The Holy Spirit inspired our blog.
Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
After Paul’s escorts had taken him to Athens,
they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothy
to join him as soon as possible.
Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said:
“You Athenians, I see that in every respect
you are very religious.
For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,
I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’
What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.
The God who made the world and all that is in it,
the Lord of heaven and earth,
does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands,
nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything.
Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything.
He made from one the whole human race
to dwell on the entire surface of the earth,
and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,
so that people might seek God,
even perhaps grope for him and find him,
though indeed he is not far from any one of us.
For ‘In him we live and move and have our being,’
as even some of your poets have said,
‘For we too are his offspring.’
Since therefore we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image
fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination.
God has overlooked the times of ignorance,
but now he demands that all people everywhere repent
because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world
with justice’ through a man he has appointed,
and he has provided confirmation for all
by raising him from the dead.”
When they heard about resurrection of the dead,
some began to scoff, but others said,
“We should like to hear you on this some other time.”
And so Paul left them.
But some did join him, and became believers.
Among them were Dionysius,
a member of the Court of the Areopagus,
a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.
Emphasis mine, Acts 17:15, 22—18:1
We have discussed relationships throughout our blogs. If you thought our statements were exaggerated, look what St. Paul said to the Greeks: “’For we too are his offspring.’
It’s also interesting that after St. Paul talked to the Greeks about:
the resurrection of the dead,
some began to scoff, but others said,
“We should like to hear you on this some other time.”
Are you a scoffer?
Why do we ask this?
A Pew Research poll conducted in 2019 concluded that only one-third of Catholics fully believe Jesus is present in the Eucharist.
satan!
And not believing Jesus is fully present in the Eucharist is a great reason to skip Mass.
Recent research shows that only thirty percent of Catholics are active in the Church.
This is sad because I now (age eighty-three) fully believe Jesus is present in the Eucharist. What changed my thinking was when Gail and I were going belly up financially, I felt Peace after receiving Communion at daily Mass.
If The Eucharist were just a symbol, explain the Peace I felt.
I was also healed after receiving Communion, which deepened my understanding that Jesus is fully present in the Eucharist.
Don’t be a scoffer or tell yourself I want to learn more tomorrow. God is a God of NOW,
I AM.
Throw satan out, and celebrate being in a religion established by Jesus where you are invited into a relationship that is so close that you have the chance to touch God, Jesus, every time you receive Communion.
Also
When you touch Jesus, you are invited into a dance with the Triune God, and you are in the middle.
Join Team Jesus:
We suggest starting every day, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.”
Sidebar:
Greg Ginn recommended I buy Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a very prominent Protestant Theologian who was martyred in a German Concentration Camp.
In the last chapter, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote about Confession.
I read the Chapter Sunday night and went to Confesssion Monday morning after Mass when Confessions are held.
What did Dietrich say?
We will briefly summarize some of what he said.
For Dietrich, a confession is between two Christians. You ask a Christian to hear your confession and then tell them your sins, and Dietrich says that by doing this this is a profound kind of humiliation. It hurts; it cuts a man down (his words).
Dietrich also writes that Jesus hung on the Cross naked, suffering every humiliation known to man; by confessing to another Christian, we are defeating the pride that fills our minds.
In confession, the Christian begins to forsake their sins, and their sin’s domination is broken.
Question: If we only confess our sins to God, are we deceiving ourselves when we grant ourselves absolution?
Dietrich points out that Confession is not a Divine law but an offer of Divine Help for the sinner.
In the presence of a psychiatrist, you can only be a sick man.
In confession to a Christian brother, or our case, a Catholic Priest, both are sinners just as I am a sinner, and this knowledge helps the healing process.
As we said at the start of the Sidebar, I read the chapter on Confession and could not wait to take advantage of what the Catholic Church offers: hearing the Priest say that my sins are forgiven. Go in Peace.
I left filled with Joy and Peace.
Diertrich’s book is filled with wisdom. It was a joy to read. Thank you, Greg, for telling me about the book, and Thank you, Holy Spirit, for encouraging me to buy and read it.
Life is Fantastic!
I, Yes, I apologize for not responding to your comments on Thursday. Gail and I were in South Carolina celebrating Hanna’s Graduation from the University of South Carolina. Time goes by very fast. We had a great time.
Picture:
An iguana sunbathing on a San Juan, Puerto Rico city wall. Picture by Jerry Torres
Please keep Snapping!
If you want a copy of the prayers we discussed, email me.
fprince101@gmail.com
Remember, if you want to submit a picture, no people, please, because we have to get permission from that person to use their photograph.
By submitting a picture, you agree to let us include it in our next God Thoughts 2024 book.
