Day 341: Eternal Weight of Glory (2024)
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Well done. Gosh. Day 341. You made it this far. And we are in Acts of the Apostles, chapter 20. We're reading 2nd letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, chapters 3 through 5. So three chapters today, as well as Proverbs chapter 28, verses 25 to 28. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, 2nd Catholic Edition. I am using the rate

adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year. You can also subscribe to this podcast to receive daily episodes and daily updates. It is day 341. We're reading Acts chapter 20, second Corinthians chapters three, four, and five, as well as Proverbs chapter 28 verses 25 through 28. The Acts of the Apostles chapter 20. Paul goes to Macedonia and Greece.

After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples and having exhorted them, took leave of them and departed from Macedonia. When he had gone through these parts and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. There he spent three months. And when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he determined to return to Macedonia.

So Peter of Beruah, the son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him, and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. These went on and were waiting for us at Troas. But we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread. And in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days. Paul preaches and heals Eutychus in Troas.

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lights in the upper chamber where we were gathered, and a young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. He sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer, and being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent over him, and embracing him said, Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.

and when paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten he conversed with them a long while until daybreak and so departed and they took the lad away alive and were not a little comforted but going ahead to the ship we set sail for assos intending to take paul aboard there for so he had arranged intending himself to go by land

And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mytilene. And sailing from there, we came the following day opposite Chios. The next day we touched at Samos, and the day after that we came to Miletus. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. Paul speaks to the elders of Ephesus. And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they came to him, he said to them,

You yourselves know how I lived among you all the time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which befell me through the plots of the Jews. How I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance to God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

And now behold, I am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit, not knowing what shall befall me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value, nor as precious to myself, if only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now behold, I know that all you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will see my face no more.

Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you guardians to feed the church of the Lord, which he obtained with his own blood.

I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock, and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears.

And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who are with me. In all things, I have shown you that by so toiling, one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive.

And when he had spoken thus, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And they all wept and embraced Paul and kissed him, sorrowing most of all because of the word he had spoken that they should see his face no more. And they brought him to the ship. The second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 3, ministers of the new covenant. Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you?

You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all men. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts.

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us. Our sufficiency is from God, who has qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code, but in the Spirit. For the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Now, if the dispensation of death, carved in letters of stone, came with such splendor that the Israelites could not look on Moses' face because of its brightness fading as this was, will not the dispensation of the Spirit be attended with greater splendor? For if there was splendor in the dispensation of condemnation, the dispensation of righteousness must far exceed it in splendor. Indeed, in this case, what once had splendor has come to have no splendor at all because of the splendor that surpasses it.

For if what faded away came with splendor, what is permanent must have much more splendor. Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not see the end of the fading splendor, but their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted because only through Christ is it taken away.

Yes, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds. But when a man turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. Chapter 4

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word. But by the open statement of the truth, we would commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God.

For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who said, let light shine out of darkness, who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. Treasure in earthen vessels. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed, perplexed, but not driven to despair.

persecuted, but not forsaken, struck down, but not destroyed, always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So, death is at work in us, but life in you.

Since we have the same spirit of faith as he who had wrote, I believed, and so I spoke, we too believe, and so we speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people, it may increase thanksgiving to the glory of God. Living by faith, so we do not lose heart. Though our outer man is wasting away, our inner man is being renewed every day.

For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Because we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. Chapter 5 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

Here indeed we groan and long to put on our heavenly dwelling, so that by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent we sigh with anxiety, not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are of good courage. And we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive good or evil according to what he has done in the body. The Ministry of Reconciliation

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you cause to be proud of us, so that you may be able to answer those who pride themselves on a man's position and not on his heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. If we are in our right mind, it is for you.

For the love of Christ urges us on because we are convinced that one has died for all, therefore all have died. And he died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died for their sake and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh, even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.

We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin so that in him, we might become the righteousness of God. The book of Proverbs chapter 28, verses 25 through 28. A greedy man stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the Lord will be enriched. He who trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered. He who gives to the poor will not want,

but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse. When the wicked rise, men hide themselves, but when they perish, the righteous increase. Father in heaven, we give you praise. We thank you so much for this day. We thank you for a new day, a new word that you share with us. We thank you so much for the grace that you pour out on us. We ask you, please Lord, to come and meet us with your blessings. Come and meet us with your mercy that is new every single day. We ask that you also

Like you, showing your glory upon Moses and transformed his face. Give us your Holy Spirit that as we are in your presence, we look more and more like you. That we come to share more and more in your glory. We come to share more and more in a heart like yours, in a mind like yours, in a will that is conformed to yours. As often as we hear your word, Lord God, we ask you to please.

Help us to become more like you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. So, oh my gosh, Acts of the Apostles, action-packed, more like it, Action of the Apostles Pact. So, Paul's on the move. And so, here he is in Troas. On the first day of the week, he says in chapter 20, verse 7, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them. Now, to break bread, this is code. Whenever there is that in the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament, it's

that gathering on the Lord's Day, gathering to break bread, the breaking of the bread and prayers, this is code for the Mass. And so here is St. Paul, and here are the Christians gathered together to say Mass, to participate in the Eucharist, holy sacrifice of the Mass. And Paul preaches a little longer than maybe...

maybe then people appreciate it. The young man, Eutychus, is falling asleep during his sermon, and that gives, I think, a lot of comfort to a lot of preachers who may have put some people to sleep in their time. And yet,

The grace, of course, here is not just that Eutychus fell asleep because Paul was preaching so late into the night, but that also Paul bent over him, embraced him and said, did not be alarmed for his life is in him. Here is Paul. We talked about this before that Peter, he almost like recapitulates the life of Jesus in his life.

where he is healing like Jesus healed, and he's preaching like Jesus preached, and there's conversions like Jesus was able to rot, to ring, to bring about. And here's St. Paul, similar, very similar, where Paul is doing a lot of what Jesus did. And this is the message for all Christians, is that the disciple does not become greater than the master, but the disciple is supposed to become like the master. And so we pray like Jesus prayed, and we try to live like Jesus lived, and we try to have that same spirit that dwelt inside Jesus, that raised him from the dead.

And that here, Paul was able to participate in and raise the young Eutychus from the dead as well. One of the things that I just think is really powerful in chapter 20 is verse 23. In verse 23, it says that, you know, Paul's traveling around. He says, he gives this address to the elders of the church at Ephesus. He says, you know how I've lived and everything. And he says, here's what's happening. Behold, I'm going to Jerusalem. This is verse 22. Bound in the spirit, not knowing what shall befall me there, except...

This is verse 23, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. And that's just, there is something so powerful about hearing St. Paul say this. He's saying that, no, I realize that following after Jesus Christ and doing his work

isn't bringing me worldly peace, isn't bringing me worldly comfort, isn't bringing me all this success. I know that what awaits me is imprisonment and afflictions. And he doesn't blame God for that. He doesn't get mad at God about this. It goes on in verse 24. He says, but I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself. If only I may accomplish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And that is

It's so good for all of us who, you know, sometimes we can get it into our heads that if I follow Jesus, it's going to be an easy road. If I follow Jesus, then what are these obstacles doing here? And yet here is St. Paul who is saying that just he has the heart of the master, right? He has the heart of Jesus himself. Jesus who knew that he was going to experience persecution. He knew he was going to experience torture and death in Jerusalem. And nonetheless, he set his face like flint.

toward Jerusalem. And here's Paul doing the same thing, knowing that certain death, at least imprisonment and affliction awaited him. And he still set his face like Flint towards that destination. At the end of this chapter, we have something that's just such a insight into who Paul was. You know, Paul, he writes these fiery letters sometimes, you know, in first Corinthians, like these fiery letters to the Galatians. And yet the people loved him because he loved them so well.

At the end of chapter 20, verse 36, as St. Paul is basically saying, you're never going to see me again. He says, when he had spoken thus, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And they all wept and embraced Paul and kissed him, sorrowing most of all because of the word he had spoken that they should see his face no more.

And there's something so powerful about that, that I know that we can have this maybe cold and antiseptic view of St. Paul, especially because he just sometimes he can rub people the wrong way. I think, you know, I know he's rubbed me the wrong way at times, but nonetheless, he loved them and they knew that they were loved by him. They loved him back. And so this is why they're here. They are weeping at the idea that they would never be able to see him again in this life.

And that, again, it's a message for all of us, that sense of the people that we are here to care for, that God wants us to take care of.

am I loving them the way they should be loved? Would they weep if this was the last time they saw me? And I think of that a lot of times because I know I've worked with different pastors. I've worked different priests and whatnot. And sometimes one of the, this is a little inside baseball right now. One of my thoughts was at times I know being like the visiting priest or the guest priest and the pastor is away and the staff's like, oh, we can relax now because father's away. And

And I remember thinking, I guess, is that always how it is? Is that how it has to be? That when the pastor's away, the people can relax? Does that mean that they're on alert when he's present? Does that have to be the case? And I've been so honored by my students and by the missionaries that I work with because there are so many times when I have to go away. And even if it's for a day, I'll come back and they'll say, ah, we missed you. And I think, oh my gosh, Lord, thank you. Like I'm blessed in a way that I don't deserve.

that they're not saying, good, he's gone. Maybe they'd say that behind my back. I don't know. But I don't think they do. They're saying, we're so glad that you're back. We hated that you were gone from us for even a day. And I just feel like,

Wow, I'm participating a little bit in what St. Paul experienced in just being loved by the people of Ephesus. Again, that's not about me. I mean it more in the lines of for us who serve those, whether you serve as a parent or serve as a boss or serve as a pastor in any way or shape or form. I don't know. I wonder if we should have that kind of relationship with those people that we serve that serve

They miss us when we're gone instead of they're relieved when we're gone. And I'm sure there's probably a ton of people who are relieved when I'm gone, but that's what I'm striving for, to be like St. Paul, that people, they know they're loved, I guess. Maybe that's what I'm trying to say. That was a random tangent. I apologize for that because St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians is beautiful. I'm just going to be brief about this. St. Paul, oh gosh, he says, he talks about the first dispensation, the old covenant and the new covenant.

And how, here's Moses. Remember, we talked about Moses. We read about, heard about Moses. How when he went into the tabernacle to visit with the Lord, his face was transformed, so transformed that he had to put a veil over his face. And here's St. Paul saying, okay, that was the old covenant. Here is the new and complete, the everlasting covenant. Should not we be more and more transformed into God's likeness? In fact, I love, oh my gosh. Chapter three, verse 17. Now the Lord is the spirit and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. This is incredible line.

Verse 18, and we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the spirit unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another. Another translation is from glory to glory. And it's just so incredible. And yet at the same time, St. Paul goes right from there into, therefore we hold these treasures in earthen vessels.

And there's a song from when I was a kid that was about the earthen vessels. I never knew what it was talking about, but basically it's talking about, we have the most incredible gift that has ever been given, the gift of eternal life, the gift of the gospel, the gift of God's grace. And yet we hold it in clay pots. We hold it in stuff that's basically, here's St. Paul saying, I have the most incredible message in the world, but I am not the most incredible messenger. I hold the most incredible treasure in the world, but I'm holding it in a very ordinary container.

That we hold these treasures in earthen vessels. And so it's not about us, the ones who are holding the treasure. It's about the treasure. It's about the apostolate, right? It's about the work. And it's so good. The last thing I just want to highlight is St. Paul in chapter 5.

He says, yeah, we know that the outer man is wasting away. We know that we're going to die. We know that we're in suffering. And he says, this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. One of my favorite essays in the world is an essay entitled The Weight of Glory by a young man named C.S. Lewis for this slight momentary affliction.

is preparing us for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen, but the things that are unseen. It goes on to say, therefore, and this is chapter five, verse six, it says, therefore, we are always of good courage.

We know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. We are of good courage in verse 8. We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive good or evil according to what he has done in the body. We know that we are judged upon what we do.

It's one of the reasons why we affirm that we are saved by grace through faith, working itself out in love. Again, the whole thing. We are saved by grace, free gift, through faith, right? Our response to God's gift, working itself out in love, knowing that we'll be judged on our actions. And that is something that all of us, well, I know myself, just need to say, Lord, make me more like you. I want to love like you. I want to live like you. And that's why, you know, we keep coming back to God's word. Lord, help me to love like you. Help me to live like you.

And so I'm praying for you. I'm praying for you that you continue to love like Jesus and to live like Jesus. Please pray for me that I can love like Jesus and that I can live like Jesus. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.