Light sculpture in Valencia Picture by Priscilla
Our Blog is Inspired by The Holy Spirit
Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle
In those days a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,
and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God,
he rejoiced and encouraged them all
to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,
for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.
And a large number of people was added to the Lord.
Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch.
For a whole year they met with the Church
and taught a large number of people,
and it was in Antioch that the disciples
were first called Christians. Acts 11:21b
I, yes, I, am somewhat of a history buff, by that I mean I like to know where a term or a practice came from. For a long time in my life when I wasn’t paying attention to the readings at Mass, and hadn’t read the Bible, I had no idea where the term Christian came from. Acts only says that the term originated in Antioch, which was the place but someone who was thinking about their faith in Jesus, had to come up with the term Christian.
I just asked Google, “When was the term Christian created? The answer was in the year 40 AD.
Jesus died and rose approximately in the year 33.
So 7 years passed before there was a clarification as to what we would be called to split us from the Jewish religion.
Why is this of interest to me?
Change for everyone is hard.
The Apostles after they received the Holy Spirit didn’t run out and start a new church. No, they continued to worship God, Jesus, in the Temple.
It took them seven years (holy number) to realize they were a new church with Jewish roots, and we clearly see this in our Mass today when our first reading is from the Old Testament, then we sing a Psalm, and lastly a reading from the Gospel, and we do this because we realize that that Old Testament and Psalms point directly to Jesus’ Life, Death, and Resurrection.
This for me is the final proof that all that we hold to be true
IS!
No other religion has this proof of what will happen two thousand years after the establishment of a prior religion (Jewish) whose only function is to prepare the way for Jesus to come,
And,
I, yes I, also believe they had to deny, question, and ultimately Crucify Jesus so all could be Justified.
So in Antioch one day someone said, we should call ourselves Christians which means
Christian is derived from the Greek word “christianos,” which means “belonging to Christ”. https://christianeducatorsacademy.com/the-surprising-origins-of-the-word-christian-unveiling-its-meaning-in-the-bible/
And the world changed.
How about your world?
Do you get frustrated as I have when my growth in our relationship seems to be flat or even worse stagnant?
Once we all fully appreciate this is not a one-time shot but like all of life, it just takes time, and to fully succeed we have to have PATIENCE.
And,
I, yes, I, now have just learned why Patience is right after Peace in the Fruit of The Holy Spirit.
Prayer:
If you want to grow in Love, Joy, and Peace this is a result of growth in Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
Sidebar:
We were reading Fr. Richard Rohr in his blog today, and Fr. Rohr made for me a very compelling observation, which we will summarize.
Jesus sat down at the supper table many times during his life, and with Jesus at the table were the outcasts, sinners, leaders, in short, at some point everyone. (I just realized, Matthew, a Tax collector (considered by the Jewish leaders at that time a sinner) was present at the Last Supper.
The Church moved from the meal that Jesus hosted, the Last Supper, by accepting everyone, a sinner and even one who would betray Jesus, Judas, who left before the meal was over, to a church now defining those who are worthy or not worthy.
Which when you think about it is exactly opposite of what Jesus did while He walked the earth.
Fr. Rohr lastly stated that it is interesting the primary sins that exclude people from the table are sexuality and marriage. Greed, and hatefulness which create even more public damage are not considered.
I was recently at a funeral (we have had fourteen family and friends jump on the Hallelujah Train home since 1/1/25) at an Epospical Church and the Priest said ALL were invited to eat at the table of Jesus.
A man I knew, at the Epospical service, went and received communion, which when I thought about it was a courageous act, and I prayed it would be the start of a new life, for him, a conversion only takes a minute.
I have been at Catholic Funerals and all are invited to the table, with a caveat, and next the priest spells out who are not invited, BUT they can place their hands across their chest and they will receive a blessing.
As I recall, the only person who was thrown out was the man in a Parable who wasn’t wearing a wedding garment.
Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen.” Emphasis mine Matthew 22:8-14
The wedding garment is NOT Calvin Kleins, NO the Wedding Garment is LOVE.
Only the person who didn’t love was not welcomed at the wedding feast.
Picture:
Light sculpture in Valencia Picture by Priscilla
Please keep Snapping!
And if you want the ten calling cards shown above, email me and I will send you my address, send me a STAMPED self-addressed envelope and I will send you ten cards.
Email me if you want a copy of the prayers we discussed.
fprince101@gmail.com
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