Seek Good...Amos 5:14

~~~ Isaiah 65:17-21 ~~~ Psalm 30 ~~~ John 4:43-54 ~~~

I wonder if Jesus ever got tired of people

 wanting him to work miracles every day?

“Unless you people see signs and wonders, 

you will not believe.”

Today we are no different

we want proof of the existence of God in our life.

We want God to manifest himself 

in our own life...we too want signs.

Most often we do not get strong clear 

evidence of God's presence.

This is where our individual faith should kick into action.

I am reminded of the passage in the book of Kings...

God was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire...

1 Kings 19: 11-13

God was in a whisper of a voice.

What if Jesus had not performed and miracles?

Would his verbal teachings been convincing enough

 to survive for over two thousand plus years?

Would his kindness and compassion...

his acceptance of all peoples been sufficient?

Jesus heals from a distance in this situation.

It was the will and power of God working through Jesus

that manifested healing.

It is worth noting that there might not have been healing

 in this situation if the royal official 

had not first made his request.

Seek good and not evil so that you may live,

and the LORD will be with you.

Amos 5:14

It is our daily challenge to seek good not evil.

Seeing the good before the evil takes 

our being primed to do so.

It is more than just being an optimistic person.

It is believing that God is evident

 in your life each and every day...period.

If you look for the good you will find more good.

It is a blessing to find exactly what you seek.

It is possible...BELIEVE.

~~~ Peace~~~

It's All About Jesus

~~~ Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle ~~~

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

Then he said to Thomas,

 “Put your finger here and see my hands,

and bring your hand and put it into my side,

and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

Saint Thomas often gets labeled here as 'doubting Thomas'.

The spotlight and focus belongs on Jesus in this scene.

Jesus could have taken the attitude that the

others could tell Thomas about his previous 

visit to them in the upper room.

The others could tell him how Jesus 

appeared to them passing through the locked doors.

This story has never been about Thomas.

This story has always been about Jesus.

Substitute your name for the name of Thomas in this story.

This story tells you exactly what Jesus 

would do to help you have greater faith.

We relate with Thomas because he represents us.

We are always looking for proof...

Proof that we are loved...

Proof that Jesus cares about us.

Today we are given the proof we are looking for.

God loved us first that is why there is nothing 

that he would not do to draw us closer to his heart.

Saint Thomas, be a model for us to believe

that Jesus meets us where we are.

Jesus comes to us even though 

we cannot see him as Thomas saw him.

Whether or not we see Jesus 

does not limit the reality of his presence.

May you continue to grow in faith 

as you accept the fact that Jesus comes to you.

Saint Thomas, pray for us.

~~~Peace~~~

Faith or Experience...Which Is It?

~~~ Feast of Saint Thomas, the Apostle ~~~

 

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

 

“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nail marks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

 

Jesus wanted Thomas to be a believer.

He wanted him to believe in the resurrection;

 so he made this appearance just for Thomas.

Another example of the diversity among those chosen by Jesus himself.

Thomas was an apostle. He had walked with Jesus.

He still had his own personal doubts.

 

Then he (Jesus) said to Thomas,

 “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

 

Jesus invites Thomas to not just see with his eyes

 but to touch his wounded hands and to put his hand into his side.

I wonder if Thomas was a little embarrassed standing there

before the risen Jesus.

I think I might have been asking myself why I could not believe.

 

Jesus granted the requests made by Thomas.

Thomas was not satisfied by the testimonies

given by the others about seeing the risen Jesus.

One might ask where was Thomas? Why was he not with the others?

Was he out preaching about his friend, Jesus?

Was he alone in prayer?

Had he chosen to mourn the death of his friend in private?

Was he hiding in fear of the repercussions of his relationship with Jesus?

We can only speculate.

We do know he was not with the others in the upper room.

 

How many times have I been like Thomas?

How many times have I doubted?

How many times have I been shown a glimpse of the truth by you, Lord?

My prayer today is to never again doubt our Lord.

 

 

 

Coming together with others in time of sadness is so often healing for the soul.

We come together to comfort one another.

 

Jesus demonstrated his great compassion and love for Thomas.

Jesus did not want Thomas to remain an unbeliever.

Jesus does not want us to remain as an unbeliever either.

 

Every day we are given reasons to believe.

Jesus knows that we too may occasionally find ourselves

 in the camp of the non believers.

He will do all that he can to lead us to the camp of the believers.

Believing, that is another expression for Faith.

 

I want to be a strong believer...I renew this decision now...

won't you please join me.

 

'...Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.'

 

We may not be able to see the nail marks in the hands of Jesus,

but we can see all that he has done for us.

The seeds of faith are often hidden in our moments of doubt.

 

May you continue to find numerous reasons to believe.

Blessings come from believing and not seeing.

 

Saint Thomas, pray for us

 in our times of disbelief.

Is Seeing Really Believing?

 

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 4:32-37 ~~~ Psalm 93 ~~~ John 3:7b-15 ~~~

 

Is seeing really the same as believing? 

Can you really believe everything that you see?

I have been to magic performances where I have been deceived by my own eyes.

Relying solely on your eyesight can be an iffy proposition at times.

 

Jesus tells Nicodemus that he testifies to what has been seen and

people still do not believe.

This is Jesus speaking about not being believed.

 

If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe,
how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?

 

As fragile and flawed is our system for believing; we cannot stop believing.

Our brain is designed to organize the puzzle pieces until they make some kind of sense.

Our brain likes completeness...wholeness.

If there are missing parts the brain automatically fills in the gaps.

No, this is not about lying or fabricating the facts.

 

Jesus promises us eternal life if we believe in him.

In order to completely believe in Jesus

 we must accept a certain amount missing pieces.

There are many mysteries surrounding our believing in God.

We must allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the missing parts little by little;

accepting that some can never be revealed to us.

 

 

So many came to believe after the Resurrection of Jesus

that the apostles were touched by the generosity

of the community of believers.

The people had seen the signs of God

working through the words and touch of the apostles.

 

We are often led to spiritual things through physical things.

The healings were a physical sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

The apostles themselves were not capable of healing;

it was only through the power of the Spirit given to them by God.

His Peace Given to Us

 

~~~ Second Sunday of Easter ~~~

~~Divine Mercy~~

~~Acts 5:12-16~~Psalm 118~~Rev 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19 ~~John 20:19-31~~

 

Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

 

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.

As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

 

It seems that giving us his peace and dispelling our fears

is a vital part of the Resurrection.

When we reside in peace we can function much better.

When we can live without fears we are better prepared

to live the gospel message of love. 

 

Because of the peace given to Peter he was able

to walk the streets healing even by his shadow.

Consider for a moment the concept of a shadow.

A shadow is created by something blocking the available light.

The power of the Holy Spirit is capable of acting

even in the shadows...

 

Many signs and wonders were done among the people
at the hands of the apostles.

 

 

"...Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

 

We are those who believe without seeing with our own eyes.

It is time to come out of the upper room of locked doors.

It is time to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is time to put our fears aside.

It is time to live in the peace and mercy of God.

 

This is the day the Lord has made for us to rejoice.

We rejoice at all he has done for us.

His mercy endures forever.

Easter Blessings!

The Test of Fire

~~~ Kings 18:20-39 ~~~ Psalm 16 ~~~ Matt. 5:17-19 ~~~
St. Anthony of Padua
Priest and Doctor of the church

The test of fire! Make up your minds..."How long will you straddle the issue?"

What were the people waiting for? why was it so difficult for them to decide?

Were they fearful of making the wrong decision? Did they need proof?

Elijah organizes a contest of fire between the gods...the Lord God and Baal.

Elijah was going to prove his point be using pyrotechnics.

Elijah was confident that his God would ignite the fire and that Baal would do nothing.

The local people were more than eager to enter into this contest of fire.

They followed all of the set up guidelines; refraining from lighting the fire themselves.

The more they danced and cried out to Baal the more frustrated they became at his silence and lack of response. 

God does not answer just because we scream and holler, dance around or inflict injury upon ourselves. Elijah called the people to himself and
demonstrated how to prepare for the Lord.

"He took twelve stones, for the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob,
to whom the LORD had said, "Your name shall be Israel."
He built an altar in honor of the LORD with the stones,
and made a trench around the altar
large enough for two measures of grain.
When he had arranged the wood,
he cut up the young bull and laid it on the wood.
"Fill four jars with water," he said,
"and pour it over the burnt offering and over the wood."
"Do it again," he said, and they did it again.
"Do it a third time," he said,
and they did it a third time.
The water flowed around the altar,
and the trench was filled with the water."

When all was prepared Elijah prayed to the Lord.

"LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
let it be known this day that you are God in Israel
and that I am your servant
and have done all these things by your command.
Answer me, LORD!
Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God
and that you have brought them back to their senses."
Well if you continue to read this passage you see that God does indeed ignite the fire right before their very eyes. And this fire consumes everything it reaches the water.

In our own lives we can be consumed with the fire of God's love.
It is possible just look at the lives of the saints.

The key element in Elijah's prayer is that he relinquishes all credit
submitting it to God. He clearly states that he is the servant of God.
Mother Teresa considered herself a mere pencil in the hand of God.
We will certainly run into problems when we try to take credit for those things accomplished through God alone. Who are we without God?

For whatever reason the people needed proof of the power of God to believe.
Blessed are those who believe without seeing.
No matter how much I may want God to reveal himself in my life
or to answer a prayer request for a loved one;
 all things are in his time.
Scripture tells us in Ecclesiastes there is a time for everything.

God alone knows the timetable.
God alone knows what we need.
God alone is our hope.
In him we place our trust.

Do you believe, God alone is enough?