CATHOLIC CHURCH MAKES 2,000 YEAR HISTORY!

Are you a saint?

        Mother Teresa gave a surprising answer to a reporter’s question? A news reporter, in a seemingly attempt to embarrass Mother Teresa, asked her:

“Sister, do you consider yourself a saint?”

        Mother Teresa, without a moment’s hesitation answered:

 “Isn’t that what God has called all of us to be?”

        I presume that put an end to this brash reporter’s Q & A!

        This weekend the Church celebrated a very significant event. On Sunday, April 27^th  (at 9:30 am Rome time) the Church recognized and elevated to the title of sainthood two former Popes – and equally unusual is that never before in the 2,000 year history of the Church have there been two popes canonized on the same day and with two living popes present.

        The Catholic Church teaches that all people in heaven are saints, but some are officially declared “canonized,” or recognized as having lived lives of heroic Christian virtue and are worthy of emulating their lives. At a time when society presents to us and our children very few, if any, heroes or genuine role models – these two new saints certainly come at a advantageous time.

St. John XXXIII

        St. John XXXIII had a vision to share with us, a vision of “Peace on Earth” which projected a world where peace would be achieved by governments dedicated to the fulfillment of human rights. St. John XXIII’s vision of peace was not “an impossible dream,” his peacemaking initiatives gave substance to the design for a more peaceful world. St. John was a man of great courage who met many challenges to his leadership as pope, especially when he called for the beginning of the Second Vatican Council.

ST. JOHN XXIII WAS A MAN OF HUMOR.

        Here's a look at some of this saint's funny quips:

         Visiting a hospital he asked a boy what he wanted to be when he grew up. The boy said either a policeman or a pope. "I would go in for the police if I were you," the Holy Father said. "Anyone can become a pope, look at me!"

         "It often happens that I wake up at night and begin to think about the serious problems afflicting the world and I tell myself, I must talk to the pope about it. Then the next day when I wake up I remember that I am the pope."

         In reply to a reporter who asked, "How many people work in the Vatican?” he reportedly said: "About half of them."

        When a cardinal complained that a rise in Vatican salaries meant a particular usher earned as much as the cardinal, the pope remarked: "That usher has 10 children; I hope the cardinal doesn't."

        When he went to visit a friend at the nearby Hospital of the Holy Spirit in the evening, the nun answering the door said: "Holy Father, I'm the mother superior of the Holy Spirit." He replied: "Lucky you! What a job! I'm just the 'servant of the servants of God.'"

         Not long after he was elected pope, Blessed John was walking in the streets of Rome. A woman passed him and said to her friend, "My God, he's so fat!" Overhearing what she said, he turned around and replied, "Madame, I trust you understand that the papal conclave is not exactly a beauty contest."

         He once wrote: "There are three ways to face ruin: women, gambling and farming. My father chose the most boring one."

        When he was cardinal and patriarch of Venice, the future pope was talking with a wealthy city resident and told him, "You and I have one thing in common: money. You have a lot and I have nothing at all. The difference is I don't care about it."

        When a journalist asked the then-patriarch of Venice what he would be if he could live his life all over again, the future pope said, "Journalist." Then he said with a smile, "Now let us see if you have the courage to tell me that, if you could do it all over again, you'd be the patriarch!"

        A Vatican official told the pope it would be "absolutely impossible" to open the Second Vatican Council by 1963. "Fine, we'll open it in 1962," he answered. And he did.

SAINT JOHN PAUL II

       St. John Paul was known for some frequent activities that were unheard of for a pope, such things as Parish visits – joking with and leading a big crowed is singing – sneaking out of the Vatican to go skiing or hiking, but most importantly, he orchestrated the implementation of many of the Vatican II documents into the new life of the Church.

        St. John Paul also instituted World Day of Consecrated Life - World Day of the Sick – and World Youth Day.

 THE CHURCH NEEDS TODAY’S YOUTH

        St. John Paul said: "All young people must sense that the church is accompanying them, being committed to the good of our youth, addressing their worries and concerns, and supporting and encouraging their openness and their hopes.

         The church, which looks to youths with ‘hope and love,’ must help young people by communicating the Gospel truths to them, supporting them as they seek God's plan for their lives and in living their faith.”

         These two new saints have now joined the vast number of saints, and we should rely on them to help us in our times of need.

 WHAT IS Divine Mercy Sunday?

         This day of the canonization is also Divine Mercy Sunday -- an observance that St. John Paul put on the church's universal calendar for the first Sunday after Easter.

         Presiding over the first observance of Divine Mercy Sunday, St. John Paul quoted from his encyclical Rich in Mercy:

 “The cross and resurrection of Christ never ceases to speak of God the Father, who is absolutely faithful to his eternal love for us... believing in this love means believing in mercy."

        As we look around the world today, we may ask ourselves if there has ever been a time for a greater need for God's mercy. Wars, violence, lies, manipulation, and out of control selfishness seem to dominate the world.

        St. Faustina Kowalska has recorded in her diary, conversations with a merciful God:

"My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of my goodness? I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of my mercy."

“I am your strength; I will help you in the struggle.”

“My mercy is greater than your sins.”

“Your misery has disappeared in the depths of my mercy.”

“I shall heap upon you the treasures of my grace.”

“Look at the splendors of my mercy and do not fear the enemies of your salvation.”

“O soul steeped in darkness, do not despair. All is not yet lost. Come and confide in your God, who is love and mercy.”

 THE DIVINE MERCY MESSAGE IS ONE WE CAN CALL TO MIND SIMPLY BY REMEMBERING A.B.C.:

A - Ask for His Mercy.

B - Be merciful.

C - Completely trust in Jesus.

       Pope Francis:

“we cannot forget the great insight and gifts that have been left to the People of God. And Divine Mercy is one of these insights and gifts.”

      LET US PRAY

We praise you and we bless you, good and gracious God,

for giving us Saints John XXIII and John Paul II

to be our brothers on the path of holiness

and examples of hope and light for the world.

Let their courage encourage us,

their missionary zeal for the Gospel inspire us,

and their contagious joy be ours

as we continue their work of proclaiming the good news

to a world in need of your divine mercy and love.

 

Saint John XXIII, pray for us!

Saint John Paul II, pray for us!

Blessed be God, for ever!

Prayer by Diana Macalintal was originally published in Give Us This Day, April, 2014.

 

LEARN MORE . . .

        Additional information regarding Divine Mercy and Divine Mercy Ministries, and obtaining God’s total forgiveness of all sins and punishment; that means each person would go immediately after death to the heaven, without suffering in purgatory – can be found on these web sites:

Divine Mercy Sunday

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divine_Mercy_Sunday

 Divine Mercy Sunday is a Roman Catholic solemnity celebrated on the Sunday after Easter, the Octave of Easter. It is originally based on the Catholic devotion to the Divine Mercy that Saint Faustina Kowalska reported as part of her encounter with Jesus, and is associated with special promises from Jesus and indulgences issued by the Church.

 Our Apostolate - The Serenellians http://www.pornnomore.com/ourApostolate.htm

 Who We Are - Who we Serve . . .

The Serenellians are an informal group of Catholics, both lay people and religious, who have chosen to dedicate and devote some personal level of effort through prayer, work or exhortation to:

1) Combat and counter the evils of pornography addiction by asking God through prayer to bestow on our society an ever increasing abundance of the graces of Purity, Humility and Love of God – the three virtues dearest to our Blessed Mother, in order to bring about a renewal of these virtues in the world and, thus, hasten the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the kingdom of her Son.

2) Reach out to suffering souls, both individuals and their families who are caught up in the addictive effects and consequences of pornography, in order to bring them hope, encouragement, strength and increased confidence in God’s infinite love, compassion and mercy, for their healing, consolation and, most importantly, for their salvation.

 

HELP NEEDED – PLEASE CONSIDER APPLYING!

 We need saints without cassocks, without veils-we need saints with jeans and tennis shoes.

We need saints that go to the movies that listen to music that hang out with their friends.

We need saints that place God in first place ahead of succeeding in any career.

We need saints that look for time to pray every day and who know how to be in love with purity, chastity and all good things.

We need saints, saints for the 21^st century with a spirituality that is appropriate to our new time.

We need saints that have a commitment to helping the poor and to make the needed social change.

We need saints to live in the world, to sanctify the world and to not be afraid of living in the world by their presence in it.

We need saints that drink sodas or pop that eats hot dogs, that surf the internet and that listen to their iPods.

We need saints that love the Eucharist, that are not afraid or embarrassed to eat a pizza or drink a beer with their friends.

 We need saints who love movies, dance, sports, and theater.

 We need saints that are open, sociable, normal, happy companions.

We need saints who are in this world and who know how to enjoy the best in this world without being callous or mundane.

We need saints.

Author unknown – but loosely attributed to Pope John Paul II and/or Pope Francis.

SURVEY RESPONSE    

         I recently asked for help and input in answering 5 questions that are part of a training program I am attending. The responses came from many varied points of view – persons in their 70’s some married and some single/widowed; and some in their 40’s married with young children. I have put some words in BOLD in order to identify main points expressed.

To all who responded I give my heartfelt thanks!

All the responses I received follow:

ALL RESPONSES HAVE BEEN KEPT CONFIDENTIAL!

The questions presented:

A.) I think the greatest problem people have today is . . .

B.) What is the thing in your life that gives you the most satisfaction?

C.) What is the most frustrating thing for you?

D.) What would you describe as your purpose or goal in life?

E.) Do you think organized religion or Church is relevant or non-relevant to most people today?

 RESPONSE #1

A-not taking responsibility for their actions;

B-friends, family, and pets;

C-watching our culture and way of life disintegrate;

D-do no harm has always been my motto;

E-relevant to some and should be protected for them.

 #1) I am single, 72, and retired.

 

 RESPONSE #2

A. Greatest problem? Greed--seems to be a huge motivation for most things. Also, inhumane treatment of people by other people--injustice, cruelty, judging, condemning. There is a lot of hate--Facebook is a perfect example.
There are many, many good and loving people also, but we sure hear about the others much more often.

B. Me--most satisfaction? This may seem unimportant but knowing that my diseased husband would be proud of me and happy for the way I'm living my life without him.

C. Most frustrating? Observing how some people treat each other--with so much hate and disapproval. Also frustrating is my adult, college-educated daughter not being able to find a full time job so she can get on with her life.

D. Goal or purpose in life? Because people trust me with their troubles, I feel I'm here to help however I can. Sometimes it's a burden, but I'm up to the task. I didn't die with my husband so God has a plan for me. I may never know the full reason but I'm doing the best I can--and I'm not afraid of anything any longer. My GOAL is to write, write, write and eventually be published.

E. Organized religion? I have to admit I'm struggling with organized religion. I'm not entirely happy with the Catholic Church. I do love my parish, however, and I have love and respect for Fr. Kusi. I'm squirming under too many rules. But my conscience is clear. I know more people who do not attend church than who do. Many feel the church leaders are hypocrites. I could go on and on about this. So from my perspective, organized religion is not relevant to a majority of people. However, faith is still important to many.

I am 67, a widow, female and retired, sort of.

 

 RESPONSE #3

A. When people choose to identify with an idea they often also choose to put themselves at odds with other ideas i.e. I'm a republican and liberals are bad or I'm an agnostic and Christians are bad, etc... You can choose to identify with any idea or culture you wish and it doesn't have to mean that others that don't think like you are wrong.

B. I gain the most satisfaction in life from relationships with others, be it my wife, my son, family or friends.

C. The most frustrating thing for me is that we as a species seem incredibly shortsighted and intent on reaping benefits for a few at a huge cost to many. We know that this is unsustainable and yet continue down this path.

D. My purpose in life is to be best person that I can be and by association hope that my family, friends and colleagues can benefit from interaction with me.

E. Organized church or religion is still relevant to most people today but has much less of an impact on people's lives than it has in the past. The core messages of the world's monotheistic religions often seem to be hijacked by extremists or politicians who misinterpret and misinform others to achieve their own ends.

Everybody has had one and one is enough for anybody. -Willy Wonka

Male age 40 in a week, married.

 

 RESPONSE #4

A.) I think the greatest problem people have today is . . .

A lack of mindfulness. Our culture defines success as accumulation of more fame and fortune than your neighbor. This causes us to see our neighbor as our competitor rather than as a person with the same basic needs as ourselves. We are consumed by trying to achieve more fame and wealth which means we don’t remain centered in the present moment, but rather agonize over what happened in the past and worry about how to do better in the future. Simple mindfulness would allow us to center ourselves in the moment and allows us to develop compassion for all the beings around us.

B.) What is the thing in your life that gives you the most satisfaction?

Mindfulness again! The moments when I remember to be mindful during happy times make the experiences much brighter and full of joy. During the hard and stressful times when I remember to mindful the stress melts away and I can clearly proceed.

C.) What is the most frustrating thing for you?

Reacting without thinking. I am still very prone to defensive reactions before proper analysis of the situation. When I do this it always makes a tough situation worse.

D.) What would you describe as your purpose or goal in life?

Enlightenment.

E.) Do you think organized religion or Church is relevant or non-relevant to most people today?

I think it is extremely relevant to all people. Regardless of whether or not he/she subscribes to an organized religion, the political impact it has on the entire globe is undeniable.

Male, married, one child age 40

 

RESPONSE #5

Thank you for this opportunity to respond. I do not object to you publishing my response.

A ] I believe that the greatest problem with the generations today is that along came little or no discipline growing up , and moral decay by way of free sex in every walk of life ,rich ,and to the very poorest . Again parents say and do nothing to prevent this. One would not think that going to college would change ones belief pattern ,but I have seen it over and over again, change from what they were taught during their fundamental growing up years, that are needed all of their lives ,college was intended to add to ones knowledge ,not remove your foundation.

B ] I gain my main satisfaction in life when I see my adult family doing well , placing God first and using what they were taught in our home ,and that this is the reason they are doing so well in their own lives , then I don't feel like it has been in vain , I guess that makes it about me somewhat ,but God did ask me to sacrifice and I was obedient to Him.

C ] The most frustrating thing is, seeing somewhat of our future [ of our adult off springs or spouses ] seeing they are headed for troubled water and I cannot do anything to stop them , the more you say or do ,the more they do it and the worse it gets......I can pray and I do  [unknown if it only helps me.]

I think all people no matter the religion [I have seen in my occupation] that when the chips are down,boy o boy , people want God and organized religion[that is what some call it ] but shouldn't our Lord be surrounded with stability and sweetness , when we all come in from this total chaotic world?.....The natural heart of humankind who love the Lord, is for us to bring sweetness and beauty where ever the "House of God and His Word is set up "..It is truly, deep in their hearts, what they long for. Some individuals do not realize that, or take time to analyze it . The reason they turn away , I've even told one so called fallen away Catholic , that the only reason for any Christian to fall away .. is that they want to sin....this .is in my view , they can't look God in His face and sin at the same time ,so they turn away.

D ] our goal in life ,my purpose/goal in life is to set a good example to - first of all my children, by my attitude and my behavior about my love and devotion for God and secondly to pray for those less fortunate and give praise to our Lord all the days of my life.......Betty

D ] My purpose in life is- To love my wife and children all my days

 Married couple age approx 73

 

 

RESPONSE #6

 A.) I think the greatest problem people have today is . . .

Focusing on themselves. It’s all about “ME” and wanting what I want and “if it feels good do it” attitude without caring about consequences.

 

B.) What is the thing in your life that gives you the most satisfaction?

Being with my family/wife.

C.) What is the most frustrating thing for you?

Wondering where common sense in American/World has gone.

D.) What would you describe as your purpose or goal in life?


To serve one another as God calls us to do.

E.) Do you think organized religion or Church is relevant or non-relevant to most people today?

I think it’s non-relevant. In general people cannot believe in something that is intangible if they cannot use their five senses; see, feel, hear, touch or taste it does not exist. On the other hand, because we have been given the gift of free will, people choose to disregard what organized religion or Church teaches us for their own satisfaction.

Life Status: Married, unemployed, three adult children (a married child living at home and one living on college campus during week and home on weekends).

 

 RESPONSE #7

A. The greatest problem today I think is that people are scared. Scared of so many things and this make their decision making poor.

B. The one thing in my life that gives me the most satisfaction is knowing that I am capable of anything. I don’t NEED anyone or anything, I get to choose who I am with and what I do with them and these choices are not driven by NEED.

C. The most frustrating thing for me is our current government and the actions they take. The values they base their decisions on are not in line with mine.

D. Our purpose and goal should be to live happily without hurting others in the process; this would include caring for our environment as if it were our own child.

E. Organized religion is not relevant in my life because I have not found a group that would answer these questions the same way I have.

 39 yr old female, married, 2 children

 

 RESPONSE #8

 Hi Tom. Here is the answers I have for you.

A the biggest problem is lack of respect.

B My children, my fiancé and my job give me the most satisfaction.

C. The most frustrating is trying to make ends meet. There is never enough money to go around And I wanted to add that sometimes I am frustrated with not giving enough time to my kids, fiancé and friends/church. It's hard to split yourself in so many ways.

D. My goal is to be happy, A good Christian, a good mom and spouse and to have respectful, functional children with something to offer.

E, It is relevant to me but most people do not think so. Maybe that is one of the problems in the world today. God needs to be in the forefront not the back burner.

 

 RESPONSE #9

I thI think that our culture is changing very quickly. We have gone from a society that needed structure - and we found it through organizations - like the church, school and civic organizations.

Now, our structure is on the electronic landscape of the WWW - in the form of Facebook (FB) or Twitter or Vine. I think that the gulf between the "older" and the "younger" persons is greater because older (ME) likes to plan, like to have people around, and interact with people face to face. My students like to coordinate ("Hey, I need a ride, please come get me?" -- as opposed to "I get out of class at 2:30, can you pick me up?") and really don't know how to plan. They also have a very different way of their own support system. In many ways, families are closer - they talk to their mom's and dad's every day. In fact, they don't know how to make a move without asking for parental permission. We, as a society, have done this to our kids. (See the http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/03/hey-parents-leave-those-kids-alone/358631/

We are seeing these students as college students. This gulf between people who are very resourceful, know how to speak with people and plan --- are very different than students who are able to find things, but not sure how to apply them, coordinate, and only know how to text and email people.

B. I like making people stretch beyond what they think they are capable of. I also really like to make them uncomfortable - to make them think. Personally, my favorite thing is to travel.
C. Not having enough money to do what it is I want to do.
D. I am not sure I have one [purpose] - besides like visiting all of the States and 50 countries. If someone could help me out with that purpose thing, I would appreciate it. :)
D. Ok, it's probably to help people grow.

·

I think that organizations in general are going to have a difficult time in the next 50 years. The reason isn't because their purpose isn't important, but because who we are has changed. How we receive information has changed, how we meet people and how we are most comfortable with interaction is changing. People don't want to commit to meetings, groups, or ongoing events -- but, they will commit to a couple of hours to volunteer. These hours of volunteerism can't be the same every month. Churches, especially ones like the Catholic Church, Jewish Temples, the Muslim Mosques, Hindu Temples and Buddhist Temples, are going to have to undergo a lot of change. The Buddhists might survive the best, as yoga is being incorporated into an exercise schedule. However, I see these as organizations are all going to have to change - to what? I have no idea. Are the principles important to daily life - absolutely. Do we have to go to Church or Temple to get them - I do, but I don't know if others do. What does Church look like -- is it online? Or is it still a building? Not sure...

Please feel free to comment either on this Blog or email your thoughts to: tomfeiten@yahoo.com

Thank You for taking the time to read through these responses.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

STOP YOUR WHINING AND STOP YOUR COMPLAINING!

 

How’s that for an attention statement!”

 Today’s first reading and Gospel for the Third Sunday of Lent have many symbols – or as referred to in today’s language – many back stories.

 In Exodus we again hear the Jews complaining. In the Book of Numbers (20:2-13) we read a more detailed list of their complaints:

 The community has no water.

 They held an assembly against Moses and Aaron.

 The people quarreled with Moses, exclaiming:

 ·         Why have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness? For us and our livestock to die here?

 ·         Why have you brought us out of the land Egypt, only to bring us to this wretched place?

 ·         It is not a place we can grow grain, or figs, or vines, or pomegranates!

 ·         And, there is no water to drink!”

 The Jews, their hearts hardening because of their seemingly dire situation, were obviously getting distraught and losing their faith and patience in both Moses and Aaron, but even their faith in God himself.

 Had the Jews forgotten all that God had done for them?

 ·         The ten plagues that God sent upon the Egyptians to win their freedom.

 ·         The Pillars of Cloud and Fire to lead them in their escape through the desert.

 ·         Parting and crossing of the Red Sea to escape the pursuing Egyptian army.

 ·         Turning the bitter water in the desert oasis into fresh drinking water.

 

 ·         The sending of manna and quail from heaven as food for their journey.

 ·         And then in today’s first reading God in a show of his power and concern, provides water to flow from inside a rock!

 HOW ABOUT US?

 What do we complain about that directs our hearts and attention on to ourselves – rather than direct our hearts towards God’s presence in our life?

 I don’t have enough money

My health is failing.

My job is terrible.

My marriage is in distress.

I’m not getting along in school.

I’m not smart – I’m not athletic – I’m not good looking.

I don’t have any good friends.

My family and friends - don’t understand or appreciate me.

The list can be endless!

You see, it’s easy to be caught-up in our own issues and problems – to be caught-up in our own world and forget all that God has given to us and done for us.

 Our spiritual hearts, like the Jews, can begin to become harden to God’s grace and presence.

 

GOD DEMONSTRATES HIS POWER OVER NATURE!

So God, as a sign of his unlimited power; and also for his caring and concern for them in their time of distress – causes water to flow out from a rock! Enough water to satisfy their needs!

 Today, God shows his very same unlimited power by causing his Body and Blood to “flow” from ordinary bread and wine.

 

JESUS ARRIVES IN SAMARIA

The Gospel (John 4:5-42) is also filled with many great symbols. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and stops in a Samaritan village – a village filled with the very people the Jews despise. The Samaritans, who in the mind of the Jews are as bad as, if not worse than, the Gentiles.

 Jesus is found alone sitting at Jacob’s well, a well which in its self has a very significant meaning is Jewish history.

WHERE ARE THE DISCIPLES?

 Jesus is alone!

The disciples are not with him.

Was something missing in their lives they went is search for?

Why have the disciples left Jesus alone?

 

The Gospel says that the disciples had gone into the town to go shopping! 

They all needed to go?

All of them!

None of them felt any necessity to remain with Jesus?

Could they not have sensed any need or blessing or honor to remain with Jesus?

 

ENTER THE SAMARITAN WOMAN.

 

The most startling aspect of this meeting and subsequent conversation is that it happens at all considering the animosity and rivalry between the Jews and the Samaritans.

 

THE SIGNIFICANCES OF THIS ENCOUNTER ARE MANY:

 

·         Jesus greatly risks his social and religious status and reputation by talking to this woman.

·         The woman is presently living in sin, but Jesus invites an encounter with her.

·         The woman is herself converted to belief in Jesus as the Messiah.

·         This Samaritan woman becomes an evangelist to her own people.

·         Jesus uses his encounter with the Samaritan woman to teach his disciples – and you and me - that God's mercy is without limits and is for everyone regardless of their state of grace – or lack of it.

 THE GIFT OF “LIVING” WATER.

The woman has doubts that Jesus can give her any water – living or otherwise – since he appears to have no means to provide it.

 Jesus tells her that the water he has to offer does not come from the well; but whoever drinks of the water he is offering will themselves become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

 

“GIVE ME THIS WATER, SO THAT I MAY NOT BE THIRSTY.”

 The woman responds:

“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty.”

 Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.”

 The woman leaves her water jar and returns to the town, and says to the people,
“Come see a man who told me everything I have done.”

 THE "IMPROBABLE" EVANGELIST!

 Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in Jesus because of the word which the woman had testified,

Through Jesus, the love of God – the living water - has been poured into her heart.

Because the woman was receptive to Jesus word – of this living water – even though she was somewhat doubtful and did not fully understand all Jesus told her – she allowed this living water to permeate her life and her soul.

 How willing are we to allow this living water to fill our lives?

 How willing are we to share this living water with others?

 

LET US PRAY:

St. Paul’s Prayer:

       I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe. Amen.

(Ephesians 1:17-19)