I Will Give You Rest

~~~ Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin ~~~

~~~ Isaiah 26:7-9, 12, 16-19 ~~~ Psalm 102 ~~~ Matthew 11:28-30 ~~~

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,

and I will give you rest...

We often find ourselves overwhelmed by the simple word 'yes'.

We don't realize how many commitments we have 

made until we feel over extended. 

In our endeavor to please others, we say 'yes'.

In our desire to do more for others, we say 'yes'.

In our mistaken self worth, we say 'yes'.

Today Jesus invites us to bring those feelings to him.

He is the one who will give us more clarity.

He is the one who will bring peace to our 

soul with each new endeavor.

Come to me...

Jesus will give you rest.

Jesus will help you arrange your life in the proper order.

Jesus will guide you to the best times to say 'yes'.

We can only find rest in the Lord.

Which means first we must turn toward him.

Jesus knows what is in our heart.

...I will give you rest...

Jesus knows how to give us true rest...

rest from our weary soul searching...

rest from our frustrations...

rest from our fears and anxieties.

...learn from me,

for I am meek and humble of heart...

Learn from Jesus, nothing is too small...

nothing too great to bring before him.

It is best to put our selfishness aside.

We are not self sufficient.

We cannot solve all of the problems

 of the world single-handedly.

Coming to the Lord means we trust

 in his intervention.

Coming to the Lord means we believe

 he will show us the way.

Coming to the Lord means admitting

 that we need him every day of our lives.

Jesus gives us rest because he is willing to take all of our burdens.

He is near enough to make a difference in your life.

He desires for you to bring him all 

of your burdens...trials...fears...and anxieties.

You are not alone in this world.

Talk with Jesus...he cares so much for you.

He does not expect you to carry your burdens alone.

Perhaps he has chosen someone to represent him in your life...

someone who can help you carry your burdens.

If today you feel the call to help another person.

Just maybe God is using you to lighten their burden.

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, 

the first Native American to be canonized, pray for us.

Blessings to release our burdens to the Lord.

~~~Rest in his Peace~~~

Do You Believe?

~~~Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~~ Joshua 24:1-2A, 15-17, 18B ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ 

~~~ Ephesians 5:2A, 25-32 ~~~ 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.

But there are some of you who do not believe.

We underestimate the power of the words of Jesus

in our current day and age.

We foolishly believe that his words were meant

for Biblical times.

We foolishly believe the words he spoke have meaning 

only in the contest of the Bible.

We overlook the fact that his very words are

our personal spirit and life.

Without his words to keep our spirit alive

 we would not exist.

It is true that Jesus healed the bodies

 of many people during his time on earth.

It is equally true that his words healed

 the spirits of many more individuals.

Why do we not want to believe?

You have the words of eternal life. 

We have come to believe

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

Jesus was aware that maybe even the Apostles

struggled with this concept of sustained life in the spirit.

The Apostles eventually came to believe,

but it was very important for the long term survival

of the message for them to believe.

But what about today?

Is it very important for us to believe?

How do you personally answer that question?

We cannot rely on our bodies to confirm or disprove

the life of the spirit residing in our soul.

The body does not have the answer.

It is in the Spirit given to our heart and soul that holds the answer.

Jesus left us, through the power of his words

of consecration, his body and his spirit.

The spirit of himself, which he continually gives to us

is exactly what will get us to our place in heaven.

The life he gives us through the consecrated Eucharist

is way beyond the physical body.

The body can be mangled and destroyed

while the spirit life can be thriving and vibrant. 

As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

If you fully accept the consecrated presence of the Lord,

then how could you not decide to serve the him?

Today may you come to a deeper realization

 of gift you have been given.

The words which have been spoken to you

are Spirit and life.

He Blesses us with sustained life 

with each breathe we take.

Thank you, Jesus.

I have come to believe.

~~~Peace~~~

The Mystery of Doubt

~~~ Saint Thomas, Apostle ~~~

~~~ Ephesians 2:19-22 ~~~ Psalm 117 ~~~ John 20:24-29 ~~~

“My Lord and my God!”

Unfortunately Saint Thomas is usually remembered
 for voicing his doubts concerning the Resurrection of Jesus.
Sorry Saint Thomas, here we go again...

Thomas, in fact, was longing for a deeper understanding
of what he was being told.

We all experience times of doubt in our life.
The real challenge is how do we handle our doubts.
Do we let them paralyze us?
Do we allow them to change our beliefs?
Do we use our doubts to search for deeper meaning?

Thomas knew who Jesus was,
we can tell by the words he used to greet Jesus.

We can choose to let our times of doubt hold us hostage
or we can use them as a catalyst to look more closely...to dig deeper.
So many times discoveries have been made in spite of tremendous doubt.

We tend to think of doubt as negative or even a sin,
but we can use our doubt for our own good.

Thomas did want to see to believe, but he was not in a state of despair.
Thomas never lost his faith while in the upper room.
He wanted to believe with just as much passion as the others.
Many of them had had personal experiences with the risen Lord.
They were sharing with one another what they had experienced.
Had they not seen Jesus in his risen state they
might have been just as skeptical.

Thomas wanted to believe with his whole heart.
Thomas wanted to have the personal
experience of witnessing the Risen Lord...
Was that so wrong? I think not.

Jesus accepts Thomas with his doubts.
Jesus shows himself to Thomas.
Jesus reminds us with his next few words of something very important.

Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.

Today Jesus wants us to use whatever doubts
 we have about our faith to go deeper.

The Holy Spirit gives us the gift of wisdom for just such a reason;
to help us go deeper...to look beyond.
We must look beyond what is visible
 to 'see' the deeper meaning of what it means to be a believer.

We believe not because we have seen...
we believe because we have been given the gift of faith.
Thomas had the gift of faith...he wanted more.

One does not need to jump off the edge of a cliff
 to satisfy their doubt of the distance of the fall.

Doubt can stimulate you to persevere...to keep going...to build confidence.
Doubt is never making that phone call to an estranged loved one...
Doubt is not trusting God or yourself in times of trials...
Doubt is conceding before ever beginning.

Jesus meets us in our times of doubt.
Jesus says...I am with you...
I am present in everyone you meet along the way.

When you find yourself caught in the web of doubt
remember Jesus is there to show you the way.
We are blessed to have a God that truly understands all of our doubts.
Your doubts just may be the key to more faith.

Don't be afraid of doubt,
the Holy Spirit gives wisdom and understanding
sent from our heavenly Father.

~~~Peace~~~

The Growling Stomach

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 6:8-15 ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ John 6:22-29 ~~~

The crowd returned to where they had been fed.

Were they hungry for more bread and fish?

Were they hungry for more miracles?

Were they hungry for more of the message from Jesus?

They came back to ask one question...
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”

The crowd had their bellies filled, but that is as far as it went.

They never made the connection...

They never saw that the nourishment was meant to go deeper.

Were they trying to challenge Jesus?

Did they really want him to tell them 

they were already doing an awesome job?

Were they looking for confirmation from the latest local attraction?

After all Jesus had been pretty impressive;
he fed the huge crowd with not very much.

Jesus gives them the one answer they could not accept.
If they believed in him then they would indeed
 be doing the work of God.

“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

Jesus fed the crowd but they did not see that it came from God above.
Their vision was narrow and too literal.

Jesus spoke in parables, not to be taken literally,
but to better illustrate his message.

He satisfied their hunger pains in hope
 that they would understand the manner by which
 God would satisfy their needs.

In order to do the works of God
we must first establish and then maintain
our connection with Jesus.

Sometimes we accomplish the works of God
 by simply opening up ourselves to the possibility
 of his working through us.

Believe and you will be blessed by God working through you.
It is always the spirit of God
that brings forth his goodness from us.

Believe and be amazed
 at what he will accomplish through you.
~~~ Peace ~~~

Free to Believe

~~~ Jeremiah 11:18-20 ~~~ Psalm 7 ~~~ John 7:40-53 ~~~

Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,
“This is truly the Prophet.”
Others said, “This is the Christ.”

It is sad to think that many who heard Jesus speak 

wanted to believe but felt they could not.

Maybe they were afraid of being judged.

Maybe they were afraid of being ridiculed.

Maybe they were afraid of being thrown into jail or worse.

I wonder how many went home 

with a heavy heart 

because they could not reveal how they truly felt.

Have you ever found yourself in that situation?

Have you ever felt it was better 

to keep quiet rather than to voice your real beliefs?

So imagine when the authorities posed this question 

to the already confused group how fearful they must have been.

Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him?

They did not just ask if they 

had heard Jesus or if they had followed him around town.

No, they asked if any of the authority figures believed.

If they did believe then that implied 

that they had indeed heard Jesus speak.

The  authorities planned to catch Jesus in the web 

of his own words.

Their plan would have been completely

 spoiled if those same men came to believe.

If you believe in someone you would not 

be trying to neutralize them.

If you believed, even secretly, 

you would want to spread the word.

So this is where we are today...

those who believed stayed the course...

Those who believed told others and those told others.

The chain of believing has been, is being, 

and will continue to be passed on.

Jesus never meant for us to hear his words, 

believe in what we heard and then to keep it to ourselves.

I want my belief to be evident in how I speak to others.

I want to be convicted by my belief in God.

Lord, may our actions emerge from our belief in you.

We are Blessed to be living now...

where we do not have to afraid of what we believe.

Peace.

Fan the Flames of Faith

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

~~Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4~~Psalm 95~~2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14~~Luke 17:5-10~~

 

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

 

Jesus is 'word' made flesh. He spoke to us his eternal words of life.
All that he said and did while walking and teaching
among the people came from the Father.
A single word from him is more than enough to work a miracle.
We have been given the gift of faith so that when we
hear his voice we may believe.

...the just one, because of his faith, shall live.

Even in our darkest times,
 when we may feel abandoned our faith
 in the words of God will give us strength to persevere.
We have many instances recorded for us in the Bible
as proof that even just a tiny seed of faith will be better than none.
 

 ...God did not give us a spirit of cowardice...

 

The seventy two disciples returned exhilarated...
 Bursting to give testimony
of exactly what they were able to accomplish because of their faith.

...do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord...

When was the last time you shared your personal testimony?
 How have you experienced God working in your life
 because of your faith?

 

 

 The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."

Jesus replies simply that if you have faith even as tiny as a mustard
seed you can do great things. 

Since faith is a gift from God it is up to the receiver as to how it will be used.
As with any gift you can just keep faith in the box or save it for later. 

 I suggest that the more you use your faith the stronger it will become.
You can increase your own faith...just by using it.

Every time we tap into this gift of our faith all that
we can do is thank God.
The more faith you have the more faith your will have going forward.

 Blessings come in exercising our faith as often as possible.

Know One and You Know the Other

Feast of Saints Philip and James

 

~~~ 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 ~~~ Psalm 19 ~~~ John 14:6-14 ~~~

 

“I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

 

Jesus appears to speak in riddles at times.

If you know someone's father do you necessarily know the son?

 

I recently met a young man, a stranger, who shared with me

how he had to leave home

because it was not good for him to be with his parents.

He went on to share that his parents were both drug dealers

and his sister was a prostitute.

I was so touched by the strength and courage it took for him

to realize that his home environment was not good for him.

 

He did not want to go down the path of drugs and sex for money.

I tried to affirm his courageous decision and told him I would pray for him.

We parted our way, but his story has remained in my heart.

 

I pray that he will be able to stay strong in facing his many challenges.

 

Sometimes even if we have wonderful parents

 we do not want to be associated with them.

A young person wants to claim their own identity.

They want to be their own person.

I have seen children completely reject

even the positive things modeled by their parents.

 

Jesus says he is the way, the truth, and the life.

Basically he is all that we need.

Jesus is one with the Father as the Father is one with him.

So in the case of God; f you the Son then indeed you do know the Father.

Jesus came to do the will of the Father...

The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.

he came down and became one of us to save us...

to secure eternal salvation for us.

 

The mind and heart of the Father is also the mind and heart of the Son.

If you know one then you do really know the other.

Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me

We have this human drive to understand coupled with curiosity.

The human side of us questions how can you really know one person

 if you only know someone closely related to them?

 

It is not the same as the saying,

'tell me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are.'

 

 

We want to believe, because Jesus himself made this statement.

 

I do find it easier to relate to Jesus than God the Father.

For me, it is easier because we have so many wonderful examples of Jesus

during his public ministry.

He was a real person...flesh and blood.

The Father is 'up there' somewhere in heaven,

which makes it more challenging to connect on a personal level.

 

Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father.

 

Jesus leaves us with a challenge to continue his works

 and even greater things.

Jesus wants to aspire to be even better then he was.

How can we meet that kind of a challenge?

 

Whatever we are doing with our life it is fitting for us to always

be seeking the direction God wants us to pursue.

He is the way and the truth and the life.

The Blessing of Easter is God allowing us to know him

through our knowing his Son.

The Touch of Faith

~~~ Ephesians 2: 19-22 ~~~ Psalm 117 ~~~ John 20:24-29 ~~~

...blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe...

It struck me today listening to the gospel reading about St. Thomas how he is representing us in so many ways. Even though Thomas, being one of the twelve, had a personal relationship with Jesus it was not enough.

No matter how close we think we are to God there are times in our life when we need more. The hemorrhagic woman needed only to touch the hem of Jesus' garment, but that would not have satisfied the needs of Thomas. Thomas, for whatever reason, needed to touch the physical body of Jesus.

Thomas had had many encounters with Jesus. Thomas had walked many roads with Jesus. Thomas had dined beside Jesus. Thomas had seen the lame walk, the blind see, the leper cured. Still, he needed more proof to believe in the Resurrection.

Are we not the same way? We have signs of the presence of God all around us each day, but often we want more. The hemorrhagic woman believed without the benefit of having witnessed together with the apostles the sheer power of God.

This woman believed because of what she had heard from others; not what she had seen with her own eyes.

There are no limits to what God will do to help dissolve our unbelief.

He gives us the grace every day to increase our faith; if we but open our hearts.

Thomas did not have an app capable of receiving a real time picture from Peter of Jesus standing in their midst. Thomas wanted to believe, but his doubt was too overwhelming. He did not want to be singled out among the others by Jesus.

Jesus reached out to Thomas knowing he was struggling with his faith. Jesus, himself, wanted to increase Thomas' faith.

In our human frailty we are all looking for signs of the presence of God.

We want to touch God, but we also want to be touched by God.

We go through all sorts of rituals to set the stage if you will for a personal encounter with the Lord. But this is exactly where our hearts can become troubled. If we do not have a physically moving emotional experience we set ourselves up to doubt his presence. If we never have a touching emotional experience in our prayer life it does not mean that God is not present.

God is with us remember, Emmanuel? He touches us even if we are not falling to the ground. God can touch you with the gift of profound inner peace.

In the silent recesses of our heart God can deeply touch us. He can heal our brokenness from a distance without trembling and shaking or bells and whistles.

As I was recently reminded; when we receive the Body and Blood of Jesus in the Eucharist he is so with us in the true living sense.

We have been provided this week two different yet similar stories of faith.

Which one do most connect with...the hemorrhagic woman who touched his hem

from behind in a crowd or Thomas who came face to face with Jesus

surrounded by his small community of followers?

In both instances Jesus was the source for their increase of faith.

It is Jesus who knows best what we need to believe and often

it is not what 'we' thought at all.

Each time you receive Eucharist respond with a strong 'Amen'

and in your heart say 'I do believe'. We are blessed beyond comprehension

 with his presence in the Eucharist. We are allowed to touch him

in the palm of our hands...on our tongue...and in our being.

Lift your hands up to believe again each time you receive.

As Paul says, we "are no longer strangers and sojourners,

but fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God..."

"...you also are being built into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."

You are invited to 'Go out to all of the world and tell the Good News."

(Mark 16:15)

God has done great things for you.

...blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe...

Skip past the opening add to access the music
I Lift My Hands
Chris Tomlin
http://youtu.be/dbNK50T35wY

Worry About Tomorrow

~~~ 2Chronicles 24: 17-25 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ Matthew 6: 24-34 ~~~

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink,
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

It never ceases to amaze me at how the daily scriptures can fit so perfectly with what is happening in my life. Does the Holy Spirit really care enough about me to plant a message inside these universal verses?

Well this is exactly how I feel today. My life is so filled with worry

about the future that it is churning up my very gut.

Worry impairs your thought prosesses. Worry distracts you. Worry diverts your attention. Worry is like a program running in the background of your computer. You may not even realize that it is running except that your other programs are slower.

That is how I feel...'my other programs' are slower. Perhaps that would explain why just this week I had my first ever automobile accident that was my fault. I did not think I was distracted but, I have been driving for a long time.

Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?

Of course intellectually I know that worry serves no purpose. Worry cannot improve your quality of life; of that I am certain. So why do I worry? I tell myself God has a plan here and this plan is for good...somehow. I just really do not see it and maybe I do not even want to see it.

I keep this mantra from Julian of Norwich in my heart...'All will be well'.

But I am not sure I really believe it. It might just be more of the bable in my heart.

I am not anxious about clothes or food. I am anxious about...well relationship things and living arrangements. I lives are filled with many different chapters. As we get older the book of our lives is pretty thick with pages of past experiences.

Right now I know another chapter is about to be added, but the title keeps changing.

Most of the possible titles I am not happy with, by the way. 

I know God will provide but I feel as if I am walking in the dark.

"...will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?"

Ouch! That stings a bit. Maybe the truth is I am a woman of little faith.

Maybe my faith is not what it should be. Maybe God is trying to teach me

once again to let him lead my life.

Well it would be a lot easier if he were here in the flesh, but he is not.

How ironic that next week I will be on a retreat with the theme...

"Daughter, your faith has saved you." Mark 5:34

Lord, help my unbelief as I walk in this valley of darkness. Help me to accept whatever you are leading us into. Give me the strength to keep walking forward on this unknown path...which I would not have chosen.

"...Do not worry about tomorrow;

tomorrow will take care of itself..."

The closing verse of today's gospel.

Are you sure these verses are not written just for you?

Take Courage in Jesus

~~~ Acts 19: 1-8 ~~~ Psalm 68 ~~~ John 16: 29-33 ~~~

"...when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them..."

"...Now we realize that you know everything...

you do not need to have anyone question you...

we believe that you came from God..."

"...In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world."

The readings today should give us some consolation for the times when we do not seem to be understood. For years Jesus had been preaching, teaching, healing, forgiving, even feeding the apostles and his disciples, but they still could not grasp his real message.

Finally the 'light bulb' so to speak has come on...they are getting the message.

Oftentimes in my life something I have heard many times finally falls into my heart with new meaning...or rather with the intended meaning.

I am sure you too have had those 'AHA' experiences.

One thing I treasure about scripture is that no matter how many times you hear a scripture passage there comes a day when you hear it with 'new' ears.

You are in a different place in your life. Things have happened to change who you are from the heart...both positive and negative.

We never know what God has in store for us. Scripture truly is the living word of God.

Anyone that believes otherwise is just fooling themselves. The Bible is timeless yet holds a timely message for each of us. No matter what is happening in your life there is an appropriate scripture passage.

I would have enjoyed meeting St. Paul. It is obvious from today's reading that he was indeed an instrument of God. Paul was gifted with powers from the Holy Spirit that he could pass on. I wonder...what does it feel like to have the Holy Spirit come upon you?

Those in Corinth spoke in tongues and prophesied, but does not the Holy Spirit come upon each one of us.

I pray to be open to the Holy Spirit in my life, but I do not speak in tongues nor can I prophesy. What I can do is be aware of when the Holy Spirit is working through me and give him thanks, credit, and praise.

I welcome the opportunity to be the conduit of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus leaves us with such beautiful words in today's scripture...

'...have peace in me...take courage...

I have conquered the world.'

When can come to Jesus with anything and he will understand.

Open yourself to the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Who do You Pray to?

~~~ Acts 18: 23-28 ~~~ Psalm 47 ~~~ John 16: 23b-28 ~~~

"Until now you have not asked anything in my name;

ask and you will receive,

so that your joy may be complete."

Jesus is affirming the strong connection between himself and the Father.

Jesus is giving us permission to come to him in prayer with our needs.

Jesus wants us to believe that he is not the only one who loves us, that indeed the Father loves us as well. I think Jesus was trying to say no matter what image you may have come to believe about the Father...he too is love.

The Father is not the God of the Old Testament who destroys and sends plagues. No the Father loves each of us...he sent down his Son to be with us.

The Father sent his Son as a visible tangible sign of his love.

Today our country sends out diplomats to foreign countries way ahead of the President's traveling there. God sent his prophets ahead of to prepare the way, for the coming of his Son.

Jesus is encouraging us to believe that our prayers are heard by the Father

even as they come through the Son. Since the Father and the Son are one

our prayers are always heard by both.

It is easy to understand that a son, having a wonderful father,

would want others to love him and see him in the same light.

Who is God to you?

Who do you pray to; God the Father or God the Son, Jesus?

I must say I do usually pray to Jesus. It is easier, for me at least, to visualize talking with Jesus. It seems more natural to enter into a story from the Gospel and walk with Jesus and the apostles.

Prayer is about developing a relationship whether with God the Father or Jesus.

They are one and very soon we will draw attention to the third person of the Trinity; the awesome Holy Spirit.

This Kaleidoscope image reminds me of the Trinity.

The center symbolizing the Eucharist to me...the ultimate tangible concrete

reality of the unity of the Trinity.

"...the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me

and have come to believe that I came from God"

We have come to believe!

Whatever You Ask in My Name...

~~~1 Corinthians 15:1-8 ~~~ Ps. 19: 2-3,4-5 ~~~ John 14: 6-14 ~~~

Paul is diligent about keeping the facts of the Resurrection of Jesus in the minds and hearts of the Corinthians. In retelling the stories of Jesus appearing after his death, Paul is strengthening the faith of the people. In effect Paul is saying to the people...these things really happened and it will do us well to always remember. It will do us well to keep these stories circulating among us. Our faith will grow and we will be prepared to weather the tough times ahead when doubt intrudes into our hearts.

The psalmist also encourages us to keep the reality alive. "The message goes out to all the world..."

Today's gospel exemplifies the great patience of Jesus. He has been living with his apostles day in and day out for three years now and they still don't get it. Jesus has been telling them I have come to do the Father's will...I am one with the Father...

and finally I am in the Father and the Father is in me.

I think these analogies are most comforting. If we contemplate on Jesus...all that he said and all of his actions recorded in the Bible; then we too can come to know the Father. The Trinity is the beautiful mystery of our faith...three distinct persons yet one in the same.

This is not some illusionist slight of hand trick it is the greatest mystery.

The mysteries of our faith create the wonder and awe that keeps us coming back to the table, remaining in the flock day after day...through good times and bad.

When we believe we are participating in keeping this mystery alive for future believers.

"Amen, amen I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do..."

Whatever you do for the least is done for the honor and glory of God the Father and God the Son inspired by God the Spirit.

Make the intention today to be more conscious of how you are continuing the work of the Trinity.

To me this image captures the image of the Trinity the overlapping blue and brown colors illuminated by the white light of the Spirit.

Live like you believe!

Eucharistic Bread

~~~ Acts 8: 26-40 ~~~ Psalm 66 ~~~ John 6: 44-51 ~~~

Responding to the angel of the Lord, Philip heads into the desert area of Gaza. God’s plan was for Philip to encounter one Ethiopian eunuch, instruct him and to baptize him. As they came out of the water, God snatched Philip from the side of the eunuch. They did not see each other again. Sometimes God does put people in our lives for only a short period of time. Everyone in your life is there for a reason, not just the people you like. Surprise!

Imitate the psalmist; cry out to God with joy for what he has done for you. Give him praise for he has given you life.

More importantly if we believe in the words of the Father he will draw us to himself. He promises to raise us up on the last day.

The Bread of Life come down from heaven will sustain us for all of eternity.

The Eucharistic Bread, the Flesh of Jesus, is given for the life of the whole world. For God truly does have the whole world in his hands.

Yesterday he told us not to worry, he is watching over us. He has provided himself to dine upon. The bread that was once broken becomes the bread of life for all ages and all peoples.

Take heart...be not afraid...I am with you.

Today say a pray for those who do not believe in the Bread of Life.

May God bless their lives as only he can.

Believing without Seeing

~~~ Acts 4: 32-35 ~~~ Psalm 118 ~~~ John 20: 19-31

The community of believers came together and formed what today we might call a commune. They lived in peace and harmony sharing and helping one another. They were of one heart and mind. (Acts 4:32b)

John addresses his letter to Beloved, because all of us who believe are truly the beloved of God. If we are to claim that title as our own then it follows that we must clothe ourselves in love. God’s love, John reminds us is in keeping the commandments. If we fervently keep the commandments we will live a faith filled life. The Spirit will come to testify in your heart.

We are in the upper room the disciples have sequestered themselves either out of fear of grief. Either way they are finding comfort and safety together.

Jesus appears standing before them...blessing them with peace...a peace that could only come from him. He repeats this blessing to be sure it is heard by each one of them. I am here to free you from this closed space. I am here to commission you...to send you out. And with that the Holy Spirit pours forth with his breath. Your breath comes from inside of your lungs. It is what keeps you living, but now the breath of the resurrected

Jesus is the Holy Spirit.

God the Father sent forth the Son to become human and now the Son sends out the Spirit to fall upon them as breath. We cannot live without taking in air...a breath...We cannot live spiritually without the breath of the Spirit in our soul. Many beautiful songs have been written to this effect.

But wouldn’t you know while this wonder is taking place one person is missing, Thomas. The others tried to tell him about this visit from Jesus, but he just could not grasp what they were saying.

A week later Jesus returns just for Thomas. Jesus cared enough to make another appearance so that Thomas could come to also believe. Thomas was valuable to Jesus. Jesus wants Thomas to believe. Come here Thomas touch the wounds in my hands and side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.

Jesus will not let one of those he loves be prevented from believing. He will come again...he will try to show you one more time.

“Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

My friends, this blessing is for us...we are among those who have not seen yet believe. This blessing is for those who will come to believe in the future.

All that we have been reading these last few days has been written to help us believe with more conviction.

I believe, Lord, help my unbelief!

The All-Inclusive Gift

Today is the traditional day we celebrate the Magi's arrival to the Christ child. We have created a wonderful scenario around this event. And whether or not you buy into the whole following the star business the message is still powerful to me.

Jesus came to be the Savior to all of us. Jesus came so that we all might have eternal life.

Mary and Joseph traveled away from their home for the birth of Jesus. He was born in a poverty painted environment. The poor shepherds came as they were tending their sheep. The angels sang from on high. And then the three wise men arrived bearing gifts worthy of a king. They brought fine kingly gifts to a baby...a baby that would bring salvation to all.

These three wise men also represented the richness available to us if we believe and follow Jesus. If we but 'Come and See' as we have heard in the last couple gospels. These three wise men were from very different backgrounds than the shepherds...

You see eternal life is an all inclusive deal. The gift of salvation is an all or nothing package.

John tells us in today's reading from his first letter Chapter 5:11-12, "...God gave us eternal life, and this life is in the Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life." John is speaking with passion for what he knows to be truth. He wants his readers and listeners to catch his wave of passion. He says I am writing these things because I want you to know that you have eternal life. He is sharing the Good News!

You cannot believe in something you do not know anything about. He is pumping up their faith and our faith. We too need to be reminded of the promise of our eternal life.

It is a challenge to believe in something that would last for eternity. We have nothing concrete with which to compare eternity. There is no reference point. What does eternity mean to you?

We measure everything by time. Even if we look to the heavens for the meaning of eternity we are fooled. Scientists today have learned, through powerful telescopes, so much about our Universe. We now know stars are born and die daily. So even they cannot represent eternity to us.

Today as we are reminded of the three wise men let us also remember that the promise of eternal life is for all who believe without exception. Rejoice in this truth!

The original picture is of the Resurrection.

This kaleidoscope image reflects to me the magnificent light of eternal life.



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.