Day 326: Life in the Spirit (2024) AI transcript and summary - episode of podcast The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)

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Episode: Day 326: Life in the Spirit (2024)

Author: Ascension
Duration: 00:25:09

Episode Shownotes

Fr. Mike discusses the ministry of the apostles and encourages us to allow God to work in our lives in the same way. He also reminds us that through Baptism, we are set free from our fallen human nature and given the freedom to live according to the spirit. Today’s

readings are from Acts 5, Romans 8, and Proverbs 27:7-9. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Summary

In Day 326 of 'The Bible in a Year,' Fr. Mike Schmitz explores the essence of living life in the Spirit as derived from the apostles' ministry and the significance of Baptism. Drawing from scripture readings in Acts 5, Romans 8, and Proverbs 27:7-9, he reflects on the transformative power of faith that liberates from sin and reinforces our identity as children of God. The episode emphasizes the apostles' courage amidst persecution, the joy found in suffering for Christ, and the assurance of God's unwavering love, inviting listeners to embrace their empowerment through the Holy Spirit.

Go to PodExtra AI's episode page (Day 326: Life in the Spirit (2024)) to play and view complete AI-processed content: summary, mindmap, topics, takeaways, transcript, keywords and highlights.

Full Transcript

00:00:00 Speaker_01
Hello everybody, my name is Father Mike Schmitz. I want to let you know about a one-night-only opportunity we have in Newark, New Jersey on Monday, December 9th. It's right after the start of Advent.

00:00:09 Speaker_01
We're doing an Advent Night of Reflection and Q&A at the Newark Performing Arts Center. Again, Monday, December 9th at seven o'clock. If you're interested in finding out more about this, go to ascensionpress.com slash fathermiketour.

00:00:21 Speaker_01
Basically, a night of reflection diving deeply into what it is that we're preparing for in the season of Advent. If you're interested at all,

00:00:27 Speaker_01
on monday december 97 o'clock newark performing arts center go to ascension press dot com slash father mike tour that's f r m i k e tour god bless

00:00:40 Speaker_01
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension.

00:00:49 Speaker_01
Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. It is day 326.

00:00:56 Speaker_01
We're reading Acts of the Apostles, chapter 5, and Romans, St. Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 8, as well as Proverbs, chapter 27, verses 7 through 9.

00:01:05 Speaker_01
As always, the Bible translation that I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension.

00:01:11 Speaker_01
If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. You can also subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe and receiving daily episodes and daily updates.

00:01:22 Speaker_01
As I noted, today's day 326. I think I said that. We're only reading two chapters. One is Acts chapter 5 and the other is Romans chapter 8. Pretty phenomenal chapters, really big deal chapters when it comes to Romans.

00:01:33 Speaker_01
Well, of course, all of the Bible is inspired, but Romans chapter 8 is very significant. So again, Acts of the Apostles chapter 5, St. Paul's letter to the Romans chapter 8, as well as Proverbs chapter 27, verses 7 through 9.

00:01:48 Speaker_01
The Acts of the Apostles chapter 5, Ananias and Sapphira.

00:01:53 Speaker_01
But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife's knowledge he kept back some of the proceeds and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles' feet.

00:02:03 Speaker_01
But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?

00:02:17 Speaker_01
How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God." When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear came upon all who heard of it.

00:02:29 Speaker_01
The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to her, tell me whether you sold the land for so much?

00:02:41 Speaker_01
And she said, yes, for so much. But Peter said to her, how is it that you have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Listen, the feet of those that have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.

00:02:54 Speaker_01
Immediately she fell down at his feet and died. When the young man came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

00:03:07 Speaker_01
The apostles healed many. Now many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles, and they were all together in Solomon's portico. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high honor.

00:03:20 Speaker_01
And more than ever, believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and pallets that as Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them.

00:03:32 Speaker_01
The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. The apostles are imprisoned and brought before the council.

00:03:44 Speaker_01
But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and filled with jealousy, they arrested the apostles and put them in the common prison.

00:03:54 Speaker_01
But at night, an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out and said, Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life. And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and taught.

00:04:08 Speaker_01
Now the high priest came and those who were with him and called together the council and all the Senate of Israel and sent to the prison to have them brought.

00:04:15 Speaker_01
But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, and they returned and reported, We found the prison securely locked and the sentries standing at the doors, but when we opened it, we found no one inside.

00:04:26 Speaker_01
Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were very much perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to.

00:04:32 Speaker_01
And someone came and told them, The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people. Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but without violence, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

00:04:44 Speaker_01
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council, and the high priest questioned them, saying, We strictly charge you not to teach in this name.

00:04:52 Speaker_01
Yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teachings, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us. But Peter and the apostles answered, We must obey God rather than men.

00:05:02 Speaker_01
The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things.

00:05:14 Speaker_01
And so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.

00:05:22 Speaker_01
But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a while. And he said to them, men of Israel, take care what you do with these men.

00:05:36 Speaker_01
For before these days, Theodos arose, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about 400, joined him. But he was slain, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.

00:05:46 Speaker_01
After him, Judas the Galilean arose in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone.

00:06:00 Speaker_01
For if this plan or this undertaking is of men, it will fail. But if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God. So they took his advice.

00:06:13 Speaker_01
And when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.

00:06:26 Speaker_01
And every day in the temple and at home, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

00:06:36 Speaker_00
Saint Paul's Letter to the Romans, Chapter 8, Life in the Spirit.

00:06:42 Speaker_01
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.

00:06:52 Speaker_01
For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

00:07:09 Speaker_01
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

00:07:18 Speaker_01
To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law. Indeed, it cannot. And those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

00:07:35 Speaker_01
But you are not in the flesh. You are in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God really dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.

00:07:46 Speaker_01
But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness.

00:07:53 Speaker_01
If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit who dwells in you.

00:08:04 Speaker_01
So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

00:08:17 Speaker_01
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship.

00:08:27 Speaker_01
When we cry, Abba, Father, it is the spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

00:08:34 Speaker_01
And if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. The glory to be revealed.

00:08:47 Speaker_01
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

00:08:58 Speaker_01
For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but by the will of him who subjected it in hope. Because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God.

00:09:12 Speaker_01
We know that the whole creation has been groaning with labor pains together until now, and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

00:09:26 Speaker_01
For in this hope we were saved. Now, hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

00:09:40 Speaker_01
Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.

00:09:50 Speaker_01
And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

00:09:59 Speaker_01
We know that in everything, God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

00:10:05 Speaker_01
For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son in order that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. And those He predestined, He also called. And those whom He called, He also justified.

00:10:19 Speaker_01
And those whom He justified, He also glorified. God's love in Christ Jesus. It is God who justifies, who is to condemn. It is Christ Jesus who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.

00:10:51 Speaker_01
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for your sake we are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.

00:11:07 Speaker_01
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

00:11:12 Speaker_01
For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

00:11:32 Speaker_00
The book of Proverbs, chapter 27, verses seven through nine.

00:11:36 Speaker_01
He who is sated loathes honey, but to one who is hungry, everything bitter is sweet. Like a bird that strays from its nest is a man who strays from his home.

00:11:48 Speaker_00
Oil and perfume make the heart glad, but the soul is torn by trouble. Father in heaven, we give you praise. We thank you so much.

00:11:59 Speaker_01
Thank you for giving us your word today.

00:12:00 Speaker_01
Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, to dwell in us, to guide us, to put to death the works of the flesh, and to give us life in the spirit, to set us free from slavery, and to give us the true freedom as sons and daughters of you, your own sons and daughters, who can call you Father in the midst of this world.

00:12:20 Speaker_01
Father in heaven, we thank you, we praise you. Dad, we praise you and we love you. In Jesus' name, amen. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

00:12:30 Speaker_01
Okay, gosh, you guys, did I not say, did I not say that Acts of the Apostles chapter 5 and chapter 8 of St. Paul's letter to the Romans was going to be bonkers, completely bonkers today? Oh my gosh, I can't even begin. Where do you even start?

00:12:43 Speaker_01
Okay, so here's the story of Ananias and Sapphira.

00:12:46 Speaker_01
Right before this, I don't know if you remember this, but in chapter four, we had a guy named Joseph, who's also named Barnabas, meaning some of the encouragement, who had sold the field, which belonged to him.

00:12:55 Speaker_01
He brought the money, laid it at the apostles' feet. Here's Ananias and Sapphira, and they're kind of sort of doing the same thing, but they're not actually doing the same thing.

00:13:02 Speaker_01
They're working under the pretense of honesty, or under the pretense of generosity. And that's the problem here. And one of the things that happens, obviously, is for us as well. I mean, even Peter says this.

00:13:15 Speaker_01
He says, while you owned the piece of property, wasn't it yours to do whatever you wanted to do with it? Even after you sold it, you could do whatever you wanted to do with the money. But the problem is you made a pretense.

00:13:25 Speaker_01
You made a show of saying that you were giving everything when you weren't giving everything. That's the issue. The issue is not that, oh, you only gave X amount of money. That's not the issue. The issue is you made a pretense.

00:13:36 Speaker_01
The issue is, remember, how many times did Jesus condemn those who are hypocrites? Again, being a hypocrite, the term hypocrite in Greek is the term for actor, right? I'm pretending to be someone that I'm not actually willing to be.

00:13:49 Speaker_01
Someone who wants to be seen as someone who they're not actually willing to be. They want to be seen as having a virtue that they're not willing to choose, if that makes any sense. And so here's Ananias and Sapphira. They have this pretense.

00:14:00 Speaker_01
They're hypocrites. And because of that, it costs them their life. At the same time, starting in verse 12, the apostles are healing people like crazy. And that's such a remarkable thing.

00:14:11 Speaker_01
They even say that they laid people out so that Peter's shadow would pass over them because Remember what Jeff had pointed out how many days ago, he said that Peter is kind of re-embodying what Jesus had done.

00:14:23 Speaker_01
And later on, Paul's going to be re-embodying what Jesus had done. And what's that a sign of? Not only of the fact that God used these super apostles, right? These two apostles in remarkable ways.

00:14:34 Speaker_01
but also that we're called to allow the Lord to work in our lives in a similar way. Now, I love this next story about how the apostles are imprisoned and brought before the council.

00:14:44 Speaker_01
Now, I read this story, and maybe we might've mentioned this in that conversation with Jeff again. This will be my last reference to that conversation.

00:14:50 Speaker_01
But one of the things that strikes me always is when I read this story, I am reading it, and you and I are reading it from the perspective of it's already been done. It's already been lived. The story's already been written.

00:15:03 Speaker_01
And yet, those apostles that were brought before the Sadducees, that were brought before the council, the story hadn't been written.

00:15:10 Speaker_01
They were filled, I imagine, with a high degree of uncertainty and having no idea how is this going to play out, how is this going to hash out. And yet, even in the midst of that uncertainty, they were filled with boldness.

00:15:21 Speaker_01
Remember that prayer from yesterday, that prayer for boldness, for courage, for the willingness to stand up and say, I'm actually not going to go along with whatever you're asking me to go along with.

00:15:31 Speaker_01
We ordered you, did we not, to cease speaking that name, that you filled the whole city with that name. And that's incredible, right? So often we're told as Christians to stop speaking, stop living in the name of Jesus Christ.

00:15:45 Speaker_01
And here are Peter and the other apostles saying, we cannot but speak in the name of Jesus. And he says in verse 29, we must obey God rather than men. That is so, so crucial for every single one of us. And you know what happened?

00:15:59 Speaker_01
They heard it and they were super happy. They were like, you know what? We're inspired by you. That's incredible. We want to be Christians too. No, verse 33 says, when they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them.

00:16:10 Speaker_01
Peter gives witness, the apostles give witness to this, say, no, we saw Jesus raised from the dead. We're going to bear witness to these things. You can tell us not to speak in his name, but we must obey God rather than men.

00:16:21 Speaker_01
The result, we want to kill them. Gamaliel, of course, stands up and points out that there's other people who had followers, other people who died. And then what happened to those followers? They fell away. Those followers became followers.

00:16:33 Speaker_01
Oh man, I just made up a term. Oh, you got to write that down because it's going to come up again. Followers became followers. You guys, boom, mind blown. Gamaliel says, if this is of God, you can't fight it.

00:16:47 Speaker_01
If it's of men, they're going to become followers. Okay, that's the last time I say that. But if this is of Man, it's going to be over with in a day.

00:16:56 Speaker_01
If it's of God, you will find yourselves battling the Lord himself, and you do not want to be battling the Lord himself.

00:17:05 Speaker_01
The last thing about Acts chapter 5 is, so they took his advice, and when they had called them the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus and let them go. So yeah, they didn't kill them.

00:17:16 Speaker_01
They only scourged them, essentially. They only beat them. What was the apostles response? It wasn't indignation.

00:17:21 Speaker_01
I got to tell you, if I came before the government and because of my faith in Jesus, I was arrested for a couple of days or whatever it was, you know, if at some point they tortured me and then let me go, I would be indignant, right?

00:17:32 Speaker_01
I would be relatively put out. I'll say it like that. What's the Apostle's response? The Apostle's response is, Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. That's incredible.

00:17:47 Speaker_01
Rejoicing that they've been counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of the name. And remember what Jesus had said in the Sermon on the Mount, in the Sermon on the Plain.

00:17:55 Speaker_01
He said, Blessed are you when they hate you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice in that day, for your reward will be great in heaven.

00:18:05 Speaker_01
And here are the apostles doing literally exactly what Jesus told them to do. When you're found rejected, when you're found abandoned, when you're found abused for the name of Jesus because of your faith in Christ, rejoice on that day.

00:18:20 Speaker_01
And every day, and at home and in the temple, they did not cease teaching and preaching in the name of Jesus Christ. That's incredible. Incredible as well, Acts, sorry, Acts of the Apostles. Nope, Letter to the, Letter to St.

00:18:30 Speaker_01
Paul to the Romans, chapter eight, Life in the Spirit. Oh my gosh, you guys, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because you have the law and you have the law of the Spirit.

00:18:43 Speaker_01
We have to put to death the things of the flesh. I mentioned this yesterday, that St. Paul, when he's referring to the flesh, he's not referring to our bodies. He's not rejecting the body. We are our bodies.

00:18:53 Speaker_01
What human beings are is body and soul duality, right? We're a body and soul composite. We're embodied soul or we're in soul bodies. Either way, we are our bodies, right? And we are our souls. So he's not criticizing the fact that we have flesh.

00:19:06 Speaker_01
When he says flesh, he's referring to the fallen human nature that we are. And basically saying, you can live according to that.

00:19:12 Speaker_01
You can live according to your fallen nature and say, well, because I feel this, because I'm attracted this way, that's how I act. And a lot of people do that. They say, well, this feels right. Therefore, that's how I'm gonna live.

00:19:21 Speaker_01
Or this is what I'm attracted to. Therefore, that's what I'm going to choose. And yet St. Paul is saying, You're set free from this.

00:19:29 Speaker_01
you actually have the ability, not only the ability, you have this freedom to be able to live according to the law of the spirit. And if the spirit of God really dwells in you, you are no longer in the flesh, you are in the spirit.

00:19:45 Speaker_01
Goes on to say, this is verse nine, anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirit's alive because of righteousness. And not only that,

00:19:58 Speaker_01
You know, I mentioned in the prayer today, and maybe I mentioned this before, that Jesus has revealed that God is our dad. And we sometimes use the term father, right?

00:20:07 Speaker_01
We often use the term father, but he gave us the term Abba, which ultimately, you know, if you're going to boil it down, ultimately is that closeness of the word father, which would be Papa or would be dad.

00:20:18 Speaker_01
And so I apologize again for anyone who is bothered by that. And yet we need to have that healed in us. We need to have that healed in us. Because yes, we have bad histories.

00:20:29 Speaker_01
Many of us have bad histories with our fathers, or you have great history with your father, but it's a weird thing. And yet, St. Paul says, you did not, in verse 15, you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.

00:20:40 Speaker_01
You have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, Abba, or dad, father, it is the spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

00:20:49 Speaker_01
Oh my gosh, you guys, someday, in the next couple days, I will make this big point, and this big point is, I'll say it right now, and then we'll back it up later on.

00:20:57 Speaker_01
The big point is that every human being is not necessarily automatically a child of God. Every human being is a beloved creature of God, absolutely, that God himself gave his only begotten son so everyone would have life.

00:21:12 Speaker_01
Every human being on this planet, every human being who's ever lived is a beloved creature of God. But we become God's sons and daughters through adoption. We become God's sons and daughters through baptism.

00:21:24 Speaker_01
We become God's sons and daughters when we're given the Holy Spirit. And so that's what St. Paul is saying. When we receive the Spirit, then we get to actually say, Abba, Father. But before we're given the Holy Spirit, we're not.

00:21:35 Speaker_01
Before we're baptized, we're not able to say, Abba, Father, because it is baptism that makes us sons and daughters of God.

00:21:43 Speaker_01
Now, in a certain way, God the Creator is kind of like a father to all the creatures He makes, of course, but we're truly made sons and daughters of God in the power of the Holy Spirit when we are baptized. And that's a big thing.

00:21:57 Speaker_01
Maybe it'll come back up, because The letters of the New Testament make that point abundantly clear. Last thing, oh my gosh, you guys, how incredible is verse 18 and following?

00:22:09 Speaker_01
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us. I wonder if that's true in my life.

00:22:17 Speaker_01
Do I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us?

00:22:22 Speaker_01
I think it was Saint Teresa of Avila who said that at the end of our lives in heaven, she said, even the worst life will seem like a night spent in a bad motel.

00:22:32 Speaker_01
compared to the glory and the joy and the love of heaven, that even the worst life on earth will seem like a night spent in a bad motel, which we trust in. We believe that God loves us that deeply.

00:22:47 Speaker_01
Here's the last line, last word, verses 31 to the end of chapter 8. If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?

00:23:01 Speaker_01
And he goes on to say, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

00:23:14 Speaker_01
For I am convinced, I am sure, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth,

00:23:21 Speaker_01
nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. What St. Paul is making, this is the last point here, I apologize, what the St.

00:23:28 Speaker_01
Paul, the point he's making is that there is no force on earth, there is no amount of evil on this earth that can take you out of God's hands. It's interesting and worth praying about that St.

00:23:42 Speaker_01
Paul doesn't mention the one force that can take us out of God's hand, that can take us out of relationship with God, and that is sin. All these other forces are external forces.

00:23:54 Speaker_01
No one, no matter how much they hurt you, no matter how much they abuse you or use you, no one can take you out of the Father's hand. The only one who can is ourselves through sin. And so we have to say, OK, God, I know that there's no external force.

00:24:11 Speaker_01
There's no power, not even a demon or an angel who can take me out of your hand. So since I'm the only one who can walk away, I'm the only one who can separate myself from you and your love.

00:24:23 Speaker_01
Help me to never, never separate myself from you and your love through sinning, through rebelling against you, through saying, I want to do what I want to do. I'll leave you. Help me never, Lord. Help me never to wander away. That's a tall order.

00:24:37 Speaker_01
And if I do wander, Lord, bring me back. This is a gift. What an incredible gift today. I'm sorry this is so long, but it's just only two chapters, but so much to say. So much gift today. And so last thing is I'm praying for you. Please pray for me.

00:24:53 Speaker_01
My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.