Dear Lord God, it is because of Your unconditional love, the passion of my Lord Jesus Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit that I am able to know the words of St. Francis this day.
How beautiful it is to behold a person destitute of all attachment, ready for any act of virtue or charity, gentle to all, indifferent as to any employment, serene in consolations and tribulations, and wholly content if only the will of God is done! St. Francis de Sales
For this I am truly grateful, for though I am unworthy, it is through this mystical trinity that I am blessed with Your infinite grace and endless mercy, in Jesus name I give praise and thanks! Amen
1 In the first book, O The-oph’ilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 To them he presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days, and speaking of the kingdom of God. 4 And while staying with them he charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, 5 "you heard from me, for John baptized with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit." 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Sama’ria and to the end of the earth." 9 And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
Bible Study: [1-26] This introductory material (Acts 1:1-2) connects Acts with the Gospel of Luke, shows that the apostles were instructed by the risen Jesus (Acts 1:3-5), points out that the parousia or second coming in glory of Jesus will occur as certainly as his ascension occurred (Acts 1:6-11), and lists the members of the Twelve, stressing their role as a body of divinely mandated witnesses to his life, teaching, and resurrection (Acts 1:12-26). [3] Appearing to them during forty days: Luke considered especially sacred the interval in which the appearances and instructions of the risen Jesus occurred and expressed it therefore in terms of the sacred number forty (cf Deut 8:2). In his gospel, however, Luke connects the ascension of Jesus with the resurrection by describing the ascension on Easter Sunday evening (Luke 24:50-53). What should probably be understood as one event (resurrection, glorification, ascension, sending of the Spirit–the paschal mystery) has been historicized by Luke when he writes of a visible ascension of Jesus after forty days and the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost. For Luke, the ascension marks the end of the appearances of Jesus except for the extraordinary appearance to Paul. With regard to Luke’s understanding of salvation history, the ascension also marks the end of the time of Jesus (Luke 24:50-53) and signals the beginning of the time of the church. [4] The promise of the Father: the holy Spirit, as is clear from the next verse. This gift of the Spirit was first promised in Jesus’ final instructions to his chosen witnesses in Luke’s gospel (Luke 24:49) and formed part of the continuing instructions of the risen Jesus on the kingdom of God, of which Luke speaks in Acts 1:3. [6] The question of the disciples implies that in believing Jesus to be the Christ (see the note on Luke 2:11) they had expected him to be a political leader who would restore self-rule to Israel during his historical ministry. When this had not taken place, they ask if it is to take place at this time, the period of the church. [7] This verse echoes the tradition that the precise time of the parousia is not revealed to human beings; cf Mark 13:32; 1 Thes 5:1-3. [8] Just as Jerusalem was the city of destiny in the Gospel of Luke (the place where salvation was accomplished), so here at the beginning of Acts, Jerusalem occupies a central position. It is the starting point for the mission of the Christian disciples to "the ends of the earth," the place where the apostles were situated and the doctrinal focal point in the early days of the community (Acts 15:2, 6). The ends of the earth: for Luke, this means Rome.
2 For the LORD, the Most High, is terrible, a great king over all the earth. 3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm! 8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on his holy throne. 9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted!
Bible Study: [Psalm 47] A hymn calling on the nations to acknowledge the universal rule of Israel’s God (Psalm 47:2-5) who is enthroned as king over Israel and the nations (Psalm 47:6-9). [6] God mounts the throne: "has gone up to the throne," according to the context (Psalm 47:9). Christian liturgical tradition has applied the verse to the ascension of Christ.
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 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 that which is to come; 22 and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all.
Bible Study: [17-23] See the note on Romans 1:8 for the thanksgiving form in a letter. Much of the content parallels thoughts in Col 1:3-20. The prayer moves from God and Christ (Eph 1:17, 20-21) to the Ephesians (Eph 1:17-19) and the church (Eph 1:22-23). Paul asks that the blessing imparted by God the Father (Eph 1:3) to the Ephesians will be strengthened in them through the message of the gospel (Eph 1:13, 17-19). Those blessings are seen in the context of God’s might in establishing the sovereignty of Christ over all other creatures (Eph 1:19-21) and in appointing him head of the church (Eph 1:22-23). For the allusion to angelic spirits in Eph 1:21, see Romans 8:38 and Col 1:16. Here, as in 1 Cor 15:24-25 and Col 2:15, every such principality and power is made subject to Christ. [23] His body: the church (Eph 1:22); cf the note on Col 1:18. Only in Eph and Col is Christ the head of the body, in contrast to the view in 1 Cor 12 and Romans 12:4-8 where Christ is equated with the entire body or community. Fullness: see the note on Col 1:19. Some take the one who fills as God, others as Christ (cf Eph 4:10). If in Christ "dwells the fullness of the deity bodily" (Col 2:9), then, as God "fills" Christ, Christ in turn fills the church and the believer (Eph 3:19; 5:18). But the difficult phrases here may also allow the church to be viewed as the "complement" of Christ who is "being filled" as God’s plan for the universe is carried out through the church (cf Eph 3:9-10).
24 For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the Holy Place yearly with blood not his own; 26 for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way which he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful;
Bible Study: [23-28] Since the blood of animals became a cleansing symbol among Old Testament prefigurements, it was necessary that the realities foreshadowed be brought into being by a shedding of blood that was infinitely more effective by reason of its worth (Hebrews 9:23). Christ did not simply prefigure the heavenly realities (Hebrews 9:24) by performing an annual sacrifice with a blood not his own (Hebrews 9:25); he offered the single sacrifice of himself as the final annulment of sin (Hebrews 9:26). Just as death is the unrepeatable act that ends a person’s life, so Christ’s offering of himself for all is the unrepeatable sacrifice that has once for all achieved redemption (Hebrews 9:27-28). [26] At the end of the ages: the use of expressions such as this shows that the author of Hebrews, despite his interest in the Platonic concept of an eternal world above superior to temporal reality here below, nevertheless still clings to the Jewish Christian eschatology with its sequence of "the present age" and "the age to come." [28] To take away the sins of many: the reference is to Isaiah 53:12. Since the Greek verb anaphero can mean both "to take away" and "to bear," the author no doubt intended to play upon both senses: Jesus took away sin by bearing it himself. See the similar wordplay in John 1:29. Many is used in the Semitic meaning of "all" in the inclusive sense, as in Mark 14:24. To those who eagerly await him: Jesus will appear a second time at the parousia, as the high priest reappeared on the Day of Atonement, emerging from the Holy of Holies, which he had entered to take away sin. This dramatic scene is described in Sirach 50:5-11.
[19-39] Practical consequences from these reflections on the priesthood and the sacrifice of Christ should make it clear that Christians may now have direct and confident access to God through the person of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19-20), who rules God’s house as high priest (Hebrews 10:21). They should approach God with sincerity and faith, in the knowledge that through baptism their sins have been remitted (Hebrews 10:22), reminding themselves of the hope they expressed in Christ at that event (Hebrews 10:23). They are to encourage one another to Christian love and activity (Hebrews 10:24), not refusing, no matter what the reason, to participate in the community’s assembly, especially in view of the parousia (Hebrews 10:25; cf 1 Thes 4:13-18). If refusal to participate in the assembly indicates rejection of Christ, no sacrifice exists to obtain forgiveness for so great a sin (Hebrews 10:26); only the dreadful judgment of God remains (Hebrews 10:27). For if violation of the Mosaic law could be punished by death, how much worse will be the punishment of those who have turned their backs on Christ by despising his sacrifice and disregarding the gifts of the holy Spirit (Hebrews 10:28-29). Judgment belongs to the Lord, and he enacts it by his living presence (Hebrews 10:30-31). There was a time when the spirit of their community caused them to welcome and share their sufferings (Hebrews 10:32-34). To revitalize that spirit is to share in the courage of the Old Testament prophets (cf Isaiah 26:20; Habakkuk 2:3-4), the kind of courage that must distinguish the faith of the Christian (Hebrews 10:35-39). [20] Through the veil, that is, his flesh: the term flesh is used pejoratively. As the temple veil kept people from entering the Holy of Holies (it was rent at Christ’s death, Mark 15:38), so the flesh of Jesus constituted an obstacle to approaching God. [21] The house of God: this refers back to Hebrews 3:6, "we are his house." [22] With our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience: as in Hebrews 9:13 (see the note there), the sprinkling motif refers to the Mosaic rite of cleansing from ritual impurity. This could produce only an external purification, whereas sprinkling with the blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:14) cleanses the conscience. Washed in pure water: baptism is elsewhere referred to as a washing; cf 1 Cor 6:11; Eph 5:26.
46 and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high." 50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.
Bibke Study: [1-53] The resurrection narrative in Luke consists of five sec tions: (1) the women at the empty tomb (Luke 23:56b-24:12); (2) the appearance to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35); (3) the appearance to the disciples in Jerusalem (Luke 24:36-43); (4) Jesus’ final instructions (Luke 24:44-49); (5) the ascension (Luke 24:50-53). In Luke, all the resurrection appearances take place in and around Jerusalem; moreover, they are all recounted as having taken place on Easter Sunday. A consistent theme throughout the narrative is that the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus were accomplished in fulfillment of Old Testament promises and of Jewish hopes (Luke 24:19a, 21, 26-27, 44, 46). In his second volume, Acts, Luke will argue that Christianity is the fulfillment of the hopes of Pharisaic Judaism and its logical development (see Acts 24:10-21). [46] See the note on Luke 24:26. [49] The promise of my Father: i.e., the gift of the holy Spirit. [50-53] Luke brings his story about the time of Jesus to a close with the report of the ascension. He will also begin the story of the time of the church with a recounting of the ascension. In the gospel, Luke recounts the ascension of Jesus on Easter Sunday night, thereby closely associating it with the resurrection. In Acts 1:3, 9-11; 13:31 he historicizes the ascension by speaking of a forty-day period between the resurrection and the ascension. The Western text omits some phrases in Luke 24:51, 52 perhaps to avoid any chronological conflict with Acts 1 about the time of the ascension. [53] The Gospel of Luke ends as it began (Luke 1:9), in the Jerusalem temple.
/ raangulo
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