Holding All In Common

The community of believers was of one  heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common.  With great power the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all.  There was no needy person among[read more]

Transformation and Gratitude

And now, bless the God of all, who has done wondrous things on earth.  Who fosters people’s growth from their mother’s womb, and fashions them according to his will!  May he grant you joy of heart and may peace abide among you; may his goodness toward us endure in Israel to deliver us in our[read more]

God Seeks Us Among the Lost

Who among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?  And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends[read more]

No Excuses

Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.  Rather, he emptied himself taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and, found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming[read more]

Formation and Purgation

Indeed, if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life. Romans 5: 10 Today we celebrate the Feast of All Souls.  We pray for all who have died in the belief that our love of them[read more]

The Fruits of the Spirit

Now the works of the flesh are obvious:  immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outburst of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions, occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  In[read more]

With Me Or Against Me

“Whenever a strong man is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are secure.  But when a stronger than him breaks in and wins victory, he strips off the armor on which the man had relied, and distributes his spoils.  The person who is not with me is against me.  The one who does[read more]

Go and Learn

Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” I did not come to call the righteous but sinners. Matthew 6: 12-13 For most of my life, I have read, and, I thought, taken to heart the words from Hosea[read more]

Re-reading Our Lives

When the king heard the contents of the book of the law, he tore his garments and issued this command . . . “Go consult the Lord for me, for the people, for all Judah, about the stipulations of this book that has been found, for the anger of the Lord has been set furiously[read more]

Bearing Fruit in Friendship

“I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,[read more]