September 18, 2014
Appeal to Caesar
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 25, 1 – 12:
Three days after his arrival in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, where the chief priests and Jewish leaders presented him their formal charges against Paul. They asked him as a favor to have him sent to Jerusalem, for they were plotting to kill him along the way. Festus replied that Paul was being held in custody in Caesarea and that he himself would be returning there shortly. He said, “Let your authorities come down with me, and if this man has done something improper, let them accuse him.”
After spending no more than eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the following day took his seat on the tribunal, and ordered that Paul be brought in. When he appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him and brought many serious charges against him, which they were unable to prove. In defending himself Paul said, “I have committed no crime either against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.” Then Festus, wishing to ingratiate himself with the Jews, said to Paul in reply, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there stand trial before me on these charges?” Paul answered, “I am standing before the tribunal of Caesar; this is where I should be tried. I have committed no crime against the Jews, as you very well know. If I have committed a crime or done anything deserving death, I do not seek to escape the death penalty; but if there is no substance to the charges they are bringing against me, then no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.” Then Festus, after conferring with his council, replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go.”
A woman had bought from some natives a diabolical charm which she carried around her neck. She came to see me saying that she could not sleep at night and she felt being attacked while she was in bed. So I prayed to find out if this charm she wore was the cause of her troubles. After praying I could feel some coldness coming from that thing. This told me that it was diabolical. I told her to throw it away. So she took it off her neck and I prayed with her to chase away the evil spirits around her. Then she went home but she did not tell me that she had taken the charm home with her. At home she put it in her house and during the night the same problem came back to her. She was lying on the floor and shouting and so she phoned me to tell me what was happening. She told me that she had taken the charm home and she asked what she should do. I told her to burn it. She did. Then I had to pray with her again as now she had seven worst evil spirits than before. I prayed for half an hour and then she was freed. This problem never came back to bother her. Thank you Lord.
Below you will find the message of Our Lord and Savior given to Father Melvin. Jesus spoke to him these words,
“I am helping you My brother Melvin in a very special way these days and I am ready to help all My brothers and sisters who follow Me. See how I helped Saint Paul. The Jews wanted to take him back to Jerusalem so he could stand trial but I knew that on his way to Jerusalem he would be killed because this is what the Jews had decided. Although the Governor wanted him to go to Jerusalem, Saint Paul refused and he appealed to Caesar. I am the one who gave him these words so that the Jews will not have the opportunity to kill him. When Saint Paul appealed to Caesar, Festus accepted and he was sent to Rome. This is what I had told Saint Paul that he would go to Rome and now he will soon be on his way. He worked very well in Rome in building the Church and he was martyred there. You know that the great patrons of Rome are Saint Peter who also was martyred in Rome and Saint Paul. Pray to these two great saints and they will intercede for you. I love you all.”
Father Melvin
P.S. We had a beautiful sunny day on Wednesday and it was warm in the afternoon.