22/05/2025

Today's readings continue with more of Jesus' final teaching from the Gospel of St John and the first collective decision made by the nucleus of the New Church. 

I do not know why Peter and the others are so convinced that the Holy Spirit is with the gentile believers just as it is with "us" to whom God has spoken through Prophets and given the Law of Moses.

This first council of the Church is the beginning of "Christianity" as an institution in this world. The institutional "foundation stone" appointed by Jesus presents the issue. James, the brother of the Lord, answers not to "Peter", so named by Jesus, but to "Simon". The first decision proclaimed by James establishes for ever how we are to live out our worldly lives.

We know that there must have been much more to it than the "press release" issued by James. Christian Jews continued to have difficulty in accepting that the bodily rite of circumcision was not a precondition for holiness and continued to be at each other's throats or even pulling each other's beards for many years and schisms to come.

From the time of the "Annunciation" it has been revealed that IAMIAM is a Trinity of persons. The more we know about God the greater is our understanding that an infinite gulf separates us. We can only come to know this because IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT reaches out to us and we are free to respond.

Most of the the Jewish Christians had not flocked to follow Jesus during his lifetime. In this they were normal humans who can respond to miracles but are loth to commit themselves to the way of life demonstrated in this case by Jesus and the  Apostles. The total commitment to Resurrection Faith displayed and preached by their fellow Jews, however, was not confined to those who had been born into the exclusivity of the Chosen People and this they could not bear.

Jesus, however, had not been condemned for being a Jew he had been condemned for blasphemy. He had claimed in many different ways to be a Divine Unity with the Father. He had promised to send an Advocate and The Holy Spirit had been received by all the congregations. This is accepted by Jew and Gentile Christian without quibble and yet the Jewish Christians can still challenge the Christian Orthodoxy that does not include Circumcision and the Law as indispensable to Righteousness in this world. 

God is IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT. "Go out and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit". There are not many of us who rely on the Holy Spirit who display this so that it is instantly recognisable to others as it seems to have been in the earliest days of the Church.

I am always quite thrilled to remember that "Veni  Sancti Spiritus" which should be sung in all Roman Rite Masses on Whit Sunday was composed by a man born about 12 miles from where I am now writing. Early Christianity began a long way away from here but did arrive in the fulness of time. Deo Gratias