RELIGION AND ART

Paul and his friends went by sea from Paphos to Perga in Pamphylia where John left them to go back to Jerusalem.  The others carried on from Perga till they reached Antioch in Pisidia.  Here they went to synagogue on the sabbath and took their seats.  After the lessons from the Law and the Prophets had been read, the presidents of the synagogue sent them a message: 'Brothers, if you would like to address some words of encouragement to the congregation, please do so. 'Paul stood up, held up a hand for silence and began to speak: Readings Songs  My prayer Psalm 27

One day Peter stood up to speak to the brothers - there were about a hundred and twenty persons in the congregation: 'Brothers, the passage of scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit speaking through David, foretells the fate of Judas, who offered himself as a guide to the men who arrested Jesus - after having been one of our number and actually sharing this ministry of our. Readings Psalm 112                                                                                                           'Let his camp be reduced to ruin,                                                  ...

The apostles and the brothers in Judea heard that the pagans too had accepted the word of God, and when Peter came up to Jerusalem, the Jews criticized him and said, 'So you have been visiting the uncircumcised and eating with them, have you?' 'Peter in reply gave them the details point by point: 'One day, when I was in town of Jaffa, 'he began 'I fell into a trance as I was praying and had a vision of something like a big sheet being let down from the heaven by its four corner.  This sheet reached the ground quite close to me. I watched it intently and saw all sorts of animals and wild beasts - everything possible that could walk, crawl or fly.  Then I heard a voice that said to me, "Now, Peter, kill and eat!" But I answered: Certainly not, Lord; nothing profane or unclean has ever crossed my lips.  And a second time the voice spoke from heaven, "What God has made clean, you have no right to call profane.  "This was repeated three times, b...

How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me? The cup of salvation I will raise; I will call on the Lord’s name. Psalm 115:1 Readings ‘It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

Then the Jews started arguing with one another: 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?' the said. Jesus replied: 'I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Anyone who does not eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drink my blood lives in me and I live in him. Readings At the Lamb's High Feast Catholic Hymn Book Thought for the day

The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, 'Be ready to set out at noon along the road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert road. ' So he set off on his journey.  Now it happened that an Ethiopian had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; he was a eunuch and an officer at the court of the queen of Ethiopia, and was in fac her chief treasurer.  He was now on his way home; and as he sat in his chariot he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Readings The Spirit said to Philip. 'Go up meet that chariot. 'When Philip ran up, he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, 'Do you understand what you are reading?' 'How can I' he replied 'unless I have someone to guide me?' The year is gone beyond recall

 That day a bitter persecution started against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except the apostles fled to the country districts of Judea and Samaria. There were some devout people, however, who buried Stephen and made great mourning for him. Saul then worked for the total destruction of the Church; he went from house to house arresting both men and women and sending them to prison. Those who escaped went from place to place preaching the Good News. One of them was Philip who went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed Christ to them.  The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached ..................... As a result there was great rejoicing in that town Readings Seeking Heaven Alone from Catholic Hymn Book Thought of the Day

Stephen said to the people, the elders and the scribes. 'You stubborn people, with your pagan hearts and pagan ears.  You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Can you name a single prophet your ancestors never persecuted?  In the past they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, and now you have become his betrayers, his murderers. You had the Law brought to you by angels are the very ones who have not kept it.' Readings Psalm  27 Thoughts for the Day

Stephen was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people. But then certain people came forward to debate with Stephen, some from Cyrene and Alexandria who were members of the synagogue called the Synagogue of Freedmen, and others from Cilicia and Asia. They found they could not get the better of him because of his wisdom, and because it was the Spirit that prompted what he said. Readings Thought for the Day Beautiful Saviour Catholic Hymn Book Lord Jesus help me appreciate the gifts of my fellow being and give me the spirit of gratitude for my many gifts from God.  May I hunger for your word.  Fill me with Your Holy Spirit to guide, guard and direct me.

The high priest demanded an explanation of apostles. 'We gave you a formal warning' he said 'not to preach in this name, and what have you done? You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and seem determined to fix the guilt of this man's death on us. 'In reply Peter and the apostles said, 'Obedience to God comes before obedience to men; it was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, but it was you who had him executed by hanging on a tree. By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and Savior, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel.  We are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.' and they had the apostles called in, gave orders for them to be flogged, warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus and released them, And so they left the presence of the Sanhedrin glad to have had the  honour of suffering humiliation for the sake of the name  Readings Homil...

About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked. So the Twelve called a full meetings of the disciples and addressed, 'It would not be right for us to neglect the word of Go so as to give food; you, brothers, must select from among yourselves seven men of good reputation, filled with Spirit  and with wisdom; we shall hand over this duty to them, and continue to devote ourselves to prayer and to the service of the word. Readings Thoughts of the day

I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand. Through it you are also being save, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I handed on to you as first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures; that he appeared to James, then all the Apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally he appeared to me. Readings Psalm 19  Feast Sts James and Philip Prayer "Lord Jesus, you fill us with the joy of your saving presence and you give us the hope of everlasting life with the Father in Heaven. Show me the Father that I may know and glorify him more fully." in your Name, I pray. Amen.

When the officials had brought them in to face the Sanhedrin, the high priest demand an explanation.  'We gave you a formal warning' he said 'not to preach in this name, and what have you done? You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and seem determined to fix the guilt of this man's death on us.' In reply Peter and the apostles said, 'Obedience to God comes before obedience to men; it was the God of our ancestors who raised up Jesus, but it was you who had him executed by hanging on a tree. By his own right hand God has now raised him up to be leader and Saviour, to give repentance and forgiveness of sins through him to Israel.  We are witnesses to all this, we and the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.' This so infuriated them that they wanted to put them to death. Readings Saint Athanasius Song in Honor of Mary

The high priest intervened with all his supporters from the party of the Sadducees. Prompted by jealousy, they arrested the apostles and had them put in the common prison. But at night the angel of the Lord opened the prison gates and said as he led them out, 'Go and stand in the Temple, and tell the people all about this new Life.'  They did as they were told; they went into the Temple at dawn and began to preach. When the high priest arrived, he and his supporters convened the Sanhedrin - this was the full Senate of Israel - and sent them to be brought.  But when the officials arrived at the prison they found they were not inside, so they went back and reported, 'We fond the jail securely locked and the warders on duty at the gates, but when we unlocked the door we found no one inside.' ...... Readings Songs in honor of Mary Saint Joseph