One Walk

Dear Lord God, John 15:1-8 are some of my favorite verses as they reflect the secret truth of what we are and why. You have proven to me that Your will, will be done and that You have a purpose for each of us and we must realize this truth and seek Thy will and that purpose. The secret is not that as our Source of Source we must be and remain in and connected to You, but how we do this; for under the sun the ways of the world work against Your will and that purpose. We truly are Your children and we must remain as just that no matter what our stage under the sun. For the ‘eyes of faith’ with which see our way are best when we view the world as children. O Lord God that You would help me remain child like in faith, hope and love; living as fruit of the vine, reflecting fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. For against such things there is no law, way or person under the sun that can be victorious over us if we remain in You and You in us. O Lord Jesus create in me a new heart each morning, purified by Your Words and strengthened in my faith, hope and love for and in You. Amen. 

The Father is that which the Son is, the Son that which the Father is, the Father and the Son that which the Holy Spirit is, i.e. by nature one God.

— Council of Toledo XI (675)

Acts 15:1-6

1 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." 2 And when 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 the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoeni’cia and Sama’ria, reporting the conversion of the Gentiles, and they gave great joy to all the brethren. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up, and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses." 6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.

Bible Study: [1-35] The Jerusalem "Council" marks the official rejection of the rigid view that Gentile converts were obliged to observe the Mosaic law completely. From here to the end of Acts, Paul and the Gentile mission become the focus of Luke’s writing. [1-5] When some of the converted Pharisees of Jerusalem discover the results of the first missionary journey of Paul, they urge that the Gentiles be taught to follow the Mosaic law. Recognizing the authority of the Jerusalem church, Paul and Barnabas go there to settle the question of whether Gentiles can embrace a form of Christianity that does not include this obligation. [6-12] The gathering is possibly the same as that recalled by Paul in Gal 2:1-10. Note that in Acts 15:2 it is only the apostles and presbyters, a small group, with whom Paul and Barnabas are to meet. Here Luke gives the meeting a public character because he wishes to emphasize its doctrinal significance (see Acts 15:22).

Psalm 122:1-5

1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!" 2 Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! 3 Jerusalem, built as a city which is bound firmly together, 4 to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD. 5 There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David.

Bible Study: Of David [Psalm 122] A song of Zion, sung by pilgrims obeying the law to visit Jerusalem three times on a journey. The singer anticipates joining the procession into the city (Psalm 122:1-3). Jerusalem is a place of encounter, where the people praise God (Psalm 122:4) and hear the divine justice mediated by the king (Psalm 112:5). The very buildings bespeak God’s power (cf Psalm 48:13-15). May the grace of this place transform the people’s lives (Psalm 112:6-9)!

John 15:1-8

1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.

Bible Study: [15:1-16:4] Discourse on the union of Jesus with his disciples. His words become a monologue and go beyond the immediate crisis of the departure of Jesus. [1-17] Like John 10:1-5, this passage resembles a parable. Israel is spoken of as a vineyard at Isaiah 5:1-7; Matthew 21:33-46 and as a vine at Psalm 80:9-17; Jeremiah 2:21; Ezekiel 15:2; 17:5-10; 19:10; Hosea 10:1. The identification of the vine as the Son of Man in Psalm 80:15 and Wisdom’s description of herself as a vine in Sirach 24:17 are further background for portrayal of Jesus by this figure. There may be secondary eucharistic symbolism here; cf Mark 14:25 "the fruit of the vine." [2] Takes away . . . prunes: in Greek there is a play on two related verbs. [6] Branches were cut off and dried on the wall of the vineyard for later use as fuel.

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Dear Lord God, create in me a clean and pure heart. Cleansed by forgiveness, forgiveness of my sins and my forgiveness of those that have sinned against me, separating any memory of both as far as the east is from the west. Pure in my intentions for others, absent of my self serving, selfish and prideful ways, full of Your wisdom and confident in the knowledge of these intentions. This I ask in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

For Holy Mother Church, relying on the faith of the apostolic age, accepts as sacred and canonical the books of the Old and the New Testaments, whole and entire, with all their parts, on the grounds that, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they have God as their author, and have been handed on as such to the Church herself.

— Dei Verbum the Word of God

Acts 14:19-28

19 But Jews came there from Antioch and Ico’nium; and having persuaded the people, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. 20 But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city; and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Ico’nium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed. 24 Then they passed through Pisid’ia, and came to Pamphyl’ia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attali’a; 26 and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled. 27 And when they arrived, they gathered the church together and declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they remained no little time with the disciples.

Bible Study: [23] They appointed presbyters: the communities are given their own religious leaders by the traveling missionaries. The structure in these churches is patterned on the model of the Jerusalem community (Acts 11:30; 15:2, 5, 22; 21:18).

Psalm 145:10-13, 21

10 All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O LORD, and all thy saints shall bless thee! 11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power, 12 to make known to the sons of men thy mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of thy kingdom. 13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Bible Study: Of David [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Psalm 145:1-3, 21). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Psalm 145:10-20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity.

John 14:27-31

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, `I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go hence.

Bible Study: [1-31] Jesus’ departure and return. This section is a dialogue marked off by a literary inclusion in John 14:1, 27: "Do not let your hearts be troubled." [27] Peace: the traditional Hebrew salutation salom; but Jesus’ "Shalom" is a gift of salvation, connoting the bounty of messianic blessing. [28] The Father is greater than I: because he sent, gave, etc., and Jesus is "a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God" (John 8:40).

/      raangulo

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Dear Lord God, Eyes of Faith, Power of Prayer is what I seek today, in today’s readings we are reminded how our enemies mock us with taunts of ‘where is your God now?’ in times of turmoil and tribulation; we are also reminded how easily we misinterpret Your divine works if we lose sight of Your heavenly presence and let our thoughts be consumed by the things under the sun. For we must practice Your presence to strengthen and sharpen our Eyes of Faith, and we must turn to You in all things with prayer and supplication knowing that You are the Source of Source and that in and through You all things are made whole through love, knowledge and understanding. So it is with Eyes of Faith and through the power of prayer that I ask for Your guidance, strength and perseverance for as Source of Source all things are within Your power as You will; I call upon You to use me to open the eyes of the blind, and to rebuke my enemies, to heal the pain and illness that surrounds us, and that through my (our) love for You, You grant us understanding that we my be purified and strengthened by and through these times. O Lord I lift up believer and non-believe for we are all afflicted by doubt and fear, doubts that can only be present if we are disconnected from You our Source, fear that comes when we take our eyes off of You, reach down from Your heavenly throne this day and pick us up, holding us firmly in Your arms, help us to see Your divine presence and works in all that we look at. These things I ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.

The greater and more persistent your confidence in God, the more abundantly you will receive what you ask.

— St. Albert the Great

Acts 14:5-18

5 When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to molest them and to stone them, 6 they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycao’nia, and to the surrounding country; 7 and there they preached the gospel. 8 Now at Lystra there was a man sitting, who could not use his feet; he was a cripple from birth, who had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul speaking; and Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, 10 said in a loud voice, "Stand upright on your feet." And he sprang up and walked. 11 And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycao’nian, "The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!" 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, because he was the chief speaker, they called Hermes. 13 And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the people. 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out among the multitude, crying, 15 "Men, why are you doing this? We also are men, of like nature with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. 16 In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways; 17 yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness." 18 With these words they scarcely restrained the people from offering sacrifice to them.

Bible Study: [8-18] In an effort to convince his hearers that the divine power works through his word, Paul cures the cripple. However, the pagan tradition of the occasional appearance of gods among human beings leads the people astray in interpreting the miracle. The incident reveals the cultural difficulties with which the church had to cope. Note the similarity of the miracle worked here by Paul to the one performed by Peter in Acts 3:2-10.

Psalm 115:1-4, 15-16

1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to thy name give glory, for the sake of thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness! 2 Why should the nations say, "Where is their God?" 3 Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. 15 May you be blessed by the LORD, who made heaven and earth! 16 The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but the earth he has given to the sons of men.

Bible Study: [Psalm 115] A response to the enemy taunt, "Where is your God?" This hymn to the glory of Israel’s God (Psalm 115:1-3) ridicules the lifeless idols of the nations (Psalm 115:4-8), expresses in a litany the trust of the various classes of the people in God (Psalm 115:9-11), invokes God’s blessing on them as they invoke the divine name (Psalm 115:12-15), and concludes as it began with praise of God. Psalm 135:15-18 similarly mocks the Gentile gods and has a similar litany and hymn (Psalm 135:19-21).

John 14:21-26

21 He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?" 23 Jesus answered him, "If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. 25 "These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Bible Study: [22] Judas, not the Iscariot: probably not the brother of Jesus in Mark 6:3 // Matthew 13:55 or the apostle named Jude in Luke 6:16 but Thomas (see the note on John 11:16), although other readings have "Judas the Cananean."

/      raangulo

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1 Peter 4:12-16 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

Psalm 12:6 And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times.

These things I ask in Your name Jesus, Amen

The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

— Dei Verbum

Acts 14:21-27

21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Ico’nium and to Antioch, 22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they believed. 24 Then they passed through Pisid’ia, and came to Pamphyl’ia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attali’a; 26 and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled. 27 And when they arrived, they gathered the church together and declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

Bible Study: [15-17] This is the first speech of Paul to Gentiles recorded by Luke in Acts (cf Acts 17:22-31). Rather than showing how Christianity is the logical outgrowth of Judaism, as he does in speeches before Jews, Luke says that God excuses past Gentile ignorance and then presents a natural theology arguing for the recognition of God’s existence and presence through his activity in natural phenomena. [23] They appointed presbyters: the communities are given their own religious leaders by the traveling missionaries. The structure in these churches is patterned on the model of the Jerusalem community (Acts 11:30; 15:2, 5, 22; 21:18).

Psalm 145:8-13

8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. 10 All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O LORD, and all thy saints shall bless thee! 11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power, 12 to make known to the sons of men thy mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of thy kingdom. 13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.

Bible Study: Of David [Psalm 145] A hymn in acrostic form; every verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Acrostic poems usually do not develop ideas but consist rather of loosely connected statements. The singer invites all to praise God (Psalm 145:1-3, 21). The “works of God” make God present and invite human praise (Psalm 145:4-7); they climax in a confession (Psalm 145:8-9). God’s mighty acts show forth divine kingship (Psalm 145:10-20), a major theme in the literature of early Judaism and in Christianity.

Revelation 21:1-5

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; 3 and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; 4 he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

Bible Study: [21:1-22:5] A description of God’s eternal kingdom in heaven under the symbols of a new heaven and a new earth; cf Isaiah 65:17-25; 66:22; Matthew 19:28. [1] Sea . . . no more: because as home of the dragon it was doomed to disappear; cf Job 7:12. [2] New Jerusalem . . . bride: symbol of the church (Gal 4:26); see the note on Rev 19:7. [3] People: other ancient manuscripts read a plural, “peoples.” Rev 21:3-4: Language taken from Ezekiel 37:27; Isaiah 25:8; 35:10; cf Rev 7:17. [5] The one . . . on the throne: God himself; cf Rev 4:1-11.

John 13:31-33, 34-35

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified; 32 if God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, `Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Bible Study: [13:1-19:42] The Book of Glory. There is a major break here; the word “sign” is used again only in John 20:30. In this phase of Jesus’ return to the Father, the discourses (John 13-17) precede the traditional narrative of the passion (John 18-20) to interpret them for the Christian reader. This is the only extended example of esoteric teaching of disciples in John. [13:31-17:26] Two farewell discourses and a prayer. These seem to be Johannine compositions, including sayings of Jesus at the Last Supper and on other occasions, modeled on similar farewell discourses in Greek literature and the Old Testament (of Moses, Joshua, David). [31-38] Introduction: departure and return. Terms of coming and going predominate. These verses form an introduction to the last discourse of Jesus, which extends through John 14-17. In it John has collected Jesus’ words to his own (John 13:1). There are indications that several speeches have been fused together, e.g., in John 14:31 and John 17:1. [34] I give you a new commandment: this puts Jesus on a par with Yahweh. The commandment itself is not new; cf Lev 19:18 and the note there.

/ raangulo

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