Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The Need for Assistants
Dear Friends,
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (6:1-7):
At that time, as the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the holy Spirit, also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them. The word of God continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly; even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
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I give thanks to the Lord that my health is great now and I put on some of the weight I had lost when I was in hospital last year. I did not have any more trouble with my stomach and I eat ok. The Lord is good and He has helped me to get back on my feet. I praise the Lord.
Below you will find the message of Our Lord, the Son of God, given to Father Melvin. Jesus spoke to him these words,
“Be always ready to help My brother Melvin and all My brothers and sisters who have committed your life to Me. During the early church there was need to have some people to help serve the poor and the widows. These people that were chosen were called ‘deacons’. The greatest among them was Saint Stephen who was martyred because of his faith. He was not afraid to speak the truth to all those who wish to listen to him.
“Today there are still deacons in My church. I would like to have deacons in all the dioceses of the church. It is a fact that many dioceses do not have them yet and instead they use lay people to do the work of a deacon. I call on the bishops of the church to start training these men to be deacons and to have at least two in every parish. They will assist at Mass and they will help the priest to distribute Holy Communion. They will also be able to preach in church and to teach those who prepare for the sacrament of marriage and other sacraments. In this case My Church will go forward and the bishops and priests will receive great graces and the lay people too. I bless you all and I call you all to pray for deacons in all the parishes of the world.”
Father Melvin