14/10/2024

In this morning's first reading, St Paul is not only proclaiming the Good News but preaching to correct errors. The error is being made by those who have not completely committed themselves to the way, truth and life that the Resurrection has confirmed for all time as God's will for his image and likeness.

The letters and known events of Paul's life confirm that Faith is not based not on "human thinking" but on real historical events that reveal "through a glass darkly" how we can prepare ourselves to become the person that is known by "Our Father".

There was no mass media in the "times" lived by the generation out of which grew the Truth, Christianity. The New Testament is the record of those times as is the Old of the times before Christ. Most of the literal followers and first believers had been totally enmeshed in the Love that is the Incarnation, Jesus Son of God and Son of Man, the first "fisher of men" that they or their family members had encountered on each individual's personal Road to Damascus.

Dissent is normal for humanity. The Original Sin is disobedience followed as night follows day by Jealousy. Far away from the discord in Ankara, Paul feels desperate that the words of eternal life have again been refused and the the slavery of the "Law" has occluded the clarity of his personal epiphany.  FATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT had captured his being with the grace that grew greater the more he gave away.

Dear Lord, I don't need to babble on but help me to hold onto you throughout this day even though both the allegory of St Paul and the "Sign of Jonah" are both less than clear to me. As Jesus was growing up into the adult who saves all mankind from permanent death. Mary and the other relatives in the Nazarene Holy Family known and Loved by the Saviour certainly knew you at the various stages of human growth and "pondered" all that you did. To know you we, however, have to interpret words written long ago and we also have to fight the distractions of devil, world and flesh that combine to misdirect our intelligences and wills. May your Holy Mother continue to lead all Angels, Saints in the community of praise with prayers for all sinners on Earth and in the sincere atonement of the Holy Souls in Purgatory.