Aloha Friday Message – April 8, 2022 – Word Over Name

April 8, 2022

2214AFC040822 – Word Over Name

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.

     Psalm 138:2 – 2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and give thanks unto thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: For thou hast magnified thy [W]ord above all thy name. (American Standard Version (ASV) Public Domain)

Philippians 2:9-11 – 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.) Yes! Every Knee Shall Bow! (↔ Music Link)

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. This coming Sunday is commonly called Palm Sunday. It is the beginning of Holy Week, the last days of Jesus’ life in human form. It begins with his triumphal entry into Jerusalem and ends with his torment upon the Cross. Are we ready for that Easter which includes Calvary and the Tomb?

Today I am going to give you links for the daily readings for Hoy Week. Think of it as a series of homework assignments. I encourage you to read the entire page you receive when using a link. After you finish the readings, use the Lectio Divina (↔ Click Link) method for reflection.

  1. Reading (lectio) – what do these readings tell you? What, in particular, resonates with your Spirit?
  2. Meditation (meditatio) – What is God trying to show you in these passages of Scripture?
  3. Prayer (oratio) – Share your conclusions with God in prayer – through your own praise, thanksgiving, contrition, or petition.
  4. Contemplation (contemplatio) – Take a few moments to silently reflect and listen for the Word’s Voice in your heart and mind.
  5. Actions (actio) – Take action to make changes in your life that affect your relationships with God and neighbor.

This won’t take much time out of our day, and we’ll find it prepares us to celebrate the Easter mysteries in ways that are both profound and delightful. God has given us the B.I.B.L.E. which contains over 7,000 promises, and most of them about his Absolutely Perfect Plan based on his Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, and our Eternal Salvation through Christ our Lord who is the Word made flesh. In your Lectio Divina, make it your daily recollection that God has “magnified his Word above all his name.” Every characteristic attributable to God – every name, every word, and every deed by which has revealed himself – ALL are secondary to his Word, “the name that is above every name.” Then – when Easter comes – we will know for certain that “every tongue [will] confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (↔ Music Link)

 

Here are the readings for the week: (Click the links to go to the pages)

4/11 Monday, Holy Week: Isaiah 42:1–7 / John 12:1–11

4/12 Tuesday, Holy Week: Isaiah 49:1–6 / John 13:21–33, 36–38

4/13 Wednesday, Holy Week: Isaiah 50:4–9a / Matthew 26:14–25

4/14 Thursday, Holy Week (Chrism Mass): Isaiah 61:1–3a, 6a 8b–9 / Luke 4:16–21

4/15 Friday, Friday of the Lord’s Passion (Good Friday): Isaiah 52:13-53:12 / John 18:1-19:42

4/16 Saturday, Holy Saturday: Genesis 1:1-2:2; Genesis 1:1, 26–31 / Luke 24:1-12

EASTER VIGIL April 16, 2022

Follow this link to get the Daily Readings sent to your email. That’s all for this week Belovéd.

Next week I am having two minor procedures done on my right hand – a carpal tunnel release and trigger finger (pinky) correction. I’m told I won’t be able to type for about SIX WEEKS!! We’ll see about that. But JIC, I’ve been practicing with speech to text.

***F*R*U*S*T*R*A*T*I*N*G*!!!***

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

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

God himself tells us “My eternal Word is anchored in the heavens.”

Psalm 119:89-90 – 89 The Lord exists forever; your word is firmly fixed in heaven. 90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.

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

 

 

Aloha Friday Message – April 1, 2022 – Time for an upgrade!

April 1, 2022

2213AFC040122 – Time for an upgrade!  

        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.

Year A Restoration, resuscitation, but not Resurrection.

Ezekiel 37:14 – 14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.

Psalm 130:3-4 – 3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you,
so that you may be revered.

Romans 8:9 – 9 But you, you do not identify with your old nature but with the Spirit — provided the Spirit of God is living inside you, for anyone who doesn’t have the Spirit of the Messiah doesn’t belong to him.

John 11:14-16 – 14 Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15 For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Year C New and improved, without any warranty restrictions.

Isaiah 43:18-19a – 18 Do not remember the former things,
or consider the things of old.
19 I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

Psalm 126:6 – 6 Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.

Philippians 3:8-9 – 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.

John 8:7b-11 – “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”

This weekend marks the Third Scrutiny for the Elect, the Catechumens preparing for the Sacraments of Initiation during the Easter Vigil Mass. That’s why we have front-loaded so much Scripture at the beginning of this post. I’m going to try to tie all of them together, and not overwhelm us with the outcome.

The theme for the Year A (Scrutinies) readings is Restoration, resuscitation, but not Resurrection. The theme for Year C (Regular Lenten Sunday) is New and improved, without any warranty restrictions. Now that’s not exactly biblical, but we’ll trust the Holy Spirit to make sense of it. We’re going to run the readings parallel || and make a few (we hope) short comments about them. The underlined portions are my-emphasis-added. Here we go!

Ezekiel 37:14 – 14 I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live AND Isaiah 43:18-19a 19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? That’s pretty easy to pair up, right? This is part of the account of “them bones, them dry bones.” God is promising that Israel will be restored and the restoration will make them better than ever because they will have his Holy Spirit flowing in them. And the end of Sunday’s passage he says, “you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.” That goes right along with Isaiah’s prophecy about “a new thing.” The Lord is telling Isaiah that HE is the one who put water in the desert and even the beasts of the desert acknowledge and honor him. What is this new thing? The renewal of Israel after their long period of penitence brought about by turning away from him. Should we not also long for that Spirit of Hope to come to us as we prepare for Passion Week and Easter? I encourage us to ask, “How and why have I been changed by my participation in this Lenten journey. Have I been restored and improved?” If for any reason our answer is not satisfactory to us, we still have time to work on it – the rest of our lives, or before Easter, whichever comes first. 😉

Psalm 130:3-4 there is forgiveness with you AND Psalm 126:6 come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. Psalm130  is counted among the “Penitential Psalms.” The Psalmist asks, “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?” When we hear this Psalm (↔ Audio Link!), we hear the sound of Hope. “I am a sinner, but you, O Lord, can make me whole.” Please recall that to be “made whole” is to be cleansed of any and all obstacles to worshiping at the Temple. Persons with blemishes on or in body or soul were prohibited from entry. Psalm 126, (↔ Click Link) , one of the “Psalms of Ascent,” expresses how one feels when we are made whole. The preceding trope says, “Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing.” Many of us have long-lasting trials and burdens, but God assures us that these times will not last. We can count on him to stand by us  (↔ Music Link) with unfailing help through all those ups and downs (or, for some of us, down and down and more down). I should also comment here that many times folks have wondered what is meant by bringing in “the sheeps.” Of course we can see that it says “bringing in the SHEAVES,” but what does that mean? It means that the work we do when hindered by sorrow brings the reward of a bountiful harvest in the end. As we often say here, “It’s always good in the end. If it’s not good yet, it isn’t the end yet.” God’s forgiveness is certainly a fine reason to shout for JOY!

We continue with Romans 8:9 – 9 But you, you do not identify with your old nature but with the Spirit AND Philippians 3:8-9 I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. We can see how this lines up with the reading in Ezekiel. We receive a renewal of Spirit, a new life. We are reminded of another Penitential Psalm, Psalm 51 (↔ Another Audio Link!), which says in verse 10 –  Create in me a clean heart, God; renew in me a resolute spirit. The Hebrew word here for “resolute” is kun {Koon} and it brings the image of firm, directed, stable, ready, and determined. That is certainly a “new nature” compared to our old and sinful nature inherited from our First Parents! Again, we often say here, “Why would you want anything less?” Compared to our restoration to Grace, there is nothing in this World that could be a greater harvest – BIG SHEAVES! WHEN IT’S TIME TO MAKE OUR Exodus from this Lent, we would do well to remember that with every Easter there is a Calvary and a Tomb. The Cross and the Tomb are of the World. Easter is of the Kingdom, and that’s where we’re going.

We’ll finish up with two truly remarkable Gospel readings – the story of Lazarus, and the story of the “woman taken in adultery.” We have John 11:14-16 “Lazarus is dead.” … “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” AND John 8:7b-11 – “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” …  “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”  Lazarus, Margaret, and Mary were obviously close friends of Jesus. They lived in Bethany (Gr. Béthania Hb. Beit Anya) – a name which means “House of misery” or “House of figs/dates. It was also the home of Simon the Leper (See Matthew 26:6; Mark 14:3). Bethany is about two miles from Jerusalem on the way to the Mount of Olives and to Jericho. In the story of Lazarus we see that Jesus already knows that Lazarus is dead, but he delays going – and that baffles his Disciples including Thomas, Mary, and Margaret. Jesus waited four days to return to Bethany. Jesus tell them that Lazarus is only sleeping, then he sees that his Disciples cannot understand this meaning, so he flat out tells them Lazarus is d-e-a-d-dead. Jesus announces he is going to Lazarus’ house and Thomas bravely (↔ Click Link) – or pessimistically – says, “Let’s go die with him,” presumably referring to Jesus, not Lazarus. Ultimately, we all know, Lazarus is RESUSCITATED.  He is NOT Resurrected. He is brought back to life, but not Eternal Life in a Resurrected (i.e., perfected) body. That is what did and did not happen when Jesus said “Lazarus, COME FORTH!” (↔ Music Link)

In the account of the adulterous woman, she is at the threshold of death – about to be stoned by the community in accordance with the Law – for her sin. Catching her gives them the opportunity to test Jesus’ “purity,” his commitment to keeping the Law. He takes the curious step of squatting down and writing in the dust. We are reminded of Jeremiah 17:13 – 13 Hope of Isra’el, Adonai! All who abandon you will be ashamed, those who leave you will be inscribed in the dust, because they have abandoned Adonai, the source of living water. (Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) – Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved. Used with permission.)

Perhaps Jesus was writing the names of the sins committed in the community, or those of the woman, or perhaps even the names of those holding the stones. In the end, we know, that his challenge to them was to be Holy enough to cast the first stone. Although we are not privy to the woman’s confession of guilt (it was already obvious and she did not contest it against her accusers), we know Jesus saw her sorrow and fear outwardly, and her repentance in her heart. He did not accuse her but told her to CHANGE. As he says to us, “Repent and sin no more.” There an APP for that – God’s Absolutely Perfect Plan. How does it work? It’s simple. We just apply for an Extreme Makeover (↔ Click Link). As we saw last week, God is always standing on the Long Road Home, arms outstretched, waiting for us to turn to him (↔ Music Link). Belovéd, it really is just that easy. A pair of interesting questions came up last week that I absolutely must share with you (again):

What should I be afraid of if I do go to confession?
What should I be afraid of if I do not go to confession?

For our non-Catholic readers for whom conversion is not Sacramental –

What should I be afraid of if I do repent and believe?
What should I be afraid of if I do not repent and believe?

My Dearly Belovéd, it’s time to upgrade our copy of The APP. You can download it at your personal Church Home, or even here (↔ Click Link – really, try it, you’ll like it!) for an annotated copy of our B.I.B.L.E. Get into the Word and it will get into you! AND it’s guaranteed for All Eternity! UPGRADE TODAY!

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

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

Aloha Friday Message – March 25, 2022 – Our Five Sons

March 25, 2022

2212AFC032522 – Our Five Sons

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.

Year A

1 Samuel 16:11-13 –  11 Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” 12 He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

John 9:5-7 – 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, 7 saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.

Year C

Joshua 5:12 – 12 The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

Luke 15:20-21 – 20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! At the beginning of Lent I said we’d do something special for the middle Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent  also called Laetare Sunday so named because of the Introit (entrance antiphon) which in Latin begins with “Laetare Jerusalem: et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam: gaudete cum laetitia, …” which means “Rejoice, O Jerusalem: and come together all you that love her: rejoice with joy, …” For this special Sunday, the vestments and church appointments are rose-colored (“pink”) to remind us that we are looking forward now to Jesus’ continuing final journey from Capernaum, through the Samaritan town of Ginae, on through Jericho, Bethany, Bethphage, and then his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. That is of course followed by his Passion, Crucifixion, Death, and Resurrection.

You noticed I have FOUR Key Verses today. That is because during this part of Lent – the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays – we celebrate what is called “The Scrutinies” along with those who are preparing to receive the Sacraments of Initiation (← You know what to do here) at the Mass of the Easter Vigil.

In Parishes where there are no Elect (Catechumens), we continue with the Year C readings. Some of us will hear Year A this weekend and some of us will here Year C, so I’m putting both in this post. We’ve never done that before, so this is a Special Edition!

In the Year C readings we have two sons – Joshua the son of Nun who has inherited the leadership of Israel from Moses, and an unnamed decadent lad who has betrayed his family to satisfy his Worldly desires. Joshua will lead Israel into Canaan – the land promised to Abraham and all his generations and direct Israel in God’s campaign to rout all the evil nations from that territory. As soon as Israel had eaten of the fruit of their own labors, the sustenance from God – Manna – ended. Later, the reckless child of a loving father ends up starving in the Land of Plenty. Joshua was loyal to his God and his people’s inheritance. The youth who squandered his father’s inheritance repented. Always note that the father never gave up on his dissolute son, but watched for him constantly. When at last he saw him – and before the son even began his repentance – the father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. What do we say here? “Repent, and believe the Gospel.” While we are on our way to confession, God our Father is reaching out to us with open arms to embrace us for getting closer, close enough to express our contrition and to repent.

We have another pair of sons in Year A. first we have Jesse’s youngest, David. If you’re from a large family, you know that the children born last and late in life are the “baby of the family.” They are precious, and loved, and usually a bit (a lot!) spoiled. No one in Jesse’s family would expect that David was the one God wanted to anoint. “He’s just a kid! What can he do that these others cannot?” He had a heart like God’s heart, his thoughts were on God, in God, of God, from God, and constantly turned toward worship, service, and praise. He was the least likely in the family to amount to much, yet God chose him above all others.

The second son in that set of readings is an unnamed blind man. I don’t think this is the same guy as Bartimaeus (↔ Click Link) because the actions in this story are different from the account of Bartimaeus’ healing. This unnamed son gets healed because Jesus says so. This man did not ask Jesus to heal him. Jesus healed him because he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. (See John 9:3-4). That darkness is what would later be called by the Apostle Paul as “This present darkness.” (↔ Click Link). I have often wondered if Jesus used the clay he made with his spittle to create new eyes for that man (from the dust of the earth as in Genesis 3:19). Whatever Jesus’ reason for this unusual method, the man was sent to clean up at the Fountain of Shiloh, the pool of Siloam. Because of his unquestioning obedience, he came back able to see. His trip to Siloam was an Act of Faith. Thereafter he again acted in faith and believed the Gospel. (↔ Click Link)

Up to this point we have looked a four sons – two of them have familiar names – Joshua and David. The other two are unknown, but their roles in Scripture are well-known. Now we come to the point where we look into the story of that last of the five sons in the title. Who do you think it is? Here’s a small hint: The meaning of his name is very similar to the name of one of the four sons previously named. Two of the sons are unnamed, so that leaves David and Joshua. Did you guess Jesus? Then you are right! Joshua in Hebrew is יְהוֹשׁוּעַ (Yehoshua) {yeh-ho-shoo’-ah} which means “the LORD is Salvation.” Jesus’ name in Hebrew is יְשׁוּעָה

(Yeshuah) {yeh-shoo’-ah} which means “Salvation.” An example of that usage can be found in Exodus 14:13 and Isaiah 52:10. He ultimately is known to the Apostles and many other Disciples as the Messiah – the Anointed One. He is the “Only Begotten Son of God” (See John 3:16-17 so that we can better understand what “Salvation in Jesus” means.) We also know that in Scripture he is referred to as “Messiah.” This Hebrew word is מָשִׁיחַ (mashiach) {maw-shee’-akh} which means “Anointed One.” That title was given to all the Kings of Israel and Judah. What does that have to do with this post? Let’s review what Samuel did: Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. David was anointed. So was Saul incidentally. Joshua was anointed by Moses through laying on of hands. This marked Joshua (and his comrade Caleb) as having charismatic (giftedness) skills in administration and leadership, bravery and strategy. Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon are all anointed by the Holy Spirit.

Who is this Holy Spirit, and who gives this anointing? He is God – the Almighty, Everliving God, our El Shaddai-Olam (↔ Click Link), God in Three Persons, Blesséd Trinity. Now of course you know that, so I’m going to go a bit deeper and ask if there is anyone you know who is anointed. Would you believe me if I told you that there are literally BILLIONS of people who have all been anointed? Catholics who have been baptized, confirmed, and/or ordained to the clergy are anointed with chrism, the oil of catechumens, the oil of consecration. We are anointed Priest, Prophet, and King so that through our lives as Disciples who have formed within our hearts and minds the intention of serving God and neighbor as intended according  the Scriptures we will sanctify our lives and the lives of family and neighbor through our actions as does a good and holy ruler. We will share and bear witness to the Divine Truths we know because of our closeness to God as all Prophets do. We use our Gifts from God to help lead others to the communities we share with others – family, church, school, workplace, and anywhere we interact with others for common purpose that leads to Good.

Now you can see that there is a “slight” error in our title for today. We looked at five sons, but we ended up with billions of sons and daughters who are Priest, Prophet, and King. And yet there is still One we did not put in the spotlight. He is that Only Begotten Son, and today is an important day to remember that. Hopefully we have all remembered the holiness of this day for the Church – for all Christian peoples of all times and places. 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 (thank you Brendan Case) 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 (TODAY!), but it is also the DAY OF THE INCARNATION! Through Mary’s fiat- her unqualified YES – Jesus was “incarnate of the Holy Spirit … and became man.” He became the Second Adam, the perfected joining of man and God, the Anointed, the Messiah.

Now we are prepared for Year A and Year C. If your Parish is celebrating the Scrutinies for this Lent, be sure to look up the readings before you go to Mass. You can find them here (↔ Click Link) If you scroll to the bottom of this page, you can enter your email address and have the daily reading sent to your email every day! Reach out to God. He’s watching down the road for you with his arms wide open.

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 – March 18, 2022 – Bear Fruit or Get The Boot

March 18, 2022

2211AFC031822 – Bear Fruit or Get The Boot

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.

“You’re preaching to the choir.” That’s probably true, but I’d like for the choir to share this with someone who hasn’t heard this tune before.

    Luke 13:9 – 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.

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. We continue today with a series on metanoia – repentance. Why do I keep harping on this? I do so because it is important and way too many people do not believe that. I’ll say again here at the outset that this post is written by a Catholic in a Catholic point of view. We will refer again to The 7 R’s, and discuss some other points of interest. Let’s begin with the source of today’s Key Verse – the Parable of the Fig Tree. Jesus has just discussed the murder of an undisclosed number of Galileans who were killed under Pilate’s orders while offering their sacrifices. (See Luke 9:1-5) He also mentions 18 others who were killed when a tower fell down on top of them in Siloam (↔ Click Link). The point he makes there is that these seemingly meaningless deaths had nothing to do with the sinfulness of the deceased. God was not “punishing them.” Then he warns those who are listening: “but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.” Is he telling them that they, too, will all die suddenly either at the hands of others (Romans for example) or terrible accidents? No, he is not. He is, however, telling them that their presumptions about their own righteousness and how it is guaranteed by their own piety will not preserve them from spiritual death. This is consistent with the entire Gospel message, indeed the central message of the B.I.B.L.E. – REPENT AND BELIEVE.

Today’s Key Verse was chosen because in this present darkness way too many of us believe that we can save ourselves from eternal separation from God. When stated so starkly, we will say, “It’s OK. I’ve got it covered. I know my limits, and I’m square with God.” Jesus is telling us, “Hold on sinner! Your repentance is incomplete.” I saw this little meme the other day, and it seemed to be perfect for today! I captioned it “Pride = Ooopsie.” I don’t really want to go into the “one and done” argument, but I will say that everyone – everyone – I know is in need of repentance more frequently than just once in a lifetime, once in a year, or once in a season (those “CEO Christians – Christmas-Easter only). In my faith-life, repentance is part of a Sacrament (↔ Click Link) called the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We’ll talk about that more shortly; first, though, we’ll look (again) at what repentance means.

We’ve stated here that it means to make a 180º turn back toward God. Did you know that Satan also wants us to repent? The Devil – the Foe, the Adversary, the Accuser – wants us to repent of our return to God and go back to serving his evil plans. No wonder we sometimes feel like we’re spinning like a maple seed! (Video Link!) There’s a key aspect of repentance we haven’t addressed here often: Permanence. Regardless of how we classify sins – mortal, venial, tiny, gigantic, stupid, secret, devastating, concupiscence, recurring, binding, and so on – the fact is that we try hard not to go back into Satan’s grasp by once again turning away from God, but it doesn’t always work and so we regain a blotch of sin on our souls. (Remember last week’s quote from the Apostle Paul in Romans 7:15-20 about not doing what he intended to do). Some of us think, “Oh well, everybody sins, and it’s not the end of the World if I do, too. After all I can always repent again.” There goes that arrow of pride right through the chink in our armor again! Let’s think about why we even have the opportunity to repent.

Christ died for the sins of the whole world (“whosoever,” remember?). He died for our sins – mine and yours – for the things that we do that offend God. Those things interfere with the fullest distribution of the love He gave us to share with everyone, including the people who sin against us. You see, Jesus made reparation to God for their sins too. So, He died for you, me, and for those who persecute us. Why not imitate Him better by praying not only for just those whom we love but also for people who have been, or are now, causing us pain? And since we know we can extend our prayers to them, can we not also pray for everyone who is praying with us or for us or about us? Should we then act further and also pray for everyone who will not or cannot pray? Or must we pray only for ourselves and for the few people who are willing to take the time and effort to remember us? Think about it, and then pray about it. Here’s what Frank said about that in last week’s post about repentance not lasting: “Unless you make it last. Think of it as a four-step process: Repent, believe, follow, repeat. When we repent and believe we are forgiven, that’s conversion. When we follow and repeat, that’s action. Conversion plus action equals … holiness.” ALL Christians should be following that four-step process. A few years back, we featured a process called The 7 R’s. Here is a brief outline summary:

Seven Key Words of Faith in God’s Forgiveness
1.  Recognition

  • See there is a problem
  • Know that it is sin
  • Know that I am powerless against it
  1. Remorse
    • I regret the outcome of my actions
    • I trust in God’s understanding of my sorrow
  2. Repentance

3.1.         I make a conscious decision to correct my thinking, my communications, and my actions

3.2.         I make that decision public through my actions

  1. Reconciliation
    • I am resolved to restore the relationships with God and with my community that I have damaged through my sin
    • I seek and accept forgiveness from God and my community
  2. Reparation
    • I am willing to atone and to offer compensation for the damage I have caused
    • I gratefully acknowledge expiation of my sins
  3. Renewal
    • I am transformed by the renewal of my heart, my mind, and my actions.
    • I make it my resolve to avoid the kinds of circumstances that enabled me to sin
  4. Rejoicing
    • I rejoice in the restoration of a right relationship with God and my community.
    • I share my rejoicing freely and still, with due humility, show respect for others

Our goal is to spend Eternity in Heaven with God and all his Angels and Saints. One of the main objectives we embrace to achieve that goal is continuous conversion. In much the same way we make “pray without ceasing” a reality by making our entire life a prayer (↔ Click Link), we can make continuous conversion a commitment to following the first 4 R’s daily. As the saying goes, “Easy to say, hard to do.” It’s hard for several reasons – we forget (the most common reason), we’re embarrassed (probably the second-most), we don’t recognize the sin in our lives (the beam versus the speck in Matthew 7:3), or (saddest and worst of all) we just don’t care. That last one explains a lot about the failure of the constant decline of participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation – and that correlates with the constant decline and abandonment of family values. Now, I just said there are several reasons. The thing is those are really excuses, things we think or say in order to justify ourselves and our actions, and to redirect the blame elsewhere (Flip Wilson’s character Geraldine – “The Devil made me do it”). Satan can entice, confuse, accuse, or abuse us, but even he cannot force us to sin! Why is that? Because we have Free Will and therefore chose to sin even when we know it is wrong and separates us from God’s Good Grace.

Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament of confession when he appeared to the disciples in the upper room after his resurrection.

[Jesus] said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain they are retained.” (See John 20:21-23)

From this moment on, Catholic churches and priests took on the ministry of forgiveness of sins, the power of forgiving, as a direct command from the Lord. This can be seen in the apostolic constitutions and other early Christian writings such as the Didache (↔ Click Link for the text). Many such writings can be found in the Catholic encyclopedia found at www.newadvent.org. Catholic Answers does a much better job of explaining in detail how the power of binding and losing sin was passed on than I can hope to present here. Consider this from Jethro Higgins, website manager for www.ocp.org: “Suffice it to say that Jesus chose to establish the ministry of reconciliation to obtain forgiveness of sins in a way that requires both the grace of God and the Church, the Body of Christ. The confession of sins and sacramental absolution were divinely inspired by the Father of mercies. The Church carries out His will and returns to God all the glory for He has chosen to share with us His mercy.” [i]

In summary, we can say that repentance should lead us to a state of continuous conversion which is possible by maintaining rigorous reflection on our thoughts, words, and deeds in light of the Gospel and the requirements of the Sacrament. That should, in turn, bring us to the decision and acceptance of Reconciliation. We can find the best success if we remember where we sin, and where we repent.

Where do we repent? To answer that question, we need to look at where we sin. Where do we sin? Is it a physical place? No, it’s not really like that. We can sin in any location – at home, at work, even in church. Sin is a spiritual predicament, a drawback in our day-to-day living that gets between our life and God’s Life. Our spirit comes from God and it is like him for God is Spirit, and we must worship him (and Love him) in Spirit and in Truth, so I would posit that it’s not in our Spirit that we sin – in fact I’d say we sin against our Spirit. So what does that leave? What part of our spiritual life isn’t Spirit? Let’s take a quick clue from Proverbs 20:9 – 9 Who can say, “I have made my heart clean; I am pure from my sin”? Looking back to Genesis 6:5, we read, 5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. It is in our hearts and minds that we sin. Imagination, the gift of thought, is one of God’s greatest gifts. It must have been in us even before the Fall, because Eve and Adam were able to imagine what it would be like to be more like God. That was the first instance where earthlings misused the gift of thought and instead of thinking up something good, something evil entered the heart and mind of humanity. The Hebrew word root used here is יֵ֫צֶר (yetser) {yay’-tser} – thought, the forming of ideas in the mind, imagination, mind, frame / framework. It is also translated as inclination of the human heart. If that is where we sin, perhaps that is where we begin to repent. What will we find if we look – right now – into our hearts? Will it be The Word? If so, we will be led to contrition. Contrition leads to repentance – or at least it should. This leads to extraordinary graces. You can read about those here: Psalm 103:1-5

Jesus spoke quite plainly about excising sin from your lives. We are to use our Free Will to choose God and not self. Those who fail to do that are subject to dire consequences up to and including eternal separation from God. It behooves us, then, to “Repent and believe the Gospel.” That is how we are to be pruned, cultivated, nourished, and avoid being booted out of our place in Paradise.

This post is about the Catholic Sacrament RECONCILIATION, especially the concept of Repentance. As such, non-Catholic readers may not agree with its content. We refer you to The 7ays R’s (https://aloha-friday.org/archives/8031) for more information.

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

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

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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

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

______________

[i]Higgins, Jethro ©2022 OCP Blog Series: Sacraments of Healing. All Rights Reserved Oregon Catholic Press 5536 NE Hassalo St.  Portland, OR 97213 Permission Pending

Aloha Friday Message – March 11, 2022 – A Frank & Earnest Summary

March 11, 2022

2210AFC031122 – A Frank & Earnest Summary – With Special Addendum for online readers

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. o 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 9:29 – “While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.”

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. This is the second portion of the 2022 Lenten series called Lenten Reruns. Last week we said we would look back at A Frank & Earnest Conversation – a three-part study on metanoia. Metanoia is that deep, complete conversions that Jesus often spoke about when he told us to repent. Rather than put all three “acts” into this post, we’ll take a few excerpts. As a reminder you can find all of the dialogs at Catholic365 or at The 2019 Lenten Series Part 2, Series Part 3, and Series Part 4 (it’s a “3-act play”). You can find the whole thing in one piece if you Read it online here: https://aloha-friday.org/archives/13514 – thanks.

The unifying theme for this Sunday’s reading are transformation. We learn of Abram’s covenant with God to inherit the Land God set aside for Abram and his descendants. The Apostle Paul reminds us that Jesus will transform our mortal bodies to be consistent with his Glorified body. In the conversation between Frank and Earnest, the unifying idea is also transformation – from sinner to redeemed sinner. Here are a few excerpts from the Frank and Earnest Conversation:

F: Hi, I’m Frank.

E:  And I’m Earnest.

N: I’m the Narrator. (My comments will look like this.)

E: So Frank, you look a little down. What’s going on?

F: Oh, you know. It’s Lent. Time for the whole “fasting, prayer, and almsgiving” thing – and then there’s the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I don’t know why they had to change the name. “Confession” seems good enough to me.

E: What part of that has you worried?

F: Oh, it’s not that I’m worried about it so much. It’s just that … well confession seems to get harder and harder. I don’t know why we repent if all we do is just go out and do the same sins over and over. It’s like “what’s the point?” any more.

E: Well that’s a good question. What is the point?

F: The point is to be reconciled with God and neighbor. You know that! We have Reconciliation because we trust God’s justice and mercy.

E: Yes, that’s why we can – and do – repent. God is just and merciful, your confessor is trained not to be judgmental, and there’s always the Seal of Confession, so what exactly is bothering you?

F: I guess it’s the repentance part. I just don’t seem to get that done right. No matter what I do, it just doesn’t stick. I’m still so angry all the time, and ashamed. The way I’ve acted toward Ethel and the kids, even stopped going to Mass because I don’t want to sit there and not go to Communion because everybody will know I haven’t gone to Confession. Repentance seems impossible.

~~~~~~~~~~~

F: Think about this: How did you stop smoking 7 years ago?

E: I stopped buying the nasty things.

F: That was the first day. Did you buy any the second day? The third day? The first year? Yesterday?

E: No. Why?

F: You quit by continually quitting, right? How about your medicine for diabetes? What happens if you don’t take it?

E: I get sick and die?

F: Right! Now, let’s remember what Jesus said at the start of his ministry: “Repent and believe the Gospel.” That’s the process called conversion. You decide to change, to embrace “metanoia,” and then you place your faith in him. That’s conversion. (↔ Click Link) Once you experience conversion, you’re ready to follow him. Remember? “Come, follow me.”?

E: That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t last.

F: Unless you make it last. Think of it as a four-step process: Repent, believe, follow, repeat. When we repent and believe we are forgiven, that’s conversion. When we follow and repeat, that’s action. Conversion plus action equals … holiness.

E: I don’t know. It sounds too easy. And, like I said, it doesn’t last.

F: Ernie, it’s never “once and done.” Remember, it has to become a habit – like not smoking. Most days you don’t even have to think about that, right? Repentance works pretty much the same way. If Jesus is as real to you as he was to the Disciples at the Ascension, then you know he’s always there for you, always coming back to you in the Sacraments. AND you’ve got the Holy Spirit to help you, too. Repentance opens the door to holiness.

~~~~~~~~~~~

F: [The Narrator and I] are just trying to tell you two things [1] if you sincerely confess your sins, there’s forgiveness – you acknowledge your sins and repent. That’s necessary because repentance is turning away from sin – which we recognize and regret – so that we turn again toward God. In this case, repentance involves something many people don’t think about: Conversion.

E: You mean like the “born-again Christians” on TV?

F: In a way, yes, we do need real conversion. Here, let’s ask that Narrator again for some help.

N: (CCC §1427: Jesus calls [us] to conversion. This call is an essential part of the proclamation of the kingdom: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” §1429 St. Peter’s conversion after he had denied his master three times bears witness to this. Jesus’ look of infinite mercy drew tears of repentance from Peter and, after the Lord’s resurrection, a threefold affirmation of love for him. The second conversion also has a communitarian dimension, as is clear in the Lord’s call to a whole Church: “Repent!” St. Ambrose says of the two conversions that, in the Church, “there are water and tears: the water of Baptism and the tears of repentance.” §1431 Interior repentance is a radical reorientation of our whole life, a return, a conversion to God with all our heart, an end of sin, a turning away from evil, with repugnance toward the evil actions we have committed. At the same time it entails the desire and resolution to change one’s life, with hope in God’s mercy and trust in the help of his grace. This conversion of heart is accompanied by a salutary [=beneficial] pain and sadness which the Fathers called animi cruciatus [affliction of spirit] and compunctio cordis [repentance of heart]. Emphasis added.)

F: It’s that interior repentance, the “radical reorientation of our whole life” you seem to be wondering about. Trust me, everyone feels the same way, like we should be able to stop being so sinful. Even the Apostle Paul wrote about that.

N: (Take a look at what the Apostle Paul said: Romans 7:15-20 – 15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17 But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.)

~~~~~~~~~~~

E: Like that song “Just As I Am?” (↔ Music Link) [Just as I Am full lyrics]

F: Not quite. Jesus expects you to repent, not just show up without doing anything about your sin. He does certainly accept you as you are as a sinner – you don’t have to wait until you’re holy to repent, because you repent to approach holiness – but he wants you to take it through to the process of conversion. Remember he said, “Repent, and believe the Gospel.” Believing the Gospel without repentance will leave you dissatisfied. Is that how you feel now?

E: I admit, I was feeling like that, but I feel have some things to think about. It seems that metanoia is a change not only in heart and mind but also – and most importantly – a change in actions and behavior. I can change my actions and behavior at least a little and if it doesn’t last long, I can try again, right?

F: That’s right. There’s no limit (N: ← Check it out!) on how many times you can repent – of anything or everything – as long as it includes the aspect of conversion – that “firm purpose of amendment” in the Act of Contrition. Conversion is the key to sincere contrition and effective repentance no matter how many times you have to do it. Because Jesus is as real to you as he was to the Disciples at the Ascension, then that should help you realize that you’re confessing to him, not “just Fr. Kelly.” That’s because God’s Mercy is the result of his Justice being dispensed in Love that is so complete and unwavering, so steadfast and constant that we cannot comprehend its full extent. The best we can do is to think of Grace, “the free gift and unmerited favor of God,” which is always available to everyone.

~~~~~~~~~~~

E: Yeah, I see; it really is like “Conversion plus action equals … holiness.” But riddle me this, Frank, how come we have to go to a Priest and everyone else just goes directly to God? Why can’t we do that, too?

F: The Church teaches that Reconciliation is a Sacrament, not a DIY project. Because it is a Sacrament, it is firstly instituted by Christ, secondly carried forward by the Church, and thirdly must be conducted by Ordained Clergy with the authority to perform the Sacrament. Not all Christian churches treat Reconciliation as a Sacrament. Our Church does.

E: So you’re saying that Ordination makes it possible for a Priest to forgive sins, is that right?

F: Almost. Think about the prayer of absolution the Priest says: “God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, X and of the Holy Spirit.” God has reconciled us to himself, and it is through the ministry of the Church that God pardons us at the moment when the Priest exercises his Sacramental authority, received during his ordination, to carry out Christ’s instructions found in John 20:21-23. Hey, Narrator, how about a little help with that?

N: (Sure thing: 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”)

~~~~~~~~~~~

E: I see what you mean. Every repenting followed by reconciliation is a new beginning – like the Apostle Paul said – and all I need to do is accept that this is the will of God for me and believe firmly in his divine wisdom, justice, and mercy. That makes a lot more sense than skipping confession because I think it makes me look bad. I already know how I look; I look like a sinner, but I also already know how I can look. I can look like a redeemed sinner!

(↔ Click Link in the image)

F: Brother, you bring joy to my heart to hear you say that. And if you listen carefully you will hear the Angels rejoicing, too. God bless you, Ernie!

E: I guess I understand now why so many of us don’t repent, don’t seek the Sacrament of reconciliation. It’s Pride. Talk about “stiff-necked people!” It has been my lack of – my refusal to accept the importance of – humility in my life. Humility is, in a way, a masterful blend of the Four Cardinal Virtues – Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance. Humility gives us the power to be a statesman rather than a politician, a servant rather than a ruler, and a child of God rather than a spawn of evil. Humility is the form of Love Jesus showed by coming to us as an infant – helpless, impoverished, homeless, and yet mightiest of the Mighty.

F: Well said Ernie! With that attitude, you really can Go Make A Difference. (↔ Music Link) It’s that lack of humility that seems to negate our awareness of sin. We no longer have a sense of sin, what it is, or how much it affects our lives. We excuse it by telling ourselves “Oh, it’s not all that bad,” when instead we still consciously and knowingly choose to disobey God’s call to holiness. We conclude we’re not as sinful as everyone else and so we don’t need to repent. That is a serious error, and it’s really hurting the Church. Ernie, your moments of holiness, along with many other’s moments, can actually help all of us correct that error.

N: (Thanks for tuning in. Someday we might continue this conversation, but that’s all for now.) Scroll to the end for the Special Addendum for online readers

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

Special Addendum for online readers

This is a special “Bonus Addendum” for readers who used the online link to this post. It’s just a couple of extra things to remind us that what we really need is continuous conversion. This little verse is something my wife, Crucita, and I used in the Annual Dedication Mass for our Son, Timothy. We prayed for a child for 10 years. For the last three of those years we worked with social workers, adoption agencies, lawyers, and the courts until we completed our first adoption in December 1979. This was Timothy’s portion of the special votive mass we put together for this memorial of the day we returned him to God – just as Hannah returned Samuel to God. Timothy would read …

What can I give him? Poor as I am
If I were a shepherd I would give a lamb
If I were a wise man I would do my part
But what I can I give him?
Give him my heart.

From In the Bleak Midwinter a Song by Christina Rossetti and Gustav Holst

And here is the reason all of us should be careful when we teach, or are being taught, the importance of continuous conversion.

Aloha Friday Message – March 4, 2022 – Lenten Reruns

March 4, 2022

2209AFC030422 – Lenten Reruns

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.

         Sirach 17:24-29 – 24 Yet to those who repent he grants a return, and he encourages those who are losing hope. 25 Turn back to the Lord and forsake your sins; pray in his presence and lessen your offense. 26 Return to the Most High and turn away from iniquity, and hate intensely what he abhors. 27 Who will sing praises to the Most High in Hades in place of the living who give thanks? 28 From the dead, as from one who does not exist, thanksgiving has ceased; those who are alive and well sing the Lord’s praises. 29 How great is the mercy of the Lord, and his forgiveness for those who return to him!

E pili mau na pomaika‘i ia ‘oe a me ke akua ho’omaika‘i ‘oe, ʻŌmea! (May blessing always be with you and may God bless you, Beloved!) I hope all of you are well, or at least as well as can be expected. I want to give a little Praise Report here about MB who has been on the Intercessory Prayer List for “a while.” We have great news thanks in part to your prayers, her hard work, and her doctors. Recently we just learned that in just over a year three tumors have disappeared.  And the right-side thyroid had partially grown back.  The new sonogram was normal. Vision check showed that the hole in the right macula had healed. This is but one of the many positive reports we get from people listed on the Intercessory Prayer List. We all thank you for your prayers, and encourage you to send up a shout of ALLELUIA! AMEN! for those of us who have benefited from your prayers. Now let’s get to the business at hand.

I’ve had lots of “reflection time” over the last several weeks, and much of it centered on what we’re doing with these essays – are they important enough to keep doing? Are they too much? What’s the most important message over the last – say – three years? I am, admittedly, surprised by how the Spirit answered those reflections. It was one simple word, one that I’ve said over and over and over. This go-’round, though, I’m going to temper that message a bit with quotes and comments. The quotes will be from the 2019 Lenten Series.

Instead of just copy and paste, I want to reiterate what stands out as most important in those older posts. They begin with 1910AFC030819 – 2019 Lenten Series #1. The series was, and will be, about repentance. As I watched the news over the past 12 days, I felt a great burden to repent personally and as a nation – even as a Church – for the terrible things that are happening. The attempt to codify “abortion rights,” WAR, murder-suicides, citizen attacks on police and police attacks on citizens, clergy making statements that are clearly wrong, “progressive Christianity” spewed throughout many denominations, satanic conventions – what a MESS! So, we are going look again at repentance and metanoia. (Originally posted under Aloha Friday Messages at https://aloha-friday.org – The Moon Beam Network).

Today is the first Friday of Lent, 2022 and the beginning of a REPEAT series on the word metanoia. That word has come up before a few times, but in this series we will be using it often. It is a word Jesus used at the beginning of his ministry and the Apostle Paul also used it (although not always where we correctly remember him saying it.) Here are three examples. The first is from John the Baptist in Matthew 3:2, Mark 1:4, and Luke 3:3 – 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” The Second example is from Jesus at the start of his ministry in Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15, and Luke 5:32 – 17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” The third example appears first in Acts 2:38 in Peter’s Pentecost Preaching – 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

REPENTANCE IS THE KEY that opens the door of the Gospel so we may enter into the community of the Church. The foundation of that Church is Love and the corner stone of that foundation is Christ. The walls are built of Faith and Hope, and the Roof is Charity. I’ve lost count of how many times we have said here, “Repent and believe the Gospel.” Is that redundant? Probably it is redundant but nonetheless repetitious. “Repent” appears more than 20 times in the New Testament. In my ripe old age, I begin to understand that if God keeps repeating something, it must be important. Throughout the Old Testament we have account after account of God telling Israel or even a specific individual to repent – to acknowledge sins and return to the Lord. We know that repentance is an integral part of God’s plan for salvation, and metanoia is the word most often used in both the Old Testament and New Testament for the concept of repentance. Let’s make a quick review of the definition for metanoia. The word in Greek looks like this: μετάνοια, – metanoia {met-an’-oy-ah}. It is a change of heart, a change of mind, or a change of direction as in a one-eighty turn.

Metanoia is to move beyond where our hearts and minds are and into a new paradigm, a new way of thinking and feeling and seeing everything in life. When we repent, we have a change of mind – not a renewing of mind (See Romans 1:12). Another way to think of it is we quash, break, nullify, defeat, or conquer a temptation that is repeatedly before us; we break a bad habit; we realign our values-system so that it aligns more closely with God’s values. WE make an effort to sin less even though we know we can never be sinless. Repentance restores our relationship with God, and often it also restores our relationships with community, family, and friends. It gives back to us the “whatever or the whomever” we lost because of sin; it even gives us back to us. It’s not a matter of time – how long we are away, or of intensity – how greatly we’ve sinned. It is a matter of turning around and going back, repenting.

Repentance restores us back to God. God doesn’t move away from us, he doesn’t take off to some mountaintop and sulk because we’ve decided to ignore him. No, he stands at the ready, eager for us to turn around and say, “Father! Abba! I’m back!” We have come back to God, and suddenly we discover God is “back with us.” He watches for us, reaches for us, comes out to meet us like the benevolent father watching for his prodigal child. He made us and redeemed us for the sake of Love – his Love. God and the angels in heaven (and saints, too, I reckon) rejoice as a community over our repentance. Why? Because that means they will get to share eternity with us – with God and the angels and saints. But there’s one angel that will not rejoice. He’s the angel that says (and is always telling us), “What’s in it for me?”

“What’s in it” is receiving Eternal Life – first spiritually, then as a spirit, then as a resurrected child of God. Sounds like a mighty-good deal to me! Just make a U-Turn and get back to the Creator. Stop worshipping the creation and Worship the King (↔ Music Link – another repeat).The requirement of repentance is Contrition. Psalm 51:17 – 17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Contrite: Sorry; remorseful; repentant; regretful; apologetic; penitent; ashamed. Contrition is the a priori condition for repentance. If we only recognize our sin, we are aware we are sinful, but if we recognize and regret our sin – when we feel remorse, sorrow, shame for what we have done – we have achieved contrition. Add humility to that by understanding that regretting sin is not the same as repenting sin, (↔ Click Link) and we realize we must “go and sin no more.” We don’t ask God to change us, we don’t ask God to change the rules in the APP, we do command ourselves to turn around and give up the pretense that we can excuse our guilt because we “really didn’t mean it.” “PANTS ON FIRE!” We have the B.I.B.L.E. for our edification, and it tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – 16 All scripture is inspired by God and is] useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. All we have to do is pay attention to what we’ve had all along – Logos – The Word.

Psalm 119:10-11 – 10 With my whole heart I seek you; do not let me stray from your commandments. 11 I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you. When we choose to face the fact that we are sinners, we have to make an intelligent, objective assessment of what is in our hearts and for that “you have to use your head.” I’m betting that both you and I can say that often when we sin, it’s because we weren’t using our heads … or we were misusing our imagination! We use our mind to recognize the effect of sin. We feel the effect, but until we admit that our discomfort is the result of sin, we can’t repent. Why is that such a barrier? Well, we hate to admit we are wrong even when we know that being wrong is wrong and not doing anything about it is more wrong (wronger?) Why would we rather remain in sin? Usually it’s because the Great Liar is telling us all the “terrible things” we’ve done in our past, and that God can’t possible love or forgive such an evil person. “PANTS ON FIRE!” How many times are we allowed to repent? Is 4,357 (↔ Click Link) too many, or not enough? Does it take a lot of courage to admit we’re wrong? Not if we start with contrition. We must look for the circumstances, the stops on the Road Home, where we sin.

“Where” we sin is in our hearts, and that is where our repentance must begin as well. Our μετάνοια – metanoia – must begin there to be effective. Turn back to the Lord and forsake your sins; pray in his presence and lessen your offense. God himself has told us he will forgive our sins and remember them no more (Jeremiah 31:34 – 34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.  (See also Hebrews 8:12, 10:17). That’s a pretty good deal for just turning around and going back! And it’s not really all that much trouble, either. The Word is right where God left it and we treasured it – in our hearts! Deuteronomy 30:14 – 14 No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe. Listen – he is calling us Come Back to ME. (↔ Music Link) Can any of us ever say, “I never left.” Only God can say that, and he says it to us every day – if we listen to his side of the conversation!

When we listen carefully, we will hear him plainly say, “PAID IN FULL. FORGIVEN!” (↔ Music Link) How great is the mercy of the Lord, and his forgiveness for those who return to him!

In the 2019 Lenten Series we presented “A Frank and Earnest Conversation.” You can find that at Catholic365 or at The 2019 Lenten Series Part 2, Series Part 3, and Series Part 4 (it’s a “3-act play”). Next week we will do a summary of those 3 articles, and for week three of 2022 Lent we will do a quick review of The 7 R’s. For the Middle Week of Lent, we’ll do something special for Laetare Sunday.

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 – February 25, 2022 – Darkness Imitates the Light

February 25, 2022

2208AFC022522 – Darkness Imitates the Light

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.

     Sirach 27:7 – 7 Do not praise anyone before he speaks, for this is the way people are tested.

1 Corinthians 15:58 – 58 Therefore, my Belovéd, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Luke 6:45 – 45 The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. Perhaps you have heard it said, “Light travels faster than sound. That’s why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.”  I think the key word in that second sentence is “hear.” Perhaps it could be restated as “until you listen to their speech.”

Recently we experienced a discussion during lunch about “The Hammer Song.” Those of a certain age will remember hearing it sung by Peter, Paul, and Mary who recorded it in 1962. The discussion centered on, “What does it mean ‘if I had a hammer?'” The words in the last verse help explain that: It’s the hammer of justice / It’s the bell of freedom / It’s the song about love between / My brothers and my sisters / All over this land. That sounds a lot like something we could all aspire to as an expression of Catholic Social Justice (↔ Click Link and save the PDF.) I played and sang this song dozens of times over the years, happily convinced I was speaking out for the marginalized, for those discriminated against, for the Glory of God. Then, recently, I found out how the song came to be.

The song was first sung by its composers Pete Seeger and Lee Hays at a benefit for Communist Party leaders (↔ Click Link) on trial in 1949. The lyrics were considered so controversial that no commercial publisher would accept responsibility for making it public. And so it lay around for ten or more years outside the hearing of the public and performed only within what we would call today “Leftist supporters.” It was picked up during the turbulent years of protest in the sixties. Bob Dylan also covered it. In fact LOTS of popular musicians sang it, and most of them were singing it as a protest song. I was in High School when PP&M recorded it, and I thought we were talking about segregation and intolerance. We were, in a way, actually promoting extreme leftists’ positions. Seeger allegedly quipped, “The song talks about the tools [of revolution], and we have the tools, and we know how to use them. And we’re going to win.” Everybody will perhaps recall a statement attributed to Soviet Leader Nikita “We will bury you!” What he actually said was “We must take a shovel and dig a deep grave, and bury colonialism as deep as we can.”

PP&M were frequently supporters of these leftist protests, and appeared to support the protests against the Viet Nam war, racism and segregation, Government “interference,” and any perception that America’s place in the world was as crisp and clean as the Government tried to make it seem. We see some of this in our lives today, only it’s even more complicated by the immediacy by which information – and misinformation or disinformation – can be transmitted via MSMOs, social media, and (here in Hawaiʻi) the coconut wireless. Added to that we have the radicalization of participants in the extreme left and right, and then radicalized “religious” zealots, and on top of all that the remarkable, and truly appalling, degree of apathy among a large segment of America, and – well shucks – WE’VE GOT A REAL MESS ON OUR HANDS! There’s an APP for that (I’m not tired of that yet; are you?)

We are in the biggest, baddest, most terrible war humanity has ever faced, and maybe 80% of the World is completely unaware of what’s happening. The Prince of the Air is smashing us to bits, and likely giggling about it every moment. Things we should like to believe in – like the presence of Angels in our lives, or apparitions of Saints (Like our Mother Mary for example) – are condemned and mocked. We hear allegations that such events are works of the Devil, and to prove it the accusers quote the Bible from this passage: 2 Corinthians 11:14 – 14 And no wonder! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. The darkness can imitate the Light.

It’s a guaranteed fact Brothers and Sisters that Evil is in the midst of all this uproar. Consider this, also from John: 1 John 5:19 – 19 We know that we are God’s children, and that the whole world lies under the power of the evil one. Now, the World would have you believe that every living soul is a child of God. Those who have not studied Catholic Social Justice will perhaps say, “You even state that in the first principle of your doctrine.” NOT SO! The Baptized are the Children of God – all who have received him and accepted him (See John 1:12-13) and are therefore reborn of the Spirit of God. What the principle says is, “The foundation of all Catholic Social Teaching is the inherent dignity of the human person, as created in the image and likeness of God. The Church, therefore, calls for Integral Human Development, which concerns the wellbeing of each person in every dimension: economic, political, social, ecological, and spiritual.”

Our job then Belovéd, is to shed our Light on that darkness! Yes, WE have the Light of Christ if only the Spirit of God is in us; we are born of the Holy Spirit as children of God (see Romans 8:9-10). Belovéd, we must not listen to the World! Remember John 10:27 – 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. Add this as well: 1 John 4:1-4 – Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 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 we see now how to test the spirits? Belovéd, at this point in history there is a plethora of earthlings employed as the antichrist.

“But what if someone gets up on National Television, says ‘Jesus Christ is Lord,’ and then we find out he’s just another crooked politician or fake ‘televangelist’?” Use this axiom: What we do says who we are. Actions speak louder than words. “By their fruits you will know them.” (← That’s from the Readings for 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time Luke 6:39-45) James 4:7 – 7 Submit*[i] yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Does someone you see claim to be a child of God yet openly supports the “Right to abortion?” That kind of bad fruit comes from ‘a rotten tree.’ My dear friend in Arizona says, “Bloom where you’re planted.” Are we planted in the Word or are we planted in the World? Let’s go back to Noel Paul Stookey for an example.

In or around 1967, Stookey was approached by an unnamed fan who told him “I need to talk to you about God (I’m paraphrasing). After a long conversation, Paul’s life was changed (he prefers to be called Noel so I will do that hereafter). He lived as the “Born-Again Christian” about whom we all rejoice. It affected the dynamics of PP&M, but they worked it out. Later, Peter Yarrow asked Noel to write a song for his wedding. Noel came up with “The Wedding Song.” (↔ Music Link) It was a song written after a prayer by Noel asking God to give him the song that would please God most. That tune is the most famous and covered song he ever wrote. He could have made millions off of it. He didn’t do that. He gave it all away to charities because the song was a commissioned song – commissioned not by Peter Yarrow but by God himself. By their fruits you will know them. I cannot listen to that song without choking up, especially at the lines “woman draws her life from man and gives it back again.” That deep, clear, spiritual Truth is indeed inspired by and consistent with God’s Absolutely Perfect Plan. We’ve heard Noel speak in his lyrics and his actions. He deserves our appreciation and understanding for his works. Here’s something else that came up. He continued to be an activist, continued to support the marginalized, downtrodden, and those who had lost hope. He does so now from a better perspective – God’s.

If we will bloom where we’re planted, and if we stay planted in the Word and all that derives from it, we will be always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. Darkness can indeed, through the highest Evil, imitate light; but it cannot BE Light. 1 Thessalonians 5:5, 8-9 – 5 for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ so: Bloom in the Light of the Word who is our Lord. Then what we say, what we do, what we think, in whatever ways we live in God, we will be like The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. We must be abundant in the rich Light of the Word. Darkness will flee before us. We know that Evil will dominate everything at some place and time in history – His Story. Some might say we are coming close to that time. Belovéd it is upon us, the tsunami we have been expecting has washed over us because “Impending doom is none the worse / for having fallen / as expected, in darkness.” (See Poetry for Going Home pages 11-14 “Expectations on my 29th Birthday”

Let the Vinedresser prune so the light will shine among the branches.

If you would like to read more about Noel Stookey please  click this link.

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

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

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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

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

[i] * hupotassó – Properly, “under God’s arrangement,” i.e. submitting to the Lord (His plan – the APP)

Aloha Friday Message – February 18, 2022 – We give up!

February 18, 2022

2207AFC021822 – We give up!

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often. Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.

1 Corinthians 15:20-22 – 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. 21 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; 22 for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. 

      1 Corinthians 15:49 – 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Psalm 103:2-5 – 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Luke 6:35b-38 – Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.

Some days are better than others, right? Still, a Christian life can be an exceptional life, right? Here is some advice for men and women about taking steps toward this kind of exceptional life from 2 Peter 1: 3-8 – 3 His divine power has given us everything needed for life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants of the divine nature. 5 For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love. 8 For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hm. Wow! What shall we give? How about Love?

You read the passage from Luke. What’s the main point there? I’d sum it up this way: Be like God – generous, kind, forgiving, all without reciprocation; all for unrequited Love from your neighbor. Belovéd, that takes a lot of Love!! Here’s an example:

You might know that there are some people in the world that should not be allowed to own or operate a leaf-blower or a weed-whacker, and definitely not both. Yet we probably all know the neighbor that blow-dries his pickup truck, mows his half-acre lawn with a week-whacker right after a heavy rain, and then blows the wet grass cuttings into the flowerbeds. And then the echo comes to mind ,” 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Yes, it can be hard, no wait, that is really hard! But look at all the good things God has given you, and your neighbor too. He has those things – pickup truck, weed-whacker, leaf-blower. Maybe we do, too, but use them differently. Is patience and understanding too much to give? From what I know about God and giving, I think not.

By now ya’ll know I’m having a hectic week. I’ve lost count of the healthcare appointments Crucita and I have been to in the last 14 days. I’m going to do something I rarely do – start up a rerun. Here’s how I want to set it up:

 

The Measure of Giving and of Return
Your measure		 Your return God’s next step
A thimble A thimbleful brimming over A teacup
A teacup Overflowing into the saucer A coffee mug
A coffee mug “Bottomless” refills A stewing pot
A stewing pot Add a sauce pan A horse & cattle trough
A horse & cattle trough Includes a windmill pump A tanker truck
A tanker truck A double tanker truck A boxcar
A boxcar Double-stacked three packs A cargo ship
A cargo ship AFRAMAX (↔ Click Link) An Ultra-super-tanker ship
You get the idea! If you give what you get, you get what you give, only you get more of it for giving next.

 

Now, I ask you to either finish reading this excerpt from 1451AFC121914 – Generous Helpings, or use the link to go back to 2014 and reread that post. I hope to be able to get back on track in about three weeks, so “keep those cards and letters coming!” Here’s the excerpt:

Proverbs 11:24-25 – One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.

2 Corinthians 9:7 – Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Patience; kindness; generosity; humility; courtesy; unselfishness; good-temper; guilelessness; sincerity–these make up the supreme gift, the stature of the perfect man. The most obvious lesson in Christ’s teaching is that there is no happiness in having or getting anything, but only in giving.  ~ Henry Drummond

Happiness is not in having what you want. It is in wanting what you have. Use of our spiritual and temporal gifts must be based on prudent stewardship and not on selfish motivations.

I have delivered that line hundreds and hundreds of times, in fact that short paragraph is part of my personal Mission Statement. You can see the whole thing online by following that link. I think it is an important distinction to understand; getting what you want is nowhere near as fulfilling as giving others what they need. Another adage that comes up often in what I write is

Always seek,
Expect to receive,
And accept
The Greater Gift.

What is the greater gift? It is the Joy of giving. Paul is recorded as having said in Acts 20:35 – In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive'” Some of you may wish to point out that there is no quote exactly like that in any of the Gospels. That’s OK because in the Gospel of John, the author himself tells us that not everything Jesus said or did was written down. Besides, Paul did actually meet Jesus, so who knows? Surely the awareness that Jesus held the gift of giving in high esteem is a reasonable inference from what we have of his teaching. There are few instances of the words generous or generosity in the Bible, and perhaps the most noteworthy is in Paul’s list of the Fruit of the Spirit. In the King James Version of the Bible, these words are phrased as “Dealt graciously,” “has done good to me,” or just “good.” (See Matthew 20:15 for example).

Generosity is something God understands very well. I have mentioned previously that the “famous Bible verse” about God’s generosity isn’t actually in the Bible. What is that verse? It is “God will not be outdone in generosity.” While it is true, it is not stated directly in the Bible. It is God’s own pattern of behavior. God is capable of awe-inspiring generosity, as scripture itself attests in so many places. He is teaching that they will have their needs met and more. His provisioning for believers covers not only supplying their needs, but also increasing their righteousness. Paul challenges them – and us – to emulate God’s generosity and reminds them that God’s goodness is the basis for great encouragement: God himself cannot be outdone because he is infinitely good, gracious, and does only good to those who love him; in fact he is so generous, he does good even to those who do not love him because ” … he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45)  That includes me, you, and the guy with the leaf-flower.

Generosity seems to me to be a natural part of human nature. We often see it in babies and toddlers when a small child spontaneously offers to share food or toys with a parent, a sibling, or another toddler. They know what it means to be taken care of, and in their innocence, they return that caring – often with complete strangers. Somewhere along the line we learn to be selfish, and that pretty much puts an end to our spontaneous generosity; we have to relearn it, and we relearn it by being grateful. We are enriched by blessings, and especially enriched by bestowing blessings for “one who waters will himself be watered.”

Do you give of your surplus instead of sacrificially? Have you felt the Spirit reaching into your wallet, moving things around on your calendar, or prompting you to do good to “even to the least of these?” If you and I feel we have stopped that Spiritual inclination, perhaps it’s time to be humbled and to let God know how grateful we are for all his Good Gifts. Remember “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will repay him for his deed”. (Proverbs 19:17), for truly Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. How much is enough and how much is too much? Better to ask, “How much is too little?” Turn your eyes upon Jesus for the answer to that one. We must give up to the Lord all that we are, and have, and plan to be. Our thoughts, words, deeds, works, prayers, sufferings, joys, sorrows, victories, defeats, fears and anxieties, our heart’s desires, everything we do and everything we fail to do – all without judgment or condemnation. Meditate on the JOY that could bring to our lives. Jesus himself told us, 33 So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. (See Luke 14:33) Remember this? “Any of the things you have that you can give away are your possessions. Everything you cannot give away possesses you.” (~ after  Andre Gide) Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits. The BEST of those benefits is that all will be made alive in Christ so that Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. Everything else is just not worth getting all jammed up about.  It’s far better to repent and believe (LIVE!) the Gospel.

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
Please pray with us here at Share-a-Prayer.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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

Aloha Friday Message – February 11, 2022 – You’re gonna get fired!

February 11, 2022

2206AFC021122 – You’re gonna get fired!

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Jeremiah 17:5-6a – 5 Thus says the Lord:
Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals
and make mere flesh their strength,
whose hearts turn away from the Lord.
6 They shall be like a shrub in the desert
Psalm 1a, 3 – 1a Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.

1 Corinthians 15:16-17 – 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. 17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.

Luke 6:17-19 – 17 He [Jesus] came down with them [The Twelve] and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

Last summer the nation – indeed the entire world – was caught up in astonishment, grief, and disbelief over the absolute destruction caused by The Dixie Fire (↔ Click Link). It started on July 16, 2021 when a tree fell over into a power line. In less than an hour, the town of Greenville, CA – the home of about 11,000 citizens – was obliterated on August 4th and 5th 2021. Over 1,300 structures were destroyed, and when the fire was finally declared contained in on October 25th, it had burned 963,309 acres or 1,505 square miles. It was a “compound fire” which means that several smaller (though still significant) fires converged into one humongous fire. The beautiful forests and lovely towns were completely transformed into sprawling piles of ash and ruins. The toll in lost livestock, homes, family treasures, history …. Literally everything went up in smoke. Such a massive transformation into devastation is usually referred to as being a disaster. In many places, nothing was left of homes and businesses except the foundation walls. Very little of what was left was salvageable, able to be saved or restored.

Disasters come in all sizes from small and personal to massive and incomprehensible. We’ve had a lot of massive disasters in the last ten years – earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, floods, volcanic eruptions, droughts, fires, blizzards, (and I’ll throw in politics, too), and we know there’s more to come. A few of us know that disasters like these are temporal and we stand a good chance of surviving long enough to see the next one. These few also know that disasters that are even more immense and beyond time and space are more than possibilities – they are certainties for all earthlings that do not live in the presence of the Lord, do not follow his ways, and no not heed his Word. We who are creatures of God’s making cannot be destroyed except by our own choosing. We can choose Faith and be transformed by the Fire of the Holy Spirit, or we can abhor Faith and be transformed by the fires of Hell. Mostly we don’t want to talk about that, but we should. The life we are given by God can be Foundational, Transformational, and Salvational. It is our blessing from God to choose how each of those turns out.

Our foundation can be trust or isolation. In the reading from Jeremiah in today’s first Key Verse, he states that those who trust in their fellow earthlings have nothing to ease their lives. They are like a bush living in the desert with no water, no change of season, and no fruit. Those who trust in God are like trees living a comfortable life close to water, bearing fruit in due season, and secure even in a drought. If our foundation is in the World, we have only the World for nourishment and protection – and a higher risk of a fruitless, short life. If our foundation is in God, we have the assurance of his nourishment and protection as well as the blessings of fruitfulness and long life – eternal life, in fact. We can choose the isolation of ephemeral Worldly gratification or we can choose eternal Heavenly sanctification. We can choose, so we must choose wisely. We need that wisdom so that our choice will be transformational.

I am confident that none of us would want the kind of transformation that the good people of Greenville experienced in the Dixie Fire. While it is true that the human spirit can recover or recuperate from nearly any material loss, it is also true that recovering from spiritual loss is often distinctly more difficult … unless we are transformed in, with, and through the Spirit of God. There are a couple of ways that happens. Let’s turn to the Apostle Paul for a description of one of those ways. We’ll go back and look at a familiar passage in Romans 12:1-2 – 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect. Note that he says “be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” The root word there is the same as for our word metamorphosis. We think of butterflies and tadpoles changing from immature to mature critters. For us humans, it’s the same thing in a way – not so much a physical change – we don’t get more or different brain cells – but we do get a new mind. It’s like a transfiguration of our thinking, a renovation of the components in our thought processes. We can do that with worldly bling-bling, or we can do it with the influence and prompting of the Holy Spirit. Our minds mature from the childishness of Worldly wants to the maturity of Divine delights. It is a most pleasant transformation because it derives from the most pleasant foundation. We could think of it as renovation.

The whole idea of renovation has been a big, fat talking point in the Worldly wise for quite some time. We have people who “flip houses,” politicians who want to renovate – to restore a neighborhood or district by cleaning, repairing, and rebuilding. Their motto is “Out with the old and in with the new!” Sometimes it is a way to preserve historic places, or to convert run-down historic places into slick and glitzy boutiquery – a glut of “chic” boutiques selling mostly nonessential, high-priced junk. “Imagine, if you will” (Rod Serling never said that [↔ Click Link]) a complete renovation of our minds, a total rework of the internal structure of our thinking, as in a restoration by cleaning, repairing, and rebuilding how and what we think. Lots of people these days are trying to say the “the government is brainwashing us using the Major Syndicated Media Outlets to generate fear and misinformation.” That’s what happens if we let the World do the redecorating. Do you know that if you “kick the L out of” WORLD you have WORD? Let the WORD do the redecorating and we will have minds (and hearts) that understand and hold on to Salvational living! Salvational: Deliverance from the power and consequences of sin (death everlasting), and utterly complete redemption. And there’s an APP for that. Our other Key Verses for today illustrate it.

Psalm 1a, 3 Stay on the straight and narrow. Walk the Path of God’s design. Read Psalm 27 every day if you need to (or just memorize it), especially verses 1 & 11. Don’t hang out with wicked people – even though we’re surrounded by them and we are sinners, too, just remember GIGO – Gospel In Gospel Out. We need to do what we know is right and avoid what we know is wrong. When we mess up, we fess up – we repent and stick to it. Imitate Christ, not the scornful; be blessed in him who made you and gave you Living Water for fruit in due season. Your life shall not wither.

1 Corinthians 15:16-17 If you’re a Christian and you know it – ACT LIKE IT. We must know what and in whom we believe (↔ Click Link please) because he is able to guard us (↔ Music Link) What is there to believe? We openly believe in the life, passion crucifixion, death, resurrection, ascension, Word, and Real Presence of Jesus, the Christ of God.

Luke 6:17-19 Jesus isn’t way out there hiding behind a big X-marks-the-spot like Fox Mulder intimates. He’s right here. He’s been divine since God first said Let there be …, and human since Mary said yes. He is the Truth, and the Way, the Light, the Life, and the whole rest of the B.I.B.L.E. Please scroll up and look at what I underlined. He comes to meet us face-to-face because he’s always going to level with us. We need only to look back into his face (↔ Music Link – I use Mr. Jackson’s recordings because they aren’t over-produced like many contemporary Gospel singers produce – even though some of what I post is like that).

And so, there it is Belovéd. We have a choice – easy to make but hard to keep – between Good and Evil. The tragedy of the Dixie Fire was unavoidable for the folks who lost everything, but most of them chose to get out and to live, maybe even rebuild. The choice we face is, in its own way, also unavoidable if we turn down the better choice. That choice has been made, and God made it first when and as he created each of us. Remember what Jesus told us in John 15:16 – 16 You did not choose me but I chose you. ((↔ Music Link)) And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. Choose him back. HE will baptize us in the Fire of the Holy Spirit and renew us as long as we live (YOLO-F – BTW), or we can instead choose the counsel of the wicked and sit in the seat of the scoffers so that we are baptized in the Fires of Hell (YOLO-F – BTW). Either way, my Belovéd sojourners, we’re gonna get fired. We are chosen by him, so let’s follow him, because power came out from him and healed all of them.

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 – February 3, 2022 – Singing Our Way Home

February 4, 2022

2205AFC020422 – Singing Our Way Home

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.

Isaiah 6:8 – 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

      Psalm 138:1 – 1 With all my heart
I praise you, Lord.
In the presence of angels *
I sing your praises.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)  Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society
* Some translations read “gods;” the word used is אֱלהִים – (elohim) {el-o-heem’} heavenly beings, who were completely subordinate to Israel’s God.

Aloha pumehana, a me ke akua ho’omaika‘i ‘oe, ʻŌmea! Warmest Aloha, and may God bless you, Belovéd! I’ll start with a bit of a heads-up – there’s a LOT of music in this post. I had a great time finding all of it, so I hope you will have a great time hearing it.

I look forward to this set of readings every time they come up. First, we have that passage from Isaiah – “In the year King Uzziah died …” There’s actual history in that because it was about 739 BC. He was the King of Judah for about 52 years. He decided he could short-circuit God’s Absolutely Perfect Plan and burn incense in the Temple. According to the APP (right along with repentance), only Priests were allowed to do that. His son Jotham had to take over for his dad until Uzziah passed. At that time Isaiah was probably in his early 70’s. He was sort of a “late bloomer” and there is inferential evidence that he was from an aristocratic family; his father’s name was Amoz. I look forward to this passage because of the way it ends.

Isaiah is at this big to-do at the temple and suddenly has a vision of God. God is saying, “Disaster is coming from the Assyrians. Who will go to spread the news? Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Isaiah said, “Oh it’s me! I know! Pick me! Pick me!” Actually he said, “Here I am! Send me!” And that, of course that leads us to the song we always (well, nearly) sing Here I am, Lord. (↔ Music Link) Dan Shutte wrote that, and I just love it! It chokes me up every time – especially “I will break their hearts of stone, give them hearts for Love alone.” I love to sing it.

Truth be told, I love to sing! and I love to listen to others sing. I’ve been doing something with music since I was about 3. It has always been a significant part of my life. I remember a cartoon we Todd Kids watched called I Love To Sing (Video Link!) . It was about a little owl from a very musical family. They were devoted to Classical Music, but he loved Jazz. Eventually the whole family came to the understanding that Jazz is music, too; it was a very happy moment for all of them. That rejoicing of togetherness comes from the togetherness of rejoicing.

OK, that sounds like double-talk but hang in there with me a little longer. Here’s something to think about. Look at this diagram.

Imagine that each dot is a set of 10,000 pages that look like this one in the image shown, and that each dot on each page represents one angel. That’s a beginning. Then imagine a Google of Googles (one Google is 6.023×10^23 individuals) of such collections of 10,000 pages, and well, that’s still just a beginning.

Now, think about all of those angels (“myriads upon myriads” as in Revelation 5:11) singing with you, “Holy. Holy. Holy (↔ Music Link)  LORD, God of power and might. Heaven and Earth are full of your Glory! Hosanna in the Highest!….” And that’s still just a beginning!!

Singing is one of those things which sometimes just happens. Kids make up little goofy songs (I told you once some time ago about my sister’s song Me-oh-my-oh, Me-oh-my-oh, Me-oh-my-oh MOE! Repeat ad nauseum). When young men’s fancies turn (and so also for young women’s fancies, too), ’tis a sign of Spring to hear them sing. When we feel joyful or rejuvenated, we … Love To Sing. (↔ Music Link – a little different take!)

I started thinking about singing this week because of the responsorial Psalm for this Sunday. It is Psalm 138. Folks, that is my absolute favorite Psalm! It is the only Psalm I have ever tried to set to music. I purposely have avoided memorizing it so I can read it new each time I see it. I love it because it grabs me with “In the presence of the angels I will sing your praise; I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name.…” In my lyric-adaptation it goes “In the presence of the angels / I will sing your praise. / I will lift up my hands and / I will praise your Holy Name.” When you think about how GREAT God is, how loving, how kind, how forgiving, how GOD He truly is, then singing, shouting, jumping, dancing – all at once – seem to be just a natural reaction. You can’t stop singing because you really have to sing. (↔ Music Link) ← Don’t miss this one!

Singing is such an extraordinary form of worship! Hold up your hand if you know the name of the longest book in the B.I.B.L.E.! Yes! The book of Psalms – if measured by counting the number of verses. It is a collection, an anthology if you will, of songs by a wide range of “composers” like David, Moses, and Solomon. Some are attributed to known persons, but many of them have no attribution. SO? So the biggest book in the Bible is a SONG BOOK, therefore, singing must be something important because it’s something God really likes – he inspired all those lyrics you know. He likes poetry, too, because most of the prophetic works in the Bible are written in poetic form. Lots of songs we sing today come from the Psalms. My daughter’s favorite was Sing To The Mountains (↔ Music Link) (those Vrbo commercials are really annoying)

Another favorite that we can really “get into” is Sing a new song (↔ Music Link), and another fun one is the one attributed to St Francis – All Creatures of Our God and King. (↔ Music Link) I remember singing that around the campfire at IdRaHaJe. (↔ Map Link) Singing our worship is such an extraordinary experience. I am utterly baffled by the folks I sometimes see during Mass who manage to stand, sit, and kneel at the designated times, but will not sing a word of the liturgical or worship music! Sometimes the excuse is given “I can’t sing. I can’t carry a tune. My voice sounds terrible.” Well, it’s the voice that God gave you, so let him (make him) listen to it! The old adage attributed to St. Augustine is “He who sings prays twice.” More precisely the quote which St. Augustine actually said (↔ Information Link) was:

“For he that singeth praise, not only praiseth, but only praiseth with gladness: he that singeth praise, not only singeth, but also loveth him of whom he singeth. In praise, there is the speaking forth of one confessing; in singing, the affection of one loving.”

Give me a song to sing which I can use to praise God, and I’m gonna sing out and sing out strong. Now that reminds me of an old Cat Stevens song, “If you want to sing out, sing out.” (↔ Music Link) At least that’s how I remember the title. He wrote that song in the middle of his mania in the sixties, a mania many of us shared then, and it was directed toward finding real peace through expanded consciousness. Some tried everything from Zen to banana peels, acid to astrology, and never settled on anything substantive. Cat ended up embracing Islam, and successfully at that. His Muslim name is Yusuf Islam, and he continued to write music, work for peace, and became known as a great philanthropist and a Man of Peace. Bear that earlier lifestyle in mind when you listen to his lyrics from the mid-sixties. That music link will get you a free trip back through time to listen.

When you get a chance, sing out! Better still, live it up by singing it ^UP^. (get it?) Hum, whistle, make up a tune, yodel, or just drone with a joyful heart. God will absolutely love it, of course, because He absolutely loves YOU!! And there is no choir practice! And (you probably saw this coming) – it’s all in the APP! I pray, I sing, I sing, I pray and every time I feel the Spirit I sing and pray.

I decided that today I would send you a lyric of a tune I wrote way back in 2006. Psalm 138. The melody is in the genre of four-part gospel harmony as you would hear from groups like The Florida Boys. Anyway, I’m trying to memorize it because it’s fun to sing. If you get a chance, look up Psalm 138 and read it for yourself. I just love the idea of standing with the angels and lifting up my hands as I shout out praise God. That’s quite a picture! So, enough of that. Here are the lyrics. Have a great weekend, beloved, and maybe you can make up your own tune for this little ditty!  (or ask me for a copy of the sheet music)

CHORUS (ALSO THE FIRST VERSE):
1: In the presence of the Angels I will sing your praise.
I will lift up my hands And I will bless your holy name.
I will bow down before You And your Temple on High.
I will sing of your promises, Your faithfulness and love.

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

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

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

P.S. Did you know that when you sing praise to God, the Angels join in? They already know all the words and melodies! Scriptural singing must really be something special
AND THEN THERE ARE THE LOVE SONGS . . 🙂

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

 

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