The Road to Damascus

Good Morning, dear reader. Happy Friday. God has seen to it to awaken us this morning, so we are off to a good start! 

We briefly touched on the subject of Saul's conversion yesterday. Today we read the story of that conversion. Now Saul was not a good man. He struck fear in the hearts of those familiar with him. He spent his days seeking out anyone who had anything to do with Jesus and hauling them off to jail. This day was no different. Only now, Saul needed to go to other towns in search of more followers of Jesus. So he and a few cohorts set out for Damascus. Surely in a large city as this, there would be that many more people. As they are walking, Saul is suddenly blinded by a bright light and he hears a voice calling to him "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"(v4). The voice is none other than that of Jesus. Sometimes you just need to take matters into your own hands to fix a problem, and this is exactly what Jesus is doing. He blinds Saul, forcing him to rely on his friends to get him to Damascus. When they finally reach the city, Jesus calls on Ananias to go to Saul and see to his conversion. Jesus will work through Ananias in order to achieve this. Ananias isn't so sure of this. He knows how awful Saul is and is doubtful that he can be converted. But Jesus doesn't care. He knows He can save this man and bring him into the fold. So Ananias sets out on his task. Saul is so overwhelmed by it all that he is left no choice but to believe that this had been the work of Jesus. He is baptised and healed. Chalk another one up for "Team Jesus"! 

The study guide in my bible gives the best lesson on this story, so I will share it with you.

If Saul can be converted then surely God can use anything to advance the Divine Plan. Saul had been so diligent and unrelenting in his attack on Jesus' followers that his transformation from being an enemy and persecutor of the Gospel to being one of its most successful advocates is truly remarkable. Each version of this story serves to demonstrate Saul's legitimate role as teacher of the Gospel. He now has the authority to endorse such things as preaching to the Gentiles and excusing non-Jewish Christians from observance of the Jewish Law. 

With our reading in John, we are getting to the end of the Bread of Life discourse. The Jews don't understand that eating Jesus' flesh and drinking His blood isn't to be taken in the literal sense. It is symbolic. Just like when we take Holy Communion in church. The wine and the Eucharist are the symbolic gestures we use to remind us of what Jesus did for us on the cross. This way, we are partaking in what Jesus has offered to us so that we may be one with Him. 

It is truly amazing the ways that Jesus can use situations and people for good. It shows that no matter how bad things get, He can turn it around and use it for something good. We can never fall so far from His grace that we can't be rescued. We just need to be open to it. Once that healing takes place, we are truly transformed in His love. Show how Jesus has transformed you by always being a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://youtu.be/aZ9l2lGxKgU

 

The Crucifixion and Forgiveness

Good Morning, dear reader. Happy Sunday! We embark on our journey into the third week of Easter. The resurrection was so glorious and miraculous that we celebrate it for 50 days, ending on Pentecost Sunday. As a matter of fact, the Easter season is more important than Christmas!! 

We have touched upon the book of Revelation in previous posts. As you will recall, Revelation is mostly symbolic in nature. It is not to be taken literally. There really isn't much explaining needed for this passage. In today's reading, you will see Jesus Christ referred to as the Lamb. We also hear this at mass when we pray "Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us." just before we receive communion. Equating Jesus with a lamb means that He is the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for sin. (There's a longer explanation, having to do with Passover and its celebration, but this is it in a nutshell.) All the creatures in heaven and on earth rejoice and honour God and His Son, Jesus.   

Now, on to John. Jesus asks Peter three times if he truly loves Him. He asks this because Peter was the one who denied Jesus three times before His crucifixion. So, now, Jesus is a little doubtful about how faithful Peter is to Him. However, Jesus is willing to forgive Peter and the role he played in His death. As we have seen throughout the Gospels, Peter becomes the most favoured and important Apostle. Probably because he did feel guilty about what he did to Jesus and now wants to make up for it. 

I think what this passage is trying to convey is that no matter how bad our actions are, Jesus is always willing to forgive and give us another chance. This doesn't mean you should keep doing something you know is bad just because you know that Jesus will forgive you. He can sense when you are insincere, and He will dole out punishment. I'm just saying, that in our everyday, imperfect lives, we mess up. We're all sinners. It's comforting to know that I can never be so awful that Jesus won't forgive me and bring me back to His care. This is our assurance of salvation through His death and resurrection. This is what Easter is all about. So, dear reader, you can rest assured that Jesus will never stop loving you or caring about you. Just try to be a nice human, though. The world will appreciate it. 😇

**I have omitted the video today because Father Bill doesn't upload any on Sunday. Also, it seemed today's readings were ones we have done previously, so I picked the second reading. You'll just have to make do with my thoughts! lol 

Healing Waters

Good Afternoon, dear reader. A little late with this today, but better late than never! Today we look at the healing powers of water. We all know that without water, we will perish. Water nourishes our body as well as flushing out harmful things in our systems. We know that all living things require water for life. Water IS life. And that's why water is mentioned throughout the Bible. 

We see stark contrasts of what happens when there is too much water or too little. There are floods, unending rain, streams, rivers, oceans... We also see what happens when there isn't enough water. Things dry up, fade away, die off, unending thirst. We cross ourselves with holy water when we enter church, a priest may spread holy water as he proceeds up the aisles, blessing us as he goes. When we are baptised, we are either submerged briefly in water or it is poured over us. It's amazing how something so simple is so important. 

Water can also be the symbol of God's word. His word quenches our thirst and renews our spirit. It gives us peace and reassurance. Water is also seen as a symbol of Jesus and His unending love and ability to heal. In John's Gospel, we see the man who had been ill for thirty eight years. He had no one to carry him to the water to be healed. But Jesus said to the man "Rise, take up your mat and walk" (John 5:8, NAB). The man stood up and realized he had been healed. The man realized that Jesus WAS the water he needed. He believed, he listened and he was healed. If we look further on in John's Gospel, we see Jesus likening Himself to water, "Let anyone who thirsts come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture says, 'Rivers of living water will flow from within him.'" (John 7:37-38, NAB). I could go on and on. But, you get the point. 

Water is a powerful symbol. Never underestimate its power. Pour it out, drink it, wash in it, be blessed by it. The next time you get a glass of water, or a bottle of water, hold it for a moment, really look at it. Remind yourself of its importance to life. And be reminded of Jesus. Be thankful for all of it. And, as always, dear reader...be a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezPWTLZ4KFU