Be Not Shy...Boast

~~~ Romans 15:14-21 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ Luke 16:1-8 ~~~

I have reason to boast in what pertains to God.
For I will not dare to speak of anything
except what Christ has accomplished through me...

There is a great deal of attention placed on evangelizing others.
This was the main mission for St. Paul,
he was going about boasting about the Lord.
Paul was not shy about speaking what the truth about Jesus.
Paul used his voice everywhere he walked
to recognize the greatness of God.
He gave credit to God for every good thing
 accomplished through his preaching.

Paul held himself to a higher standard
than many others.
A standard that deferred all that was good
 to the spirit of God working in him.

You are called to hold yourself to the same
higher standard of living.

You may not have the personality of Paul,
but in your own way you too can reflect
what God has done for you.

Paul aspired to proclaim the gospel message.
Do you share this same aspiration?

Do you remain silent at times
when you know you should speak up?

Are you overly protective of your ego
 in situations where you should act?

Whatever goodness you possess in your life
has not come except through the power of God.

We all have reason to boast along with Paul.
God has done great things for you.
Are you aware of what those are?
Do you take the time to notice?

Give God his due credit...
speak his words as often as you can.
The words of Jesus are love, kindness, and mercy.
The greatest gift you can give may be
a few peace-filled words.

You have every reason to boast
about all things pertaining to God.

God sustains your life...
he is the giver of all that is good.
Speak to others of how God is working in your life...
making you a better person today than you were yesterday.

You are a participant in the salvation story.
Rejoice and be glad.

Blessings of courage to speak up.
You do possess the grace of God's goodness.

~~~Peace~~~

Released by the Spirit

 

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 16:22-34 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ John 16:5-11 ~~~

 

No matter if you feel imprisoned and your heart feels chained.

The Holy Spirit can set you free.

 

Do not be afraid the Advocate will come to protect you.

Do not despair when you are restrained.

The Spirit of God resides within you.

The same Spirit that continues to pour forth the peace of Christ.

The same Spirit that shakes prison cells, breaks chain, and unlocks doors.

This Spirit is the one who gives sight to believers.

This Spirit allows you to see the reflection of your soul as God sees it.

 

This is the Spirit that converts and saves.

The same Spirit that was with Paul so many years ago.

 

 

Yesterday we saw the conversion of Lydia, the dealer of purple;

today we see the conversion of the prison guard.

 

In both cases  Paul and his companions were cared for and fed a meal.

The Spirit draws out the best in us.

The Spirit fills us with such love that we must freely give it to others.

The Spirit fills us with humble gratitude.

 

'...trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.'

 

The prison guard no longer had reason to tremble in fear.

The prison guard was transformed.

The prison guard was granted peace.

The prison guard was forever a new man.

 

“Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you and your household will be saved.”

 

His belief brought salvation to not only himself,

but to his whole household.

 

Our generous God invites all to believe in his saving power.

 

The Easter Blessing...

freedom from fear in the Spirit.

Lydia, Dealer of Purple

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 16:11-15 ~~~ Psalm 149 ~~~ John 15:26—16:4a ~~~

 

Paul and the other disciples are fervently going about spreading the word,

even traveling by boat to reach more potential believers.

On one such occasion they leave the city proper

in search for a private place to pray; for it was the Sabbath.

 

Rather than the Lord lead them to a secluded place to pray he calls them into action.

They are attracted to this woman selling her cloth outside the city gates.

We do not know what made them stop...

Was it her beauty?...

Was it her fine people cloth?...

Was it her possible wealth?...

 

We are not told these details.

We are told that she worshipped God, Yahweh, 

and she was willing to listen to these visitors.

She was a woman open to greater possibilities for her life.

 

She undoubtedly was also hoping to sell some of her fabric to them.

After all she was a business woman...unusual back then.

 

I find it interesting that it is recorded that she was selling purple cloth.

 

I belong to a small Red Hat group of women and we do indeed wear purple.

It does not matter if you like it or look good in purple...

you just wear it along with your red hat.

 

Purple cloth...the color of royalty and kingship.

Purple is also the color of repentance.

Dyeing the cloth purple was a tedious task.

 It required much patience and time.

The only way to make colors back then was to extract the pigment

  from a plant or an animal source.

This purple dye came from tiny little crustaceans.

It took many of these creatures to get enough juice

 to dye just one yard of cloth.

If you did indeed sold purple you could expect to receive

whatever price you asked.

It was equivalent to the designer products of today.

 

'...a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth,

the Lord opened her heart to pay attention...'

 

Paul had been busy converting Gentiles; why not this woman as well.

If nothing else he could practice his conversion speech and see her reaction.

Somehow before Paul ever spoke to Lydia the Spirit had opened her heart.

He open heart was just waiting for a message from God to come...

and Paul delivered it that day.

He was admiring her purple cloth and speaking to her of Jesus.

The color purple and Jesus.

Purple is the color of the Roman elite.

 

'...she offered us an invitation...'

 

As soon as Lydia had received the Spirit into her open heart;

she also opened her home for hospitality.

 

"If you consider me a believer in the Lord,
come and stay at my home."

 

 

Lydia was filled with the joy and gratitude 

through the words she heard from Paul.

The Spirit inspired Paul

 to speak the words this dealer of purple

needed to hear.

The Holy Spirit will fill a listening heart

with the words of truth and life.

The Easter Blessing of the color purple...

a reminder of our Christ the King.

Blindness Led to New Sight

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 9:1-20 ~~~ Psalm 117 ~~~ John 6:52-59 ~~~

 

Jesus gave Saul a resurrection experience...

his sight was restored after three days.

Sometimes God must blind us in order to grab our attention.

Sometimes God must blind us in order

to give us new eyes with which to see the world.

Sometimes God must blind us

because it is the only way to get our attention.

 

During Saul's 'darkness' he abstained from food and drink.

Depriving his physical body in this way allowed him

to be more focused on his experience. 

He was entombed with the presence of God.

His senses were heightened without his sight.

The spirit of God had taken hold of his whole body, mind, and spirit. 

It is difficult to imagine being in that state and not be forever changed...

which indeed Paul was.

After this encounter with the power of God he was a new person....

he was reborn into what God had planned for him to become.

 

I wonder if today God still uses such extreme conversion experiences?

The closest I can imagine is the experiences I often have with music.

 

"...this man is a chosen instrument of mine
to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel,
and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name."

 

 

When Paul's sight was restored I believe

 the whole world appeared to be brighter to him.

We see things through our internal lens.

If we are filled with darkness

then all that we see will be darkness and evil.

On the other hand if we are filled with the light of Christ

 then we will see the good in the world around us.

 

Notice for yourself; see if your attitude effects

how you see everything around you.

I am reminded of Blessed Mother Teresa,

she had reason to see the darkness around her

 but she chose to see goodness.

She chose to spread compassion and loving kindness to others. 

 

Where are you?

How do you see the world around you?

Does your vision need an overhaul?

Can you see with new eyes?

 

 Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

 

I was blind and now I see.

Easter Blessings!

First Give Thanks

~~~ Thanksgiving Day ~~~

 

~~~ Sirach 50:22-24 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ 1Corinthians 1:3-9 ~~~ Luke 17:11-19 ~~~

 

"...I give thanks to my God always on your account
for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus,
that in him you were enriched in every way..."

 

Paul seems to find the right words to use in all circumstances.

He consistently expresses his thanks for his followers

in each city and village he visits.

He even expresses his gratitude from his prison cell.

 

If Paul had a blog today or a facebook page he would

assuredly have thousands of followers.

Paul not only writes well, he expresses his 

love and appreciation to those around him.

 

Since Paul grew up in a family of tent makers

he understood the importance of expressing gratitude to his customers.

If a merchant expresses thanks to his patrons

 they are more likely to return...

it is just a good business practice.

 

Their was no turkey dinner to celebrate thanksgiving,

 but the Bible is full of examples of gratitude.

The psalms contain many hymns of thanks.

 

When Paul is expressing his gratitude to the people of Corinth today

he is also expressing his thanks to God.

He is thanking God for the grace so generously given to the people.

Without the grace from God the people would not have been able

 to hear the message God sent Paul to deliver.

 

The truth is God is constantly giving us reasons

to be thankful to him...

How much do we take for granted?

 

 

 

Today the church allows us to deviate

from the apocryphal readings of the book of Revelation

because giving thanks is so important.

"Each of the elders held a harp and gold bowls filled with incense,

which are the prayers of the holy ones..."

 

In the Book of Revelation we are presented

with harp music and bowls of incense...

prayers of praise and thanksgiving.

 

Is it even possible to give God praise

without also giving our thanks for all he has done for us?

 

"...Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you."

 

Always and in every way give thanks to the Lord.

 

The Lord bless you and keep.

Live in thanksgiving.

The Lord is Near

Feast of Saint Luke,

the Evangelist

 

~~~ 2Timothy 4: 10-17b ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ Luke 10: 1-9 ~~~

 

Jesus sent them ahead of him in pairs.

Were they to prepare the way?

Were they to scope out the best places for him to stay?

Were they to warm up the crowd like an opening act?

 

Paul writes to Timothy about his hardships and how he has been

deserted by his so called friends.

But Paul is completely convicted to stand up for the Lord and his teachings.

Paul has complete faith that no matter how he is mistreated

he has the Lord beside him.

Sometimes I think we wonder if God really is on our side.

When things in our life turn out less than as planned

or fall short of what we had envisioned;

we question...

 

"...the Lord stood by me and gave me strength..."

 

We doubt if the Lord really is near by...

we are not confident that he hears our pleas.

We often want some sort of tangible reassurance.

This is when we must allow our faith to supersede all other thoughts.

 

"...The LORD is near to all who call upon him..."

 

God sent St. Luke to be one of St. Paul's most faithful companions.

Luke walked beside Paul. Luke experienced the Holy Spirit moving and working among those whom they addressed.

 

They went out two by two...extending the peace of the Lord to each

household along their journeys.

They were instructed to send greetings of peace.

 

"...If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you."

 

Jesus goes on to instruct these seventy-two disciples.

 Even though they were to bless with his peace it might not

always be received well.

They were not to be surprised or to judge, just to greet with his peace.

 

If you greet someone with peace and they are themselves at peace

then your peace will be well received.

Their soul is ripe to be able to receive more peace.

 

But on the other hand if the person is in a state of unrest and turmoil within,

your peace will be returned to you.

Even the peace of the Lord, a gift freely given, may not be accepted.

You may even get an sense of this rejection within your own heart.

You may be able to sense their hostility within their heart.

 

 

Today we too are being sent out to bring the gift of peace

to those along the way.

It is only possible for us to give peace

if we first have peace of our own.

 

If you are not nurturing your inner peace how can you

draw from it to pass on to others?

My peace I give you

my peace I leave you.

 

Saint Luke the Evangelist, pray for us.

Grace Enables Us

~~~ 1 Cor15: 1-11 ~~~ Psalm 118 ~~~ Luke 7:36-50 ~~~

 

"...But by the grace of God I am what I am,
and his grace to me has not been ineffective..."

 

Once again today we hear the beautiful lines from Paul's letter to the Corinthians.

What I love about Paul is his honesty and transparency with his followers.

He openly admits that he was once a person that was doing all he

could to fight against the new Christians.

 

In his transparency he acknowledges that it was only

through the grace of God

that his significant spiritual growth was made possible. 

 

Through the goodness of God Paul grew in wisdom concerning the things of God.

God saw something in Paul that he could use to reach others.

God was right...of course...

Paul's spiritual influence continues to flourish today.

 

Paul accepted God's grace and let it be the catalyst for his future mission.

 

The gospel story today of the sinful woman

who weeps and anoints the feet of Jesus

is also about grace and transparency.

 

"...Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment..."

 

 

This woman, even though a well known sinner within her community,

humbly approaches Jesus.

She is in a lowly position at the feet of Jesus.

She is vulnerable wiping his feet with her hair.

 

She did not come in singing and dancing attepting to seduce Jesus.

Those actions might have been more acceptable

 considering her reputation.

 

The Pharisee is also transparent; he does not try to hide

what he perceives as evidence contrary to what he believed.

"If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner."

 

Well the truth be told; Jesus did know this woman was a sinner

but she was

attentive in caring for him.

The Pharisee had just gone about his customary greetings

with a visitor in his home.

 

This woman did so much more than anyone would have expected.

 

For it is through grace that we too can do more than is expected.

It is through grace that we are safe to be transparent.

If we have nothing to hide transparency should be the norm.

 

Something drew the woman to the feet of Jesus.

Something brought her to her knees in his presence.

Something caused her tears to greatly flow from her eyes.

 

 

Where would you cast yourself today in this story?

 

Are you the Pharisee who extended the invitation?

 Are you the Pharisee who began to question the insight of Jesus?

Are you the Pharisee who was shocked but what he witnessed?

 

Are you the woman

who collects the finest perfumed oil?

Are you the woman

who weeps tears stored up inside from the past?

Are you the woman

who gladly falls to the floor in humility?

Are you the woman

who comes to wash the feet of the Master?

 

Are you so filled with the grace of God

that he could ask you to do anything for him?

 

Before God there is nothing but transparency.

He gives us enough grace to step away from our sins.

He gives us enough grace to go out and proclaim his word.

 

His grace truly is sufficieant for you to accomplish great things in his name.

 

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

The Runway of Life

 

~~~ 2 Thes 3:6-10, 16-18 ~~~ Psalm 128 ~~~ Mark 6: 17-29 ~~~

The Memorial of the Passion of John the Baptist

 

Do you live up to your own expectations for yourself?

Are you concerned about living up to the expectations of others?

Are you sometimes confused about expectations in general?

 

Paul's letter to the Thessalonians sounds to me like

he had high expectations for himself.

It is reasonable to have higher expectations for yourself

if you know you are presenting yourself as a model.

 

"...Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
so that you might imitate us..."

 

But too many times people are modeled after

and their example is less than stellar.

How often do our young people strive to model themselves

after movie stars.

It is difficult today to find a movie star who is

living a life worth following.

The goal today seems to live the most sensational life you can...

the more extreme and outlandish you can be the better.

If you can stay in the headlines all is good.

 

Sometimes it takes real courage to live up to your own expectations.

It takes real back bone to do the right thing,

especially when you think no one is watching.

Then we have the pathetic story of Herod.

 

If he had any expectations for his own behavior we do not know.

It is obvious that that he was a weak man

as he could not stand up to a young girl.

He granted her murderous request because he was too weak

not to live up to her expectations of him.

 

Perhaps Herod never gave any thought to being seen

as a model for his invited guests.

But those in public office are by default viewed as a kind of model.

They often are a model of the society as a whole.

 

I sometimes wonder if we have any one left

with the character and integrity of St. Paul or John the Baptist.

 

"May the Lord of peace himself
give you peace at all times and in every way.
The Lord be with all of you.

This greeting is in my own hand, Paul's.
This is the sign in every letter; this is how I write.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you."

 

I pray that we be led to those who are true models for the Lord.

For when we are exposed to those who honestly model

what it means to love and serve the Lord;

we are encouraged and strengthened.

 

 

You are a model for someone.

You are walking the on the Runway of Life.

What do they see when they look at you?

How are your actions showing them what you believe?

 

Grace to You

The Memorial of St. Monica

~~~ 2Thes 1:1-5, 11-12 ~~~ Psalm 96 ~~~Matthew 23: 13-22 ~~~

 

We have this saying...the blind leading the blind...

My interpretation of this is if the teacher does not first

know the material then it is impossible to teach it to another.

Together we may we able to muddle through the material

but much will be lost in the process.

 

In the gospel message from Matthew Jesus is addressing the Scribes,

Pharisees, and the hypocrites.

He says you are supposed to be the most learned

and you have got it all wrong.

You cannot understand things for yourself,

 so how are you going to lead the rest?

 

Paul, by contrast, has his eyes and heart open.

He is in a much better state to share his knowledge.

Look just at how Paul greets his followers...

"...grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ."

 

Right away Paul's message is obviously instilled with the spirit of God.

He thanks God for those he writes to and praises them

"...your faith flourishes ever more,
and the love of every one of you for one another

grows ever greater..."

 

I cannot ever remember it recorded that the scribes or the Pharisees

said anything uplifting to those under them.

Instead they were masters at criticism.

They were diligent about looking for whether or not

you were following all of the prescribed rituals and laws.

 

Paul goes on to share how he speaks of the Thessalonians to others.

He uses their community as a model and inspiration for others.

 

The scribes and pharisees do not hold up any one community as an example.

They are prevented from seeing the good that is present.

They are not capable of giving thanks, because they do not see what

the people are doing right.

 

As a parent and a teacher,

 I know it is so much more effective to give genuine

praise to your children than to be ever

on the lookout for opportunities to reprimand.

 

Paul wants this group of people to know that he prays for them.

Paul prays for them with a specific intention in mind.

"...that our God may make you worthy of his calling
and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose
and every effort of faith..."

 

I do not know about you, but personally I would be thrilled if someone was

offering this prayer to God on my behalf.

Paul was so in love with the Lord that he could not keep it for himself.

He was compelled to share his joy in the Lord with all those he met.

 

The scribes and pharisees were compelled to share

with all of those they met,

but it was to prove they had all of the answers.

It was to prove that they were better than the rest of the lowly people.

They were better because

THEY had all of the right answers.

THEY knew how things were supposed to be done.

THEY were the educated.

THEY were the experts.

 

They were so caught up in their own greatness and egos

that they could not see that something better

was being laid out before their very eyes.

 

They continued to be the 'blind leading the blind'.

The people who followed Jesus perhaps felt

free from the critical eyes of the scribes and the pharisees.

 

 

Saint Monica is such a beautiful example today. 

Remember to always pray

even for that which seems impossible.

Paul prayed for his followers.

Saint Monica prayed for her son Augustine.

 

Our prayers are always answered.

Sometimes God makes us wait on him

lest we forget that he is God.

 

We are not God; we must trust his timing and the manner

in which he answers our prayers.

For he always answers even if he makes us wait.

He always answers our prayers even when we cannot see

that which is the actual answer.

 

On a personal note.

God recently answered one of my prayers

in the form of a big blue bus...

the Mega Bus.

In my wildest dreams I would never have prayed for a blue bus.

I have learned to never under estimate the creativity of our God.

He continues to amaze me!

I pray that each of you will allow God to amaze you

in unexpected ways.

Oh, and I might add that your eyes be able to see when

the answer is presented before you.

 

You can only accept that which is made visible to you.

St. Monica, pray for our conversion!

Grace to be Selfless

~~~ 2 Cor 9:6-10 ~~~ Psalm 112 ~~~ John 12:24-26 ~~~

"God is able to make every grace abundant for you,
so that in all things, always having all you need,
you may have an abundance for every good work."

You cannot give what you do not first have yourself.

If we turn to God, it follows that we also believe.

He will give us all that we need to do good in this world.

As Paul sits down to write to the people of Corinth

he has experienced that which he writes.

Paul knows without a doubt that God bestowed upon him abundant graces;

otherwise he would have continued to persecute the Christians.

I have learned so much from St. Paul's life.

Paul was a passionate person. If he believed in something

he completely embraced it no matter what.

God saw these strong characteristics in Paul.

So he devised a plan to use these very strengths for his glory.

God filled Paul with the overwhelming desire to serve him.

Granted he had to knocked off his horse and blinded but,

 you do what you have to do sometimes.

The abundant grace of God sustained Paul

through many personal hardships.

His strong, determined character was fortified through God's grace.

So what does this have to do with us?

God looks at me (and you) sees my strong areas and gives me grace

to serve him through those strengths.

But God would not be satisfied to stop there.

No, he continues to fill us with his abundant graces.

Until his graces are overflowing into other areas of our life.

Imagine this abundant grace pouring over like a waterfall

With God there is always more he will bestow upon us.

With God, the low fuel light never comes on.

God is abundance!

"...Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me."

God gives us abundant grace

 so that we can find the strength within

to follow him.

Jesus came to serve in response to the will of the Father.

It would bring us closer to God if we could have this same

desire to serve others.

For it is in serving others that we in turn are actually serving God.

There is one word of caution here...

Selfless Service

is the main requirement.

I pray, Lord that I may be granted the necessary graces

to have a true and pure servant's heart.

Please, Lord abundantly bless my strengths

allowing these graces to overflow to where I am weakest.

If not for the Grace of God where would we be...really?

One Thing Remains Constant

~~~ 2Cor. 4:7-14 ~~~Psalm 126 ~~~ Matthew 20: 20-28 ~~~

St. Paul understands our human nature so well.

He recognizes that suffer with a vast array of feelings.

We are afflicted by many things most of which are created in our heads.

Too often we get caught up with the stuff in our heads.

Our self talk is fully charged with doubt, confusion, and fear.

Paul is reminding us that we are not to be defined

by those afflictions that trouble us.

He wants us to see that in spite of all these things

one thing remains constant.

We are not abandoned for we are ...

"...always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
For we who live are constantly being given up to death
for the sake of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh."

If we want Jesus to be alive inside of our earthen vessel

then we must consistently die to ourselves.

We must speak to others what we have come to believe.

Paul was speaking because he believed with his whole heart.

He believed that no matter what he was feeling if he had belief

in Jesus all would be well.

Paul confidently believed "...we have the same spirit of faith...".

This internal talk focused on our afflictions must subside. 

 Paul says surrender yourself to trusting in God.

If you have these truths within your soul;

 abundant grace is being showered down upon you.

When you are permitting God to fill your earthen vessel with his grace,

this abundance thanksgiving wells up from your heart.

If we have no other words of prayer except ones of gratitude

for all that we have been given; that is sufficient.

Often in prayer I have asked for things which seem not to be granted,

you have most likely experienced this too.

In the future I will try to remember this sentence from today's gospel.

"You do not know what you are asking."
I am taking the liberty here to take this verse out of context,

but it is so true, at least for me. How many times I have asked God for things

which sem to fall on his deaf ear?

I read once that more tears are shed over answered prayers.

Try taking that to your prayer and reflection time.

Think about the opposite.

Does that mean if we allow

God to lead our lives we will in the end find more joy?

It is so hard to let God have control of our lives.

We foolishly believe that we know what is best for ourselves, but really

it is God the Father who knows what is best.

I invite you to pray that God not only provide what you truly need,

but that you can accept these things in thanksgiving.

Keeping the Faith

~~~  1 Tim. 4: 1-8 ~~~Psalm 71 ~~~ Mark 12: 38-44 ~~~

So what do you think. Is Paul boastfully bragging or is speaking from a platform of confidence? Here is an excerpt from his second letter to Timothy...

"I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.

From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me..."

This passage is sometimes selected for a funeral, with the implication that the

deceased has accomplished these feats.

What does it mean 'to compete well'?

Is our whole life considered 'the race'? Is it only through death that we are able to 'finish the race'? And just who are we competing with anyway?

Is our journey in this life just a competition with everyone else?

A competition to me means you have winners and losers. I myself would like to believe that on our life journey we help each other along the way.

The Hunger Games certainly gives you a graphic picture of competitions.

No, I did not read the Hunger Games books, but I have seen the movie.

It was very graphic and those chosen from their district were definitely

competing with each other. The heroine though shows some real character

and virtue from the very beginning to the end of the movie.

In life I think we have those people who believe what they have been able

to achieve in life is equivalent to running the good race.

Material possessions are often confused with what it really means

 to compete well and finish the race.

I am not even sure if people know today whether or not they have kept the faith.

What does keeping the faith mean to you?

Does it mean going to church once a week?

Does it mean following all of the rules overlooking

the relationship with God part?

I presume since we will be entering into the Year of Faith this Fall

that we will have ample time to ponder what our faith means.

I think, how you keep the faith is very personal. I do not think others can decide

if you are or are not 'keeping' the faith. Because I doubt

if keeping all of the 'rules' is equivalent to keeping the faith.

When life begins to knock you around a bit that is when you begin to examine your faith...that is when you start to question your faith...that is when your commitment to keeping the faith puts you back into the race.

Just maybe keeping the faith means when God knocks you off

of your horse you get up, brush off the dust, and humbly look up to him.

Competing well means getting up. You cannot stay down on the ground and finish the race. If you stay down in the dust you are not believing...

if you don't believe how can you keep the faith.

Others can help you up, but they cannot make you believe that has to come from within...from that gift of faith.

Keeping the faith is about finishing the race. Everyone who finishes the race in faith will receive the crown of righteousness.

Running the good race means living a life aligned with God's divine will.

Certainly in heaven there will be no need for 'crowns' but rather

the desire to love more like God loves.

No, I do not believe Paul is just bragging.

But rather rejoicing in his faith as an example for each of us.

What does your faith really mean to you?

The Name of Jesus

"At the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:10-11)

That is certainly a typical St. Paul sentence; chock full of food for thought. So what is Paul saying? At the very name of Jesus we should be genuflecting along with all creatures no matter where they may be, but we should also speak our beliefs.

I know plenty people who speak the name of Jesus, but it is certainly not to praise him in the least. Instead the very anem of Jesus is taken in vain, used to curse. I have never understood how cursing Jesus could make anyone feel better. How can cursing with the name of Jesus improve things? Why is it so easy to curse with the name of Jesus?

I don't often hear people saying, 'thank you, Jesus', except sometimes around the church.

When I was in my Catholic boarding school, St. Mary of the Pines in Chatawa, Mississippi, the nuns taught us to bow our heads each time the name of Jesus passed through our lips. It soon became a habit that today I still practice. It seems fitting to perform some kind of outward sign to reverence his holy name. Especially when I pray the Rosary, even silently, I bow my head when I say the name of Jesus. I am not sure if today it is practical to actually bend your knee each time we pray the name of Jesus. I think Paul was trying to impress upon his listeners then and us today how blessed and powerful the name of Jesus was then and is now.

Paul continues by adding that when we say the name of Jesus we are also affirming our belief the Jesus is one with the Father. We give glory to God the Father as well as the Son when we say the name of Jesus.

There is in the Eastern church a popular devotion to the name of Jesus called the Jesus Prayer or the Prayer of the Heart. It is sometimes prayed on beads such as the rosary. Reciting the Jesus Prayer becomes a mantra when repeated several times throughout the day. It is a quiet personal way to pray keeping Jesus ever present in your mind, on your heart and lips.

"Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner!" or simply repeating the name of "Jesus".

My prayer for today is that you begin to focus more attention on the name of Jesus, either through the reverent bowing of your head or through the practice of the Jesus Prayer.

If you want more information on the Jesus Prayer here is one source:
The Jesus Prayer

I chose this original picture because it was of a woman sitting at the feet of Jesus looking up into his face. This kaleidoscope captures the image of the beauty of the name of Jesus.