The word of the day is “saw.” Today in our reading of Galatians 2:6-10, St. Paul recounts the turning point of the acceptance of Gentiles into the Church. He reports that when he met with the apostles in Jerusalem, they accepted his missionary work among Gentiles. The Lord had entrusted the mission to the Jews to the apostles in Jerusalem. Likewise, these church leaders “saw” that the Lord had committed the outreach to the non-Jews to St. Paul (vs. 7). Consequently, he writes, “they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised” (vs. 7).  What the Leaders in Jerusalem Saw To “see” here means to discern mentally…
The word of the day is “collection.” Generally, we are interested in the message of the scriptures and their application to our lives. But to fully understand that message, we must know its historical context. This contextual knowledge requires patient study because the situations are complex and different from our own. In today’s reading of 2 Corinthians 8:16-9:5, we learn some historical details behind Paul’s often-quoted teaching of financial stewardship. Here we see how careful the apostle was handling his collection for the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. The Apostle to the Gentiles had spent nearly ten years raising funds to relieve the “Mother Church” in the Holy City. Now Paul planned to take Titus with him when he delivered…
The word of the day is “saw.” The virtues of faith, hope, and love are matters of the heart and so we might think that they are invisible. But spiritual things can be seen by their effects. Today we learn that our words and deeds make the inner condition of our souls visible. Today in our reading of Galatians 2:6-10, St. Paul recounts the turning point of the acceptance of Gentiles into the Church.  He reports that when he met with the apostles in Jerusalem, they accepted his missionary work among Gentiles. The Lord had entrusted the mission to the Jews to the apostles in Jerusalem.  Likewise, these church leaders “saw” that the Lord had committed the outreach to the…
The word of the day is “collection.”  Generally, we are interested in the message of the scriptures and their application to our lives. But to fully understand that message, we must know its historical context. This contextual knowledge requires patient study because the situations are complex and different from our own. In today’s reading of 2 Corinthians 8:16-9:5, we learn some historical details behind Paul’s often-quoted teaching of financial stewardship.  Here we see how careful the apostle was handling his collection for the poor Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.  The Apostle to the Gentiles had spent nearly ten years raising funds to relieve the “Mother Church” in the Holy City.  Now Paul planned to take Titus with him when he delivered…