Thursday, June 13, 2013
Departure for Rome
Dear Friends,
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (27:1-8):
When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they handed Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion named Julius of the Cohort Augusta. We went on board a ship from Adramyttium bound for ports in the province of Asia and set sail. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. On the following day we put in at Sidon where Julius was kind enough to allow Paul to visit his friends who took care of him. From there we put out to sea and sailed around the sheltered side of Cyprus because of the headwinds, and crossing the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia we came to Myra in Lycia.
There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship that was sailing to Italy and put us on board. For many days we made little headway, arriving at Cnidus only with difficulty, and because the wind would not permit us to continue our course we sailed for the sheltered side of Crete off Salmone. We sailed past it with difficulty and reached a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.
——————————
We had a cloudy day yesterday and it was windy, but we did not have any rain. We are supposed to have rain today.
Below you will find the message of Our Lord and Savior, the Son of God, given to Father Melvin. Jesus spoke to him these words,
“When faced with trouble come to Me, My brother Melvin and all My brothers and sisters who have accepted Me as your Redeemer. Look at Saint Paul on the sea with many people, and they faced a very bad storm. Many thought they would die before they could touch land. However, Saint Paul prayed to Me and I told him these words, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You are destined to stand before Caesar; and behold, for your sake, God has granted safety to all who are sailing with you.’ Indeed I took good care of them and they were all saved. It was through Saint Paul’s faith that they did not perish. Always come to Me in prayer when the time is difficult and I will help you. I am your Friend who cares for you and who is already ready to help you. I bless you all and I give you My love and My peace.”
Father Melvin