Holy Prophet Elisha (9th c. BC). Our Holy Father Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople (847).
Apostles’ Fast. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.
Romans 11:25-36. Matthew 12:1-8.
Read Romans 11:25-36
It was time to get a new barbeque for the backyard. We went to the store and purchased one that would meet our needs and our budget. We got that huge heavy box out of the car and into the backyard. I got my toolbox and was set to put it together. How hard could it be?
I read through the instructions first so that I would understand the process and ensure that I did not mess up in any way. It took me just over two and a half hours to get it together. Why? Well, as I was assembling that thing, that beast of a BBQ, I figured that the production must have made some mistakes in the instruction manual – it didn’t make sense – so I made some assumptions and adjustments which I thought made it better. I ended up with seven extra bolts and two pieces that didn’t go anywhere. And now, the barbeque won’t work for me.
One last bit to this story. My neighbour, well, the guy who lived next door for whom I had little respect, was watching the whole time and offered many suggestions during my building including looking at the manual every so often. I just ignored him. He eventually came over and fixed my mess. I’m having him and his family come over to enjoy the first meal from the barbeque!
In the selection of Paul’s Roman epistle, he is explaining that as many of the Jews remain in unbelief about Jesus Christ, the Gentiles are now being united with those Jews who do believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and together they form the true Israel, what the Lord intended from the beginning.
Why was there so many unbelieving Jews? Well, perhaps they, too, took the Lord’s plan and adjusted it to meet what they thought best and thus blinding them from the Lord’s bigger picture. The whole purpose of Israel as God’s chosen people was to be a light to the Gentiles, to reveal the one true God so full of love and mercy, so that all the world may know and worship Him. With the coming of the Messiah, this is now fulfilled and the true Israel about which Paul writes is the Church.
Do I live my life so as to reveal our loving and compassionate Lord?