The Second Book of Maccabees
Chapter 2
¹ One finds in the records that the prophet Jeremiah ordered those who were being deported to take some of the fire, as has been mentioned, ² and that the prophet, after giving them the law, instructed those who were being deported not to forget the commandments of the Lord, or to be led astray in their thoughts on seeing the gold and silver statues and their adornment. ³ And with other similar words he exhorted them that the law should not depart from their hearts.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 1 to 3)
Oh God my Father during our times You also exhort us to be cautious and always aware of the subtle messages that are passed on to us, in many areas of life in relation to our faith and belief in You. Many trends and legislation that has been or is in the process of being promulgated or accepted as rules such as that of Euthanasia or legalized abortion, all go against Your will. I pray that You intervene in a radical way before the fabric of our society completely disintegrates and we end up regressing to a modern state of nature Amen.
⁴ It was also in the same document that the prophet, having received an oracle, ordered that the tent and the ark should follow with him, and that he went out to the mountain where Moses had gone up and had seen the inheritance of God.
⁴ It was also in the same document that the prophet, having received an oracle, ordered that the tent and the ark should follow with him, and that he went out to the mountain where Moses had gone up and had seen the inheritance of God.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 4)
Good morning my God and Father as much as the prophet had ordered that the ark of the covenant and tent to be always with him, I pray that You and Your presence will be always with us throughout this new year 2017 and throughout the rest of our life Amen.
⁵ Jeremiah came and found a cave-dwelling, and he brought there the tent and the ark and the altar of incense; then he sealed up the entrance.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verse 5)
Oh God my Father I would like to ask myself and others the following question. Is our faith in You and the Bible and message of the Good News a treasure to us or not? For me it is a treasure, however this is a treasure that I would like to share with others and not have it kept in seclusion as if it is only a personal belief and not a universal one. I pray oh God my Father that with your help, Your messages will keep on spreading throughout the globe, that all google servers will be blessed by Your Word when it passes through their servers and modems, so much that the forces of evil will no longer have a presence, both online and offline. Amen.
⁶ Some of those who followed him came up intending to mark the way, but could not find it.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verse 6)
Oh God my Father many have attempted excavations in order to trace religious and historical remains such as Noah's ark among many others. Some have been successful while others have not. Only those secrets that You permit to be discovered will ever be discovered and nothing else, because You know what is good and healthy for us to know from what is not Amen. Moreover, not all researchers have the same good intentions. There are those who have your Word in their heart and sincerely have good intentions of making such discoveries while others might not share the same values.
⁷ When Jeremiah learned of it, he rebuked them and declared: "The place shall remain unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows his mercy. ⁸ Then the Lord will disclose these things, and the glory of the Lord and the cloud will appear, as they were shown in the case of Moses, and as Solomon asked that the place should be specially consecrated."
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 7 to 8)
Oh God my Father You reveal Your mysteries to whom You wish to reveal them to. This confirms the fact that there were researchers who made important discoveries such as finding Noah's Ark and there were others who did not.
⁹ It was also made clear that being possessed of wisdom Solomon offered sacrifice for the dedication and completion of the temple.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verse 9)
On being possessed by the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to accomplish all that You want us to do. In return as in the case of Solomon, that same Spirit also prompts us to give praise and worship to You my God and Father. Amen.
¹⁰ Just as Moses prayed to the Lord, and fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifices, so also Solomon prayed, and the fire came down and consumed the whole burnt offerings. ¹¹ And Moses said, "They were consumed because the sin offering had not been eaten."
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 10 to 11)
Oh God my Father the same thing happens on our altars. When the priest offers the sacrifice to You in our name and also in his name for the good of all present, Your Holy Spirit consumes the offering and make it Your body and blood for us to nourish ourselves from. I thank You for sending Your Holy presence to consecrate the offerings Amen.
¹² Likewise Solomon also kept the eight days.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verse 12)
Oh God my beloved Father, as in the case of Solomon, we are to carry on in the observances and practices of our ancestors, such as praying and fasting and pledge our obedience to You. These are the building blocks of our relationship with You that are gradually becoming in a state of decay. I pray that You also keep me firm in my commitment of prayer to You Amen.
¹³ The same things are reported in the records and in the memoirs of Nehemiah, and also that he founded a library and collected the books about the kings and prophets, and the writings of David, and letters of kings about votive offerings.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verse 13)
Oh God my beloved Father since the ancient bbiblical times, You inspired Nehemiah to start collecting and recording the books written about the kings and prophets. If You had not done so, we may not have had our bibles on which to meditate and adore You. I thank You for being so proactive Amen.
¹⁴ In the same way Judas also collected all the books that had been lost on account of the war that had come upon us, and they are in our possession. ¹⁵ So if you have need of them, send people to get them for you.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 14 to 15)
Oh God my beloved Father, up to the present time, we may not give our Bibles alot of value, however I feel that there will be a time when we treasure our Bibles. Moreover those who have not a Bible will end up selling their belongings in order to have one. I pray that we not only be in possession of Your Good News as in the Bible, but that we use it in order to discern Your will and communicate with You to know You and improve in our relationship with You. Amen.
¹⁶ Since therefore, we are about to celebrate the purification, we write to you. Will you therefore please keep the days? ¹⁷ It is God who has saved all his people, and has returned the inheritance to all, and the kingship and the priesthood and the consecration, ¹⁸ as he promised through the law. We have hope in God that he will soon have mercy on us and will gather us from everywhere under heaven into his holy place, for he has rescued us from great evils and has purified the place.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 16 to 18)
Oh God my beloved Father, You have full control over my life. You know why all this confusion is taking place in my life. I know from my side what the cause is, however the real reason why You are permitting all this to happen is beyond me. Could it be that this baptism of trouble and stress is a form of baptism, a new begining for a better life in the future? As You had promised Your people to gather them back in the land that You had promised them, I also pray that You gather me back in heaven the place where You have promised me that I can be, however I am not a good person, I need intense purification before I am wothy to appear in Your presence either dead or alive, and maybe all the persecution that I am experiencing is part of that purification Amen.
¹⁹ The story of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, and the purification of the great temple, and the dedication of the altar, ²⁰ and further the wars against Anthiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator, ²¹ and the appearances that came from heaven to those who fought bravely for Judaism, so that though few in number they seized the whole land and pursued the barbarian hordes, ²² and regained possession of the temple famous throughout the world, and liberated the city, and restablished the laws that were about to be abolished, while the Lord with great kindness became gracious to them- ²³ all this which has been set forth by Jason of Cyrene in five volumes, we shall attempt to condense into a single book. ²⁴ For considering the flood of statistics involved and the difficulty there is for those who wish to enter upon the narratives of history because of the mass of material, ²⁵ we have aimed to please those who wish to read, to make it easy for those who are inclined to memorize, and to profit all readers.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 19 to 25)
Oh God my beloved Father I thank You for people such as Judas Macabeus who fought for what they believed in to save the faith. I thank You for the courage that You gave him and his followers in the fight against their oppressors. During our times it may not be a physical war but a psychological one, for the evil one is using the media to manipulate the minds of the masses by portraying a lifestyle that is not according to Your will. I pray that You stimulate more people such as Judas who in a non violent way will fight against the oppressors of our times Amen.
²⁶ For us who have undertaken the toil of abbreviating, it is no light matter but calls for sweat and loss of sleeo, ²⁷ just as it is not easy for one who prepares a banquet and seeks the benefit of others. Nvertheless, to secure the gratitude of many we will gladly endure the uncomfortable toil, ²⁸ leaving the responsibility for exact details to the compiler, while devoting our effort to arriving at the outlines of the condensation.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 26 to 28)
Oh God my beloved Father on reflecting on verses 26 to 28, I feel guilty for there are moments such as today, when I did not feel like waking up at 5.00 am and instead woke up at 5.30. When considering that the authors of the books of Maccabees and other writers and proof readers and compilers at their own risk of life, without modern technology and means dedicated so much time and effort I feel more motivated to wake up at 5.00 am and even spend more time in the evening in prayer so that in doing so I can cover more chapters and books of the Bible Amen. I personally thank You for inspiring the authors of the biblical books under Your guidance to carry out and finish such a treasure of love towards humanity that is 'The Bible' Amen. Thank You Jesus.
²⁹ For as the master builder of a new house must be concerned with the whole construction, while the one who undertakes its painting and decoration has to consider only what is suitable for its adornment, such is my judgment is the case with us. ³⁰ It is the duty of the original historian to occupy the ground, to discuss matters from every side, and to take trouble with details, ³¹ but the one who recasts the narrative should be allowed to strive for brevity of expressions and to forego exhaustive treatment.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 29 to 30)
As in the compliling of a book or any other project or team work, all the people involved are to carry out their role and their contribution in the project with responsibility and accountability towards the other members of the team and in order to reach the goal that all are aiming for. As Christians or Roman Catholics or believers of other religions we are to permit our leaders to do their role and do it well to reach the aim we are all striving for and do our part dilligently as believers by being faithful and accountable for our actions in our relationships with You and with others Amen.
³² At this point therefore let us begin our narrative, without adding any more to what has already been said; for it would be foolish to lengthen the preface while cutting short the history itself.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verse 32)
Oh God my beloved Father now that we have been a run through how the narrative is compiled, it is our duty to take responsibility of the compilation of the book of our life Amen.
I would like to end this second chapter of the second book of Maccabees with the following prayer:
Blessed God my Father, I thank You for all the people that You chose throughout the ages to preserve and even protect with their lives the books of the bible. I thank You for each and every book and for all the messages that You have been giving me every day of my life. They have been my guidelines and reference and I invite all to treasure and appreciate all the books of the Bible for in it is the message of our hope and our salvation and most of all the message of God's love for all Amen. Thank You Jesus.
Good morning my God and Father as much as the prophet had ordered that the ark of the covenant and tent to be always with him, I pray that You and Your presence will be always with us throughout this new year 2017 and throughout the rest of our life Amen.
⁵ Jeremiah came and found a cave-dwelling, and he brought there the tent and the ark and the altar of incense; then he sealed up the entrance.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verse 5)
Oh God my Father I would like to ask myself and others the following question. Is our faith in You and the Bible and message of the Good News a treasure to us or not? For me it is a treasure, however this is a treasure that I would like to share with others and not have it kept in seclusion as if it is only a personal belief and not a universal one. I pray oh God my Father that with your help, Your messages will keep on spreading throughout the globe, that all google servers will be blessed by Your Word when it passes through their servers and modems, so much that the forces of evil will no longer have a presence, both online and offline. Amen.
⁶ Some of those who followed him came up intending to mark the way, but could not find it.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verse 6)
Oh God my Father many have attempted excavations in order to trace religious and historical remains such as Noah's ark among many others. Some have been successful while others have not. Only those secrets that You permit to be discovered will ever be discovered and nothing else, because You know what is good and healthy for us to know from what is not Amen. Moreover, not all researchers have the same good intentions. There are those who have your Word in their heart and sincerely have good intentions of making such discoveries while others might not share the same values.
⁷ When Jeremiah learned of it, he rebuked them and declared: "The place shall remain unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows his mercy. ⁸ Then the Lord will disclose these things, and the glory of the Lord and the cloud will appear, as they were shown in the case of Moses, and as Solomon asked that the place should be specially consecrated."
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 7 to 8)
Oh God my Father You reveal Your mysteries to whom You wish to reveal them to. This confirms the fact that there were researchers who made important discoveries such as finding Noah's Ark and there were others who did not.
⁹ It was also made clear that being possessed of wisdom Solomon offered sacrifice for the dedication and completion of the temple.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verse 9)
On being possessed by the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to accomplish all that You want us to do. In return as in the case of Solomon, that same Spirit also prompts us to give praise and worship to You my God and Father. Amen.
¹⁰ Just as Moses prayed to the Lord, and fire came down from heaven and consumed the sacrifices, so also Solomon prayed, and the fire came down and consumed the whole burnt offerings. ¹¹ And Moses said, "They were consumed because the sin offering had not been eaten."
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 10 to 11)
Oh God my Father the same thing happens on our altars. When the priest offers the sacrifice to You in our name and also in his name for the good of all present, Your Holy Spirit consumes the offering and make it Your body and blood for us to nourish ourselves from. I thank You for sending Your Holy presence to consecrate the offerings Amen.
¹² Likewise Solomon also kept the eight days.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verse 12)
Oh God my beloved Father, as in the case of Solomon, we are to carry on in the observances and practices of our ancestors, such as praying and fasting and pledge our obedience to You. These are the building blocks of our relationship with You that are gradually becoming in a state of decay. I pray that You also keep me firm in my commitment of prayer to You Amen.
¹³ The same things are reported in the records and in the memoirs of Nehemiah, and also that he founded a library and collected the books about the kings and prophets, and the writings of David, and letters of kings about votive offerings.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verse 13)
Oh God my beloved Father since the ancient bbiblical times, You inspired Nehemiah to start collecting and recording the books written about the kings and prophets. If You had not done so, we may not have had our bibles on which to meditate and adore You. I thank You for being so proactive Amen.
¹⁴ In the same way Judas also collected all the books that had been lost on account of the war that had come upon us, and they are in our possession. ¹⁵ So if you have need of them, send people to get them for you.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 14 to 15)
Oh God my beloved Father, up to the present time, we may not give our Bibles alot of value, however I feel that there will be a time when we treasure our Bibles. Moreover those who have not a Bible will end up selling their belongings in order to have one. I pray that we not only be in possession of Your Good News as in the Bible, but that we use it in order to discern Your will and communicate with You to know You and improve in our relationship with You. Amen.
¹⁶ Since therefore, we are about to celebrate the purification, we write to you. Will you therefore please keep the days? ¹⁷ It is God who has saved all his people, and has returned the inheritance to all, and the kingship and the priesthood and the consecration, ¹⁸ as he promised through the law. We have hope in God that he will soon have mercy on us and will gather us from everywhere under heaven into his holy place, for he has rescued us from great evils and has purified the place.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 16 to 18)
Oh God my beloved Father, You have full control over my life. You know why all this confusion is taking place in my life. I know from my side what the cause is, however the real reason why You are permitting all this to happen is beyond me. Could it be that this baptism of trouble and stress is a form of baptism, a new begining for a better life in the future? As You had promised Your people to gather them back in the land that You had promised them, I also pray that You gather me back in heaven the place where You have promised me that I can be, however I am not a good person, I need intense purification before I am wothy to appear in Your presence either dead or alive, and maybe all the persecution that I am experiencing is part of that purification Amen.
¹⁹ The story of Judas Maccabeus and his brothers, and the purification of the great temple, and the dedication of the altar, ²⁰ and further the wars against Anthiochus Epiphanes and his son Eupator, ²¹ and the appearances that came from heaven to those who fought bravely for Judaism, so that though few in number they seized the whole land and pursued the barbarian hordes, ²² and regained possession of the temple famous throughout the world, and liberated the city, and restablished the laws that were about to be abolished, while the Lord with great kindness became gracious to them- ²³ all this which has been set forth by Jason of Cyrene in five volumes, we shall attempt to condense into a single book. ²⁴ For considering the flood of statistics involved and the difficulty there is for those who wish to enter upon the narratives of history because of the mass of material, ²⁵ we have aimed to please those who wish to read, to make it easy for those who are inclined to memorize, and to profit all readers.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 19 to 25)
Oh God my beloved Father I thank You for people such as Judas Macabeus who fought for what they believed in to save the faith. I thank You for the courage that You gave him and his followers in the fight against their oppressors. During our times it may not be a physical war but a psychological one, for the evil one is using the media to manipulate the minds of the masses by portraying a lifestyle that is not according to Your will. I pray that You stimulate more people such as Judas who in a non violent way will fight against the oppressors of our times Amen.
²⁶ For us who have undertaken the toil of abbreviating, it is no light matter but calls for sweat and loss of sleeo, ²⁷ just as it is not easy for one who prepares a banquet and seeks the benefit of others. Nvertheless, to secure the gratitude of many we will gladly endure the uncomfortable toil, ²⁸ leaving the responsibility for exact details to the compiler, while devoting our effort to arriving at the outlines of the condensation.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 26 to 28)
Oh God my beloved Father on reflecting on verses 26 to 28, I feel guilty for there are moments such as today, when I did not feel like waking up at 5.00 am and instead woke up at 5.30. When considering that the authors of the books of Maccabees and other writers and proof readers and compilers at their own risk of life, without modern technology and means dedicated so much time and effort I feel more motivated to wake up at 5.00 am and even spend more time in the evening in prayer so that in doing so I can cover more chapters and books of the Bible Amen. I personally thank You for inspiring the authors of the biblical books under Your guidance to carry out and finish such a treasure of love towards humanity that is 'The Bible' Amen. Thank You Jesus.
²⁹ For as the master builder of a new house must be concerned with the whole construction, while the one who undertakes its painting and decoration has to consider only what is suitable for its adornment, such is my judgment is the case with us. ³⁰ It is the duty of the original historian to occupy the ground, to discuss matters from every side, and to take trouble with details, ³¹ but the one who recasts the narrative should be allowed to strive for brevity of expressions and to forego exhaustive treatment.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verses 29 to 30)
As in the compliling of a book or any other project or team work, all the people involved are to carry out their role and their contribution in the project with responsibility and accountability towards the other members of the team and in order to reach the goal that all are aiming for. As Christians or Roman Catholics or believers of other religions we are to permit our leaders to do their role and do it well to reach the aim we are all striving for and do our part dilligently as believers by being faithful and accountable for our actions in our relationships with You and with others Amen.
³² At this point therefore let us begin our narrative, without adding any more to what has already been said; for it would be foolish to lengthen the preface while cutting short the history itself.
(The Second Book of Maccabees Chapter 2 verse 32)
Oh God my beloved Father now that we have been a run through how the narrative is compiled, it is our duty to take responsibility of the compilation of the book of our life Amen.
I would like to end this second chapter of the second book of Maccabees with the following prayer:
Blessed God my Father, I thank You for all the people that You chose throughout the ages to preserve and even protect with their lives the books of the bible. I thank You for each and every book and for all the messages that You have been giving me every day of my life. They have been my guidelines and reference and I invite all to treasure and appreciate all the books of the Bible for in it is the message of our hope and our salvation and most of all the message of God's love for all Amen. Thank You Jesus.
