Week 7: September 27, 2009

Chuyen Mon Review: Morse

Morse Game

Thanh Kinh A2: Thanh Phaolo o Corinto

Midterm Review



Paul in Corinth

Scripture Reading
Acts 18:1-23
“One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, ‘Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you, for I have many people in this city.’ He settled there for a year and a half and taught the word of God among them.”
Faith / Fact Finding
1. Paul in Corinth
Paul left Athens and went to Corinth where he was joined by Silas and Timothy who came down from Macedonia. In Corinth, he met Aquila and his wife Priscilla. Aquila and Priscilla were natives of Pontus, and had recently come from Italy as Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome. During his time in Corinth, he stayed and worked with them as tentmakers for he practiced this same (Acts 18:3-4).
On every Sabbath day, he would preach in the synagogue to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus. He eventually encountered violent oppositions from the Jews (Acts 18:5-6). Faced with this opposition, he proceeded to the house of Titus Justus who worshiped God and his house was next to a synagogue. He continued to preach here when he met Crispus, who came to believe in God and was among the few that Paul baptized (Acts 18:8). Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half to teach the word of God to the people of Corinth (Acts 18:11).
2. Accusations before Gallio
The Jews rose up against Paul and brought him to trial in front of Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia. The Jews accused Paul of teaching people to worship God in contrary to the law (Acts 18:12-13).
Paul was not given the chance to reply to this charge, but instead Gallio spoke to the Jews and dismissed the charge against him.
After the accusation, Paul remained in Corinth for some time before he sailed to Syria.
Case Study / Life Application
Saint Clement Maria Hofbauer was a Redemptorist preacher and reformer. He was apprenticed as a baker in his youth, and later became a hermit near Bruck, Austria. Austrian Emperor Jo¬seph II later abolished hermitages, and Clement went to Vienna, where he received permission from Bishop Chiaramonti of Tivoli, Italy to live in a hermitage. After studying at the University of Vienna, Austria, and in Rome, Clement and entered the Redemptorist Order and was ordained in 1785. He was then stationed in Vienna, but Emperor Joseph II closed religious foundations, so he was sent to Courtland. Clement was joined by a lay brother, and was sent to St. Benno’s Church in Warsaw, Poland to begin two decades of missionary labors. Clement preached, built orphanages, schools, and established a vast Redemptorist presence in the city. During the reign of Napoleon, he suppressed all religious institutions so Clement and the Redemptorists were imprisoned in 1808. After being exiled, Clement went to Vienna where he became the chaplain of the Ursulines and pastor of the adjoining parish. He became known for his holiness and zeal. He founded a Catholic college and began to reform and revitalized the Catholic faith of Austria and Germany. Prince Rupert of Bavaria aided Clement in defeating a move to establish a German national Church. Clement also fought against Josephinism and was about to be expelled from Austria for his opposition to such secular control, when surprisingly, Emperor Joseph’s successor, Emperor Francis I, defended him. Clement died in Vienna on March 15. He was canonized in 1909.
Saint Clement maintained his faith in God through his work his entire life. When faced with challenges of being expelled from Austria by the opposition in power of Emperor Joseph, he was vindicated by the successor Emperor Francis I. Similar to the life of Saint Clement, Paul was also vindicated by Gallio when the Jews opposed his teachings.
The lives of these two saints exemplify their faith in God’s work as they strive to spread the word of the Lord. As Catholics, we need to instill our faith in God as we endeavor to spread the good news to others.
Where Do You Stand?
1. Often in the Bible we encounter passages where God tells us not to be afraid and that he will always be with us. Is your faith strong enough to not be afraid of rejections as you speak of God to others?
2. Religion is mainly based on faith. Do you believe in everything that is taught to you and everything that you are asked to preach to others?
Summary
From Athens, Paul comes to Corinth where he meets up with Silas and Timothy. He spends a year and a half preaching in Corinth and staying with tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla.
While preaching in the synagogues, the Jews rejected his teachings, which turned him to preach to the Gentiles. The Jews tried to bring accusations against him before Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia. These accusations against him were dismissed by Gallio. He remained in Corinth for a while before sailing to Syria.
Prayer
Dear God, strengthen my faith in you to know that whenever I speak of your name, I am assured that you are always there in my support. Amen.

Homework
1. Who was Paul joined by in Corinth?
2. Who did Paul stay with in Corinth?
3. What trade work did Paul perform in Corinth?
4. What did the Jews accused Paul of, and who did they bring him before to make this accusation?
5. How long did Paul remain in Corinth?