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Themes:
Acts: Matthias; The Apostolic Church
1 John: Mutual Love and its motivation; God is Love; Eros, Agape, Filia, the Eucharist
John: Jesus pray for His Church
Acts
1:15-17,20a, 20c-26
"Then they gave lots to
them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the eleven
Apostles."
1 John 4:11-16
"Beloved, if God so
loved us, we also must love (one another."
"This is how we know
that we remain in Him and He in us, that He has given us of His Holy
Spirit."
"God is love, and
whoever remains in love, remains in God and God in him."
John 17:11b-19
"Holy Father, keep them
in Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one just as we are
one."
"As You sent Me into the
world, so I send them into the world.
And I consecrate Myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated
in truth."
Pope Benedict XVI: “Fundamentally, “love” is a single reality, but with different dimensions; at different times, one or other dimension may emerge more clearly.” (“God is Love” #8)
Themes:
Acts: The Baptism of Jesus
John: Being alone with the
Father; Conquering the world
Acts
19: 1-8 Journey 3: Ephesus:
They never heard of the Holy Spirit!
"Did you receive the Holy
Spirit when became believers?"
Confirmation
"And when Paul laid his hands
on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and
prophesied."
John
16: 29-33 - The Last Supper:
Their Faith to be tested
"Do you believe now? Behold the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered...."
Victory and Courage
"In the world you will have
trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world."
Questions:
Acts
20:17-27 Journey
3: at the port city of Melitus, Paul’s farewell to the Church of Ephesus
Warning of the Holy Spirit
"But
now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.
What
will happen to me there I do not know, except that in one city after another
the Holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await
me."
His Conscience
"And
so I solemnly declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood
of any of you, for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of
God."
John
17:1-11a - The Last Supper:
The Hour of His Glory and Eternal Life
"Father the hour has
come. Give glory to Your Son, so that
Your son may glorify You, so that Your Son may give life to all you gave
Him. Now this is eternal life, that they
should know You, the only true God, and the One whom sent, Jesus Christ."
The focus of His prayers
"I do not pray for the world
but for the ones You gave Me."
Acts 20: 28-38 Journey 3: Continuation of Paul’s
farewell to "Presbyters" of Ephesus
A Final Warning
”Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole
flock of which the Holy Spirit has
appointed you overseers, in which you tend the Church of God that He has
acquired with His blood."
A quotation of Christ not found in the
Gospel narrations
"It is more blessed to give than to receive."
John
17:11b-19 Last
Supper: Jesus prays for His Apostles
Unity
"Holy
Father, keep them in Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one
just as We are one."
In the world
"I
do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the
Evil One.
Consecration
"Consecrate
them in truth."
Mission
"As
you sent Me into the world, so I send them into the world."
Acts
22: 30-23:11 - Paul before the Sanhedrin at Jerusalem:
He requests trial at Rome
"My brothers, I am a
Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I am
on trial for hope in the Resurrection of the dead."
Our Lord appears
"Take courage. For just as you have bourn witnesses to My
cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome."
John
17:20-26 Last
Supper:
Prayer for unity of believers
"I pray not
only for these, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word,
so that they may all be one..."
The Father's gift
"Father,
they are Your gift to Me.
Love
"I made known to them Your
name and I will make it known, that the
love with which You loved Me may be in them and I in them."
Acts
25:13-21
Caesarea:
Festus briefs Agrippa on Paul
"And when Paul appealed that
he be held in custody for the Emperor's decision, I ordered him held until I
could send him to Caesar."
John
21:15-19
Peter's punishment and commission
"Simon, Son of John, do you
love Me?" "Feed My
lambs." "Tend My sheep." "Feed My sheep."
Peter's
death foretold
Amen, amen, I say to you, when you
were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted, but when you
grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you, and
lead you where you do not want to do."
Acts 28:16-20,30-31 - Journey
4: Rome:
Paul explains why he is on trial
"This is the reason, then, I
have requested to see you and to speak with you, for it is on account of the hope
of Israel that I wear these chains."
End of the Acts
"He remained for two full
years in his lodgings. He received all who came to him, and with complete
assurance and without hindrance he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught
about the Lord Jesus Christ."
John
21:20-25 - after the
Resurrection at the Lake of Tiberias
John and Peter
"What if I want him to remain
until I come? What concern is that of
yours? You follow Me."
The end of John’s Gospel
"There are also many other things that
Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the
whole world would contain the books that would be written."