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