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Viewing the Church Through the Lens of the Holy Spirit Biblical Reflection for the Solemnity of Pentecost By Father Thomas Rosica, CSBTORONTO, JUNE 7, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Pentecost is the 50th day that signals the start of the universal mission of the Church -- a mission that overcomes human obstacles and has the Spirit as its driving force. The mighty breath of God and the fire of the Spirit's presence engulf the group of disciples gathered in prayer around Mary, Mother of the Lord in the upper room.Luke's narrative of Pentecost in today's first reading from Acts (2:1-13) consists of...

June 12, 2011 Pentecost SundayMass during the Day  Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 2:1-11When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled,they were all in one place together.And suddenly there came from the skya noise like a strong driving wind,and it filled the entire house in which they were.Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire,which parted and came to rest on each one of them.And they were all filled with the Holy Spiritand began to speak in different tongues,as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem.At this sound, they gathered...

June 12, 2011 Pentecost SundayAt the Vigil Mass Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Gn 11:1-9The whole world spoke the same language, using the same words.While the people were migrating in the east,they came upon a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.They said to one another,“Come, let us mold bricks and harden them with fire.”They used bricks for stone, and bitumen for mortar.Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a cityand a tower with its top in the sky,and so make a name for ourselves;otherwise we shall be scattered all over the earth.”The LORD came down to see...

June 11, 2011Mass in the MorningMemorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle  Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 11:21b-26; 12:1-3In those days a great number who believed turned to the Lord.The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.When he arrived and saw the grace of God,he rejoiced and encouraged them allto remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart,for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.And a large number of people was added to the Lord.Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,and when he...

June 10, 2011Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 25:13b-21King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesareaon a visit to Festus.Since they spent several days there,Festus referred Paul’s case to the king, saying,“There is a man here left in custody by Felix.When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jewsbrought charges against him and demanded his condemnation.I answered them that it was not Roman practiceto hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusersand had the opportunity to defend himself against their charge.So when they came together here, I made...

June 9, 2011Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 22:30; 23:6-11Wishing to determine the truthabout why Paul was being accused by the Jews,the commander freed himand ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,so he called out before the Sanhedrin,“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”When he said this,a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,and the group became divided.For...

June 8, 2011Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospelReading 1Acts 20:28-38At Miletus, Paul spoke to the presbyters of the Church of Ephesus:“Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flockof which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers,in which you tend the Church of Godthat he acquired with his own Blood.I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you,and they will not spare the flock.And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truthto draw the disciples away after them.So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day,I unceasingly admonished...

It has been pounded into our heads from our earliest days doing fire drills in elementary school; In the event of an emergency, walk quietly -- do not run -- to the nearest exit. So with stocks extending their pre-summer swoon by shedding more than 5 percent in five weeks, many are bracing for the worst and pushing others aside to get to the exits. Raymond James' Chief Investment Strategist Jeff Saut is not one of them. "I just don't see that [a crash] happening right now" Saut says, adding that he sees any correction "limited to seven to 10...

June 7, 2011Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 20:17-27From Miletus Paul had the presbytersof the Church at Ephesus summoned. When they came to him, he addressed them,“You know how I lived among youthe whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.I served the Lord with all humilityand with the tears and trials that came to mebecause of the plots of the Jews,and I did not at all shrink from telling youwhat was for your benefit,or from teaching you in public or in your homes.I earnestly bore witness for both Jews...

June 6, 2011Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 19:1-8While Apollos was in Corinth,Paul traveled through the interior of the countryand down to Ephesus where he found some disciples. He said to them,“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”They answered him,“We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”He said, “How were you baptized?”They replied, “With the baptism of John.”Paul then said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance,telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him,that is, in Jesus.”When they heard this,they were baptized in...

June 5, 2011Seventh Sunday of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Acts 1:12-14After Jesus had been taken up to heaven the apostlesreturned to Jerusalemfrom the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,a sabbath day’s journey away.When they entered the citythey went to the upper room where they were staying,Peter and John and James and Andrew,Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,and Judas son of James.All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,together with some women,and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.   Ps 27:1, 4, 7-8Responsorial Psalm R. (13) I believe that I...

“Witness, Mercy, Life Together: Our Life as Church” (Acts)“Witness, Mercy, Life Together”: This is the threefold emphasis now being used for our national church body, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. “Witness, Mercy, Life Together” has also served well as the basis for our sermon series here at St. Matthew’s this Easter season. We have seen these themes emerge in our readings from the Book of Acts, for “Witness, Mercy, Life Together” can be said to characterize the life of the early church. But not only so, these aspects of the early church’s life are true for us as well. And so...

June 4, 2011Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 18:23-28After staying in Antioch some time,Paul left and traveled in orderly sequencethrough the Galatian country and Phrygia,bringing strength to all the disciples.A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria,an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus.He was an authority on the Scriptures.He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and,with ardent spirit, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus,although he knew only the baptism of John.He began to speak boldly in the synagogue;but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him,they took him asideand explained to him the Way of...

June 3, 2011Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and his companions, martyrsReading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 18:9-18One night while Paul was in Corinth, the Lord said to him in a vision,“Do not be afraid.Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.No one will attack and harm you,for I have many people in this city.”He settled there for a year and a halfand taught the word of God among them.But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia,the Jews rose up together against Pauland brought him to the tribunal, saying,“This man is inducing people to worship God contrary to...

June 2, 2011Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Acts 1:1-11In the first book, Theophilus,I dealt with all that Jesus did and taughtuntil the day he was taken up,after giving instructions through the Holy Spiritto the apostles whom he had chosen.He presented himself alive to themby many proofs after he had suffered,appearing to them during forty daysand speaking about the kingdom of God.While meeting with the them,he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,but to wait for “the promise of the Fatherabout which you have heard me speak;for John baptized with water,but in a few days...

June 1, 2011Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 17:15, 22—18:1After Paul’s escorts had taken him to Athens,they came away with instructions for Silas and Timothyto join him as soon as possible.Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus and said:“You Athenians, I see that in every respectyou are very religious.For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines,I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you.The God who made the world and all that is in it,the Lord of heaven and earth,does not dwell in sanctuaries made by...

May 31, 2011Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Zep 3:14-18aShout for joy, O daughter Zion!Sing joyfully, O Israel!Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!The LORD has removed the judgment against you,he has turned away your enemies;The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,you have no further misfortune to fear.On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!The LORD, your God, is in your midst,a mighty savior;He will rejoice over you with gladness,and renew you in his love,He will sing joyfully because of...

May 30, 2011Monday of the Sixth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 16:11-15 We set sail from Troas, making a straight run for Samothrace,and on the next day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi,a leading city in that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony.We spent some time in that city.On the sabbath we went outside the city gate along the riverwhere we thought there would be a place of prayer.We sat and spoke with the women who had gathered there.One of them, a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth,from the city of Thyatira, a worshiper...

May 29, 2011Sixth Sunday of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Acts 8:5-8, 14-17 Philip went down to the city of Samariaand proclaimed the Christ to them.With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philipwhen they heard it and saw the signs he was doing.For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice,came out of many possessed people,and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured.There was great joy in that city.Now when the apostles in Jerusalemheard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,they sent them Peter and John,who went down and prayed for them,that they might...

“Making Known the Unknown God: Paul at the Areopagus” (Acts 17:16-31)“Witness” has been a major theme running through the readings from the Book of Acts that we’ve had this Easter season. We’ve heard the church bearing witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of the world: Peter and the apostles speaking boldly before the Sanhedrin. Peter preaching Law and Gospel on the Day of Pentecost. Stephen bearing witness to Christ and becoming the first martyr of the church in the process. The church giving verbal testimony to the crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, calling...

May 28, 2011Saturday of the Fifth Week of EasterReading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 16:1-10 Paul reached also Derbe and Lystrawhere there was a disciple named Timothy,the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer,but his father was a Greek.The brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke highly of him,and Paul wanted him to come along with him.On account of the Jews of that region, Paul had him circumcised,for they all knew that his father was a Greek.As they traveled from city to city,they handed on to the people for observance the decisionsreached by the Apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem.Day after...

May 27, 2011Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 15:22-31 The Apostles and presbyters, in agreement with the whole Church,decided to choose representativesand to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas,and Silas, leaders among the brothers.This is the letter delivered by them:“The Apostles and the presbyters, your brothers,to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Ciliciaof Gentile origin: greetings.Since we have heard that some of our numberwho went out without any mandate from ushave upset you with their teachingsand disturbed your peace of mind,we have with...

May 26, 2011Memorial of Saint Philip Neri, priestReading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 15:7-21 After much debate had taken place,Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters,“My brothers, you are well aware that from early daysGod made his choice among you that through my mouththe Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe.And God, who knows the heart,bore witness by granting them the Holy Spiritjust as he did us.He made no distinction between us and them,for by faith he purified their hearts.Why, then, are you now putting God to the testby placing on the shoulders...

May 25, 2011Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 15:1-6 Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers,“Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice,you cannot be saved.”Because there arose no little dissension and debateby Paul and Barnabas with them,it was decided that Paul, Barnabas, and some of the othersshould go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and presbytersabout this question. They were sent on their journey by the Church,and passed through Phoenicia and Samariatelling of the conversion of the Gentiles,and brought great joy to all the brethren.When they arrived in...

May 24, 2011Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter  Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 14:19-28 In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconiumarrived and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,supposing that he was dead.But when the disciples gathered around him,he got up and entered the city. On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.After they had proclaimed the good news to that cityand made a considerable number of disciples,they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.They strengthened the spirits of the disciplesand exhorted them to persevere in...

“Witness, Mercy, Life Together: The Case of Stephen” (Acts 6:1-9; 7:2a, 51-60)“Witness, Mercy, Life Together”: This is an emphasis right now for our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, since the work of our national church body can be gathered under these three headings. In connection with this, our synod is using the New Testament Greek words associated with these aspects of the church’s life: Martyria, “Witness,” the bold testimony that Christians give to their Savior, often in the face of hostility and persecution. Diakonia, literally “Service,” but especially, service in the form of works of “Mercy.” And third, Koinonia, “Fellowship,” or to...

May 22, 2011Fifth Sunday of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Acts 6:1-7 As the number of disciples continued to grow,the Hellenists complained against the Hebrewsbecause their widowswere being neglected in the daily distribution.So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,filled with the Spirit and wisdom,whom we shall appoint to this task,whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayerand to the ministry of the word.”The proposal was acceptable to the whole community,so they chose Stephen,...

May 21, 2011Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 13:44-52 On the following sabbathalmost the whole citygathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousyand with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said,“It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first,but since you reject itand condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life,we now turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us,I have made you a light to the Gentiles,that you may...

May 20, 2011Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter  Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 13:26-33 When Paul came to Antioch in Pisidia, he said in the synagogue:“My brothers, children of the family of Abraham,and those others among you who are God-fearing,to us this word of salvation has been sent. The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their leaders failed to recognize him,and by condemning him they fulfilled the oracles of the prophetsthat are read sabbath after sabbath. For even though they found no grounds for a death sentence,they asked Pilate to have him put to death,and when they had accomplished all that...

May 19, 2011Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter  Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 13:13-25 From Paphos, Paul and his companionsset sail and arrived at Perga in Pamphylia. But John left them and returned to Jerusalem. They continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the sabbath they entered into the synagogue and took their seats. After the reading of the law and the prophets,the synagogue officials sent word to them,“My brothers, if one of you has a word of exhortationfor the people, please speak.”So Paul got up, motioned with his hand, and said,“Fellow children of Israel and...

May 18, 2011Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 12:24—13:5a The word of God continued to spread and grow. After Barnabas and Saul completed their relief mission,they returned to Jerusalem,taking with them John, who is called Mark. Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saulfor the work to which I have called them.” Then, completing...

May 17, 2011Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter  Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 11:19-26 Those who had been scattered by the persecutionthat arose because of Stephenwent as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,preaching the word to no one but Jews.There were some Cypriots and Cyrenians among them, however,who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks as well,proclaiming the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with themand a great number who believed turned to the Lord. The news about them reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem,and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.When...

May 16, 2011Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 11:1-18 The Apostles and the brothers who were in Judeaheard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalemthe circumcised believers confronted him, saying,‘You entered the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them.” Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying,“I was at prayer in the city of Joppawhen in a trance I had a vision,something resembling a large sheet coming down,lowered from the sky by its four corners, and it came to me. Looking...

May 15, 2011Fourth Sunday of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Acts 2:14a, 36-41 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven,raised his voice, and proclaimed:“Let the whole house of Israel know for certainthat God has made both Lord and Christ,this Jesus whom you crucified.”Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,and they asked Peter and the other apostles,“What are we to do, my brothers?”Peter said to them,“Repent and be baptized, every one of you,in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.For the promise is...

“Koinonia: The Church’s Life Together” (Acts 2:42-47)During this Easter season, we’re tracking the readings from the Book of Acts, under the theme, “Witness, Mercy, Life Together.” Witness: The church bearing verbal witness to Christ the Savior. Mercy: The church showing the compassion of Christ in serving people in need. Life Together: The church being the fellowship, the family, that Christ has formed for himself. We see each of these aspects of the church’s life well on display here in the Book of Acts. The last couple of weeks, the readings have focused on “Witness,” the church boldly proclaiming the word...

May 14, 2011Feast of Saint Matthias, Apostle  Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 1:15-17, 20-26 Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers and sisters(there was a group of about one hundred and twenty personsin the one place).He said, “My brothers and sisters,the Scripture had to be fulfilledwhich the Holy Spirit spoke beforehandthrough the mouth of David, concerning Judas,who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.Judas was numbered among usand was allotted a share in this ministry.For it is written in the Book of Psalms:Let his encampment become desolate,and may no one dwell in it.and:May another take his office.Therefore,...

While Michelle Obama may have only recently found a reason to be proud of her country, she has long been proud of rapper Common. Mrs. Obama and her husband do not want to celebrate the National Day of Prayer in the White House, and the latter "forgot" to do a Presidential Proclamation on Easter -- but having Common in the White House is a priority. This president -- and apparently his wife, as well -- does not understand or relate to the views of average Americans. Most of us read Common's lyrics and cannot fathom why the president would allow...

May 13, 2011Friday of the Third Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 9:1-20 Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord,went to the high priest and asked himfor letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that,if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way,he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus,a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply...

May 12, 2011Thursday of the Third Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 8:26-40 The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip,“Get up and head south on the roadthat goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.” So he got up and set out. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch,a court official of the Candace,that is, the queen of the Ethiopians,in charge of her entire treasury,who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home.Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.The Spirit said to Philip,“Go and join up with that chariot.” Philip ran up and...

May 11, 2011Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 8:1b-8 There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem,and all were scatteredthroughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria,except the Apostles.Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him.Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the Church;entering house after house and dragging out men and women,he handed them over for imprisonment.Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.Thus Philip went down to the city of Samariaand proclaimed the Christ to them.With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said...

May 10, 2011Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 7:51—8:1a Stephen said to the people, the elders, and the scribes:“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears,you always oppose the Holy Spirit;you are just like your ancestors.Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute?They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one,whose betrayers and murderers you have now become.You received the law as transmitted by angels,but you did not observe it.”When they heard this, they were infuriated,and they ground their teeth at him.But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit,looked up intently...

May 9, 2011Monday of the Third Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 6:8-15 Stephen, filled with grace and power,was working great wonders and signs among the people.Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen,Cyreneans, and Alexandrians,and people from Cilicia and Asia,came forward and debated with Stephen,but they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.Then they instigated some men to say,“We have heard him speaking blasphemous wordsagainst Moses and God.”They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes,accosted him, seized him,and brought him before the Sanhedrin.They presented false witnesses who testified,“This man never stops...

Here are just a few of the contradictions which have come out in the last week or so regarding Osama bin LadenÂ’s death. misidentifying which of bin LadenÂ’s sons was killedclaiming bin LadenÂ’s wife killed by gunfire / shot in the legclaiming bin LadenÂ’s wife was used by bin Laden as a human shieldclaiming bin LadenÂ’s wife jumped in front of him in an attempt to save himclaiming bin Laden was unarmed vs. holding a gun vs. reaching for a gun vs. resistingclaiming that Obama and advisors were watching the raid liveclaiming that they had about 25 minutes where they...

Welcome to the 20th installment of the FR Weekly Cooking (Recipes) Thread. Looking for something new to make or made something new that came out great? Please share a 'tried-and-true' recipe or two - or all of them:)! for fellow FReepers to add to their 'go-to' recipe stack of Family favorites? Here's the place to share and explore your next favorite recipe. **************************** Happy Easter!

May 8, 2011Third Sunday of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Acts 2:14, 22-33 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven,raised his voice, and proclaimed:“You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.You who are Israelites, hear these words.Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by Godwith mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.But God raised him up, releasing...

“Witnesses Preach Law and Gospel” (Acts 2:14a, 36-41)Maybe you noticed, maybe you didn’t: The hymn we just sang, “He’s Risen, He’s Risen,” was written by C. F. W. Walther. Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther was, of course, the first president of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and really the leading figure in our synod’s history. This year we are celebrating the 200th anniversary of Walther’s birth in October of 1811. Yesterday, May 7, was the commemoration of his death, and so it is very appropriate that we sing his Easter hymn today. “Oh, where is your sting, death? We fear you no...

May 7, 2011Saturday of the Second Week of Easter  Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 6:1-7 As the number of disciples continued to grow,the Hellenists complained against the Hebrewsbecause their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said,“It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table.Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men,filled with the Spirit and wisdom,whom we shall appoint to this task,whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayerand to the ministry of the word.”The proposal was acceptable to the whole community,so...

May 6, 2011Friday of the Second Week of Easter  Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 5:34-42 A Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel,a teacher of the law, respected by all the people,stood up, ordered the Apostles to be put outside for a short time,and said to the Sanhedrin, “Fellow children of Israel,be careful what you are about to do to these men.Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be someone important,and about four hundred men joined him, but he was killed,and all those who were loyal to himwere disbanded and came to nothing.After him came Judas the Galilean at the time...

May 5, 2011Thursday of the Second Week of Easter  Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 5:27-33 When the court officers had brought the Apostles inand made them stand before the Sanhedrin,the high priest questioned them,“We gave you strict orders did we not,to stop teaching in that name.Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teachingand want to bring this man’s blood upon us.”But Peter and the Apostles said in reply,“We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus,though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree.God exalted him at his right hand as leader and...

May 4, 2011Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Acts 5:17-26 The high priest rose up and all his companions,that is, the party of the Sadducees,and, filled with jealousy,laid hands upon the Apostles and put them in the public jail.But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison,led them out, and said,“Go and take your place in the temple area,and tell the people everything about this life.”When they heard this,they went to the temple early in the morning and taught.When the high priest and his companions arrived,they convened the Sanhedrin,the...