Precious Morsels

~~~ Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin ~~~

~~~ Philemon 7-20 ~~~ Psalm 146 ~~~ Luke 17:20-25 ~~~

“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,

and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’

For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”

What is this Kingdom of God?

It cannot be seen...its arrival will not be published 

on the cover of a popular magazine.

No one is going to post it on Facebook.

It will not be advertised on Twitter in X number of words.

Is the Kingdom of God the Garden of Eden?

In which case it has already come and gone

 and we personally have missed it.

If this Kingdom is not a place then it must be a person;

the person of Jesus himself.

Jesus is the Kingdom of God, but this is difficult to grasp.

Saint Paul was able to tap into this Kingdom of God

 even from his prison cell.

His letter today was to Philemon.

Philemon had a slave, Onesimus, who was in prison with Paul.

Paul writes of this slave as if he were his own son.

Paul has grown to love Onesimus.

Paul's love is now being passed on to Philemon.

I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus,

whose father I have become in my imprisonment...

Paul brought this slave, who seemingly was of no value,

into his understanding of the Kingdom of God.

Paul, looking upon this slave, saw goodness and he loved him.

Upon his returning to Philemon Paul urges 

him to receive Onesimus back;

but as a new creation...one no longer slave...

one who is free.

This is exactly what God did for us when 

he sent Jesus down to us.

Jesus claims to be a slave...God sends

 the love whom he greatly loves.

I am sending him, that is, my own heart...

Here Paul echoes the sentiment 

of God the Father toward his Son, Jesus.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus belongs with the Father.

They are one in the same.

God sends Jesus from the Kingdom

 to be the Kingdom among us.

The Kingdom must be realized first from 

within our own heart.

If we do not find the love within 

then we will completely miss the Kingdom of God.

Every time we act from a place of love

we activate the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is indeed among us;

flip the switch...activate your heart.

If you cannot represent the Kingdom of God before others

 then you are doomed to a life of 

wandering and searching.

Until the final day when the Kingdom of God is completely

 revealed we must be content with precious morsels.

Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while,

that you might have him back forever...

God has Blessed us with many of these morsels of his Kingdom.

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord...

His Kingdom satisfies every hungry heart 

one soul at a time.

Are you one of His precious morsels?

You most certainly are.

~~~Peace~~~

Refreshed Hearts

~~~ Philemon 7:20 ~~~ Psalm 146 ~~~ Luke 17:20-15 ~~~

 

Paul speaks to his friend Philemon with words of inspiration.

Wouldn't you want a close friend to tell you

that because of you their heart was refreshed?

 

"...I have experienced much joy and encouragement from your love,
because the hearts of the holy ones
have been refreshed by you, brother."

 

This is so much more than plugging in an air freshener

 you bought from the store.

What does it mean to have your heart refreshed?

Is it like adding a freshener sheet to the dryer?

 

Perhaps the love of a child or a grandchild is sufficient to refresh your heart.

Paul is writing about his fondness for Onesimus.

Onesimus was a slave to Philemon at one time.

Paul has the occasion to meet him while in prison

through the slave's father.

Onesimus had not been the best person while under Philemon;

in fact he had stolen from him.

His conversion takes place through his contact with Paul,

who was in prison.

 

God can use you for good no matter where you are or what you are doing.

The name Onesimus means "useful".

By sending Onesimus to Philemon he is in fact asking him

to forgive his former slave and to see him with fresh eyes.

Possibly Paul has even given this former slave

a new name reflective of his appointed mission.

He is now being sent to be 'useful' to the mission of Philemon.

 

Paul considers Onesimus to be like a son to him.

Living the gospel message should make us a better person each day.

Once Onesimus was 'useless' to Philemon,

but now by his conversion he becomes 'useful'.

 

Not only are you transformed internally through your relationship with God,

but your relationships with others

must also be evidence to this change of heart.

 

Returning to Philemon also requires a certain degree of humility

on the part of Onesimus.

He must present himself to Philemon

as one who has been changed by God.

He must have also experienced a certain amount of fear

at the idea of returning to his former master.

 

Onesimus was anxious to get Paul's letter into the hands

of his former master right away.

Paul in his old age is almost forcing Philemon

into a situation of reconciliation with this former slave.

Paul too is willing to assume whatever debt Onesimus owes to Philemon.

Paul loves Onesimus just as God loves us.

Jesus assumed the debt for our sinfulness out of his love for us.

 

 

As a sinner we can sometimes experience similar apprehension

 as we contemplate returning to God.

Repentance for previous offenses is not always

an easy proposition to entertain.

 

We should be able to put ourselves somewhere in this story.

We have all been is a situation where another has clearly wronged against us.

Today the message of God's forgiveness is being passed on to us

through Paul's letter to Philemon.

 

You may have been wronged in the past....

you may have committed offenses in the past...

but the fact remains that God forgives you...

he sent his son, Jesus, to make atonement for your offenses.

 

Forgiveness encourages change for all involved parties.

 

Forgiveness can Refresh the Heart!

 

With Thanksgiving just a week away,

now may be the perfect time to consider

who needs your forgiveness just within your family unit.

 

Forgiveness Refreshes the Heart!