أبانا الذي في السموات، ليتقدس اسمك،
ليأتي ملكوتك،
لتكن مشيئتك،
كما في السماء كذلك على الأرض،
اعطنا خبزنا كفاف يومنا،
واغفر لنا خطايانا،
كما نحن أيضاً نغفر لمن اخطأ الينا،
ولا تدخلنا في التجربة،
ولكن نجنا من الشرير،
لأن لك المُلك والقدرة والمجد إلى أبد الدهور.
Book of Revelation
-Apocalyptic literature: from the Greek apokaloupsis,
which means revelation.
-A type of writing popular in the Jewish-Christian
culture from 200 B.C. to 100 A.D.
-Disclosure of heavenly mysteries
-Product of a time of great crisis and distress
-Language is symbolic
-Imagery attempts to go beyond mere words in
describing political and social reality
Persecution literature written in a “code” language; intended
to give courage, comfort and strength to the group being
persecuted.
-Characteristics:
-pseudonymity
-powerful and bizarre visions
-narrative structure
-Determinism (two camps: righteous and wicked, with
neither changing)
-eschatological concerns
-judgment of oppressors
Major Jewish Apocalyptic Literature
Earlier or contemporary with Revelation
-1 Enoch
-Daniel 7-12
-4 Ezra
-2 Baruch
-The Apocalypse of Abraham
Some examples in the Old
Testament that relate to Book of
Revelation
-Ez 40-48 (vision of the New Temple)
-Joel (Day of the Lord, hordes of
destructive locusts)
-Zech 4:1-6:8 (visions of horsemen,
scroll, chariots, angle, lamp stand,
measuring line)
-Is 24-27 (judgment on earth, rescue
of Jerusalem)
-Dan 7;9 (four beasts, judgment on
earth, angel messenger)
A visit to the Blessed Sacrament is something we all should do more often. Catholics know that the consecrated host is really the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ, the same Jesus Christ that was born in Bethlehem and died for us in Jerusalem. If the Pope were to come to our church, we would all be clamoring to get a seat to see him. But let the church offer Eucharistic Adoration on a regular basis, and hardly anyone shows up to adore Jesus Christ. The following is a great guide for us all.
The following meditations and prayers are from:
My Daily Bread, A Summary of the Spiritual Life, by Anthony J. Paone, S.J. 1954, Confraternity of the Precious Blood, Brooklyn, NY
Jesus says to us:
My Child, if My true presence on the altar were limited to one place alone, many people from all parts of the world would try to visit that place at some time or other in their lives. Yet, now that I have made it easy for all to come to Me, see how many visit Me only when they are obliged!
Many people are so cold toward me. Like children they are impressed only by what they can touch and see. I have given them their greatest treasure in the Blessed Sacrament. Through My apostles and their successors, I have promised to be personally present wherever the Blessed Sacrament is. Make EVERY effort to be deeply impressed by this greatest of all earthly gifts.
It is not enough for you to believe in My real presence upon the altar. I placed Myself there for love of you. I wanted to be near you in some visible way, so that you might visit Me as often as you wished. You should wish it as often as possible.
People come to ME for different reasons. Some come only on Sundays and holy days, through a sense of obligation. Either they do not want to lose Heaven, or they desire My help in their daily life. Then there are those who come to Me through mere habit. They act automatically, without any particular devotion to Me. There are, however, a certain number who come to Me for the best reason. They come because they are glad to be near Me. These people please Me best of all. They receive many extra graces which are not granted to the others.
Consider how devoted My saints were to Me. They seized every opportunity to visit Me and stay with Me. They desired to abandon all useless interests so that they might have more time with Me. In return for this generosity with Me, they received a clearer understanding of My boundless goodness and a deeper appreciation of My infinite love.
You, too, have the opportunity to give Me more of your time and attention. Make a greater effort to come closer to Me in friendship. You have the privilege of kneeling before Me like the simple, wonderful shepherds; the tired, admiring Magi; the suffering, begging leper; the penitent, hopeful Magdalene; the convinced, converted Thomas. How are you taking advantage of this privilege?
How much easier it will be for you to face Me in your judgment if you have loved to face Me often during your earthly life. Each visit to Me is an act of faith, of love, and of self-purification. Come to Me often, so that I may shower more of My gifts upon your soul.
And we should think:
One who neglects Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament hurts himself/herself more than he/she realizes. By frequent visits I come closer to that wonderful union with God which He desires to grant me in my daily life. Each visit can bring me nearer to Him in true friendship. I need no special formula, no particular prayers, no unusual requirements. All that I need is to present myself before Him, talking if I so wish, listening if I am so disposed, or simply staying with Him. He is more interested in me than anyone else. Though I may feel very dull, He is interested in my thoughts, my desires, my needs, hopes, ambitions, efforts, and labors. My daily life is a matter of the highest importance to Him. He is glad to see me come because each visit gives Him another excuse to grant me more blessings. He is there for love of me. I ought to visit Him often for love of Him.
Prayer
My Jesus, truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, I have not shown You half the appreciation which I owe You. Grant me the grace to grow in this appreciation. You deserve far more attention than I have shown You. How often could I come to You with a slight effort or even inconvenience to myself! Yet, I fail to do so. I do not treat my human friends half so neglectfully as I treat You. This sacrament is a living proof of your love for me. I hope to show my love for you by a greater devotion toward You from now on. You will see me more than just once a week. As often as I am reasonably able, I shall visit You. I want to give You more of my attention, my time, my interest, and my life. AMEN
Consecration Prayer to Our Lady of the Eucharist After Communion
Mary is called Our Lady of the Eucharist, because without her, there would be no physical Body of Jesus to be present in the Eucharist (John 6:51)
“Most kind Mother, we consecrate to you our bodies, which have just been honored and sanctified by the presence of your Divine Son; our souls which have conversed with him, and our hearts which have loved him.
O dearest Mother, may the words which we have spoken be made acceptable to him through your intercession. Tell him the things which we should have said but were unable to express. Love him and beseech him for us, your poor children.
Receive and keep us in your heart. Warn us, protect us and guide us during this day, that we may faithfully serve your divine Son, and please him in all our thoughts, desires and actions.” AMEN
He was not one of the Twelve; but after the treachery and death of Judas Iscariot, someone was needed to take his place. Two candidates were selected, and lots were drawn to see which of them should be made one of the Twelve: the choice fell on Matthias. Nothing is known for certain about his subsequent history.
Drawing lots to select a candidate for an office sounds strange to us, but it was recognized Jewish custom: for example, the priest who was to enter the Temple sanctuary and burn incense there was not chosen by some rota but by lot. Random events, independent of any obvious natural or human cause, were seen as a direct express of God’s will. Drawing lots was not a substitute for human decision - human beings chosen Matthias as a candidate, human beings decided which priests were eligible on which days - but a way of putting the final choice into the hands of God.
When we attain some high or responsible position, we may be tempted to congratulate ourselves on being the best candidate for the job. We would do well to remember that we have gotten there because of the people we have met and the things we have found ourselves doing, and more fundamentally, because of the gifts and talents that God has given us. These things are essentially random: like Matthias, we have been chosen by lot.
The Man Paul:
-Born 0-10AD
-Grew up in Tarsus, southeast coast of Asia Minor (Modern Turkey)
-From the Tribe of Benjamin and a Pharisee
-Studies with Gamaliel to be a rabii
-Supported himself as a tentmaker
-Roman Citizen
-Converted on the Road to Damascus
-Made three missionary Journeys
-Arrested in Jerusalem, beheaded in Rome
Paul’s Adversaries
-Hellenists: non-Greeks who spoke Greek and lived according to Greek ways
-God-fearers: Gentile sympathizers who did not become converts
-Judaizers: Christian who accepts the necessity of adhering to the Torah Laws
-Circumcision & Law: Gentiles had no grounding in righteousness or scripture
-Enthusiasts: Christians who preached God’s wisdom, but omitted the cross
-False Apostles: Those who preached Christ to the community, but did not have the correct understanding of Christ and his message
Paul’s Letters:
-The Occasional Letters: 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Romans
-The Captivity Letters: Philippians, Philemon
-The Deutero Letters: Colossians, Ephesians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus
-The Catholic Letters: James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1 & 2 & 3 John, Jude
-Hebrews
Author:
-Tradition holds the apostle Matthew the tax collector
-No name given in the text
-Used Mark and Quelle as sources
-Author clearly a Jewish Christian who stands in opposition to Jewish Leadership
-Probably a Jewish-Christian scribe
-Knew of the 70AD Temple Destruction
-Writing to a Jewish-Christian Audience
Date:
-Most scholars date at 80 AD near Antioch
-Church tradition places priority on Matthew’s Gospel
-Often called the great Catechetical Gospel
Gospel Themes:
-Jesus is the Son of Man - fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets
-Matthew emphasizes Jesus as Messiah
-Shows Jesus in opposition to Jewish leadership. like the Christians of 80AD
-Infancy narrative, very Jewish-traces line all the way back to Abraham
-Jesus is the new Moses
-Birth, Going up to the mountain, great teacher, five books in Matthew like five books of Moses (Pentateuch)
-Christianity is the true religion that supersedes Judaism
-Jesus imparts the New Law of Love
-New Testament Course from Formation Training for Christian Ministry (FTCM - Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston)
Author:
-Tradition holds John Mark, associate of Paul, Barnabas and Peter.
-Greek speaking, but not from Palestine
-Most likely a Roman Christian
-Shows no knowledge of Jewish Revolt in 66-70AD
-Is writing to a persecuted community, most likely in Rome under Nero
Date:
-Most scholars date around 68AD
Characteristics of the Gospel:
-Fast moving writing style. Uses term “immediately” a lot
-Dramatic
-Action packed
-Presents a very human Jesus
-The Cross looms large in the Gospel
-Being a Christian means following Jesus all the way to the cross
-Messianic Secret
-Stresses future hope - characteristic of apocalyptic writing, which is always to encourage the persecuted to persevere
-Jesus is frequently misunderstood
-Disciples portrayed as really slow to “get it” about Jesus
-Wrong response to Jesus is “fear” and “amazement”
-Gospel really ends at 16:8. Resurrection appearances added later
Gospel Theme:
-Messiah who suffers horrible death
-Salvation comes only through Crucifixion
-The greatest in the humblest
-Power comes through service
-Prosperity is a hindrance
-Jesus is the suffering servant Messiah
-We must imitate follow Jesus all the way to the Cross
-The way to glory is the cross
-New Testament Course from Formation Training for Christian Ministry (FTCM - Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston)
