Learning and Understanding

Good Morning, dear reader. I was struck by the simplicity of our reading in Acts today. Philip asks this gentleman if he understands what it is he is reading. This could actually be interpreted in two ways. Do you KNOW what you are reading!?! In other words, do you know the importance of what it is? Or, he could simply be asking if the man understands the words written and what they mean. As the conversation continues, the man gets the impression that what he is reading is of some importance. So he asks Philip who it is that the passage is being written about. The man wishes to be taught about the bible and about Jesus. As Philip helps the gentleman read through these passages, he is converted right there and declares that he wishes to be baptised! 

This is often how it goes when people are introduced to Jesus and to scripture. They have a thirst for knowledge and understanding that can only be found in faith. I was that way when I started learning about the bible. I love to learn. I can be like a sponge. The bible I had been using at that time had become well worn. There were page markers, bookmarks, highlights, underlines, pieces of paper, you name it. You could tell how often I used it and learned from it. That's what we all should be doing. Don't be afraid to mark up your bible. Put your own notations in it. These are all things that will help you as you read through it. 

John's Gospel continues on with the Bread of Life discourse. Jesus keeps repeating this so that everyone will understand that God is the giver of life and that those who believe in Him also believe in Jesus, which can give us eternal life. "Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from Him comes to Me" (v45). This is why we need to understand what is written in the Bible. We listen to God's word, and His teachings. We can then begin to understand the importance of Jesus Christ. 

This was my hope in starting this blog. To help myself gain a deeper understanding of my faith, to keep me close to Jesus, and to give me something positive in my life. I also hoped that maybe I could help others learn of Jesus and His words and teachings. I would gladly spend time discussing all things faith. So, dear reader, if you ever have any questions or just wish to talk about something, feel free to leave a comment, or even email me. You can also reach out to me via social media. I don't have dedicated social media accounts for Everyday Faith because so far I have zero followers on my blog. But I will leave a link to my Twitter account that I use for this. And always remember, dear reader... be a nice human.😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://youtu.be/-dqe5JOibco

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lruthanne67

Email: ljwhitworth67@gmail.com

The Road

Good Morning, dear reader! We're halfway through the week! Today we are continue our study of the Easter message. The reading in Acts will enlighten us as to the apostles journey as they seek to preach the good news of Jesus Christ and bring more believers to Him.  And in Luke, we will see that Jesus is working on revealing Himself to his followers. 

This morning, in Acts, we see Peter and John on their way to temple where they meet up with a man who was handicapped. They stop to talk to him and figure while they're at it, they can heal the man through the power of Jesus Christ. And so they do. This man was overjoyed to be able to walk again! It is with these signs and deeds that the apostles were able to convert so many more to believe in Jesus! What more powerful message could one need than to see a man who couldn't walk, suddenly able to stand up and enter into the temple on his own two legs! You've got me sold! In this case, seeing is definitely believing!! It is stories like this that encourages us to stay the course and keep walking with Jesus! 

As we move into our reading in Luke, the story begins on the same day that the empty tomb was discovered. Two of Jesus's disciples are walking along discussing what just happened. They are still in a sort of daze. They're trying to process the whole thing. As they're walking along, they meet up with a "man" and the "man" asks them what they are talking about. The two must've been quite puzzled that this "man" had no clue as to recent events. Has he been living under a rock!??! However, once he had been brought up to speed, it would seem that he had a good grasp on what it all meant. He goes on to explain that Moses and the prophets were right in saying that the suffering of Jesus was necessary as a part of God's plan. He wanted them to understand that this wasn't just some random persecution. This HAD to happen. As the men are listening, something inside them tells them that this is not just any man. There was something about him, something that excited them...but they just couldn't figure out what it was. It was that "gut feeling" you get when you meet someone.  It is not until later, after Jesus revealed HImself to them at the supper, that they realize that their heart recognized Jesus, even if they didn't physically know who He was at the time.

What all this amounts to is that we have to have continual faith in Christ even if we can't feel Him or see Him. We know that He is there and will never leave us. You need to rely on faith. Your heart still knows even if your brain doesn't. When you are mired in the dark and struggling for understanding, let your heart be your guide. Let your faith be the path that leads you to peace. You will eventually get to a place where everything will make sense. You will see God's plan and know that you are stronger for having come through it. "If God brings you to it, He will see you through it". Remember that. And as you are walking the path, also remember to be a nice human. 😇 

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi1kii4hieE

A familiar hymn, but with a little more "oommph": https://vimeo.com/700496586

It's All In The Timing

Happy Friday, dear reader! Rejoice, for the Lord has seen to it that you have awakened and are here! 

The first part of the reading from the book of Wisdom reminds us that life is fleeting, we are only here temporarily. Eleanor Roosevelt once said "Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present". I think that sums it up pretty well! The other part is that the only sure thing that we can count on in life is that we will all eventually die. It is unavoidable. 

The second part of the reading we see the foretelling of the coming of Christ. The book of Wisdom was written about 150-180 years BEFORE His birth! We also read of His persecution and death. We get the whole story before it even starts. This is why we need to understand the Old Testament before we get to the New Testament. When we finally do see the birth of Christ in the New Testament, we can truly appreciate how His whole life was preordained and that the promise of a Saviour has been fulfilled. 

Moving on to our second reading, again from the book of John. We are slowing working our way up to Jesus's crucifixion. We see more and more the disbelief of some of the people regarding who Jesus really was. The people thought they would recognise who the "true Messiah" was because He would be someone that they wouldn't know, They were familiar with Jesus, as His reputation was spreading like wild fire. There was no way He could be the Messiah. Jesus tries to explain to them that, yes, they know of Him and where He comes from. But, He did not wind up here accidentally. God, His Father, the One they have never seen, was the One who sent Him. Of course, this further incensed the people. They wanted to throw Him in jail, but they didn't. For some reason, they knew the timing was just not right. 

Timing is everything in life. Arrive too early and things haven't started yet. Arrive too late
and you probably missed something important. God's timing is always perfect because He had already set things in motion. To us it may seem like forever, but with God, it's more like in the blink of an eye. In this way, God is teaching us patience. We have to hang in there to see how the story ends. We can't hurry things along. That would mess up God's plan for us. We need to realise that everything in our lives happens for a reason, even if we don't know what that reason is. Even Jesus had His doubts at times. But He knew that His Father had a plan and He had to trust in that plan. And, like Jesus, we need to trust in the plan that He has made for us. We may not like waiting. We are impatient creatures. It is in those times that we need to seek out Jesus and ask Him to help us see the way clear. To follow what He wants for us. It may not be easy, but it will be worth it. With Jesus, all things are possible! 

So, dear reader, just hang in there. Keep steady the course. You'll get to where you need to be. Just not in your time. Ask Jesus to give you peace in the waiting. And as I always remind you, be a nice human, because someone else is playing the waiting game too. 😇

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