More Than White Noise

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 9:31-42 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~

~~~ John 6:60-69 ~~~

It is the Spirit that gives life, while 

the flesh is of no avail.

The words I have spoken to 

you are Spirit and life.

God has extended to each one of us

an open invitation to eternal life with him.

We on the other hand make up excuses

 as to why this is not true.

While our excuses become our reality

 we build walls between ourselves and God.

We do this to ourselves.

We push the Spirit into the background of our lives.

We consider the Spirit to be white noise,

which we can routinely ignore.

You can download a white noise app 

but you cannot download the Spirit.

Just as in Biblical times, we too turn and walk away 

because we cannot accept what is true.

Jesus was prepared for the apostles to turn away from him.

But Peter hits the nail on the head when he says...

 “Master, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life.

We have come to believe

and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

Have you come to believe?

Do you believe that Jesus has the words of eternal life?

Do you believe that the Spirit is working in our midst?

It is the Spirit that gives us and sustains our animation.

We live and move and breathe in the Spirit.

When we leave this world it is our Spirit that leaves our body.

It is the Spirit that gives us the qualities of being alive.

No matter how close science comes to creating a mechanical being

they will never be able to 'create' a Spirit.

The breath of the Spirit was given to us by God.

Once we take our final breath the Spirit 

returns to God for all of eternity.

In the early church some of the apostles 

could call upon God to return the Spirit 

into the body of one who had died.

Jesus allowed them to tap into his divine power of life.

They did not possess it of their own workings.

The apostles could only do as much as the Lord permitted.

I can imagine their awe and surprise the first time

 they healed someone or called their spirit 

to come back into the body.

How shall I make a return to the Lord for all 

the good he has done for me?

Psalm 116 reminds us to be cognizant of the life we have

in the Spirit...through the Spirit...and of the Spirit. 

God is with us in every breath we take 

whether it is a deep cleansing breath 

or a shallow weak breath.

The Holy One of God

lives in you.

...to whom shall you go?

The Spirit is not white noise.

The Spirit is our Life!

Let each breath make a grateful 

return to the Lord.

Fill your lungs completely with his life.

Blessed to have Spirit and Life...

gifts from God. 

God himself!

~~~Peace~~~

Steps in Obedience

~~~Second Sunday of Lent~~~

~~~ Genesis 22:1-2, 9A, 10-13, 15-18 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ 

~~~Romans 8:31B-34 ~~~ Mark 9:2-10 ~~~

 I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

Abraham was a good, faithful, God fearing man.

He walked before the Lord almost to a fault, in our eyes.

Abraham was willing to sacrifice his flesh and blood, 

his own son, if it was God's will.

I know I would not have been able to commit 

such an act of obedience.

The Lord put Abraham to the ultimate test.

Abraham loved his son and he loved his God.

How was he able to discern the right action to take?

Abraham believed with his whole being

 that God needed for him to sacrifice his son,

God waited until he was about to make the final act 

of obedience until he stopped him.

I have this picture of Abraham's hand raised ready to come down 

with the ax when he heard the voice of God.

God was greatly impressed with Abraham.

I will bless you abundantly 

and make your descendants as countless... 

as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore...

This is a promise that we stand as witnesses to in the present time.

We are among those who are the descendants of Abraham.

God the Father sent his only Son whom he loved greatly to die for us.

During the Transfiguration we see the shadow cast by the cloud 

and then we hear the voice of God.

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; 

from the cloud came a voice, 

“This is my beloved Son.

Abraham was not in the shadow of any cloud;

 he was walking with his God.

Jesus was obedient to the Father

 just as Abraham was obedient to God.

Abraham gained for all his future generations favor with God.

Jesus gained for us through his obedience eternal 

salvation for all future generations.

God calls each of us his Beloved...

during Lent it is especially humbling

 to consider oneself to be one of God's Beloved.

Returning to God with our whole being...

allowing God to love us...

this is the message of Lent each and every year.

Allow God to Bless you as his 

Beloved Daughter or Beloved Son.

We belong to him...we are his.

~~~Peace~~~

Making a Return

~~~ 1 Samuel 1:1-8 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ Mark 1:14-20 ~~~

How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?

To me psalm 116 holds some of the most beautiful 

verses in the book psalms.

It seems fitting that today as we begin ordinary time we find 

Jesus choosing his first disciples...ordinary men.

God sees potential in the common man.

God sees potential in each of us as well...

God can form us into someone special for his kingdom.

When Jesus was ready to spread the good news he needed men to help him.

Notice that he did not go home and choose his childhood buddies.

He did not pick people who already knew who he was.

He did not pick well educated men.

He did not pick men who were eloquent speakers.

Jesus chose these men because of who they were not, 

not because of who they were.

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

We are barely two weeks into the new year 

and God is reminding us that we too are being called.

We are being called to give a living testimony

 through our daily life for the gospel 

message of love and salvation.

We cannot be satisfied with just having

 the gospel message for ourselves.

We have been given our gift of faith so that

 we may lead others to Jesus.

God loved us first so that we may go out to love 

others in the same way.

It is through the sharing of his love 

that we become true disciples in today's world.

There is no need to coerce our neighbor into coming to God;

we but need to show them by how we live 

our life and how we treat others.

 Actions will always speak louder than words.

Jesus spoke with his actions on many occasions in scripture.

Sometimes the less sophisticated a person is the better 

they are at spreading the good news. 

Jesus does not ask us to analyze the message;

he simply asks us to believe and share.

You have no excuses not to respond.

Blessings come in knowing that God chooses you 

to be his disciple of love.

You are to cast his net of love out into the world.

This is how we make a return to God

 for all that he has done for us...

we agree to lead others to him.

Greater Than the Temple...

~~~ Exodus 11:10—12:14 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ Matthew 12:1-8 ~~~

 

I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.

Worship in the temple was important to the people.
The temple is where they went to hear the scriptures.
The temple is where they received instruction in the many laws and rituals.
The temple is a building...an inanimate object.

Jesus was indeed greater than the temple.
 He was the living breathing walking talking temple.
He was the personification of the temple.
 

Jesus was responding to criticism for breaking the law
concerning keeping the Sabbath holy.
He and his followers picked a few handfuls of grain
as they walked across the field.
For this they were greatly judged as breaking the law.

When you have Jesus in your midst; whatever he does
is okay to follow likewise.
The Pharisees, however, were preoccupied
with the rules...each and every little letter of the rules.
We can even find this happening today.
Could it be that Jesus wants us to be understanding and compassionate?
The disciples were hungry...they were out on the road...
they may not have even been thinking about what day it was.

I know people who get confused about what day it is after they retire.
If they were out traveling with Jesus they had abandoned their regular routine.
They were on his schedule...they were following him.

Jesus says he wants more than dotted i's and crossed t's,
 he wants mercy, not sacrifice. 

 

The God who changes names and is unbound by time tells
Moses and Aaron the calendar was to be changed.
He is marking the calendar with his redemption story.

'...This month shall stand at the head of your calendar;
you shall reckon it the first month of the year...' 

 

 God is delivering his people out of the land of slavery.
As slaves they had no need of a calendar
because they were only allowed to do what they were told.
A calendar is useful for making plans...
keeping appointments.

You cannot set your own life as a slave.
But in the land of milk and honey everything would be different.

The blood of their paschal lamb would be the mark that would save them.

The psalmist sings my favorite psalm 116 today.
How can I make a return to the Lord
for all the good he has done?

 

 The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

 

Blessings for us today are in the cup of salvation...
the very blood of our Paschal Lamb, Jesus.
Take the cup of salvation for he is greater than the temple. 

 He is here leading us through the fields of grain.
How I cherish the Eucharistic Celebration
of receiving his body and blood.

We Too Have Come to Believe

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 9:31-42 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ John 6:60-69 ~~~

 

We continue to hear how the church is growing;

how it is strengthening believers.

 

'...She was being built up and walked in the fear of the Lord,
and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit she grew in numbers.'

Peter was blessed with the gift of healing and restoring life.

This was one of the gifts realized through

the Holy Spirit promised by Jesus.

These gifts were one of the ways

the presence of God remained real after the death of Jesus.

 

It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail.
The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.

 

Peter had no power without the intercession of the Holy Spirit.

Just as Jesus gave credit to the Father for his miracles of healing.

 

Those who experienced healing either in mind, body, or spirit

would profoundly praise the name of the Lord.

 

To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.

 

Once you have experienced this closeness of God

 how could you not want to call on his name?

But some did not. Some actually turned and walked away.

When people are confused and lack understanding

 they are more apt to make poor decisions.

 

Peter is able to profess his loyalty to Jesus;

convinced that Jesus had the words of eternal life.

 

 

My prayer is that I will have an equally strong conviction

in the living Spirit within my life.

 

I may not have been healed of a terrible illness

or raised from the dead,

but without the Spirit I would not amount to much.

It is the Holy Spirit who sustains my ability to do the work of God.

It  is the Holy Spirit I invite to give me the words

I write here everyday.

 

May you be blessed always in all ways.

Easter Blessings!

Words of Spirit and Life

~~~ Acts 9: 31-42 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ John 6: 60-69 ~~~

Now we are with Peter as he goes about doing the work of the Lord. Today, just as Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, Peter raises a woman named Tabitha. This news spread quickly causing many more to believe.

God was building up his community of believers.

I join the psalmist in song...

“How can I make a return to the Lord for all he has done for me?”

“I will call upon the name of the Lord.”

The words of the Lord are Spirit and Life. This is so because the Word became flesh and was born of a woman; Mary. Not only does Jesus give us the bread of life to eat the very words he speaks also carry the properties of life. Jesus knew that some who heard...some who walked with and followed him would not be able to believe.

In order to believe you must release your previous understanding about what you thought you knew. Because as we know, God’s thoughts are nowhere near our thoughts no matter how much we would like to believe otherwise.

Jesus will never force someone to believe, not even those who could look into his very eyes...those who could hear the passion in his voice as he spoke. He always allows you to make your own decisions. If you are reading this I could assume you have made the decision to believe, but you may have accidently stumbled upon this blog posting.

Some heard and returned to their former way of life.

If you turn and walk away from God he is still looking at you. He will never turn away from you, even if you try to push him away.

It will not work. His love is greater than we can fathom.

Given, Taken, Broken

Holy Thursday the Triduum begins, one liturgical celebration full

of wonder, awe, joy, and sorrow tightly bound together.

Exodus 12: 1-8, 11-14 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ 1 Cor. 11: 23-26 ~~~ John 13: 1-15

Today may we be drawn into the most beautiful mystery of our faith; that of the Eucharist. Today may we be compelled to enter into the deepest gratitude for this gift. The gift of the Eucharist makes all other gifts pale in comparison for truly nothing can compare to the Body and Blood of Our Lord.

May we desire to never take the Eucharist for granted. May we approach the altar with not only open hands, but an open heart. May we love the Eucharist so much that it illuminates our souls for all to see. May we be granted new eyes today...eyes that see no longer a host but only pure love.

Psalm 116 is my favorite psalm...how can I make a return to the Lord for all he has done for me? I will take the cup of salvation if only to call upon the name of the Lord.

I join the cantor in singing "I am your servant, the son (daughter) of your handmaid."

I wish there were many more verses to this psalm; actually there are we just do not have time to sing them all.

St. Paul writes to us of the connection to our heritage. What is received from the Lord is to be handed on to others. This ritual with the bread and cup have stood through time to represent to us his holy presence at every Mass. At every Mass we proclaim the death of the Lord steeped in thanksgiving for our salvation.

Given, Taken, Broken

Given Thanks, Taken Bread, Broken Body

John gives us the vivid imagery of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. Allow all of your senses to be engaged in the story. Jesus rose...took off his outer garments...tied a towel around his waist...he washed their feet.

"Do you realize what I have done for you?
I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you,
you should also do."