Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Jonah’s atonement freeing him from violent storm & whale foreshadows Jesus death and resurrection.


October 13, 2015  

Feast of the Church :In Canada: Thanksgiving Day 

Saint of the day : Saint. Wilfrid, Bishop (c. 634-709) 

Readings


1Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, 2which he promised previously through His prophets in the holy scriptures, 
3the gospel about His Son, descended from David according to the flesh, 4but established as Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.

5Through Him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of His name, among all the Gentiles, 6among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; 7to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1Sing a new song to the LORD, for He has done marvelous deeds. His right hand and holy arm have won the victory.

2The LORD has made His victory known; has revealed His triumph in the sight of the nations, 3He has remembered His mercy and faithfulness toward the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

4Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth; break into song; sing praise.


29While still more people gathered in the crowd, He said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.

30Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

31At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here.

32At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.


Notes on Readings:

A). Romans 1:1-7 - Although with distinction, in Paul's letters the greeting follow a standard form, which is taken from the common Greco-Roman epistolary practice, but with the addition of Semitic and particularly Christian elements. Basically, the three sections are: name of sender, name of addressee, and greeting.

In identifying himself, Paul frequently adds phrases to illustrate his apostolic mission; this element is more developed in Romans than in any other letter. 

Elsewhere he connects himself with co-workers  in the greeting: Sosthenes (1 Corinthians)  , Timothy (2 Corinthians)Philip PhilemonSilvanus (1 Thessalonians - 2 Thessalonians).

The standard secular greeting was the infinitive chairein (a Greek word which means greetings/joy to you). Paul uses instead the sound-related charis, (grace)  together with the Semitic greeting salom (Greek eirene), “peace." These gifts, foreshadowed in God's dealings with Israel (see Numbers 6:24-26), have been poured out abundantly in Jesus which Paul wishes them to his readers.

In Romans the Pauline praescriptio is increased and articulated in a formal tone; it highlights Paul's office as apostle to the Gentiles. Romans 1:3-4 underscore the gospel or kerygma, Romans 1:2 the fulfilment of God's promise, and  Romans 1:1, 5 Paul's office. On his call, see Galatians 1;15-16 ; 1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:8-10Acts 9:1-22; 22:3-16; 26:4-18.

B). Romans 1:1 - Slave of Christ Jesus: Paul applies the term slave to himself  to express his complete faithfulness to the Lord of the church, the Master of all, including slaves and masters. "No one can serve (that is to be a slave to) two masters," said Jesus (Matthew 6:24). It is this aspect of the slave-master relationship rather than its degrading implications that Paul highlights when discussing Christian commitment.

C). Romans 1:3-4 - Paul here cites an early confession that affirms Jesus' sonship as messianic David’s descendant  (compare with Matthew 22:42); 2 Timothy 2:8); Revelation 22:16 and as Son of God by the resurrection. As "life-giving spirit" (1 Corinthians 15:45), Jesus is able to communicate the Spirit to those who believe in Him.

D). Romans 1:5 - Paul brings to mind his apostolic office, implying that the Romans are aware of his history. The obedience of faith: as Paul will show at length in Chapter 6 - 8 and 12 - 15, faith in God's affirming action in Jesus relates one to God's gift of the new life that is made possible through Jesus’  death and resurrection and the activity of the Holy Spirit (see especially Romans 8:1-11).

E). Romans 1:7 - Called to be holy: Paul often refers to Christians as "the holy ones" or "the saints." The Israelite community was called a "holy assembly" because they had been separated for the worship and service of the Lord (see Leviticus 11:44; 23:1-44). The Christian community looked at its members as consecrated by baptism (Romans 6:2215:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 5:26-27). Christians are called to holiness (1 Corinthians 1:2);  1 Thessalonians 4:7), to conform lives to the gift already received.


F). Luke 11:29-32 - The "sign of Jonah" in Luke is the preaching of the need for repentance by a prophet who comes from afar. Matthew 12:38-42  (see its footnotes) where the "sign of Jonah" is figured out  by Jesus as His death and resurrection.



Reference:  The New American Bible 

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Dear Humanity,

I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.

And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.

Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.