The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 337: The Importance of Love (2022)

Episode Date: December 3, 2022

Fr. Mike unpacks the events in Acts 16, describing Paul’s trust in the Lord as God frees him from prison. He connects St. Paul’s conversation about spiritual gifts to the well-known “love” chapter in 1 Corinthians, explaining how love and donation of self gives purpose to the spiritual gifts. Today’s readings are Acts 16, 1 Corinthians 13-14, and Proverbs 28:13-15. 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.

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. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds. And we've been into that story today. It is day 337. That's pretty phenomenal.

And we're reading Acts of the Apostles, chapter 16, St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, chapters 13 and 14. Ah, a love letter. And Proverbs chapter 28, verses 13 through 15. As always, the Bible translation I'm reading from is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you want to download your own Bible in a Year reading plan, you can visit ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. And you can subscribe to this podcast by clicking on subscribe and receiving daily episodes and daily updates, unless you're listening, of course, on another platform like Hallow, which is a gift. And we're really grateful for them and their giftedness. It is day 337. We're reading Acts chapter 16, 1 Corinthians chapters 13 and 14, and Proverbs chapter 28, verses 13 through 15.

The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 16. Timothy accompanies Paul and Silas. And he came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions which had been reached by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem. So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily. Paul's vision of the man of Macedonia. And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit

to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go in Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia was standing pleading with him and saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us. And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. The conversion of Lydia and her household. Setting sail, therefore, from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is the leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days, and on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together.

One who heard us was a woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to listen to what was said by Paul. And when she was baptized with her household, she begged us saying, if you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay. And she prevailed upon us. Paul and Silas beaten and imprisoned. As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by soothsaying. She followed Paul and us crying, these men are servants of the most high God

who proclaim to you the way of salvation. And this she did for many days. But Paul was annoyed and turned and said to the spirit, I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And it came out that very hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said,

these men are Jews and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs, which it is not lawful for us Romans to accept or practice. The crowd joined in attacking them and the magistrates tore the garments off them They advocate customs which it is not lawful for us Romans to accept or practice. The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this charge,

he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, Do not harm yourself, for we are all here. And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them out and said, Men, what must I do to be saved?

And they said, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household. And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once with all his family. Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them, and he rejoiced with all his household that he had believed in God. But when it was day, the magistrates sent the police, saying, let those men go. And the jailer reported the words to Paul saying, the magistrates have sent to let you go. Now, therefore, come out and go in peace. But Paul said to them, they have beaten us publicly, uncondemned men who are Roman citizens and have thrown us into prison. And do they now cast us out secretly? No, let them come

themselves and take us out. The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. So they came and apologized to them, and they took them out and asked them to leave the city. So they went out of the prison and visited Lydia. And when they had seen the brethren, they exhorted them and departed. The first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 13, the way of love. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have,

and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful. It is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away. As for tongues, they will cease. As for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect. But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child. I thought like a child. I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part. Then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three.

But the greatest of these is love. Chapter 14. Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues Make love your aim, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, he who prophesies speaks to men for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. He who prophesies is greater

than he who speaks in tongues unless someone interprets so that the church may be edified. Now brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how shall I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation, or knowledge, or prophecy, or teaching? If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played? And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle? So with yourselves, if you, in a tongue, utter speech that is not intelligible, how will anyone know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. There are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is without

meaning. But if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to the speaker, and the speaker a foreigner to me. So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church. Therefore, he who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray in the Spirit, and I will pray with the mind also. I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with the mind also. Otherwise will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the mind also. Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider

say the amen to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may give thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than you all. Nevertheless, in church, I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others than 10 thousand words in a tongue. Brethren, do not be children in your

thinking. Be infants in evil, but in thinking be mature. In the law it is written, by men of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord. Thus, tongues are a sign not for believers, but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers, but for believers. If, therefore, the whole church assembles and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all,

he is called to account by all, the secrets of his heart are disclosed. And so falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you. Orderly Worship What then, brethren? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two, or at most three, and each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silence in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is

said. If a revelation is made to another sitting by, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, the women should keep silence in the churches, for they are not permitted to speak but should be subordinate, as even the law says. If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. What? Did the word of God originate with you, or are you the only ones it has reached? If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or spiritual,

he should acknowledge that what I am writing to you is a command of the Lord. If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. So my brethren, earnestly desire to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues, but all things should be done decently and in order. The book of Proverbs chapter 28 verses 13 through 15.

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord always, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people. Father in heaven, we give you praise. We thank you so much for this day, this new day. My gosh, Lord, you're never not with us. God, you are always present to us. And you continue to help us. You continue to guide us.

And just, God, please receive our thanks. Please receive our praise today as we hear of this, that the persistence and the perseverance, the faithfulness of Paul and Silas and the other Christians, even in jail, even in prison, even in defeat, we just give you praise. We thank you so much for such faithful older brothers in the faith. We thank you for Lydia,

one of the first converts there in Macedonia. We thank you for her. Thank you for her household. Thank you for the guards in his household. Lord God, and we give you praise because you not only call us to love, you are love. Help us to love. Help us to trust.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. So Acts of the Apostles, a lot of adventure, a lot of action happening. Here is Timothy. Oh, man, the introduction of Timothy. We're going to have St. Paul's letters to Timothy in a little bit. You would know when that's going to happen if you had a Great Adventure Bible timeline reading plan. It's actually happening in maybe three or four weeks. But Timothy, yes, his mom was Jewish, loved the Lord. Actually his mom and grandma both knew the Lord, but his father was a Greek. And so Timothy was uncircumcised. They go on a mission. And what does Paul do? Paul has him circumcised ahead of time. This is Paul living out the very kind of principle that he was

instructing the Corinthians to do, right? He said to the Corinthians, if something you do causes someone else to sin, then just stop it. Or something you don't do causes people to sin, then do it. You need to do the thing. Here is Paul who knows he was at the council of Jerusalem. He knows that you don't have to get circumcised, but he also knows that there are some Jewish Christians who will not accept Timothy unless he was circumcised. And there's also some Jews they want to become, they desire to evangelize and bring into the church who won't listen to them if they know that Timothy's uncircumcised. So for the sake of others, I mean, think about, talk about taking one for the team.

That is incredible. But what a gift it is to see in action this principle of St. Paul. That is to say, if eating causes you to sin, I won't eat. If drinking causes someone else to sin, I won't drink. And here is Timothy as he's raising him up in the faith as well, just to say, okay, there are some things that are worth doing for the sake of others, not because in and of themselves, they are what you need to do, but because of others for others, he was doing that. So that was just incredible. I just loved it. It's a small thing thing but it's a big thing you know what i mean okay moving on paul goes into macedonia has a vision please come to us bring the gospel to us and we have the conversion of lydia and her whole household we also have what happens after this there's this

woman who has a spirit now we recognize that even in our day we get so smart right we're 21st century people that we tend to think at times that satst century people that we tend to think at times that Satan is not real. We tend to think at times that demonic possession is not real. It is very real. Satan is very real. He's not a literary figure. He is a spiritual figure, a real figure. And in this case, here is this family that made a lot of money off of this slave who

had a demon, a demon spirit of divination. She knew the demon knew the truth. And so here they are following Paul and Silas saying, these men are servants of the most high God who proclaimed you the way of salvation. You think that's a strange thing for a demon to say. She did this for many days. I love how Luke puts in.

Paul was annoyed. I don't know if he caught this, but in Acts of the Apostles, chapter 16, Luke, the author of Acts of the Apostles, went from talking about he, Paul, to we. We went on to Macedonia and we were there. And you can imagine that here is now Luke firsthand saying, yeah, I saw Paul. He was annoyed. He was so bothered. So he said, I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.

And she was set free. But because of that, they get thrown into jail. In jail, what do Paul and Silas do? They lick their wounds. They complain. They just kind of curl up in a ball. No, at midnight, they're still praying and singing hymns to God. And the prisoners are listening to them. And what happens? God releases them. They proclaim the good news to the jailer and they baptize him and his whole household. And then it is revealed the next day that, oh, these are Roman citizens. Now, if you are not Roman citizen, yeah, do whatever with them.

But if you're a Roman citizen, they deserve a trial. They deserve, you know, innocent until guilty, that kind of situation. I'm not sure if that existed at that point, but they did deserve a trial and they would not be beaten before they were tried. And so you can see how the people in charge, the magistrates, were a little bit embarrassed when they found out that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. And so they said, no, you can go out secretly. And Paul was like, nope, you're going to let us out publicly so that everyone knows,

everyone knows what you did, kind of a situation, which is pretty interesting. In 1 Corinthians, gosh, what did we hear today? We heard chapter 13, the way of love. Chapter 14, the gifts of prophecy and tongues. So just one note on each, the way of love, which is Paul just got done talking about the spiritual gifts and talking about how the church needs the spiritual gifts. Talk talked about that in the church, there are those who, through the wisdom of the given through the spirit, the utterance of wisdom, through the spirit, knowledge, through the same spirit, mighty works, to the same spirit, healing, there's another spirit, that same spirit, sorry, another prophecy, through the same spirit, ability to distinguish between spirits. We call that discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues to another interpretation

of tongues. That's in chapter 12, these spiritual gifts. And St. Paul says, all of those are inspired by one in the same Holy Spirit who apportions to each one individually as he wills. So those are gifts that every Christian should strive for. He even says, strive eagerly. And the last verse of chapter 12 is verse 31. And St. Paul says, earnestly desire the higher gifts. And we want to ask God for these gifts. All of those gifts we can ask God for. And he will

give to us the ones that he knows that will be used for the building up of the church. These spiritual gifts are not sanctifying gifts. Here's what I mean. Those gifts, those charisms, those graces, they don't make a person holy. So a person can have the gift of healing and not become holy. A person can have the gift of prophecy and not be holy themselves. A person can have the gift of mighty works and not necessarily have a sin-free life. So that kind of grace is a grace that's meant to build up the kingdom. It doesn't necessarily or automatically sanctify the person who uses those gifts. Now it can, right? Whenever we're cooperating with God's will, yes, we can be sanctified. We can be conformed to more and more to his will. So we are made holy that way. But the presence of the gift

and the exercise of the gifts themselves doesn't mean that this person is super holy. That's why you can have people who are incredibly close to the Lord, who are incredibly aligned with his will, who don't manifest any big, big, big gift, dramatic gift like healing or dramatic gift like mighty works. And you can also have people who are broken people, who God still has given the gift of healing. He still has given them the gift of tongues. He's still given them those spiritual gifts. And so it's not connected to one's sanctifying grace,

not connected to one's holiness, but it is meant, as St. Paul says so many times in chapter 14, for the upbuilding of the church. So those gifts are never given to the individual for the individual. They're given to the individual for the sake of the body. They're given to the individual for the sake of the church. And so that's one of the reasons why we ask God for those gifts is not so I can be edified, so I can be built up. It's like,

no, no, no. So the church can be edified. So the people on the outside can say the Holy Spirit is working in the church and he's real and he loves me and he's healed me. Maybe he's spoken to me, spoken a word into my life that has transformed my life. And that's why and he loves me and he's healed me. Maybe he's spoken to me, spoken a word in my, into my life that has transformed my life. And that's why we ask God for those gifts. That's also the reason why I believe St. Paul says the greatest of these is love. Why? Well, for many reasons, St.

Paul says very clearly directly is because all these other gifts will cease. In fact, even in heaven, you won't need faith. You won't need hope in heaven because you will have your heart's desire, but you will need love. And so that's why it's the greatest. But I would say, I would add to that and say, also, the reason why we need love is because I can have all these gifts and use them on myself. I can have all these gifts and I can just do it for me. But to have the gift of healing or the gift of prophecy or the gift of tongues or any of the spiritual gifts and have the gift of love, then you put those gifts at the service of others. You give of yourself because that's what

love is, right? Love is willing the good of the other. It's becoming that gift and using your gifts to bless the people around us. It's the reason why St. Paul says that, yeah, in the church, listen, you can pray in tongues all you want. He says, I pray in tongues more than anybody, but that helps you pray. You know, if you're speaking in the language of angels, a lot of times, that's how they describe it. And God knows what you're saying, but you don't know. So you're still using your heart to pray. But St. Paul points out, it's really also good to use your mind when you pray. So it's good to know what you're saying. And therefore, it's good to have someone who's interpreting, especially when you're in the community and with other people. Yeah, you're really, it's really, really good. It's

more important to have prophecy where people can understand than it is to have just the words of the spirit that no one can understand. He goes on to say that when you're together, if some people are going to speak in tongues, make sure there's an interpreter and also, hey, only go two or three at a time or go one at a time, but only do two or three because he says people are going to jump into your, into mass essentially wherever you're praying. And, and they're, they're going to be confused. They're going to think you guys are crazy. And so, so in that case, be more ordered. That's even how he ends the whole chapter 14. He says, my brethren earnestly desire to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues. So you guys pray for the gift of tongues,

but all things, that was my editorial. He didn't say that part. But all things should be done decently and in order. So that's St. Paul's teaching to us today about prayer, about love, about speaking in tongues, about the giftedness of belonging to the Lord. The spirit of God is with you. And so I'm just asking the Holy Spirit right now, who already has been given to you. In the name of Jesus Christ, Father, I ask you to please have an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the lives of every person who's listening to these words. May they prophesy mightily. May they be filled with wisdom and knowledge. May they be filled with the gifts of healing. May they use the gifts of mighty works and miracles. May they, Lord, speak in tongues. May they have interpretation of tongues and

discernment of spirits. May they have all of the spiritual gifts. But above all, Father in heaven, in the name of your son, Jesus Christ, send your spirit of faith, of hope, and of love upon every person listening to these words. In Jesus' name. Guys, I am praying for you. That's what that was.

I am praying for you. Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.