What is your ministerial service to others? Sunday, May 14, 2017 Sunday of the Fifth Week of Ester - Year 'A1' What is your ministerial service to others? Acts of the Apostles 6:1 to 7 THE NUMBER OF …More
What is your ministerial service to others?
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Sunday of the Fifth Week of Ester - Year 'A1'
What is your ministerial service to others?
Acts of the Apostles 6:1 to 7 THE NUMBER OF DISCIPLES grew and so tensions between those of Gentile background [the Hellenist or Greeks] and those of Jewish heritage [the Hebrews]. The 12 apostles [who now included Matthias who took the place of Judas] arranged for 7 helpers [I will not list their names that are part of this reading] to look after the administration of practical matters of our church. These men are what we now call deacons. This is our first appearance in the history of our Church. And today our Church has many such married deacons.
1 Peter 2:4 to 9 HERE PETER IS MAKING A PITCH for more priests. Here is Peter's pitch:
"Come to Him, a living stone, rejected by human beings
but chosen and precious in the sight of God,
and, like living stones,
let ourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
Then Peter complements these men saying:
"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people of His [Jesus'] priesthood,
a holy nation, a people of His [Jesus'] own
so that you may announce the praises of Him
who called you out of darkness in His [Jesus'] wonderful light."
John 14:1 to 12 HERE JESUS SAID TO HIS 12: "Do not let our hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith in Me. In My Father's house [heaven] there are many dwelling places...And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you also may be." Then Philip speaks up, as he usually did, saying: "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." "Jesus told him:
Have I been with you so long a time and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'show us the Father. From now own you do know Him and have seen Him...Believe Me that I am in the Father and he Father is in Me... [so did God the Father suffer like His Son?] Whoever believes in Me will do the works that I do and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father." because I love the Father and He loves me. And we ought to be able to say the same thing!!
CONCLUSION: If we are to reconsider the meaning of the ministerial priesthood, our first two readings give us a starting point, i.e. the two basic sacraments are Baptism and the Most Holy Eucharist. Baptism makes each person a member a member of a royal priesthood, in this sense every Christian is a kind of first! Yet the ministerial priesthood is a service with and for our community of all the faithful. So what is your ministerial service to others?
Peace, Angelo
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Sunday of the Fifth Week of Ester - Year 'A1'
What is your ministerial service to others?
Acts of the Apostles 6:1 to 7 THE NUMBER OF DISCIPLES grew and so tensions between those of Gentile background [the Hellenist or Greeks] and those of Jewish heritage [the Hebrews]. The 12 apostles [who now included Matthias who took the place of Judas] arranged for 7 helpers [I will not list their names that are part of this reading] to look after the administration of practical matters of our church. These men are what we now call deacons. This is our first appearance in the history of our Church. And today our Church has many such married deacons.
1 Peter 2:4 to 9 HERE PETER IS MAKING A PITCH for more priests. Here is Peter's pitch:
"Come to Him, a living stone, rejected by human beings
but chosen and precious in the sight of God,
and, like living stones,
let ourselves be built into a spiritual house
to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices
acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
Then Peter complements these men saying:
"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, a people of His [Jesus'] priesthood,
a holy nation, a people of His [Jesus'] own
so that you may announce the praises of Him
who called you out of darkness in His [Jesus'] wonderful light."
John 14:1 to 12 HERE JESUS SAID TO HIS 12: "Do not let our hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith in Me. In My Father's house [heaven] there are many dwelling places...And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you also may be." Then Philip speaks up, as he usually did, saying: "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." "Jesus told him:
Have I been with you so long a time and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'show us the Father. From now own you do know Him and have seen Him...Believe Me that I am in the Father and he Father is in Me... [so did God the Father suffer like His Son?] Whoever believes in Me will do the works that I do and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father." because I love the Father and He loves me. And we ought to be able to say the same thing!!
CONCLUSION: If we are to reconsider the meaning of the ministerial priesthood, our first two readings give us a starting point, i.e. the two basic sacraments are Baptism and the Most Holy Eucharist. Baptism makes each person a member a member of a royal priesthood, in this sense every Christian is a kind of first! Yet the ministerial priesthood is a service with and for our community of all the faithful. So what is your ministerial service to others?
Peace, Angelo