So let's talk about today's readings 2/6/09

[cheeto1]

usccb.org/nab/readings/020609.shtml

“Do not neglect hospitality, for through it, some have unknowingly
entertained angels”

Has anyone here found out that they entertained angels? I’ve
wondered about it, but have never found out.

This first reading also contains one of my all time favorite verses:
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
We can count on Him for that.

The psalmist today says that if an army was encamped around
him to wage war on him, he wouldn’t be afraid. Well, that’s the
difference between him and me - I would be afraid. If there were
a bunch of army guys outside my house, pointing their guns at
me, I would be afraid. Unless, of course, God told me He would
protect me. His kingdom comes first, and the innocent suffer,
due to free will given to all.

I know a mom and daughter who remind me of Herodias and
her daughter. I’d like to know what Herodias did with the head
of John the Baptist, now that she had it.

Today is the day of St. Paul Miki and companions, who were
marched about 600 miles then crucified. They had faith.
This happened in Japan. It was hundreds of years before the
Jesuits were able to come back to Japan to start over teaching the Catholic faith. They were so surprised that as soon as they
set up shop, thousands of people came to them, already knowing the faith.

So what struck you about today’s readings?:bible1:

 

[Marycruz]

What stuck with me after reading was the idea of God protecting us. Both the psalm and the first reading remind us that we do not have to be afraid, and we should only fear God.

“…]for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you’. So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’” Heb13:5,6

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

I think that these are good verses for people who need courage or who are being given a hard time for being Christian.

 

[Strategery]

Hebrews 13:1-8

1 Let mutual love continue.

2 Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.

3 Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment, and of the ill-treated as of yourselves, for you also are in the body.

4 Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers.

5 Let your life be free from love of money but be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never forsake you or abandon you.”

6 Thus we may say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper, (and) I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?”

7 Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

This is packed full of instruction for Christian living:

• V1 - reminder on one of the two great commandments of the new testament.
• V2 - makes me wonder when I might have declined to entertain an angel.
• V5 - money has it’s place, but God gives us everything we truly need
• V6 - the Lord is with us, there is no reason to fear. I think I need this tattooed on the inside of my eyelids.

Verses 7 and 8 are a great follow up to the “great cloud of witnesses” passage from Hebrews 12. We are told to remember the spiritual leaders who spoke the word of God to us – consider how their lives played out, and imitate their faith

I’ve had (and continue to have) several people in my life who have taken the time to speak the word of God to me, and to teach me his ways. Those individuals have lived as lights to me. I was attracted to each of them because I could see that they were different, and that I wanted to be like them. Eventually I learned why – they were committed to Christ, and they lived their lives in a way that demonstrated that commitment. None are perfect, but they all live with integrity, and none of them are afraid to give the reasons for the joy they have (1 Peter 3:15).

As I think about those people, I have indeed imitated them. So it is with us. If we live as lights, people notice, and they watch us. Praise the Lord for allowing us to bring his light to others. The Lord is our helper, and there is no reason to fear.