Transcript of Day 348: Rules for the New ... | Happy Scribe (2024)

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Hi, my name is Father Mike.

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Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a.

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Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of scripture.

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The Bible in a Year podcast is.

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Brought to you by Ascension.

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Using the great adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that.

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Story today. It's date 348.

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We're reading Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 27, as well as the second half of St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians, Chapters four, five, and six, as well as, in addition to, Brawrip, Chapter 29:22-24. As always, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the revised standard version, second Catholic edition.

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I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download.

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Your own Bible.

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In a year.

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Reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress. Com/biblein a year. I'm warning you, unless you subscribe, I'm going to stop asking. I'm going to stop asking. I'll give you two more weeks, give or take, and then I'm done. Then I'm done asking. Maybe three weeks, that's it. Then I'll never ask again. If you want to subscribe, though, you can, and you're free to do that. You're also free not to do it because you know what? You got this far without subscribing. Why give up that streak now? Here we are. It's Day 3:48. We're reading Acts 27, Ephesians 4:5-6, and Proverbs 29:22-24. The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 27.

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Paul sails for Rome. When it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustine cohort named Julius. Embarking in a ship of Atrimetrium, which was about to the ports along the Coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by.

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Aristarcus, a Macedonia from Thessalonica.

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The next day, we put in at Cidon, and Julius treated.

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Paul kindly and.

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Gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. Putting to sea from there, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus.

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Because the winds were against us.

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When we had sailed across the sea, which is off Silesia and Pemphylia, we came to Myra and Lysia. There, the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty of sonitis. As the wind did not allow us to go on, we sailed onto the lee of Crete, off Salmoney. Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fairhavens, near which was the city of La Silla. As much time had.

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Been lost.

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And the voyage was already dangerous.

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Because the fast had already gone by.

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Paul advised.

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Them saying, Sir.

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I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of cargo and the ship, but also of our lives. But the Centurion paid more attention to the captain and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. And because the harbor was not suitable to Winter Inn, the majority advised to put to sea from there on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, looking northeast and southeast and winter there. The storm at sea. And when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close in shore. But soon, a tempestuous wind called the Northeaster struck down from the land. And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven. And running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the boat. After hoisting it up, they took measures to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they should run on the certus, they lowered the gear and so were driven. As we were violently stormtossed, they began next day to throw the cargo overboard.

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The third day, they cast out with their own hands the tackle of the ship. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many a day and no small tempest lay on us. All hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. As they had been long without food, Paul then came forward among them and said, Men, you should have listened to me and should not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. I now bid you take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night, there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship. He said, Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand.

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Before Caesar.

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And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you. So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we shall have to run on some island. When the 14th night had come, as we were drifting across the sea of Adrian, about midnight.

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The sailors.

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Suspected that they were nearing land. They sounded and found 20 fathoms.

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A little farther on.

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They sounded again and found 15 fathoms.

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Fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let out four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. As the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship and had lowered the boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved. Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat.

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And let it go.

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As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, Today is the 14th day that you have continued in suspense and without food having taken nothing.

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Therefore, I urge you to take some food. It will give you strength since not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you. When he had said this, he took bread and giving thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat. Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves. We were in all 276.

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Persons in the ship.

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And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.

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The shipwreck.

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Now.

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When it was day.

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They did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach on.

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Which they.

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Planned, if possible, to bring the ship ashore. They cast off the anchors and.

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Left them.

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In the sea, at the same time, loosening the ropes that tied the rudders, then hoisting the for sale to the wind they made for the beach. But, striking a shole, they ran the vessel aground. The bow struck and remained immovable, and the stern was broken up by the surf. The soldier's plan was to kill the prisoners lest any should swim away and escape. But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept.

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Them from carrying out their purpose.

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He ordered those who could swim to throw themselves overboard first and make for the land, and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all escaped to land. The letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians.

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Chapter four.

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Unity in the.

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Body of Christ.

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I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. There is one body and.

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One spirit.

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Just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore, it is said, when he ascended on high, he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men, too. In saying he ascended, what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens that he might fill all things. And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God. To mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the cunning of men, by their craftiness and deceitful wiles.

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Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love. The old life.

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And the new.

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Now this I affirm and.

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Testify in the Lord.

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That you must no longer walk as the Gentiles walk in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every uncleanness. You did not so learn Christ, assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him as the truth is in Jesus. Put off the old man that belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your minds and put on the new man created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness, rules for the new life. Therefore, putting away falsehood, let everyone speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry, but do not sin. Do not let the son go down on your anger and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands so that he might be able to give to those in need.

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Let no evil talk come out of your mouth.

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Thatsiths.

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But only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion that it may impart grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you with all malice and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God and Christ forgave you.

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Chapter 5.

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Therefore, the imitators of God, as beloved children and walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us a fragrance offering and sacrifice to God.

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Renounced Pagan ways.

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But immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you as is fitting among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor silly talk nor levity, which are not fitting, but instead, let there be thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no immoral or impure man or one who is covetous.

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That is.

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An idolator, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

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Let no one deceive you.

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With empty words, for it is because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not associate with them. For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them, for it is a shame even to speak of the things that they do in secret, but when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.

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Therefore, it is said.

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'awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light. ' Look carefully.

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Then how you walk.

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Not.

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As unwise men.

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But as wise, making the most of the time because the days are evil.

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Therefore.

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Do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is and do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery. But be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, always and for everything, giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

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The Christian Household.

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Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.

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Wives.

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Be.

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Subject to.

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Your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its savior. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to.

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Their husbands.

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Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that he might present the church to himself in splendor without spot or wrinkle or any such thing that she might be holy and without blemish. Even so, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself, for no man ever hates his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it as Christ does the Church, because we are members of his body. For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

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Chapter 6.

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Children and Parents. Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor your father and mother.

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This is the first commandment with a promise.

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That it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth.

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Fathers do.

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Not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Slaves and masters.

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Slaves.

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Be obedient to those who are your earthly masters with fear and trembling in singleness of heart as to Christ, not in the way of eye service as men.

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Pleasers.

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But as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same again from the Lord whether he is a slave or free.

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Masters.

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Do the same to them and forbear threatening, knowing that he who is both their master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him. The whole armor of God.

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Finally.

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Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, for we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in.

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The heavenly places.

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Therefore, take the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand.

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Stand, therefore.

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Having fastened the belt of truth around your waist and having put on the.

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Breastplate of righteousness and.

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Having shod your feet with the equipment of the Gospel of peace. Besides all these, taking the shield of faith with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times in the Spirit with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that utterance may be given me and opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the Gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. That I may declare it boldly as.

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I ought to speak.

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Personal matters and benediction. Now that you also may know how I am.

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And what I am doing.

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Tychicas, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will.

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Tell you everything.

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I have sent him to you for this very purpose that you may know how we are and that he may encourage.

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Your hearts.

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Peace be.

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To the brethren.

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And love with faith from God.

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The Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love undying.

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The Book of Proverbs 29:22-24. A man of wrath stirs up strife.

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And a man given to anger causes much transgression. A man's pride.

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Will bring him low.

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But he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. The partner of a.

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Thief hates his own life.

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He hears the curse but discloses nothing.

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Father in heaven, we give you praise and glory. Lord God, we thank you for the struggle. We thank you for the battle, and we thank you for the fact that you trust us enough to be part of your work, and you trust us enough to make us your body on earth.

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My gosh, Lord God, you made us members of your body because you trust us, not only because you love us and because you want to pour out your love upon us and give us life in you, but also because you give us a share in your mission. You make us.

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Your hands and feet.

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In this world. Please, Lord God, help us to never take that for granted.

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Help us to always walk in you. Walk as you.

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In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. We have the second to last chapter in the Acts of the Apostles today, and it's here, St. Paul. It is a journey and a half. Can you imagine, chapter 27, this journey of St. Paul to Rome?

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There's 260-plus.

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People here on the.

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Ship with Luke.

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He's there because he's a member. Whenever we have the we, we know that person traveling with Paul in this case is going to be Luke because he's describing what he went through as well. But you just think about.

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Man.

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Not only is he on his way to Rome to be tried and hopefully to be able to share the gospel, but it's not an easy trip. I just think about.

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How often.

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Are you and I on a trip and we think... I mean, I've talked about this before, but we're on a trip and we think, Oh, man, there's all these difficulties. I should have just stayed home.

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Even if it's.

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Minor inconveniences, a traffic jam or a plane is delayed. That's when my mind goes right there. My mind goes right to the place of, Well, you know what? I shouldn't even be on this trip. I regret all these decisions.

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Here's St. Paul, and he doesn't give any indication. He gives every.

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Indication that he's trusting in the Lord and saying, Okay, this is God's will. This is God's will for me right now. This is the secret to holiness, is to be able to lean into that and be able to say, Okay, whatever is happening, this is God's will for me right now.

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Even if it's not.

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Good.

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Not that God will's evil, but he can.

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Oftentimes, all the time, it's either his perfect will that he desires us to be in a certain.

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Situation, or it is his permissive will that.

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He allows us to be in a certain situation.

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Here's St. Paul on.

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His travels to Rome.

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In this.

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Horrible, horrible situation, and yet he.

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Can lean into.

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This without any licking his wounds, without any that sense of, I'm going to have this self-pity and just going to moat around. But being able to say, Okay, God, this is your will for me today. That's my prayer for all of us is that we get to say in every situation, Okay, God, this is.

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Your will for me right now.

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Even when it's unpleasant for all of us. Speaking of this, man, St. Paul's conclusions to the letter to the Ephesians, we have that unity, that unity in the Spirit. Now, one of the big themes, of course, is going to be that you have to have a converted life, that here you're living in Ephesis.

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And you cannot.

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Live the way you used to live. He goes on in chapter five. Well, actually, chapter six. Sorry, chapter four. I don't know how to count backwards.

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You have rules for new life.

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He says.

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Put away the old man. Put on the new man created after the likeness of God.

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Into righteousness and holiness.

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Be angry, but do not sin.

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It goes on to say, Those who used to steal?

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No.

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Now you're going to labor doing honest work with their hands. Those who complain and let evil talks come out of your mouths? No.

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Only speak what is good for edifying to build up people around you. Those who grieve the Holy Spirit? No, put away bitterness and wrath and.

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Anger.

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And.

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Instead, be.

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Kind to one another and put away and be tenderhearted forgiving.

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One another as God and Christ forgave you.

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It's so important. Therefore, be imitators of God as His beloved children and.

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Walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for.

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Us a fragrance.

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Offering and sacrifice to God. He goes on to talk about all the other ways in which just you need to put off those works of the flesh, those.

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Works.

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Of this world, and put on the Holy Spirit.

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And walk.

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In the Spirit. It's so important. It's so important for all of us. Now, one of the big things we need to talk about is chapter five is husbands love your wives, and wives are subject to your husbands. This is actually a reading that.

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More.

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Couples choose this reading as their second reading in their wedding.

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Than virtually any other.

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Second reading. Once we go through and explain what Ephesians 5 means, we have a thing on the Theology of the Body. The Theology of the body was a teaching done over the course of five years or so by Pope Champall II, in which he not only talks about the relationship between men and women, but also the relationship.

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Of the sexual act.

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And human.

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Dignity and.

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Human nature and human love. It's really incredible.

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In that teaching, we.

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Always cover.

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Ephesians 5, and.

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That whole sense of wives be subject to your husbands, and.

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Husbands love.

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Your wives.

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When we explain it on virtually every...

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I don't want to exaggerate, but virtually every bride says, That's going to be my wedding reading. They love it. Why?

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Because at first glance.

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It sounds like you have to demean yourself. At first glance, it sounds like, Oh, I'm going to subject myself. Why be subject to your husband's as to the Lord? We already covered this.

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Remember, we.

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Covered the fact that earlier, when St. Paul was writing.

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He made it very clear.

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That to submit oneself was not the same thing as declaring one to be inferior to someone's superior. That's not the case here either. In fact, what's happening is we even have St. Paul writing here in Ephesians 5 saying that here is the head.

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Jesus, and here's his body, the church.

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We recognize that, of course, that the church is underneath the head, is under the rule of our Lord Jesus Christ. But think about this. Is someone's body less valuable than their head? No, that's not the case. There's this.

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Weird.

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Strange, mysterious.

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Equality between head and body and.

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Between body and head. Here in a similar way, here's St. Paul who says.

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Okay, wives.

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Submit to your husbands as to.

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The Lord, and husbands.

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Love your wives.

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Now, beyond that.

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We know this because verse 21 says.

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Be subject to one another out of.

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Reverence for Christ. Husbands and wives are basically racing to the bottom. Think about this.

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Be subject to one another out of.

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Reverence for Christ. No one gets to Lorded over anyone else. That's the upshot of this whole thing.

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No one gets to Lorded over anyone else.

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It's a race to the bottom. It's a race to serve. It's a race to be subject to the other. Husband and wives.

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Yes, be subject to your husbands. But then also.

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Husbands, verse 25.

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Love your wives. How? As Christ.

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Loved the church. How did Christ love the church? That he gave himself up for her.

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That he laid down his.

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Life for her.

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That he rejected what he wanted.

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And instead.

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Lived his life and gave his.

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Life so that she could have life. Again, this is not about dominance. This is not about being superior.

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This is about the race to the bottom. Husbands love your wives. How? As Christ.

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Loved the church.

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Which is not to say lording it over.

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Not to say dominating in any way, shape or form, not saying, Well, I'm in charge there for what I want, goes.

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Not in any way, shape, or form.

[00:22:52]

Jesus, what did he do?

[00:22:53]

He humbled himself, took the form of a slave.

[00:22:55]

We're going to hear that tomorrow.

[00:22:57]

He humbled himself and took the form of a slave. This is the call to all husbands. How can you, as a husband, love your wife.

[00:23:08]

As Christ loved the church? It is not by.

[00:23:12]

Having her.

[00:23:12]

Do for you whatever you want, but by.

[00:23:17]

Humbly submitting yourself and laying down your life so that.

[00:23:20]

She can have life. It's saying no to what you want so she can have what she needs. This is the high call. St. Paul says, I say about this in reference to Christ and the Church is the great mystery. This is what we're called to as well. I think with children and parents and slaves and masters, again, we're.

[00:23:41]

Talking about.

[00:23:42]

Slaves and masters? Well, how come St. Paul doesn't say just set your slaves free. Well, he's talking about, okay, this is again, it's a whole economy in here where.

[00:23:51]

Good.

[00:23:51]

Masters would be essentially, in this case, good employers, and good slaves in this case would be simply good employees. In fact, St. Paul makes it very, very clear. In verse 9, chapter 6, masters do the same to them, basically treating them well and forbear threatening. You don't threaten them.

[00:24:08]

Knowing that he who is both their master and yours is in heaven.

[00:24:12]

And that.

[00:24:12]

There is no partiality with him. This is so important.

[00:24:15]

That, yes, equality all the way through. Complementarity? Absolutely. Submission to one another? Yes. Not dominance? Of course not. But a race to the bottom, a race to serve, a race to love, a race to respect and honor each other because we're in a battle. This is the reality. We spend so much time fighting with each other. We spend so much time fighting politics. We spend so much time fighting with people who disagree with us. St. Paul makes it absolutely clear. Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against.

[00:24:48]

The spiritual.

[00:24:49]

Hosts of wickedness and the heavenly places, therefore.

[00:24:51]

Take the whole armor of.

[00:24:52]

God that you may be able.

[00:24:53]

To withstand.

[00:24:53]

In the evil day and having done all to stand. So important because that's the key. This is a really long day. I'm so sorry for that. But here we are at the end of St. Paul's letter to.

[00:25:02]

The Ephesians, and one day.

[00:25:03]

Away from the end of the Acts of the Apostles. I'm praying for you today. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.