2527AFC070425 – Trust The Process  😀 ← PODCAST LINK

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Isaiah 66: 13, 14 ^c –
¹³ As a mother comforts her child,
    so I will comfort you;
    you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

[…] it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants

Psalm 66:20 –
²⁰ Blessed be God,
    because he has not rejected my prayer
    or removed his steadfast love from me.

Galatians 6:14, 16-18 – ¹⁴ May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁶ As for those who will follow this rule – peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
¹⁷ From now on, let no one make trouble for me; for I carry the marks* of Jesus branded on my body.
¹⁸ May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

Luke 10:1 – ¹ After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. God is SO good! Repent and believe the Gospel! That’s how the process runs. But what does that mean? Well, we’ve all been over this often enough, so a quick bullet-point review should suffice/

• REPENT: we need to stop doing things our way (Don’t DIY ↔ Learning Link), make a 180 in our lifestyle and go back to doing things God’s way.
• BELIEVE: trust everything you understand about the Word, and furthermore, if the Word says it is True, trust everything you can’t understand.
• THE GOSPEL: there is only ONE Gospel because there is only One God who has made himself know to us through Jesus – his Only Begotten Son, the Christ of God – in the Power of the Holy Spirit.

That should be clear enough even for the most obstinate among us. Yet, often even the most learned and trusting among us sometimes mix things up, and then we try to make God tell us why our lives are such a mess.

Let’s first look into that powerful statement by the Apostle Paul where he declares he bears the marks of Jesus branded on his body. I think of these as the thick scar tissue on his back from many floggings and beating with rods, and the thickness of many broken ribs. These scars, inflicted by others as punishment intended to dissuade him from testifying (μαρτυρέω – mar-too-reh’-o like “martyr”) about the Gospel. His devotion to Jesus and the Gospel always held primacy in his life. Absolutely nothing was more important than sharing whatever the Holy Spirit spoke in him. His scarred body was the testimony, the martyring, that asserted he was Jesus’ follower, Jesus’ servant , and the word used in Greek is δοῦλος (doulos) {doo’-los} which mean slave. Anyone who tried to question his authority to teach, and many tried it, were silenced by the magnitude of his only boast –HIS SUFFERING FOR THE Gospel. He was not scandalized by his appearance. His wounds were described as stigmata.

This is also related to the word stigma. When we use that word we usually mean a mark of disgrace; a stain or reproach, as on one’s reputation or dignity; an association with scandal and ill repute. The Greek root means “to stick” or pierce. When we talk about “The Stigmata,” we are usually referring to the wounds of the crucified Christ which may appear supernaturally on the bodies of various persons so that the hands, feet, head, and/or thorax appears to have wounds that may actually bleed. In modern times, this kind of wound was a characteristic of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, known to the world throughout his ministry as Padre Pio, and he is often shown with his hands covered because of the large, bloody wounds in both palms. There are reports that he had similar wounds on his feet and side; I have never seen photographs of those. Many people also recall that St. Francis of Assisi had the stigmata during most of his ministry. Some people believe that is what Paul means when he says he bears the marks of the Lord Jesus. But there are a couple of other interesting things about Paul’s assertion that align with his statement May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁶ As for those who will follow this rule – peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God

How could The Apostle Paul submit to all of that suffering? (↔ Music Link) I think there are at least a couple of reasons. First, he did it because he took his call to be an Apostle very seriously – and well he should! The Resurrected, Glorified Jesus personally came to him and told him to stop persecuting the Church and to believe, to go preach to the gentiles even in Rome (See Acts 9, 22, and 29). Secondly, because of this unique “sending” (Apostle means “one sent”) he had an absolutely unshakeable and unlimited Love for Jesus. He really, really knew the meaning and power of Love. If his life was a movie, the screenplay would be based on our Key Verse from Isaiah 66: As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants. As with our Old Friend Abraham, The Apostle Paul trusted that Jesus knew what God the Father wanted, and so he did what he was told to do. He “let go and let God.” (↔ Music Link)

We are all familiar with the adage, “Let go and let God.” There is wisdom in that, a kind of wisdom we often allow to slip away because we forget to be wise. When we come to some petty adversity in our lives, we bristle, and pout, and shake a fist at God. We are like the man who traverses the living room in the dark while going to the kitchen. He bangs his shin on the coffee table, screams a curse using God’s name in vain, and kicks the table hard enough to overturn it, and that bruises his foot. The “LET GO” in this adage does not mean to let loose some invective blaming God. It was not God who hit the man in the shin; it was that coffee table the man had placed there of his own free will, and then discovered in the darkness by banging his shin against it. In short, God doesn’t stop us from being stupid if that is our choice, so there’s no point in blaming him for the consequences of our stupidity. “Let go and let God” means we should stop holding onto our own “wisdom” and allow the Wisdom of God to guide us. We must submit (↔ Music Link)  to the Sovereignty of God.

Our God is King, and – as Jesus is reported stating in Luke 10:11 ^c – Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near. Why? Why did the Kingdome come near? God is always the initiator, and he started our reconciliation with him by coming to us in human form. He wanted to ensure that we got the message that he Loves us regardless of our brokenness. Really and truly, Belovéd, we can pray the Psalmist’s words
Blessed be God,
    because he has not rejected my prayer
    or removed his steadfast love from me.

The Apostle Paul understood that clearly enough to endure calamity, pain, suffering, and humiliation, and even to die for it. What is “it?” “It” is the APP, the Absolutely Perfect Plan. Whatever seems to be difficult, incomprehensible, crazy, or just simply irritating as all-get-out – there’s an APP for that. it might even be the case that we are being sent out into all of the places Jesus intends to go. Do you remember when he walked across the water? Take a look at Matthew 14:23-25. There was a strong headwind battering the boat. Jesus can walk through the storm because it is where he intends to go. We can do that only if we intend to give him primacy in all things as did The Apostle Paul – and all the other Apostles, and many, many other Disciples since then.

Trust the process. Stick with the program. Do the right thing. Give praise to God for all his benefits – even the stormy ones.  He gives them to us for a reason.

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

2526AFC062725 – Choose Your Lion  ← PODCAST LINK 🙂 

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – share on your social media links. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often.

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Acts 12:7, 11 – ⁷ Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.
¹¹ Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

Psalm 34:7, 17 (GNT) [1]
⁷ His angel guards those who honor the Lord
    and rescues them from danger.
¹⁷ The righteous call to the Lord, and he listens;
    he rescues them from all their troubles.

2 Timothy 4:17-18 – ¹⁷ But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Matthew 16:17-19 – ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter,^[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! When you these things described in our Key Verses taking place, you know that the Kingdom of God is near. Each of these passages describes things that happened during times of intense persecution. What the Lord wants us to recognize is that when it’s time to “enter the lions’ den,” God is with us and rescues those who are faithful. We have some very special indications of that this weekend.

Today, Friday June 27, the church celebrates the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is a celebration I look forward to every year. Back in 1973, I first became interested in the sacramental (i.e., not a Sacrament, but something which fosters and animates devotion to the Sacraments) of The Sacred Heart of Jesus. To me, the image was so very compelling. I joined the Sacred Heart Auxiliary on April 1, 1978, consecrating my life to The Sacred Heart of Jesus. We discovered a copper repoussé (you can see it here) of The Sacred Heart just before Christmas in 1978. Two days after we bought that we got a call from our adoption worker saying “We have a baby boy for you to pickup.” That baby boy became Timoth Olin Todd who was born on April 28, 1978, just 27 days after my consecration. Here’s some information on the icon shown below.

• The heart. It is usually shown in the shape and form of a natural human heart – not valentine shaped – and sometimes even blood vessels are depicted. The heart is the center of our being, the place of Love and, regrettably, sin as well. It represents the core of Jesus’ human life.
• A crown or girdle of thorns. These represent the torture and mockery Jesus endured on our behalf, perhaps especially our mental sins of lusts, wrath, pride, and sloth l(aka acedia).
• A gaping wound. Usually on the lower-left side of the heart below the thorns. This recalls the “proof of death” described in the accounts of the crucifixion. There was a lance or spear thrust through the side of the corpse from which water and blood poured out. It also portrays fulfilled of an ancient Messianic prophecy: “They shall look on him whom they have thrust through” (Zechariah 12:10 this is a very touching Prophecy well-portrayed in the statue “La Pietà di Michelangelo”)
• In some icons (not in this one) droplets of blood are depicted, perhaps with a chalice beneath to collect them. this recalls Jesus’ institution of the “New Covenant”: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. (Remember: in Greek, the word for “many” is πολλῶν which means multitudinous, plenteous, sort of “more than you can count”)
• There are flames around the top of the heart. These signify the great intensity and warmth of Jesus’ Love.
• The Cross. It was on the Cross, his final earthly throne, where Jesus demonstrated his immense Love for us, for his Father, and the absolute obedience in his own heart.
• Rays of light. This Love is further illustrated by beams or light or glowing light surrounding the heart. Jesus is the light of the World and it is that light of Love that signals the Love of his heart reaching out to dispel the Darkness.

So, there you have a short (well, almost short)t description of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In April 2022 I used an image. I share this account with you because it illustrates that God does hear prayer and then comes to the rescue.  Crucita and I were married in 1969. We had been hoping for a child for 10 years when that call came. “Being Pregnant” (with expectations) for 10 years is exhausting! All our prayers were answered, and we were delivered from our anguish. It was like being imprisoned, unable to move forward with our dreams of a family. Then, like The Apostle Peter, the Lord reached out and changed our lives. God rescues them from all their troubles. He gifts JOY to our hearts even (especially!) when that seems impossible.

For St. Peter, the impossible became reality. What a jail-break! Today someone might say, ”The whole thing was surreal.” St. Peter was expecting to die, and probably in a very painful way. St. James had already been murdered by Herod, and so when the King put St. Peter in jail, the prognosis was not good! He was prepared, as best he could be, to die for Jesus. Then, an Angel nudges him in the side, makes him stand up and get set to travel, and miracle upon miracle, he gets out of jail in the most improbable way. It was miraculous, to be sure.

It would be, and is, difficult to ignore those big miracles, but way too easy to ignore the little ones like corn growing, babies laughing, flowers blooming, finding a good parking space, making friends who last a lifetime, the ingredients and skill to prepare a good meal, missing the accident that happened just moments after we passed by that location, holding hands at the movies, taking a walk in the early-early morning as the sun comes up, falling in love several times until True Love elevates our hearts to unimagined happiness, seeing the Real Presence of the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ – and then receiving him alive in our hearts. (↔ Music Link)

The Apostle Paul describes another miraculous escape from death when he says But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. Some interpret this as stating that he wasn’t forced into the Coliseum to be devoured by wild animals. Many scholars think it goes deeper than that. Having to “face the lion” is to face immense danger from hostile authority. Our Father in Heaven, his belovéd Son Jesus, and our dear Companion, the Holy Spirit possess higher and greater authority than any powers on Earth or in the bondage of evil. There is, however, a very important proviso we nearly always overlook: God-In-Three-Persons has primacy in everything. Every thing, every time, and especially every relationship. What God requires is that we hold a relationship with him, a Covenant of Love. We saw it in Eden – until that snake showed up. We saw it in Abram when he made a sacrificial Covenant with the Lord Jehovah. We saw it in King David when he committed serious sins, and he returned to the Lord God in penitence and humbled himself before God. David the Psalmist gave us the words His angel guards those who honor the Lord
    and rescues them from danger. After millennia passed, we saw it in Jesus – the Root and Offspring of David (See Revelation 22:16) – who honored the lord by giving up his life for all of us – sinners worse than David and Saints equal to the Apostles Peter and Paul.

This Sunday we honor these two – the Greatest of the Apostles many will say, because they truly did give God Primacy in all things. The World would see their lives as wasted for a hopeless ideal. They, and we, see that loss as the greatest-possible Hope. We must certainly recall the hope in Revelation 5:5 – ⁵ Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” The “Seven Seals” is the symbol of the final and greatest Covenant, and only the Lion of Judah, the Lamb that was Slain, the One Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World, The Lamb who (Music Link →) alone is Worthy can – and will – open that scroll and reveal every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,

“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might
forever and ever!”

The Apostle Peter was given the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, and like Eliakim he will take over rule from the Shebna of Eternity, ha-Satan, and be the Steward of his Master’s house, a place of many mansions prepared for those who love Jesus. Pick a lion, adelphos. The Lion of Judah who conquers and saves, or the Lion of Hell who deceives and devours. You might remember these two characters.

“Mufasa” is a Swahili name associated with governing, strength, nobility, and wisdom. Scar is – well – a scar, a healed-over wound. Those who choose to follow him are ultimately abused by him. Those who follow the Leader (↔ Important Learning Link), who give preeminence and absolute Primacy to whom it is due, they can build their live and therefore their homes on The Rock against which Hell cannot prevail. Choose a lion, choose a Life. There are two choices, there are two roads, there are two trees, there are two roads, there are two ways. There is only Blessing or Curse.

Pick one, and give it your all. Here’s a checklist:

• Narrow and wide roads, gates, passages – there is one entrance to Heaven (Matthew 7:13-14)
• The Way, The Truth, and the Life – there is one Way to Eternity (John 14:6)
• Slavery to sin or freedom in Righteousness – there is one Deliverance from sin (Romans 6)
• Sowing and Reaping: Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life (Galatians 6:7-8)
• Life and Death, Blessing and Curse, Good and Evil (Deuteronomy 30:15-20) – “Choose life therefore that you may live” There is One Way to Eternal Life in Heaven.
• As for me and my house, We will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

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 –>

2525AFC062025 – Because Jesus Said So

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. And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often.

Luke 9:16-17 – ¹⁶ And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. ¹⁷ And all ate and were filled. What was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

Acts 2:42 – ⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

1 Corinthians 10:16

 – ¹⁶ The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?

Greetings adelphos! We have new additions to the MBN Intercessory Prayer List. Please visit, and if you can make the time, please add the MBN Daily Prayer to your “daily list.” Thank you VERY much!

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. This coming Sunday is June 22, 2025 – The Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). On this day we remember that Christ told his Disciples, and us as well, that he is the Bread of Life come down from Heaven which was followed by the statement for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. (Please read carefully John 6:53-59) Jesus is in the Father, the Father is in Jesus, the Father and the Son live in the Unity / Communion / Fellowship (Fellowship is translated from “koinonia” as κοινωνία) of the Holy Spirit, and the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit are in those who believe. We hear this in every Mass, the Great Doxology.”
Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours,
for ever and ever. AMEN

St. Thomas Aquinas once wrote: “Material food first of all turns itself into the person who eats it, and as a consequence, restores his losses and increases his vital energies. Spiritual food, on the other hand, turns the person who eats it into Itself, and thus the proper effect of this sacrament is the conversion of man into Christ, so that he may no longer live for himself, but that Christ may live in Him. And as a consequence it has the double effect of restoring the spiritual losses caused by sins and defects and of increasing the power of the virtues.”

Yes, we believe it truly is Christ who is present in the Eucharist; we believe His true presence begins from the time of the consecration and then endures so long as the sacramental species are discernible. In that belief, we become what we eat – Holy. Perfect? No, we are not perfect or perfected. We are made WHOLE which is what holiness is. Christ is present, Christ is offered, and Christ offers the Offering.

We refer to this offering as an oblation. This is a solemn gifting of Christ’s sacrifice and ours as we look upon the True Presence with eyes enlightened by faith. (See Ephesians 1:17-19 for opening the eyes of our hearts (↔ Music Link). An Oblation is a “meal” (grain) offering. It is the most fundamental of all offerings. In the Old Testament it is often called a “gift offering,” and the noun used in Hebrew is מִנְחָה (minkhah) {min-khah’}. During every Eucharistic Prayer there are two Oblations. The “lesser oblation” is the Offertory – this happens before the Consecration – in which the bread and wine are presented to God. During this Offertory, the Priest holds both hands over the Gifts on the Altar and blesses them in and through the Holy Spirit. The “greater oblation,” the Oblation Proper, occurs after the consecration when the Priest, on behalf of Christ, offers God the Precious Body and Blood of Jesus as Jesus himself offers himself to his Father on our behalf. It is a truly amazing moment many people often miss even though we have opportunity to see the Bread of Life and to believe – to be an active participant in The Fellowship of The Bread.

We see the Bread when it is offered. We see the Bread when it is consecrated. We see the Bread when is broken and elevated with the Chalice of Salvation. We see the Bread when it is given for consumption. We become the Bread when we eat the Bread and drink the Chalice. In all of these instances after the consecration, if we see with the eyes of our hearts, we see The Precious Body and Blood of Christ – not just bread and wine. (↔ Music Link)

Jesus is the Bread from Heaven, the Bread of Life, The Living Bread, and that Bread was blessed and broken for us. (See also John 6:22-59 – The Bread of Life Discourse. Every Christian, Catholic or non-Catholic, should read this passage often) Bread is the staff of life, and eating bread is a necessary action of living. Traditionally, bread – as the staff of life – was broken before eating it; it was not cut because, symbolically, that would be slicing Life itself. With that in mind, there is a new layer of context in Acts 2:42 – ⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. These are spiritual acts – sacred moments devoted to God. The Apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 10:16 – ¹⁶ The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?

As these passages testify, Jesus states quite plainly , and repeatedly, that he is the Bread of Life. The Gospel reading from Luke for this Sunday is an account of the feeding of 5000+ persons with 5 barley loves and two fishes. (See also John 6:1-15) It comes down to this: In Scripture from the very words of Jesus at The Last Supper, and attested to by The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Jesus said plainly “This is my Body” and “This is my blood.” There was no indication of representational similitude. Please try this the next time you attend to the Eucharistic Prayer.

After the consecration and the fraction of the Host, the Priest elevates the Precious Body and Precious Blood of Christ together above the altar around eye-level and pronounces the prayer based on the Prophecy of St. John the Baptizer – Ecce agnus Dei
Behold the Lamb of God. . (↔ Music Link)
Behold him who
takes away the sins of the World.
Blesséd are those called
to the Supper of the Lamb.

Blesséd indeed! As the Presiding Celebrant holds the Precious Body and Precious Blood, pay attention to WHO – not what – he is holding up for you to see and if you are prepared to worthily receive him who will be given to you to consume, Jesus’ Body and Blood Soul and Divinity will become part of your spiritual Life and physical strength because Jesus said so. For me and for my fellow Catholics, that exercise is made possible in a fuller and more satisfying way for us because of our confidence in the wholeness – mature, fully grown, completeness of The Body and Blood of the Eucharist. I gave up accepting the symbol of our faith as expressed in symbolic communion when I accepted the challenge to live in the Mystery of Transubstantiation. It’s a difficult concept for many Catholics to embrace and not all Catholics accept it. I cannot condemn that nor can I judge them for that perspective. Finding Jesus depends on where you put him. It is not the Priest who causes this miraculous transformation. It is Jesus in the Holy Spirit united with God the Father.

Now, for the last three weeks I have been too excited about the readings and I neglected to send you the “Person of the Week.” To make up for that I have attached a quick study on three guys in the New Testament. They’re all pretty well-known, so I’ve just pulled together some additional biographic information on them. This information will be inserted at the end of the Aloha Friday Message – this one – as part of the online post.

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

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO THE END

 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

The Body of Christ – the Eucharist – nourishes and forms The Body of Christ – The Church – so that the Body of Christ becomes … the Body of Christ!

Here is the information on the Persons of the Week which I have recently omitted.

Barabbas, Barsabas, and Barnabas

I chose these three men because their names sound similar. We can usually remember at least some of the context in which we hear those names, but today we’ll add some substance to that context. We will start with the most infamous – Barabbas.

Barabbas

The name Barabbas is in Greek Βαραββᾶς whish is a transliteration of the Aramaic bar (son of) and Abba (a father). He is the robber, and murderous insurrectionist (See Mark 15:7), released in place of Jesus at Jesus’ “trial.” His name in mentioned in all four Gospels

:

In some translations (←See examples) he is given a first name to go with his last name. Again in Greek that name is Ἰησοῦς – Jesus (i.e., Jehoshua), the name of our Lord Jesus the Christ of God and two (three) other Israelites. In the context of those translations sometimes it is represented as [Jesus] or (Jesus) and there is a good probability that the double name is what was originally intended. The Gospel writers would know how this information would be received by their audiences. The Bible has no other information about the man. Some legends say he converted to Christianity. Other tales say he dies in another failed insurrection, possibly the First Jewish Roman War in 66-73 AD. In that disastrous uprising, the Second Temple was leveled, fulfilling Jesus’ Prophecy in Matthew 24:2, Mark 13:2, and Luke 21:6. This completely changed Worship in Jerusalem, leading to centuries of dispersion and suppression. Worship shifted from centering on sacrifice to study of the Torah and Midrash and an increase in the use of prayers. Matthew 27:16:  [Jesus] Barabbas: it is possible that the double name is the original reading; Jesus was a common Jewish name; see the note on Matthew 1:21. This reading is  found in only a few textual witnesses, although its absence in the majority can be explained as an omission of the name “Jesus” made for reverential reasons. The is bracketed because of its  uncertain textual attestation.

The Aramaic name Barabbas means “son of the father”; the irony of the choice offered between him and Jesus, the true son of the Father, would be evident to those  addressees of Matthew who knew that. See also John 18:40. He was referred to as a Revolutionary – a guerrilla warrior fighting for nationalistic aims, though the term can also denote a robber. See the note on  Matthew 27:38. The same Greek word found there is used for Barabbas.   Called a thief (“robber”), would connote someone who is stealing out in the open (typically with violence). The Greek word lēstḗs (“a bandit, briard”) is a thief who also plunders and pillages – an unscrupulous marauder (malefactor), exploiting the vulnerable without hesitating to use violence. This Barabbas was essentially the antithesis of Jesus, yet the mob preferred him to the real Only Begotten Son of the Living God.

Barsabas

 His “full name was Joseph Bar Sabas – Joseph the son of Sabas; this could include the meaning “son of the Sabbath. His surname was Justus as we see in Acts 1:23. He was one of two Disciples put forward to replaces Judas Iscariot; the other was Matthias. The Apostles cast lots, and it fell to Matthias. Some contemporary historical records indicate he was one of the 670 sent out by Jesus (see Luke 10:1) – some ancient texts say 72. There is a second personality in the New Testament named Barsabas – Judas Barsabas who accompanied The Apostle Paul’ companion Silas. Silas was also a Ro/man Citizen like The Apostle Paul, as well as a teacher and a Prophet. He was chosen to accompany The Apostle Paul because he was well-known in the Church in Jerusalem. Barnabas and Paul had a serious disagreement between them (See this IMPORTANT TEXT in Acts 15:36-41) and The Apostle Paul chose Silas to go with him to revisit the churches he and Barnabas had established together.

Barnabas

He was a Levite from Cyprus who was also originally named Joseph. The name means son of encouragement. In Acts 4:37 we read that he sold a field he owned and brought the money to the Apostles. It was Barnabas who brought Saul of Tarsus, the feared persecutor of the Early Church, to the Apostles in Jerusalem. Barnabas vouched for Saul and told them about the miraculous conversion Saul had experienced near Damascus. The Believers in Jerusalem were wary of being associated with this Saul of Tarsus who had been on of the principal witness of the execution of Stephen, the First Martyr of the Church. Barnabas was a generous, faithful, and supportive companion to The Apostle Paul during much of the early years of the Church working tirelessly with him to establish churches in many cities. The tow endured many hardship and persecutions, beatings, and life-threatening moments together. They fell into sharp disagreement about another Disciple named John Mark who had traveled with them for a time, but abandoned them in Pamphylia. Barnabas wanted to bring him back into service, but Paul refused. They split up and went their separate ways. Barnabas did give John Mark another chance and took in under his wing as his traveling and preaching companion. There is an apocryphal Epistle credited to Barnabas.

Aloha Friday Message – June 13, 2025 – Working While Walking With Wisdom

2524AFC061325 – Walking While With Wisdom 😀 ← PODCAST LINK

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often.
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Proverbs 8:22, 30-31 –
Wisdom’s Part in Creation

²² The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
    the first of his acts of long ago.

³⁰     then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
    rejoicing before him always,
³¹ rejoicing in his inhabited world
    and delighting in the human race.

Psalm 8:4-5 –
⁴ what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
    mortals that you care for them?

⁵ Yet you have made them a little lower than God, [1]
    and crowned them with glory and honor.

Romans 5:1-2 – ¹ Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.

John 16:13 – ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

Aloha nui loa, ʻŌmea! Grace and Peace to each of you from God our Father and our Lord, Jesus the Christ, in the Power of the Holy Spirit. This coming Sunday we mark The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The Trinity is one of the most challenging tenets of ur F.A.I.T.H. The entire concept of “One God in Three Persons” is difficult to grasp – and it is supposed to be like that. I am going to string together a bunch of adjectives to show what I mean: immutable, unassailable, incontrovertible, indisputable, unchanging and unchangeable, incomprehensible, mind-blowing. One-God-In-Three-Persons means exactly that and nothing other than that. We looked into that about 10 (ten!) years ago in 1522AFC052915 – Whole in One. Here is a little (edited) excerpt from that post:

Unlike 3-IN-ONE_® Oil –  which is one entity that does three things – God is One Entity that is three things – three Persons (all of whom are Divine, Distinct, and very real). Sometimes we try to understand The Trinity by saying that we, too, are “triune beings,” in that we have a body, soul (intellect and emotion), and spirit. We can see the body, we can experience the soul, but we’re usually stumped by what to think or say about our spirit. It is, after all, the one thing about us that is most like God for “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (See John 4:6-30).

Even knowing that does not allow us to pack it comfortably into our brains. History (Apostolic Tradition), the Scriptures, the Catechism, and the Magisterium of the Church all say the same thing about this concept of Trinity: It is a Mystery. I’m OK with that because that means that I can believe it even if I can’t fully understand it. Why? Because I accept it as being True. To fail to accept it would be colossally unwise! After all, we’re talking about God here, and if that’s what he says, that’s what I believe.

“The Source and Summit of our Faith” is Jesus – the Eucharistic Jesus we encounter at every Mass. He is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Messiah. The Messiah, the Christ of God, is that Perfection of Wisdom  that redeems the costly ravages of sin (Death) thereby preparing us to become wholly Holy. Jesus is the Power and the Wisdom of God. Because why? Because Wisdom was there with The Holy Trinity when the universe (with Angels galore!), the Earth, and all persons and creatures who dwell in this Sweet Spot of God’s Favor, this Dear Earth from which our bodies were formed and were then infused with the Ruach of God.

We are the recipients of his Unmerited Favor (Grace – χάρις charis {khar’-ece}) (See 1 Corinthians 1:24 (GNT) [1]– ²⁴ but for those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, this message is Christ, who is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Isaiah 11:2 speaks of the Spirit of the Lord resting upon the Messiah, including the Spirit of wisdom and understanding. ² The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
    the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the spirit of counsel and might,
    the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord
We have previously (↔ Click Link) quoted Colossians 3:15-17 which brings to mind that Jesus is the epitome of Wisdom and Knowledge (after all, he is God!) – ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. For me, that describes a precious and splendid Life in the Light of his Glory and Grace (↔ Music Link)

We also have this, and it is encouraging: Proverbs 23:23 – (GNT)^{1 23} Truth, wisdom, learning, and good sense — these are worth paying for, but too valuable for you to sell. This struck me as one of those, “Well, yeah!” kind of statements. Those for things are certainly worth paying for, and usually we pay for them with experiences that teach us things that are not true, wise, smart, or sensible. “Learn from your mistakes.” But actually, all four of those things are embodied in The Truth. We all remember seeing this at least once in the past 1,000 posts:

(Music Link→) LIGHT ≡ GOD ≡ LOVE ≡ TRUTH ≡ WAY ≡ LIFE ≡ ETERNAL ≡ JUSTICE  ≡ OMNIPOTENCE  ≡ ONE GOD IN THREE PERSONS

Looking at all these verses gives me great Joy and Hope. God created the Earth with Wisdom – Wisdom was the first Quality of God he called forth. Everything he made, he made for Loving. He made the Universe because he Loved it, and he made us – his earthlings – so he could Love us and we could Love him, too. Then his new earthlings messed up and fell into sin and death – that was NOT what he had planned; BUT he already had an Absolutely Perfect Plan to deal with it – Redemption and Salvation through Christ Jesus. Jesus told his Apostles – and they tell us – that God would send the Holy Spirit to help them (and us!) to remember everything he taught and that the Holy Spirit would also defend us against the Devil. Thinking about that is so reassuring; in fact it gives all of us Blessed Assurance (↔ Music Link). Sometimes it’s hard for us to wrap our head around that Love and Forgiveness. But then we think about what the Psalmist said, and it’s even more amazing.

Click on the picture ↓↓. It’s a LINK.,

³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars that you have established;
⁴ what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
    mortals that you care for them?

⁵ Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
⁶ You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under their feet

or try this link (↔ Music Link)

No! God did not make everything that is Good and then just walk away from it to see if it would hold together. The whole thing, THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE (including all of us scrawny, scrabbling Earthlings) is in his hands. HE is still at work in this World, and whenever we walk with him, he gives us the option (it’s always, always a choice!) to walk and work with him. Even if we feel the weight of sin and separation from God, here’s a little reminder from 938AFC091809 – Circle of Friends:

You say: “I am a sinner, and unlovable.”

God says: I love you enough to die for you. (Romans 5:8; John 3:16-19; 1 Peter 3:18-20) Ther’s a handy little chart in that post, and if you decide to check it out, at least open the link to Romans 5:8 (or do that here).

God did not leave us abandoned! Take a look at Isaiah 41:10 – (GNT) ^1
10 Do not be afraid – I am with you!
    I am your God – let nothing terrify you!
I will make you strong and help you;
    I will protect you and save you.

And let’s not forget Matthew 28:18-20, The Great Commission – ¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” That “age” is the Age of the Church, and eon during which we walk and work (↔ Music Link) with Jesus every day. And there we have it. He will bless us with his Spirit and change us with his Love. That’s what it’s like to work alongside Jesus, to work inside Jesus, to work with Jesus inside. That sounds good to us. That sounds smart to us. In fact, that sounds WISE to us because Jesus is the Wisdom of God. And that leads to another memory verse we have referenced many times:

James 1:5 – ⁵ If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. If Wisdom was the First collaborator with God, and if Jesus is the Wisdom of God, then asking for God’s Wisdom will get us … Jesus! And if we get Jesus, then he will come with us and bring Another Advocate, the Holy Spirit! It is, therefore, very Wise to ask to work with Wisdom because then you work with God. In The Catechism of the Catholic Church §258 we find this (my emphases added): Thus the Church confesses, following the New Testament, “one God and Father from whom all things are, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all things are, and one Holy Spirit in whom all things are.” Does that sound even a little familiar?

How about, “Through Him, with Him and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.”
“The Church believes in the mediation of Christ alone and His supreme Priesthood. Only “through Him, with Him, and in Him” can we reach the Father who beckons us to receive the Son who bestows the Holy Spirit. “No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) We know that our deeds are pleasing to God through Christ. Our lives united to His life, to His death and to His resurrection, are glory and honor to the Trinity.  “ As you can infer from this animation, when one Person of the Trinity acts, all Three Persons act together, and while each is separate, each acts according to the principles and characters of his nature. Hard to wrap your brain around that? That’s because (you guessed it!) it’s a MYSTERY!

We are Working While Walking With Wisdom and therefore, we are Walking with Jesus(↔ Music Link) and also Walking in Sunlight (↔ Music Link). Because Wisdom is our Companion, we walk with the Lord in the Light of his Word, and are therefore ALWAYS in the Company of The Holy Trinity, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. Therefore we can believe and know that When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears. Belovéd, Wisdom is Truth and Truth is Wisdom and both are through, with, and in The Holy Trinity.

Our closing hymns are a collection of Three Trinity Hymns (↔ Music Link) We invite you to sing along!

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

2523AFC060625 – Zeal for Fire, Fire for Zeal 😀 ← PODCAST LINK

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often.

Do you know someone who enjoys Bible study, or who might like to read this? Ask them to email us or to subscribe on our blog-site.

Acts 2:1-3 – (GNT) [1] ¹  When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place. ² Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there.

1 Corinthians 12:3-7 – [2] ³I want you to know that no one who is led by God’s Spirit can say “A curse on Jesus!” and no one can confess “Jesus is Lord,” without being guided by the Holy Spirit.

⁴ There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. ⁵ There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. ⁶ There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service. ⁷ The Spirit’s presence is shown in some way in each person for the good of all.

Romans 8:14-15 – ¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” (↔ Music Link)

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!) Today we look at one of the most exciting celebrations of the Church – Pentecost Sunday. This celebration is rooted in the Jewish feast of Shavuot, The Festival of Weeks. This Feast is held for celebrating the giving of the Torah to the entire nation of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai – although that is not explicitly described in Scripture. There are scholarly discussions of the background of this Feast in the Talmud – the “oral Torah.” The Festival of Weeks is in the middle of the festivals decreed by God.

1. Passover (Pesach)
2. Unleavened Bread (Chag Hamotzi)
3. Firstfruits (Yom Habikkurim)
4. Pentecost (Shavu’ot) The Feast of Weeks or Festival of Harvest
5. Trumpets (Yom Teru’ah)
6. Atonement (Yom Kippur)
7. Tabernacles (Succoth)

Whenever God puts something in the very middle of what he wants or what he creates (same-same those are), it turns out to be very special and important. Pentecost comes at the end of Eastertide, and it’s a pretty long wait – 50 days like the name says – so it’s like a really big reward for that wait.

Today I want to give a shout-out to Father Moses Akebule who gave an extraordinary homily at St Catherine of Alexandria Catholic Church on May 15, 2016 – Pentecost Sunday. My homily notes supplied some of the content of this post. For my part, I exhort each of us to cultivate zeal for the Fire of the Holy Spirit who will give us the Fire for that Holy Zeal. Pentecost is a remarkable Feast in the same way that Shavuot is an amazing Festival. In these celebrations of God’s Love, we commemorate the moments in the history of his People that he chose to make himself more clearly known. In the Torah, the Word of God is given to us. In the Feast of Pentecost, the Living Word is received in us. I tell you, adelphos, for me that is a mind-blower! Think about this:

This great Feast has no commercial celebration. There are no Pentecost mattress specials or discounts on cars and trucks. There are no widely-sold Pentecost decorations or costumes. That is an example of the deep meaning and sanctifying nature of Pentecost. There are no representational images of fire, or doves, or wind on sale at Walmart. There are only the metaphorical images of these traits of the Holy Spirit. He is exceptionally present in the universe, but we see only glimpses and flashes of him in the small parts of creation. He has an impact on our lives – like the wind, or fire, or water impacts us – and wherever his actions move upon us, then and there always is the Fruit of the Spirit produced.

This is because the Holy Spirit is the Very Life of God – Love. Jesus passed on the Love of the Father through his Love for us, and he shared that Love with the Apostles who passed it on to us through the laying on of hands in the Priesthood. In this way God’s Love is poured out into our hearts, constantly blowing his flames through our lives more and more to stir up the Way, the Truth, and the Life and Love of Christ in us. This leads to a profound communion among his Disciples in all Nations because of the great unity in diversity among Christians as the Prophecy of his Good News is, and will continue to be, spread to all lands and tongues.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways the Holy Spirit is made knowable to us.

1.  The Holy Spirit as a Dove is not a product of the Earth. It is a gift of God in heaven.
2. Fire of the Holy Spirit is given by and from God for light, heat, or as cleansing fire that burns away the debris in our hearts left behind by our sin.
3. The Holy Spirit is positive, affirming Life. ALL negatives vanish resulting in the restoration to us God’s Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. New growth will recognize the Light of Truth, it will burn out evil and terrible memories.
4. The Breath of the Holy Spirit breathed out on the Apostles is like oxygen to the blood of every member of the body of Christ
5. The Holy Spirit has no Gospel of his own, but he is expressed now in everything Jesus said because Jesus only said what the Father told him in the Holy Spirit.
6. Water is a symbol and venue of his actions as it nourishes and sustains Life, promotes growth, cleans and purifies, but can also destroy. Water represents the Soul of the Church which in turn produces the continuity of our lives despite the progressive changes of The World.

The Holy Spirit as the Soul of the Church gives us continuity in our lives which is as certain as our heartbeat. We are given Gifts so that we will use them, and so we exercise our Gifts in the Holy Spirit in any act of mercy and/or testimony as we honor the Giver by accepting the Gift. We must be open to his leading, willing to be led to the service which God intends for our adelphos. He is never idle, but is always acting with and through us 24/7/52/365. Recall the Jerusalem Council’s statement, “It is the will of the Holy Spirit and us…”  Every enterprise we undertake will profit us and our sisters and brothers in Christ if we include our awareness of his presence. We must have a Zeal for that Fire!

The Holy Spirit is our closest friend and constant counselor given to us in, and through, Jesus so that we can come to know all Truth and remember everything he taught us. (See John 14:26) We should always be conscious of his influence in our lives and faithfully be aware of his Loving Presence. The Holy Spirit is the Bond of Love between the Father and the Son, and the Blesséd Trinity invites us to experience the Divine Presence of all three Persons by allowing the Holy Spirit to inflame us with his Love, his Mercy, and his Grace. May our Almighty, Everliving God grant us an unquenchable Fire of Love for the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit – and for one another as he has commanded us – “Love one another as I have Loved you.” This weekend, in the Power of that Love of Christ, we come “all in one place together” so that we can confess “Jesus is Lord,” [while] being guided by the Holy Spirit. In our joyful Zeal let us remember with exultation and reverence that it is we who are commanded to spread the Fire of the Gospel.

Remember, Jesus said, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” (See Luke 12:49) Belovéd, we are the kindling for that Great Fire which will become for us – the Fire for that Zeal! WE must throw open our hearts and minds and even our souls to that brilliant Fire of Mercy and Grace which is the Love of God – our Light in this present darkness. As The Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6:12 – ¹² For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. There is occasion for some confusion here when The Apostle Paul says “heavenly places.”

We should also consider Ephesians 2:1-2 – ¹ You were dead through the trespasses and sins ² in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. This can be understood that Satan has power to surround and move in, over, and around The World because he is the Archon of that realm which is on and above Earth but below Heaven – an “ethereal realm” wherein the demonic spirits endlessly seek the ruin of souls by enticing them into disobedience and lack of Love because of their indifference to the Power of God in Christ Jesus, the King of the Universe. Against such assaults on Believers, our Κύριος – Kyrios – our Lord and Master sends the Commander of Heavenly Powers, Saint Michael the Archangel to defend us in this spiritual War. He works with the Holy Spirit and Believers to thwart the Devil’s plans and actions.

The Holy Spirit is our closest friend and constant counselor given to us in, and through, Jesus so that we can come to know all Truth and remember everything he taught us. (See John 14:26) We should always be conscious of his influence in our lives and faithfully be aware of his Loving Presence. The Holy Spirit is the Bond of Love between the Father and the Son, and the Blesséd Trinity invites us to experience the Divine Presence of all three Persons by allowing the Holy Spirit to inflame us with his Love, his Mercy, and his Grace. May our Almighty, Everliving God grant us an unquenchable Fire of Love for the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit – and for one another as he has commanded us – “Love one another as I have Loved you.” This weekend, in the Power of that Love of Christ, we come “all in one place together” so that we can confess “Jesus is Lord,” [while] being guided by the Holy Spirit. In our joyful Zeal let us remember with exultation and reverence that it is we who are commanded to spread the Fire of the Gospel.

As we read in Romans 8:15 ^d – 17 – When we cry, “Abba! Father!” ¹⁶ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. When we testify (μαρτυρέω – to be martyred) in the Holy Spirit, we glorify God by using the Gifts he bestows on us through his love for the Christ of God, and that Love is the Holy Spirit. When any Person of the Trinity acts, they all act together. We shall be gathered together in One Place again at the End of the Age of the Church. That may come tomorrow or in a thousand years, but the time does not matter, because we can experience the presence of The Holy Trinity through the workings of the Holy Spirit who, for us, is another advocate given by God through Jesus. We need that Fire deep inside (↔ Music Link)  so let it fall on us!

Spirit of the Living God (↔ Music Link) Fall afresh on us and set us afire with Zeal for your Love!  Send forth Your Spirit (↔ Music Link) O Lord and renew the face of the Earth!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2522AFC053025 – And then what happened?  😀 ← PODCAST LINK

OPEN ALL THE MUSIC LINKS. THERE’S A REASON FOR ALL OF THEM.

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.

Acts 1:10-11 – (AKJV) [1] ¹⁰ And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; ¹¹ which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this SAME Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Psalm 47:5 – (GNT) ^2
5 God goes up to his throne.
    There are shouts of joy and the blast of trumpets,
    as the Lord goes up.
If we praise God when we sing with the Angels, then the Angels are singing, worshiping God and WE are singing and worshiping WITH THEM as we sing Glory to God, (↔ Music Link) What comes after that?

Ephesians 1:17-19 – ¹⁷ I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸ so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord (↔ Music Link)  

Hebrews 9:25-26 – (GNT) [2] ²⁵ The Jewish high priest goes into the Most Holy Place every year with the blood of an animal. But Christ did not go in to offer himself many times, ²⁶ for then he would have had to suffer many times ever since the creation of the world. Instead, now when all ages of time are nearing the end, he has appeared once and for all, to remove sin through the sacrifice of himself.

Luke 24:51 – ⁵¹While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into Heaven.

Aloha pumehana, Belovéd! Last week we looked into Doing the right thing. Again. This is our daily challenge as Christians – always to do the Right Thing BECAUSE IT IS THE RIGHT THING. If the speed limit is 25, go 25. If the sign says STOP, stop. If the IRS says you owe more, pay it. If your doctor says avoid starches, don’t make Texas Toast for breakfast. And if God says, “Love me and your neighbor,” do it. If Jesus says, “Keep my commandments,” we should certainly try with every ounce of determination we can muster to do that because it is the Right Thing to do. This week I ask that we think about what comes next. After we encounter Jesus, after we are encouraged by his promise to return to us in Glory, what comes next? Well, what comes next is doing the Right Thing, the Things that Jesus told us to do: EXPECT, AND WELCOME, THE Holy Spirit.

Today we look forward to the celebration of the Lord’s Ascension. “Ascension Thursday” is 40 days after Resurrection Sunday – this year Ascension Thursday was yesterday, May 29^th. In many churches around the world, this coming Sunday, June 1^st, will be the day this event is celebrated. For us, the first reading will be Acts 1:1-11 (↔ Learning Link) This is my second-most favorite Bible passage (My #1-most-favorite is Psalm 138 ← Check it out! , especially verse 1). I like these passages because they are good descriptions of how I feel about my relationship with God. Here’s what I mean:

In the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament), as well as in the Vulgate (the Latin translation originating in AD 382), David opens by telling God that he will praise God with all his heart in the presence of the angels. Many English translations use the word “gods” instead of angels. The word in Hebrew is אֱלֹהִ֣ים (‘elohiym) {el-o-heem’}. Some of you will recognize that as one of the “names of God.” It can also mean messenger, judge, “God-like one,” or angels. In Greek that is ἄγγελος (aggelos – Singular, ἄγγελοι aggeloi Plural) and in Latin it is angelorum. That’s how I want to spend my Eternity – at the threshold of the Throne Room listening to the myriads and myriads of angels ministering to God with songs of worship and praise, and I will be singing along with them – in their presence and HIS – with all my heart. I am impatient to get that started. It is that account of the Ascension the fuels my impatience. We’ve covered this before, but I just want to pull up something from the past that speaks to the power of that passage, so from May 15, 2015 (and even earlier in 2009) we have this:

The Ascension, to me, is so reassuring. It is a very strong central tenet of my faith. And in a way, it’s one of my favorites because the angels in that account have a little bit of attitude about them.

Here’s what I mean. Jesus has just been talking with the disciples, and suddenly WHOOSH! He’s on the Cloud Elevator going back to spend eternity with His Dad – Abba. Very, very cool. And if we could be there watching (and we are – I’ll tell you about Contemporaneous Concomitance (↔ Learning Link) sometime, we would see the disciples standing there literally dumbfounded. Then two angels show up and say, “Men of Galilee, why-y-y-y are you standing there looking into the sky!? This same Jesus, who has been taken up from you into Heaven will return to you in the same way you saw him going up into Heaven.” Man! How great is that?!?! I think that passage is just amazing. I guess some scholars can debate about “in the same way” or “in like manner” but for me the word that jumps off the page and makes my ears ring is SAME as in THIS SAME Jesus. Now for those of you who are true Biblicists, really-real Bible scholars, I may be stepping out on a limb here. In the Koine Greek used in Acts of the Apostles, the word for same is houtos I can put the Greek letters here, but they might not display correctly on your screen: οὗτος. So it turns out that this word, which is used in a bunch of places in the Bible, means this one, the one visibly present here, the one just named and none other than this one. There’s not another one, there’s no way it could be someone else. It will be precisely, exactly, permanently that same guy you just saw take off into the clouds. It is HE who will return to you. THAT “this” is IMPORTANT! (↔ Learning Link)  

Jesus told the Apostles he was going to die a terrible death and then come back to life on the third day after his death. Jesus told the Apostles he was going back to his Father to make a place for them to live with Him forever. Jesus told the Apostles that he would send them the Holy Spirit. And then two angels – two of those myriads of ministering to God – told the Apostles Jesus was going to come and take us all Home. All of that is absolutely crystal clear in my mind and heart. I want to see Jesus like that – shining in the light of his Glory, and then I will take up the songs of Praise and cry out Holy, Holy, Holy. (See Isaiah 6:3 and its echo in Revelation 4:8.) Some folks say they have no idea what God says; they claim he never listens to them so they don’t listen to him. That’s not my experience – at all!

Take this post for example. I usually start working on the next post the Saturday after the current one. But this past week, it just didn’t click like it usually does. That happened because I wasn’t paying attention. Then one of those 2X4 moments happened. I was cruising Facebook and came across a little video about a 10-year-old kid named Christopher. He was blind, autistic, and his adoptive father – his uncle actually – introduced him. His dad told a little about him and said he was going to sing a song called Open the Eyes of my Heart. (↔ Music Link – check out Christopher’s performance!)

WHAM!!

I love that song! It takes everything from Psalm 138 and Acts 1 and makes it fit together like peanut-butter-and-jelly – all rich and sweet and full of goodness. Again, I love that song! Now, if you read these fairly regularly, you’ll know I often talk about songs I knew as a kid. This one, though, I learned as an adult. It was written by Paul Baloche – a prolific writer of Praise Music – in 2000. I probably heard it first on KHJC here on Kauaʻi. Maybe you’ve already clicked on that link I provided – that is Paul singing his song in front of a live audience. In describing the song, he says that it sort of wrote itself one night. He was just noodling around with his guitar that night, and the lyrics and cords flowed out. He relates it is based on Ephesians 1:18. (Take a sec and scroll up to look at the underlined part.) Are the words redundant? Yep. Is the melody simple? Yep. Does it make me want to sing? Yessiree! Suddenly, I realized Ephesians 1:18 was what God wanted me to write about. Normally I look at the reading for the coming Sunday to see if there’s anything that catches “the eyes of my heart.” I requested the assignment to read the passage from Acts 1 because I just love seeing people’s eyes light up when I proclaim “TH-I-I-I-I-S-S-S-S-S Jesus And the passage from Ephesians is one of the options for the Epistle; the other one is from Hebrews!

WHAM!!

Not only were the eyes of my heart opened, so were the ears of my heart. I got the message. It was one of those “Thus-says-the-LORD” kind of moments. I could see why Paul wanted us to be looking toward God, and Paul says we want to see Jesus ²¹ far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. That is the Sh’khinah Glory I long to see when I meet him face-to-face. You may have heard this Paul Baloche song sung by Michael W. Smith (↔ Music Link). I hope it gets stuck in your head and heart, because whenever it pops up, you’ll be reminded that – with The Apostle Paul – ¹⁷ I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, ¹⁸ so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

Remember – YOLO-F!, and for us that means we expect to see him again in Heaven because he first appeared once and for all, to remove sin through the sacrifice of himself.  Now, allow God to open the eyes and ears of your heart. See him high and lifted up, shining in the Sh’khinah (↔ Learning Link) – the Light of his Glory. Feel the outpouring of his Power and Love and sing: Holy! Holy! Holy! – Holy! Holy! Holy! – Holy! Holy! Holy! – Holy! Holy! Holy! – Holy! Holy! Holy! – Holy! Holy! Holy! – Holy! Holy! Holy! – Holy! Holy! Holy! – Holy! Holy! Holy! – Holy! Holy! Holy! – Holy! Holy! Holy! – Holy! Holy! Holy! Repeat ceaselessly for the first 10,000 years in Heaven because “We’ve no less days to sing his Praise (↔ Music Link) than when we’d first begun.”

Blest be El Shaddai Olam who has Blessed us – [w]hile he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into Heaven. And HE is coming BACK! And that, Belovéd adelphos, is what is going to happen next! Some of us may get a jump on that and get there before he gets here, but either way we can be excited about what can and will happen then!

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

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

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

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

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

[1] Authorized (Kin g James) Version (AKJV) KJV reproduced by permission of Cambridge University Press, the Crown’s patentee in the UK. Used with permission.

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

2521AFC052325 – Do the right thing, again. 😀 ← PODCAST LINK

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John 14:23 ^b–24 – ^{23 b}  “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴ Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.”

Acts 15:1-2 – The Council at Jerusalem
¹ Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders.

Psalm 67:1-2 –
¹ May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face to shine upon us, Selah*
² that your way may be known upon earth,
    your saving power among all nations.

*Selah: Psalm 67 includes a petition for a bountiful harvest (Psalm 67:6), made in the awareness that Israel’s prosperity will persuade the nations to worship its God. A popular Catholic Bible commentary addresses Selah thusly regarding its appearance in Psalm 3:2

At the end of this verse, Hebrew text adds, Selah, and the Septuagint (LXE) διαψαλμα, a word which is not much better understood. … St. Jerome expresses it semper, in his Hebrew version. It would perhaps be as well to leave the original term. … It occurs seventy-one times in the psalms, and thrice in Habacuc. Some think it is a sign to raise the voice, or to pause, etc. at the end of the lesson [or phase], before the psalter was divided. ^[1] I have always considered it as an imperative to pause and reflect reverently on the preceding poetry.

Revelation 21:10-11 – ¹⁰ And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹ It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel, like jasper*, clear as crystal.

*In biblical symbolism, chalcedony is associated with purity, clarity, and spiritual insight. Jasper can take on many beautiful colors and patterns. Here are some examples.

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him. It is so easy for us to be wrong, but sometimes it seems so wrong for others to be right. I remember getting into a confrontation with my teacher in the second or third grade about the placement of a comma in the number “2500.” She had taught us the “tens, hundreds, thousands” rules. Back then, I knew “’t’ain’t necessarily so.” My dad always spoke it as “twenty-five-hundred-dollars,” and so I knew that comma should be placed in the center of the number – like this: 25,00 – and since my dad knew “everything one could know about math,” that had to be an acceptable (albeit alternative) answer. I ended up in the principal’s office calling my dad at work to get his  absolutely true and valid testimony that I was right. Except, I wasn’t, and that was a very hard lesson for me to grasp. As I recall, I had to apologize and take a Zero on the exercise. It was hard and expensive to be wrong and then be arrogantly insisting on my presumptive expertise about it.

That’s kinda like what was going on in our reading from Acts 15. Some chaps, who were influenced by Pharisees and some Traditionalists, started telling the gentiles they had to be circumcised to be saved through Jesus’ followers in The Way. Well, that wasn’t received well at all. It turned out to be a case of presumptive expertise similar to mine. The point was argued locally, it was referred to a higher authority (the Apostles no less!), consensus was achieved, and we imagine apologies were issued, and that was that. It was also the First Church Council. Councils are convened so that the Church can make use of the cumulative wisdom of the Apostles and Presbyters and the Teaching Authority of the Church. Over the millennia, many Councils have been convened to help the Church discern the Right and Proper position she should take on matters which arise and can cause confusion and dissent. These decisions are then shared with the faithful as protections to ensure we are all “in bounds” and safe from error. In 2446AFC111524 – This is a Big Deal!, we used this cartoon to illustrate the point. Sometimes (often?) what we think is right because that’s the way we want it is dead wrong. In fact, it’s a lot like telling God “No thanks. I know what you want, but I’ve got this. I don’t want to do what you want. I want to do what I want. I want what I want when I want it. I know it’s the wrong thing, maybe even evil … but I still want it even if YOU don’t!”

Fortunately God’s guardrails are literally all over the place! Often they are in the counsel of loved ones or persons in deemed authority. Sometimes it’s in the Bible. Sometimes it’s in the government’s legal system. We all know people who are not always right but never known to be wrong (in their own minds!). Whenever we are the ones who stir up that sort of situation, it’s a good time to take a Selah, a nice little pause to let reality come back into control so we can think things through, get some advice, or – best of all – pray our way through it. As the adage says, “When things get tough it’s time to give God a little P.U.S.H. – Pray Until Something Happens.” Prayer is the default method for asking for, and accepting, God’s help. A lot of times we forget that second part – accepting God’s help. And once we have his help, it’s nice to say “Thank you, Lord. (↔ Music Link) ”We stay stuck to that insolent “I do it myself!” like any three-year-old. It takes discipline to remember that, and then to act like that. Hmmm. Maybe that’s part of the role of discipleship?

I want to draw our attention briefly to the Psalm Key Verse today. I see it as an echo of the Aaronic Blessing found in Numbers 6:22-27:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

Whenever and wherever God blesses us – whether through the ministrations of his ordained, through the counsel of friends, or through the civil enactments of those placed in authority over us – doing the right thing is always to bless others in response to the blessings given to us. And since God blesses us in all things at all times in all places, it is always Right to do the Right thing. Our motivating disposition should always be to do the Right thing; however, we know that in our brokenness, we can expect to fail at that often.

Our failures are opportunities to turn around and go back. When I went back to my third-grade classroom, I was glad to be there, and glad I hadn’t been bumped off by the Cool Guys who mocked me when I left. Now, many times we hear someone say, “What’s the point of being good? Everybody just thinks you’re all stuck up or something, and they never stop taking shots at you. Look a Jesus. He was such a good guy, and look what happened to him.”

Ah, adelphos, we know that’s not the End of The Story. We have something to look forward to, something the Apostle John described: a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. It has the glory of God and a radiance like a very rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal. I envision that like brilliantly-clear crystal with swirls and patterns of colors like a combination of the rainbow, the Aurora Borealis, and the most spectacular kaleidoscope ever imagined. I want to go there, be there, live there forever; and I want to see every single one of you there, too. It is remembering how to find that narrow road that gets to that beautiful place that seems to elude us.

I have found it elusive, too. “Lord! What am I gonna DO? I got lost again! HOW can I keep your Word when I keep losing my direction?!?” And our Lord comes back to us with this:
“Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.” Here I am always reminded of the father who brought his son, possessed by an evil spirit which often tried to injure the boy, to Jesus asking for a cure … if possible. Here is part of that account from Mark 9:21-24 (GNT) [1] –
²¹ “How long has he been like this?” Jesus asked the father.

“Ever since he was a child,” he replied. ²² “Many times the evil spirit has tried to kill him by throwing him in the fire and into water. Have pity on us and help us, if you possibly can!”

²³ “Yes,” said Jesus, “if you yourself can! Everything is possible for the person who has faith.”

²⁴ The father at once cried out, “I do have faith, but not enough. Help me have more!”

In the King James Version I grew up with that came out “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief!” Would not the same prayer be appropriate for love? “Lord, I love you, but not enough. Help me Love you more!” This Love is not just external cessation of things we know are wrong. It is a radical reorientation of our LIVES, a change that makes us a different, a true metanoia. Metanoia is that deep, complete conversion that Jesus often spoke about when he told us to Repent and believe the Gospel! We know why! YOLO-F!

We must become that person who is another step closer to being like Jesus. 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.”? (↔ Music Link) We can change our actions and behavior at least a little and if it doesn’t last long, we can try again, until we internalize the Love that makes those changes possible. When our sin becomes repugnant, then we see it more clearly, and then hunt it down and throw it out! By now we must surely know that this means metanoia – a conversion in one’s life that arises from penitence (sincere and effective sorrow), and doing “a 180” so that whatever transgression(s) arose, we choose to delete that poor choice – we will replace it with a better choice, one shown to us by Jesus himself.

Lately I have been learning that the most effective prayer I know is, “Jesus, please help me.” And whenever I shut up and listen, his help is there, and I have strengths I never saw and so am able – even in just a very small way – to do the right small thing with his Great Love. We must be patient with our sinfulness rather than grumpy which leads to procrastination. Instead let us pray, “create in me a clean heart O God. (↔ Music Link) We will do the right thing, again, and again, and … 😉

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

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

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

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

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

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

^[1] George Leo Haydock, Haydock’s Catholic Bible Commentary (New York: Edward Dunigan and Brother, 1859), Ps 3:2–3.

AFC051625 – Love. How much is enough? 😀 ← PODCAST LINK

Read it online here, please. And please – when you visit there – use one of the social media links at the bottom of the page to share this post. Thank you! And remember, we now have a READER VIEW available, so share this link or this email often.
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Acts 14:22 – ²² There [in Antioch] they [Paul and Barnabas] strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, “It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.”

Psalm 145:8 –
⁸ The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Revelation 21:3-4 – ³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
⁴ he will wipe every tear from their eyes.

John 13:34-35 – ³⁴ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

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!) This post is dedicated in thanksgiving to AV whose kindness has been overwhelming.

During these days of Eastertide, we have been listening to passages from chapters 13 through 17 of the Gospel of John. Some writers refer to this as the Upper Room Discourse because it takes place in the Cenacle during the Passover meal and the Institution of the Eucharist. Other writers call portions of it Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer (particularly chapter 17) because it is filled with prayerful instructions for Jesus’ Disciples (that’s you and me, folks). At the end of John 14, Jesus says, “come. Let us leave.” And they go toward Gethsemane (↔ Music Link). John 15 includes the lesson about the Vine and the branches. John 16 is full of warnings and doom – they are warned not to give up and warned their grief will be immense. These chapters contain dozens of passages that become cherished memory verses for believers.

• “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. (John 14:1)
• “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)
• As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. (John 15:9)
• I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. (John 13:34)
• By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”(John 13:35)
• This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (John 15:12)
• I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another. (John 5:17)
• No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13)

And there are even more from The Apostle John!

• 1 John 3:11 – For this is the message you have heard from the beginning: we should love one another
• 1 John 3:23  – And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us.
• 1 John 4:7 – Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
• 1 John 4:9-12 – ⁹ God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

It seems that perhaps The Apostle John advocated for “all you need is Love.” As he repeatedly pointed out, “this is the Message from The Beginning” (my emphasis added throughout the above). In the Baltimore Catechism §1: God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next. In The Catechism of the Catholic Church §§290-301, the Church affirms that God – as the Holy Trinity – created all things in Love, and for Love. Time itself begins in the Love that caused, causes, and will cause Life. Time ends in that same Love. Love literally makes the universe hum God’s tune from “Let there be” to “eternally is.”

The “in-between time” also exists in Love and for Love. Wherever there is “not-Love” there is the death of what has been created for the cause, purpose, and effect of Love. Jesus – who is God – commands us to remain in his Love so that our love will be perfected. Going back to the Vine-and-branches statements, if we are to bear much fruit, it must be Good Fruit; and for it to be fruit at all, much less Good Fruit, it cannot come to the Goodness of its maturity when it is apart from the vine. Like the adage says, “Be a part or fall apart.” How do we become “a part?”

“Love one another as I have Loved you.” (↔ Music Link) This is the archetypal mode of anything and everything. One might say that Love is Wisdom because it was Wisdom who was working with, in, for, and through God the Father, God the Son, and the Love between the Father and the Son – the Holy Spirit. That Perfect Love has been broken, tarnished, abused, and mutilated by Original Sin. This is why The Apostle Barnabas and The Apostle Paul included in their missionary preaching ““It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.” As Jesus is recorded saying in Mark 10:29-30 – ²⁹ Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news,  ³⁰ who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and, in the age to come, eternal life. The “in-between time” is The Age of The Church. When this present age ends – most likely in fire as The Apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 3:10 (GNT) [1] – ¹⁰ But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that Day the heavens will disappear with a shrill noise, the heavenly bodies will burn up and be destroyed, and the earth with everything in it will vanish – we will all be united in the Perfect, Everlasting Love of The Holy Trinity.

How will we avoid or even endure those persecutions? “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” I always hear that in two ways: [1] Love begets my obedience, or [2] my Love enables my obedience. All I have to do is Love him – and everyone else, too – and that will be obeying his commandments; or, my Love for him – and everybody else, too – enables my obedience. However that works out for us , it comes to this: Love and obedience working together are enough to “walk through the Valley of The Shadow of Death, and fear no evil;” or succumb to any persecutions. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” If Jesus is our friend, then God the Father is our friend, and God the Holy Spirit is our friend. My Life, your Life, our Lives are in the hands of Our Abba, Our Father in Heaven.

That, of course, means that our Lives are in the hands of Love. Because why? Because God IS Love, right? “ Q: If God is with us who can be against us (and prevail over God?) A: Nobody, nothing, nowhere! We know this because we know –
⁸ The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (↔ Music Link) And remember that “steadfast love” is Covenant Love, enduring Love, compassionate Love, Love that is perpetually Faithful and Redemptive. In short, Steadfast Love is God’s method for showing us his Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, And Eternal Salvation. If we give our own Life into his hand, we are either obeying his commands or Loving him completely. And yes, you spotted that: it’s BOTH, not either/or! Every moment our souls shout out Alleluia!, or say, Thank you Lord!, then we are doing what we are created to do and who we are created to be. Best of all, we know how that ends.

See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them.

That is a reset back to Square Zero, back to before the rebellion that produced a shaky-snakey Angel who interrupted the Really Great Deal God offered our First Parents: Love Me and Obey Me, and I will Love you and Bless you. Everything he has told us is designed to help us to be strengthened souls of his disciples and to be encouraged to continue in the faith. God as the Triune source and ruler of all that was, is, or will be has given such Abundant Living Love that our Lives overflow thereby  inundating all Life around us with Love, Love, Love. Love and Obey or Obey and Love; either way HE’s got it covered and then some. How much is enough? Just as much as we can (↔ Music Link). Forever and ever, AMEN.

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

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

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

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

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

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

2519AFC050925 – Be my Shepherd Lord 😀 ← PODCAST LINKB

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.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is often referred to as Good Shepherd Sunday. We will not comment on the other readings for Sunday May 11, 2025 – the Fourth Sunday of Easter. It’s also Mother’s Day, so a special shout-out to my Dearest, Darling Wife, Crucita who agreed – oh, so many years ago! – to be my wife and the mother of our children:

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! And thank you for accepting the challenge of raising two kids while each of us worked full-time, pursued post-graduate educations, and still had time to travel and have fun together. You’re amazing!

Now, the Gospel for Sunday’s Mass is a short excerpt from the “Good Shepherd” narrative in the tenth chapter of the gospel of John. We might put that “Pile of Keys” image from last week here, because I’m going to put in the whole narrative – all 16 verses – from the (GNT) [1]

John 10:1-16 – ¹ Jesus said, “I am telling you the truth: the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The man who goes in through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him; the sheep hear his voice as he calls his own sheep by name, and he leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought them out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his voice. ⁵ They will not follow someone else; instead, they will run away from such a person, because they do not know his voice.”

⁶ Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what he meant.

Jesus the Good Shepherd

⁷ So Jesus said again, “I am telling you the truth: I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All others who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep. ¹² When the hired man, who is not a shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees a wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away; so the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. ¹³ The hired man runs away because he is only a hired man and does not care about the sheep. ^14-15 I am the good shepherd. As the Father knows me and I know the Father, in the same way I know my sheep and they know me. And I am willing to die for them. ¹⁶ There are other sheep which belong to me that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them, too; they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

Psalm 23 –  A Psalm of David.

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
³     he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
    for his name’s sake.

⁴ Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
    I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
    your rod and your staff—
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surelygoodness and mercyshall follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
    my whole life long.

Today, I return to one of my favorite stories about kids and God. THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible; Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the verses. Little Rickey was excited about the task but, he just couldn’t remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.

On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Rickey was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, “The Lord is my Shepherd, and that’s all I need to know.” Rickey was a living example of what happens when we ask, “Will you Shepherd me Oh God?” (↔ Music Link)

In the drawing above, you can get an idea of how a shepherd might protect his sheep by being the door or gate to the sheepfold. Most sheep folds were constructed of low stone walls, unroofed (although sheepcotes were sometimes sheds with roofs), and quite often circular. The shepherd could lay across the threshold or entrance of the holding pen and that way anything (or anyone) coming or going would literally have to pass by him. It was quite a security system. The shepherd was that gate and, one might also say, the gatekeeper (see verse 3).

The gatekeeper opens the sheepfold for the shepherd. In much the same way, the Holy Spirit opens the Church (the sheep and sheepfold) for the shepherd (The Word) to lead and protect. The sheep obey the shepherd who has conditioned them to know his voice. They know when that voice speaks there is safety for it is the shepherd’s leading that takes them to graze on verdant slopes and rest by running waters which are always fresh and clean rather than stagnant puddles and ponds. The shepherd values his sheep, so much in fact that he names them and calls them by their names much like we name our pets. But for shepherds in Biblical times – and most likely even today in herds not run by agribusiness – sheep are not just pets, and yet are more than just livestock. The sheep provided wool, leather, meat, and a sacrificial victim for important feasts and rites. Shepherds invested time and effort in caring for the sheep because they were a major component of their lives. They took care of the sheep because they needed the sheep; to fail to take care of them would be to abandon them. Scripture uses the imagery of sheep and shepherd to describe the relationship between Israel and Jehovah. Sheep are the most-mentioned animals in the Bible – at least 200 times – and the shepherds are often mentioned with them.

Do you remember who the first shepherd was in the Bible? Turn to Genesis 4:1-2 – Now Adam slept with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When the time came, she gave birth to Cain, and she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have brought forth a man!” Later she gave birth to a second son and named him Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain was a farmer. Abel was also the first victim of murder in the Bible. “Tending flocks” was usually a lonely job. One solitary shepherd might tend to a dozen sheep or several hundred sheep. Sheep are fairly obedient – although we tend to think of them as dim-witted and unwise – but they are easily spooked, too. When they are frightened their tendency to bolt makes it difficult to keep them under control. That is why the familiarity between the shepherd and the flock was so important. The shepherd definitely needed the sheep, but most certainly the sheep needed the shepherd even more. They depended on each other.

We also tend to think of sheep being driven, like other domesticated herd animals. But sheep are better led than driven. The shepherd is at the head of his flock. He goes where they are going and gets there before them. If they are going to the sheepfold, he enters first. If they are leaving, he exits first. If they are going to pastures for grazing, he finds those pastures. The sheep follow only the shepherd; they run from strangers; they panic when attacked by carnivores like wolves or lions. They form a sort of attachment to the shepherd – something like we do with our pets – and they are contented to remain in that relationship.

When the Psalmist says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack for nothing” he is saying that he is in a one-to-one relationship with God, who generously provides for all his needs. God needs him and he depends on God. God loves and cares for him, and he in turn loves and serves God. God gives him peaceful, contented rest and renews his strength through healing. As a shepherd, God leads David (and us) in the ways of righteousness; his own righteousness and goodness keep us nurtured and safe. He shows us the goodness of a holy life. Even in the worst of times, David knows (as do we) that God will protect him from his enemies and strengthen him as well as his allies. He know his Shepherd’s protection will be effective and generous. He live in joyful hope As he contemplates being a member of God’s Eternal Family because his generosity extends even to the point of adoption as a sister or brother to his Only Begotten Son.

In fact, God’s generosity affects everything about David’s life (and ours). In the temporal things, God grants David such wealth and prestige that his enemies can only stand afar off and wish they could have it a tenth as good; David has the assurance of hope and protection. God has anointed him (and us) with a kingly consecration. At banquets the heads of guests were anointed with fragrant oil – sometimes also the feet were anointed – and that served as a sign of the wealth of the host and of the richness of his welcome to his table. In David’s song, he says his cup runs over; there is such an abundance of blessing that he cannot contain it all and so the blessings run from his life to the lives of others. God’s generosity is so superabundant that David’s generosity becomes more abundant (as should ours). David also understands that the abundance of those blessings of grace and faith and salvation is not just a one-time occurrence; it is continuous – so continuous that it is eternal.

When we see the term “The House of the Lord,” or “of the House and lineage of David,” we know that the word house means family. David states “I will dwell in the House of the Lord.” David is part of God’s family; so are we – by adoption in Christ Jesus. Because of our Good Shepherd, we are called by name to follow his Word and to dwell with him forever in the last and highest sheepfold – Heaven. All are called; few are chosen. Only those who answer that call know the voice of the Good Shepherd. Our Good shepherd leads us out of the sheepfold of evil in this world and calls us to follow him to verdant pastures and running waters – a life of blessed peace and joy without fear, without suffering, without death. He has lain down his life for us and – even better – he has taken it up again. So also shall he take up our lives. Psalm 95:7-8 – For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice! Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness!

Through Baptism, we belong to the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, but we also depend on other shepherds in our day-to-day lives. Our Pastors, Priests, and Rabbis are also part of God’s abundant generosity, part of the richness of his Table. The foretaste of that Banquet we receive at the hands of these consecrated and ordained ministers is what nourishes our spirits and makes our JOY overflow while the enemies of God can only watch from afar. On this Good Shepherd Sunday, take a minute to [1] thank God for the Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep, and [2] thank the shepherd of the flock where you worship for the generous gift of their lives for your benefit.

In this present age, we often see that people opposed to the Church and to Jesus – or even worse, indifferent – often rise up in rebellion against the Body of Christ (that is, The Church) with blasphemies and persecutions, even martyring many who have chosen Christ (↔ Music Link) as their Shepherd. Let’s listen, then, to the Voice of our Good Shepherd as he calls us into verdant pastures with abundant, refreshing waters as well as safety and sumptuous provision for all our needs.

The Ideal Shepherd Isaiah talks about in Isaiah 40:11 is the Davidic Shepherd in Psalm 23, and in Ezekiel 34, especially Ezekiel 34:15-23. Isaiah portrays this shepherd carrying the lambs with tenderness and care. Little lambs have a lot of energy, but they also tire easily. When they are moving with the flock as they graze, the little guys sometimes get tuckered out and just can’t go any farther. The good shepherd will pick up that little one and carry it for a while so it can rest without being left behind. As for the ewes, especially those still carrying their progeny, they must be led with care – slowly, with an eye toward safe paths, gentle slopes, adequate water, and  gradually move the flock so as not to endanger their lives. When Jacob and Esau were going through the process of reconciling with one another, Jacob makes a comment that driving the herd hard would kill the future of the herd – the ewes and the lambs they carried. Here’s the thing: If there are bleating, hopping, stumbling, messy, cute little lambs around, they are the future of the herd, and there will soon be more during the herd’s birthing season. Same for the Church.

If there are squalling, wriggling, falling, messy, dear little children around, they are the future of the Church as well as the present Church. Their participation in the Stewardship of Worship is an essential part of The Church of Today. Hopefully they do not come armed with Cheerios, toys, and crayons, and their parents help them appreciate orderly quietude. Soon enough they will bring their own children to Church. Jesus loves the little children. We too should love them and as unconditionally as he did. They are our seed, our dependents, our present, and our future. They are of our flock, and our Shepherd blesses them, and us, with his tender care. Jesus is the gate, and when we enter the Kingdom through him, we are saved because he laid down his life for us. That’s all; we need to know. Plant that in your heart and nurture it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

2518AFC050225 – A Deeper Kind of Praise. 😀 ← PODCAST LINK

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

Acts 5:32 – ³² And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.
Psalm 30:4 –
⁴ Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
    and give thanks to his holy name.

Revelation 5:13 – (GNT) [1] ¹³ And I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, in the world below, and in the sea — all living beings in the universe — and they were singing:
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb,
    be praise and honor, glory and might,
    forever and ever!”

John 21:17-19 – ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” ¹⁹ (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

May Peace always be with you and may God bless you, Belovéd! If you’ve been with us a while, you know that when you see that pile of keys there is going to be a lot of Scripture here. Indeed, that is the point – to get the Word into our hands for the Glory of God. Last week we focused on God’s Mercy (part of tht recurring theme of Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, And Eternal Salvation). Today we will look at praising God for his Mercy, and at least one method is not what we’d usually expect. In addition, we’ll take a look at a short, bot important and fascinating, passage that is not included in the Sunday readings this weekend. Now, let us begin to Praise the Lord! (↔ Music Link)

In the first reading from Acts of the Apostles, the Apostles declare that they are witnesses to the events of Jesus’ ministry, Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. Their declaration of faith infuriates the Sanhedrin because they are jealous of their own power yet do not know what to do with these seemingly ordinary men who are doing such extraordinary things. Moreover, these Apostles claim that there is another Greater witness – the Holy Spirit. They are now more than the fishermen and tax collectors that started out with Jesus’ first command, “Repent and believe the Gospel!” They are filled with, anointed with, empowered with the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him. Let us always pray that we, too, may be obedient to God by Loving his Only Begotten Son with that same Power in the Holy Spirit! We also can then Praise the Lord with thanksgiving and Joy. This is the praise we hear from the Psalmist.

Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
    and give thanks to his holy name. How do we become formed into Disciples of the Lord, Messengers of his Gospel? It is by being faithful to what “God in Three Persons” has told us to do: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ And also, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (See Matthew 22:37–39) This is the best way to Praise God (↔ Music Link)– but it requires a few things as a foundation for it to work properly. Alas, far too many of us believe we can do that on our own, believe that we are already Holy and righteous enough and our obedience to these two commandments is impeccable. But what about the other 8? Or, do we make the appropriate sacrifices necessary to obey these commands? What sacrifices could possibly be necessary to honor God by loving him and loving our neighbor?

One of God’s most enduring Prophets said it this way:
¹⁶ For you have no delight in sacrifice;
    if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
¹⁷ The sacrifice acceptable to Godis a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (See Psalm 51:16-17)

Our ability to Love God and neighbor as commanded is dependent on our ability to recognize our brokenness, to humble ourselves, and to give up all claims to being smart enough or good enough or whole enough to do it by ourselves. (↔ Learning Link) It is astonishing how many people are wandering around in the World saying “I’m looking for myself.” Well, as the old saying goes, “wherever you go, there you are.” Why would you look for yourself? You are where you are. Besides Someone else is looking for you: Ezekiel 34:11-12 – ¹¹ “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. ¹² As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.’” WE do not “rescue” ourselves; only God can do that, and humbly and contritely allowing him to do that is Holy Praise indeed.

God is Holy, and our Praise to him is also Holy – Holy, but not always wholly Holy. How can there be more to do to Praise God than to obey his commands? To help us look further into that question I want to give you some verses omitted from the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday of Easter which shed a bit more light on the Power of wholly Holy Praise:

Acts 5:34-41 – ³⁴ But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. ³⁵ Then he said to them, “Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. ³⁶ For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. ³⁷ After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. ³⁸ So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; ³⁹ but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!”

They were convinced by him, ⁴⁰ and when they had called in the apostles, they had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. ⁴¹ As they left the council, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name.

The Sanhedrin and the whole Senate of the Israelites listened to Gamaliel and agreed with his advice. I have often wondered if Gamaliel – whose name means “God is my reward” – might have been among the Priests who sat in the Temple with the boy, Jesus, and listened to Jesus’ questions and answers. Scripture gives us no hint of that, but I am certain that the Holy Spirit moved his heart to speak as he did. And he was right, as one would expect given his Inspiration, and so became part of the prophecies given after the martyrdom of the Prophet St. John the Baptizer. We see at the end of this passage that the Apostles were flogged. That is a very painful way to Praise God! And yet we read, they rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. “Worthy to suffer?” OH,WOW! Would I, could I, could you, could WE be willing to praise God in that manner? And as they say on TV, “But wait! There’s more!”

Jesus showed us the ultimate model of Praise. He was lifted up in the manger to be seen by the shepherds. He was lifted up on the Cross to be seen by his Mother and an Apostle. He was lifted up from the Tomb. He was lifted up into Glory. He was lifted up to The Throne to sit at the Right Hand of God the Father as the Wholly Holy Lord God of Hosts. But before all of that –
⁶ who, though he was in the form of God,
    did not regard equality with God
    as something to be exploited,
⁷ but emptied himself,
    taking the form of a slave,
    being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
⁸     he humbled himself
    and became obedient to the point of death—
    even death on a cross. (See Philippians 2:6-8)

The ultimate form of Praise is the Ultimate Obedience of Christ. It is this Deeper Kind of Praise to which we, like The Apostle Peter and all the other Apostles of Jesus are called. This deeper, bolder, richer Praise sounds impossible, but we know, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” (See Matthew 19:26) In 2515AFC04112 (↔ Click Link) I wrote “It is logical to me that if we are not ready to die today, it is unlikely we will be ready by tomorrow; therefore, every day for me is a chance to go see God face-to-face, and so I spend it praying, and singing hymns. Regrettably, I manage to fit in enough time to sin as well, and so that makes me look forward to tomorrow with constantly-renewing conversion AND the intent and the Power to do right things better and better things right.”

Must we endure a tortuous death to prove our love, our obedience, our wholly Holy Praise to God? Each of us must answer if we can give him that deeper Praise The Apostle Paul advocated in Romans 12:1-3 – 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.

³ For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. It’s hard, I know, and that is one reason I advocate for making a consistent offering of one’s self – and a daily offering (↔ Click Link)of some sort is a good beginning. I am reminded of C. S. Lewis’ statement by Aslan: “Further up and further in.” If we desire to be lifted up to that JOY of Eternal Transformation, then might it not also be necessary for us to be lifted up by God who is already waiting and searching for us?

Jesus told The Apostle Peter . “But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” ¹⁹ (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.” Let’s not wait until we are old. Let’s just follow Jesus who is our Lord and our God. The Apostles, and later many other martyrs, testified of their Love and Obedience to God by giving up their lives. If we, too, offer or lives to God daily, he will make us ready for whichever Depth of Praise he knows is Right for us.

Our God is SO good! (↔ Music Link) He will let his Holy Spirit guide us to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned, and then to choose to accept that Gift of newer and deeper praise. Some might be called to just say a prayer at waking or before falling asleep. Hopefully everyone offers The Common Grace (”Bless us O Lord, …). Some may be moved to use part of all of the breviary, a book containing the complete Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours. (← Check it out!) A few might become evangelists, lay missionaries, consecrated Brothers or Nuns, Deacons, or Priests. ALL must become martyrs by giving Praise as Deep and Wide and High as God allows. As we often say here, “Why would you want anything less?” YOLO-F! Whatever we are doing and have been doing up until that moment when we step into The River, that’s where we will be standing as The Resurrected Disciples on the Day of Reward. THEN we will really know a Deeper Kind of Praise!!

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

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

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

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

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

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