The biblical reading that I selected is from the book of Acts, Chapter 5: 1-11, which is the story of Ananias and Sapphira. My reason for choosing this story is personal.
While living in Italy, we were in Rome with some of our seminarian friends. We were waiting to go on the Scavi tour and had some free time. One of the seminarians asked if we had ever seen the sacristy in St. Peter’s. We had not, so he took us in for a tour. After the tour of the sacristy, we walked out into the Basilica. Immediately in front of us was the “Altar of the Lie” (see Fig. 1). Our seminarian friends explained the story to us. They related the story to the role of the priest giving everything to God, especially when celebrating the Mass. They see this image of …show more content…
Peter makes statements which are immediately followed or binding. His authority when making these statements is often shown by Peter standing up (Hahn). In the story of Ananias, when Sapphira lies to Peter, he states, “Listen, the footsteps of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out” (Acts 5.9). Peter’s authority was on display for those gathered to see. The final verse of the story states, “And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things” (Acts 5.11). This event helped in the development of Peter’s authority in the Church and it continues for several more chapters in …show more content…
The Acts of the Apostles is a companion literary work to Luke’s Gospel. In the Gospel, the focus is on the journey towards Jerusalem (Johnson 194). In Acts, Luke’s focus on the journey from Jerusalem (Johnson 194). As Christianity spreads from Jerusalem outward, Peter remains the central figure of authority. In the story of Ananias, lying to Peter is lying to God. The deaths of Ananias and Sapphira are extremely harsh, but the point is made and the people who witnessed have great fear. They know that Peter is the authority figure. For the people hearing these stories, they learn who is in the position of authority and speaks for the
While living in Italy, we were in Rome with some of our seminarian friends. We were waiting to go on the Scavi tour and had some free time. One of the seminarians asked if we had ever seen the sacristy in St. Peter’s. We had not, so he took us in for a tour. After the tour of the sacristy, we walked out into the Basilica. Immediately in front of us was the “Altar of the Lie” (see Fig. 1). Our seminarian friends explained the story to us. They related the story to the role of the priest giving everything to God, especially when celebrating the Mass. They see this image of …show more content…
Peter makes statements which are immediately followed or binding. His authority when making these statements is often shown by Peter standing up (Hahn). In the story of Ananias, when Sapphira lies to Peter, he states, “Listen, the footsteps of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out” (Acts 5.9). Peter’s authority was on display for those gathered to see. The final verse of the story states, “And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things” (Acts 5.11). This event helped in the development of Peter’s authority in the Church and it continues for several more chapters in …show more content…
The Acts of the Apostles is a companion literary work to Luke’s Gospel. In the Gospel, the focus is on the journey towards Jerusalem (Johnson 194). In Acts, Luke’s focus on the journey from Jerusalem (Johnson 194). As Christianity spreads from Jerusalem outward, Peter remains the central figure of authority. In the story of Ananias, lying to Peter is lying to God. The deaths of Ananias and Sapphira are extremely harsh, but the point is made and the people who witnessed have great fear. They know that Peter is the authority figure. For the people hearing these stories, they learn who is in the position of authority and speaks for the