They are going to begin to worship the God of Israel. So the reading for today, the first reading, is one of those prophecies. It is from Isaiah , , and Isaiah says this:. So notice here, what is Isaiah talking about? A couple of points. Number one, in Old Testament times, Gentiles were excluded from the Temple. This is very important to note. If you go back to the book of Deuteronomy , it gives a list of certain people who were excluded from being in the Temple, and one of those were pagans, non-Israelites.
If you weren't circumcised you could not go into the sanctuary and offer sacrifice. You certainly couldn't act as a priest. This would have been mind-blowing in Isaiah's day to talk about a future temple in which gentiles will not only worship God, but they will serve him as priests.
How is that possible? Well he says it's going to be possible because in that future age, God is going to make his altar and his temple into a house of prayer for all peoples. Now this might be ringing a bell for you because if you recall, Jesus cites this very text when he goes in and cleanses the Temple later on in the Gospel of Matthew. What does it mean? It means that Jesus, following the prophets of the Old Testament, expects that one day the Gentiles are going to convert and they will become legitimate members of God's people and they will worship him, and they will even act as priests in this mysterious new temple of the future.
With that in mind then, if you look at the Responsorial Psalm for the day, the same theme pops up. May God be gracious to us and bless us. Let the peoples praise thee, O God;. So why is that the Responsorial Psalm? So the book of Psalms, once again, is anticipating that one day all the nations, all the peoples of the world will praise God, even the Gentiles will come to worship the God of Israel.
So those two Old Testament texts, Isaiah 56 and then Psalm 67, anticipate what is happening, in a preliminary way, in the encounter between Jesus and the Canaanite woman. In a sense, because of her persistence and because of her faith, she gets to taste in advance the salvation that is going to come to the Gentiles after the death and resurrection of Jesus, and after the great commission, where Jesus sends the Apostles to the four corners of the earth to bring the good news of salvation to all peoples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
And of course especially with the ministry of St. Paul, who called himself the Apostle to the Gentiles. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Jack Zavada. Christianity Expert. Jack Zavada is a writer who covers the Bible, theology, and other Christianity topics.
Updated November 04, Question for Reflection The same Jesus who rose from the dead and transformed Paul wants to work in your life too. Cite this Article Format. Zavada, Jack. Paul's Road to Damascus Conversion. Meet Thomas the Apostle of Jesus Christ. Who Is the Suffering Servant? Isaiah 53 Interpretations.
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We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. God, however, had other plans. He had heart, imagination, sensitivity and a strong will. He was courageous, sincere, subtle, humorous and tactful. He had vast leadership abilities and a gift of expression. Paul was also a gifted thinker.
He examined ideas and opinions logically, often with questions and answers, to determine their validity. He was keenly analytical and an expert expositor of the Scriptures. His sharp mind caught the attention of many, including rulers and other government officials. Nowhere is this more evident than when he was accused of the Jews while a prisoner in Caesarea Acts During that time he was restrained in bonds, the Jews hoping to have him delivered to their judgment in Jerusalem.
Instead, God allowed him a day in court with Felix, the governor—and later with his successor, Festus, as well as King Agrippa and Queen Bernice. Paul had his share of spiritual gifts. He understood prophecy and could explain it well. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. God worked miracles by the hands of Paul Acts Acts [8] And there sat a certain man at Lystra, weak in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked: [9] The same heard Paul speak: who steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, [10] Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on your feet.
And he leaped and walked. He even raised a young man to life after he had died in a fall Acts Acts [9] And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
Paul reported he had seen the resurrected Christ 1 Corinthians 1 Corinthians And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. Paul was also a gifted teacher. He wrote at least 13 epistles preserved in the New Testament. His insights give us broad understanding of the rest of the Scriptures and reveal deep spiritual principles.
After all, as Jesus said, we are to live by every word of God Matthew Matthew But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. God specifically chose Paul to begin the work of making all people into spiritual Israelites Romans Romans [28] For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: [29] But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
God used Paul as an instrument to open doors to gentiles in a much broader way. As a result, all peoples have the opportunity and privilege to become spiritual Israelites. God used Paul, although Paul acknowledged the credit goes to God. The disputes that brought Paul into conflict with Jewish religious and Roman civil authorities eventually brought Paul to Rome, the heart of the mighty empire. He wrote several of his epistles while a prisoner there. He was first held under house arrest but was free to receive visitors Acts Acts [16] And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.
His captors eventually released him, but he was imprisoned again. His situation grew increasingly grim as Christians began to experience persecution throughout the empire. This time he was held in prison and sentenced to death. At one point Paul thought Jesus would return in his lifetime 1 Thessalonians 1 Thessalonians For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain to the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
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