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pamphletstoinspire · 7 years ago

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THE FIRST EPISTLE OF ST. PETER, THE APOSTLE - From The Latin Vulgate Bibl

Chapter 2

PREFACE.

This first Epistle of St. Peter, though brief, contains much doctrine concerning faith, hope, and charity, with divers instructions to all persons of every state and condition. The apostle commands submission to rulers and superiors, and exhorts all to the practice of a virtuous life, in imitation of Christ. This epistle was written with such apostolical dignity, as to manifest the supreme authority with which its writer, the prince of the apostles, had been invested by his Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. He wrote it at Rome, which figuratively he calls Babylon, about fifteen years after our Lord's ascension. (Challoner)

Chapter 2

We are to lay aside all guile, and go to Christ, the living stone: and as being now his people, walk worthy of him, with submission to superiors, and patience under sufferings.

1 Wherefore laying away all malice, and all guile, and dissimulations, and envies, and all detractions,

Notes & Commentary:

Ver. 1. Wherefore laying aside all malice. St. Peter having put them in mind of the great benefit of Christ's coming to redeem us from sin, exhorts them to avoid sin, to lead a life worthy of their vocation, to follow Christ's doctrine, and imitate his example. (Witham)

2 As new-born infants, desire the rational milk without guile: that thereby you may grow unto salvation:

Ver. 2. Desire the rational[1] milk without guile, or deceit. Without guile, in construction, does not agree with new-born children, but with milk, as appears by the text. The sense is, follow the pure doctrine of the gospel, without mixture of errors. (Witham)

Note 1:

Ver. 2. Rationabile sine dolo lac: to logikon adolon gala: both the adjectives agree with milk.

3 If yet you have tasted that the Lord is sweet.

Ver. 3. Whoever has a relish for Jesus Christ, has also for his word; and such as have a relish for neither, are truly deplorable. Let us pray then that God would feed us with his word, and with the holy Eucharist, that contains his body and blood, his soul and his divinity, that we may thereby grow up to salvation.

4 To whom approaching the living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen and honoured of God:

Ver. 4. The living stone, rejected, &c. Christ is the chief foundation of his Church, the corner-stone of the building, whom the Jews, and other obstinate unbelievers, reject to their own condemnation and destruction. See Isaias xxviii. 16.; Matthew xxi. 42.; Acts iv. 11.; Romans ix. 32. (Witham)

5 Be you also as living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

Ver. 5. You also....a holy[2] priesthood; and, as he saith again, (ver. 9.) a royal priesthood. 1. Because they had ministers of God, who were truly and properly priests, of whom Christ is the chief. 2. Every good Christian in a less proper sense may be called a priest, inasmuch as he offers to God what in a less proper and metaphorical sense may be called sacrifices and oblations; that is, the sacrifice of an humble and contrite heart, (Psalm l.) the sacrifice of self-denials and mortifications, of prayer, almsdeeds, &c. And it is called a royal priesthood, as Christians may be called metaphorically kings, by governing their passions, or because they are invited to reign with Christ in his kingdom, to sit on his throne, &c. See Apocalypse iii. 21. &c. (Witham)

Note 2:

Ver. 5. Ierateuma agion basileion. See St. Ambrose, in Psalm cxviii.; St. Augustine, lib. x. de lib. chap. 6. &c.

6 Wherefore it is contained in the Scripture: Behold I lay in Sion a chief corner-stone, elect, precious: And he that shall believe in him, shall not be confounded.

Ver. 6. No explanation given.

7 To you, therefore, that believe honour: but to them that believe not, the stone which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the corner:

Ver. 7. No explanation given.

8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of scandal to them, who stumble at the word, neither do believe whereunto also they are set.

Ver. 8. Whereunto also they are[3] set, or placed, i.e. by God's permission; not that God is the cause of their sins or damnation, (whose will is that every one be saved) but his justice has appointed and decreed punishments against those who, by their own wilful malice, refuse to believe and to follow his doctrine: their stumbling against this stone is wilful and obstinate. (Witham)

Note 3:

Ver. 8. In quo et positi sunt: eis o, in quod, etethesan, which cannot agree with logos, or githos, but seems to agree with the whole sentence, which is to be understood of God's permission and punishment for their obstinacy.

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people, that you may declare his virtues, who hath called you out of darkness into his admirable light.

Ver. 9. You are....a purchased people, whom Christ purchased, bought and redeemed with the price of his precious blood. --- That you may declare his[4] virtues; i.e. the excellencies and perfections of God, who hath called you, and now made you his people, which you were not, at least in this matter before, neither you that were Jews, nor especially you that were Gentiles. (Witham)

Note 4:

Ver. 9. Virtutes ejus, tas aretas, not dunameis, and so should not be translated powers, as by Mr. N.

10 Who in time past were not a people: but are now the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Ver. 10. No explanation given.

11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, to refrain yourselves from carnal desires, which war against the soul,

Ver. 11. I beseech you....to refrain, &c. from all unlawful and disorderly passions, that the Gentiles not yet converted may have nothing to blame in your lives and conversation, but may be edified and induced to praise God. (Witham)

12 Having your conversation good among the Gentiles: that whereas they speak against you as evil doers, considering you by your good works, they may glorify God in the day of visitation.

Ver. 12. In the day of visitation. God is said to visit his people, sometimes by afflictions and punishments, and sometimes by graces and favours. Some think St. Peter here, by the day of visitation, means the approaching destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and that the sense is, that the heathen Romans seeing your peaceable dispositions and pious conversations, may have a favourable opinion of the Christian religion, and be converted. Others, that you and they to whom the gospel is preached, may glorify God when he visits them with graces and favours, whether exterior or interior. (Witham) --- Be careful not to give occasion to scandal. Detraction is the life of the world, and piety is most exposed to its shafts, because it most condemns the maxims of its followers.

13 Be ye subject, therefore, to every human creature for God's sake: whether it be to the king as excelling:

Ver. 13. To every human creature,[5] to every one whom the order of Providence has placed over you, whether it be to emperors or kings, who have the supreme power in kingdoms, or to governors of provinces; obey your temporal princes, though heathens and idolaters, (as the Roman emperors were at that time enemies to the Christian religion) in all that is not sinful and against the law of God: for this is the will of God, and all power is from God. See Romans xiii. In like manner (ver. 18.) servants must be subject and obey their masters, though they be infidels. See 1 Corinthians vii. By this you will silence the ignorance and calumnies of foolish men, who pretended that the Christian religion taught them to be disobedient to princes, and to be subjects of Christ only, their supreme spiritual king. (Witham)

Note 5:

Ver. 13. Omni humanæ creaturæ, ktisei, which the Protestants here translate, to every ordinance; but they translated, creature, Mark xvi. 15.; Colossians i. 15.

14 Or to governors, as sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of the good:

Ver. 14. No explanation given.

15 For so is the will of God, that by doing well you may silence the ignorance of foolish men:

Ver. 15. No explanation given.

16 As free, and not as making liberty a cloak for malice, but as the servants of God.

Ver. 16. As free; to wit, from the slavery of sin, but take care not to make this Christian freedom and liberty a cloak for malice, as they do, who pretend that this makes subjects free from their obedience to temporal princes and magistrates; or servants free from the obedience due to their masters, even when they are froward,[6] ill-humoured, or cross to them. (Witham) --- There were some heretics in the days of St. Peter, as there are at present, who under pretext of evangelical liberty seek to be free from all even lawful subjection, and thus set themselves above the ordinances of both civil and ecclesiastical power.

Note 6:

Ver. 16. Dyscolis, skoliois, pravis, curvis, &c.

17 Honour all men: love the brotherhood: fear God: honour the king:

Ver. 17. No explanation given.

18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good, and gentle, but also to the froward.

Ver. 18. No explanation given.

19 For this is praiseworthy, if for conscience towards God, a man endure sorrows, suffering wrongfully.

Ver. 19. Take notice that this is praiseworthy, an effect of God's grace, a thing acceptable to God, when you suffer injuries patiently; whereas it is no glory, nothing that deserves commendation or reward, either before God or man, to suffer for doing ill, as a malefactor, who deserves punishments. But it is glorious and meritorious for you to suffer as Christians, and for the Christian faith: be not then ashamed to suffer in this manner. These sufferings are marks of God's favour towards you, and you have the example of Christ, which you must imitate. (Witham)

20 For what glory is it, if sinning and being buffeted you suffer it: But if doing well you suffer patiently; this is praiseworthy before God.

Ver. 20. No explanation given.

21 For to this you have been called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow his steps.

Ver. 21. No explanation given.

22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

Ver. 22. No explanation given.

23 Who when he was reviled, did not revile: when he suffered, he threatened not: but delivered himself to him that judged him unjustly:

Ver. 23. Christ, who was incapable of sinning, did not revile[7] them that reviled him; he suffered all with patience; he willingly gave himself up to Pontius Pilate, that judged him, and condemned him unjustly[8] to the death of the cross: and remember that all he suffered was to satisfy for your sins, that he bore our sins in his own body on the tree of the cross. Remember always this great benefit of your redemption, and of your being called to believe in him, and to be eternally happy by following his doctrine; that all of you were as sheep going astray, lost in your ignorance and in your sins, but that by his grace and by his merits you are now called and converted to Jesus Christ, the great pastor and bishop of your souls. You are happy if you live under his care, inspection, and protection. (Witham)

Note 7:

Ver. 23. Cum malediceretur, non maledicebat, loidoroumenos, convitiis appetitus; improperly translated, cursed, by Mr. N.

Note 8:

er. 23. Judicanti se injustè. In the present Greek we read dikaios, justè, as also some Latin Fathers read. St. Augustine, (tract. 21. in Joan.) Commendabat autem judicanti justè; and so the sense is, that he commanded and committed his cause to God, the just judge of all.

24 Who his ownself bore our sins in his body upon the tree: that we being dead to sins, should live to justice: by whose stripes you were healed.

Ver. 24. No explanation given.

25 For you were as sheep going astray: but you are now converted to the pastor and bishop of your souls.

Ver. 25. No explanation given.

#first epistle of st. peter

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romancatholicreflections · 8 years ago

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7th May >> Daily Reflection on Today's Mass Readings (Acts of the Apostles 2:14a.36-41; 1 Peter 2:20b-25; John 10:1-10) for Roman Catholics on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Cycle A

Commentary on Acts of the Apostles 2:14a.36-41; 1 Peter 2:20b-25; John 10:1-10 TODAY IS COMMONLY KNOWN is commonly known as “Good Shepherd Sunday”. It is also known as “Vocations Sunday”, a day when our Church prays especially for new shepherds and pastors to lead the Christian communities. The image of God as the shepherd of his people has a long tradition in the history of God’s people. The image of the shepherd is one which appears several times in the New Testament. It is one that would be immediately understood by the people of the time. In some parts of the world, especially in hotter climates, the sheep is a rarity. Some have never seen a sheep (except perhaps on television, in a zoo or as lamb on the dinner plate!) and still less shepherds. And the shepherd of the Middle East is somewhat different from, say, sheep ranchers of the Australian outback, rounding up on horseback thousands of animals. If one goes missing, it is hardly noticed. The shepherd of the biblical Middle East had a much more intimate relationship with a much smaller flock. He would bring them out to pasture each day and spend all his time with them. In the evening he would bring them back to the enclosure where they would be safe from preying animals. He knew each one individually and would notice immediately if even one was missing. Jesus’ parable of the Lost Sheep would have resonated perfectly with his hearers. Where many of us come from the shepherd walks behind the sheep, often with a dog to help. In the Middle East, the shepherd walks in front of his sheep and they follow him – and only him (“They know his voice”). Sheep in Scripture There are a number of references to sheep and shepherds in the Synoptic gospels. In Mark, for instance, Jesus is deeply moved by compassion because the crowds are “like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:35). By implication, of course, he is their shepherd. In response to criticism by the Pharisees that he was mixing with sinners and the unclean, Jesus told the parable of the shepherd who goes to extraordinary lengths to bring back a lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7). In Matthew, believers are warned about false prophets among them, who are really wolves, but come in sheep’s clothing. In the final judgement, the good, that is, those who recognised and served Jesus in “the least of my brothers” are good “sheep”, in contrast to the wicked “goats”. We have also that marvellous passage in Ezekiel where the shepherds of Israel are condemned for their betrayal of their responsibilities and where God himself promises to take over the gentle care of his flock. There are many parallels in this passage and the Gospel of today. The bad shepherds fatten themselves at the expense of their sheep. The sheep are left wandering and become a prey to marauding wolves. The Lord of compassion promises to go and gather his sheep and bring them back to good pasture. Through his compassionate care of them, God’s people “will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people… And you are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, says the Lord God” (Ezekiel 34:30-31). Two images In today’s Gospel passage, which consists of the first 10 verses of Chapter 10, there seem to be two separate parables. The first is a warning against people who would want to steal the sheep and the second focuses on the relationship between the sheep and their shepherd. The central image, too, is not so much that of the shepherd as of the gate. In fact, later on in the passage, Jesus says, “I AM the Gate”. Here it would seem that Jesus is the Gate of the sheepfold, while the shepherds who come in and out are pastors who are faithful to Jesus. Anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, for instance, by climbing over the fence or breaking through it, is dangerous and should be avoided. He is “a thief and a brigand” who comes to steal and do harm to the sheep. The genuine shepherd, however, enters by the Gate (Jesus). He is recognised and admitted by the watchman (the leader of the community?) at the gate. The sheep hear and recognise and follow their shepherd’s voice. In a sheepfold where there are the sheep of many shepherds, the true shepherd knows which ones belong to him. He calls them out one by one. They, recognising the voice of their own shepherd, follow him. They will not follow other shepherds, even if called by them. It is a free relationship. The sheep go in and out. They follow, not because they are forced to but by their own choice. The other sheep (belonging to other shepherds) stay behind. When the shepherd has brought out his sheep to pasture, he goes ahead. And they follow because “they know his voice”. They will not follow a stranger but run away from him, because they do not recognise his voice. We are told that the disciples failed to understand the meaning of this parable. This is a reaction which is more common in the Synoptic gospels, especially Mark (cf. Mark 4:10-12). Parables are meant for “insiders” and not “outsiders”. So Jesus spells out more clearly what he means. He is the Gate of the sheepfold. Those who enter the sheepfold by any other way are not to be trusted, they are “thieves and brigands”. And the sheep will ignore them. “Anyone who enters through me [the Gate] will be safe.” Fullness of life Many of the warnings of Jesus here should be read in the context of the story of the blind man in the preceding chapter 9. Here Jesus condemns the blindness of the Pharisees as religious leaders who are totally unfit to bring people to God. They are not good shepherds and they refuse to enter by the Gate. The passage ends with one of Jesus’ most beautiful statements: “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” To follow Jesus is not, as some seem to fear, to live a half life, a life filled with endlessly dire warnings of “Don’t!”. It is to live life, our human life, to the greatest possible fullness. As one writer puts it, “The Gospel is a statement about how human life is best lived.” The same writer also says, “Life with God is good for human beings and should be seen to be so.” True evangelisation consists in making this clear by the way we speak and live. So many people, unfortunately, have the impression that there is something “unnatural” or “super-natural” in being a Christian. Somehow we are not doing a good job. Called to serve Today is Vocations Sunday. It is obvious that our Church today is in great need of good shepherds, totally committed to the Way of Jesus. We are asked to pray today especially that our Christian communities will be graced with good shepherds and pastors. It is a pity that we tend to narrow the term “vocation” to those who feel called to the priesthood or what we fall ‘religious’ life, as when we ask, “Do you think you have a ‘vocation’?” Or say, “There are very few ‘vocations’ in our diocese.” Yet we need to emphasise very strongly that every single baptised person has a ‘vocation’. Everyone is called by God to play a specific role in the Christian community and in the wider community. Unless we Christians see that ‘vocation’ is something that we are all called to, it is not likely that there will be enough people to meet the service needs of our Christian communities. Our Christian communities can only grow and thrive when every member makes a contribution to the well-being of the whole. Unfortunately, a large number, it seems, decide first on their ‘career’ and only then ask, “How can I be a good Catholic?” (that is, if they do ask the question). It is absolutely basic for us to ask ourselves at all times, “What does God want me to be? What are my particular gifts? How can I offer these gifts in service to the wider community and to my own Christian community?” If I live my life as a morally good person, “keeping the Commandments” and saying my prayers and “fulfilling my religious obligations” but do not in fact play an active and constructive part in my community, I am not really a Christian in the proper sense. Yet, it seems that that is the way many people live their Catholic lives. Unless we Christians see that ‘vocation’ as something that we are all called to respond to, it is not likely that there will be enough people to respond to the service needs of our Christian communities and, by extension, the needs of the wider community. There is still among many, one fears, what can be called a ‘supermarket mentality’ where our Christian practice is concerned. The Church is there to provide me with ‘spiritual’ or ‘religious’ ‘goods’ as I need them. But there is a danger that, like supermarkets in some former Communist countries, there may soon be no ‘goods’ available and, worse, no one to distribute them! Our Christian communities can only grow and thrive when every member makes his or her contribution to the well-being of the whole. When all are giving, all will be receiving in abundance, the abundance that Jesus speaks about in today’s Gospel. Today we are asked to “pray” for vocations. There is a danger that, although many will fervently do so, they are praying for other people’s vocations and not their own. To say this prayer with sincerity involves my reflecting on how God is asking me to make a meaningful contribution of myself (not just money) to the building up of our community, our parish. In fact, one has to be deeply impressed by the number of people who do make a substantial contribution one way or the other to the running of our church communities. Nevertheless, today, Vocations Sunday, challenges each one of us to reflect on how we personally are responding to the call that Jesus is making to each of us right now. As a group or community, we respond to that call by seeing that all that is needed for the maintenance and growth of our community is being generously provided .

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romancatholicreflections · 8 years ago

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28th January 2017 >> 'Building A Dream For Tomorrow' ~ Daily Reflection on Today's Mass Readings for Roman Catholics on Saturday, Third Week in Ordinary Time

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ HEB 11:1-2,8-19; LUKE 1:69-75; MARK 4:35-41 ] To be a leader we must have a dream. We are what we are today because of the dreams of our forefathers. Without their dreams, Singapore would not be what it is today. The future is born out of dreams. Science and technology are born from dreams of what life could be. No development or advancement is possible without starting out as a dream. That is why we should be forever grateful for the sacrifices of our forefathers, community and religious leaders in daring to dream for Singapore. In the first reading, Abraham also had a dream. He had a vision of building a new humanity, a new community, and a nation of believers in God where there is unity, progress and happiness. In truth, Abraham did not have to move out of his comfortable niche in the city of Ur to the Promised Land. He was rich and well off with many flocks of cattle and sheep. Most of all, he was already old and could have retired to enjoy life instead of moving to another land without any guarantees. Indeed, if we were him, we would have stayed put and left the future to the next generation. But the truth is that a great leader never builds a dream for himself or even for his own family. A true leader builds a dream for his people and for the people of tomorrow. This is the hallmark of a true leader who is selfless and visionary. A good leader seeks to build a better life and future for the next generation. He might not get to enjoy the fruits of his labour, but it does not matter. What matters is that the future generations would benefit from his sacrifices and labour. In fact, Abraham never saw the fulfillment of the promise. But still, the promise was partially fulfilled when Sarah at the ripe old age of 91 and Abraham in his 100 gave birth to Isaac. He did it for the future generations to come. But this is also true of Moses, our Lord and St Paul who only saw the beginning of the fulfillment of their dreams. Moses also did not enter the Promised Land but only had sight of it when the Lord asked him to ascend to Mount Nebo. (Dt 34:1-3) Jesus also did not see the fulfillment of His dream except the birth of the nascent primitive Church, the beginning of a New Community of grace and love. St Paul too was conscious that in building the Church for the Gentiles, it would take time but he was patient. Like the rest of the apostles, he too would not have been able to see how the Church grew from strength to strength. St Paul wrote, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” (1 Cor 3:6) So it does not matter whether we benefit in the end. What is important is that we are giving hope and a future to humanity. What is your dream for your community, for the Church and for Singapore? In the final analysis, we all have this dream of building a community of love. This too was the dream of Abraham and our Lord. Jesus came to build a community of love, the family of God united in Him. What we need most today is to strengthen our community, our family, our church community, a cohesive society and a united world. In the heart of every person is a desire for a community where there is peace, love and unity. This is the greatest challenge today in the face of secularism and relativism. Without God, without absolute values, it is difficult to align everyone together. The ideology of relativism makes it impossible for anyone to agree to anything that is true since no one is right. This explains why relationships are very fragile today. They are not built on truth or on lasting love. When we cannot agree on fundamentals, we cannot build any real unity. When society cannot agree on a set of core values, then it would be impossible to build any community, much less a lasting community. If Singapore is still relatively united and peaceful it is because our forefathers had it right in putting our common values in the Singapore Pledge. Indeed, looking at the situation of the world today, we see how fragile peace and unity is. When countries are not ruled by righteous, inclusive, honest leaders with integrity, the nation will suffer. St Thomas says, “Happiness is secured through virtue; it is a good attained by man’s own will.” A case in point is the question of marriage and family. What we have today are very superficial relationships, even in marriage. Many of our marriages do not last because the foundation for strong marriages such as total love, faithful love, fruitful and sacrificial love are not considered non-negotiable values. Those of us who are in the know are aware of the difficulties the Church is struggling with the issue of marriage and family, particularly in trying to apply the practical and pastoral approaches of Amoris Laetitia. There are two camps, one is the need to hold on to the absolute norms and the other is to show the compassion of God. The decision on how we approach marriage, divorce and sexuality would also have implications for how we see the Sacrament of the Eucharist as well. Is it a reward for good behavior or an antidote for the weak? If we say the latter, it also compromises the symbol of the Eucharist as a sign of perfect unity. As Christians, how do we want to build our dream? We need a strong foundation, that is Christ. If our dreams are not built on Christ, our dreams will fail. All dreams must come from God if they are to succeed. Abraham built his dream based on the promise of God. “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions.” (Gn 15:13f) So as leaders, before we start visioning for society and our peoples, we need to pray and see God’s plan for us all. This is the lesson of today’s gospel as well. Unless our life is founded on Christ, when we meet the storms of life, we will not be able to withstand the onslaughts. We will lose faith easily. Indeed, many of us have big dreams but when faced with difficulties, like the apostles who were buffeted by the storm, they began to panic. With Christ as the center of our lives, we will be able to rise up to any challenge and any storm. If not, when our dreams are challenged or things do not go the way we want, we will get confused and anxious. This was the case for Abraham when he became anxious that Sarah could not conceive a son for him. So in his impatience, he took Hagar, his maid to conceive for him a son whom they named Ismael. As a consequence, it brought division to the family. So long as we have faith, we can overcome all things. “Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen.” Consequently, the question that is posed to us today is whether we know Christ in our lives. After Jesus calmed the storm, “They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and sea obey him.’” Unless we affirm that Jesus is our Lord, we will not have faith in Him to guide us and protect us from harm and danger. St Thomas said, “If, then, you are looking for the way by which you should go, take Christ, because He Himself is the way.” Who Jesus is to us will determine how we will respond to Him and how much faith we have in Him. Faith depends on trust and relationship. If we know Jesus well, we will learn to trust Him. If we confess that Jesus is the Son of God, then we can accept the Bible and the Magisterium as preserving the deposit of faith found in scripture and tradition. Yet, we must not be shortsighted. As the first reading reminds us, our homeland is ultimately in heaven. We are in transition. We must also recognize the law of gradualness. We might not accept the gradualness of the law but we must realize that many are still not there yet. This calls for compassion. “They lived there in tents while he looked forward to a city founded, designed and built by God.” The author said, “People who use such terms about themselves make it quite plain that they are in search of their real homeland. They can hardly have meant the country they came from, since they had the opportunity to go back to it; but in fact they were longing for a better homeland, their heavenly homeland.” So what we experience on earth is just a foretaste of what we will arrive at in heaven when love is complete and the community is lasting. It is in the New City of Jerusalem when we all become one in Christ in the communion of Saints. In the final analysis, in spite of the turmoil caused by scandals and differing views in the Church, we must not feel discouraged. The gospel assures us that Jesus is in charge of the Church. The boat is a symbol of the Church and though Jesus might appear to be sleeping in the stern of the boat, in truth, He is fully aware of how the Church is buffeted by the storms and the winds of life. Against all these threats, the Lord will keep the Church safe. All we need is to have faith. He has protected this Church for the last 2000 years and He will fulfill His promise to be with the Church until the end of time. Moreover, through all these struggles and challenges, the Church will come out purified and stronger and more relevant to the world. Christ is the anchor and our hope. As the author of Hebrews says, “God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given Isaac back from the dead.” He too will raise the Church to greater heights in time to come. Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart. Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord. It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.

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