The desert has a different type of beauty. Picture by Mark Rusch
The Holy Spirit inspired our blog.
Wednesday of the Third Week in Extraordinary Time
Every priest stands daily at his ministry,
offering frequently those same sacrifices
that can never take away sins.
But this one offered one sacrifice for sins,
and took his seat forever at the right hand of God;
now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool.
For by one offering he has made perfect forever
those who are being consecrated.
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying
This is the covenant I will establish with them
after those days, says the Lord:
“I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them upon their minds,”
he also says:
Their sins and their evildoing
I will remember no more.
Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.
Emphasis mine Hebrews 10:11 – 18
The New American Bible Revised Edition states in the preface before the letter of Hebrews, that St. Paul is credited with writing the letter to the Hebrews, but later studies showed that the language in Hebrews was different from Paul’s other letters.
Hebrews is a book I enjoy reading, and I wish I could say I understand all that is being written.
What jumped out at me, Holy Spirit, this week was the highlighted part,
Their sins and their evildoing
I will remember no more.
Why this caught my attention was the Cross. Luke 23:34 tells us that Jesus forgave all who are Crucifying Him. We changed were, to are, because our sins also drove the nails into His precious Hands and Feet. We are as guilty as the Romans and the Jewish people mocking, and participating in the Crucifixion of Jesus.
I also believe that because you are trying to change your life by reading our blogs, building an active prayer life, and being aware of the commands that are written on your hearts, you will be welcomed into Heaven.
Yes, we are sadly sinners, but, we are trying to overcome our sins which I believe is all God can ask of us. Never stop trying.
“I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them upon their minds,”
I believe if all you focus on is all that is wrong with the world, you are missing all that is right. As an example, according to CNN as of today over $100 million dollars has been raised to help the people in L.A., and the fires are still raging. Money is flowing in from around the country to help people most have never met.
Love of neighbor.
If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 1 John 4:20
Celebrate, your sins are forgiven, but this is not a reason to go out and intentionally sin again. Now you are mocking the Cross, which is the first reason we have to keep trying to change, and the second reason is living in “The Spirit World,” which frankly we hear way too little about.
Prayer:
The Fruit of The Holy Spirit:
You grow in LOVE, JOY, AND PEACE by growing in PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GENEROSITY, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL. Learn these nine words in order and say them daily, and you will see a difference in your life.
Sidebar:
I was listening to Dr. Tim Gray today, 1/20/25 The Formed, as I do everyday, and the Gospel reading was one I have heard many times and not understood.
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.
People came to Jesus and objected,
“Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them,
“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day. Emphasis mine Mk 2: 18-22
What I understood was that the bridegroom was Jesus, and that was it. The rest of what Jesus said I didn’t understand.
Dr. Gray opened my eyes when he said, and we will summarize,
The Pharisees at that time fasted twice a week, one of their oral rules, every week.
A wedding feast lasted a week.
(Which also explains why Jesus made one-hundred-twenty to one-hundred-eighty gallons of wine. Each Jar was about sixty gallons.)
Because the wedding lasted a week, the Pharisees were exempt from fasting the week of the wedding.
Jesus said, But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.
The day the bridegroom was taken away was Good Friday, and the day we fast is every Friday.
I have tried to fast every Friday, it was the Holy Spirit who encouraged me to do this, but now I know why I am fasting on Friday, and this makes me filled with Joy because I also know why fasting on Friday is so important.
Picture:
We’re somewhere north of Phoenix for our godson’s wedding. Late October, and the temperature is heading towards the upper 90’s. The desert has a different type of beauty. Picture by Mark Rusch
Please keep Snapping!
Email me if you want a copy of the prayers we discussed.
fprince101@gmail.com
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, please do not include people. We have to get permission from that person to use their photograph
