30/11/14 Be on your guard, stay awake!

First Sunday of Advent (Year B)

Welcome to a little liturgy and the start of a new Church year.  This week all the readings refer to the Lord's return.  Isaiah is waiting for the coming of the Messiah and we are waiting for the second coming as we also wait for Christmas.  Of course waiting is something that we all find difficult; sometime we are impatient for things to happen or sometimes we fall asleep!  The second activity this week is designed to explore the structure of the Mass and show how we prepare for the consecration and receiving Christ in the Eucharist; a sort of mini advent leading to a mini Christmas.  I hope you enjoy the journey!

Summary of Liturgy of the Word

First Reading
Isaiah 63:16-17; 64:1,3-8
Isaiah talks directly to God and addresses him as "our Father".  He asks God to come back and help us stay away from sinful things.  We are, he says, unclean and like withered leaves and we need guidance.  At the end of the reading he calls God "our Father" again and says to him "we the clay, you the potter, we are all the work of your hand".  

Psalm
Ps 79:2-3, 15-16, 18-19. R. v.4
God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.  

Second Reading
Corinthians 1:3-9
St Paul opens with "May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace."  He says that he thanks God that the Corinthians have been blessed  and enriched by good teachers.  He says also that Christ will keep us strong until he comes on the last day.  

Gospel
Mark 13:33-37
Jesus tells his disciples to "Be on your guard, stay awake because you never know when the time will come".  He says we are like servants left behind to look after a house when their master is gone travelling.  We must always have the house in a good state for when he returns; we must not fall asleep and be surprised when the master comes home.  

Discussion

It is interesting to note that in the first reading Isaiah addresses God as "our Father"; Christ's recommendation to the apostles when they ask him how to pray is exactly the same.  Isaiah is eager for the presence of God and recognises his power.  He also recognises that God's people have strayed from the right path and neglected to think about the important things, "we had long been rebels against you".  He ends with the beautiful image of us being the clay and God being the potter.  On the one hand, this links us back to Adam at the dawn of creation but also looks forward to us giving ourselves to God so that we can be moulded into his people.  

The psalmist echoes Isaiah asking God to come to our aid and promising that "we shall never forsake you again".  There is a clear sense that we are dwelling in sin and need to be saved by the Redeemer.  

Moving to the New Testament we see that we have encountered God and enjoyed the gifts of the spirit.  We are the people who have been joined to Christ.  Yet we too are a people in waiting for the last day.  

The Gospel shows Christ acting in his role as prophet.  He tells us to expect the master of the house at any hour; we are to be ready to receive him and demonstrate our faithful service.  So we are more fortunate, in a way, than Isaiah who did not witness Christ's presence on earth.  We have met our redeemer and have the opportunity to meet him in the Eucharist.  However, we must not be complacent and must stay awake for an even more significant encounter.     

Activity during Mass

The first reading is full of powerful imagery describing God and his people.  Use a separate piece of paper to draw out some of the images:

Isaiah would like God to tear the heavens open and come down.

If he did that, the mountains would melt.

We are like unclean men in filthy clothing.

We are like withered leaves and our sins blow us away like the wind.

We are like clay and God is the potter.

Just like in Advent when we wait for the coming of Christ, at Mass we wait for Christ to come to us in the Eucharist.  We come together around the altar to honour him.  Read through the structure of the liturgy below and follow it as we progress through the Mass today:

1)  Opening - sign of the cross

2)  Penitential rite - asking forgiveness for our sins

3)  Liturgy of the Word - listening to the Prophets and Jesus teaching us

4)  Homily - listening to the apostles of today teaching us

5)  Creed - saying what we believe

6)  Prayers of the Faithful - asking God to help us with specific things

7)  Offertory - offering our sacrifice with Christ to God

8)  Consecration - witnessing God becoming flesh and blood on the altar

9)  Our Father - praying together 

10)  Lamb of God - asking for mercy as our sins are taken away

11)  Communion - becoming one with God

At this point it is a bit like witnessing the first Christmas.  We are, like the shepherds, able to be close to Christ and receive him into our lives. 

12)  Final Blessing and Dismissal

Now that we have met Jesus, we are able to go out into the world and proclaim his message.   

We had some spare time this week so I have printed these stages of the liturgy onto small cards for my son to draw on and take to Mass.  Hopefully he can use them to keep his place!  I will let you know how this goes next week!


Other useful resources and activities

1)  Listen to this hymn "Abba Father" and think about Isaiah's beautiful metaphor of God as the potter and us as the clay.  

hymn on youtube

2)  Isaiah says that we have "withered like leaves".  Consider what has happened to a leaf when it withers.  You might like to collect some examples and make a collage or draw some withered leaves.  What is Isaiah saying about us?

3)  St Paul refers to "the last day" and Jesus says that we must stay awake for the day when the master of the house comes.  These phrases are difficult to understand but are generally accepted to refer to the end of time on earth.  Theologians have spent a lot of time thinking about this; there is even a special word for the study of this which is "eschatology".  

Click on the link to find out more - the Christian eschatology section takes you to further discussion.  You can also look at how other religions deal with this subject.

More info

Questions

Last week's question

How will I be able to tell that it's Advent when I come to church next week?

Answer

When you come to church this week, one of the first things you will notice is that the priest's vestments and altar cloths will be a violet or purple colour.  Last week they were gold to celebrate Christ as King; this week the colour is associated with penance and preparation.  

You may also see an advent wreath which has a purple candle for each of the four Sundays in Advent and a white candle to be lit on Christmas Day.  This helps us count down to Christmas.  Each week we move a little further away from darkness into light.  

As we know from last week, there will be no Gloria for the duration of Advent as we are focusing more on the preparation for Christmas and will sing it again on Christmas Day to celebrate the Incarnation. 

This week's collect (normally the prayer just after the Gloria) talks about the people who will "run forth to meet Christ".  This is referring to us waiting for the Lord at Christmas.  The Gospel also speaks of us as a people in waiting for Christ to come.   

You will hear lots of celebratory Christmas Carols in other places in December but in church you will only find Advent carols which are about waiting.  

You can listen to one on this link:

Advent Carol

This week's question

Was Jesus actually born on 25th December?

Log on next week for the answer!

Best wishes for the week!

Maria

23/11/14 The Lord is my shepherd

Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe (Year A)

Welcome back to a little liturgy.  Thanks for logging on again!  This week we are focusing on kings and our relationship with God. I have tried to look at the idea of height and God being above us, whilst debunking the myth of God floating about in the clouds.  However, I couldn't resist referencing the glorious Michelangelo "Creation" which may throw the spanner back in the works!  I have talked to my son about seeing God in other people and trying to identify his character rather then becoming fixated on what he actually is.  For those of you who are new - the green section is designed to be printed and taken to Mass.  I hope you find something useful!

Summary of Liturgy of the Word

First Reading
Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17
Ezekiel tells us that the Lord has promised to look after his sheep and rescue them if they are lost in the dark.  He will also care for any sheep that are injured  and watch over the healthy ones.  He will be a "true shepherd".

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 22:1-3, 5-6. R.v.1
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Second Reading
1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28
St Paul tells us that just as Adam brought death into the world, Christ brings life.  He also describes how one day the world as we know it will end and earthly powers and authorities will cease to matter.  Death will be defeated and God will then be "all in all".

Gospel
Matthew 25:31-46
This week Jesus talks of the Last Judgement.  He says that there will be a time when God judges people and separates them out as if they were different like sheep and goats.  The sheep will be placed at his right hand and will be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.  The goats will be placed on his left hand and will suffer eternal punishment.  The people who are kind and generous to their neighbour are like the sheep; they have recognised God in the people they help.  The people who are like goats are those who neglected to follow Christ's example and did not behave like Christians towards their neighbours.

Discussion

This week's readings focus on God as shepherd, God as saviour and God as judge.  Recently we have heard about God being like a master or a rich man and have heard Christ use parables to describe what the kingdom of heaven is like.  Here the comparisons are more straightforward and God features as himself in the readings.  We however, are described as being like sheep or goats.

It is not easy for us to understand God as we are often trapped by our human perceptions of the world.  To help us understand we must listen to the scripture readings carefully and think about how the ideas presented affect our lives and the way we behave.

Ezekiel tells us that God will look after us as a shepherd and help us in difficulty.  This idea is continued in the psalm.  We hear the psalmist say how the Lord accompanies him on all his journeys and provides food and rest.  In the Gospel we are still encouraged to think of ourselves as sheep but are also warned about behaving like goats.  The sheep who have led a virtuous life are rewarded by being accepted into God's Kingdom but the goats who have behaved badly are thrown into eternal fire with the devil.  God will guide us and help us in many ways as a good shepherd but we have to take our part.  In this case, the virtuous people are those who have recognised Christ in others and shown charity and kindness to those in need.

St Paul talks about Christ coming to save us from death.  He says that in the end, we will all be subject to God who is "all in all".  This gives us an image of God as being beyond any human world and being the life in everything.

Activity at Mass

You might like to print out parts of the Mass from this website to help with this week's activity:

Liturgy Office Website

This week, as we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, we think about how we might honour God as King.  Often we think of God being above us because a king is superior and rules "over" his people.  (think of "long to reign o'er us" in the British national anthem")  We put ourselves below someone to show respect.  It is interesting to note that even on the cross God was above us.

We also have evidence from the Old Testament that God was found up a mountain or speaking from the sky.  Clearly, we do not believe that God is somehow sitting on a cloud but these spaces were often inaccessible to humans and showed the distance between God and us in a physical way.

We reflect the idea that God is high with our physical movements throughout the liturgy and with the design and layout of the church.  Look out for the things listed below.  Tick them when you see them:

we genuflect

we kneel down

the tabernacle is raised behind the altar

there are steps up to the altar

incense wafts upwards

the book of the Gospels is raised above our heads

the consecrated host is raised

the chalice is raised

the priest genuflects

the processional cross is raised high

Look out also for words to do with God being above us:

"You alone are the most high"

"He came down from heaven"

"he ascended into heaven"

"Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord"

"hosanna in the highest"

"and with eyes raised to heaven" (Eucharistic Prayer I)

We could also pay particular attention to the Gloria this week.  It is our song of praise for God and we will not sing it again until Christmas Day.

"Glory to God in the highest"  or "Gloria in excelsis Deo"

Make a special effort to join in with this today and think about all the different words we use to give glory. 

praise, bless, adore, glorify, give you thanks

Notice that we address God  by using the word "you" many times.  This makes us feel that we are talking directly to God.

In this prayer we also ask God to do two things for us.  Write these requests here:

1. 


2. 


Other activities and resources

Listen to the start of Vivaldi's Gloria which is sung in Latin.  How does the music encourage us to feel about God?

Vivaldi's Gloria on youtube

At the Epiphany the three Kings visited Jesus and brought gifts for a king:  gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Look up the significance of these gifts at:

Gifts for a king

You might also enjoy looking at these paintings that appear in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.  They show the ideas that a past generation used to portray our relationship with God.  You could think about making your own piece of art to describe how you feel about God and the kingdom of heaven.

Michelangelo's Creation of Adam

Michelangelo's Last Judgement

Questions

Last week's question

Why do we sometimes say "Christ" and sometimes "Jesus"?

Answer

The name "Jesus" is related to the Hebrew name "Joshua" which means "God saves".  In Luke's Gospel we see the Angel Gabriel telling Mary that this is the name she should give her son.

"Christ" is a Greek title meaning "anointed".  It is a translation of the Hebrew word meaning "Messiah" or "chosen one".  When Jesus asks Peter who he thinks he is  Peter says "You are the Christ" (Mark 8,29).

So when we use the term "Jesus Christ" we are referring to a name "Jesus" and recognising who we believe him to be i.e."Christ" (God's chosen one).  This is a bit similar to how  we might refer to "Mrs Smith, the teacher"; we use a personal name and then a job title.

The different writers of the New Testament swap between these names.  Often they refer to "Jesus" when they are telling us stories about what happened in day to day life and "Christ" or "Lord Jesus Christ" when they are referring to the purpose of Jesus as Son of God.  

We use many different titles for Jesus in our liturgy and prayers.  I think we tend to use "Jesus" when we are being a little less formal and want to stress our friendship with God and "Christ" when we are showing more official respect.  What do you think?

Consider these lines from famous hymns:

Christ the Lord is risen today
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay
Shine Jesus Shine
Christ be beside me


Of course the words "Christmas" and "Christian" are derived from the name "Christ".  They mean "Mass of the anointed one" and "follower of the anointed one".  

This week's question

How will I be able to tell that it's Advent when I come to church next week?

Have a good week!

Maria

16/11/14 We do not belong to the night or to darkness.

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Welcome again to a little liturgy.  This week as we reflect on talents, I am acutely aware that I am still at the bottom of the blog learning curve and am hoping to enable comments for next week but no promises!  It also occurs to me, as I delve deeper into matters ecclesiastical and theological, that I am also at the bottom of the faith learning curve.  I am hoping that this is a good place to start!

Summary of the Liturgy of the Word

First Reading
Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31
In the Book of Proverbs we find a description of the perfect wife.  It is not someone who is extremely beautiful but a very good person who "holds out her hands to the poor" and "opens her arms to the needy".  The passage ends by saying that the wife should be praised and rewarded for her work.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 127:1-5. R. v.1

O blessed are those who fear the Lord

Second Reading
Thessalonians 5:1-6
St Paul talks of the "Day of the Lord" meaning the end of the physical world for us.  He says it will come like a thief in the night when everything seems calm.  However, he says that we are lucky because we have been given light so that we may be awake and sober when the time comes.

Gospel
Matthew 25:14-30
Jesus uses another parable to illustrate what the kingdom of heaven is like.  He tells a story of a man who was leaving his house and land for a while.  He decided to summon his servants to leave instructions about who was to look after his property.

The story mentions three servants.  One received a gift of five talents.  Another servant received a gift of two talents and the last one received a gift of one talent.  They were to be responsible for this money while the man was away.

On his return, the man called the three servants and asked how they were managing his money.  The first, who had received five talents, had made five more.  The second who had received two talents had made two more.  However, the man who had received just one talent had been too scared to trade or invest and had buried the single talent in the ground; he was only able to give back one talent.

The man was very annoyed with this servant and called him wicked and lazy.  He thought that he should have made some extra money for him.  He took the one talent and gave it to the servant who had five saying "As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth".

Discussion

Rather oddly in the reading from the Book of Proverbs we are given a description of what it could be like to have a strong wife.  This is less odd when put in the context of the whole book which is a set of verses giving short pieces of advice from different people.  Scholars usually suggest that the good wife is a personification of the quality of Wisdom.  So we may think that being wise is a bit like finding the most amazing wife in the world!

St Paul tells us that we should be able to be ready for the day when Christ comes again because we have been given the light which helps us.  By this he means that we have been given the opportunity to know God through Christ.

This week we hear in the Gospel that we are expected to make a profit from the gifts that God gives us.  The master in the story, who can be compared to God, seems rather harsh.  We can imagine that the servant who only received one talent may have been a nervous, anxious man who simply did not have a talent for making money!  He is, however, punished for being lazy; we cannot help but feel sorry for him.

It seems that we are being told that God expects us to be productive.  This means that we cannot simply sit back comfortably and enjoy being Christian.  This Gospel is often interpreted to mean that we should use our God given "talents" to serve God through our communities.

This week we are asked again to focus on the kingdom of heaven.  St Paul talks about the Day of the Lord.  These are both abstract constructs for us as we have no experience to compare them with.  Jesus tried to help us understand that the kingdom can be created by our behaviour here on earth and that we do not have to wait until we die to enter it.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus described the behaviours that would make us part of this kingdom.  In the parables he uses he talks of us being servants, guests at a feast or workers in a vineyard. Think about how these roles might reflect the relationship we have with God.  

Activity during Mass

Think about the servant in the Gospel story who did not make a profit with what the master gave him.  He is accused of being wicked and lazy.  He didn't do what he was supposed to do in his job as servant.

Below is a list of some of the things that we are expected to do in our job as Christians.  Mark yourself out of 3 for how well you did on these tasks this week.  

3= did this well
2= sort of did this
1 = didn't really do this

Underline the ones you would like to try to do next week.  

A) loving God:

praying
reading about God
asking questions and thinking about God

B) loving your neighbour

including others in activities
helping with chores
showing gratitude for things
saying sorry
being generous in our opinions

C) taking care of God's gifts to us

eating sensibly
exercising
talking about problems
concentrating at school
thinking carefully about our actions
saving resources
not wasting food
keeping things clean and tidy

You might want to add your own examples to this list.

The master in the Gospel admits "I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered".  This does not sound like the action of a fair master.  Jesus is saying that God expects a great deal from us.  

Look out for the following words in the Creed:

"He will come again to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end."

Many theologians suggest that the master in today's Gospel story is like Jesus returning to judge people at the end of time.  When he left the world he gave us a responsibility for its people and resources.  He wants us to do a good job.   

A specific way that we can show that we are doing a good job is by celebrating the Eucharist with our community.  At the Last Supper, Jesus took the bread and wine and said:

"Take this, all of you, and eat of it..."
"Take this, all of you and, and drink from it ..."

and then 

"Do this in memory of me. " 

By taking part in the liturgy we are following the instructions that Jesus gave us before he went away.
Listen out for these instructions at the consecration.    

Other Activities and Useful Resources

Below is a link on youtube to a short clip recounting today's parable:

The parable of the talents

And here is a discussion of what it might mean:

Brief discussion of the parable

more thoughts on this parable here:

further discussion

The Gospel we heard today, often called the Parable of the Talents, was read at Nelson Mandela's funeral.  Find out about his life and listen to him on the link below:

Youtube clip of Nelson Mandela

Think about why this reading was chosen.

Take a look at the link below to learn more about the book of Proverbs and the advice offered there.

The Book of Proverbs

Last week's question

How do you become a saint?

Answer

This is an interesting question.  I would suggest that we split the answer into two parts:

A) What are the qualities that might make someone a saint? 
and
B) How do you get the title Saint in front of your name?

A) Think again of the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus says, for example, "Blessed are the peacemakers for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".  To be blessed and to enter the kingdom of heaven is really what we mean by being a saint.  A person who behaves in a way that Jesus would approve of and follows his example, often in very difficult circumstances, is regarded as being particularly close to God.  There are many people like this who are not officially recognised as saints.   

B)  The process the church follows when it is deciding whether to make someone an official saint or not is very strict and can be very lengthy.  There are two stages to becoming a saint "beatification" and "canonisation".  There is a great deal of investigation into the life and character of the person and the church requires proof that the potential saint is close to God.  One way that this is demonstrated is by miracles resulting from praying to the person.  

Click on the link below which takes you to a website focussed on Saint Mary MacKillop where you will find a clear, yet detailed account of the process.  

Canonisation process explained

We should remember that there are many ways of being a saint and that many recognised saints struggled with lots of things during their lives.  They were not perfect!  Recent canonisations are those of John Henry Newman, Pope John Paul II and John XXIII.  

This week's question

Why do we sometimes say "Christ" and sometimes "Jesus"?

Log on next week for some ideas on this one.


I hope you have found something useful this week.

Maria

9/11/14 God is for us a refuge and strength

The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

This week we celebrate what may seem like an odd feast concerning the dedication of a church building. So in today's a little liturgy, I have tried to reflect on what the physical building of a church conveys to us.  However, as we know, it is not the bricks and mortar that build a church but its people.  Being part of a church helps us dedicate ourselves to God.  It is no coincidence that the ceremony of dedicating a church involves anointing, sprinkling of holy water and the giving of a saint's name; this is a very similar process to our dedication to Christ in Baptism.

Summary of Liturgy of the Word

First Reading
Ezekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12
The prophet Ezekiel tells us of a vision he has where an angel leads him to the temple.  There he sees a stream flowing east towards the sea.  The angel tells Ezekiel that wherever the river flows it will bring life and health because it comes from the temple.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 45;2-3,5-6,8-9.R.v.5
The waters of a river give joy to God's city,
the holy place where the Most High dwells

Second Reading
St Paul to the Corinthians 3:9-11,16-17
St Paul is teaching about our relationship with God.  He says to the Corinthians (and us) "You are God's building".  He says that the foundations of the building have already been laid by Jesus and that everybody must work on the building carefully.  He then goes on to say that we are God's temple and that God's spirit lives among us.  The reading finishes with these words: "If anybody should destroy the temple of God, God will destroy him, because the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple".

Gospel
John 2:13-22
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.  When he entered the temple he found people selling things and dealing in money.  He chased them out and said "stop turning my Father's house into a market".  The Jews asked him to give a sign of his power to do this.  He said that if the temple were destroyed he could build it up again in three days.  They did not realise that he was talking about his own body.  The disciples remembered what he had said after he had risen from the dead.

Discussion

The theme of this week's Liturgy of the Word is holy places.  In the First Reading the temple is the place where goodness comes from; water flows from the sanctuary.  The angel describes how everything surrounding the water is full of life.  This draws on imagery central to Christianity; Christ often speaks of the water giving eternal life and we use water at Baptism to bring new life and purify.

The psalmist regards the place where God is as a place of safety; to be with God is to be in a strong building.  "God is for us a refuge and strength".  

St Paul looks upon himself as an architect, helping God to build a temple in each of us.  The temple is the place where God dwells so he dwells in us.

In the Gospel, we see Jesus getting angry at those who fail to treat the temple with respect.  He then refers to himself as the temple, the place where God dwells.  All these scripture passages acknowledge a special sacred place where God dwells.  For us, this can be a church where people gather to worship, the Eucharist and other sacraments or our inner selves.  We can also witness God in other people and our surroundings and in may other ways.  

Jesus then refers to the Resurrection when he will rise after three days and conquer death.  However, the disciples do not understand this until they are able to look back on things.  

Activity during Mass

Look around your church and see how many of the things on the list below you can identify.  They are all things that help to make the church a holy place.  Tick them off and answer the questions if you can.  You could also draw some of them if you have time.

1)holy water

2)people genuflecting

3)candles
How many are there?  
Where are they?  
When are they used?

4)incense 
When is it used?
Why is it used?

5)the sanctuary
How it is set apart?

6)the tabernacle and the sanctuary light

7)holy pictures and or holy statues

8)the vestments and altar cloths
What colour are they today?
Why?

There are also some things that are less obvious that tell us that the church is a special place to be close to God.  See what you can discover about the following things in your church:

A) the direction in which the church faces

B) holy relics set into the altar - try to find out which saint they belong to in your church

C)12 crosses on the wall where the walls were anointed at the dedication of the church

D) the special name for the church - what is your church called?

Notice that just before the consecration a bell is rung and everybody kneels down.  This is to show respect for what is about to happen.  Although God is always with us, we believe that he comes to us in an extraordinary way in Holy Communion (the Eucharist).  Think about the atmosphere in the church during Holy Communion.  Everybody is joined together and focussed on one activity.  We are all recognising that we are in God's house and that we, ourselves become temples for God.

Sometimes we celebrate Mass in places that are not dedicated churches.  Think about how we make these places holy.  

Other activities and useful resources

In medieval times, criminals could seek "sanctuary" in a consecrated church.  Once they were inside the laws of the country had no power. Today, we speak of the sanctuary in a church being the special, holy place where the altar is.  We also use the term to refer to a place of safety.  Look again at today's psalm.  Find it in the Bible and read it all.  The psalm speaks of God being a refuge in violent times.  In what sort of situations might we need to look for refuge?

As I mentioned in the introduction, there is a special process for the dedication of a church.  Follow the link below to find out more:

rubrics for dedication of a church

The basilica of St John Lateran in Rome is built on the site of one of the oldest churches in the world.  It is also very beautiful.  Consider why its dedication is honoured with a special feast.  Look at the information given in the link below:

tourist website for Lateran Basilica

Look at the link below and learn the names of the different parts of a cathedral.  Find out why large churches have the name cathedral.  

information about and floor plan of English cathedrals

You might like to visit a cathedral near where you live and find out more about it.  

Last week's question

What language did Jesus and his apostles speak?

Answer:

It is likely that Jesus' main language was Aramaic and that this is the language he would have spoken with the apostles and his family.  He would also have known Hebrew to study scriptures and pray.  Obviously, we do not know exactly which languages he used when.  Greek and Latin were used by the Roman officials and for government business.  It has been suggested that Jesus understood some Greek but little Latin.  (The opposite of Shakespeare!)  St Paul would have been able to speak Greek.  

Article about languages of Jesus' time

When the scriptures were written down, Hebrew was used for the Old Testament and Greek for the New Testament.  Much later these were translated into Latin and we have been able to read the Bible in English since the sixteenth century.

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This week's question:

How do you become a saint?


I hope you enjoy this week's activities!

Maria