Quote of the day, 18 April: Madame Acarie

Blessed Mary of the Incarnation—Madame Acarie—acted only in accord with God’s will. Her spiritual director, Father André Duval, testifies to her remarkable discernment.

While still living in the world, she undertook very great things; yet she never set herself to resolve upon them or carry them out until she had clearly recognized that God so willed it.

If she perceived that the divine movement did not correspond to her own inclination, or if, after mature reflection, she remained in doubt, she would abandon her own judgment or suspend its execution until God had fully enlightened her.

This was seen not only in the foundation of the Orders of the Carmelites and the Ursulines, but also in many other particular works, which she never undertook unless she saw or felt within herself that such was the will of God.

Even when speaking about some matter, one could often see her stop short, and at times even retrace her steps, recognizing that the thought and will of God were not shining within her soul, but rather urging the contrary, or leaving her in a state of uncertainty. (…)

A very great and singular virtue did not permit her to say or do anything contrary to the judgment or the movement of Him who was the sole object of her love and her interior Master.

Father André Duval

Carmelite Online Advent Retreat, Week 4 (2020)

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: The Madonna and Child appearing to Blessed Marie of the Incarnation is an oil on canvas painting attributed to Pierre Delestres, ca. 1750. It is part of the collection of artworks at the Discalced Carmelite monastery of Pontoise that depicts Madame Acarie. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites

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Delayed, Not Denied

 Walking in God’s Unstoppable Purpose
A Day in the Life

“But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.”Numbers 14:38

There are moments in the life of faith when I feel as though the actions of others have altered my path in ways I did not choose. Doors close unexpectedly. Opportunities slip through my hands. Decisions made by others seem to redirect what I believed was God’s clear will. As I sit with the story of Joshua and Caleb, I am reminded that obedience does not always lead to immediate fulfillment—it often leads to endurance. These two men trusted God fully, yet they wandered for forty years because of the disbelief of others. Still, their story does not end in frustration but in fulfillment. They were delayed, but they were never denied.

I find myself reflecting on how this truth is mirrored in the life of Jesus. There were countless moments when others attempted to hinder His mission. In Luke 4:28–30, after Jesus spoke truth in Nazareth, the people were filled with rage and sought to throw Him off a cliff. Yet the Scripture says, “But passing through the midst of them, He went His way.” The Greek phrasing suggests a quiet authority—no resistance, no panic—just divine purpose moving forward. No one could stop what God had ordained. Later, in John 7:30, we read, “They sought to take Him: but no man laid hands on Him, because His hour was not yet come.” There is a divine timetable at work that human interference cannot disrupt.

When I consider Joshua and Caleb alongside Jesus, I begin to understand that God’s will is not fragile. It does not depend on perfect circumstances or cooperative people. The Hebrew understanding of God’s purpose carries the idea of something established and accomplished—what Isaiah 46:11 declares: “I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” The word ʿāśāh (to do, to accomplish) emphasizes that God completes what He initiates. This truth reshapes how I interpret delays. What feels like obstruction may actually be positioning. Joshua and Caleb needed the wilderness, not as punishment, but as preparation and influence. Their leadership was forged in a place they would not have chosen.

There have been seasons in my own walk where I questioned whether someone else’s decision had derailed what God intended for me. Perhaps you have felt that same tension—passed over for something you were qualified for, overlooked in a moment you believed was yours, or redirected by forces outside your control. Yet the life of Christ gently corrects that assumption. Even the cross, which appeared to be the ultimate interruption, was in fact the fulfillment of divine purpose. In Acts 2:23, Peter declares, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken.” What seemed like human victory was actually God’s plan unfolding exactly as intended.

The commentator A. W. Tozer once wrote, “God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible—what a pity that we plan only the things we can do by ourselves.” That observation speaks directly into this moment. When I limit God’s work in my life to what others allow or prevent, I reduce His sovereignty to human permission. Likewise, Oswald Chambers reminds us, “All God’s revelations are sealed until they are opened to us by obedience.” Joshua and Caleb did not understand the delay, but they remained obedient within it—and that obedience positioned them for eventual fulfillment.

What I am learning—sometimes slowly—is that no person, no institution, and no circumstance can ultimately prevent God’s will from being accomplished in my life. They may shape the journey, but they cannot cancel the destination. Even when I am in a wilderness I did not choose, God is still at work. He is forming character, strengthening faith, and preparing influence that I cannot yet see. The delay itself becomes part of the calling.

So I walk forward today with a renewed perspective. I release the belief that someone else holds the power to determine my spiritual outcome. I trust instead in a God whose purposes are not threatened by human limitation. If He has spoken something over my life, it will come to pass in His time and in His way. My role is not to control the path but to remain faithful within it.

For further study, this article offers helpful insight into God’s sovereign will: https://www.gotquestions.org/God-will.html

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Experiencing God: A Deep Dive into Blackaby’s 12-Unit Bible Study
For decades, millions of seekers and believers have asked a seemingly simple yet profoundly complex question: "What is God's will for my life?" We search for a roadmap, a five-year plan, or a neon sign from heaven. However, the groundbreaking Bible study "Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing the Will of God" by Henry T... More details… https://spiritualkhazaana.com/experiencing-god-12-unit-bible-study
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The Hidden Path Beneath Your Feet

On Second Thought

“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” — Ephesians 2:10

There is something deeply reassuring about knowing that God is not improvising with our lives. The word Paul uses in Ephesians 2:10 for “workmanship” is poiēma, from which we derive the word “poem.” It suggests intentional design, artistry, and purpose. You are not a random collection of experiences or a reaction to circumstances—you are something God is actively shaping. And more than that, the path before you has already been prepared. The phrase “prepared beforehand” comes from the Greek proetoimazō, meaning to make ready in advance. Before you ever stepped into this day, God had already woven opportunities for obedience, service, and growth into its fabric.

Yet most of us walk through our days unaware of this divine preparation. We tend to think of God’s will as something distant or dramatic—something reserved for major decisions or life-altering moments. But Scripture consistently brings us back to the ordinary. Psalm 61 reflects a heart that cries out from the “end of the earth,” yet finds refuge in God’s presence. “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (Psalm 61:2). That prayer is not about escape from life, but alignment within it. It is a recognition that even in the routine, God is present and active.

What I am beginning to understand is that sanctification—the process of being conformed to Christ—is not primarily about dramatic breakthroughs. It is about daily attentiveness. The Holy Spirit is always at work, shaping, refining, and redirecting. The question is not whether God is moving, but whether I am paying attention. James 1:5 reminds us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God… and it will be given him.” That promise invites us into a relationship of ongoing dialogue. God is not hiding His will; He is waiting for us to seek it.

Often, that seeking requires a willingness to face what we would rather ignore. There are habits, attitudes, and patterns in our lives that remain hidden until God brings them into the light. Sometimes He uses others to do this—words that sting, observations that feel uncomfortable. At other times, it is the quiet conviction of the Holy Spirit, a gentle but persistent awareness that something needs to change. The Greek word for conviction, elenchō, carries the idea of exposing or bringing to light. It is not condemnation, but revelation—an invitation to grow.

This is where a lifestyle of meditation becomes essential. Psalm 1 describes the person who meditates on God’s Word as “like a tree planted by streams of water.” That image is not accidental. Meditation roots us. It stabilizes us. It allows us to discern what God is doing beneath the surface of our lives. When I take time to reflect on Scripture, to sit with it, to let it speak into my circumstances, I begin to see patterns I would otherwise miss. I begin to recognize the opportunities God has already placed before me.

And those opportunities are often simpler than we expect. A conversation that requires patience. A moment that calls for kindness. A decision that demands integrity. These are not interruptions to our spiritual life—they are the very substance of it. As one writer has noted, “The will of God is not something you add to your life; it is what your life becomes when you walk with Him.” That perspective shifts everything. It means that ministry is not confined to specific settings or roles; it unfolds in the everyday.

Jesus modeled this beautifully. His life was marked by intentional withdrawal for prayer, as we see in Mark 1:35, but it was also filled with constant engagement. He noticed people others overlooked. He responded to needs others ignored. His awareness of the Father’s will was not limited to isolated moments—it permeated His entire day. That is the kind of life we are invited into. Not one of constant striving, but one of continual alignment.

What encourages me most is that God not only prepares the works for us—He equips us to walk in them. We are not left to figure this out on our own. The same Spirit who convicts also empowers. The same God who reveals also provides. And His resources are not limited. As Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:19, “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” When we ask for wisdom, for clarity, for strength, He responds.

So today, I find myself asking a simple prayer: “Lord, open my eyes.” Not to something far off, but to what is already here. To the opportunities embedded in this day. To the ways I can reflect His character in small but meaningful acts. Because it is in these moments that our faith becomes visible—not just in what we believe, but in how we live.

On Second Thought

There is a paradox in all of this that is easy to overlook. We often assume that discovering God’s will requires searching for something new—something hidden, something beyond our current reach. But what if the greater challenge is not discovering more, but noticing what has already been given? What if the life God has prepared for you is not waiting somewhere else, but unfolding right where you are?

This challenges the way we think about spiritual growth. We tend to equate significance with scale—believing that larger opportunities carry greater meaning. But Scripture repeatedly redirects our attention to the small, the ordinary, the daily. The paradox is this: the more we focus on extraordinary moments, the more we miss the ordinary ones where God is actually at work. And it is in those ordinary moments that transformation takes root.

Consider how often Jesus worked through what others overlooked—a conversation at a well, a meal with sinners, a touch of compassion in a crowded place. None of these appeared significant at the time, yet they were saturated with divine purpose. The same is true for us. The opportunities God prepares are not always dramatic, but they are always meaningful.

This means that awareness becomes a spiritual discipline. To live attentively is to live faithfully. To pause, to listen, to reflect—these are not passive acts; they are active participation in what God is doing. And perhaps the most unexpected truth is this: when we begin to see our everyday lives as the arena of God’s work, we realize that we have never been without purpose. We have simply been unaware of it.

So maybe the question is not, “What does God want me to do next?” but, “Where is God already inviting me to respond today?” That shift does not simplify the Christian life—it deepens it. It calls us to a level of attentiveness that requires intention, humility, and trust. But it also opens our eyes to a reality that has been there all along: God is at work, and He is inviting us to walk with Him, one ordinary moment at a time.

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What does Matthew 12:50 mean? | BibleRef.com
https://www.bibleref.com/Matthew/12/Matthew-12-50.html

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What does Matthew 12:50 mean? | BibleRef.com

For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother.' - What is the meaning of Matthew 12:50?

BibleRef.com
Discipleship Transformed: Engaging Head, Heart, and Hands
In the modern era of “instant” everything, the slow, methodical process of spiritual maturation often feels like a counter-cultural act. Yet, this is exactly what Dr. Giselle Llerena invites us into with her seminal work, Discipleship Transformed: Engaging the Head, Heart and Hands for Disciple-Making. More details… https://spiritualkhazaana.com/discipleship-transformed-head-heart-hands/
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How to Read the Bible Like a Seminary Professor: A Transformative Guide to Scripture Engagement
The Bible is the most influential book in human history, yet for many, it remains the most intimidating. We often approach it with a mix of reverence and confusion, wondering if we need a PhD in ancient languages just to understand a single parable. More details… https://spiritualkhazaana.com/how-to-read-the-bible-like-a-seminary/
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When God’s Instructions Seem Overly Specific

DID YOU KNOW

God’s will often feels confusing not because it is unclear, but because it is more detailed, relational, and purposeful than we expect. Scripture does not shy away from this tension. From the precise architectural commands of the tabernacle in Exodus, to the unexpected healing at the Pool of Bethesda in John, to the poetic mystery of love and longing in the Song of Solomon, we are reminded that God’s ways resist simplification. They invite trust before understanding. When we approach God’s will impatiently or from a distance, confusion grows. When we approach it prayerfully and relationally, clarity begins to emerge—not always about why, but about who God is and how He works among His people.

Did you know that God’s detailed instructions are often acts of protection, not control?

Exodus 26–27 can feel overwhelming to modern readers. Measurements, materials, loops, clasps, colors, and dimensions are spelled out with exacting care. At first glance, it may seem excessive or rigid, but within Israel’s wilderness context, these instructions were deeply pastoral. The tabernacle was not merely a structure; it was a visible sign that the holy God chose to dwell among His redeemed people. The Hebrew concept of holiness, qadosh, carries the idea of being set apart with intention. God’s specificity guarded Israel from reshaping worship according to convenience, preference, or surrounding cultures. The golden calf incident in Exodus 32 stands as a cautionary contrast—when God’s instructions are ignored or adjusted, confusion and idolatry quickly follow.

This is not about God being inflexible, but about God being faithful. He knows what draws hearts away long before we recognize it ourselves. Like a skilled physician prescribing a precise treatment, God’s commands reflect His intimate knowledge of human weakness and spiritual drift. We often ask God “why” even when we already sense the answer. The discomfort we feel toward His specificity usually reveals our desire for autonomy rather than understanding. God’s will is confusing only when we try to interpret it apart from relationship. Within relationship, His commands become anchors rather than obstacles.

Did you know that knowing God’s will requires closeness, not curiosity?

Trying to understand God’s will without cultivating closeness to God often leads to frustration. Scripture consistently presents discernment as relational, not mechanical. In John 5:1–15, Jesus heals a man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years. The healing itself is astonishing, but what follows is telling. Jesus later finds the man and speaks a sobering word: “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” The healing was not an end in itself; it was an invitation into a transformed life. God’s will in this moment was not merely physical restoration but spiritual alignment.

Many people want God’s direction without God’s presence. They want answers without obedience, clarity without surrender. Yet Scripture reveals that God often gives instruction before explanation. Discernment grows through faithfulness over time. The psalmist affirms this pattern when he writes, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). A lamp does not illuminate the entire journey at once; it gives just enough light for the next step. God’s will unfolds most clearly for those who walk closely with Him, trusting that obedience today prepares them for understanding tomorrow.

Did you know that God’s will is not always efficient, but it is always purposeful?

From a human perspective, much of God’s activity appears inefficient. Why require years of tabernacle construction in the wilderness? Why heal one man among many at Bethesda? Why describe love and longing in poetic images rather than doctrinal statements in the Song of Solomon? Yet Scripture reveals that God values formation as much as outcome. The tabernacle shaped Israel’s identity as a worshiping people. The healing in John 5 exposed misplaced trust in rituals rather than in Christ Himself. The Song of Solomon reminds us that covenant love involves patience, pursuit, and timing.

God’s will is not designed to optimize productivity; it is designed to cultivate faithfulness. We often evaluate decisions by speed, clarity, or visible success, while God measures them by obedience, trust, and transformation. The Hebrew word often associated with walking faithfully, halak, implies a steady, ongoing movement rather than sudden arrival. God’s will frequently unfolds through process, not shortcuts. When we grow impatient, confusion follows. When we remain attentive, God’s purposes become clearer even if the path remains challenging.

Did you know that confusion about God’s will often reveals where trust is still forming?

Confusion is not always a sign of disobedience; sometimes it is a sign of growth. When we encounter moments where God’s instructions feel unclear or uncomfortable, we are often standing at the edge of deeper trust. Israel struggled repeatedly in the wilderness not because God was silent, but because trust had not yet matured. They had been delivered from Egypt, but Egypt had not yet been fully delivered from them. God’s detailed commands were part of that slow reshaping of the heart.

In our own lives, confusion often arises when God’s will confronts our assumptions, preferences, or fears. We may know what God has already instructed, yet still ask “why” as a way of postponing obedience. Scripture gently reminds us that God knows what we need before we ask. He is not withholding guidance; He is inviting trust. As Jesus taught elsewhere, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them, he it is who loves me” (John 14:21). Love expresses itself not in perfect understanding, but in faithful response.

As we reflect on these passages together, we are invited to reconsider how we approach God’s will. Rather than treating it as a puzzle to solve, Scripture encourages us to receive it as a relationship to cultivate. God’s instructions, whether detailed or mysterious, are always given in love and for our good. When confusion arises, it may be less about God’s silence and more about our readiness to listen.

The invitation for each of us is simple yet searching: to return to the place of prayer, humility, and attentiveness. God’s will is rarely revealed all at once, but it is always given faithfully to those who seek Him with their whole heart. Take time today to ask not only what God is asking of you, but how He is inviting you to trust Him more deeply in the process.

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Jesus, Our Anchor Between

https://youtu.be/j4iuzXEJEVU

“‘Dear Lord God, I wish to preach in your honor. I wish to speak about you, glorify you, praise your name. Although I can’t do this well of myself, I pray that you may make it good.’”[1]

Introduction

A new year is upon us. 2025 is now in the books; 2026 remains unknown as it stretches out before us. We are caught between letting go and taking in, wrapping up and rolling out, caught between what was and what will be. The beginning of a new year always invites resolutions and promises, some of which will be broken and others fulfilled. Somethings we can leave behind in 2025, others we will carry with us into 2026. For some of us there’s excitement as we think about all the unknown terrain to be discovered over the next 361 days; others of us may be feeling the heaviness the new year brings, fearing and worrying as we contemplate the potential for (more) loss and (more) pain to come our way.

The reality is that most of us probably have some form of all these feelings as we celebrate the new year. We are both excited and nervous, confident and skeptical, in control and not in control. So, it can be hard to feel anchored at this time between two years—one being completed and one barely started. And because we are caught between all these emotions and feelings, we can’t find our anchor in ourselves because that’s where all the instability is currently residing. So, where do we look?

Outside of ourselves. And this is the power of the Christmas season. Something new (even if the story is quite old) is born among us and to us and in us. Jesus, the Christ, is given to us anew, again. And while on Christmas Eve we were part of the rabble invited to the manger among shepherds and animals to look upon the newborn child who is the savior of the world, today we are invited to witness Jesus as tween participating in religious (and family!) life in a new way. The anchor we need at the beginning of this new year is found in Jesus the young and curious teacher and learner.

Luke 2:41-52

Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph were traveling to Jerusalem every year for the festival of the Passover. And when [Jesus] was twelve, they went [to Jerusalem] according to the custom of the festival and when the days of the festival came to an end, they returned and the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know (vv.41-43). Every year for eleven years they traveled, as a family, to Jerusalem for the celebration of the festival of the Passover; every year for eleven years Jesus returned with them. And then, at year twelve, Jesus remains while the family leaves. Luke doesn’t give us a reason (upfront) about why Jesus decided to stay back or if it was an accident as if he was caught up in the events and the dialogues indwelling and swirling about the synagogue and in Jerusalem and couldn’t pull himself away. What is clear is that something new is happening; Luke wants his audience to see a shift in the narrative, to take note of Jesus’s self-differentiation from his family, his parents and siblings, even any extended family that may have been in the traveling company.

Luke continues the story, But considering him to be in the company, they went a day’s journey and then they were seeking carefully for him among the relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find [him], they turned back toward Jerusalem and were seeking carefully for him. After three days, they found him in the temple sitting down in the middle of the teachers and listening to and enquiring of them (vv44-46). Following Luke’s story, Jesus is missing for at least five days if not six. While it took his parents a harrowing three days to find him in the temple, he (most likely) spent more than just that moment (preceding his being found) in the temple. He spent about a week; a week is plenty of time to form observant opinions and rational conclusions.[i] Now, there is a correlation here between Jesus being found by his parents on the third day in the temple and Jesus being found on the third day after his death in resurrected glory; [ii] I’m not sure that’s Luke’s main point. Luke’s point is to make known the very beginning of Jesus’s ministry at a young age. While we know his active ministry starts at the Epiphany, what Luke is showing his audience is that the very beginning—the inception/conception—is here; for it’s here where Jesus is listening and asking, answering and debating with the very same religious leaders he will come into conflict with later when he’s an adult. It’s here, for Luke, where Jesus begins to make himself known and where Jesus begins to become aware of the toxicity of the religious situation for the people of God.[iii] Here, for Luke, God is moving Jesus’s spirit and planting the seeds of God’s divine gospel proclamation that will come.

So, after a week his parents find him and he’s teaching and questioning the elders of the synagogue. Then Luke tells us, Now, all the ones who were listening to him were amazed about his understanding and answers. And after seeing him, they were struck with astonishment and his mother said to him, “Child, why did you do this to us in this way? behold, your father and I were seeking you with suffering pain.” And he said to them, “Why were you seeking me? Did you not consider that it was necessary for me to be in this place of my father?” (v47). Not only has Jesus separated himself from his family, but he is also separating himself from the authorities of the synagogue. Their amazement at his insight and answers indicates that his comments and questions were not textbook but came from a different source, a divine inspiration, a divine, prophetic stirring. And this is what Luke wants his audience to see, to focus on, wherein to find anchor. Jesus the Christ, Jesus the child of Mary; Jesus the Son of God, Jesus the Son of humanity. It is through this one that God will challenge and overhaul the kingdom of humanity through the reign of God; it is through this one that the oppressed (spiritually and politically oppressed) will find liberation not only spiritual liberation with God but political liberation with the neighbor from the systemic oppression of the kingdom of humanity. It is through this divine child of Mary that the challenge and collision of the reign of God with the kingdom of humanity is already starting.[iv],[v] It is in and through this one that the very center of the temple[vi] will be relocated away from cold stones and in fleshy human hearts, away from cold law obedience and to warm faith wherein the law is satisfied and done.[vii]

Conclusion

As we enter this new year—with all its unknown and uncertainty, with all its mileage laying out before us and unchartered territory—we enter with a story of God for humanity guiding our way. We are given someone to walk with: Jesus the Christ, God’s son. So, we enter this new year knowing something significant and timeless: for God so love the world that God gave God’s only son to bring love, life, and liberation to the unloved, the dead, and the captive. Luke gives us a place to look, a focal point, something to allow our anxious minds and nervous hearts to focus on and find anchor. Luke gives us someone outside of ourselves to look to: Jesus of Nazareth, this man who is God. Christmas will always remind us that God comes to dwell with human beings on earth. This is God’s desire: to dwell with humanity whom God loves with all God’s heart. So, with resolutions or not, with promises or not, with intentions or not for this new year, we enter this new year with an ancient story made new to us at this moment. And in this ancient story we find the fulfillment of all we were waiting for through Advent: hope for the hopeless, peace for the peaceless, joy for the joyless, and love for the loveless.

[1] LW 54:157-158; Table Talk 1590.

[i] Ernesto Cardenal, The Gospel in Solentiname, translated by Donald D. Walsh (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2010), 46. “Olivia: ‘he went to the temple to teach the teachers of the law, because these teachers knew the law by heart but they didn’t put it into practice.’”

[ii] Cardenal, Solentiname, 46. “Olivia: ‘He also did it to help prepare them. He was going to be away from them later. And once Mary and his other relatives came looking for him, and he told them that his family was the community. And then Mary lost him in death, but on the third day, like here in the temple, he was found.’”

[iii] Cardenal, Solentiname, 46-47. “…Jesus was taken to the temple by his parents, in accordance with the religious traditions that they faithfully observed, ‘as was the custom,’ as the Gospel says. There he saw the Jewish religion, legalistic pharisaical, external. He also saw the money-changers that he was going to drive out later. And then, when his parents were leaving, he went back to the temple to see if he could do something to change the situation.”

[iv] Cardenal, Solentiname, 46. “Felipe…: ‘In this Gospel Jesus appears as a rebellious kid. He’s still a child and he’s already in the temple challenging their religion, criticizing and arguing with those guys, giving them arguments they can’t answer.’”

[v] Cardenal, Solentiname, 47. “Felipe: ‘Conclusion, then: Jesus was a revolutionary from childhood.’”

[vi] Gonzalez, Luke, 44. “The temple is the sign of God’s presence in the midst of the people.”

[vii] Justo L. Gonzalez, Luke, Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible, eds. Amy Plantinga Pauw and William C. Placher (Louisville: WJK, 2010), 43. Potential echo of 1 Samuel 2:26 in Luke 2:52. And, “Furthermore, Samuel’s connection both with the temple and with Jesus hint at the typology that sees Jesus as the new and final temple of God. For this reason, a common theme in early Christian theology was that the destruction of the temple showed that it was no longer necessary, for the temple prefigured the one who had already come.”

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January 4th Sermon

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