Sunday April 2nd 2017

Jeremiah 18:

13 Therefore thus says the Lord: Ask among the nations: Who has heard such horrible things, as the virgin of Israel has done to excess? 14 Shall now the snow of Libanus fail from the rock of the field? or can the cold waters that gush out and run down, be taken away? 15 Because my people have forgotten me, sacrificing in vain, and stumbling in their ways, in ancient paths, to walk by them in a way not trodden: 16 That their land might be given up to desolation, and to a perpetual hissing: every one that shall pass by it, shall be astonished, and wag his head. 17 As a burning will I scatter them before the enemy: I will show them the back, and not the face, in the day of their destruction.

18 And they said: Come, and let us invent devices against Jeremias: for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet: come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us give no heed to all his words. 19 Give heed to me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my adversaries. 20 Shall evil be rendered for good, because they have digged a pit for my soul? Remember that I have stood in Your sight, so speak good for them, and turn away thy indignation from them. 21 Therefore deliver up their children to famine, and bring them into the hands of the sword: let their wives be bereaved of children and widows: and let their husbands be slain by death: let their young men be stabbed with the sword in battle. 22 Let a cry be heard out of their houses: for You shall bring the robber upon them suddenly: because they have digged a pit to take me, and have hid snares for my feet. 23 But You, O Lord, know all their counsel against me unto death: forgive not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from Your sight: let them be overthrown before Your eyes, in the time of Your wrath do destroy them.

Romans 6:

17 But thanks be to God, that you were the servants of sin, but have obeyed from the heart, unto that form of doctrine, into which you have been delivered. 18 Being then freed from sin, we have been made servants of justice. 19 I speak an human thing, because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as you have yielded your members to serve uncleanness and iniquity, unto iniquity; so now yield your members to serve justice, unto sanctification. 20 For when you were the servants of sin, you were free men to justice. 21 What fruit therefore had you then in those things, of which you are now ashamed? For the end of them is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end life everlasting. 23 For the wages of sin is death. But the grace of God, life everlasting, in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 11:

47 The chief priests therefore, and the Pharisees, gathered a council, and said: What do we, for this man doth many miracles? 48 If we let him alone so, all will believe in him; and the Romans will come, and take away our place and nation. 49 But one of them, named Caiphas, being the high priest that year, said to them: You know nothing. 50 Neither do you consider that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. 51 And this he spoke not of himself: but being the high priest of that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation. 52 And not only for the nation, but to gather together in one the children of God, that were dispersed. 53 From that day therefore they devised to put him to death.

54 Wherefore Jesus walked no more openly among the Jews; but he went into a country near the desert, unto a city that is called Ephrem, and there he abode with his disciples. 55 And the pasch of the Jews was at hand; and many from the country went up to Jerusalem, before the pasch to purify themselves. 56 They sought therefore for Jesus; and they discoursed one with another, standing in the temple: What think you that he is not come to the festival day? 57 And the chief priests and Pharisees had given a commandment, that if any man knew where he was, he should tell, that they might apprehend him.

Psalm 52/53

1 Unto the end, for Maeleth, understandings to David. The fool said in his heart: There is no God. 2 They are corrupted, and become abominable in iniquities: there is none that does good. 3 God looked down from heaven on the children of men: to see if there were any that did understand, or did seek God. 4 All have gone aside, they are become unprofitable together, there is none that does good, no not one. 5 Shall not all the workers of iniquity know, who eat up my people as they eat bread? 6 They have not called upon God: there have they trembled for fear, where there was no fear. For God has scattered the bones of them that please men: they have been confounded, because God has despised them. 7 Who will give out of Sion the salvation of Israel? when God shall bring back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

My Friends,

Let us continue our journey towards that glorious day of the Feast of Feasts, the Day of the Resurrection of our Lord and savior Jesus the Christ. Our readings today have a couple of themes, while we are seeking truth and wisdom, both of which are Jesus the Christ, our readings speak of what the world seeks against those who speak the truth. The prophet Jeremiah was sent to speak the truth to Israel and the leaders as well as many of the people begin to devise ways to kill Jeremiah because the truth is not what they wanted, they wanted their ears tickled and their senses delighted with pleasing words of greatness and power for them. The fact that they had strayed was of no importance to them. Self delusion, pride and arrogance filled their heart.

Our Lord and Savior, the vey truth itself, the Word of God who came in the flesh to not just give us the truth but to suffer and die for us, defeating sin and death so that we may have life abundantly was also hated by those in power, they did not want truth, they were also full of self delusion, pride, and arrogance and chose to plot the death of our Lord for speaking truth. Today is not much different, many in the hierarchy of the church in any of it’s so called denominations may not be plotting physical death of others but the lies that are spread about one to another; the self deluded importance of many, the pride in denomination or understanding, the arrogance in the attacks on others, these are the same as death, many of the religious have become legalists, juridical in their understanding, intellectualism reigns in the church rather than the conscious and the heart, the spirit is not what is followed, compassion does not rule, it is the following of the letter of the law according to whatever law any group lays claim to.

This time of reflection and repentance should lead us to a better understanding, we will never be perfect of course until that day comes but we can continue to strive towards that perfect love that is in Christ Jesus. There is indeed truly nothing else in Christ Jesus except perfect love. As the Apostle Paul states in the readings from the letter to the Romans; we were once slaves to sin, but now have obeyed from the heart.

If we indeed obey from the heart we should be ever more striving towards that perfect love that can only be found in the Christ Jesus.

Continue this time of repentance and renewal, let us strengthen ourselves in spirit.

Blessings