Attentive to the Word - continued
St. Paul says that if we are a follower of Jesus Christ, we indeed will become a “new person.” St. Paul writes these words to the Ephesians (Chapter 4, v. 21) “If, indeed, you have heard Him and learned in Him what the truth in Jesus is, you will strip yourselves from the former conduct – of the corrupt old man with his deceptive lusts – and you will be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and you will be putting on the new man, the one created God-like in righteousness and holiness for truth.”
The Second Sunday After Pentecost
In the book “Gems From The Sunday Gospels,” the author, Anthony M. Coniaris, relates to us a touching dialogue from the second century. The dialogue was between a Roman pagan philosopher, Celsus and Origen, a Christian philosopher.
Celsus said to Origen, “This Christ came into the world to found a terrible society – for He didn’t call the righteous people or the clever people, but the sinners, the beaten and broken and defeated.” Origen, the Christian scholar, told “That’s true. Christ does call the broken and defeated. He has made us new. He doesn’t leave us broken and defeated. We came to Him greedy and avaricious; He has made us generous. We came to Him impure; He has made us clean. We came to Him hot-tempered; He has made us gentle. We came to Him Godless; and He has filled us with God’s presence.”
When St. Peter came and answered the call of Jesus, He became a changed person. He went from being a fearful and timid follower of Jesus to a brave and determined disciple of Jesus Christ. Alongside with Peter, the other apostles also went through a change in their personalities. In fact, the apostles followed Jesus and became fishers of men. Filled with power from God; the apostles converted thousands to the Church.
Since that time, Memorial Day has become a national holiday to honor the dead of all wars. In 1971, it was declared a national holiday by Congress, which was to be celebrated the last Monday in May. It differs from Veteran's Day, which is observed on November 11, which honors all veterans—the living and the dead.
St. Paul says that if we are a follower of Jesus Christ, we indeed will become a “new person.” St. Paul writes these words to the Ephesians (Chapter 4, v. 21) “If, indeed, you have heard Him and learned in Him what the truth in Jesus is, you will strip yourselves from the former conduct – of the corrupt old man with his deceptive lusts – and you will be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and you will be putting on the new man, the one created God-like in righteousness and holiness for truth.”
GLORY TO JESUS CHRIST!
This Weeks Message
Memorial Day came as a result of the Civil War. This was America's greatest war in the lives that were lost, in the issues and principles at stake, in the fact that it was fought on American soil, and in the results that have come from it.