Aloha Friday Message – December 30, 2022 – What’s it to ya?

December 30, 2022

2253AFC123022 – What’s it to ya?

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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    Sirach 3:3-4 –
3 Those who honor their father atone for sins,
4     and those who respect their mother are like those who lay up treasure.

Psalm 128:1 –
1 Happy is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways.

Colossians 3:16-17 – 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.

Matthew 2:14-15 – 14 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, in truth and love. Well, Belovéd, it’s been quite a week already and there is more to come during this Octave of Christmas which began on the day of The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) and will end on January 1, 2023 The Octave Day of Christmas Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. Normally our weekend study is based on the readings from the following Sunday – in this case that would be January 1, 2023. Today, however, I have been steered toward the celebration for today, December 30, 2022 – Feast of The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. I believe this became the assignment because we are in an enormous crisis – indeed a plethora of crises – related to family. We often ask in the midst of such a predicament, “Why is God doing this to us?” or “Why is God allowing this to happen?” One need only consider the demise of family values and family structure to see something of the root of this mess. We have abandoned God, and even banned him from his rightful place in our homes, our schools, our governments, and – worst of all – in our hearts. “But not me! I didn’t do that! It’s them, those wretched fools over there! It’s all their fault!”

Well, what’s it to ya? If you, if I, if we are “doing OK,” then what are we supposed to do about all this stuff going on? The most obvious is that we can pray about it, but not like some we hear who say, “God deliver us from these sinful people who bring harm to all around them.” We could perhaps pray, “God thank you for opening my eyes (↔ Music Link) so I can see the goodness in this World and in these people who oppose you.” We can take positive action by making certain our families follow the example of the Holy Family – a Dad, a Mom, and a Kid – in a community of families. That’s so difficult to find today! There is so much violence and hatred and selfishness and … well, you know the rest of it. We can live our lives shuttered away from the world, we can live in sustaining the world, or we can live our lives in, but not of, the world. These are realities we cannot escape. It was pretty much the same for The Holy Family.

We surely remember what happened after the Magi left Jesus and his Mom at the house (probably in Bethlehem, perhaps in Jerusalem). King Herod had every male child in and around the vicinity of Bethlehem brutally murdered. That is why Joseph was ordered to take his wife and child to Egypt for protection. When Herod Agrippa died, he was replaced by his sons, Archelaus, Antipas, and Phillip. Another angel vision assured Joseph and Mary that it was safe to return to Israel, they decided to return to Nazareth which is where Jesus learned the Law of Moses and also carpentry or construction. He was obedient to his parents and honored them throughout his formative years. He honored his foster father, Joseph, by accepting his teaching and guidance. He “laid up treasure” by respecting his mother. He was close to her during his entire life on  Earth, and after his Resurrection, he continued to honor her as an Ideal Woman (I’ve referred to her as a “Proverbs 31” woman).

From the account we have of the Holy Family visiting Jerusalem when Jesus was 12, we know that Jesus already understood that his mission was to do the works of his Father. (See Luke 2:41-51) The Greek word for this is dei (die) connoting “what is essential,” or “what must be,” or “it behooves me,” or “it is incumbent upon me” and – in this usage – Jesus is telling his parents, “I am bound to be here rather than anywhere else.” Then they all went back down to Nazareth, “and he was obedient to them.” Mary cherished every word (and moment no doubt) in her heart. After this event, we never find another mention of Joseph in the rest of the Bible. We don’t know when he died, but we do know that his death made Mary a widow, and Jesus honored her by caring for her in their own home built for and with them by Joseph. This was a family that revered God, and made it their habit to go up to Jerusalem regularly for the Festival of Passover. They had a habit of loving and obeying God, they learned the Scriptures given by and about God. They ate together, worked together, travelled together. In short, they behaved as a good Jewish family. They reverenced the Lord and walked in his ways. (See Psalm 128:1 above)

Not long ago I share with you something that truly surprised me. Jesus could sing! (See 2123AFC060421 – The 411 of the 808). This is presented to us in Mark 14:26 – 26 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Jesus learned those “songs” – the Psalms – from his parents and his Hebrew school as he prepared for his Bar Mitzvah – and so we see that learning things together as well as doing things together were a normal part of their life as a family. In the same way that Crucita and I have a Christ-centered home, they had a YAH-centered home. “Yah? What’s a Yah?”

More like “Who’s the YAH.” Let’s go back to Luke 2 and build in some background to help answer that. We mentioned that Herod died and God told Joseph it was safe to “go back home,” so to speak. Matthew 2:22b-23 – And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 23 There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.” Now, the people who like to pick at “lose threads” in the Gospel really love this one because nowhere in the Canon of Scripture does it say “He shall be called a Nazorean.” However, there’s some good Jewish riddle-making in this. “Shall be called a Nazorean” just might be a play on the Hebrew word netser נֵצֶר (nay’-tser) a shoot or stem as in Isaiah 11:1 (↔ Click Link for multiple translations) The designation was used as one of contempt as well, as we see in John 1:45-46 – 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” That was the test of a Prophet, to go and see what was said and done. Moses gave advice on that:

Deuteronomy 18:21-22 – 21 You may say to yourself, “How can we recognize a word that the Lord has not spoken?” 22 If a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it.
We find additional instructions in Psalm 68 where we read in Psalm 68:4 –
4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name:
extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH*,
and rejoice before him.
Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV) KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK. Used by permission
*  יָהּ (YAH) {yaw} a Proper Name meaning God or Lord; a contraction of “The Unutterable Name.”

Jesus spoke in the Name of The Lord – in fact, he told us he spoke only  what his Father told him. He was indeed a Prophet because he spoke what God wanted to have declared, and what he spoke came true. Jesus, Son of the Living God, (Son of YAH) was a Prophet. He spoke the Word of God to the people; moreover, he is the Word of God made Flesh. He predicted The Apostle Peter’s denial as well as his own death and it was fulfilled as he described it. In the Old Testament, some Prophets, Elijah and Elisha for example, performed miracles. Jesus performed miracles, and thousands went to go see him because of what they heard and because of what they hoped. In all of these things, Jesus frequently referred to himself as “The Son of Man.” This occurs over 80 times in the Gospels, and in the Old Testament it occurs over 100 times – mostly in reference to Ezekiel. The term, “Son of Man” is a term describing a Prophet.

We also know, through the writings of The Apostle Paul, that God calls all of us to be his adopted sons and daughters when we claim Christ as our brother and JAH as our Father. (John 1:12-13 – 12 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.) If we, then, are baptized into the Body of Christ – the Church – then God the Father requires that his children present themselves to him as righteous, loyal, and obedient servants, free from sin as is his Son. Those who do not comply with these requirements are roundly condemned by God as in Isaiah 1:11-20. Here the Prophet of God speaks out against token “sacrifices” made by people “with blood on their hands.” They do not honor God with these sacrifices out of reverence, but rather dishonor God by their rejection of his provident Love. They are pretending to be righteous, but still living in impudence. They do not Love as HE loves (↔ Music Link) – with all their heart. We know another being who embraced that lifestyle – a former high-ranking and much favored angel named Lucifer. Isaiah was letting them know they were more like that angel then like their Creator. Jesus made the same observation about the same problem in John 8:31-47 (↔ Click Link). I STRONGLY encourage you follow that link and read it with The Holy Family in mind. You may see a paradigm you have not seen before. Go ahead. I’ll wait right here. <<<< pause >>>>

The same goes for “pretending” to be a family. You might

  • all live in the same house but have your meals at different times,
  • each pursue her/his own interest,
  • make it to church when it doesn’t interfere with the kids’ sports,
  • or dad’s football game,
  • or mom’s book club;
  • ride in the same car like carpooling workers and
  • each goes off to different activities;
  • go to Mass or Sunday services without preparing for the readings in advance; OR
  • maybe as a Catholic Parent or teen you skip your examination of conscience because “well, that’s not so bad.”

That familial pretense is offensive to God! As parents, as catechists, as neighbors, as godparents, as lovers of Christ, as servants of El Shaddai-Olam, we had best be examining our lives with the M.A.P. (↔ Click Link) and asking “What’s it to YAH?” That’s in the APP. When we find our answers, we might also repent and return to the Gospel, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

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 23, 2022 – No Deposit. No Return

December 23, 2022

2252AFC122322 – No Deposit. No Return.

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.

Isaiah 52:7 – 7 How beautiful upon the mountains (↔ Music Link)
are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who announces salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.*”
* Some translations read : “Your God is King!”

Psalm 98:1 –
1 O sing to the Lord a new song, (↔ Music Link)
for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
have gotten him victory.

Hebrews 1:3-4 – 3 He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

John 1:14 – 14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son,] full of grace and truth.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. And while we’re at it: Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou, ʻŌmea! That’s our Hawaiian greeting for Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Belovéd! We are very nearly at the end of 2022 with a single additional post remaining for December 30th. These Key Verses from this Sunday’s readings for The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Mass during the Day (← Check it out!). Today’s greeting comes from 2 Corinthians 13:14 and contains a couple of my favorite Greek words: Κοινωνία (koinonia) and ἀγάπη (agape). Koinonia is the Grace of fellowship, sharing in, as in Communion. And of course we recognize agape – the pure Love of God which he shares with us in “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.” Looking at this collection of Scripture passages we see a prevailing theme: Victory!

How wonderful and exciting it is to hear the Sentinel up on the hill declare that war has ceased and victory has been won! God’s mighty arm has won for us – indeed Belovéd, for us – the Victory over the Ancient Foe: Death. Our God reigns. That alternate translation, “Your God is King” makes our hearts rejoice and sing “Your King is God!” Our God is indeed An Awesome God (↔ Music Link) for who but God could defeat death and the evil that it relies on? It is true that “His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.” What, then, is that right hand and Holy arm? What – or Who – is spoken of in Isaiah 52:10 –
10 The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.? Who is our Salvation? Our Salvation is the Right Hand of God, his Holy Arm – Jesus, the Christ of God. It is not just the saved who are called to rejoice, to sing in gladness, “Hosanna!” (↔ Music Link) It is the entire world which is called to worship in Psalm 98. Rivers, and hills; streams, and seas; rocks and rills; birds, and trees; all exult in rejoicing, for “He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.” (Psalm 98:9b) Here “judge” (Hebrew: shaphat) carries the connotation of defend, deliver, govern. He will defend, deliver, and govern the World (all of nature) and the Peoples (all the Nations) with justice and impartiality. How can that be? I am speaking like a crazy person here. We know God can and will do that because only God will and can. Jesus is seated “at the right hand of God” because he is the right (and righteous) hand of God. This is why The Apostle Paul says of him:

He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. It is HIS word that will be our judge. We will recall John 12:48-50 – 48 “The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, 49 for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me.” In this we see that God has honored his Son during Creation, into and through Salvation, and onward to Transformation. It is not only his transformation we can expect, but also the transformation of the World and all within it – including us! Not only will Jesus, the strong Right Arm of God bring us victory, but also he will lift us up to know that Victory. We are reminded of the account we find in Acts 3:1-9. In this passage The Apostle Peter and The Apostle John are going to the temple “at the hour of prayer,” and there they see a man who was lame from birth who was begging for alms. Peter told him, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” Peter extended his hand to help him up, and it was then that the man realized he had been healed. In this case, it was not the man’s faith that brought the healing; it was The Apostle Peter’s Faith! Belovéd, what could we accomplish if we had such Faith? What if there was such a thing as a “Faith Bank?” We have food banks, and money banks, so why not a Faith Bank? Surprise! We do have such a bank. It is called “The Deposit of Faith.” Perhaps that is not a familiar term. We don’t hear about it from the Pulpit often, so, what is it?

These words will surely sound familiar: “one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” Here the “small-c catholic” means universal – all of Christendom. Holy – established with and in God. Apostolic is the word some folks get hung up on. The Deposit of Faith is the combination of Scripture and Sacred Oral Tradition which is usually called Apostolic Tradition. The Gospels that we read, teach, and preach today were first shared orally among and through the Apostles and their disciples. Jesus told his Apostles that the Holy Spirit would guide them and help them remember everything he had told them as well as everything that was to come (See John 14:26 and John 16:13). That information, that Faith, that Scripture was deposited in them by Jesus and managed in them by the Holy Spirit. This eternal, spiritual, and inviolable Truth came from God to and in the teachings of his Son, Jesus (who did not speak on his own but said only what the Father told him), and was preserved for us in and through the Apostles who were informed and guided by the Holy Spirit.

That’s quite a Chain of Custody! Scripture and Apostolic Tradition are preserved together, and it is the Church’s role to ensure that that Chain of Custody remains unbroken when Scripture and Apostolic Tradition are passed forward to us – the Believers who are the Belovéd. It is a deposit of far greater value than any deposit of wealth valued by earthlings – precious metals, precious gems, precious any physical matter. It is the Deposit of Faith, and from it we are allowed to make investments in our own lives. Did you know that “invest” comes from the concept of clothing a person? Because of The Deposit of Faith, we can expect to be – someday – give our shoes, a crown, and a robe and Walk All Over God’s Heaven. No more moaning and groaning, just shouting our Praise to God. We will return to all that is right, and just, and beautiful, all that is holy, and eternal, and present before God’s Throne.

Belovéd, we often say here, “Honor the Giver by Accepting the Gift.” What happens to us if we refuse this amazing gift of The Deposit of Faith? That little spiritual we just listened to says, “not everyone who’s talkin’ about Heaven is goin’ there.” Jesus said as much himself. Remember when we looked at Matthew 7:21? It says, “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.” How, then, do we return to the Lord? In the passage at Psalm 116:12-18, we find this in verse 13: 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. That “cup of Salvation” – as in Psalm 23 – overflows with all the Perfect Gifts and Generous Giving (See James 1:17 again), and the overflow comes from God through the same Chain of Custody as The Deposit of Faith. That is why the Holy Spirit named this post “No Deposit. No Return.” It’s not the Disney movie with David Niven and Barbara Felden. It has nothing to do with soda-pop bottles. It is strictly about the giving and receiving of F.A.I.T.H. as God intended it to be since Before Eden. (← That’s a post for another day.) All of this, Scripture, Apostolic Tradition – and even the Teaching Authority of the Church which gives us a Catechism to embrace and follow – all of these come to us because in the APP God chose to bless us when he planned for that day when the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son full of grace and truth. And you can take that to The Victory Bank!  Your Deposit Slip will read YOLO-F.

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 16, 2022 – All Graces Great And Small

December 16, 2022

2251AFC111622 – All Graces Great And Small

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.

     Isaiah 7:14 – 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. [עמנו אל (im-ma-nu el) – God is with us Εμμανουήλ in Koine Greek]

Psalm 24:1 – 1 The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;

Romans 1:7 – 7 To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1:21 – 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus*, for he will save his people from their sins. *Yeshua יֵשׁוּע, which means “salvation.” (↔ Click Link from alternate source)

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. Some of what you see here today will be things learned in our Parish Mission earlier this week which was given by our Parochial vicar, Fr. Dario Rinaldi. You’ll see those passages marked (Fr. D.). Today’s title is a paraphrase of the book and movie series All Creatures Great and Small; however, instead of creatures, today we will be talking about Grace. I’d like to start with something we’ve probably all heard – from Mother Goose!

There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile,
He had a crooked sixpence and a crooked little smile;
He had a crooked cat with a crooked little mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

Now, there are several versions of this old rhyme, and I’ve chosen the least nocuous. Some folks think this rhyme is creepy, or politically charged (often attributed to an agreement between Scottish General Sir Alexander Leslie and England addressing political and religious freedoms for Scotland ~~  according to Wikipedia (↔ Click Link). I see it differently. Here is my analysis:

A man with a spinal handicap of some sort lived on a wandering lane. He was fortunate to have a sixpence – about half a shilling (and 3X’s more than tuppence) . It was made of very thin silver and easy bent (intentionally or not). He therefore had something to smile about despite his smile being a little off-kilter. He also had a cat with a similar health problem, and the cat had a pet mouse – again with a handicap. Together they all shared a poorly built but sheltering house. They were happy to be so blessed! Each of those explanations of blessings are small Graces, Good Gifts from our Good God. There are other forms of small Graces that fill our lives with blessings each day. Here’s another example:

We have a few shama thrush birds (↔ Learning Link) living in our neighborhood. They are marvelous singers, and often mimic other birds. They are also capable of making up their own melodies some of which are quite complicated and some are just very simple. They sing outside our windows in the morning. That is a bit of Grace we delight in. There’s one who has perfected a wolf whistle, and that always brings a chuckle – and another Grace. Those of you who have been to Kauaʻi know we also have a stupendous number (more than 400,000) of chickens! There are more chickens than people on this Island even during tourist season when we get as many as 7-10 thousand per week. Sometimes the roosters start crowing at 2 AM and that goes on until sunset. There are couple of Graces there. One is being able to 95% ignore them. The other is the sound of a hen cluck-cluck-clucking along with 8-12 chicks behind her. Cuteness of baby chicks is certainly a pleasant Grace.

All Graces Great and Small are gifts from God and are signs of his great Love for us. What I have described so far are the small Graces he delights in heaping upon us. Whenever we accept them as Graces, we grow increasingly aware of the Goodness of God and his immense Love for all Creation. In today’s Key Verses we have some examples of the Great Graces. The first one from Isaiah: Behold! A virgin will bear a child and his name shall be called Emmanual (also spelled Immanual). Please follow this (Learning Link↔) to 1651AFC121616 – Here’s yer sign! Scroll down to the paragraph that begins “Wait a minute.” There you will find an explanation of the difference between “name” and “call.” This Key Verse is the Incarnation Narrative spoken over 700 years before Jesus was incarnated.

Another of the ginormous Graces everyone receives is in our Key Verse from Psalms:
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it
God most certainly did not wind up the universe like a huge clock and then move on to other things while letting the clock just run down! All existing things, all places, and all persons – past, present, and future – all that is, or was, or will be, belongs to him. Some of us might say, “I do not belong to God because I do not believe there is such an entity.” In my interactions with believers and nonbelievers over the past 70 years, I have found that it takes a lot more effort to deny that God has control of everything than it does to believe (even a little bit) that God is an easily-discovered reality. Look around, and we will see that God’s Good Gifts and Gracious Graces are everywhere to be seen. Look to the Key Verse from The Apostle Paul to the Romans.
“To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“OK, old man, I see what he says, but I’m not in Rome, I haven’t any Grace, and I’ll never be a Saint!” In the days of The Apostle Paul, “Rome” was pretty much “the entire world.” The fact that the Epistle is addressed to the Romans indicates it was – and is – addressed to “the entire world” today. He tells us therefore, that by Grace, we are called to be saints. Did you follow that link back to 1651AFC121616? Let’s break it down to a very simple explanation: “Capital S” saints are men and women whose lives reflect exemplary commitment to living as fully as possible the Christian’s calling to a life of service to God and to her/his fellow earthlings. All the rest of the persons called saints are those of us who are trying to live a good, solid Christian life, but probably could not be called exemplary. We are destined for Heaven, but it is unlikely we will ever be singled out as persons of exceptional faith and virtue. All who are called by God (See John 6:44 – 44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day) will be drawn to Jesus and be raised up – will be a saint (“little s”) – on the last day. That is another Great Grace! “Great” as in wonderful, and ‘great’ and in HUGE.  We can have confidence in that because of what we see in the Key Verse from Matthew. God keeps his promises, even (and especially) those we claim and accept as his Gifts – All Graces Great and Small. That brings me to a few lines from (Fr. D.). The comments are from my notes during the Mission, and originate from three sources: The Holy Spirit, Fr. Dario, and my reactions to what I heard from both.

  • (Fr. D.) People are following chaos [1] as their goddess. This leads, therefore, to the lack of order in our life (me→) & counters our affinity to God.
  • (Fr. D.) Home is the domestic church (JP2), and is therefore similar to Mass through the Church and the table (me→ NOT the TV) is similar to the Altar where the meal is distributed.
  • (Fr. D.) Sharing a meal together is a communal act, and assisting in preparing and cleaning up afterwards are contributions to the entire community.
  • (Fr. D.) Sunday is a sacred day for expressing our Love for one another.
  • (me →) From a mission about 10 years ago – “The exit signs on the five doors of the church could also be labeled “ENTRANCE,” because it is through those doors that we “go forth into all the world glorifying God in our lives.”
    ~~ Fr. Chuck Faso, OFM
  • (All three contributors): Fully emulate the attitude of Jesus. “Love one another as I AM loving you” means to know others, and to know about them as well, which is to say that we are to Love them without regard to similarities or differences.
  • (Fr. D.) The best way to defend our faith and hope in Christ is to share our faith and home in Christ. This is done by offering a chance to belong to something with someone. (me→) It is the evangelization of witnessing/testifying.
  • (Fr. D.) Go to church to forge relationships (me→) because “It’s the real thing.”
  • (Fr. D.) Take ownership of our parish as we would our home
  • (Fr. D.) Start with something that makes even a small difference. Fr. D: Dust the pews, mow the lawn, (me→) share some cookies or avocados. Fr. D: God is less interested in results than in effort.
  • (Fr. D.) Recognize the human dignity of anyone you meet (Please read the story of the usher and the hippie) [2] Do the good things good neighbors do at home.
  • (Fr. D.) Seeds are planted in the ground or else they won’t grow. We must be planted in the ground, the good soil, of our faith. (me→) Plants don’t grow from the top down. Neither do we.
  • (Fr. D.) Conversion comes from being available, not confrontational. Availability leads to the beauty of vulnerability, and on to knowing the happiness of being in Christ Jesus.

We have spoken here often of “that attitude of gratitude.” (↔ Click Link) All these little points of learning I have shared here are Graces given to all of us – even the folks who don’t read this post. Grace is characterized and defined as “the unmerited favor of God.” It is available everywhere and to everyone. However, if we just stop to take a moment to smile at the shama’s song, or delight in a rainbow (the kind created by God, not by man); if we find encouragement in hearing a baby cry in church, or happiness in the generosity of a neighbor; if the words of a friend or a teacher or homilist stir up the banked coals of our faith – then, in all these things and innumerably more, we are inundated in an Ocean of Grace  [3](↔ Learning Link: Scroll down to the story from Steve BROWN). If we accept that Grace, we are open to accepting more, and more, and more Graces until we have so many blessings we cannot help but share them!  So how do we start on that? I think The Apostle Peter had a good handle on it:

1 Peter 4:7-11 – 7 The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, maintain constant Love for one another, for Love covers a multitude of sins. 9 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. It’s in the APP!

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

[1] See COSMOGONY OF HESIOD (↔ Click Link)

[2] Seriously, please go to that story and read it. It’s terrific! Here’s another link: 745AFC110907

[3] This one goes w-a-a-a-a-ay back, but it’s worth the time to go there. 1412AFC032114

Aloha Friday Message – December 9, 2022 – Walk Up to The Door

December 9, 2022

2250AFC120922 – Walk Up to The Door

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.

    Isaiah 35:4 – 4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.”

James 5:7-8 – 7 Be patient, therefore, beloved, 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. 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

Matthew 11:11-15 – 11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 Let anyone with ears listen! (See  Malachi 4:5 – 5 Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.)

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Christ Jesus our Lord. Welcome to the War Room where we will read Scripture, pray fervently, and sing hymns and joyful music. What brings that to the page? We are at war Belovéd, and we gather together to ask the Lord’s blessings as we wait expectantly for everything that Jesus is, was, and will be now, then, and forever.

This is the Season of Advent, and we are halfway through it. This coming Sunday is the third of the four Sundays. It has been called Gaudete Sunday in times past based on the Introit Antiphon “Gaudete in Domino semper” (Rejoice in the Lord always)* and sometimes the vestments are Rose (“pink” is not a liturgical color). It is a Sunday when we are reminded to REJOICE because the Victory has been won through what started in Bethlehem. Yes, we are at war, and yes we must keep going, but YES we can also rejoice for we know already that the outcome will be something Good for all mankind, and we will have been part of that. *Philippians 4:4 – 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!

Yesterday we also celebrated the Immaculate Conception, a feast day not all that well understood (or attended) by many Catholics, and barely conceptualized by non-Catholics. What many people fail to understand is that the dogma of The Immaculate Conception isn’t about Gabriel visiting Mary to ask if she would carry Jesus the Son of God in her womb. It is about the special privilege given to Mary to be free from original sin from the moment of her conception – a conception which was normal in every way except that God allowed for Mary to experience Salvation through Jesus before his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. It is good to remember that, because that Child of Mary is the Biggest and Bestest Act of MERCY ever! “Why is that?” you may ask. Let’s look for a pair of examples of what Jesus himself said about it.

John 8:51 – 51 Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.

John 11:24-26 – 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he [Lazarus] will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

We are creatures wallowing in greed and impatience. “I want what I want when I want it, and I want it now!” Some days we ask God, “Why can’t you just send Jesus to us NOW and get rid of all this trash?” Well, by now you know about the Absolutely Perfect Plan – the APP – and you know God does what he does for his reason, not ours. (Check it out! →) Psalm 18:30 – 30 This God—his way is perfect;
the promise of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

The liberated nation of Israel had to wait to take over the promised land because God HAD A PLAN: Deuteronomy 7:22 – 22 The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to make a quick end of them, otherwise the wild animals would become too numerous for you. That’s a good one for meditation these days. What “wild animals” might we face if God cleared away all the enemies? Here’s The Apostle Paul’s take on that: 2 Corinthians 5:5-7 – 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.

In today’s Key Verse from the letter of James we read that the farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. “Everything comes in its due season.” (See Ecclesiastes 3:1-6). The Apostle Paul says we should rejoice – twice! He and James (and every Believer, one would hope) knows that Jesus is coming because GOD SAYS SO:

Isaiah 35:4 – 4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.”

God says “Don’t panic! I got this! Just keep walking. Be Not Afraid (↔ Music Link)” (Micah 6:8 again) Belovéd, do we believe he is walking with us? I’ve got to give you a little jukebox here of things that affirm that idea. ALL of these are (↔ Music Links)

Be Not Afraid

Jesus walked this lonesome valley

Walking with Jesus

I come to the garden alone

Just a Closer Walk With Thee

Jesus’ message was “If you have ears for hearing, listen up.” The Apostle Paul says “Rejoice!” We reply to both of them, “Open My Eyes Lord (↔ Music Link) And open my ears, and my mouth, and my HEART! Open the Eyes of My Heart (↔ Music Link) WE WILL SEE YOU HIGH AND LIFTED UP! God is LOVE, and he has given himself to us as Love. Please scroll up and look at the Key Verse emblem for today. Do you see how the head of the key is shaped? Is it not a castle, or perchance a glorious Temple? Look carefully and see that the DOOR IS OPEN. We are walking there with Jesus, walking every day, walking all the way. We have every reason for rejoicing until that moment When Jesus Comes Callin’ for Me (↔ Music Link). We just need to keep on walkin’ and rejoicing. Here are some of the words God uses to describe rejoicing:

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

Think of all the people who walked when, where, and how God told them to walk. One of the first ones we learn about is Enoch who, surprisingly, was a son of Cain. Here is his introduction: Genesis 4:17 – 17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch; and he built a city, and named it Enoch after his son Enoch.
Genesis 5:21-24 – 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.
The Apostle Paul pointed to Enoch as an exemplar of F.A.I.T.H. in Hebrews 11:5-6 – 5 By faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and “he was not found, because God had taken him.” For it was attested before he was taken away that “he had pleased God.” 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

Hope Fulfilled

Who else walked with, by, before, or to God? Adam, before he sinned. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, the Nation of Israel over the dry land, David, Solomon, Ruth, Naomi, Mary with Joseph, Jesus and his Disciples, John the Baptizer, all the major and minor prophets. All of these people – and many more – walked with God toward Hope. Why? Because there is an expectation of a Future that will be Good, and because we have faith that we can attain that Good Future if we move toward it with patient anticipation of all the wonderful Gifts inherent in the Divine Promises. We are motivated to walk toward this Hope by the purest Gifts of Love. Those Gifts are given to be shared, to Shine On (↔ Music Link) for everyone around us. The Way is narrow, and the Gate is small for entry into Life, but the gate is open to all allowed enter in. It takes determination to keep walking with Jesus, and determination is possible because of our Faith in Hope which is our Hope in Faith. Circular logic? Not really, because “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (See Romans 10:17). This little guy certainly exemplifies determination.

Eve and Adam walked with the Lord in the Garden before they fell prey to Satan. Our goal is to walk with him in the New Garden of the New Heavens, New Jerusalem, and New Earth. We can choose to sit under the apple tree and wait for God to yank us up there, or we can keep walking right up to that door. “Nothing unclean may enter there (See Revelation 21:27)” so, we must keep leaving footprints in the sand as we walk with Jesus all the way back home.

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 2, 2022 – But wait! There’s MORE!

December 2, 2022

2049AFC120222 – But wait! There’s MORE!

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.

    Isaiah 11:9-10 – 9 They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea.
10 On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

Psalm 72:7-8 – 7 In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
8 May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Romans 15:8-9a – 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.

Matthew 3:10 – 10 Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matthew 7:21-23 – 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.'”

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you on this the Second Sunday of Advent. There are some truly powerful Scripture passages associated with all three cycles of this celebration. In Cycle A we begin with the proclamation that a descendant of Jesse will set in motion a time of Peace. In Cycle B Isaiah proclaims we are to prepare the way for the Lord, and the Epistle from 2 Peter tells us to remain Holy, and john the Baptizer wars us to repent and wait for the One who baptizes with fire. In Cycle C we have a rare reading from the Prophet Baruch proclaiming Israel will see God’s Glory. In the Gospel, we again meet John the Baptizer and consider his relationship to Jesus. All three of the Synoptic gospels – the Gospels that recount the life of Jesus in “parallel” – the importance of John’s ministry of preaching repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah is given great importance.

This year we are in Cycle A, and the readings remind us that the Messiah will reign supreme over all things, he will bring Peace and Justice to all, and Jesus’ reign will extend to Jews and Gentiles forever. This was a shocking message to the Jews of Jesus’ time! “Even Samaritans?!?!” they asked. In the account of Jesus meeting the Smartian woman at the well, the parable of the Good Samaritan, and – while in the region of Tyre and Sidon – the Canaanite (a gentile also referred to as Syrophoenician) woman received healing for her daughter. Jesus granted that request. Recall also the healing of the 10 lepers, among which was a Samaritan and the only one to return and thank Jesus. All of these accounts help us to better understand the openness we must have to those whom we find disturbing, or oppressive, or even violently prejudiced against us. Jesus is Ruler over them, too, and – like us – he expects them to “repent and believe the Gospel.” Jesus also knows that many of them will not do that, and that some of them will claim to have worked miracles on his behalf. We recall that in today’s last Key Verse from Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus calls them out for what they are – people who were actually trying to con others into believing that they possessed the power to do those things thereby depriving God of the credit for miracles. The other Key Verse that deals with this is Matthew 3:10. This is a quote from the ministry of John the Baptizer. The self-righteous Pharisees and Sadducees were putting on a show for the people by stepping forward to be baptized, but without repentance. John is warning them (as Jesus frequently does later) that “the axe is lying at the root of the trees.” God’s salvation is available for the repentant, but the unrepentant will be cut down and cast into the oblivion of God’s absence.

In Advent we usually concentrate our meditations on the coming of Jesus, the angels and the shepherds, the Manger, and the Wise Men from the East. BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! Do you remember the most important event in Scripture? If you page back to 2212AFC032522 – Our Five Sons you will find this: “Today we recall the very crux of Infinity. I have said before that the place where the two loops cross is the Manger. I learned recently that I need to back that up about nine months to the date of March 25th. Do you know what date that is in the Church calendar? It is the date on which everything in the B.I.B.L.E. is based – and most of us call it by the wrong name! It is indeed called The Feast of the Annunciation, but it is also the DAY OF THE INCARNATION! That is the day The Christ of God took on flesh and became Emauel. We celebrate his birth as Christmas, but he could not have been born as human if he had not been conceived as human!

The entire Bible continually points to and insists on God’s requirements for humanity. He values formal worship, to be sure, but he values even more the actions of men and women who are righteous, just, kind, and humble. (therefore we cite Isaiah 11:9-10) It not just “churchianity;” it is the commitment to living the life of service to God and neighbor which he requires of those whom he blesses. God is always equitable giving to each whatever is most needed for a blesséd life. His gifts are our protection against evil. When we refuse those gifts, when we refuse to honor him by serving our neighbors with justice and mercy for all, then we lose those gifts. We are then subject to the evil that God’s good Gifts prevent from harming us; we suffer the consequences of our disobedience. In times like these, people often quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 – 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. There is still a good lesson in that. Those who violate the innocent risk the wrath of God – and that includes those who ignore God as well as those who oppose God. When we act without Mercy upon others, we can expect that others will not be merciful with us. Jeremiah 22:3 – 3 Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.

You perhaps can see now that Advent is more than just waiting for Baby Jesus. As we recently learned in a homily by Rev. Fr. Patrick McCormick (former Naval Chaplain and now at Mililani for St. John Apostle & Evangelist Church), the arrival of Jesus in Bethlehem (בֵּית לֶחֶם – place or house of bread) Beth Lechem (↔ Learning Link) was ALSO THE ARRIVAL – the Advent – of everything Jesus said and did as the Messiah, the Christ of God. That enhanced paradigm is what keeps many of us going back to Scripture over and over and over because the impact of it is ginormous! Let’s see if you remember this oft-used image of an ancient olive tree sprouting a new branch:

In the First Reading for this Sunday, we turn to Isaiah 11:1-10 which begins with

1 A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

(See 1649AFC120216 – 2nd Advent) From there I quote: “Olive trees can live to be hundreds of years old. As they age they become more gnarled and even hollow, but they still produce fruit – good fruit! Eventually, though, a tree stops producing fruit, and is cut down. The stump is left. The extensive root system that formerly feed the ancient tree is still in the earth. It continues to feed the wood in the stump. With careful attention, the stump can send forth a shoot that grows to be a new olive tree. It is tender and fragile like any sapling, but it has a tremendous advantage – an extensive, well-established, efficient root system! The sapling can be easily broken off or munched by an animal, but if the one who tends the grove takes care of the shoot – it grows and produces excellent fruit often in greater quantity than before. That is Isaiah’s message. God is saying, “I’m going to cultivate a new tree from the roots of the old, and the new tree will give you everything the old one did and even more.”

The Ancient Root of Jesse is still in place, and the fruit from the New Branch (↔ Music Link) is ours. (See Zechariah 6:12 and Jeremiah 33:15) Everything that was old will be made new. It’s the most fascinating feature of the APP! We can see how this marvelous Truth is given to us unceasingly in Scripture such as Romans 15:4 – 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. Advent is the Season for our preparation for Hope in Jesus, the Christ of God and all that God directed him to do as we read in John 12:48-49 – 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, 49 for I have not spoken on my own, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak. (That should sound familiar; we’ve used it before.) Everything from “Let there be” in Genesis to “ 20 The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.” Every single Word and Message of God’s Absolutely Perfect Plan begins with The Incarnation and ends … NEVER!! That is why we celebrate Jesus at the beginning of the new liturgical year and all the way to the beginning of the next liturgical year. Jesus is coming, he is here among us in the Tabernacle and in our hearts, and in his given Word, the Only Begotten Son and – by adoption – our Brother. With that in mind, I’d venture to modify the adage “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.” I’d like to say, “Jesus is the Reason for Everything.” O how I love Jesus! (↔ Music Link) because he fulfills every promise of God in the APP.

But Wait! There’s more!

Galatians 4:4-5 – 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. There is a Plan, it is perfect, and we are part of if only we will Repent and Believe the Gospel. Every Good Gift is coming to us as a baby in a manger up to a Savior Ascending into Heaven and far, far beyond to the past and the future. Blesséd be God Forever! In Advent we are not JUST watching with anticipation for the Baby Jesus, but we are truly waiting for the coming of everything Jesus ever was, is, or will be at the Nexus of Infinity for all and peace (↔ Music Link) abound, until the moon is no more.. Hold out your apron (Luke 6:38), because there’s a BIG batch of Good Gifts coming your way comprised of all of God’s Best Stuff! That happens because On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious,in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!

YOU GET TO KEEP IT FOREVER AND THERE’S NO ADDITIONAL FEE OR AND UNSEEN COSTS! What a GOOD God we have, and he has come to live with us!

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 – Guess who’s coming to the Banquet.

November 25, 2022

2248AFC112522 – Guess who’s coming to the Banquet.

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.

Isaiah 2:3c – For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Psalm 122:6-7 – 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.”

Romans 13:11-14 – 11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Matthew 24:42 – 42 Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

 

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! May Peace always be with you and may God bless you, Belovéd! This coming Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. I was thinking back about the various series we have done over the years. It was tempting to go back to the Aloha Friday Message Mercy Series (↔ Click Link) and reissue them in edited and updated form. That was contrary to the guidance already in heart and mind for this post – the idea of watchful waiting during Advent. Advent means coming, a beginning, a dawn, a start, an anticipated arrival of an important person, event, or object. For Christians, and especially Catholic Christians, it is the season of reflection, discernment, and anticipation for the birth of Jesus – Christmas.

“But everyone loves Christmas, and we all look forward to it. We know ‘Jesus IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON,’ but there is so much more to anticipate with joy!” Yes, that is certainly true. We all have more than one reason to look forward to Christmas; not all of us, though, are ready for the Season of Advent. This particular season of Advent is the beginning of Cycle A of the Liturgy.

Cycle A is essentially a process of preparing us for baptism and for understanding the principals behind our baptismal vows. Most of the Gospel readings are from the Gospel of Matthew. The first Sunday of Advent (which is the first Sunday of the liturgical year) uses Matthew’s account of Jesus’ warning to be vigilant because we will not know the day or hour of his return. Matthew’s Gospel covers Jesus’ ministry with emphasis on compassion and forgiveness – Mercy. Its focus is on the early Christian community among the Jews. Matthew portrays Jesus as “the New Moses,” leading his people out of the wilderness of sin and into the Promised Land of The Kingdom of God. Matthew makes sure they (and we) fully understand that Jesus is a man, a Jewish man, a son of Abraham and Israel who is the True Son of God. In this Gospel, Jesus’ followers frequently beg him for mercy. Jesus takes the Jewish leaders – the Scribes and Pharisees – to task for failing to show mercy. In the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us, his Disciples “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” (See Matthew 5:7). Because of this theme of compassion and mercy leading to forgiveness, I’m going to include a link at the end of every Aloha Friday Message during this Advent season for Liturgical Year 2023, Cycle A (← Check it out!) that will take you to a previous post on Mercy that is posted on the MBN website.

There you have it, the background for the four Sundays of this Advent season. For each Sunday we will follow our customary practice of choosing a key verse from the readings, amplifying the meanings and background of that passage, and then – at the end of the message – there will be a “supplementary link” to allow us to reflect on the importance, the effects, and the reality of God’s Mercy in our own lives. We all know (or should know) that it is only the Mercy of Grace that makes it possible to be prepared for the return of Christ. As we prepare to welcome Christ the King as a baby during Advent, we also prepare – at least in our hearts – for the day or hour our Lord is coming, “for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” For the past 2000 years we have been waiting. During the first century after Jesus established the Church, people really believed that his coming back was imminent – during their lifetimes. Hence, the Apostle Paul frequently warned the early Church to stay vigilant, to be faithful to the Apostolic Gospel, and to be ready … to WAIT. That is what we are told to do – to watch and wait. Let’s take a quick scriptural survey of WAIT.

We wait with “constant vigilance” for the coming of Jesus first as a baby in a manger, then as the King of Kings ascending the Throne of the Cross, and now – today and until “as long as it takes” – we wait for the day and the hour he will return in Glory. Let the evil one prosper and scoff. WE know how to wait and why we’re waiting. Here’s why:

2 Peter 3:3-9 – 3 First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts 4 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!” 5 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, 6 through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished. 7 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.
   8 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. 9 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!

BUT GUESS WHO ELSE IS COMING TO THE BANQUET! Let me give you a few clues. First of all, we don’t have to wait for him. He’s been prowling Earth since Eden was made.

Daniel 7:25 – 25 He shall speak words against the Most High,
shall wear out the holy ones of the Most High,
and shall attempt to change the sacred seasons and the law;
and they shall be given into his power
for a time, two times, and half a time.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 – 9 The coming* of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders, 10 and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false, 12 so that all who have not believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned. *This word is παρουσία, and in this instance refers to the coming of Antichrist. In another passage it refers to the Incarnation as the First Parousia. You will also find it in Matthew 24:37-39 where Jesus informs us about “the coming of the Son of Man,” his return as promised at the Ascension. (↔ My Favorite Learning Link)

When we are called to the Banquet, it will be because we believed – and lived – what is True, that Jesus Christ is Lord. The coming of godless earthlings, transgressors of the Law of Peace in Christ Jesus, do Satan’s bidding in all their actions. They will also hear the call, but they will refuse to come, and even if they show up, they won’t be admitted to even so much as sitting at the “kid’s table” because they have refused to be God’s children. (↔ Learning Link) They heard, but did not heed, the promise For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. That Word taught us everything we need to know to be prepared from the New Jerusalem, and Satan will have prepared his children for damnation (See Revelation 20:7–10).

It is past the time for America to wake up and smell the carnage. We have seen the signs of the eschatos (ἔσχατος), the last and farthest reach of human history when all of this present reality and its darkness (↔ Click Link) will be transformed: 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 – 51 Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. Much more will happen before that last moment comes, but during our wait we must remember to – 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.” (that’s a prayer we can use) – because if we do, we will also be praying for the New Jerusalem to open its gates to issue forth the King, the Angels, and the Saints. We must not forget the warning in Zechariah 12:9 – 9 And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. Then Jesus the Lord will invite his guests into the Gates as in Revelation 21:6-8 – “To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless,* the polluted, the murderers, the fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” *faithless = unbelievers

We cannot conquer if we do not fight. (↔ Learning Link) The Foe is at the door, crouching outside the door (See Genesis 4:6-7) to barge in and destroy, but he and the Death he brings are doomed.

Every living soul is today one day closer to that moment when Time ends. That is what The Apostle Paul means when he said, “For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. So, have you guessed who’s coming to the Banquet? It’s not the ones who “… speak words against the Most High, [who] shall wear out the holy ones of the Most High, and shall attempt to change the sacred seasons and the law.” Wake up America, because it is and will be as Jesus said: Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. As we’ve said before “Be ready, get set, and WAIT!!” Waiting in Hope is what distinguishes us from those whose hope is the World, not the Lord.

When we look around us and see so much violence, hatred, suffering, senseless behaviors, death, destruction, and despair, we rest at Peace in the Hope OF Peace: Romans 15:13 – 13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. IT’S IN THE APP!

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 – November 18, 2022 – Biblical Four-Letter Words

November 18, 2022

2247AFC111822 – Biblical Four-Letter Words

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.

    Luke 23:42-43 – 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in* Paradise.” * εἰς (eis) {ice} into, in, unto, to, upon, towards, for, among properly penetrating or entering into an open place; inside of.

Colossians 1:15-16 – 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers — all things have been created through him and for him.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (See Galatians 1:3-5) This coming Sunday marks the end of liturgical year C and the end of my 75th year on Earth. November 27, 2022 marks the beginning of the Season of Advent. The proper liturgical name for this Sunday is The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. A Solemnity is the highest-ranking celebration of a particular mystery of faith. Some examples are Christmas, Epiphany, Holy Trinity, Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, and so on. This weekend’s Solemnity in this cycle focuses on the Kingship of Jesus. It is paired with the Old Testament reading describing the third anointing of King David.

You may recall that in 1 Samuel 16:13, Samuel anointed David prophetically to be the King of Israel because King Saul had been rejected by God. Next, in 2 Samuel 2:4-7, the men of Judah anointed David King of the House of Judah. Then, after and extend wait, we read in 2 Samuel 5:1-5 that “all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.” Jesus was also crowned as King of the Jews, but his crown was a crown of thorns. Despite Satan’s glee over the death of Jesus, when Jesus was resurrected, he reclaimed his Crown of Glory which he had in Heaven with his Father before his Incarnation. In the New Testament, we hear Jesus called “Son of David.” We know from The Apostle Matthew’s account of Jesus’ genealogy that his lineage was traced back to King David. None of that, however, kept him from willingly giving up his life as a ransom – redemption, payoff, release, deliverance – of all earthlings for the wages of sin. He was obedient to his father, obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Please see Philippians 2:5-15 which is considered by many to be an ancient Christian hymn. (↔ Music Link) Often called the kenotic (meaning emptying) hymn, the first half describes Christ as humbly emptying himself of his Divinity to become as human as Adam before his fall, and the second half describes the actions of God who exalted him above all others thereby restoring humanity’s access to the Presence of God.

In today’s Key Verse, we have a “quick peek” into the effect of that restoration. First we can see that Jesus knows what is coming – his death, his time in Sheol, his Resurrection – and ultimately – his reunion with his Father, his Apostles, and the penitent criminal dying next to him. We don’t actually know his name, but he is referred to as “St. Dismas” (or Δυσμάς) Dysmas which means “to the west where the sun sets,” a reference to death). When Jesus said, “You will be with me in Paradise,” that’s where the title of this lesson arose, and why I showed you the Greek word used there. It is easily translated in that context as “into.” Into is one of those four letter words that we see very often in Scripture. Let’s make a short list of a few other four-letter words found in Scripture:

We begin, of course, with Love, for God is Love and is the Beginning of All that IS. Then we have the main Key Verse word for this set of readings – King – followed by hate, dead, live (as alive) and live (as in living), Lord, give, holy, amen, good, evil, fear, hope, book, help, star, days, when, with, come, neck, fell, fall, this, (↔ Learning Link) bend, and into. Every single one of those is used in common speech, but when they are used in Scripture, they become uncommon because they are uttered by, for, or about God. It is illuminating and edifying for us to understand how Israel got a King in the first place. It came about because of poor management by the sons of Eli and Samuel. First, Eli appointed two sons named Hophni and Phineas to the Temple as Priests. They profoundly abused their privileges as they showed contempt for the offerings to God by misusing them outside the rules for Levites. They also were having “relations” with women who “served” at the entrance of the tent of meeting. The Lord disposed of them in a battle with the Philistines when Eli’s sons were killed in the battle. When a soldier delivered the news to Eli, he was so alarmed he fell backwards off a chair and broke his neck.

Samuel was the next Judge (↔ Learning Link → Please open it to help clear up misconceptions about this title.) and, although he was the one who anointed David to be King, his two sons – Joel and Abijah – were appointed by their father to be Judges over Israel. (See 1 Samuel 8) They “took bribes and perverted justice” God had chosen Samuel to be a Judge but Israel rejected him. They wanted a king like the other nations. Samuel asked God about that and God basically told him, “They have rejected ME as their King, so let them have what they want and they will see that they have chosen wrongly.” You know the rest of the story. Saul was the first mashiach (המשיח, messiah), a title held by all the Kings of Israel whether good or evil. The penultimate King is and will be Jesus until The Day of Reward. On that day, the ultimate King – God-as-Creator – will return to be the Ultimate King of All Creation as he is, and was, and shall be always and all ways.

Jesus the Christ is God personified and visible as human. In our second Key Verse, The Apostle Paul describes this relationship. He is the firstborn of all Creation, and the firstborn of the dead. Eve and Adam – and after them all of us – were created in the image and likeness of God (See Genesis 1:27). We read in John 1:18 – 18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known. Jesus shares this new relationship with us through Baptism by which we become the children of God: John 1:12-13 – 12 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. The Apostle Paul addresses a grievous error exposed in the church at Colossae. They had warped the teachings of The Way to include a heavy dose of Greek philosophy by believing that all matter was evil and so they had proposed a chain of beings between Earth and Heaven, each growing holier and more spiritual. He names some of the Choirs of Angels (↔ Learning Link) to jolt them into understanding that in all things, Christ is preeminent (↔ Learning Link) and all-sufficient (El Shaddai). Therefore there is no need for this chain of beings for Christ alone is sufficient, the sole mediator between God and all Creation. (See 1 Timothy 2:5-7) He is the Earthly manifestation of his Father as fully human, and the heavenly manifestation of restored humanity as fully divine. Nothing or no one can replace him for he is the refulgence of God’s Glory and Grace. (Please read Hebrews 1:3-5 for an inspiring description)

In the Gospel passage for this Sunday’s Solemnity, just a few lines up the page from our first Key Verse, we read in Luke 23:35-38 – 35 And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37 and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” Pontius Pilot saw Jesus more as a threat to his own power in part because he suspected Jesus was a King and therefore a rival to him and to Tiberius Caesar. Every time I hear this passage I am reminded of Psalm 22 (↔ Learning Link), the prophetic Psalm that makes my heart shudder because I know he suffered like that for my sake. Yet I also know that Psalm 22 ends with praises of and for God the Father. Jesus knew he would be reigning with God the Father as King of the Universe.

But, something else happened – two other four-letter words – that changed everything. Jesus ROSE from the DEAD. He had told his Apostles in advance all that would happen to him. Right after the account of Jesus meeting two men on the road to Emaus, he appeared to the Apostles in the Cenacle where they were hiding “for fear of the Jews. They were so astonished by his presence that they again thought (↔ Click Link) they were seeing a ghost: Luke 24:44 – 44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you – that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” (Please use the link to see this in its glorious context.)

It is an incredible view to look back over all the Scriptures and see the Pure Truths God has given us: God is the Supreme King of the Universe. We are created in his image and likeness, through Faith, and not by works, we are justified in Christ Jesus so that – like him – we are gifted the roles of Priest, Prophet, and King. God is Lord of all, (↔ Music Link) and ultimately all will be subject to him and glorify him when Christ himself submits all who are in him to his Father and then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who put all things in subjection under him, so that God may be all in all. See 1 Corinthians 15:23-28 for the full context. Really, really, do it, please) If you haven’t the time to do that, please do read Roman 8:28 – 28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Brothers and Sisters, THAT is the APP summed up in 21 words and especially four-letter words – know, work, good, Love.

Do we see the continuity that makes all of history ↔ HIS STORY? Belovéd, God – our Triune King and Creator – has planned that “All things work together for good?” (↔ Music Link). Now we also know why we can see and believe that promise in Jeremiah 29:11 – 11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Jesus knew and believed that even as he was dying. He knew that he was headed for Paradise, and that he would meet Dysmas there because he remembered (↔ Music Link) him when they went into his Kingdom. Take out your M.A.P. We’re following the path Dysmas took, for in Christ alone (↔ Music Link) we have access to what El Shaddai created for those whom he loves – Paradise in the New Heavens and the New Earth. Let’s not skip over the four-letter words God has given us for Worshipping him. God watches over every word to see to it that his Word has the effect he intends. Let’s not skip over them but, instead, cherish all his words in our hearts that we might not sin against him. (See Psalm, 119:11 in many translations)

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 – November 11, 2022 – Try chance it.

November 11, 2022

2246AFC111122 – Try chance it!

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.

     Luke 21:17-19 – 17 You will be hated by all because of my name. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your souls.

Luke 21:22 – 22 for these are days of vengeance, as a fulfillment of all that is written.

Luke 21:28 – 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Malachi 4:1-2a – [a] (↔ Click Link[a]) 1 See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.

Aloha pumehana, a me ke akua ho’omaika‘i ‘oe, ʻŌmea! Warmest Aloha, and may God bless you, Belovéd! Today we grab up choke dakine Bible verses and try chance it for not all hamajang. ≡ Today we’ll present many Bible verses and try not to make it all disorganized. Try chance it? That means take the risk, it could be a good one.

First I take an opportunity to greet and express appreciation for our fellow Veterans on this important holiday. SA-A-A-A-A-H-LUTE!!

We begin our study with unraveling a mystery. In the Lectionary – the book of readings used during Mass – and on the USCCB  website for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Old Testament reading is marked as “Malachi 3:19-20a.” That is the designation of the text for the Hebrew version of Malachi. The NABRE uses the Hebrew presentation form. In many other translations (such as the NRSVCE), the passage is labeled as “Malachi 4:1-2.” That is why our fourth Key Verse location differs from what is in the lectionary and on the web page at USCCB . Malachi is the last book of prophecy in the Bible, and has some spectacular readings and quotable quotes. A couple of my favorites are “Will anyone rob God? Yet you are robbing me!” (See Malachi 3:8). Another is “We call the arrogant blessed; for evil doers not only prosper but even test God and escape.” Doesn’t that seem like the case today? Consider what happened this week in our “midterm election.”

Several states took action to make abortion “legal,” i.e., parents and healthcare workers are exempted from the punishment for murdering unborn children. Some other states have laws so that family members and healthcare workers are exempted from the punishment for euthanizing persons who have requested it. Both have been “legal” in Hawaiʻi for a long time. That saddens me greatly, first because both of those things should be unthinkable, and secondly because the persons promoting and performing these murderous actions seem to  actually believe saying it is legal will make it so in God’s eyes. As we have stated here before (and often), they are in for one hell of a surprise. The talking heads on the MSMOs claimed that “60% of Americans believe (↔ Click Link) that abortion should be legal.” Researchers also claim that 69% of Catholics (↔ Click Link) do not believe in the Real Presence. Some of us in the minority would prefer it to be much the other way. In today’s Key Verses, Jesus’ words in Luke 21:22 are in the same perspective as his Father’s in Isaiah 5:20-25. We’ve cited Isaiah 5:20 often, calling evil good and good evil, but we need to look beyond that a bit and understand that what God permitted when Israel went astray is something we need to heed. We Christians have been saying it for over 2000 years, nonetheless, “Jesus is coming” and “the time of the Lord is nigh.” There’s some heavy-duty suffering coming before that.

We can turn to Jesus’ own descriptions of that time given to us in Luke 21:10-33. I urge you to select one of the translations shown there and read the whole thing. That will help you make sense of this statement which is based on Luke 21:24d: until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. We have seen this kind of “time measurement” before in the past. Look to Genesis 15:16 – But in the fourth generation [about 400 years according to many scholars] they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. The Children of Abraham would not return to the Promised Land until the Amorites (the residents of Canaan) were ripe for punishment, when they had done as much evil without repentance as is possible. When will we modern-day Gentiles be ripe for punishment? It seems to me we must be getting close to that day of wrath and those times of tribulation. There certainly have been terrible times in the past, and I can’t say with certainty that today is more terrible than all the other days before it; BUT, things are certainly bad enough that we need to be walking in lock-step with Jesus. Let’s end this time of trial by converting every soul we see, by praying for those who refuse repentance and conversion, and by praying, “EVEN SO, COME LORD JESUS!” And if he comes, will he find faith on Earth? (↔ Click Link)

Remember our first Key Verse  today: Luke 21:17-19 – 17 You will be hated by all because of my name. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your souls. Just a few phrases up the page Jesus warns that his followers will be persecuted, betrayed, hunted down, imprisoned, and even killed and in Luke 21:13, he gives the reason this is a good thing: 13 This will give you an opportunity to testify. But what does he mean by saying in Luke 21:22 – “22 for these are days of vengeance, as a fulfillment of all that is written.“? In part, it echoes Isaiah 61:2 – 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn; All of the innocent, righteous blood shed by all the martyrs (those who testify with their blood and/or loss of freedom) will be avenged when calamity upon calamity falls on all the unrighteous. Evil will be rewarded with everlasting death. Read this: Matthew 23:35* – 35 so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. *Use the link to see this in context. Jesus – who is God – is tanning the hides of a crop of sinners he calls snakes and vipers who are going to hell! Who will testify to the Lord’s goodness? Let that one repent and be humbled in his presence! Be dutiful to the Spirit of God!

1 John 4:2-4 – 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world. 4 Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Do you believe in God? If you do, then you must also believe in Satan, because God is not a liar, so he would not warn us against him if he was not real. Do you believe in Angels? Then you must believe in demons, because Satan took with him many of the Holy Angels who joined him in his rebellion against God. Do you believe the souls of our Faithful and Obedient departed are with God? Then you must believe that the souls of the faithless and rebellious departed are with Satan.

  • Think of all the people you know – not just the ones you hang out with – all the people in the news, all the people in the nations where war is happening right now, and all the people whose “spiritual ideologies” exclude any aspect of the reality of the Holy Trinity.
  • Now think of all the people who claim to know God, to serve Christ, but whose words and actions contradict everything they claim.
  • Next, think of all the people whose words match their lives, who can say with absolute certainty “Jesus Christ is Lord.” (↔ Music Link)
  • Run a quick tally in your head.

Which of these three groups is the smallest? Which of these three groups are most likely to become allies when the battles intensify? Finally, if you know in your heart how to distinguish one group from the other, then you know how to “test the spirits.” In the end, we will all have to answer these questions, so it is best to answer them today, and every day, as we test the spirits we encounter – including the spirit of persecution.

American Christians often cry out that we are victims of persecution. It is certainly not anything like what the experiences of millions of people elsewhere in the world endure! We hear claims that we are oppressed in our Religious Freedom because of the abuse of our FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS. (↔ Learning Link) The US Constitution certainly does provide for protection concerning religion, verbal and written expression, to assemble for cause, and the right to ask for rectification of the perceived oppression. If we were to look into who is actually being martyred here, we’d find mighty few examples. Most of what we complain about doesn’t rise even to the level of bloodless martyr. Our idea of being a witness for Christ pretty much stops at getting up in a tent-revival meeting and answering the altar call. But there are remarkable exceptions. (↔ Learning Link) Many of us – whether Catholic or Evangelical fundamentalists, or Buddhists, or Jews, or you-name-it-faiths – are content to quietly go to services and live unmolested about our faith when in society. We often barely have courage to “Stand Up for Jesus.” (↔ Music Link for Luke 21:28)

We have these lessons in our scriptures to teach us the difference between true repentance and false pretensions. Next time you decide to repent, God requires that you stick with it instead of saying, “Oh. It’s OK. I can always do it over again.” It is true, and I have said it many times, that there are no limits to how many times we can experience repentance. Well, it seems there is one, and the Ammorites learned about it firsthand. When we have reached the fullness of our wickedness (see Genesis 15:16), God will show us the door, and it just may be that he’s there to shut the door (see Genesis 7:16). What does all this “fullness of evil” mean, anyway? Here is a passage from the Books of the Maccabees ~~ 2 Maccabees 6:12-16 – 12 Now I urge those who read this book not to be depressed by such calamities, but to recognize that these punishments were designed not to destroy but to discipline our people. 13 In fact, it is a sign of great kindness not to let the impious alone for long, but to punish them immediately. 14 For in the case of the other nations the Lord waits patiently to punish them until they have reached the full measure of their sins; but he does not deal in this way with us, 15 in order that he may not take vengeance on us afterward when our sins have reached their height. 16 Therefore he never withdraws his mercy from us. Although he disciplines us with calamities, he does not forsake his own people. The good old U.S. of A. is one of those “other nations.” When our time for recompense comes, will we be like the Amorites, or like the Israelites? Will we find the Lord has disciplined us or will we find he allows us to  be obliterated? “Woe to you who call evil good and good evil.” Will God destroy the Nation if only ten righteous people are found? (Hark back to my Old Friend Abraham in Genesis 18:15-33 ↔ Learning Link)

So, Belovéd, are we that close to the end? With God we always say, “It’s always good in the end. If it’s not good yet, it isn’t the end yet.” This is perhaps a reason to find extraordinary hope in today’s remaining Key Verse: Luke 21:28 – 28 Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. “Repent and believe the Gospel” is all the more urgent a command in this present darkness. God is Light and in all things in this darkness He is exalted (↔ Music Link). The operational language of the APP is Relationship Built. That is why we sing with the Psalmist Bless the Lord O My Soul (↔ Music Link. See Psalm 103:1-5)

 By your endurance you will gain your souls, [so] stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near; for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings. Belovéd, we shall do what we know is right, avoid what we know is wrong, and ask God to help us discern his will for us. Try chance it!

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 – November 4, 2022 – What does THAT mean?

November 4, 2022

2245AFC110422 – What does that mean?

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.

    2 Maccabees 7:1 – 1 It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and thongs, to partake of unlawful swine’s flesh.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 – 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, 17 comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

Psalm 17:8 – 8 Guard me as the apple of the eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,

Luke 20:37-38 – 37 And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.

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. As we approach the beginning of Advent on November 27, we are hearing Scriptures that remind us that hope and faith are our best defense against evil. We can build our hope and faith around our sure knowledge that God will protect all those he has called to him. We also hear that a King is coming (↔ Music Link)  who will restore Peace to all the Earth (↔ Music Link). Meanwhile we are reminded that evil still has a firm grip on the world. For this Sunday’s readings, we’re going to once again peek behind the pages to see “What does that mean?” let’s start with a little history. Who were the Maccabees, and why is their story important today? The chosen readings for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time focus on hope, faith, and courage because of the assurance of the Resurrection. The first reading is from 2 Maccabees 7. Use that link if you’re using a KJV Bible or something similar. The two

Coin for Antiochus IV

books of Maccabees recount the horrible period of time when Antiochus IV (an-TEE-a-cus) was the reigning power over the Seleucid Empire. He lived from about 205 – 164 BC. His goal was to obliterate all religions and cultures in the region and to replace them with Greek gods, commerce, and philosophies. What does that mean?

He was a horrible man who considered himself divine – he referred to himself as “god manifest” (Epiphanes). His subjects called him Antiochus Epimanes – Antiochus the Mad. He was arrogant, capricious, vicious, merciless, and notorious for his excesses. Here’s what the Prophet Daniel had to say about him: Daniel 7:25 – 25 He shall speak words against the Most High,
shall wear out the holy ones of the Most High,
and shall attempt to change the sacred seasons and the law;
and they shall be given into his power
for a time, two times, and half a time. 

    Nonetheless, his conquered territory, as you can see in the map shown here, included a good slice of the world – much of which was conquered by his father Antiochus III (↔ Click Link) who was a way-better ruler and administrator than his son who tried very hard to eliminate Jewish culture, tradition, and law. He ruled from about 175 – 164 BC. He died during the Maccabean Revolt. What does that mean?

The Jewish Maccabees’ revolt was from about 167-160 BC. In the 7th chapter of 2 Maccabees, we read the story of a family of Jewish “super heroes” who willingly gave up their lives rather than transgress the laws of their ancestors.” Each was tortured in the most heinous ways as their mother was forced to watch. One brother said, “You accursed wretch, you dismiss us from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws.” Another said of his hands and tongue, “I got these from Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them, and from him I hope to get them back again.” In these two passages we see, then, the expectation of the Messiah, and the resurrection of the dead. Would that we could all be so brave in the face of such grave evil! Their confidence in God’s protection extended beyond their physical lives. We know someone who lived and died like that, and we call ourselves after his name because of it: Christian. We should all know what that means.

    God’s loving protection is exemplified in the passage from Psalms. This one has an unusual expression – another of those we often slide right over as we read it – “Keep me as the apple of your eye.” What does that mean? The Hebrew word – kə-’î-šō-wn (ke- ee-shone’) – literally means “the little man of the eye.” It refers to the pupil of our eyes which we protect because it is so precious to us. God provided curtains and awnings for the eyes – our eyelids and eyebrows – and we ask him to protect us as he would guard his own eyes. Quite a poetic image of living harmony from the Psalmist there. In that same passage, we have the tender image of protectiveness like that of a mother hen and her chicks as she spreads her wings to protect them from any harm or danger. These two images from the Maccabees’ ancestor, King David, are so beautiful and reassuring. We can imagine the Jews of that era of terror found great comfort in them. Antiochus IV held all these things, places, and people in disdain as he styled himself as an equal of God. He died near the middle of the Revolt, allegedly struck down by Judah Maccabeus, the son of the first leader of the Revolt, Mattathias. Quite possibly it was a sword similar to this one that finally ended his heartless hatred. We all know what that means, and we do not want to be anything like that. Let’s see what The Apostle Paul has for us on that topic.

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word. Who among us would not cherish eternal comfort and good hope? These tremendously beautiful and precious gifts are given to us through Love and Grace from our Lord, Jesus the Christ and his Father, the Creator of all that is Good. (Remember James 1:17) We have been chosen to receive mercy and grace upon grace. Give thanks to the Lord for such is his everlasting love. (↔ Music Link) That is the image of God that Judah Maccabeus envisioned as he dealt with the evil that had overthrown his Nation. Around this same era in history, we see the formation of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. (Please use this link to download a valuable resource on this topic.) And what is the effect in our lives of these good and gracious gifts from God? They serve to comfort and strengthen our hearts “in every good work and word.” They help us live a life of courage, Hope, and Faith because of the assurance of the Resurrection – just like described above. Do you remember what The Apostle Paul said about being a Pharisee? (↔ Click Link) What does that mean?

    The Pharisees believed in the Resurrection, the Sadducees did not. The Pharisees rooted their teaching in the Torah, whereas the Sadducees focused primarily on the Temple rituals and rules. By Jesus’ time the Pharisees were completely bogged down in the semantics of the Law, a fact which Jesus pointed out to them (and the people!) many times in the Gospels.

The Pharisees believed in angels and Heaven, the Sadducees were the original YOLO believers – you get this life and after that, zilch. There was always tension between the two groups. Another faction that contributed to the fray was the group of legal professionals – we might refer to them as lawyers today – who had a good knowledge of the Law like the Pharisees, but also had the authority to draw up contracts usually in a limited geographical area. Scribes and Pharisees together often challenged Jesus on his understanding and presentation of the Law in his teachings.

Living off to the outside of 2nd century BC Judaism we have the group known as the Essenes. They were withdrawn and operated somewhat like communal mystics who followed teachings of a mysterious figure called “The Teacher of Righteousness.” They were most likely still active while Jesus was on Earth. For them, the human soul was temporarily relegated to a body of flesh and bone but actually lived eternally before and after an earthly life. What does that mean? They would have completely understood YOLO-F

Now, with all of these divers philosophies and theological differences, the things that Jesus was saying just really shook people up. That’s why these religious leaders in the community were always trying to trip him up with overly complicated questions and riddles like the one the Sadducees came up with –  “if seven brothers died, each childless after living with the first brother’s widow, whose wife would she be in Heaven?” I think if we had situation like that today it would show up on Dateline or 20/20 as a True Crime story! Jesus told them that the life after death included the Resurrection and that each of those persons, fictional as they were, would be as angels (a nod to the Pharisees, perhaps). He gave them their own strict belief straight from the Torah: Moses called out “Lord” while witnessing the Burning Bush, and if we look at God’s response we can see Jesus quoted it: Exodus 3:6, 15 – 6 He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. 15 God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’:
This is my name forever,
and this my title for all generations. What does that mean? End of discussion – game, set, match – for the Sadducees.

As we draw this to a close, we have seen that in the readings from Maccabees and Luke we have seven brothers, all of whom died. We also see in those readings that the Resurrection is our Great Hope. The Apostle Paul shows us that in all things we are strengthened by encouragement and hope in God’s great Love and Perfect Grace. He will protect us as surely as we protect our eyes, and he will rescue us from all that might inhibit our vision of him. We see our hope and encouragement when looking up to God and as the Psalmist says, Psalm 42:5-6 – 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help 6 and my God.
My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar. (This area is around present southern Lebanon and includes very high mountains and low hills; like saying “over high and low.”)

We need not feel cast down, lost, or hopelessly confused by our many burdens. We have Jesus who says in Matthew 11:28-30 – 28 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Lord Jesus Christ, son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner. AMEN. We all know what that means.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 – 16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace
at all times in all ways. The Lord be with all of you.

That’s the APP for you!

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 – October 28, 2022 – What do you know about that!

October 28, 2022

2244AFCrr102816 – What do you know about that!

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.

(There are lots and lots of great links here. Take some time to follow them) Originally posted under Aloha Friday Messages at https://aloha-friday.org – The Moon Beam Network as 1644AFC102816 – Climb to Fame and Glory. This older post covers everything I wanted to say this weekend, so we’re doing a rerun (with upgrades)! Today’s title is something that I call a fun interrogative. That’s my own designation, not something you’ll find in a text book. It’s fun because the meaning changes slightly when you change the emphasis on one word:

  • What do you know about that! As in “isn’t that remarkable!”
  • What do you know about that? Did you discover a secret?
  • What do you know about that? How did you find out anyway?
  • What do you know about that? You didn’t get “read in” on that operation.
  • What do you know about that? You must be tired of this by now, so I’ll stop because you have the idea.

The purpose of today’s post is to peek behind the pages about a very familiar story and learn a little more about it. Here we go!

      Luke 19:1-6 – 1 He entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. {*}  4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. {*} (↔ Music Link) 

Luke 19:8 – 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.”

¡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!) Maybe it’s time for something a little different, so today we’re going to do sort of an expositional approach to this story about Zacchaeus. Let’s begin with the setting.

     This story is only presented in Luke’s Gospel. It comes right after the healing of the blind (←That link will provide additional insights into this message.) Jesus is returning to Jerusalem. It’s a very long walk, and along the way many miracles are performed. He also describes what will happen to him once he gets to Jerusalem – his arrest, passion, death, and resurrection. At this point in that journey, Jesus has reached the ancient city of Jericho.  You perhaps recall the Battle of Jericho in which Joshua – יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ (Yeshua) {yeh-shoo’-ah} or {yeh-ho-shoo’-ah} – marched with the nation of Israel around the city seven times, and then the walls collapsed. This was the first city captured by Israel in Canaan. It is perhaps one of the oldest cities in the world. The word Jericho translates to “Moon City,” or “its moon,” an allusion to its proximity to Jerusalem. It is situated about 5 miles west of the Jordan River. It is about 7 miles north of the Dead Sea. Jericho was about 16 miles northeast of Jerusalem.

“Going up to Jerusalem” (See Psalm 122:1) from Jericho was a difficult trip. Jericho is about 800 feet below sea level and Jerusalem is about 2,500 feet above sea level. The journey was further complicated by the very rugged terrain, and by bandits who preyed on travelers going to Jerusalem (Recall the parable of The Good Samaritan.) It is surprising to me to learn that Jericho was fundamentally an oasis with a nearly tropical climate. It was a well-situated town along a principal trade route from the east. Because of that, travelers passing through paid taxes to Rome to be able to pass through there. That is how Zacchaeus made his living. I’ve always thought it was odd that Luke specified that particular tree. We have sycamores in North America – there are even some here on Kauaʻi – but those are usually the Plane Sycamore or the American Sycamore. Their leaves and “fruits” look like the photo on the left. (Click on the photo for more information.)

Zacchaeus lived in Jericho and was a Publican, a Tax Collector working for the Romans; as Luke 19:2 states, “he was a chief tax collector and was rich.” Tax Collectors were despised by the Jews because they were collaborators with the Romans. Their reputation was worsened because they usually levied more tax than was required by Rome; they kept the extra for themselves – and grew rich. In this instance the man’s name Ζακχαῖος (Zakchaios) {dzak-chah’-ee-yos} is truly ironic because it is derived from a word that means “pure or innocent.” His name was Greek in origin, but there is reason to believe he was a Jew. (See Ezra 2:9 for זַכָּי (Zakkay) { zak-kah’-ee}.) He was curious about Jesus and wanted to see “who Jesus was.” We know from the Gospel account of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem that there were very large crowds surrounding him. For someone who “was short in stature,” that made seeing Jesus all the more difficult, so he climbed a tree. The type of tree described by Luke was a sycamore tree. Please see 1 King 10:27, Amos 7:14 for שִׁקְמִים (shaqam) { shaw-kawm’),  and Luke 19:4 for συκομορέα (sykomorea) {soo-kom-o-rah’-yah}.

However, the sycamore that Zacchaeus climbed was a type of ficus – a fig tree. You can see the small, round fruits – figs – along the trunk and branches. . (Click on the photo for more information.)The Biblical symbolism of the fig tree goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden (See Genesis 3:7) and in stories and parables usually represents the “fruitfulness” (i.e., goodness or holiness) of Israel. So, to push the figurative language a bit, Zacchaeus climbed up into the fruitfulness of Israel so that he could see Jesus. And oh, what a surprise he got! Jesus saw him in the tree and told him to come down, then Jesus invited himself to stay at Zacchaeus’ house. The biggest, baddest, most despised man in town “was happy to welcome him.” It caused quite a stir in the city of Jericho! (See Luke 19:7) Then the story takes a sudden shift.

We don’t know how long Jesus stayed with Zacchaeus, but it was long enough to bring forth a dramatic conversion. Zacchaeus – a hated man who cheated others to enrich himself – declares, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” What did Jesus say to him to bring about this extraordinary change? Luke doesn’t give us any additional information – it is sufficient to tell us that Zacchaeus went from super-greedy to super-generous in a very short time. Jesus left Jericho to continue his journey to Jerusalem – very literally a long (about 16-18 miles), arduous, uphill trek – but the Gospels don’t tell us any more about Zacchaeus. There is more to learn, however.

There is a collection of writings called The Apostolic Constitutions. (↔ Click Link) This is a remarkable resource to read. It contains eight “books” that convey the earliest ecclesiastical laws of Christianity. This is a real, searchable, historical resource that gives much insight into the early Church. Scholars believe it was put together toward the end of the Fourth Century – around 375-380 AD under the supervision of Saint Pope Clement I of Rome. They were probably written in Syria, perhaps in Antioch (a strong Christian community was established there by Christians who fled persecution in Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Crete, and later was recognized by the Apostle Peter and nurtured by the Apostle Paul). In this collection of writings – in Book Seven, Section XLVI (46) – there are references to Bishops of the early church (“presbyter” πρεσβύτερος as in Titus 1:5, 1 Peter 5:1, 2 John 1:1, 3 John 1:1, and especially 1 Timothy 5:17) usually translated as “Elders” in the KJV.) In the list of the first bishops of The Church, there is this statement: “Of Cæsarea of Palestine, the first was Zacchæus, who was once a publican.”

This World-Class sinner – through the evangelization of Jesus and the Apostles – became a respected and honored member of the early Church. According to an early historian Clement of Alexandria (about AD 150 – AD 215 and not the same person as Pope Clement I) in his book Stromata, Zacchaeus’ surname was Matthias (See Acts 1:23). Matthias  took the place of Judas Iscariot after Jesus’ Ascension. We do not know if “Zacchaeus who was called Matthias” is the same Matthias described in Acts 1:26 * – 26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven Apostles.  *This link will take you to the full passage describing that transition. Zacchaeus is not mentioned in Scripture after this passage.  The later Apostolic Constitutions identify “Zacchaeus the Publican” as the first bishop of Caesarea. These accounts are not canonical – they are not approved as inspired scripture, and are considered by some to be pious legend – but they do give us some insight into the processes by which The Church grew and how Apostolic Authority figures into the ecclesiastical formation of Christian doctrine, worship, discipline, and structure. For those of us who are Biblicists and interested in history (admittedly few and far between!), these are fascinating reading. For most of us, though, we often do not look “behind the page” to see what the Bible tells us about the people, places, and events it contains. All of those things are part of the APP. (↔ Music Link)

The next time you hear the story of Zacchaeus, you will know more about the man, the way he lived, where he lived, and how his life changed. What do you know about that? Hopefully more than before! He went from sinner to Saint because he took the initiative of trying to see who Jesus was. Jesus welcomed his initiative as well as his conversion, and Zacchaeus stayed with his new-found “notoriety” (being a follower in The Way was even worse than being a Tax Collector for many of the Jews) and went on to become a leader in the Early Church – a man famous for his generosity and faith. Look for Jesus because he’s coming your direction so you can see who Jesus is. Find a good way to see who he is, and give heed to his instruction. It may mean getting up in a tree and going out on a limb, but – I know this from experience – it’s well worth the climb up and to share in the Glory of Heaven even without the kind of fame Zacchaeus garnered.

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

(↕ New prayer requests in the Intercessory Prayer List)

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

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

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