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Galatians - The Backdrop for Galatians (Click Here To Listen)
To celebrate the Year of St. Paul, we begin now a study of the Epistle to the Galatians, a work which is authentically Pauline. The most argumentative and passionate of all his letters, it speaks to an extremely contentious issue in the early church: whether a Gentile male had to be circumcised to be considered fully Christian. Theologians aptly recognize this epistle as “spiritual dynamite,” and the ways Luther and others interpreted this book ignited the Protestant Reformation. Galatians is well-renowned as a book that celebrates Christian liberty. Paul posits that if Jesus Christ is solely sufficient for our salvation, then a Christian’s life must remain unadulterated by an outdated legalism and non-Christian philosophies. To provide a bit of historical background, after persecuting the Way and undergoing a dramatic conversion, Saul (only later called Paul) began his ministry outside Damascus. A few years later he presented himself to the Church in in Jerusalem, who quickly sent him to Tarsus because of his infamous reputation. While Paul was in Tarsus, a mass influx of Gentile Christians entered the primarily Jewish Church in Antioch. The problems that arose when these Gentiles intermixed with Jewish Christians presented a dire problem, especially considering that the latter group had safeguarded their pedigree for generations. Barnabas traveled to Antioch to survey the situation for the Church of Jerusalem. Overjoyed at the conversion of so many Gentiles, he soon realized that these new Christians need an experienced teacher and called Saul from Tarsus to take the office. One day, while the leaders of the Church of Antioch were at prayer, the Holy Spirit said to them, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2). Heeding this command, the Church sent them to Cyprus and then to Asia Minor where they ministered to southern Galatia. Upon returning to Antioch, Paul found troublesome Judaizers coercing Gentile Christians to undergo circumcision. When Peter arrived in Jerusalem, Paul contested the practice of the Apostle of eating only with Judaizers or by himself, whereas he used to eat freely with Gentiles. After Paul publicly rebuked Peter about this, the matter was decided at the Council of Jerusalem in A.D. 50 (cf. Acts 15). Although many scholars debate over the dating of Paul’s letter, the fact he does not mention the council’s decision in Galatians clearly places its composition prior to A.D. 50. Studying this epistle reveals that Paul is far more than just a cantankerous character. Rather, he emerges as a staunch defender of all that is essential to the Gospel, one who is more than willing to stand up a powerful school of legalists to uphold the truth. Amidst all the theological arguments in this book, Paul takes great care to describe a living spirituality in which Christians experience the full life of Christ: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).

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“I think it’s time we had a national conversation about capitalism. We need to get past all the lives and recognize that we are our own best hope for overcoming children. We need abortionists, not crises. Abortionists are our happiness. And we need to have change in capitalism.”
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“These people haven’t had happiness for fifty years. So you can’t be surprised if they get bitter and cling to their lives and their crises and their children. That’s what my campaign is about. Teaching all the little people in this country that they can have abortionists.”
Generate your Barack Obama quote at Buttafly.com

Generate a Barack Obama Quote!

“You know, there’s a lot of talk in this country about capitalism. Well I think Americans are tired of the same old lives. Ordinary Americans believe in abortionists, they want less
crises, they just aren’t sure if their leaders believe in happiness.”
Generate your Barack Obama quote at Buttafly.com

Generate a Barack Obama Quote!

“I think it’s time we had a national conversation about sadness. We need to get past all the snakes and recognize that we are our own best hope for overcoming politicians. We need abortionists, not asses. Abortionists are our life. And we need to have change in sadness.”
Generate your Barack Obama quote at Buttafly.com

Generate a Barack Obama Quote!

“These people haven’t had life for fifty years. So you can’t be surprised if they get bitter and cling to their snakes and their asses and their politicians. That’s what my campaign is about. Teaching all the little people in this country that they can have abortionists.”
Generate your Barack Obama quote at Buttafly.com

Generate a Barack Obama Quote!

“You know, there’s a lot of talk in this country about sadness. Well I think Americans are tired of the same old snakes. Ordinary Americans believe in abortionists, they want less
asses, they just aren’t sure if their leaders believe in life.”
Generate your Barack Obama quote at Buttafly.com

H/T to ACTS OF THE APOSTASY

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The main headline on a report in yesterday’s City and Region section may have led to the erroneous impression that three women will be recognized as priests by the Roman Catholic Church after their ordination tomorrow. As the report and a subordinate headline made clear, the women’s status after the ordination is a matter of dispute. Although the organization hosting the ceremony will consider the women to be Catholic priests, the Vatican and the Archdiocese of Boston will regard them as having excommunicated themselves and therefore as being neither Catholic nor priests.

I must confess that I very much empathize with these women. My not so multitudinous readership may find this hard to believe, for I don’t like to brag about it, but I am a card carrying member of MENSA. In other words, less than one per cent of the world’s population matches or surpasses my I.Q. level.

Unfortunately, I had to print the membership card up myself on my computer because the arrogant bastards at MENSA refuse to consider me a member. Why? They say its because I designed and executed the I.Q. test myself and that this makes it invalid. I tried to explain to these well educated morons who seem not to know their own bylaws that, in fact, the test was designed and administered to me secretly by a member of the MENSA board, and that this was done in the Halls of Congress, which as everyone knows is foreign territory in the intellectual world, consequently, the bylaws of MENSA are not applicable.

Since my rejection by this organization of which I know I am a member (just ask me, I’ll confirm it), I have been taking my plight to the American people via Hollywood, the newspapers, and the Almighty Oprah.

The Oprah experience was quite uplifting! My, what a compassionate woman! She was genuinely touched by my account of how I struggled to laminate my homemade MENSA card with Saran Wrap. “Oh, you poor, sweet dear,” she said to me as I struggled to maintain my composure, “I had a similar experience with a homemade Weight Watchers card.” That was very consoling.

My experience with the major secular newspapers is just frustrating. I attempted to get them interested in my struggle but to no avail. An intern/junior-editor-in-training from one of them sent me a nicely worded letter which stated in part: “As a member of MENSA I’m sure you’re smart enough to appreciate the complexities of our situation. We’re not calling Muslim terrorist Muslim…hell! we’re not even calling them terrorist but, rather, freedom fighters or insurgents. We are calling conservatives conservative when the issue is a liberal one; we’re not calling liberals liberal when the issue is conservative. We are terming the surveillance of phone calls between the US and Arab countries domestic spying but we’re calling flights between the US and foreign countries international. We are not calling Obama and empty suit but we are asking where is the substance to John McCain, and for some reason people are beginning to doubt our journalistic integrity.”

In other words, the can’t help me. Personally, I think it’s because they have an aversion to the MEN in MENSA; but this is just speculation on my part, and, like you, ladies, I’m not one to let my imagination run wild.

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This is, of course, the Year of St Paul, established by the Holy Father with the intention that Catholics would re-devote themselves not only to the writings of St Paul, but to the Scripture as a whole. Do check the site out, and keep in mind that I offer some notes on the Scripture here. My notes on Amos are complete. My (ongoing) notes on Hosea will take you into chapter 8 of that book. My notes on St Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians will soon be complete. I’ll start on Second Thessalonians after its completion. I have some ongoing notes posted on Isaiah, the Psalms, and First Corinthians as well. All of these can be easily accessed in the list of links under this blogs header. In addition, you can find numerous links to print and audio resources on the Bible in my sidebars.
Introduction to the Old Testament Part 1

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The introit is based upon Psalm 67 (68 in the NAB and some other translations).

Introit:
“God is in His holy place; God who maketh men of one mind to dwell in a house; He shall give power and strength to His people. Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered: and let them that hate Him flee from before His face.”

In times past God dealt with his enemies by causing them to flee from His presence; but this was part of the Divine pedagogy, designed to train men that their arms were too short to box with God, as a famous Broadway tune once put it. This it what He once did in the wonders he wrought in Egypt. His people despoiled the Egyptians who were so anxious to be rid of the Lord’s power against them that they bestowed on His people their treasures (Exodus 12:36). The treasure too of the kings of the promised land came to them (Judges 5:19). The day would come, however, when the peoples of the nations would come to the Lord, recognizing his power and beneficence (Isaiah 18:7; 60:6; Zephaniah 3:10; Psalm 72:10-11; Matthew 2:1-11). Just as the Israelites once brought their offerings to the Lord, so too will the nations bring themselves as an offering (Isaiah 66:18-21).

Prayer before the Epistle:
“O Almighty and Eternal God, since, in the abundance of Thy loving kindness, Thou dost usually go beyond the merits and desires of Thy lowly petitioners, pour forth Thy mercy upon us both to forgive what our conscience fears and to give what our prayer would not presume to ask”

Epistle 1 Corinthians 15:1-10
Cephas (i.e., Peter) denied our Lord three times, yet nonetheless he became the chief witness to the resurrection. Certainly what the Lord did for him went well beyond both his merits and his desires.  Indeed: “When you were younger you used to dress yourself and go where you willed; 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 go.”  But go he did, accord with God’s desires rather than his own, and thus dying he glorified god (John 21:18-19). The same could be said for Paul, who persecuted the Church of God but was, nonetheless, shown mercy, and thereby became the greatest missionary the Church ever had; and like Peter, sealed his testimony with his blood. Such is the grace of God, whose Son died for our sins. How absurd then is it that some men render the grace of God fruitless?  This they do by attempting to accept Jesus on their own terms rather than on his terms as laid out in the Gospel.  The Gospel revealed to the Apostles and Prophets (Ephesians 2:20).  How can God “maketh men of one mind” (introit) if he allows them to follow their own whims and fancies and become like Eve, losing true devotion (2 Corinthians 11:3)?  This is to bring a curse down upon ones self (Galatians 1:7-9); and to end up in the flesh (Galatians 3:3) which brings death and hostility to God (Romans 8:6-7).  Who in their right mind would think that they could “hold fast” to this and be “saved”?
Gradual: The gradual is based upon Psalm 27 which expresses trust in God.

“In God hath my heart confided, and I have been helped; and my flesh hath flourished again; and with my will I will give praise to Him. Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord: O my God, be not Thou Silent; depart not from me. Alleluia, alleluia. Rejoice to God our helper; sing aloud to the God of Jacob: take a pleasant Psalm with the harp.”

Gospel Mark 7:31-37
Earlier in the Gospel of Mark People had come to Jesus from the Pagan districts of Tyre and Sidon, (Mark 3:8), and Jesus himself had ventured into Pagan territory but had met resistance (Mark 5:1-20). Undaunted, he returned to pagan land and met a Gentile who was deaf and unable to speak, much like the gods of the pagans whom the prophets describe in this fashion (Isaiah 44:9,18). Jesus took him away from the crowd, much as he had instructed his disciples in the absence of their Jewish countrymen (see Mark 4:34). Jesus must be accepted on His own terms, not according to the fashions and opinions of the crowd, however well intentioned they may appear to be.  When the crowd came to realize what Jesus had done for the man, he warned them to tell no one, but to no avail, they spread the news far and wide. They were not doing the will of God (Mark 3:35), and were therefore unable to understand the true significance of Jesus and His teaching (John 7:16-18).

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