Category: Scripture

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Bible reading Scripture

Give Paul a Break

You may be tempted to read the letters written by the Apostle Paul.

My advice: Don’t. Not yet.

Not until you’ve soaked in the Gospels for a good while. And John’s letters. And James’s letter. And Peter’s letters. And maybe a good bit of the Old Testament.

Why? It’s easy to get things all turned around otherwise.

It’s easy, because of Paul’s logic and eloquence and personal story, to make Jesus about Paul instead of Paul about Jesus.

Paul would scold us for that.

But the church has split itself into hundreds of factions because it got things turned around, mostly about what Paul wrote.

Reading Paul is like handing a dangerous chemical: if you don’t handle it carefully, it can can be deadly to you and others.

So, stick with the Gospels. And the letters of John and James and Peter. For now, anyway.

(Even Peter struggled a bit with Paul’s writings…he writes about it!)

Grace and peace to you…

dw

Categories
Bible reading Scripture

Continue continuing

Once you have read Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John…

If you find yourself wanting to move on

(maybe you’re thinking “Ok, I’ve read that bit, now let’s get to the rest of the story”

or maybe you’re not)

Don’t do it. Stay right here.

You’ve just met the person you’ve been longing to meet your whole life

And he wants to hang out.

(Maybe you remember reading “Abide with me” – that’s what he means.)

So, hang out. Read John’s gospel again. Find out more about this person, what he’s really like, who he really is.

Read slowly, hear what he is telling you. Ask questions, tell him what you think. Like you are on a walk together, or in a coffee shop.

Getting to know Jesus is the best part, the whole reason to read the Bible. As you get to know him, he’ll tell you about the rest.

You’re already where you long to be, need to be – with him.

Linger.

Grace and peace to you…
dw

p.s. Go here to see the rest of this series on reading the Bible.

Categories
Scripture

Posts about Bible reading

I posted a new page of posts

A short series on Bible reading

I hope the series will grow over time

Anyway, here it is: Pages on Bible Reading

You can find it in the Menu, too

Grace and peace to you…

dw

Categories
Catechism Current Events Scripture

Even more urgent

The duty of making oneself a neighbor to others and actively serving them becomes even more urgent when it involves the disadvantaged, in whatever area this may be. “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”

Vaticana, Libreria Editrice. Catechism of the Catholic Church . United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Kindle Edition. Paragraph 1932

You can’t legislate morality. Laws don’t change people’s hearts.

But a society can legislate compassionately. Doing so is even more urgent when it involves the disadvantaged.

If we legislate for the already-advantaged across the board except for one case (the unborn), where does that leave us?

If Catholics, Protestants, and Evangelicals support national policies that further disadvantage the already-disadvantaged;

and we try to justify ourselves by saying we legislated against abortion, woke-ness, and any non-straight lifestyle:

what do we expect to hear in response from the Son of Man, who was “hungry…thirsty…a stranger…naked…sick…in prison”?

‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’

Matthew 25:44,45. Bibles, Harper . NRSV Bible with the Apocrypha (pp. 3021-3022). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

Lord, give us eyes to see, ears to hear, compassionate hearts, and understanding minds as we live “in the world” while not being “of the world”.

Grace and peace to you

dw

Categories
Catechism Current Events Scripture

Society and Justice

Society ensures social justice when it provides the conditions that allow associations or individuals to obtain what is their due, according to their nature and their vocation. Social justice is linked to the common good and the exercise of authority.

Vaticana, Libreria Editrice. Catechism of the Catholic Church . United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Kindle Edition. Paragraph 1928

Is our society one that “ensures social justice”?

Do we, as a society, care about providing “the conditions that allow associations or individuals to obtain what is their due”? Do we care if our habitual ways of doing things, as a society, hinder or block some people and groups of people from living out what God made them to do?

Does society care about the “common good”? Can society care if most of its participants don’t?

Does the Church care whether or not society cares? Do Catholics or Protestants or Evangelicals care?

Do I care? Do you care?

This morning, I read in Matthew 25 that what we do “to the least of these” we do unto Jesus.

That’s because Jesus cares.

Grace and peace to you

dw