Miriam Part 1

Many of you may not remember Miriam, but you'll definitely know her brothers - Aaron and Moses. Miriam's story of faith is two-fold. Miriam helped save Moses from the Pharoah as a young child and then helped lead the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt.

Let's examine some verses:

Exodus 2:1-10

Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.

Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?"

"Yes, go," she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."

Exodus 15:20-21

Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them:
"Sing to the LORD,
for he is highly exalted.
The horse and its rider
he has hurled into the sea."

Miriam's story begins when Moses was a baby. There are no historical documents to know how old Miriam was at the time that baby Moses was put in a basket in the river, but historians guess she is 10-12 years old. Her job was to watch what happened to Moses and then to approach Pharoah's daughter. What bravery! She could have been killed when she approached Pharoah's daugther. Then, she got a Hebrew woman (her mother) to be the nurse for Moses.

Our next set of verses jump to the time when the Israelites had been freed from slavery and began their 40 year trip to the promised land. Miriam was an important figure to the Israelites. She was a prophetess. A prophet/prophetess is someone who can hear God's message and speak it without adding anything to it. Miriam was a vessel of God's word. It appears from Exodus 15:20-21 that she was the leader of the women in Israel.

This woman was obedient to God's calling throughout her life. She was brave and trusted God when she watched over Moses as a child and approached Pharoah's daughter. Through her trust in God, she was given a prominent status within God's people.

Eve

Eve is often called "our first mother." She was created to assist and to complete Adam. It is neat to see how I was also created to assist and to complete Kyle. Kyle and I are alike in many respects (we both love the outdoors, we both have a love for God, we are both driven, etc), but we're also created to compliment each other and pick up where the other has left off. Together we make a wonderful team. Adam and Eve was the first team.

Let's look at the following scripture about Eve:

Genesis 1:26 - 28

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."

Genesis 2:18-22

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

Genesis 2:22-24

Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

The man said,
"This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called 'woman,'
for she was taken out of man."

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Let's breakdown the verses above. Genesis 1:26-28 gives God's purpose for Adam and Eve. There are three purposes for them (and all of mankind):

1. Be an image of God on Earth
2. Rule over creation
3. Be fruitful and multiply

Those purposes are still true today. Are they not? We are created to live as an image of God. We are to show God's love to all people (whether we like them or not - God loves them). We are to rule over the creation and to take care of it. We are to be fruitful both spiritually and physically. Our job is to raise children (whether our own, our God-children, or children in our neighborhood) to love God and to show Christ to the world.

The second set of verses convey Eve's purpose to Adam. She was created as his helpmate. She was created to be perfectly fit to him. They were created as a team. If you notice in the first set of verses it says "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Together they reveal God's nature. As a spouse, my job is to be Kyle's helpmate and he to be mine. We were created that together we can reveal God's nature. Together we are a team to bring people into His kingdom.

The last set of verses reveal Godly principles for marriage:

1. Adam was to leave his father and mother and cling to his wife. Here we see that they form a family. They form a team. They are helpmates for one another.
2. The Hebrew word for "cleaving" literally means "to be joined by commitment." We are called to TOTALLY give of ourselves. We are to commit to one another. Our vows say through good times and bad.
3. Marriage should result in oneness. This is both physically and spiritually. We are to be of one mind, one body, one will, one purpose.

We all know the story of Adam and Eve. Eve allows the serpent to deceive her and she shows Adam the wrong path. I am not here to condemn Eve (who should have known better) or Adam (who should have been her spiritual leader). The truth is that they both sinned. They both ate of the tree. We are created to be a teammate for our spouse. That means that I am Kyle's road to Heaven. I should be a spiritually fruitful example to him and him to me. We should be of one mind and one purpose - to know God and to love Him.

It is beautiful to me to see Eve sin, but then to also see that God still loved her. He dealt justly with them, but God never stopped loving his creation. He sent His only Son for His creation. That is inspiring.

Adam and Eve's sin had negative effects on mankind - for all eternity. My sin can also affect those around me. It is important to keep that in mind as we try to help our spouses, friends, family members in this life. We should always try to emulate Christ. If we fail, and we will, repent and follow Him again.

Peter's Wife

"It's been too long" is an understatement. I seem to have neglected my blog since entering the Catholic Church. However, I'm back - with new resolve! I am currently doing a Bible Study on women in the Bible and reading a book on 12 women from the New Testament (a present from Cherie a few Christmases ago... better late than never, right?). Because my Bible Study starts in the Old Testament and my book is from the New Testament, I may be jumping around. However, I feel a pull on my heart to share what I am learning. Women in the Bible are often overlooked, but they have some great lessons to be learned and are a pivotal part of the Bible.

The first woman I want to discuss is Peter's wife. There isn't much Biblical documentation of her, but adding to those verses, ancient writings will give us some great lessons to be learned and applied in our lives.

Let's begin with the verses from the Bible referring to Peter's wife:

Mark 1:21-22

²¹They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. ²²The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.

Peter was from Capernaum. From the Biblical writings we know that Jesus' headquarters for His ministry in Galilee was based from Peter's home. Excavations of that area have found that three or four homes would be grouped together with a courtyard in the middle. A pivotal part of Jesus' ministry revolved around breaking of bread together in the home, groups gathering to hear Him teach and perform miracles, etc. Much of which occurred at their home.

Mark 1:29-31

As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew.³⁰Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. ³¹So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

From these verses we know without a doubt that Peter (Simon here) had a mother-in-law. Thus, he had a wife.

Mark 10:28

²⁸Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"

Peter has left everything - including his wife - to follow Jesus.

1 Corinthians 9:5

Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas?

Later, Peter's wife began traveling with Peter to spread the Good News of Jesus and grow His church.

More discussion:

Can you imagine what Peter's wife must have thought when he came home and decided to follow John the Baptist and then Jesus? From a fisherman's wife to a wife of a man traveling around following this man named Jesus? The changes that must have ensued are innumerable. Not only did her husband leave, but when he returned with Jesus and the disciples she had to run a home and cater to their needs.

However, the Lord builds into us when we give Him time. For Peter's wife, she was privy to his teachings - both public and private. She would be able to hear those words that He spoke in private as she served Jesus and His disciples. This would be important later on when she began traveling with her husband.

After Jesus was crucified, Peter became the leader of the Church (Matthew 16:18 "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."). 1 Corinthians 9:5 shows us that Peter's wife joined the ministry and traveled with her husband. Her ministry would have been pivotal to the spreading of the news. Peter would have full access to preach in the synagogues and churches, but he would never be able to private religious instruction to a woman - Jew or Gentile. Peter's wife would be able to minister to the women as Peter ministered to the men. She would be an obvious first choice to minister to the women as she was learned directly from Jesus.

Clement of Alexandria, an ancient Christian, wrote circa AD 150-215 the following about the martyrdom of Peter's wife:

"We are told that when blessed Peter saw his wife led away to death, he was glad that her call had come and that she was returning home, and spoke to her in the most encouraging and comforting way, addressing her by name: 'My dear, remember the Lord.' Such was the marriage of the blessed, and their consummate feeling towards their dearest."

Peter and his wife were in Rome (AD 64-67) around the same time that Christians were being persecuted by the Emperor Nero. Peter would later be martyred by crucifixion upside down. (John 21:19 "Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, 'Follow me!'")

I like to think that we can all be like the wife of Peter. We can all take time to serve Christ and spend time with Him. We are all able to learn from Him through His holy word. Even in the midst of change (Peter's wife had to endure her life being flipped upside down when he chose to follow Christ) Jesus is preparing us for what lies ahead.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, Help me to make room in my heart for You so that when sudden change comes into my life, I will feel the strength of Your presence. When anxieties plague me over circumstances beyond my control, let my trust in You increase, for faith in You will unfailingly sustain me.

Easter Vigil

Oh how I wish I had taken the time to blog before now... it has been a month since the Easter Vigil and everything is not fresh in my mind. However, this will be a good way for me to really think back and relive that night.

The Easter Vigil was a beautiful "service of lights." I've always loved candles - especially when they are used to light up a room. My favorite service was always Christmas Eve when the entire church would be lit up with each person's individual candle as we concluded by singing Silent Night "A Capella." Well, this service began with lighting the Paschal Candle and then lighting our smaller candles from the same flame. We processed in and followed the Paschal Candle - followed in Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection. What a wonderful visual - we should ALWAYS be following in that mystery. We should be striving to be like Christ, but to know that we need his grace and ultimate gift also.

The entire service was nice, but I must say that I enjoyed the "Litany of the Saints." I knew about the litany, but I had never heard a full one and I never thought I'd enjoy it. It was beautiful and I found myself listening intently at the names being called. I don't know all of the names, but I do know they are gifts from God to the Church and to me.

During Confirmation I so wanted to FEEL something. I tried to keep reminding myself what I learned in a book titled In Constant Prayer - it is not about what I get out of worship, it is what GOD gets out of us worshiping HIM. When Fr. Ross anointed me with the Chrism oils, I felt at peace. I could smell the beautiful fragrance and was calmed. It was a wonderful FEELING. It was nothing like my baptism - when I first received the Holy Spirit, but it was wonderful none-the-less.

Receiving my first Holy Eucharist was also neat. I was nervous. I was afraid I would do something wrong or drop something. However, I felt full and fulfilled. I used to always love Communion Sunday (once a month in the Baptist Church). I would always love to wake up and know that it was Communion Sunday. However, today I yearn for the Eucharist. I thirst for it each day. I have even began going to daily Mass some mornings so I don't have to wait until Sunday.

The most meaningful part about this whole process and event was who was there standing with me and supporting me. Thank you to everyone who could make the event and everyone who was there is spirit! Mom and Dad - special thanks for your support. I couldn't feel whole without you two supporting me.

Enjoy the pictures from our great event!

Love, HilaryOutside before the vigil began. You can't see the sand gnats... but they were biting us!
The WHOLE GROUP! Paul & Sam Lambert (Sam was my sponsor), Beth Pernitz, Me, Kyle, Mom (Carolyn Estepa), and Dad (Larry Estepa)

Veneration of the Cross

Veneration of the cross occurred at 3 PM. This is the hour in which theologians and historians believe that Jesus died. Therefore, it was somber, but moving. All of the images of Jesus have been covered since Holy Thursday due to the fact that we are remembering that Christ died and was gone from Earth on Good Friday. The account of Jesus' passion is read. It is a day of mourning, but there will soon be a day of rejoicing!!! There is a cross and we all go up to adore the cross. Everyone does it differently, but you typically see people either genuflecting or kneeling and either touching the cross or kissing. It was truly beautiful.

Stations of the Cross

Ok... I'm not neglecting the blog... I'm just slow. :)

On Good Friday we went to the Stations of the Cross. There are 14 Stations of the Cross. It marks Jesus' passion walk to Calvary, his crucifixion, and being laid in the tomb. Each station is a plaque, stained glass window, or painting of the event.

My first exposure to the Stations of the Cross was at the Awakening Retreat through Catholic Community at TCU. It was done at night. Doubting Thomas was our guide and he would read what was happening at each station. Then there would be a skit to relate that Station of the Cross to our lives. It was very powerful. However, I had never done a "real" Stations of the Cross. It was even MORE powerful at church. Each Station was read. Scripture was read. We would reflect and pray. WOW! What a way to celebrate Good Friday - to relive Christ's passion for our lives.

Holy Tridium Mass

Thursday evening was a beautiful mass to celebrate the Eucharist and the night that the Lord instituted this sacrament. The mass was also special because a dear friend of ours, Beth, drove down from D.C. to spend this weekend with us and made it in time for Mass.

At Mass, they read the scripture of Jesus washing the disciples' feet. What an act of service! They then washed the feet of about 20 people from the congregation. Each person represented a different organization or group associated with the church. It was wonderfully symbolic. However, I have been to a service where they have stations all around the church and you are able to wash your friends' or family members' feet and have your feet washed as well. I really think it would've been wonderful to take the extra time to do that.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening.