school, and who taught him?” As we always say for such Mysteries – from why I banged my elbow to how Jesus was raised from the dead – “It is a Mystery.” Why is that? Why won’t God fill in those answers for us? We really want to know; however, all of the “files” containing those data are marked “NTKO” and “EOG” – Need To Know Only and :Eyes Only: God. See, all of that stuff is stuff we want to know, but “God doesn’t always give us what we want. He only gives us what we need.
God’s silence is every bit as Powerful as his Word. When he does not speak or act (same-same in his actuality), nothing in Eternity changes because it is his will that it does not change. Our perception of change or lack of change doesn’t have any effect on the origin or outcome of his silence. He will not tell us those things we do not need to know. Now comes the question that often comes up in sophomoric arguments: “if we want to know something but we don’t need to know it, how can we learn what we don’t need to know.” The answer is simple: LOOK and LISTEN for an answer. If none is apparent, we don’t need to know. It’s OK to ask. It’s not OK to pout about God’s silence on the matter.
Should we really just dismiss everything that we can’t comprehend as “one of God’s Mysteries?” No. We do not dismiss God’s Words, and neither should we dismiss his silences. Our Blesséd Mother has sound advice on dealing with God’s Words and God’s Silence. She told her experiences to the Apostles, and eventually Luke wrote down her account of it in Luke 2:19(GNT)[1] – 19 Mary remembered all these things and thought deeply about them. I try to remember it this way: Those things about which God is silent are things of Heaven, not of Earth. In Heaven, the only thing there that is of the Earth are the scars (↔ Music Link) in the hands of Jesus. In a future post we’ll talk about why those scars were still visible after the Resurrection.
In our first Key Verse today we read we should wait until we hear someone speak before we praise them. If what they say is praiseworthy, then we should let them know. If not, we should just turn away, or confront them so that they will flee (Follow this link to discover how!) We ask therefore, “Is what the Lord God Almighty says praiseworthy?” Most assuredly! God is Infinitely more trustworthy, praiseworthy, and worthy of all Glory and Honor than any earthling in all his Creation. That is why the Psalmist says It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High (Elyon). We recall that The Apostle Paul told us to Rejoice always, (↔ Music Link), pray without ceasing. (See 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17) How do we do that? well, one option is a Daily Offering (Stop here and read this.) because that basically makes your entire day a continuous prayer. You can give it a boost by following The Apostle Paul’s advice about saturating your day with the presence of Christ: Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless.AND
“Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
15 Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, 20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Finally, remember our Gospel Key Verse, Luke 6:45 – 45 The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. If we but combine the words of The Apostle Paul and Jesus, we can give ourselves to God at the start of every day and then brighten the day by singing all those Wonderful Words of Life (↔ Music Link).
Jesus’ quiet, hidden life isn’t given to us in the Gospels because we don’t need those things for the purpose of knowing about his saving Grace and why God gives us that Grace in Christ Jesus. All we need to know is that everything, everyone, every place, and every time is given to us through Love. We should not want more, and we need nothing less. If our lives seem to be “a daily life spent without evident greatness” not to worry! We’re in good company! And besides, our Lord and God certainly knows the content of all the “blank spots.”
Today we also recall another extraordinary woman in the Bible – Sarah. That name was given to her by God when he established his covenant with Abram. He told Abram (See 2503AFC011725) he would be the Father of Many Nations and changed his name to Abraham. He also promised Sarai that she would bear a son and call him Isaac. At that time God changed her name from Sarai to Sarah. Sarai means Princess or my Princess. She was the Princess of her household and probably of he Tribe. When God established that covenant, the tradition was to ratify the covenant which was the creation of a new relationship with God. the symbol of that ratification was the new names given to Abram and Sarai – Abraham and Sarah – which was a symbol or Type of a new relationship based on faith and the joint promise of a new life and greatly enlarged lineage. Sarah’s hopelessness in being barren was totally reversed by God’s Gift of extraordinary Graces to her.
Adelphos, we share in their covenant-joy as we are grafted in to that lineage! Our God is SO GOOD!!!
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Belovéd!
About the keys by the Key Verses: they look like something is missing, but what is missing is not important because they still unlock or lock whatever they were constructed to manage – just like Scripture and Tradition. The key-ring in the middle is like the Magisterium which keeps the two connected so that neither is lost while using the other.
American Roman Catholic reared as a "Baptiterian" in Denver Colorado. Now living on Kauaʻi. USAF Vet. Married for over 50 years. Scripture study has been my passion ever since my first "Bible talk" at age 6 in VBS.
