Laboring for Christ (Colossians 1:24-25)

24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— This passage is

Feast of St. Barnabas (11 June), First Reading (Acts 11:21-26, 13:1-3)

A great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. 22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man,

Epaphras (Colossians 1:7-8)

7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. In verse seven, another person is introduced, Epaphras, who is described as a “fellow servant”, which means a slave of Christ. Later he will be mentioned as someone in prison

Introduction to Colossians: Did Paul write it?

The early church accepted Paul as the author of the letter to the Colossians but, since the 19th century, there has been a great deal of debate about whether Paul actually wrote it. It shows significant differences from the letters that everyone agrees Paul wrote, so some people are convinced that Paul was not the

Other Members of the Church (Philemon:2)

2 also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home: In verse two, Apphia is mentioned and described as Paul’s sister. Traditionally she is identified as Philemon’s wife although there is no evidence for this in the letter. She certainly is an influential figure in the local church.

Why Read the Letter to Philemon?

Being such a short letter, it is easy to overlook Philemon. Added to this, it focuses on only one subject which concerns the personal relationship between two people who died long ago. However, it has a very real importance for us. Certainly, the very fact that it is recognized by all scholars as one of

Greetings from Paul (Philippians 1:1-2)

Today is All Souls’ Day. You can find a comment on the second reading here: https://biblestudystjosephsparis.wordpress.com/2022/11/02/all-souls-day-2nd-reading-romans-63-9/ and on the gospel here https://biblestudystjosephsparis.wordpress.com/2021/11/02/all-souls-day-2-november-gospel-commentary-john-637-40/ Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

29th Sunday, Year A, Second Reading (1 Thessalonians 1-5)

Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you. 2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in

Paul the Missionary

Paul proclaimed that, through Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, God is reconciling the world to himself. Note that he did not threaten people with hellfire or entertain people with his oratorical or theatrical skills (although he certainly wrote some of the most beautiful passages of the Bible). He just announced the good news that God, through