New England Block

111.  angels, not evangelists

Angels in the Bible do many things to benefit human beings, including announcing the birth of the Savior  (Luke 2)  But there is one distinctive activity that angles do not do; preach the gospel.  One example: Acts 10 tells us of the righteous Roman soldier Cornelius (see 110), who was told by an angel to send for the apostle Peter, the man who would preach to him the gospel.  Why didn't the angel himself present the gospel?  This never happens i the Bible, nor anywhere in Christian history.  The gospel is the good news of sinners being saved from their sin--something the angels cannot experience themselves.  Only a saved sinner can preach the gospel to sinners.

Peace and Plenty

110.  Cornelius and Peter

One of the most appealing characters in the New Testament is Cornelius, a Roman centurion.  Acts 10 describes him as "one who feared God," which meant he practiced a Jewish spirituality, including prayer and aiding the poor.  Acts 10 relates his being visited by an angel, who told him that his kindness and good works had not gone unnoticed by God.  The angel linked him with the apostle Peter.  After his meeting with Peter, he becames a Christian, the first Roman convert to the faith.

Next Door Neighbor

37.  Our Lady of the Angels

The Roman Catholic Church holds a much higher view of the Virgin Mary than do Protestants, and some Catholics refer to her as Queen of Heaven or Our Lady Queen of the Angels.  She is sometimes pictured in Catholic art as a crowned figure surrounded by adoring choirs of angles.  As Queen of the Angels, Mary is sometimes prayed to, with people asking her aid in sending the angels to ward off some evil.

The Hen and Her Chicks

36.  Mary and purgatory

"Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death."  This is a Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary, probably one of the most repeated prayers in the history of the world.  In the Middle Ages, as belief in purgatory became more and more widespread, Mary took on a new and enhanced role.  She, more so than Christ Himself, was the one who could soften a soul's punishment and time in purgatory.  While Christ was thought of as the just Judge o human sins, Mary played the role of comforter, who could lessen the punishments of those who prayed to her.  As belief in purgatory became more important in the church's life, so did devotion to the Virgin Mary.  When the Protestant Reformation came along in the 1500s, the Reformers attacked both the belief in purgatory and also the excessive devotion to Mary.

Double Sawtooth

148.  Satan and married celibates

The Christians in Corinth lived in a city known for sexual looseness.  No wonder Paul had much to say about sexual morality.  Whiule he himself preferred the single (and celibate) life, he knew it wasn't for everyone.  He took a sensible approach to married life, assuming that physical intimacy was normal.  Apparently some of the Corinthian Christians were attempting to be celibate while married, but Paul advised against this:  "Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control" (1 Cor. 7:5)

and That's all I'm going to say about That!

Broken Star

147.  the God of peace, crushing

Near the end of his letter to the Romans, Paul gave this promise: "The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly" (16:20).  The wording strikes some readers as almost humorous: The "God of peace" is going to "crush" someone?  Yet it makes perfect sense, in a way.  The world can never have perfect peace as long as Satan is able to go about doing mischieft.  Yet soon, Paul said, Satan's shenanigans will end abruptly, and peace will reign through the mercies of God.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

(thank yoy sister)