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Saturday, April 17, 2010

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Acts 6:1-7
Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
John 6:16-21

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time out

"They wanted to take Him into the boat, but suddenly it came aground on the shore they had been approaching." —John 6:21

Jesus is the Lord of time. He can make time go backward (Is 38:8) or stand still (Jos 10:13). He made it possible for His disciples to go two or three miles across the Sea of Galilee literally "in no time" (see Jn 6:21).

Jesus even gives us the power to move up the clock. Mary seems to have moved up the beginning of Jesus' public ministry (Jn 2:4). The Syro-Phoenician woman seems to have "fast forwarded" Jesus' ministry to the Gentiles (see Mt 15:28). Jesus even lets us hasten the time for His final coming (see 2 Pt 3:12). We are not helpless cogs on the wheel of time, but, as Christians, we share in Jesus' lordship over time.

The Lord created time by creating the heavenly bodies (Gn 1:14). Satan used time to dominate us when he brought death into the world through our sins. Jesus freed us from the bondage of time and death by His death and resurrection. He gave us power over time by the outpouring of the Spirit. Jesus will finally end time when He comes back on the last day, at the end of time, to take us with Him to the happiness of eternity. Because of Jesus' resurrection, time is our servant, not our master. Praise Jesus, the Lord of time!

Prayer:  Jesus, may I give you my time and let You be Lord of it.

Promise:  "The word of God continued to spread, while at the same time the number of the disciples in Jerusalem enormously increased." —Acts 6:7

Praise:  Stephan offers an hour of his time each week in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament.

Reference:  (For a related teaching, order our tape Interpreting the Present Time on audio AV 81-1 or video V-81.)

Rescript:  †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 9, 2009

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