🇬🇧 Glory be to Jesus Christ! 🌞
1 Corinthians XII:15, 16 – ειμι – eimi – (I)
am
. It is used for emphasis.
A meaningful theological place, a continuation of yesterday’s reading
in terms of content:
31072023.html
Paul explains what it means to be members of the Body of Christ in terms of the manifestations of God’s gifts and ministries, as well as mutual need in the Church, the community of believers.
The explanation is very eloquent if we understand it as a kind of
comparison of people with parts of the body, and the Church (generally
speaking, this means each local congregation of the Church, from which
the concept of the Local Church later originated) as a whole as the
whole body. I would also add that the word catholic
in the Creed, in
Greek καθολική (εκκλησία), originally meant having the fullness of
spiritual gifts and ministries necessary for the salvation of people,
according to at least some researchers.
The unusual way the body parts speak of themselves also indicates that God cares for all the body parts, even though they may not fully understand their vocation, also during their search. The above considerations of the parts of the body are possible at a time when they (i.e., the people) are in a state of searching for themselves in the Church. God cares for them also at this time.
It should be emphasised that spiritual gifts are given to members of the Church even when they do not know what they are, and even when they do not understand what their spiritual gifts are. This generosity of God is necessary for their own development, growth, knowledge of God, and for serving others even before they realise their gifts. God wants people to know Him, to know themselves, to know others, to know and recognise their gifts and the gifts of others, but He often gives them before this last happens, so in advance, in a providential way.
And the second thought is that although different parts of the body have different gifts and ministries, there is no one part of the body that performs the functions of all the others.
All this is for the building up of the Church as the Body of Christ.
Matthew XVIII, 19 -
‘συμφωνησωσιν’ – ‘symphonesosin’ – will be in harmony, (figuratively)
in accord, in consent
.
Matthew XVIII, 20 – ‘εμον’ – ‘emon’ – My
. ‘ειμι’ – ‘eimi’ – (I)
‘am’. It is used for emphasis.
Matthew 18:21 – ‘εμε’ – ‘eme’ – ‘me’.
Matthew XIX, 13, 14 – ‘παιδια’ – ‘paidia’ – ‘little children’.
For more information see the link:
12072023.html
There is a good start to the reading here:
https://oleksandr-zhabenko.github.io/en/PowerOfHuman.html
The next is about forgiveness. This is followed by a parable that explains the idea in more detail (and is read alone at a different time).
Then there is a brief discussion of the sermon and the miracles, and
then the continuation of yesterday’s reading:
31072023.html
The second feature worth learning from little children is their
interest and desire to learn, to develop, to grow. Do not forbid them
implies that they want to learn, grow, develop, etc. Therefore, little
children are a vivid and widespread visual example of what the desires
of true believers should be in this sense, what people who truly want to
enter the Kingdom of God are like. Of such is the Kingdom of God
therefore also means that no one is dragged into the Kingdom of God by
force, but everyone who will be there will be voluntarily.
To Venerable Seraphim of Sarov or Paisius of Kyiv-Pechersk, in the
Far Caves:
For these common
readings for the saints, please follow the links:
https://www.facebook.com/Oleksandr.S.Zhabenko/
22052023.html
Glory be to Thee, our God, glory be to Thee!