Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Riot of the Silversmiths
Dear Friends,
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (19:23, 32-40):
About that time a serious disturbance broke out concerning the Way […] some were shouting one thing, others something else; the assembly was in chaos, and most of the people had no idea why they had come together. Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, as the Jews pushed him forward, and Alexander signaled with his hand that he wished to explain something to the gathering. But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison, for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
Finally the town clerk restrained the crowd and said, “You Ephesians, what person is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image that fell from the sky? Since these things are undeniable, you must calm yourselves and not do anything rash. The men you brought here are not temple robbers, nor have they insulted our goddess. If Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, courts are in session, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. If you have anything further to investigate, let the matter be settled in the lawful assembly, for, as it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today’s conduct. There is no cause for it. We shall not be able to give a reason for this demonstration.” With these words he dismissed the assembly.
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We had a beautiful evening yesterday with the brilliant sun and it was warm. It will now get warmer every day. It is horrible what happened in Paris, France, yesterday. A man went to the Church of Notre Dame and in front of the altar, he shot himself and so committed suicide. The church was full of people as they were praying for the end of abortion.
Below you will find the message of Our Lord, the Son of God, given to Father Melvin. Jesus spoke to him these words,
“Christians are not to start riots, but they are to be people of peace, My brother Melvin and all My brothers and sisters, and in this way, the world will know that you follow Me. Pagans love to start riots against Christians as we see in the Acts of the Apostles. They wanted to attack Paul and his followers, but his friends were able to stop him from answering these rioters. In time it was the town clerk who put a stop to this noisy riot. Christians cannot favor a temple to a pagan goddess, but it is not our duty to destroy that building. Once the people come to follow Me, they will get rid of any place dedicated to pagan gods.
“My dear friends, be careful because some will try to start a riot and hoping to kill My followers. It is not for the Christians to oppose them, but the police and army should intervene. I call on My followers to pray during such horrible attacks on them. Pray that these riots may end and peace may return. I am there and I will help you to leave the place and to be saved. I love you all and I am always there with you to help you.”
Father Melvin