OUR SAVIOR

On the day of the Meeting of the Lord, an encounter occurred between the Old and New Testaments. Old Testament humanity--in the person of the Elder Symeon and the Prophetess Anna--saw with it's own eyes, in the Person of the Child Jesus, the realization of all its expectations and the meaning of its own existence. Old Testament humanity, although it was not deprived of Divine Revelation concerning the meaning of life and even had communion with God to a limited extent, all the same, became increasingly more conscious of the limited degree of this communion. This humanity, through its best representatives, thirsted for something greater, and unto these people--the best of the Old Testament--God gradually revealed that in the future the fullness of good and the fullness of communion with God would be given, so that the spiritual thirst of humanity would be satisfied. Gradually, to the ancient prophets was revealed the mystery concerning the future appearance of the Messiah, the special Anointed of God, the Bearer of Supreme Truth.

People understood and conceived of the image of the future Redeemer in different ways. Of course, the Jews, correctly considering themselves to be the chosen people, saw in the Messiah their Saviour from those historical calamities that had overtaken them; but many of them also understood that the future Messiah would be the Possessor of Supreme Truth and even a Man who would suffer for the Truth. Based upon what Symeon himself said, it is possible to think that he expected both from the Messiah. But what exactly he waited for is not even so important as the fact that he thirsted for the appearing of the Messiah. Old Testament Symeon lived by this expectation, and in this expectation he lived not for himself, but for his people, God's people. It is hard to doubt that it was exactly because of the special intensity of his Messianic expectations, in which his spiritual life was expressed, that Symeon was chosen to receive a special Revelation. And this was a great revelation, a revelation above measure; it cut short the life of Symeon himself, because the life of the Old Testament--the fullness of which Symeon lived by--ended. Such a death could only be joyful, because in it was revealed the meaning of all life. The words of Symeon himself--"Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart , . ." -was, as it were, the Old Testament 'It is finished!"; the 'it is finished!" which the Crucified Messiah Himself said in the New Testament. In the one and the other "it is finished!", there was great joy, in spite of the fact that death followed in each case after these words. The joy consists in the fact that there is Meaning in the world. Moreover, from the words of Symeon we know that this meaning can be revealed to others also; it is revealed before the face of all peoples and is the glory of the people of Israel and the world--even for pagans.

Previous Next Random List Chat Join "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

Year 2000 computer bug is focus of Bucks church group's prayers Some Christians have seized on the Year 2000 (Y2K) computer bug as a prophetic sign, warning that technological meltdowns will come as sure evidence of the impending Last Days. Other conservative Christians reject that doomsday reading -- but are worrying and praying about the bug as a down-to-earth problem. In that latter camp is the Central Bucks Evangelical Churches, a loose association of 16 churches. Like other ministeriums, it plans to offer seminars to help members understand the situation and make prudent preparations. And it is attacking the problem spiritually. On Thursday, the coalition will hold what may be the first Y2K prayer gatherings in the area. The purpose is threefold, said Pastor Dan Collison of Doylestown Community Fellowship: To pray that officials deal promptly with the bug; "that truthfulness reign" in the information given the public; and that elderly and dependent people not be abandoned in the event of widespread panic. There will be two prayer gatherings, both in Doylestown: at 1 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 311 W. State St., and at 7 p.m. at Main Street Baptist Church, 59 S. Main St. For information, call Pastor Collison at 215-918-0319. Farewell by bishop Camden Catholic Bishop James T. McHugh will give his farewell homily to the diocese tomorrow when he celebrates a Mass of Thanksgiving at St. Agnes Church in Blackwood. Last month, Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop McHugh to be coadjutor bishop of the 1.4-million-member Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y. His 10-year tenure as Camden bishop continues until Feb. 21, but this will be his last Mass for the diocese as a whole. The service begins at 2 p.m. at the church, 701 Little Gloucester Rd. An informal reception follows. Pastoral care workshop Caregivers, both clergy and laypersons, often find themselves "in situations that demand more of them than they realized," says the Rev. Pam Holliman, director of the Samaritan Counseling Center in Ambler. Ms. Holliman will address that problem during "Why Do I Feel So Bad When I'm Doing Good?" It is one of six workshops that the center is sponsoring with Women of Faith, a task force of the Metropolitan Christian Council of Philadelphia. The $12 workshop will be held at the First Presbyterian Church, 35 W. Chelten Ave., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. next Saturday. For information, call 215-563-7854. Jewish cram courses This weekend and next will see an extravaganza of Jewish communal mini-courses. The programs, known as kallahs, draw hundreds of people to one-night classes on dozens of secular and spiritual topics. Three kallahs will take place next Saturday at 7 p.m. The Kallah of the Bux-Mont Jewish Community will be at Upper Dublin High School, Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. For information, call 215-646-6010. The Bucks County Jewish Community Kallah will be at Bucks County Community College, Swamp Road, Newtown. Call 215-579-9300. The Jewish Community Kallah of Chester and Delaware Counties will be at the Desmond Hotel, One Liberty Blvd., Malvern. Call 610-356-9850. Tonight at 7, Temple Beth Hillel/Beth El in Wynnewood will present a similar program, its annual public Torathon, with nearly two dozen speakers. The synagogue is at Lancaster Avenue and Remington Rd. For information, call 610-649-5300. Celtic spirituality There's more to Ireland than leprechauns and shamrocks -- notably, a rich spiritual heritage reaching back beyond the arrival of Christianity in the sixth century. As Mary Gindhart of the Philadelphia Grail Center points out, the feast of St. Brigid (Feb. 1) was when Irish farmers began to ready their fields for plowing. And the feast of St. Patrick nearly coincides with the spring equinox. "There's a lot . . . about the Earth . . . that comes out of the ancient Celtic tradition," Gindhart says, "and when Christianity came into contact with that, it became a part of [ Irish ] Christianity." The link these two saints form between Christianity and the ancient Celtic nature religion will be celebrated at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Grail Center. Reflections will be shared, as well as songs, poems and stories handed down through the centuries. The ecumenical women's center is at 5401 Woodcrest Ave. A $10 donation is suggested. For information, call 215-477-4348.

LINKS

WE  SHALL NOT FORGET THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME
THOU SHALT NOT WORSHIP ANY GRABEN IMAGE
THOU SHALT NOT TAKE GODS NAME IN VAIN
REMEMBER  THE SABBATH
KEEP IT HOLLY
HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER
THOU SHALT NOT KILL
THOU SHELT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY
THOU SHALT NOT  STEAL
THOU SHELT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS
THOU SHALT NOT COVET


1.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass
away. (Spoken by Jesus.)
--Matthew 24:35

2.  Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread
alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
--Matthew 4:4

3.  "What about you?" Jesus asked. "Who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the
living God."
--Matthew 16:15-16

4.  Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not
hinder them for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as
these."
--Matthew 19:14

5.  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask
or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
to him be glory in church and in Christ Jesus throughout all
generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
--Ephesians 3:20-21

6.  He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus.
--Philippians 1:6

7
Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by
your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for
you.
--Jeremiah 32:17

8.  .  (Jesus said) "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my
love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in
his love."
--John 15:10

9.  Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent
and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
--James 1:21

10.
In Christ, all the fullness of the Deity lives bodily form, and
you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over
every power and authority.
--Colossians 2:9-10

11. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is
flawless. he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
--Psalm 18:30

12. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your
name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted
above all things your name and your word.
--Psalm 138:2
 
13. I love the Lord, he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as
I live.

--Psalm 116:1-2

14.    Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make
them stumble.
--Psalm 119:165

15.   Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify
ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit,
perfecting holiness out reverence for God.

--2 Corinthians 7:1

16.  If we live, we live to the Lord: and if we die, we die to the
Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

--Romans 14:8

17.  These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness,
the ruler of God's creation. "Here I am! I stand at the door
and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will
come in and eat with him, and he with me.

--Revelation 3:14 and 20

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