Romans 5:1-5 We are all justified by Faith it is the beginning of our walk with God

Romans 5:6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. NKJV

Romans 5:6 For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. New American Bible-Vatican

Jesus gives us His heart of compassion, mercy and ultimately His grace. It is the beginning of our walk with our triune God. May we offer all of His creation the peace only He can give. Carla

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. NKJV

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 

2 through whom we have gained access (by faith) to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. 

3 Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, 

4 and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, 

5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us. New American Bible—Vatican

Peace here is not a subjective feeling of peace. Rather, this peace is the state of being at peace instead of at war. The hostility between God and the believer has ceased. The believer has been reconciled to God. To have access means “to approach,” as if by introduction into a king’s throne room. Believers have been granted admission to stand before God. Even though they were once rebels, they do not have to face His judgment. Instead they approach His throne in the realm of grace, or in the King’s favor. 

Rejoice means “to boast” and hope means “expectation.” Believers boast in the sure expectation of the glory of God. They are confident, for God Himself has placed the Holy Spirit in their hearts. 

Glory is the same Greek word that is translated “rejoice” in verse 2. Believers can rejoice, glory, and boast not only in their future hope but also in their present troubles. Tribulations refers to physical hardship, suffering, and distress. Perseverance means “endurance.” Trials and tribulation produce endurance when we exercise faith during those difficult times (James 1:2, 3). Such faith produces its own reward (Matthew 5:10–12; 2 Timothy 2:12).

Perseverance produces character, the quality of being approved. As believers endure tribulation, God works in them to develop certain qualities and virtues that will strengthen them and draw them closer to Him. The result is fortified hope in God and His promises.

The hope that believers have of their future glory with God will not disappoint them by being unfulfilled. They will not be put to shame or humiliated because of their hope. 

The reason the believer can be so confident is that the love of God has been poured out. The moment a person trusts in Christ, that person receives the Holy Spirit (8:9), who constantly encourages them in their hope in God. The NKJV Study Bible

Paul has argued extensively that salvation comes only through faith. He assumes that conclusion here, using it as the starting point to expound on the implications of being declared righteous by God.

Paul uses this word peace similarly to how it is used throughout the Old Testament: to describe well-being, prosperity, safety from harm, and deliverance from enemies. This peace is more than just the absence of conflict; it is the result of having been declared righteous by faith (Ephesians 2:14–17; Colossians 1:20).

This grace in which we stand Indicates not only a past event, but also a present reality made possible by the work of Christ on the cross.

We boast refers to expressing trust in God to do what He promised. Paul uses a similar phrase to describe Abraham’s response of faith to God’s promise (Romans 4:20). Those who have faith like Abraham will not boast about their works (i.e., “good works” or “works of the law”); rather, they will boast in God’s power to provide despite human limitation and sinfulness. This stands in contrast to the idolaters (1:20–23).

Through the presence of the Holy Spirit, every believer experiences God’s love and therefore can have hope despite sufferings. Faithlife Study Bible

Romans 5:10–11 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

1 Corinthians 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 

Matthew 5:11–12 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Ephesians 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Hebrews 3:6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end

In a world where exclusion is real, I choose the Gospel: “You belong. Your humanity is not up for negotiation. Your presence does not require anyone’s permission.”
I choose to be a witness.

And in my heart, I am so grateful for all the light spilling each day from the Buddhist monks, witnesses for a world where peace is possible. As they come to the end of their the 120-day, 2,300-mile journey, let us take to heart their reflections—honoring the reality that we are all on this journey together.
“These monks walk not for themselves, but for every child who deserves a future without conflict, and for every soul seeking a moment of calm. Even our silent four-legged friend knows that peace isn’t just a word—it’s a way of moving through the world together.
When we stand together in such numbers, our collective presence becomes a ‘Golden Ripple,’ reaching even the farthest corners of the earth.
Bring your heart. Bring your hope. Let’s show the world that kindness is still the most powerful force we have.”
(Thank you, Walk for Peace) SabbathMoments 

We wait in the dawn

Until Your light is within us

Lord, let your deep joy

Shine out from our eyes

Grant that your wisdom

Will inspire us with brightness

Let the splendour of your glory

Glow out through our actions

Come and burn within us

Until we radiate your light

Capture our cold hearts

Set us ablaze with your love

Change us and we shall changed

Lord, fill us with the light of life...

David Adam

What will it take for Christians to denounce ICE and their hostile actions against their own citizens.

https://youtu.be/qUV9AiMfrs0?si=gRuq_kHGXa2uDUWp

In Washington DC, a Congressional forum by Democrats heard the testimony of Marimar Maria Martinez, a Chicago-based woman, who was shot by a Border Patrol Agent during a vehicle incident in Brighton Park late last year.

Psalm 94:19-23 They gather against the innocent…The Lord shall cut them off.

Psalm 50:16

But to the wicked God says:

“What right have you to declare My statutes,

Or take My covenant in your mouth,

Jesus wept! Carla

Psalm 94:19-23

19 In the multitude of my anxieties within me,

Your comforts delight my soul.

20 Shall the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law,

Have fellowship with You?

21They gather together against the life of the righteous,

And condemn innocent blood.

22 But the Lord has been my defense,

And my God the rock of my refuge.

23 He has brought on them their own iniquity,

And shall cut them off in their own wickedness;

The Lord our God shall cut them off. NKJ

Psalm 94:19-23

19 When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.

20 Can a corrupt throne be allied with you— a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?

21 The wicked band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.

22 But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

23 He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; 

the Lord our God will destroy them. NIV

Psalm 94:19-23

When cares increase within me,

your comfort gives me joy.

20 Can unjust judges be your allies,

those who create burdens by decree,

21 Those who conspire against the just

and condemn the innocent to death?

22 No, the LORD is my secure height,

my God, my rock of refuge,

23 Who will turn back their evil upon them

and destroy them for their wickedness.

Surely the LORD our God will destroy them! 

USCCB United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Who will rise up for me is an appeal to the Lord who alone is the sure defense of the believer. The psalmist exclaims that if the Lord had not delivered him, he would have died. As in Psalm 6, if the psalmist had died, his voice would no longer be able to praise God in the temple. The comforts of God extend from His hearing the call of the righteous to His meeting their needs even when they are not aware of them.

Throne of iniquity is a description of the wicked who have great power. The holy Lord cannot tolerate evil in His presence. The Lord … shall cut them off: Final judgment will one day come to the wicked. The NKJV Study Bible

The psalmist finds encouragement in God’s comfort.

One that forms trouble based on statute focuses on corrupt legislation.

The psalmist portrays the injustice against the innocent in the strongest possible terms: The Hebrew phrase used here, dam naqi, literally means “innocent blood.”

In my rock of refuge the psalmist uses the metaphors in this verse to emphasize Yahweh’s strength against the wicked. He will repay on them. The psalmist envisions a symmetry between the crimes of the wicked rulers and their punishment. He will destroy them. The Hebrew word used here, tsamat, emphasizes the certainty of the future destruction of the wicked rulers. Faithlife Study Bible

Psalm 58:2

No, in heart you work wickedness;

You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

Matthew 27:4

saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”

Psalm 106:38

And shed innocent blood,

The blood of their sons and daughters,

Whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan;

And the land was polluted with blood.

Psalm 18:2

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I choose to be a witness. Terry Hershey

“Please, tell me how to hold it all?” she asks me in an email. “Do you ever want to close your eyes, and plug your ears?”

“Yes.” I tell her. “If I’m honest, a few times a day.”

Her email was one of many. So many are struggling with what is happening. As if the ground is shifting under our feet. The news cycle feels relentless. It continues to sow disbelief, fear, and outrage, headline after headline.

It leaves many, feeling sad, anxious, unsettled, and even alarmed. Please know this my friends: they are all indicators that you still care. You heart still works, and that matters.

In answering the email exchange question, “What exactly do we do?”

Today I have an answer. I am a witness. You are a witness.

As a witness, I choose to pay attention while I am here.

In a world that rewards “dog eat dog”, I choose mercy.

In a world where demeaning someone is applauded, I choose to honor dignity.

In a world where exclusion is real, I choose the Gospel: “You belong. Your humanity is not up for negotiation. Your presence does not require anyone’s permission.”

I choose to be a witness.

Yes. I can choose to show up now. Bravely, both strong, and tender.

What does this look like? Oh, it’s the little gifts my friends.

It makes a big difference to hug the hurt. To kiss the broken. To bandage the wounded. To befriend the lost. To love the lonely. To listen, making room for sadness. To grieve.

To stand up for the humiliated, and the degraded. To honor the dignity in every human. “I see you.”

To say Yes, to little gifts of compassion, connection, dignity, empathy, kindness, generosity, and peace that leave people better than we find them.

To say No, to cruelty, and mercilessness.

Thank you, my friends, for all your gifts of presence, and courage, and resolution, and kind-heartedness.

When people learn that I am a minister, they’re often curious to ask what I “believe”. And when I visit different churches, some people like to ask me. They can’t help themselves.

Okay, here you go:

God has a heart for those who are left out, forgotten, and excluded.

God's grace is bigger than anything which distances and separates and wounds us.

You are God's beloved child, and God's love for you is unconditional.

And when I see acts of exclusion, or acts that disparage inclusion, I feel it, viscerally, and my beliefs matter, and they summon and fuel a choice: I want to be a witness to God’s Mercy and Grace.

Pope Leo reminded us all. “Caring for others is ‘the supreme law’ that comes before society's rules.”

And caring for others, well, that is music worth singing. And it is the music of Grace.

What do I “believe”? Bottom line? I want to be like Jesus. Yes, Jesus, who sat with prostitutes and lepers (the “least of these”), and kept company with the outcasts and the downtrodden.

Let us be on the lookout for those left out. To say, No, to segregation and to cruelty.

Easy? Not really.

Stress-free? Not really.

I’m learning that this week. “I am cancelling my subscription.  I need spiritual support without political intrusion,” wrote one reader.

In my recent Sabbath Moments, I’ve been “confessing” that in much of my ministry I worked hard (made certain) at not pushing any boundaries. “Mincing” words, in order “to not offend,” or ruffle any feathers. “What would people think?”

I now regret some of the choices I made. I can keep my head down, but my soul will pay the price. Let’s just say that this Sabbath Moment homily is to the man I now see in my mirror. Sabbath Moments

Because kindness is a virtue, it must be tied to other virtues such as justice, courage, and prudence. Moreover, like all virtues, kindness moderates between an extreme of excess and an extreme of deficiency. Kindness is the balance between the vices of contrariness (or quarrelsomeness) and obsequiousness (or flattery). And, like all virtues, kindness has an opposing vice. Some assume the opposite of kindness is cruelty, but there is a longer tradition that, perhaps surprisingly, points to another vice as the one that directly opposes kindness: envy.

While kindness is essentially good will toward another, envy is ill will. Thomas Aquinas defines envy, simply, as “sorrow for another’s good.” While good will leads naturally to acts of kindness, ill will leads easily to cruelty—actions that increase the suffering, rather than the joys, of the object of envy. Envy arises from vainglory, Aquinas observes, and produces “daughters” of its own. Envy leads to gossip and defamation, joy at another’s pain, and pain in another’s joy.

Kindness is rooted in the desire to love one’s neighbor. Envy is rooted in the desire to best one’s neighbor. Envy culminates in hatred. Before Cain murdered his brother Abel, he envied him. Charles Dickens

…

Envy consumes.

Kindness generates.