W
William777
Guest
Greetings Brethren,
Am going to try something here. Never did this before, but I am going to quote some verses and see how people respond. Maybe you can help me.
Before I ask my questions, I suppose I should say I am using the NAB Bible, as found here.
New Testament: usccb.org/bible/acts/1
Old Testament: usccb.org/bible/tobit/12
I will refer to other verses here in more paraphrased terms.
Now here are the verses I have questions about.
**As per the Ascension - Acts 1:10-11 - ****While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven. **
I always think my interpretation of the Angels’ response is too literal. I dont understand what they mean by “he will return in the same way as you saw him going into heaven”.
If my friend walked down the street to the left, and he told me home come back the same way in five minutes, then I’d keep looking left in anticipation of his return.
But the angels’ response actually suggest something like they should be looking in a different direction because they remain looking in the direction Christ left.
So how is one supposed to interpret it?
**As per the First Community - Acts 1:14 - **All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Okay, so here I wonder what does “devoted themselves with one accord to prayer” mean?
During this Easter prayer, pre-pentecostal time (during the Jewish holiday of the Feast of Weeks) - I cant figure out what they mean by “one accord”.
For example, did they have just one intention they were praying for, or did they have like multiple intentions and they were all just praying as a group. We discussed this in a prayer group, and all we could determine was that they were probably all scared and confused, and they were just trying to figure out what to do. I don’t know if that helps all that much, but that’s as far as we got.
In contemporary practical terms, a comparison might read like the difference between a class all trying to pass the same final exam or political party trying to win an election (i.e. praying in solidarity with one intention/goal in mind), OR is does “one accord” mean more like something that finds unity through diversity, as when we say the prayer of the faithful at mass and people may offer up different intentions at the one point in time (i.e. the opportunity of that one point in time being the unifying factor)?
It seems an important point if one is trying to merit a blessing. My thought is it means solidarity, but that doesn’t seem to be the way prayer works in many church circles… where, like at mass, we get to put up an intention during the prayer of the faithful, and then continue to the next part of the mass…
Raphael said to Tobit and Tobiah - Tobit 12:7 - A king’s secret should be kept secret, but one must declare the works of God and give thanks with due honor.
In a nutshell, why did Raphael say: “A King’s secret should be kept”?
Saint Francis used this statement as a reason not to disclose his stigmata, even though he was greatly perplexed as to whether he should show them to people.
It’s always confused me though. When Christ tells us in the Sermon on the Mount, “Dont let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”, and “Go into your room, shut the door and pray in private”, it still seems confusing because he also says “one doesnt light a lamp to hide it under a basket” - so I get confused when it comes to the King’s secrets he reveals to us.
In Saint Francis’ case, it seems extremely perplexing, since Saint Francis did make himself look (literally his physical appearance) like he was poor, which seems to be something Christ says not to do when he tells us to “wash and shave so as to NOT to appear as if one is fasting”. My intention is NOT to criticize Francis at all, but he was always willing to dress-down, so why would he have such confusion over the stigmata?
Anyway, St Francis was initially basing his decision not to reveal his stigmata upon Raphael’s statement. So I just wondered - in light of the considerations above - why it is good not to reveal the secrets of the King?
Blessings,
wm
Am going to try something here. Never did this before, but I am going to quote some verses and see how people respond. Maybe you can help me.
Before I ask my questions, I suppose I should say I am using the NAB Bible, as found here.
New Testament: usccb.org/bible/acts/1
Old Testament: usccb.org/bible/tobit/12
I will refer to other verses here in more paraphrased terms.
Now here are the verses I have questions about.
**As per the Ascension - Acts 1:10-11 - ****While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven. **
I always think my interpretation of the Angels’ response is too literal. I dont understand what they mean by “he will return in the same way as you saw him going into heaven”.
If my friend walked down the street to the left, and he told me home come back the same way in five minutes, then I’d keep looking left in anticipation of his return.
But the angels’ response actually suggest something like they should be looking in a different direction because they remain looking in the direction Christ left.
So how is one supposed to interpret it?
**As per the First Community - Acts 1:14 - **All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Okay, so here I wonder what does “devoted themselves with one accord to prayer” mean?
During this Easter prayer, pre-pentecostal time (during the Jewish holiday of the Feast of Weeks) - I cant figure out what they mean by “one accord”.
For example, did they have just one intention they were praying for, or did they have like multiple intentions and they were all just praying as a group. We discussed this in a prayer group, and all we could determine was that they were probably all scared and confused, and they were just trying to figure out what to do. I don’t know if that helps all that much, but that’s as far as we got.
In contemporary practical terms, a comparison might read like the difference between a class all trying to pass the same final exam or political party trying to win an election (i.e. praying in solidarity with one intention/goal in mind), OR is does “one accord” mean more like something that finds unity through diversity, as when we say the prayer of the faithful at mass and people may offer up different intentions at the one point in time (i.e. the opportunity of that one point in time being the unifying factor)?
It seems an important point if one is trying to merit a blessing. My thought is it means solidarity, but that doesn’t seem to be the way prayer works in many church circles… where, like at mass, we get to put up an intention during the prayer of the faithful, and then continue to the next part of the mass…
Raphael said to Tobit and Tobiah - Tobit 12:7 - A king’s secret should be kept secret, but one must declare the works of God and give thanks with due honor.
In a nutshell, why did Raphael say: “A King’s secret should be kept”?
Saint Francis used this statement as a reason not to disclose his stigmata, even though he was greatly perplexed as to whether he should show them to people.
It’s always confused me though. When Christ tells us in the Sermon on the Mount, “Dont let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”, and “Go into your room, shut the door and pray in private”, it still seems confusing because he also says “one doesnt light a lamp to hide it under a basket” - so I get confused when it comes to the King’s secrets he reveals to us.
In Saint Francis’ case, it seems extremely perplexing, since Saint Francis did make himself look (literally his physical appearance) like he was poor, which seems to be something Christ says not to do when he tells us to “wash and shave so as to NOT to appear as if one is fasting”. My intention is NOT to criticize Francis at all, but he was always willing to dress-down, so why would he have such confusion over the stigmata?
Anyway, St Francis was initially basing his decision not to reveal his stigmata upon Raphael’s statement. So I just wondered - in light of the considerations above - why it is good not to reveal the secrets of the King?
Blessings,
wm
