Posted on 04/15/2017 11:12:33 PM PDT by Salvation
Luke | |||
English: Douay-Rheims | Latin: Vulgata Clementina | Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000) | |
Luke 24 |
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13. | And behold, two of them went, the same day, to a town which was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, named Emmaus. | Et ecce duo ex illis ibant ipsa die in castellum, quod erat in spatio stadiorum sexaginta ab Jerusalem, nomine Emmaus. | και ιδου δυο εξ αυτων ησαν πορευομενοι εν αυτη τη ημερα εις κωμην απεχουσαν σταδιους εξηκοντα απο ιερουσαλημ η ονομα εμμαους |
14. | And they talked together of all these things which had happened. | Et ipsi loquebantur ad invicem de his omnibus quæ acciderant. | και αυτοι ωμιλουν προς αλληλους περι παντων των συμβεβηκοτων τουτων |
15. | And it came to pass, that while they talked and reasoned with themselves, Jesus himself also drawing near, went with them. | Et factum est, dum fabularentur, et secum quærerent : et ipse Jesus appropinquans ibat cum illis : | και εγενετο εν τω ομιλειν αυτους και συζητειν και αυτος ο ιησους εγγισας συνεπορευετο αυτοις |
16. | But their eyes were held, that they should not know him. | oculi autem illorum tenebantur ne eum agnoscerent. | οι δε οφθαλμοι αυτων εκρατουντο του μη επιγνωναι αυτον |
17. | And he said to them: What are these discourses that you hold one with another as you walk, and are sad? | Et ait ad illos : Qui sunt hi sermones, quos confertis ad invicem ambulantes, et estis tristes ? | ειπεν δε προς αυτους τινες οι λογοι ουτοι ους αντιβαλλετε προς αλληλους περιπατουντες και εστε σκυθρωποι |
18. | And the one of them, whose name was Cleophas, answering, said to him: Art thou only a stranger to Jerusalem, and hast not known the things that have been done there in these days? | Et respondens unus, cui nomen Cleophas, dixit ei : Tu solus peregrinus es in Jerusalem, et non cognovisti quæ facta sunt in illa his diebus ? | αποκριθεις δε ο εις ω ονομα κλεοπας ειπεν προς αυτον συ μονος παροικεις ιερουσαλημ και ουκ εγνως τα γενομενα εν αυτη εν ταις ημεραις ταυταις |
19. | To whom he said: What things? And they said: Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in work and word before God and all the people; | Quibus ille dixit : Quæ ? Et dixerunt : De Jesu Nazareno, qui fuit vir propheta, potens in opere et sermone coram Deo et omni populo : | και ειπεν αυτοις ποια οι δε ειπον αυτω τα περι ιησου του ναζωραιου ος εγενετο ανηρ προφητης δυνατος εν εργω και λογω εναντιον του θεου και παντος του λαου |
20. | And how our chief priests and princes delivered him to be condemned to death, and crucified him. | et quomodo eum tradiderunt summi sacerdotes et principes nostri in damnationem mortis, et crucifixerunt eum : | οπως τε παρεδωκαν αυτον οι αρχιερεις και οι αρχοντες ημων εις κριμα θανατου και εσταυρωσαν αυτον |
21. | But we hoped, that it was he that should have redeemed Israel: and now besides all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. | nos autem sperabamus quia ipse esset redempturus Israël : et nunc super hæc omnia, tertia dies est hodie quod hæc facta sunt. | ημεις δε ηλπιζομεν οτι αυτος εστιν ο μελλων λυτρουσθαι τον ισραηλ αλλα γε συν πασιν τουτοις τριτην ταυτην ημεραν αγει σημερον αφ ου ταυτα εγενετο |
22. | Yea and certain women also of our company affrighted us, who before it was light, were at the sepulchre, | Sed et mulieres quædam ex nostris terruerunt nos, quæ ante lucem fuerunt ad monumentum, | αλλα και γυναικες τινες εξ ημων εξεστησαν ημας γενομεναι ορθριαι επι το μνημειον |
23. | And not finding his body, came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, who say that he is alive. | et non invento corpore ejus, venerunt, dicentes se etiam visionem angelorum vidisse, qui dicunt eum vivere. | και μη ευρουσαι το σωμα αυτου ηλθον λεγουσαι και οπτασιαν αγγελων εωρακεναι οι λεγουσιν αυτον ζην |
24. | And some of our people went to the sepulchre, and found it so as the women had said, but him they found not. | Et abierunt quidam ex nostris ad monumentum : et ita invenerunt sicut mulieres dixerunt, ipsum vero non invenerunt. | και απηλθον τινες των συν ημιν επι το μνημειον και ευρον ουτως καθως και αι γυναικες ειπον αυτον δε ουκ ειδον |
25. | Then he said to them: O foolish, and slow of heart to believe in all things which the prophets have spoken. | Et ipse dixit ad eos : O stulti, et tardi corde ad credendum in omnibus quæ locuti sunt prophetæ ! | και αυτος ειπεν προς αυτους ω ανοητοι και βραδεις τη καρδια του πιστευειν επι πασιν οις ελαλησαν οι προφηται |
26. | Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into his glory? | Nonne hæc oportuit pati Christum, et ita intrare in gloriam suam ? | ουχι ταυτα εδει παθειν τον χριστον και εισελθειν εις την δοξαν αυτου |
27. | And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures, the things that were concerning him. | Et incipiens a Moyse, et omnibus prophetis, interpretabatur illis in omnibus scripturis quæ de ipso erant. | και αρξαμενος απο μωσεως και απο παντων των προφητων διηρμηνευεν αυτοις εν πασαις ταις γραφαις τα περι εαυτου |
28. | And they drew night to the town, whither they were going: and he made as though he would go farther. | Et appropinquaverunt castello quo ibant : et ipse se finxit longius ire. | και ηγγισαν εις την κωμην ου επορευοντο και αυτος προσεποιειτο πορρωτερω πορευεσθαι |
29. | But they constrained him; saying: Stay with us, because it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent. And he went in with them. | Et coëgerunt illum, dicentes : Mane nobiscum, quoniam advesperascit, et inclinata est jam dies. Et intravit cum illis. | και παρεβιασαντο αυτον λεγοντες μεινον μεθ ημων οτι προς εσπεραν εστιν και κεκλικεν η ημερα και εισηλθεν του μειναι συν αυτοις |
30. | And it came to pass, whilst he was at table with them, he took bread, and blessed, and brake, and gave to them. | Et factum est, dum recumberet cum eis, accepit panem, et benedixit, ac fregit, et porrigebat illis. | και εγενετο εν τω κατακλιθηναι αυτον μετ αυτων λαβων τον αρτον ευλογησεν και κλασας επεδιδου αυτοις |
31. | And their eyes were opened, and they knew him: and he vanished out of their sight. | Et aperti sunt oculi eorum, et cognoverunt eum : et ipse evanuit ex oculis eorum. | αυτων δε διηνοιχθησαν οι οφθαλμοι και επεγνωσαν αυτον και αυτος αφαντος εγενετο απ αυτων |
32. | And they said one to the other: Was not our heart burning within us, whilst he spoke in this way, and opened to us the scriptures? | Et dixerunt ad invicem : Nonne cor nostrum ardens erat in nobis dum loqueretur in via, et aperiret nobis Scripturas ? | και ειπον προς αλληλους ουχι η καρδια ημων καιομενη ην εν ημιν ως ελαλει ημιν εν τη οδω και ως διηνοιγεν ημιν τας γραφας |
33. | And rising up, the same hour, they went back to Jerusalem: and they found the eleven gathered together, and those that were staying with them, | Et surgentes eadem hora regressi sunt in Jerusalem : et invenerunt congregatos undecim, et eos qui cum illis erant, | και ανασταντες αυτη τη ωρα υπεστρεψαν εις ιερουσαλημ και ευρον συνηθροισμενους τους ενδεκα και τους συν αυτοις |
34. | Saying: The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. | dicentes : Quod surrexit Dominus vere, et apparuit Simoni. | λεγοντας οτι ηγερθη ο κυριος οντως και ωφθη σιμωνι |
35. | And they told what things were done in the way; and how they knew him in the breaking of the bread. | Et ipsi narrabant quæ gesta erant in via, et quomodo cognoverunt eum in fractione panis. | και αυτοι εξηγουντο τα εν τη οδω και ως εγνωσθη αυτοις εν τη κλασει του αρτου |
Easter Vigil
1 Now after the sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Mag'dalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulchre.
2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.
3 His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow.
4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.
5 But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.
6 He is not here; for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. Lo, I have told you."
8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Hail!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."
Jesus is resurrected.
He is vindicated, with dignity and splendor. The resurrection itself is not described, and accessible only by faith. It points to the Kingdom of God, which is still not in its fullness on earth.
Reflections
Feast Day: April 16
Born: 25 March 1748 at Amettes, Boulogne, France
Died: 17 April 1783 at Rome
Canonized: 8 December 1883 by Pope Leo XIII
Major Shrine: Tomb at Santa Maria ai Monti
Patron of: Unmarried men, rejects, mental illness, mentally ill people, insanity, beggars, hobos, the homeless
Feast Day: April 16
Born: 7 January 1844 at Lourdes, France
Died: 16 April 1879, Nevers, France
Canonized: December 8, 1933, Rome by Pope Pius XI
Patron of: Sick people, poverty, the family, Lourdes, shepherds
Sunday, April 16
Liturgical Color: White
On this day in 1209, St. Francis of
Assisi and 12 companions appeared
before Pope Innocent III. They
requested and received approval for
the Orders of the Friars Minor thus
beginning the Franciscan order.
Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord
I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. (Psalm 118:17)
Jesus, you are the risen Lord, and all creation sings your praise today!
I hear the very stones cry out, just as you said they would, Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Even the stone that sealed your tomb is rolled away and proclaims a wondrous mystery. Instead of being an immovable testament to your death, it has become an indisputable witness to your resurrection.
Today, the burial cloths come alive to declare your victory. How tightly those garments of death bound Lazarus when you summoned him from the grave! They clung to him and would not release their grip until you spoke the word: Untie him. But death had no hold on you, Lord. You broke free in a great burst of light, and left the burial cloths tidily behind. There in the tomb with Peter and the beloved disciple, your Church fixes its gaze on those discarded trappings with wonder and amazement. These cloths invite me to believe that my Redeemer lives. They urge me to stake everything on your mercy and your promise of eternal life.
Loving Savior, because of you, a cruel instrument of death now speaks to me of life. By your cross, you have destroyed the enemy and flung open the gates of salvation. Its light shines out—in our churches, in our homes, in hospital rooms, in the rubble of warfare, and in every dark and dreary place—proclaiming life to anyone who puts their faith in you.
So many transformed lives! So many signs of victory! Each one, in its own way, speaks to me of you. Help me to look, listen, and believe so that, in my own way, I too may become a sign that speaks of you to the world.
Jesus, you have conquered death! You live and are always at my side! Help this reality sink into the core of my being. Show me one new step, however small, that I can take today to declare the works of the Lord by my life and words (Psalm 118:17).
Acts 10:34, 37-43
Colossians 3:1-4
John 20:1-9
15 Apr
SET OUR MINDS ON THINGS THAT ARE ABOVE, NOT ON THINGS THAT ARE ON EARTH
(A biblical refection on EASTER SUNDAY [YEAR A], 16 April 2017)
One of the various readings at the Easter Sunday: Colossians 3:1-4
The Scripture Text
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)
O, how easy it is to lift our eyes to heaven today! Jesus is risen! He has defeated death, conquered the devil, and disarmed sin! Heavens gates have been opened wide for us! Now baptized into Christ, we can share in His victory and walk in our freedom.
Truly, we all should rejoice today, but what about tomorrow? How can we hold on to our Easter joy? Lets be realistic. We should expect bumps in our daily path. Days will come when our minds will seem like a battlefield of temptation and anxiety. But these bumps dont have to rob us of our inheritance. Grounded in the knowledge that we have been raised with Christ (Colossians 3:1), we can face the battle directly, and overcome!
Imagine that a co-worker or friend hurts any of us in some way. What will we do? It would be easy to feel deflated, angry, or defensive. But remember that Jesus has raised each and every one of us up with Him. If we keep filling our minds with the truths of Gods love both for us and for the other person there will be no room left for resentment or revenge.
Perhaps we feel that the demands for our times are overwhelming. Still, make time for prayer. When we take our eyes off everything we have to do and contemplate heaven instead, well find ourselves better able to keep our tasks in perspective. We may even become more efficient!
Lets resolve now to let our Easter celebration take deep root in our lives. As the Holy Spirit fills our minds with the reality of what happened on the first Easter Sunday, we will become a heavenly minded people, strong, peaceful, and hopeful no matter what our circumstances. We will become living witnesses to the power of the resurrection.
Prayer: Lord Jesus I praise You on the Easter day! You have risen from the dead and overcome sin and death! You have opened heaven for me! I rejoice with all the heavenly host for all You have done! Amen.
Daily Marriage Tip for April 16, 2017:
Christ is risen! Alleluia! Celebrate new life today. Recall a hardship in your marriage that is now history. Rejoice that youve weathered it together. Remember this, and Jesus Resurrection, in future tough times.
This week my yard has had regular visits from some uninvited (though cute) guests, just in time for Easter: two mallard ducks and two white bunnies. They come and go as if they own the place. All I need now are a few chicks, colored eggs and Easter lilies and I will have all the symbols most people associate with Easter. Of course, the real meaning of Easter has little to do with these things!
The truth is more incredible than anything we could ever imagine. There exists another world, very close to our own, but invisible to our eyes at present. How do we know it exists? We know it because Jesus, who came from that world into our own, told us about it. The record of his words are in the Bible. All sorts of beings live in heaven: among them angels, who are pure spirits, and they always do the will of God. Heaven is the home of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Spirit. The Son of God, Jesus, through whom everything was made, both that which is visible to us and the invisible world, entered our world and became visible: and perhaps countless others, unknown to us now. Why did Jesus do this? Why did he become human for our sake? To save us from death and to help us to understand how the world really is.
Many modern people live as if this world is the only reality that there is, but they are very much mistaken. The moment that a person realizes that there is life after death, everything changes. Even some scientists are beginning to realize that the evidence for life after death is simply overwhelming. For example, I recommend to you a new book out called Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences by Jeffrey Long, M.D. When we learn more about the world to come (the one that is one heartbeat away: yours!), we come to appreciate in a deeper way what this life is all about and how we are to live our lives. In order to understand these things, we must listen to someone who has been there and back: Jesus Christ, the only Son of God who both created us and saved us by dying on a cross. He did this to open a way to heaven for those who believe in him.
Our earthly lives, even the longest of them, are very short indeed. As Christians we are called to have an eternal perspective. How will my actions today look in the light of eternity, my final destination? How am I living my life? What have I done with the precious gift of life that God has given me? Jesus waits for us to have faith in him. He gives us time to choose him before he reveals everything to us on the last day of our lives. If I believe in Jesus and the world he has opened up for me, my life will never be the same again, starting right now.
Father Gary
Readings:
Acts 10:34, 37-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Colossians 3:1-4
John 20:1-9
Jesus is nowhere visible. Yet today's Gospel tells us that Peter and John "saw and believed."
What did they see? Burial shrouds lying on the floor of an empty tomb. Maybe that convinced them that He hadn't been carted off by grave robbers, who usually stole the expensive burial linens and left the corpses behind.
But notice the repetition of the word "tomb"—seven times in nine verses. They saw the empty tomb and they believed what He had promised: that God would raise Him on the third day.
Chosen to be His "witnesses," today's First Reading tells us, the Apostles were "commissioned...to preach...and testify" to all that they had seen—from His anointing with the Holy Spirit at the Jordan to the empty tomb.
More than their own experience, they were instructed in the mysteries of the divine economy, God's saving plan—to know how "all the prophets bear witness" to Him (see Luke 24:27,44).
Now they could "understand the Scripture," could teach us what He had told them—that He was "the Stone which the builders rejected," which today's Psalm prophesies His Resurrection and exaltation (see Luke 20:17; Matthew 21:42; Acts 4:11).
We are the children of the apostolic witnesses. That is why we still gather early in the morning on the first day of every week to celebrate this feast of the empty tomb, give thanks for "Christ our life," as today's Epistle calls Him.
Baptized into His death and Resurrection, we live the heavenly life of the risen Christ, our lives "hidden with Christ in God." We are now His witnesses, too. But we testify to things we cannot see but only believe; we seek in earthly things what is above.
We live in memory of the Apostles' witness, like them eating and drinking with the risen Lord at the altar. And we wait in hope for what the Apostles told us would come—the day when we too "will appear with Him in glory."
John 20:1-9
On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran off to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we dont know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter, and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down to look in and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not lying with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he had to rise from the dead.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, you are the source of all life because you are life itself. Your resurrection gives me the hope of being raised from the dead to rejoice with you forever in heaven. Thank you for your presence in my life. I love you, and I want to follow after you with all my heart. Be with me now, and inspire my prayer.
Petition: Lord Jesus, grant me the joy of seeing my hopes constantly kindled by your power over sin and death. May the strength of your resurrection overcome the weaknesses of my human nature.
1. Confusing Signs: Without faith, realities that should inspire hope and expectation only cause confusion. Jesus empty tomb is the sign of the most complete victory, the most extreme love and the most powerful presence. Mary Magdalene, Peter and John all see the empty tomb. But their limited faith needs time to grow and completely accept the great gift that is offered to them. In approaching the mystery of God, I must stoke up my faith. Otherwise, what should cause hope and courage will only wind up becoming a stumbling block for me. Only a sincere and generous faith in Christ enables me to take the circumstances of life in hope, confidence and security.
2. Running to the Experience of Faith: Running is an integral part of this Gospel. Mary Magdalene runs. Peter runs, and John outruns Peter. Love for the Lord creates a sense of urgency. What they saw at the tomb could have been seen without running at all. But promptness is a sign of love for the Lord. If I wish to experience Christ and the power of his resurrection, I need to have a sense of urgency in my relationship with the Lord. I must strive to meet him and give myself to him in my here and now. I cant wait for the ideal moment. If I don’t give myself to Christ now, under the present conditions, there is no reason to think I ever will.
3. Faith Begins with the Experience of the Senses, but Does Not End There: John, Peter and Mary Magdalene will eventually have an unshakeable conviction in the Resurrection, and become messengers of the Resurrection. But they first need to see the empty tomb and pick up the wrappings. They would also need to see and touch the risen Christ. All this would cause wonderment, reflection, and eventually a growing realization that would induce faith. God works in the same way in my life. First there are the lived experiences of my life: people I meet, circumstances I face, events that occur Then my wonderment and reflection on what it all means; Then the slow dawning of faith.
It is clearly evident that Christ’s resurrection is the greatest Event in the history of salvation, and indeed, we can say in the history of humanity, since it gives definitive meaning to the world. The whole world revolves around the Cross, but only in the resurrection does the Cross reach its full significance of a salvific Event. The Cross and Resurrection constitute the one paschal mystery in which the history of the world is centered. Therefore Easter is the Church’s greatest Solemnity. Every year she celebrates and renews this Event, fraught with all the prophecies of the Old Testament, beginning with the “Protoevangelium” of the Redemption, and of all the eschatological hopes and expectations projected towards the “fullness of time”, which was realized when the Kingdom of God definitively entered human history and the universal order of salvation (Saint John Paul II, General Audience, March 1, 1989).
Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, you know how to prepare your disciples to experience your presence deeply and know you intimately. I ask today for a deepening in my faith in your resurrection. Let all the events of my life point me to the truth that you are alive.
Resolution: I will be prompt in meeting the duties and responsibilities of today, in the truth of the risen Christ.
Terrorism is nothing new. Its probably as old as the human race.
In fact the cradle of civilization, now Iraq, was the home of the most infamous terrorists of antiquity, the Assyrians. Their goal was to conquer their neighbors in a way that would minimize initial resistance and subsequent rebellion. To do this, they knew fear would be their greatest weapon. Simple threat of death for those who resisted was not enough because many would prefer death to slavery. So the Assyrians developed the technology to produce the maximum amount of pain for the longest amount of time prior to death. It was called crucifixion. This ingenious procedure proved to be very effective terror tactic indeed.
It was the policy of the Roman Empire to adopt from conquered peoples whatever appeared useful. They found crucifixion an excellent tool of intimidation. The humiliation of being stripped naked to die in a public spectacle was particularly loathsome to Jews for whom public nudity was an abomination. Incidentally, crucifixion was deemed so horrible that Roman law forbade that it be carried out on a Roman citizen, even a traitor. It was reserved only for slaves and conquered peoples.
Non-Christians have often asked a very good questionwhy do Christians adorn their churches, homes, and necks with a symbol of abasement, terror, and torture? Why build an entire religion around the cross?
St. Anselm (12th century) explained it this way. Our first parents sin was all about pride, disobedience, and self-love. Deceived by the serpent, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in defiance of God because they wanted to exalt themselves as His equal. The results were catastrophicloss of communion with God, each other, and the created universe. The history of the human race has been a story in which each one of us, weakened by the impact of this sin on our nature, have followed its pattern, proudly refusing to obey God and love our neighbor.
Anselm pointed out sin constitutes an infinite offense against the goodness and honor of God. Having been created free and responsible, bound by the law of justice, our race is obliged to offer acts of love, humility and obedience to God powerful enough to cancel out the long legacy of disobedience, pride, and unlove and restore our friendship with him.
The problem is, our wounded race could not begin to attempt such a task. So the Father sent His Eternal Word to become man and accomplish the task in our place, to substitute for us. For the immortal, infinite God to empty himself and unite himself to a limited, vulnerable human nature was already a feat of unimaginable love and humility. But for redemption to be complete, the hero would have to withstand the greatest fury that hell and fallen humanity could hurl against himthe cross.
Surely, after the crowds he had healed and fed cried Crucify him! and his own apostles fled, Jesus would realize it wasnt worth it. Surely he would curse the ingrates and use his divine power to free himself as many suggested in their taunts. But no. His was love to the end, love to the max (John 13:1). His death was the clear and undeniable manifestation of the triumph of obedience over disobedience, love over selfishness, humility over pride.
Good Friday was the D-Day of the human race. Since Pentecost, the power of Christs obedient, humble, unstoppable love has been made available to all who are willing to share it, producing martyrs and saints in every generation, down to the Maximilian Kolbes and Mother Teresas of our own era.
So the cross is not only victorious, it is fruitful. It bore the fruit of salvation in the loving act of Christ but has kept bearing new fruit throughout the ages. Thats why, if you go to the Church of San Clemente in Rome, youll see one of the most stunning mosaics in the Eternal City. The ancient instrument of subjection and death, wrapped with verdant vines supporting fruit of every shape and size, the triumphant cross become the tree of life.
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