Aloha Friday Message – March 23, 2012 – Fifth Friday in Lent

1212AFC032312 – Catholic Letter Series

Read it online here.

KJV 1 Peter 2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

NIV 1 Peter 2:4 As you come to him, the living Stone– rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him– 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

NAB 1 Peter 2:4 Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, 5 and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Aloha nui loa, Beloved. Today we are going to look at a beautiful letter attributed to Peter, also called Cephas (KAY-phus) which means Rock in Aramaic and is also a Greek word for rock Κηφᾶς.

In this letter, Peter gives us many beautiful images, draws many examples from Old Testament writers, and presents a wide array of topics that address many aspect of life in the early Church. The one I chose for the open in this message is one of my very favorites. In this he makes a connection between Christ, “the stone which the builders rejected,” and believers who have become “living stones,” that is to say like Christ in that they are to be Holy, submissive to God, and to build a holy dwelling which will be a Holy Nation serving God. The word for “living” used here is ζῶντα zaonta {dzah’-on-tah} from za,w zao {dzah’-o}. za,w is the verb “to live,” and ζῶντα is “living.” But it carries a much deeper connotation that being “merely alive.” One example is in the term “living water.” This is water that has “vital power in itself and exerting the same upon the soul.” It is living that is fresh, strong, efficient, active, powerful, and efficacious. We come to Christ as living stones animated with the same capacity for holiness found in the Apostles because that holiness comes from and through Christ. What a mighty image that brings to mind!

Peter tells us Christ was “chosen by God and precious to him.” Christ, the Messiah is “called ‘elect,’ as appointed by God to the most exalted office conceivable.” And we are called to that same life as his servants. We are called the elect, the chosen because “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes” (Ephesians 1:4) This word is ἐκλεκτός eklektos {ek-lek-tos’} and it denotes the best of its kind or class.

As living stones, we are to be built into a “spiritual house,” a family for generations, offering up ” spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” WOW! That is such a powerful statement, because it describes not only our calling, but also the fulfillment of that calling.

In 1 Peter 1:8-9 Peter tells us, “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” What is that inexpressible joy and how do we feel it? How do we recognize it? It is the power of his love as delivered to us in and through the Holy Spirit that makes our hearts and minds leap for joy as we raise hearts and hands and voices to praise god for his generous love, unfailing promise, and awesome presence in our lives.

In 1 Peter 2:9 Peter tells us the reason God has fashioned us a living stone. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” God is Light. We are called to live in the Light, to let our Light shine, to be the Light shining in the darkness. In John 8:12, Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

There are dozens of power-packed images like that in this single short letter. Scholars generally agree that it was written by Peter, with help from Silas (who may have been a “professional writer,” helping Peter achieve a very polished Greek text which might have been a bit out of Peter’s reach normally). The letter is addressed to churches planted by Paul and his fellow sojourners in Asia Minor: Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. That may have been the order in which a courier might have delivered the letter to those churches.

The letter mentions persecutions, suffering with Christ as we daily take up our cross, even dying under persecutions for the Gospel and for the joy we have of being so close to our Savior and God. I looked at several analyses of how this letter is put together, and here is a listing based on those reviews:

 

  1. 1 Peter 1:112: The JOY we have in knowing God loves us so much he provided a Perfect Sacrifice for our salvation – his only begotten son.
  2. 1 Peter 1:132:3: God’s love should inspire us to v-be some much like him that we strive mightily to be holy as he is holy.
  3. 1 Peter 2:412: Israel, the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, was the People God chose to be distinctly his own, the People of the First Covenant. Despite the many times they ignored that, God honored his promises, and not only made Abraham the father of many nations, he also us part of Abraham’s descendants through Jesus sacrificial suffering.
  4. 1 Peter 2:13-23: We can share in, identify with, and submit to persecution and suffering with Jesus and for the Gospel. Whenever we do so, we die a bit to ourselves and to the world, but we also glorify God.
  5. 1 Peter 2:2425: Jesus’ expiation (The complete reconciliation of God and humans brought about by the redemptive life and death of Jesus) of our sins is a powerful, awesome, incomprehensibly valuable gift – it is a gift given through the Grace of God, and that brings us back to the “Shepherd and Overseer” of our souls – our Creator, God. How can we begin to measure how grateful that can make us feel?!?
  6. 1 Peter 3:17: God is community as the Trinity. He established family as a community through the sacrament of marriage. Husbands and wives can honor this sacred vocation by honoring one another, loving one another as God has loved them. Dishonoring one’s spouse is point-blank dishonoring God.
  7. 1 Peter 3:822: This passage begins, ” Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” Peter goes on to say that under no circumstance or persecution and suffering should we seek to harm those who bring about that persecution and suffering. If we suffer for doing what is good, that is so much better than suffering for doing evil!
  8. 1 Peter 4:111: The World wants us to be like them, and constantly entices us to live “in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.” They make fun of us for being “religious nuts,” but when Judgment comes, they will have one hell of a time coming to them. As for us, we are to ” keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins (theirs and ours). Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another. Jesus blood cleansed you of your sins – the ways you have hurt yourself, your community, and your God; is blood also cleansed the sins of those who hurt you, hurt your community, and offend our God. His sacrifice covers all completely, permanently, eternally.
  9. 1 Peter 4:1219: “No matter how you struggle or strive, you’ll never get out of this world alive.” And struggle and strive as we might, we will always be facing situations where our suffering persists. Rather than wail and gnash or teeth, we can rejoice because are blessed, in that suffering when “the Spirit of glory and of God rests” upon us. ” Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”
  10. 1 Peter 5:16: When the World sees us acting this way – joyous in serving, joyous in suffering – they will want to know more about our joy and more about our shepherd. Those who are chosen for servant- leadership through the gifts of God will serve gladly, equitably, humbly – as did Christ. I probably will never be easy, but Peter tells us ” after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”
  11. 1 Peter 5:714: God will do all these powerful and wonderful things to and for us because of his intense, eternal, infallible LOVE. No matter what Satan tries to do to us to destroy our relationship with God, that relationship is always restored when we reconfirm our alliance with God and rejoice in the wonder of his uncompromising love and care.

Share-A-Prayer

M&PC wrote to tell us, “We are praying for whole world for peace, safety, and wellbeing everywhere.” What an excellent prayer intention. Maybe you can add it to your list of intentions. So many places around the world are experiencing terrible weather, terrible acts of evil, terrible acts of violence. Pray that Peace will rule the planet, and let it begin with you.

Please continue to pray for the family of Baby Cheyanne. She lost her battle with multiple health problems. It has been so difficult for Mom and Dad, and for the whole family. They know Cheyanne has found 100% healing in the Light of His Glory and Love. The loss of that sweet child, however, was a hard blow. Pray for them to return to the joy they anticipated the moment she was born.

Pray for those who suffer for their faith. You would think that “in this day and age” religious persecution – even to the point of martyrdom – would be nonexistent. But it is not.

Pray for everyone who suffers poverty, injustice, hunger, loss of work or loss of income; for those who suffer through illnesses like cancer, mental illness, chronic disease, acute or chronic pain; pray for those whose family are falling apart and for those whose families are just beginning or just beginning to heal.

Finally beloved, pray for one another. You know there is a Daily Intercessory Prayer List. Whenever you pray the MBN prayer, that short prayer includes all of the intentions in the Intercessory prayer list – over 100 now.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved.

chick

Aloha Friday Message – HOSANNA! – Sixth Friday of Lent

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Happy Hosanna Friday, Beloved!

Today I am thinking about Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. What a wonderful story is there. We’ve heard it before, maybe seen it enacted in a movie or a play, and we have a pretty good idea of the events. I want to look at some of the characters and symbols in this story. In Matthew it goes like this:

Matthew 21:1 When they drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them here to me. 3 And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, ‘The master has need of them.’ Then he will send them at once.” 4 This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: 5 “Say to daughter Zion, ‘Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'” 6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them.

7 They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them, and he sat upon them. 8 The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. 9 The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

And in Luke 19 we have these details:

29 As he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples. 30 He said, “Go into the village opposite you, and as you enter it you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 And if anyone should ask you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you will answer, ‘The Master has need of it.'” 32 So those who had been sent went off and found everything just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying this colt?” 34 They answered, “The Master has need of it.” 35 So they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the colt, and helped Jesus to mount. 36 As he rode along, the people were spreading their cloaks on the road; 37 and now as he was approaching the slope of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of his disciples began to praise God aloud with joy for all the mighty deeds they had seen. 38 They proclaimed: “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” 39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He said in reply, “I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out!”

In Zechariah 9:9 we read: Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. So the fact that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey was, in part, a fulfillment of scripture. But there’s more. In Jesus day, and in many Eastern cultures, a donkey is seen as symbol of peace. A king who rides in on a donkey is coming peacefully. A king who rides in on a horse is coming in war. It is also significant that the colt Jesus’ disciples borrow is one that has never been ridden. Here the King of Peace is so gentle and so humble that even a young colt never before ridden submits to Jesus’ presence. Instead of bucking him off, the colt meekly carries a full-grown man. It is interesting to me that the disciples who went to fetch it did so without question, and then they put their own cloaks on the back of the colt to make a more comfortable seat. I think it might have also been more comfortable for the colt! And you know, I think that colt’s mama walked next to him on that journey. Read it again and see if you think so, too. But how did this come about?

How did the owner know it was OK to lend his animal to Jesus’ Disciples? The gospels don’t say, but as often as Jesus traveled through that area, he sure must have had more friends than just Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Since this must have been shortly after Lazarus was raised, maybe the guy who owned the colt had told Jesus, “If you ever need anything at all just let me know. It’s yours!” Just speculating about that is kind of fun, but really, we don’t know exactly what happened in that part of the story.

Jesus was in Bethany, close to Bethphage (“Place of new – or unripe – figs”) somewhere perhaps around the Mount of Olives. He gets on the colt in Bethany – about 2 miles from Jerusalem, and heads into town. On the way people who have seen him, who know him – some intimately, some only be reputation – get excited about seeing him, and they begin to remember Zechariah 9:9. They start pulling down palm fronds and laying them on the path in front of him or waving them in the air. The palm was a symbol of victory – even Holy Victory. In addition people were laying their cloaks down in the road and letting the little donkey pass over them. A similar event is reported in 2 Kings 9. [They hurried and took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, “Jehu is king!”] Elisha had just anointed Jehu (“Yahweh is He”) as King of Israel, and had ordered him to go avenge the murders committed by Jezebel’s forces when she had the prophets slaughtered. The king, Ahab, had permitted this, and Jehu was told to destroy Ahab as well.

Spreading cloaks or other object to “pave the way” was a common demonstration of respect for the dignity and power of a person – a King, a general, even a prophet. So now we have Jesus on a baby donkey (my mind keeps hearing the Christmas Carol “Little Donkey, Little Donkey, With a heavy load,”) and everyone is shouting and happy and cheering and dancing and running ahead and coming back and just going nuts over what Jesus is doing. He is finally defining himself as the Messiah, the Ruler of Israel, The Son of David! And, they surely thought he was about to kick the Romans out of town as the Rightful Ruler.

But, he was on a donkey, not a horse.

Can you imagine what’s going on in Jesus’ head? He’s going to Jerusalem in just six day to celebrate Passover for the last time. Then he will die a most horrible, terrifying, painful death. And he will be forsaken by his Father. On the way into town he looks out over Jerusalem and sheds tears because of what they have missed out on while he was with them, and then He just goes into town and busts up … Not the Romans! The Temple!!

Whoa! That was a surprise! And from there on, things sort of unfolded into The Last Supper, The Garden of Gethsemane, the pavement at Gabbatha, and finally Golgotha. In less than a week he went from “Hosanna” to “Crucify him!”

Now you know a little about the story. When you are holding your palm branches Sunday, think about that little donkey and what a privilege it was to carry Jesus. Beloved, you can carry him too; in your heart, not on your back. Spread out your best things for him and invite him to have a seat. Carry him wherever you go and once in a while, just for the sheer JOY of it, shout, I said SHOUT, “HOSANNA!!”

Share-A-Prayer

• A special request from WT to pray for J. Joseph who was admitted to the hospital in her continuing fight with cancer. Pray for hope, healing, and health.
• Our MBN friends I Haiti report that many of the children and the workers too are ill. Sounds like a virus is sweeping through their numbers. Pray for return to health, and that the many new infants they have with them can stay hydrated and be strong enough to recover.
• Thank you for your prayers over the past few weeks. Please go back and look at the prayer requests from the beginning of Lent. I believe as you take the time to look at them, God will move your heart to make a special effort to embrace one or more of those requests.
• Thanks for the family of EW for sharing the news that E had gone to meet his Lord. He was – and still is – a remarkable man. You might remember him here.
• Thanks also from KV who reports prayer has been working for her and she feels pretty darn good!

Thanks everyone. Next week the message will be about Good Friday – sort of. Please watch for it on a computer screen near you!

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!

chick

Aloha Friday, August 10, 2004 – The Fruits of the Holy Spirit

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Aloha, dear friend! Another week comes to an end. For so many people, this has been a week of severe testing – Florida, Iraq and Afghanistan, Sudan and Indonesia. For some it has been a struggle in their own homes, and for others a deeper struggle in their own bodies, or their hearts and minds. How are we supposed to respond to all of this? It is, in all honesty, overwhelming.

These difficulties are so prevalent that we can sometimes feel – and see – hope is defeated. Not so. If you look at the terrible and difficult things that are happening in the world and in our lives, it sort of follow that old Pareto rule, that 80/20 thing. Pareto’s rule states that a small number of causes is responsible for a large percentage of the effect, in a ratio of about 20:80. Expressed in a management context, 20% of a person’s effort generates 80% of the person’s results. The corollary to this is that 20% of one’s results absorb 80% of one’s resources or efforts. And we could extrapolate that to say that 80% of the things that try our spirits are caused by 20% of the things that happen. Or maybe even that 20% of the things that we view as catastrophic are natural physical events – like volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes, lung cancer, plagues of locusts, and the like. The other 80% might be spiritual like war, terrorism, pornography, crack and speed, infidelity, hopelessness, depraved indifference to human life from the moment of conception to the moment of death, and so many other things that often make being alive more difficult than it should be for so many millions of people.

What can we do about all this? Perhaps we can choose to live a spiritual life at home, at work, at school, at play, and even (incredible!) at church. Here’s a little quote from NIV Bible:

Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Well, at least there shouldn’t be. We find ourselves confronting those “unwritten laws” that say living a spiritual life is not acceptable; we are out of touch with reality if we believe such things really make a difference. In the world’s views, that is. In God’s view, these things ARE life. And they’re not so difficult to live with either. In a recent article that appeared in THE CATHOLIC HERALD the diocesan newspaper for the Diocese of Honolulu, Fr. William J. Byron, SJ, had this to say about these seven gifts of the spirit:

Love is service and sacrifice.
Joy is balance at the center of the soul.
Peace is good order.
Patience is the ability to endure whatever comes.
Kindness is attentive regard for the other.
Generosity is the habitual disposition to share.
Gentleness is courageous respect for other.
Self-control is a voluntary check on the appetite for success.

We are created in God’s image, and part of the heritage of that image is the gift of self-determination. If we choose to remember what these things actually mean, we can bring that choice, that spirituality into our lives, our world, our 80/20 mix. Here’s the thing: It’s also true that 80% of the good things in this world come from the 20% of our spiritual gifts we share with each other. Today I challenge you to go for 21%. Print out this note, or cut and paste Fr. Byron’s examples into another document you can print out and hang on your wall (I made a really pretty one with fancy lettering and images). It’s just a reminder, but it’s also just a way to change the world and maybe even the future population of heaven.

Love in Christ,

Chick

PS: Here’s a bonus just for you. http://m11.t3media.net/t/15274/8554348/694/0/

Aloha Friday Message – February 7,2025 – The sinners and their Angel

2506AFC020735 – The sinners and their Angels

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Psalm 138:1 – (CPDV) – 1 Of David himself. O Lord, I will confess to you with my whole heart, for you have heard the words of my mouth. I will sing psalms to you in the sight of the Angels. (Check this Bible version out. It’s a great source and it is FREE!)

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him. Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! It was tempting today to grab the concept of “fishers of men” for this post, but when I tried to start that Someone said something like, “Nope. We’re going to go with Angels this week.” OK, some changes had to be made. That said, here we go!

About the picture: Imagine that each dot is a set of 10,000 pages that look like this one in the image above, and that each dot on each page represents one angel. That’s a beginning. Then imagine a Google of Googles (one Google is 6.023×10^23 individuals) of such collections of 10000 pages, and well, that’s still just a beginning. Now, think about all of those angels singing with you, “Holy. Holy. Holy LORD, God of power and might. Heaven and Earth are full of your Glory! Hosanna in the Highest!…

All of us can most likely remember hearing the following passages:
 Isaiah 6:3And one called to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

Revelation 4:8And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing,
“Holy, holy, holy,
the Lord God the Almighty,
    who was and is and is to come.”

Luke 2:13-1413 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,* praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

I want to share with you a lyric of a tune I wrote in 2006. It’s based on my favorite Psalm, Psalm 138. The melody is in the genre of four-part gospel harmony as you would hear from groups like The Florida Boys. Anyway, I’m trying to memorize it because it’s fun to sing. If you get a chance, look up Psalm 138 and read it for yourself. I just love the idea of standing with the angels and lifting up my hands to praise God. That’s quite a picture! So, enough of that. Here are the lyrics. Have a great weekend, beloved, and maybe you can make up your own tune for this little ditty! In my version, the chorus and the verse use the same tune, so that makes it easier to sing.

CHORUS:

In the presence of the Angels I will sing your praise.
I will lift up my hands And I will bless your holy name.
I will bow down before You And your Temple on High.
I will sing of your promises, Your faithfulness and love.

1: I know that you hear me Every time I pray.
You strengthen my heart And you get me through the day.
All of Earth’s Kings and Princes And Peoples of  all lands
Praise your Name for your Promises. They shout, and clap their hands.
And …: Chorus

2: Father, God Almighty, I live safely in your care.
The proud and the wicked You point out everywhere.
You bless the meek and lowly, And fill them with your Light.
To the fury of my enemies You lead me in my fight.
So …: Chorus

3: Though danger’s all around me, And enemies close in
Your strong right hand will save me. You are with me to the end.
Your love endures forever! You will not abandon me!
I will sing your praise forever In eternal harmony!
For …: Chorus

Did you know that when you sing praise to God, the Angels join in? They already know all the words and melodies! Next time you sing “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, Lord God of Hosts …” listen for the angels – in particular your angel – then imagine singing with a google of googles of angels singing with you. Our Guardian Angels are right by each and every one of us as we sing our praises to God. Our Guardian Angels? Of course! In the Common Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer, the Priest says, “And so with the Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominions, and with all the hosts and Powers of Heaven. We sing the hymn of your glory, as without end we acclaim: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts. Heaven and Earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest Blesséd is He who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”

Now, Imagine you could look into that Throne Room and see THIS! 

Art used by Pat Marvenko Smith, copyright 1992, 2002. To order prints visit her “Revelation Illustrated” site, http://revelationillustrated.com. Contact us and let us know which one you need to use. If you wish to use more than one, you should purchase the 40 image CD .You will also be required to add a right-click copy protection code to each image. For use as wallpaper on your computer, just let us know which one you need. For use as a screensaver, please go here where you can get information on the new “Revelation Illustrated” screensaver program. Now, let’s pick up that asterisk in the Key Verse from Luke.
* There is a special word used to describe “the heavenly host.” That Greek word is “stratia” (στρατιά) primarily refers to an organized group of soldiers, an army, or a host. In the New Testament, it is often used metaphorically to describe the heavenly host or the angelic armies of God. The term conveys the idea of a structured and powerful force, often under divine command. In Jewish and early Christian thought, the heavenly host was seen as a divine army led by God, ready to execute His will. This imagery is rooted in the Old Testament, where God is often depicted as a warrior leading His people to victory. When we say,” God of Hosts,” that’s not limited to just the Warrior Angels of the Army of God. In that phrase, “hosts” means EVERY thing God created! From strings and quarks, and quasars to galaxies and worlds and moons, to Dick and Jane and Spot and Puff, and even you and me.

Yes! God created the universe out of Love for Love because God IS love. And God Loves you, Loves me, Loves all of us so much that he chose to include us in his Absolutely Perfect Plan! Please remember that and let it inspire your Praise when you give God the Glory.

Now, I want to share a brief look at someone who was a very unlikely hero in the history of Israel, a brave, clever, woman named Jael [Jael (/ˈdʒeɪəl/) or Yael (/ˈjeɪəl/’ Hebrew: יָעֵל Yāʿēl)]. You can find her story in the book of Judges 4-5. There we learn about Canaanite King name Jabin from the region of Galilee who harassed and oppressed Israel for 20 years. His commander-in-chief was a general f his army whose name as Sisera. Also at that time there was a prophetess named Deborah who told the leader of Israel’s forces, Barak, that on a certain day, God would deliver Isreal from Jabin. Barak was to take 10,000 soldiers and attack Sisera’s forces from a position on Mount Tabor. Barak won a decisive battle, but Sisera jumped out of his iron war-chariot and slipped away. All of his subordinates were slain by Barak.

Sisera ran away on foot to Kedesh, which was west of the Sea of Galilee. Jael saw him – and of course she recognized him because he’d been around for so many years causing trouble – and she invited him to hide in the tent of her husband, Heber the Kenite. The Kenites were decedents of Moses’ father-in-law (Jethro). Heber’s clan had separated from the territory of the Kenites and had negotiated a treaty with the enemy king, Jabin. Sisera apparently knew this and felt safe to hide in that tent. Jael gave him a skin of milk when he asked for something to quench his thirst. He was worn out from the battle and wanted to rest, so Jael covered him with a rug or a blanket by which he apparently felt she was concealing him. He eventually fell asleep, and as he slept, Jael picked up a tent peg and – hammered it through his temple, right through his head, and straight into the ground!

Soon thereafter, Barak, the Israelite commander came to that area looking for Sisera. Jael went out to meet him and told him to come see where Sisera could be found. In Judges 4:23 we read – 23 So on that day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan before the Israelites. Chapter 5 of Judges is the Song (canticle) of Deborah celebrating the act of Jael and the end of Jabin’s oppressions. That glorious song ends in Judges 5:31 –
31 “So perish all your enemies, O Lord!
    But may your friends be like the sun as it rises in its might.”

This clever, brave woman, Jael, was not a warrior, not a leader in Israel, her husband was a collaborator with their enemy, and yet God chose her to deliver Israel from their oppressor. He chose to prepare her for that brave act in the same moment he said “Let there be …” in the same way that he chose to create you and me – because of Love. Because of Love, he also sent his Only Begotten Son to suffer and die for the sins of the World which is supposed to be part of the Hosts of God and should be praising him forever. When sin entered into our history, God’s Love was nailed to the Cross to end the oppression of the Devil; that oppression is sin and Death. That is the magnitude and majesty of God’s Grace. In §388 the CCC shows us, “We must know Christ as the source of grace in order to know Adam as the source of sin. The Spirit-Paraclete, sent by the risen Christ, came to “convict the world concerning sin” by revealing him who is its Redeemer.” (↔ Music Link)

Will you, will I, will we be willing to be like Jael – an unlikely choice for an important job – and live according to God’s Absolutely Perfect Plan and not our own? Remember, sin is rebellion against God. We sin when our actions say, “God I know what you want, but I don’t want that. I want what I want.” Are we willing to do all that we ought to do instead of all that we can do? Can we, will we give Primacy to our Creator instead of his creation? Will we say, “God my Father, I want what you want, and only what you want.”? Jael, Deborah, and Barak did what God wanted. Sisera didn’t. perhaps next week we can look into the actions of Judith.

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.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com


Creative Commons License Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Aloha Friday Message – January 31, 2025 – Step Up and Stand Out

2505AFC013125 – Step Up and Stand Out 😀 ← PODCAST LINK  

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.
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Luke 2:29-32Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word; 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

(↨ Music Link – let your servant go in peace)

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! ¡Que la bendición esté siempre con ustedes y que Dios los bendiga, Amados! (May blessing always be with you and may God bless you, Belovéd!) Let the Peace of Christ Rule in Our Hearts! (↔ Music Link) Today’s Key Verse is one of the most beautiful prayers in the New Testament. It is the prayer of Simeon. Luke tells us (beginning at Luke 2:2525 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God …

Presentation of The Lord

  We see that Simeon, in Hebrew “Shimown” [shim-one’} a name that means “hearing,” is a “righteous and devout man.” He was careful about observing divine laws, a virtuous man who faithfully and consistently kept God’s commandments. He was a pious man who took care to reverence God and the Temple in Jerusalem. Most importantly we are told, “The Holy Spirit rested on him.” Like the Old Testament prophets, he was “enveloped” in the Holy Spirit – remember how we discussed that when David was anointed King by Samuel, “the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.” (See 1 Samuel 16:13) This is how the presence of the Holy Spirit is described in the Old Testament prophecies; the Holy Spirit “rushed upon” the Prophet and helped them or led them to do a specific task. After Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit at the first Pentecost, we know the Holy Spirit dwells within us – permanently!

Simeon had been waiting for “the consolation of Israel” – the coming of the Messiah. Walking in, and led by, the Spirit, Simeon glimpses Joseph, Jesus, and Mary. In his heart and mind, the Holy Spirit reveals that the child with this couple is indeed “the Holy One of Israel.” Rejoicing in the Spirit, he gives us the canticle (song) that confirms God’s promise that Simeon would not die until he had seen the Messiah. He takes the child in his arms, and speaks as the Holy Spirit directs prophesying that Jesus is the “consolation of Israel,” and later he tells Jesus’ Blesséd Mother Mary that she will suffer great anguish as her son fulfills his mission. This is followed by statements from the prophetess Anna who tells everyone who is nearby that this child will be a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy that “… the LORD has comforted his people, has redeemed Jerusalem.” (See Isaiah 52:9) All of these people are present in this scene because Mary and Joseph are following the prescription of the law. That prescription portrays this little family as devout, faithful Jews who rightly were faithful to the Law set down by God through Moses. Please see Leviticus 12:2-8 for the full description of these requirements. There you will see that there were very specific instructions provided for new parents. Today, we focus on two principal themes in Scripture – Obedience and Blessing. We will look first at The Holy Family and this encounter in the temple, and then we will hear about Nahshon, our “person of the week.”

Let’s recap the timeline a little. Luke 2:21-24Jesus Is Named 21 After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Jesus Is Presented in the Temple 22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 24 and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” We recall the word of Exodus 13:2Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine. And also Numbers 6:10 and Leviticus 15:1414 On the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and come before the Lord to the entrance of the tent of meeting and give them to the priest. This is the “legal remedy” for purifying a person after becoming ceremonially unclean – that is, unable to participate in or touch anything that is Holy.

The remedy for a woman after giving birth is spelled out in Leviticus 12. In that passage, a woman is unclean for 40 days after the birth of a male child and 80 days after the birth of a female child. The purification requires the sacrifice of “a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering.” At the end of that passage, there is an additional instruction for those who cannot afford to bring a lamb. We read in Leviticus 12:8If she cannot afford a sheep, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement on her behalf, and she shall be clean. And sot it was that that Lamb of God and his Mother were redeemed out of poverty and the status of being unclean.

In our Gospel passage for this weekend, Joseph and Mary comply with all the laws and prescriptions for a firstborn male child. They did what was right and just in the eyes of the Lord, and it was the fulfillment of righteousness. Recall that is how Jesus convinced John the Baptizer to baptize him. As a refresher, here is Matthew 3:1515 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. The whole episode boils down to obedience. God says, “Do whatever I tell you.” Good people say “yes.” Righteous people say YES and OBEY. Joseph and Mary did that. Simeon waited until the Lord said “Look over here!” Anna obeyed when God said, “Spread the Word.” And – according to Tradition, Nashon was not only quick to obey, but also courageous. Who was this guy, and why is he important?

נַחְשׁוֹן {Nachshown} (nakh-shone’) was a leader, i.e., a Prince, of the Tribe of Judah. We must remember that the word Judah means Praise, and God told Moses to always “Let Praise go up first.” When Israel was finally able to enter into the Promised Land. Judah went first, and Nashon led them in (more on that shortly. He was the first to make an offering for the dedication of the Tabernacle. He was one of the 70 Elders to whom God gave a portion of his Sh’khinah Glory which he had poured out on Moses: Numbers 11:17 – [God told Moses] 17 I will come down and talk with you there; and I will take some of the spirit that is on you and put it on them; and they shall bear the burden of the people along with you so that you will not bear it all by yourself. He was a courageous, Holy leader who led by example. He was also a brother-in-law to Aaron (Moses’ brother, and the first High Priest) who married his sister, Elisheva. He was a descendant of Jacob’s son Judah. As such, he is listed in the genealogies of Jesus in Ruth 4:18-22, Matthew 1, and Luke 3:23-38 (↔ Learning Links). We’ve all heard his name in those readings, but probably never given it a second thought (which is why I picked him for today!)  

There’s a famous story (↔ Learning Link)  about him in Jewish homiletical (Rabbinical teachings) literature. When it came time to cross the Red Sea (or Sea of Reeds), the waters were still raging and waves splashing. Moses had told them God would have them cross at that shore. Everyone hesitated to step up and step out into the Sea … every except Nahshon. According to the Midrash (↔ VERY COOL Learning Link), Nahshon dove into the water because he was certain God’s plan would be revealed. At that act of Faith, the Lord told Moses to stretch his arm hold his staff over the Sea and then God divided tha water to Israel cross over on dry land (and none of Pharoah’s army, or chariots, or charioteers ever got out of the water after the Sea closed).

Nashon always stepped up and stood out because he always had faith in God. God had personally anointed him with the Glory of God. Simeon was described as “this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him.” With God, there are no coincidences, so it is no surprise that his Holy Spirit was paramount in their lives, and that Simeon stepped up and stood out for his prophetic declarations about the Infant Jesus. Same goes for the prophetess Anna.  Who “never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day.” At age 84, she began to tell everyone about the wonderful baby boy she had just met. Anna stepped up and stood out as one of the very first evangelists. Mary and Joseph stepped up and stood out by saying YES to God. All of them knew in their hearts that God was asking them to take the first next-step-to-Glory (↔ Music Link) in his Absolutely Perfect Plan. And what is that next step? Why, it’s belonging to Jesus! (↔ Music Link)

And here we must all ask ourselves if our hearts are telling us to Step Up and Stand Out for the Lord. Are we really, really ready to lead by example and be the first – or the next, or even the final – witness to God’s APP in his revelation of his Only Begotten Son? Let us ask the Lord pour out his Holy Spirit on each of us and all of us across this wonderful Land that we Love (↔ Music Link). We could use a little more of HIS Holy Spirit and that good, Old-Fashioned American spirit! (↔ Music Link)

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!

Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.

Thank you Brendan.

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.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Creative Commons License Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License >

Aloha Friday Message – January 24, 2025 – A Promise is a promise!

2504AFC012425 – A Promise is a promise! 😀 ← PODCAST LINK  

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.

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Luke 4:14-15 14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

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 key verse is from the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. In this passage, we see that – at the beginning of his ministry – Jesus was “knockin’ it outta the park.” He has returned to his home town, Nazareth. He got up to read from the Scroll of the Prophet Isaiah “where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the Sabbath day.” Here is that passage for your inspection:

Luke 4:16-21 16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

This is what Jesus read from that scroll:

Isaiah 61:1-2 a (GNT) [1] 1 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor …

What promise was fulfilled in their presence? The covenant Promise of a Savior. There are successive covenant expansions, but only One Promise supported by every step in the covenantal progression: A Saviour will restore us into the presence of God. Now that I am an Old Man, I find that my patience for many things is either waning or missing altogether. I know and understand that this One Promise is the warp and weave of the whole fabric of my life. You’ve seen this phrase in many of these posts: Maran atha! Marana tha! Our Lord has come! Come Lord! This happens whenever I forget the best lesson I learned in Navajo Country. Wait patiently in patient waiting.           Huh? Here’s what I mean:

Hebrews 6:15 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise.

James 5:7-8 Be patient, therefore, belovéd, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

2 Peter 3:3-9 First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!” They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the godless.

   But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you*, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. * Some translations read “on your account,” or “for your sake” and YES, he is coming back! As far as we know Jesus and his Mother were the last persons to be bodily taken up into Heaven. Have you any idea who was the first? Here’s a clue. The first time we hear about him is in Genesis 5:18-2418 When Jared had lived one hundred sixty-two years he became the father of Enoch. 19 Jared lived after the birth of Enoch eight hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. 20 Thus all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty-two years; and he died.
21 When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah three hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him.

Enoch was also the name of a son of Cain (See Genesis 4:17-18). The name “Enoch” occurs about 14 times in the Bible (depending on which translation your consult; we use the NRSVCE) [i] Here is a quick list (without hyperlinks): Genesis 4:17, Genesis 4:18, Genesis 5:18, Genesis 5:19, Genesis 5:21, Genesis 5:22, Genesis 5:23, Genesis 5:24, 1 Corinthians 1:3, Sirach 44:16, Sirach 49:18, Luke 3:37, Hebrews 11:5, and Jude 1:14. The references in the New Testament are particularly important as they refer to Enoch the son of Jared who was of the sixth generation from Adam through the line of Seth, Adam’s third son. The name Seth means “compensation.” Eve named him that because he was “compensation for the los of Abel whom Cain had murdered. That’s is where Enoch fits into the Bible timeline. Now, why is he the Person of the Week?

Take another look at the last verse in that passage from Genesis 5. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him. In several of the passages from Genesis in the above list, Enoch is described as on who “walked with the Lord.” You might recall a couple who did that a few generations previously: Eve and Adam. In Genesis 3:8, we read that Adam and Eve “heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze” and we infer from that that God visited them in Eden before they chose to rebel against his command to not eat of that forbidden fruit. (Remember: The Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is Free Will which allows us to choose Life of Death.) Enoch ben Jared pleased God and intimately walked with him. In Hebrews 11:5 The Apostle Paul tells us, For it was attested before he was taken away that “he had pleased God.” God did not walk with Eve and Adam after they sinned but there is speculation that he did. Enoch walked with God, that is was obedient and reverent and always in God’s presence. He was taken up and was not found again. Nor has he returned to this Earth.

We should also be aware that there is an apocryphal “Book of Enoch” which was a very popular and well-known sort of reference book in the time of Jesus. It contains many inconsistencies, a lot of questionable prophesies, and is excluded from the canonical collections of nearly all 23 Rites in union with the Roman Catholic Church except for the Coptic Rite. The references to Enoch in the Epistles refer to that well-know document, however those references do NOT recommend its inclusion in Church Liturgy or the Canon of Scripture. It is used as an example to illustrate and to strengthen his argument against false teaching – heresy – and not as an endorsement of the content. It would be like referring to Grimm’s Fairy Tales and the Story of Faithful John (↔ Learning Link)  as a reference for losing everything to gain enduring happiness when all is returned.

Now, what is the connection between today’s Key Verse and the information about Enoch? It is the Promise. Enoch made his life a persistent and continuous (↔ Music Link) Gift to God and – and as example to all who aspire to join Our Father in Heaven – God demonstrates that he gathers up those you love justice, show mercy, and walk humbly before him (yup. Micah 6:8 – AGAIN!) will ultimately get to meet Enoch (and a handful of other “translated” folks) in Heaven. (↔ Music Link)This is the Jubilee Year of Hope, and that Hope of Heaven is too good to pass up. “As for me and my house” we’re gonna try to walk with God (↔ Music Link). Can I get and AMEN there?

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.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License


[i] 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.


[1] Passages marked (GNT): Good News Translation (GNT) are from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)© 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Aloha Friday Message – January 17, 2025 – The First of Many

2503AFC011725 – The First of Many  😀 ← PODCAST LINK

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.

 John 2:5, 11 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Today we take a few moments to look at Jesus’ first recorded miracle at the Wedding Feast at Cana in Galilee. It is the conversion of water to wine (↔ Music Link) – and not just a glass or two of wine! John tells us “Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.

The Greek word used here makes this measure quite impressive. The word is μετρητής (metrétés) {met-ray-tace’} – a measure equivalent to about 39.39 liters or 8.75 gallons. The Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV) describes the jars as “containing two or three firkins apiece.” What’s a firkin? A “firkin” in terms of size, is equal to 9 imperial gallons, which is 10.8 US gallons; 2-3 firkins then would be 21.6 to 31.8 gallons and average of 26.7 gallons. SIX of those would come to just over 160 gallons of first-class wine! When Jesus sent the servants to the wine, the headwaiter was amazed at the quality. Not only had Jesus supplied in quantity, but also in quality! That is how he does everything when we do what he tells us. And there’s something else, too. He used just simple things even at a BIG wedding.

Do whatever he tells you.

 The wedding was nearby Capernaum where Jesus and his family and disciples had moved after he started his ministry. (See Matthew 9:1 and Mark 2:1) His mom had just said, “They are out of wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” He called her אִשָּׁה (ishshah) {ish-shaw’} – woman, as the first Adam had called Eve. (See Genesis 2:23 23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman [אִשָּׁה] for out of Man [אִישׁ] this one was taken.” It was a respectful way to address his Mother. Simple questions are wonderful when followed by simple words and simple actions. “Do whatever he tells you.” The servants did what servants do – they served by obeying. They had simple things around them – stone jars, water nearby, and they fetched it. They topped off the stone jars as told in the simple command, “Fill the jars with water.” They filled them to the brim – they did their part to the best of their ability. Then Jesus did his part to the best of his ability – and the miracle happened. He made 160 gallons of water into 160 gallons of wine. (We don’t know if it was Chablis or Merlot – or even what color or taste it had – because that is unimportant.) Ordinary things done in ordinary ways become extraordinary when we do what he tells us.

Jesus’ first miracle – the first of many, many, many – took place at the uniting of a man and woman in matrimony as God intended, and still intends, from Eden to this very moment. It began with water, the same way that Creation began. Jesus’ Presence changed the water to something new and better. We can experience the change to new and better if we only respond as he did to the words, “Do whatever he tells you.” That brings us to the story of someone else who did whatever God told him – except a couple of times when he did not, and we are still paying for that today. His name was אַבְרָם Avrahm – Abram – and later he became “My Old Friend Abraham.”

We first come across that name in Genesis 11:2626 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Terah was a direct descendant of Shem, one of the sons of Noah. The following verse, verse 28, tells us that Abram’s younger brother, Haran, died early in his birthplace – “Ur of the Chaldees.” Abraham started off as Abram, a princely warrior from “Ur of the Chaldees.” The Bible puts him 12 generations from Adam, and 10 generations from Noah. God told him to get up and move across a vast distance to a land God would show him, and give to his descendants, a land where he would become the father of many nations. He did whatever God told him. In Genesis 17:1, God revealed he was El Shaddai – Almighty God, and told Abram to walk before (as in front of) and to always do what is right. Please read that passage to get the context. (Yep. First occurrence of “Do the right thing.” Check it out!). Soon thereafter, he entered into a covenant with God and throughout his remaining life he did some pretty amazing things. One of the things God called upon him to do was to sacrifice his belovéd son Isaac. Most of us remember the story.

God told Abraham to take Isaac to the top of a distant mountain. Isaac was to carry the wood for the burnt offering. Abraham prepared the altar, bound Isaac, and was prepared to kill him there. His reasoning was that God had promised him he would be the father of many nations; that God could be trusted to keep his promise; that even though it made no worldly sense to kill his son and his progeny, God would provide a way to keep his promise. As Abraham raised the knife to take Isaac’s life, a messenger of God told him to stop. He had proved his faith. Another suitable sacrifice was provided – a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. Isaac was redeemed, God’s promise was kept intact, and Abraham was ready for the next action God would request.

How could Abraham do that?! How did he have so much faith in God? How in the world was he prepared to take his own son’s life? And there we have it, the word that sets Abraham apart from us: Prepared. Abraham was prepared to “Do whatever he tells you.” What is the nature of that preparation? Did you read that passage I just asked you to read? It ends with “walk before me, and be blameless.” Does that sound familiar? Check this out:

  • MATTHEW 5:48 So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
  • LXX (English) Leviticus 19:2 Speak to the congregation of the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, “Ye shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.”
  • Leviticus 20:7 — So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the LORD your God.
  • AKJV Deuteronomy 18:13 Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.
  • NIV Luke 6:36 – Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful
  • NJB 1 Peter 1:16 since scripture says, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’

Our sinful nature insists that we can do what we want to do, and then looks to our imagination to see what our inclinations might be. As we all well know, that is the wrong reference source. When we look to our own imaginations, we confirm what God first stated when he saw how utterly wrong and confused. We see it in Genesis 6:5The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. How? How can we change that: hark to the Word!

  • Ecclesiastes 10:2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of a fool to the left.
  • Isaiah 30:21 21 And when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
  • Jeremiah 6:16 16 Thus says the Lord: Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.
    But they said, “We will not walk in it.”
  • Matthew 17:5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”

See that design up by the Key Verse? Each line is made of thousands and thousands of points. Each space has room for thousands of more lines. You may recall that in the New Testament, the Greek word usually translated ”many” (pollōn) (↔ Learning Link) actually means multitudes. If we look at the design, it draws one’s eyes to the center. Think about that being Ur of the Chaldees and the origin of Abram’s journeys, then think about the multitudes and multitudes of souls descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Abraham’s children were the first of multitudes of offspring; 160 gallons of wine was the first of multitudes of miracles. That Key Verse symbol is emblematic of the many Miracles Jesus performed which all started with 6 ceremonial stone jars brimming with abundant and exceptional blessings from the Lord of the Universe. That’s how God does things – the biggest and the best from the lowliest and least. All of that comes to us in the Life he gives. Our God-given Life is the First of Many Blessings, Healings, Miracles, Answers, Joys, … well, you get the idea. All because we choose to do whatever he says. Amen.

And here’s something the cogitate with: Sum up the Bible and ALL of history in a single word.

That Word is

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.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Aloha Friday Message – January 10, 2025 – “Y” is for YES

2502AFC011025 – “Y” is for YES 😀 ← PODCAST LINK   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.

 Matthew 3:15 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way*to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.οὕτω[ς] (houtō and houtós) {hoo’-to[s]} like this |__| ; in this manner, in this way (fashion), in accordance with this description (i.e. corresponding to what follows); in keeping with; along this line, in the manner spoken; in this way, thus(ly)

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. This coming Sunday, many churches around the world will be celebrating The Baptism of The Lord. Sometimes this event gets confused with other events in Jesus’ life. Some folks think it has something to do with last week’s celebration of the Epiphany. Some think it might be concurrent with the visit to the Temple at the Purification of Mary. A few believe it happened when Jesus was an adult, and they are right. Just for the sake of clarity, let’s look at a timeline based on what we read in the synoptic Gospels. Remember, there are no precise dates given there, so everything happened “around [this year].” Here is a sequence of some of the important events before Jesus started his ministry:

  • Birth – At Bethlehem during the lambing season
  • Circumcision – eight days later
  • Presentation – on the fortieth day after birth – Purification of Mary and Jesus’ presentation at Jerusalem
  • Visitation of the Magi – Jesus was not yet two years old
  • Massacre of all male infants under age 2 “in and around Bethlehem”
  • Flight to Egypt – around age 2
  • Herod the Great dies – Jesus is around age 4, and then
    • Herod Archelaus {ar-khel’-ah-os} takes over Judaea, Idumaea, and Samaria
    • Herod Antipas takes over Galilee and Peraea
    • The non-Jewish areas (except Samaria) were assigned to a third son, Philip, to Herod’s sister Salome, or to the province of Syria
  • Joseph is counseled by an angel that it is safe to return home
  • The Holy Family settles in Nazareth to avoid living in the territory ruled by Archelaus – Jesus is perhaps age 5
  • Lost at the Temple – around age 12
  • John the Baptist and Jesus begin their ministries around 27-30 AD. No precise date is known
  • John BAPTIZES JESUS
  • John proclaims Jesus is “the Lamb of God.”
  • Jesus retreats to the desert for 40 days of preparation and temptation (See Mark 1:12-13)
  • Jesus calls Andrew, Peter, Phillip, and Nathanael as Apostles
  • Wedding at Cana and Jesus begins baptizing, preaching, and teaching.

 Now, another thing that brings us to wonder “why did he do that?” is Jesus’ insistence that John baptize him. After all, he is the Messiah- the King of Glory! – at whose name every knee shall bow, (↔ Music Link) and John knows that. He is The Son of God, and both Jesus and John know that, too. So how can a mere man who is unworthy to carry Jesus’ sandals (or tie or untie them), a man sent as a Prophet in the Spirit of Elijah, or a man who is lesser because he is mortal and his cousin is immortal having existed since before creation and who was present at Creation – how can this mortal man we worthy to Baptize the sinless Son of God as a sign of righteousness? Jesus in effect tells him, “This is the way Dad wants it done, so let’s just do it.” The key to understanding that well is in that little phrase in this way

I’ll put that note about our Key Verse here for us to use again: οὕτω[ς] (houtō and houtós) {hoo’-to[s]} like this. . .; in this manner, in this way (fashion), in accordance with this description (i.e. corresponding to what follows); in keeping with; along this line, in the manner spoken; in this way, thus(ly). To what does “thusly” or “in this way” refer? The answer to that question will help us understand why Jesus insisted on John’s cooperation: The importance of a spirit of obedient submission to the will of The Father. “We need to do this together. Both of us need to do what God is expecting of us. It is the proper thing to do to complete every aspect of righteousness. Your responsibility is to baptize. My responsibility is to let you.”

We want to remember that when it comes to salvation, our responsibility is to believe God – not just believe in him – actually believe what he says; he will redeem us. We must let God BE God. This is a hard lesson to learn. The Being who forgot it first was Lucifer. Don’t be like Lucifer. Remember: God is God. We are not. It takes humility to remember that. Humility is another tough lesson (which led to the downfall of that other guy, right?) But, we have an example of humility that is absolutely extraordinary, and that  brings us to the Person of the Week – Our Mother, Mary. (↔ Music Link)

As with Jesus’ timeline, we don’t have any particular dates for Mary’s life. Tradition relates that she was the child of Joachim and Anne. This information is not in the Canon of the Bible, but appears about 150 years after Jesus’ time in the noncanonical Gospel of James. Sacred Tradition discloses that she was an obedient child filled with Love and Reverence for God. We can gain some insight into the life of Mary by looking at her name and the names of her ancestors.

The name ”Mary” is derived from the Hebrew name Miriam. Now, we know that the New Testament is hidden in the Old Testament and the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament. Who was Miriam in the Old Testament?

  • She was the daughter of Jochebed (her name means “Jehovah is glory”) and Amram (his name means “exalted people”)
  • She was the eldest of three children born in Egypt to this couple. Her brothers were Moses (his name means “drawn forth”) and Aaron (his name possibly means  “light bringer” or “Mountain of strength,” however, the derivation is uncertain)
  • The name Miriam comes from the Hebrew word for bitter – mar (masc.) or marah (fem). (See Exodus 15:20-27) Miriam and Aaron challenged Moses’ authority to prophesy. This act of rebellion caused the Lord to meet directly with the three siblings, to ratify Moses’ authority, and to cause Miriam to receive leprose-looking skin.
    • The name Miriam is translatable as “rebellion,” or “bitterness.” More on this momentarily.

The name “Mary” was a fairly common name in Jesus’ time. There are several women in the Bible with that name:
Mary: (1) mother of Jesus; (2) the younger sister of Martha and Lazarus; (3) Mary Magdalene “The Apostle to the Apostles;” (4) the mother of James and Joseph; (5) the wife of Clzopas (John 19:25); (6) mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12); (7) an otherwise unidentified Christian greeted by The Apostle Paul in Romans 16:6

Now, if we look back at these names and consider others like Abram and Abraham (future features), we see it is true that often a person’s names hinted at their destiny and personality. Yet, this does not seem to be the case with Μαρία or Μαριάμ as is her name in Greek in the New Testament. In fact, she is the precise and literal opposite of rebellion.
Because, why?
Well, I have not seen this in the Apostolic or Nicene Creeds, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, or any other authoritative source. This is just my puny little opinion which helps me gain a deeper appreciation of Mary’s importance as an Exemplar (Paradigm, Archetype, Ideal) in Scripture.

  •  Now, if Mary is derived from the name Miriam which means bitterness and/or rebellion (after the rebellion after the place Massah, and Meribah where the people grumbled bitterly about God), how does that name apply in the Annunciation?
  • When the Angel Gabriel spoke to Mary, her response was an unconditional YES as she willingly and completely submitted to God’s will without bitterness or rebellion.  Rebellion was overcome by obedience. Disillusionment was overcome by joy. Death was overcome by life. Darkness was overcome by light, and doubt was overcome by faith in a simple “yes.”
  • Her reverence for God and her impeccable humility allowed her to completely surrender to great risks – the possibility f divorce, a trial. Possibly even death by stoning! Like our Old Friend Abraham, she reasoned that God could be trusted to do what he said. Abraham believed God could complete his covenant with him even if he sacrificed his son. Mary believed she could bear a child who would be called AND ACTUALLY BE the Only Begotten Son of God.
  • Thus, “rebellion” was “overcome” by OBEDIENCE out of Grace-based Love of the Father. Indeed we can and should echo Gabriel’s greeting “Hail full of Grace!(↔ Music Link)

Mary’s Son, Jesus, the Only Begotten Son of God, also showed us complete and entire surrender through the Grace of Absolute Faith and acceptance of the Will of God. At his Baptism by John the Baptizer, Jesus is seen and heard as the Trinity now present to the Earth. His YES there means a serious interruption to the rule of The Prince of the Air – ha-Satan! At his birth, he shed all Power and Glory of his Eternal Origin and – with his humble and obedient parents – submitted to a life of poverty, loss, and suffering by willingly accepting his destiny as Jesus – the Promised Savior – through death on the Cross. Mary shows us that we can overcome the rebellion that is built into us through Original Sin. She, “The Second Eve,” the “Ark of the New Covenant,” gives us HOPE that we, too, can give our assent to complete surrender. By her YES she knew the Holiness of God surrounding (↔ Music Link) her as the Son of God rested in her womb. The Rebellion at Eden is vanquished in the Sacrifice at Golgotha. Let us prepare our hearts and minds to go there with Jesus, his Mother, and the other Marys who were faithful to him to the end. Surely she who is filled with Grace through the Power of the Holy Spirit was chosen by the Father for the Son from all women to be the Beginning of the End. (↔ Learning Link)

Belovéd! Should not we also surrender everything so that we may receive God’s All?

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.

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Aloha Friday Message – January 3, 2025 – #4358

2501AFC010325 – #4358 😀 PODCAST LINK   

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.

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Matthew 2:5-6 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” ¡Que la bendición esté siempre con ustedes y que Dios los bendiga, Amados! (May blessing always be with you and may God bless you, Belovéd!)

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! This week we begin something new – dare we call it a hybrid study? We’re going to look at something from the Scriptures for the Epiphany of the Lord celebrated this coming Sunday, and then we will look at the first of our Persons in the Bible installments. I’ve never done this before so it is something new, and perhaps we can do that together. This is the time of year when many of us resolve to start new things to which we aspire, resume old things we’ve neglected, or eliminate burdensome things we don’t really need any longer. We make those waffle-prone New Year’s Resolutions that often last less than six weeks. I hope this endeavor will be in the first category of useful aspirations.

The Scripture for today’s short (we hope) meditation quotes a passage from Matthew which in turn quotes from Micah 5:2
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
    who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
    one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
    from ancient days.

That last phrase, “whose origin is from of old, from ancient days” connotes the eternal aspect of God – eventually revealed as Trinity – and signifies the fulfillment of the promise to David of a Ruler who would govern Israel forever. John the Baptizer later told us that Jesus was from “forever” when he stated Jesus was grater than he because Jesus preceded him (even though John the Baptizer was conceived before Jesus was).

Here we see that God does not always, – in fact, rarely – chooses the greatest and best to lead his people. He chooses the least likely, the lowest esteemed, the most humble to carry out his will. We have only to look to the last section of Sunday’s Gospel and see that the Magi (plural of Magus Latin for “magician” – Persian Priests of Zoroaster) “on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage.

And so we have the Epiphany – the Showing Forth, the First Manifestation of Jesus, the Christ of God conceived and born of human flesh and Divine Nature – and we see that first this little baby whom the Angels call “Christ the Lord” (See Luke 2:11) is visited and seen by shepherds, among the lest respected persons in Israel, and then to men who were Priests and great kings (presumedly) of Pagans from the nations of the Gentiles. This signifies he is to be a King of all kings and Lord of all lords. We see this designation in 1 Timothy 6:13-1513 In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. This is also our charge, our duty, our kuleana (Hawaiʻian: responsibility). We are pledged to and serve Jesus who is Emmanual (↔ Music Link)

And we have just encountered the first  of the Persons in the Bible which we will study – Jesus.

We begin with the bold declaration of The Apostle Peter in Acts 4:1212 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved. You may recall that in ancient times a name was a key to a person’s life. It was as much a title as it was a designation for recognition. In ancient Israel – and to this very day – Jews do not pronounce the name the Lord gave to Moses at the Burning Bush. They will refer to him as Adonai (the Lord) or call him by ha-Shem (the Name). When the Name of God is invoked in any form, ALL of God is invoked. The Trinity is called up, and no member of the Trinity acts alone but rather all act in unison. This also means that all the ways – or names – by which we know and call God are also invoked. In these messages we have referred often to El Shaddai-Olam, Almighty, Everliving God, ha-Ruach, ruach ha-kodesh (Holy Spirit), and several other characteristics like his Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, and Eternal Salvation.

In like manner, ALL of Jesus’ names titles, and characteristics are invoked together in the name Jesus. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church at paragraph 2666 we read:

CCC 2666

But the one name that contains everything is the one that the Son of God received in his incarnation: JESUS. the divine name may not be spoken by human lips, but by assuming our humanity the Word of God hands it over to us and we can invoke it: “Jesus,” “YHWH saves.”
The name “Jesus” contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray “Jesus” is to invoke him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him. (My emphasis added)

What did the Disciples call him? Probably Yeshua (yeh-SHU-ah) which means “Jehovah is Salvation,” or God saves.” It is similar to – actually synonymous with – Yehoshua, Joshua. Our Lord Jesus the Christ of God is not the only “Jesus” mentioned in our Bible. We also have Jesus Barabbas, Jesus ben Ananias, and Jesus ben Sirach. Our Savior would have been referred to legally as Yeshua ben Yoceph meaning Jesus son of Joseph. Joseph was the name Rachel gave to her son. The name is derived from the Hebrew root יָסַף (yasaph), meaning “to add” or “to increase,” and Rachel’s exclamation at his birth was “May the LORD add to me another son.” (See Genesis 30:24) The Lord God granted that prayer for he and she gave birth to Benjamin. Regrettably she died in childbirth as he was born.

As with his Heavenly Father, Jesus had many titular names. I strongly encourage you to explore and learn to pray The Litany of the Holy Name of Jesus. As you do this, you will find that you, too, know Jesus in many ways, and you might even come up with some titles of you own for how he has influenced your life. Please try that this week.

Next week we will take another briefer look at the Scriptures associated with The Baptism of the Lord (and the Christmas season will be over that following Monday). We will also choose another name from the Bible and get better acquainted with him/her. Please give me some feedback about this first issue of the new format. God bless you always and all ways.

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.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Creative Commons License Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

Aloha Friday Message – December 29, 2024 – A Family of Love

2452AFC122924 – A Family of Love🙂 PODCAST LINK

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.

This is the last post for the year 2024. (Hey! Who said “Hooray!”?) In this post we will give you almost entirely Scripture. The Word speaks for itself. If you will patiently read all of these passages, you may find that a newer or stronger, or clearer feeling about Love and Family is growing in your heart and mind and spirit. As we begin next year we will frequently reference Pope Francis’ designation of 2025 as a Jubilee year. It is important that we learn more about that and why it is important for us to participate more fully in the events that unfold throughout the year.

Shortly after the first of the new Year we will upload the 1,000th post on this site. I hope you will find that to be OK news and not just evidence of a guy who is blessed with the gift of gab – or blather. Our goal here is to help all of us be more aware of the content and meaning of Scripture (which is why this image is sort of a logo) as well as to understand the importance of our Traditions. One of the most important Traditions are the special Commemorative Feasts. We have one coming up this last Sunday in 2024 – the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

God established families, and marriage, and spousal fidelity and respect. As we have come to know over these past 997 posts, “all you need is Love.” Therefore, Belovéd, let us learn about Love, and learn it as family, as we share the Word of God. Next year we will feature Faces From the B.I.B.L.E. so stayed tuned for further information!

Sirach 3:1-4, 9 (GNT) [1]1 Children, listen to me; I am your father. Do what I tell you and you will be safe, for the Lord has given fathers authority over their children and given children the obligation to obey their mothers. If you respect your father, you can make up for your sins, and if you honor your mother, you are earning great wealth. When parents give their blessing, they give strength to their children’s homes, but when they curse their children, they destroy the very foundations.

John 15:9-17As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants any longer, because the servantdoes not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17 I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

1 John 3:1 aSee what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.

1 John 3: 18-2318 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 19 And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him 20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; 22 and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.

John 1:12-1312 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

John 3:16-1916 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.

Colossians 3:1414 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:14-2114 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
18 Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart.

1 Peter 4:7-11The end of all things is near, therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10 Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. 11 Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

From The Didache – Διδαχή – διδαχή (say “DID-ah-key) – The teachings of the Apostles Chapter 1, Parts 1-3

  1. There are two Ways, one of Life and one of Death, and there is a great difference between the two Ways.
  • The way of life is this:” First, you shalt love the God who made thee, secondly, thy neighbor as thyself; and whatsoever thou wouldst not have done to thyself, do not thou to another.”
  • Now, the teaching of these words is this: “Bless those that curse you, and pray for your enemies, and fast for those that persecute you. For what credit is it to you if you love those that love you? Do not even the heathen do the same?” But, for your part, “love those that hate you,” and you will have no enemy.

From our family to yours, we pray that Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love will enrich your lives in Christ Jesus always and all ways at all times in all things with ALL His Best Stuff!


Hope Peace Love Joy

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.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com


Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License


[1] Passages marked (GNT): Good News Translation (GNT) are from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)© 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.

Aloha Friday Message – December 13, 2024 – Advent Series 3 Year C

2450AFC121324 – The O Antiphons – Advent Series 3 Year C  ← 😊 PODCAST LINK

“It’s Gospel, Adelphos!

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.

 1 Thessalonians 5:15-25See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil. May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this. Beloved, pray for us.

You may have heard of something called “The O Antiphons.” If not, you’ve probably sung a hymn called “O come, O come Emanuel.” They are related in subject and content, and are sung during this time of year – Advent – during the period called “the Octave of Christmas” which is December 17 through 24 – a period of 8 days, hence octave. The first 7 days of the Octave of Christmas correspond to the 7 O Antiphons; the eighth day of the Octave, December 24, is the Christmas Vigil. The words in these Antiphons are familiar because of the hymn O Come, O Come Emanuel, but the meanings behind them may not be, so we’re going to take a look into the history and meaning of these Antiphons. Each of the antiphons presents insight into the Divinity of the Messiah by recalling descriptive passages of Scripture. There is evidence that they have been in use in the Church since the Fifth Century. By the Eighth Century, they were in common use in most Rites of Liturgy. They describe for us seven ways by which the Lord “comes to us” in Advent by telling us how he will be revealed to humanity. The Antiphons are in Latin, so that will be presented first, then the English translation, then the date in December when the Antiphon is sung.

Normally they are recited or sung in the evenings as part of an evening prayer service. When I listen to them, I am reminded of Christmas 1968. A friend at Metropolitan State College, Mary Jane McBride as I recall, invited me to go to Vespers at a nearby Seminary. I was already contemplating conversion from Baptiterian to Catholic, and that experience moved me miles and mile farther down that road. It was a true Mountain-Top Experience – exhilaration, a feeling of deep spiritual connection, and the glowing-shivers (ya know wuddamean?) … I can still feel that today as I remember it. So this one’s for Mary Jane and everyone who’s taken a friend to the Mountaintop because now, when we say the word GOD, we understand we are naming The Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Spirit – who have existed together eternally. And it is God who is praised in the O Antiphons:

O SAPIENTIA – O Wisdom December 17: Wisdom was with God at Creation (Proverbs 13:19) and God’s Wisdom cannot be surpassed (Isaiah 40:13-14). God have created all things and all times with only the Wisdom of his Word. O Wisdom, who came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly: come, and teach us the way of prudence.

O ADONAI – O SUPREME LORD December 18:  The root ADON means steward-administrator, Master, Lord as a respectful title indicating authority and power. Adding –ai elevated the meaning to a superlative as “Lord of All,” “Supreme Authority,” or “Ultimate Power.” The common expression “Supreme Being,” falls far short of the meaning of Adonai, a name commonly used in Hebrew Scripture to represent the name YHWH. See Exodus 3:1-6.

O RADIX JESSE – O ROOT OF JESSE December 19: A shoot shall grow out from the stump of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” I love this verse. The image is of an ancient olive tree cut down after many years because it is no longer bearing fruit as it should. The stump is left and irrigated, cared for, and watched over. Then a shoot, a new olive tree, sprouts from the stump and has the support of the ancient roots beneath it. Read Isaiah 11 with this in mind. It’s another Mountaintop Experience.

O CLAVIS DAVID – O KEY OF DAVID December 20: This is the Key that liberates prisoners, unfetters the chains that bind into death all who walk the Earth. This is the Scepter of Israel. Only this key opens what no human can open, and only this key closes what no human can close. See Isaiah 61:1, Isaiah 42:7, and Luke 4:16-20. This is The Christ of God.

O ORIENS – O RISING DAWN December 21: O Radiant Dawn of the east, brightness of light eternal, and sun of justice: come, and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. See Isaiah 9:2 and Matthew 4:13-17. God, who are Light, as dawned upon the Earth and dispelled the darkness of death as Light is victorious over the shadows of night. Just as the celestial sun gives warmth, energy, light, and life to the earth, so the Sun of Justice spreads the Light of God over all creatures. And so our eyes and hearts and minds look to the east for the Light of the Nations.

O REX GENTIUM – O KING OF THE NATIONS December 22: O King of the Gentiles and their Desired One you are the Desired of all nations (Haggai 2:7), you are the cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16) that binds the two into one (Ephesians 2:14). Come, and bring wholeness to man whom you fashioned out of clay (Genesis 2:7). In the King of Glory disciple is united to Christ (John 17:01-22), every living soul will acknowledge God’s reign (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:9-12 Philippians 2:9-11)

O EMANUEL ­– O EMANUEL, GOD WITH US December 23: O Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14), God with us, our King and lawgiver (Isaiah 33:22), the expected of the nations and their Savior: come to save us, O Lord our God. The hymn, already mentioned – O come, O Come Emanuel – is a reworking of the O Antiphons: O Come, Emanuel, Rod of Jesse, Day-Spring, Key of David, and Lord of Might for example. The hymn itself appears to have been written in the twelfth century in Latin (Veni, Veni Emanuel) and was based on eighth-century arrangements of the 7 O Antiphons. As you can see, this has been around a long time, and – taken together – these antiphons give us a Biblical encapsulation of the Advent season. In several sites I explored for this post, researchers also mentioned that there is a specific order for these seven antiphons. If start at the seventh and go backwards to the first, and you take the first letter of each title of Christ you get E (Emanuel), R (Rex Gentium), O (Oriens), C (Clavis David), R (Radix Jesse), and S (Sapientia). Looking at the letters you get E R O C R A S. This forms two Latin words: Ero cras. That phrase somewhat freely translated means “Tomorrow, I will be there,” or “I will come tomorrow.” That pretty well matches the whole theme of advent!

And so, Beloved, there we have it, the Seven O Antiphons. I have many personal reason for loving the hymn, and I have enjoyed listening to the Benedictine chant version of the Antiphons. You can listen to them too, if you like, and get a deeper sense of the power of the scriptural insights the Antiphons carry.

This coming Sunday, December 15th, the 3rd Sunday of Advent, is often called “Gaudete Sunday (gow-DEH-teh). The Introit for Gaudete Sunday is taken from Philippians 4:4,5: “Gaudete in Domino semper” (“Rejoice in the Lord always”). On this Sunday, the Vestments can be rose-colored rather than purple as is usual during a penitential season (Lent and Advent). The rose color reminds us we have passed the midpoint of the season and things are brightening up  as is indicated by the entrance (Introit) verse which says, “REJOICE!”

Rejoice with one another, Beloved. Pray for, with, and about one another. Be kind to one another, and be especially kind to strangers. Remember what He said: “Whatever you do to the least of these…” and “I AM coming tomorrow.” Isn’t that a good enough reason to rejoice? There’s a post for that right here, and in that post you will find these biblical terms for REJOICE:

Samah – שָׂמַ֖ח – Jubilant, spontaneous dancing, signing (simhach) – 1 Chronicles 29:9
Alaz – עָלַז – Exult – Burst into leaping with joy – Habakkuk 3:17-18
Nagilah – נָגִ֖ילָה – Let us rejoice – Psalm 118:4
Euphraino – εὐφραίνω – To gladden the mind – Revelation 12:12
Kauchaomai – καυχάομαι – Glory in success and boast against – 1 Corinthians 1:30-31
Sunchairo – a συγχαίρω – Rejoicing together, with others – Luke 15:6
Agalliao – ἀγαλλιάω – Rejoice Greatly, to exult; jump for joy – Revelation 19:6-8
Chairo – χαίρω – Rejoicing over experiencing God’s Grace; be glad in the Lord – Luke 15:32

That is such a great word – REJOICE. When I hear it I hear it as re-joys as in joys again, and again, and again. One of the best JOY words around is Halleluiah and its alternative Alleluia. We are to be an Alleluia People! What does that word mean? It means GOD BE PRAISED. We used to sing a song about that. (↔ Music Link) We’d be divided into two groups – boys and girls, left-side and right-side, children and adults – and on the Hallelujah phrases one group would stand. When Praise ye the Lord came up the Hallelujah group sat down and the second group stood up. There was a lot of “jumping up and down.” Rejoicing is like that. It’s just being so happy that we simply can’t sit still. (↔ Music Link)

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.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Creative Commons License
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

December 12 Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Aloha Friday Message – December 6, 2024 – Advent Series 2 Year C

2449AFC120624 – Advent Series 2 Year C😊 PODCAST LINK

“We should have been ready!”

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.

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Philippians 1:9-11And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Luke 3:3-6 He [John the Baptizer] went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
    make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled,
    and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
    and the rough ways made smooth;
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Christ Jesus our Lord. “You should’ve thought of that before we left!” We all remember hearing that as we piled into the car – or bus, or train, or tram, or church, or school (you get the picture). There are some things we just have to take care of before we get to the next thing and – more importantly – the main thing. And when the main thing comes, how often do we say, “I should’ve known … – to bring my boots, to go to the loo, to pack a sweater, get my swimsuit, call my Auntie, tell my sweetheart (spouse, children, pet[s] … ) I love them.” We should have known that yesterday, or tomorrow, or even today – for us, for me, for you – judgment will come. “I shoulda woulda coulda” will be of no help at all. Even “I am, I have, I did, I didn’t” will be ineffectual.

“We never heard that before.”
“How the heck did that happen?
“Why weren’t we told?” (↔ Music Link)

“I must’ve missed the memo.”
“The real problem around here is the lack of communication!”

And the Lord might say, “Yes, my children, I agree. Communication is a problem – it’s a two-way process and there’s a lot of static on your end so that you can’t hear me. I’ve been telling you ‘CONSTANT VIGILANCE,’ yet you’re so busy with  your idols that you don’t have time to watch.”

“But I was in church Sunday.”
“I’ve done my Five First Fridays and Seven First Saturdays.”
“You gotta take it easy on me. I’m having a hard time here, and you’re not helping me.”
“I was watching last week when that creepy vagrant came around looking for a hand out. I sure sent them packing! Too lazy to get a job, eh?”
“I think I heard that once in some homily maybe.”
“Ready for what – the signs clearly given in the Book of Revelation have not all been fulfilled, if we really believe all that stuff anyway, so I’ll wait in my own way and see what happens.”

Does this image seem shocking? Why would  I put something so negative here? Here is a phrase from our Key Verse: that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless. And there it is, to determine what is best, to know discernment. (↔ Learning Link) “Well, we know we’re not like them. They don’t even know who Jesus is. (↔ Music Link) This image certainly does not look like “The Pearly Gates,” does it. We know that Jesus talked about Hell often – over 150 times in the New Testament – but too many of us say, “Well, Hell isn’t really a thing, you know, because God is so merciful that Hell is empty (← Check it out!), but it most certainly is not. Now, even though The Catholic Church’s current status on the apparitions in Medjugorje is that it recognizes the spiritual value of the devotion, but does not judge the authenticity of the alleged apparitions, one of the dialogues with the children who were the Witnesses was recorded as: Vicka: “We saw many people in hell. Many are there already, and many more will go there when they die…The Blessed Mother says that those people who are in hell are there because they chose to go there. They wanted to go to Hell.” (← Check it out! Seriously, ← Check it out!)

We see that those people who are going to Hell just aren’t paying attention to what should be easily seen and heard: God is in charge, he is on his Throne, and HIS plan for our Eternity is both final and optional. From the days in Eden to the actual moment we are reading these words, we have been given a choice: get onboard or miss the boat. Remember the last time that happened, the one in the B.I.B.L.E. featuring Noah? (And not that ridiculous cinematic version!) We can choose to gain “more and more knowledge and full insight to help us to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ we may be pure and blameless,” or we can just ignore everything God has given us to know, to love, to obey, and to trust him. Last week we said there are no excuses. I left out this famous passage so I could put it in this post: Matthew 7:21-23Concerning Self-Deception – 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ 23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’” Note that the heading to that passage is Concerning Self-Deception. The passage is about self-deception, and self-deception is concerning as in disturbing.

There’s another choice, and the key to it is in our Key Verse from Luke: [John the Baptizer] went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Here it comes again: Repent and believe the Gospel! “I’m already saved! I was Baptized and confirmed, when to Sunday School, I’ve got a Bible (somewhere), and I was Born Again right after my birthday in 1971! I’ve got nothing to worry about. I AM A CHILD OF HIS Grace!” I am glad you are that certain. May it be so for your eternal abode. It still might be well for us, though, to be the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

How do we know the will of our father in Heaven, unless we know what he wants by knowing what he has said – like in the first post for this Advent – and by getting ready – acknowledging our sins and repenting, confessing our sins and doing penance, avoiding sin and resisting the desire to be tempted, and seeking and accepting God’s pardon and forgiveness? Dearly Belovéd, we most definitely must work on the second half of Jesus’ admonition –Repent and believe the Gospel! Assuming we are sincerely humble and contrite and can sustain an effective repentance (even if we fail 1,000 times a day, we can still repent 1,001 times!), then we must truly believe the Gospel. There is a Hell, plenty of people are going there, and I don’t want you or me to be among them!

We should have known! We should have been ready! Next week we will see why we say, “It’s Gospel, Adelphos!”

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.

Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com

Creative Commons License Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

2448AFC112924 – Advent Series 1 Year C

“We should have known Better.”

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.

Jeremiah 33:14-1614 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.” (= our Justice)

Psalm 85:7
Show us your steadfast love,[1] O Lord,
    and grant us your salvation

 
Psalm 25:11 To you, O Lord, I lift my soul. (↔ Music Link)

1 Thessalonians 3:1212 And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you

Luke 21:25-36The Coming of the Son of Man

25 “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26 People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

29 Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; 30 as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away

Exhortation to Watch

34 “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

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. Welcome to Year C of the Liturgy of the Word! This is our “New Year’s Day” so to speak – the first Sunday of the liturgical year which is also the first Sunday of Advent. The Key Verse icons will all be in violet or, as some people call it, purple or lavender.  For the time being, we will stick with looking at the Readings for each Sunday. I am still reviewing the idea of introducing Bible Characters and short biographical insights to their place in Scripture. Let me know if you’d be interested in that, or prefer the insights to the readings, or maybe go for both. Send your suggestions to the email address from which you received this message.

I added in a short passage from the Gospel Key Verses. The Lesson of The Fig Tree is not included in this Sunday’s lectionary passage. I included it because I often wonder why there is a big gap in the chosen readings. Maybe it has something to do with the 60-minute rule: “Mass better not last more than 60 minutes or I’m gonna ….” That’s not counting the folks who take off right after communion. We are asked to give at least 0.6%, yup, less than 1% of the 167 hours of Life God gives us every week. That’s nowhere near to being a traditional tithe (10% off the top!). I’ve mentioned Matthew 12:36-37 a couple of times recently. It is a Prophecy of Jesus that tells us even the small stuff will be reviewed when judgement comes for each of us. Jesus also prophesied that God will quickly grant justice to his chosen ones, then he asks, “And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (See Luke 18:1-8) If any of us are unsure about the content and context of those passages, please take a moment and look at them now. In a moment we’ll cruise over to Revelation 21:27, so take a moment to grab that one, too, please. Thanks. Now, on to the main topic.

Our Key Verses today speak to us of Love and Justice. In the passage from Jeremiah, God imparts additional information about the Just Branch, which we know the be the shoot from the root of Jesse. (See Isaiah 11:1-9) where we see –
1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
    the spirit wisdom and understanding,
    the spirit of counsel and might,
    the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

This is the King of kings prophesied to be of the lineage of David. The image conveys the connotation of new growth from old roots. It is a powerful image! The suffering in the Sin of the World will be transformed to Righteousness – Tsidqenu from צדק (tsadaq) – to be righteous. Righteousness in God is harmony, rectitude, entirely upright and decent, honest, loyal – in short – Loving. How do we get to that? We’ve covered that in Romans 13:8, and Galatians 5:1414 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Justice ≡ Righteousness ≡ Love. We’ve discussed that God has revealed himself as Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, And Eternal Salvation. Righteousness is Justice Tempered with Mercy because Mercy is Steadfast Love.

We might ask, “Why is God saving Judah and Jerusalem? That is the King’s chosen residence, and Peace will reign there through his governance, for the government shall be upon his shoulders (See Isaiah 9:6) and he will be the Prince of Peace. We must also remember that Justice stands in contrast to injustice. Injustice is failing to love God and neighbor, it is the nullification of Christ’s Law of Love. There is no Integrity, Mercy, Love, or even Salvation in that state of being, the life lived through injustices. I hope you can forgive me for hammering on this next one, but – as the expression goes – it hits the nail on the head because it demonstrates the deep reach of Justice and Righteousness. You see, Mercy tempers Justice, and for Mercy to occur, there must be Judgment. Justice served is what we deserve. Mercy is being served what we do not deserve. All of that to introduce – again – this from Matthew 12:36-3736 “I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” But, prepared or not, Emmanuel will come! (↔ Music Link)

That is why this Sunday we pray with the Psalmist Show us your steadfast love, 1 O Lord, and grant us your salvation. God has created us in Love for Love by Love and through Love. The reason for that is simple: God IS Love. (See 1 John 4:7-21, especially verse 16 b) It is also why the subtitle today is “We should have known better.” Belovéd, we have the free and total use of the B.I.B.L.E., and in it is everything we need to know to find Mercy at the time of judgment. And lest we think “Oh, I’m not too worried about that, it’s not imminent.” We should know better. In CCC 1021-1022 we have the following:

1021 Death puts an end to human life as the time open to either accepting or rejecting the divine grace manifested in Christ. 592 The New Testament speaks of judgment primarily in its aspect of the final encounter with Christ in his second coming, but also repeatedly affirms that each will be rewarded immediately after death in accordance with his works and faith. The parable of the poor man Lazarus and the words of Christ on the cross to the good thief, as well as other New Testament texts speak of a final destiny of the soul–a destiny which can be different for some and for others. 593  (my emphasis added)

1022 Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven-through a purification 594 or immediately, 595 — or immediate and everlasting damnation. 596
At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love. 597

And why is that? Let’s find that verse in Revelation 21:27(GNT) 1 27 But nothing that is impure will enter the city, nor anyone who does shameful things or tells lies. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of the living will enter the city. The Love of God is Perfect, and we are told to be like him – perfect, wholly holy. If we want God’s Mercy so that we can live with God eternally (rather than “that other guy”), then we need to be on the page of the Book of Life that says “Clean or nearly Clean.” All our sins must be expiated, and all temporal penance for those sins must be completed before we are allowed to cross that threshold into Rejoicing with the Lord. (↔ Music Link)

That’s another reason why we might say. “We should have known better.” All those involuntary prayers that are abuses of the Name of God – “Oh, my God!” and “God *blank* it!” The “little white lies,” the “I was just joking’” insults, the easily-spoken putdowns, “What an idiot!” and the ugliness we dare to share on the forever-alive social media – ALL of those qualify as our L A C K of Love. I invite you to go back and reread 2426AFC062824 – Winning a spot in the Final Four, and look for the phrase “by the heel.” In that post you will find this warning:

“What happens if one’s lifestyle looks more like a death-style? God will always give us what we need, correct? Sometimes, though, he lets us have a taste of what we want – sours the milk so to speak – in the hope that we will repent and go back to him.”

Every single one of us – believers and nonbelievers – are instructed to “Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Where can we gather such strength? What is a source we can use continuously to live in Love and bear in mind our particular YOLO-F? Why, we all know the answer. It’s in Psalm 121:1-2(GNT) [1]
I lift up my eyes to the hills—
    from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

It is not in the hills or the valleys or the seas or the skies that our Help reposes. It is in God and God alone, the One, the Only, the True God who is and was and will always be Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, And Eternal Salvation.

Will we, can we, mustn’t we “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth.” ʻŌmea! That day could be today! Maybe not for everyone in the whole World, but maybe for someone somewhere in their own World. If that someone is me or you or a friend or a loved one – JUDGMENT IS IMMINENT, NOT “LATER, MAYBE.” We might ask, “why would God make it thus? Here ya go. Another reason “We should have known better.”

Isaiah 45: 21-25
21 Declare and present your case;
    let them take counsel together!
Who told this long ago?
    Who declared it of old?
Was it not I, the Lord?
    There is no other god besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
    there is no one besides me.
22 Turn to me and be saved,
    all the ends of the earth!
    For I am God, and there is no other.
23 By myself I have sworn,
    from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness
    a word that shall not return:
“To me every knee shall bow,
    every tongue shall swear.”
24 Only in the Lord, it shall be said of me,
    are righteousness and strength;
all who were incensed against him
    shall come to him and be ashamed.
25 In the Lord all the offspring of Israel
    shall triumph and glory.

Belovéd, we really do know there are no acceptable excuses, and no amount of self-justification will make a difference in the outcome. It is our thoughts, words, and deeds that condemn us, and it is God’s judgment in The Law that convicts us as guilty. Only in Christ will we find the Mercy to deliver us from a downward journey at the moment of death.

Next week we will reflect on the Messenger who came to prepare the way of the Lord, and ask if we are prepared to walk in his way.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!

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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.

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Creative Commons License Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License


[1]  Passages marked (GNT): Good News Translation (GNT) are from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)© 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible. n


[1] [steadfast love = Lovingkindness, mercy, God as compassionate and faithful, loyalty, faithfulness, goodness]

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