The Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians
Chapter 2
1. Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2. I went up in response to a revelation. Then I laid before them (though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged leaders( the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians Chapter 2 verses 1 to 2)
Oh God my Father even though St.Paul had been proclaiming Your Word for fourteen years, he still wished to check if he was in conformity with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church which although it was not yet completely Roman was the Church of Christ that You left by means of the Holy Spirit through the Apostles. It is very important for us Oh God, to have a reliable point of reference in order to settle issues of faith, for one may interpret Your, the Good News so that it may fit to ones' version of the truth, however, this may be misleading to others. Therefore it is very important for us to remain adherent to our reference point unless the Holy Spirit of God shows us another reference point apart from the Church and the Bible Amen.
3. But even Titus who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians Chapter 2 verse 3)
Oh God my Father You love us so much that You do not force Yourself on us, however, such rites such as baptism are necessary when wanting to become a Christian. Amen.
4. But because of false believers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might enslave us- 5. we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians Chapter 2 verses 4 to 5)
May we keep on defending the truth of the Gospel up to our last gasp of breath Amen even if we are persecuted by unbelievers.
6. And from those who were supposed to be acknowledged leaders (what they actually were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)- those leaders contributed nothing to me.
(The Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians Chapter 2 verse 6)
Oh God, my Father, I pray that you help me behave as the Christian that You would like me to be and not be false in my ways Amen even as a Father to my Family, if I do not behave according to Your will and do harm to them I will also be a false leader.
7. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised 8. (for he who worked through Peter making him an apostle to the circumcised also worked through me in sending me to the Gentiles), 9. and when James and Cephas and John, who were acknowledged pillars, recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. 10. They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do.
(The Second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Galatians Chapter 2 verses 7 to 10)
Oh God, my Father, You have given all of us special qualities, in order to work in different areas of life. I thank You for giving me the gift of working with families, and more that of praying on the Bible and enough computer skills in order to share it online. I thank You , God my Father, even for the gifts that You have given to others Amen.
11. But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood self-condemned; 12. for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction.
11. But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood self-condemned; 12. for until certain people came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But after they came, he drew back and kept himself separate for fear of the circumcision faction.
(The Second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Galatians Chapter 2 verses 11 to 12)
Oh God, my Father, it seems that nobody is free from the seeds of hypocrisy, even those such as Peter who had a close relationship with You was not spared from it. I pray that we all become more aware of ourselves so as to be on guard over ourselves so that we will be protected from falling into this trap, for as in the case of St. Paul when we behave in such a way others may be negatively affected and this may also have a negative impact on their faith, which may already be in a very bad state Amen.
13. And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14. But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"
(The Second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Galatians Chapter 2 verses 13 to 14)
Oh Satan You evil and cunning spirit, why do you foment such arguments and cause such divisions and discord. Even though St. Peter may have been in error in relation to his behaviour why did you compel St. Paul to make such accusations to the current leader of the Church that was still in the running in period of its existence. Why do you cause quarrels between husbands and wives, that may even lead to violence, why do convince us to resort to alcohol and substance abuse as a means of alienating from our problems. Satan you are a coward! You use such people and means to cause divisions be you cursed in the name of God my Father. Amen.
15. We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16. yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law.
(The Second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Galatians Chapter 2 verses 15 to 16)
Oh God, my Father may I never make myself a judge over others and declare them to be sinners without forgetting that I am myself flesh and blood and who depends on Your love and mercy every second of my life amen.
17. But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18. But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor.
(The Second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Galatians Chapter 2 verses 17 to 18)
Oh God, many times we have been in a relationship, with You and many times we have completely scrapped this same relationship. Indeed this is a relationship between a sinner and a loving God, who is always ready to give us another chance, even though by default we are still sinners, and that it is by your grace that we are still alive Amen.
19. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; 20. and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.
(The Second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Galatians Chapter 2 verses 19 to 21)
For through the flesh my God and Father, I get only what is of the flesh, but when I dedicate my life to the Spirit I obtain that is of the Spirit. Moreover, the rules of the world threaten the rules of the Spirit, for one form of rules meaning the worldly go against, or are in contrary to those of the Spirit. Therefore those who obey the rules of the flesh will inherit death, but those who live by the Spirit will inherit both death and everlasting life Amen.
Oh God my Father I would like to end the second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Galatians with the following prayer:-
Oh God my Father that You give us the grace to live according to the promptings of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Help me to make the right choices at the right moment so that I can live according to Your will and not according to mine. I pray that my heart and mind be renewed in You Amen.
13. And the other Jews joined him in this hypocrisy, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14. But when I saw that they were not acting consistently with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, "If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?"
(The Second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Galatians Chapter 2 verses 13 to 14)
Oh Satan You evil and cunning spirit, why do you foment such arguments and cause such divisions and discord. Even though St. Peter may have been in error in relation to his behaviour why did you compel St. Paul to make such accusations to the current leader of the Church that was still in the running in period of its existence. Why do you cause quarrels between husbands and wives, that may even lead to violence, why do convince us to resort to alcohol and substance abuse as a means of alienating from our problems. Satan you are a coward! You use such people and means to cause divisions be you cursed in the name of God my Father. Amen.
15. We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16. yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law.
(The Second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Galatians Chapter 2 verses 15 to 16)
Oh God, my Father may I never make myself a judge over others and declare them to be sinners without forgetting that I am myself flesh and blood and who depends on Your love and mercy every second of my life amen.
17. But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18. But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor.
(The Second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Galatians Chapter 2 verses 17 to 18)
Oh God, many times we have been in a relationship, with You and many times we have completely scrapped this same relationship. Indeed this is a relationship between a sinner and a loving God, who is always ready to give us another chance, even though by default we are still sinners, and that it is by your grace that we are still alive Amen.
19. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; 20. and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.
(The Second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Galatians Chapter 2 verses 19 to 21)
For through the flesh my God and Father, I get only what is of the flesh, but when I dedicate my life to the Spirit I obtain that is of the Spirit. Moreover, the rules of the world threaten the rules of the Spirit, for one form of rules meaning the worldly go against, or are in contrary to those of the Spirit. Therefore those who obey the rules of the flesh will inherit death, but those who live by the Spirit will inherit both death and everlasting life Amen.
Oh God my Father I would like to end the second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Galatians with the following prayer:-
Oh God my Father that You give us the grace to live according to the promptings of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Help me to make the right choices at the right moment so that I can live according to Your will and not according to mine. I pray that my heart and mind be renewed in You Amen.
