The Burning Within

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 3:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ 

~~~ Luke 24:13-35 ~~~

“Were not our hearts burning within us

while he spoke to us on the way and 

opened the Scriptures to us?”

These are beautiful words...burning hearts...

on the way...opened the Scriptures...

Jesus tells us that where two or more 

are gathered together he too will be present.

Peter and John were going up to the temple area...

Cleopas and his wife were walking home to Emmaus.

Peter and John come to the 'Beautiful Gate'

for the afternoon prayer time.

A crippled beggar approaches them asking for money.

Peter has no coins to give him,

but he does have within his body a burning heart.

His heart was so full of Jesus that 

he was blessed to heal.

Peter gave this man the gift 

of healing at the 'Beautiful Gate'

because his heart was burning.

We may not have the gift of healing,

 but I hope your heart is burning.

Every time we read or hear the Scriptures

our hearts should also be burning.

These words are our connection to Jesus himself.

Once again Jesus asks the obvious question to Cleopas...

'What are you talking about?'

I imagine they are startled from their deep 

conversation and grief.

Where has this stranger been?

The more Jesus speaks to them about his own history and life,

the more they are drawn to listen more intently.

They are so mesmerized that they do not want this

 'stranger' to leave, so they offer him hospitality.

But they urged him, “Stay with us,

for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”

This desire to hold on the Jesus can happen to us too.

When we have an intimate encounter with Jesus...

that burning within our heart...

we do not want it to end.

We want these 'feelings' of the presence

of God to remain with us.

We soon learn that we cannot keep

the feelings alive for ever...

just as Cleopas could not

 keep Jesus in their home.

Jesus stays with us just long enough 

to make his presence felt,

but then he vanishes 

leaving within our heart a burning.

"But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel."

Cleopas and many others had their own idea of who Jesus would be;

we do the same thing.

We put our personal hopes in what we want 

Jesus to mean for ourselves.

He always fulfills our hopes

with his more superb plan for our life.

When we stand before the 

"Beautiful Gate"

know that God stands beside you.

He speaks to you and reveals himself through the Scriptures.

Blessed to have within a burning heart.

Let your Alleluias fan the flames.

Let the Light of Christ shine brightly

 for those with you on the road.

~~~Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! ~~~

He is Risen!

Unquenchable Heart Burn

~~~Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~
~~~ Jeremiah 20:7-9 ~~~Psalm 63 ~~~ Romans 12:1-2 ~~~
~~~ Matthew 16:21-27 ~~~

But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart...

Sooner or later all that God has placed within
 our living being bursts forth...
we have this longing like no other longing...
it is like a burning fire within that does not consume.
It is the longing to be once again united with our creator God.
As Jeremiah describes it...like a fire burning in my heart.
Notice he does not say this is a consuming fire.
It is the fire of a longing desire...consuming, unquenchable.
The is worse than any heart burn you have experienced after a rich meal.

Paul tells the Romans it takes a radical transformation
 of the mind before one can begin to discern the will of God.

...be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and pleasing and perfect.

The will of God is only about
that which is good, pleasing, and perfect;
this is what burns within our heart.
God created us with the desire for all good things,
but we resist and loose our focus.

It is the burning within our heart
that causes the transformation of our mind.

...what can one give in exchange for his life? 

The closer we come to discerning the will of God
the more intense the burning within our heart will become.
Then and only then can we realize that there is
nothing we can give in exchange
for our life except to return it to God.
The only thing we could possibly give to God
 is our whole mind, body, and soul.

God gave us the greatest gift...our very existence.
He gives every breath we take.
He gives us every beat of our heart.
What does he ask in return?
He asks that we love him in return.
He asks us to put him above all else in our life.

He asks us to live our lives in such a manner
 that we may some day be completely reunited with him in heaven.

The burning within our heart is our longing
for all that is pleasing and good.
Our burning heart longs to be in his presence. 

We are Blessed to have this burning
desire within our hearts.
What would happen to us if we did not
have this longing to return to him?

Only He can quench your heart burn...let him.
~~~Peace~~~

He Drew Near

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 3:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ Luke 24:13-35 ~~~

The walk to Emmaus is such a beautiful story.
Jesus meets Cleopas and his companion where they are on their journey.

Jesus himself drew near and walked with them...

They have been walking seven miles now.
They walk in silence because they have lost some of their hope.
They walk in silence as they return home wondering what they will do next.
How are they to carry forward with what they have seen
and learned from Jesus?

Eventually they begin to speak about what had happened to Jesus.
How could he have been arrested, convicted, and crucified?
How could this happen to one so good?
Why did things not turn out as they had expected?

Does any of this sound familiar to you?
I am guessing it does.
I can relate to disappointments in life.
Sometimes things do not turn out like we thought they would.

Jesus not only walked with these two, but he also listened
to their sad expression of the past events.

He spoke of what had to be in his unique compassionate way.

He remained with them until they reached their home.
He entered their home. He sat down at the table with them.

He used something familiar to reveal himself before their very eyes.

They recognized him in the breaking of the bread.
It was this action of breaking the bread,
not the burning in their hearts.
The burning of their hearts was only connected
 to the presence of Jesus after the fact.

How many times can we too look back on an event
only later to realize its real significance.

These two longed for Jesus to stay with them,
but he vanished leaving them with joy.

Now they could return to Jerusalem light-hearted...
with a spring in their step.
They were bringing the good news of the Lord's Resurrection.

They returned to share their story.
They came to discover the others stories.

We each have our story of the living Jesus.
Share yours and you will be Blessed.
He is with you always,
even when you do not recognize him.
Peace.

Joyfully Praising God

 

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 3:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ Luke 24:13-35 ~~~

 

The Beautiful Gate and the Beautiful Journey

 

The sick and crippled are healed and dance with joy at the Beautiful Gate.

It is the place to be if you want to receive compassion and some small coins.

 

After Jesus' Resurrection the apostles are given many gifts through the Holy Spirit...

one such gift is that of healing. Today we have the story of Peter

 healing the man at the gate.

After his healing the man rises to his feet...

 

"...in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”
Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up,
and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.
He leaped up, stood, and walked around,
and went into the temple with them,
walking and jumping and praising God.

 

He immediately joyfully enters into the temple to praise God.

How often, when we have prayers answered,

 do we remember to first give praise to God?

This man had not been able to go into the temple for sometime.

He could have just as easily gone out into the streets rejoicing and dancing.

 

 

Rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord.

 

The couple walking sadly along the road to Emmaus

were blessed

with a spiritual healing.

They were heart sick over the loss of Jesus.

They had placed all of their future hopes and dreams in him,

and now he was gone.

 

As Jesus walked with them they did not recognize him.

Later they were able to recall how their hearts were burning.

Their hearts were burning because our hearts can sense the presence of God

when our intellectual self cannot.

 

There is a part of our heart that longs to be reunited with God.

It is a longing we often confuse for something else.

 

“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”

 

When Jesus broke the bread with them, they were given

clarity of vision. It was then that they had their profound AHA!

 

Like the healed man at the Beautiful Gate

 they are eager to share their experience.

The Lord has truly been raised...

Alleluia!

 

On the road or at the gate, the presence of the Lord is sufficient reason

 to jump with joy and give him praise.

May our hearts burn each time we hear his words.

He is alive...He is present!