Heavenly Generosity

~~~ Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~~ Isaiah 55:6-9 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ Philippians 1:20C-24, 27A ~~~ 

~~~ Matthew 20:1-16A ~~~

Life and Death...we are caught between the two.
We hold on to life to those we love,
 yet we long to see God to be with God.

I am caught between the two. 
I long to depart this life and be with Christ,
for that is far better. 
Yet that I remain in the flesh
is more necessary for your benefit.

It is difficult to let go of what we know.
While we know what it means to be alive
we also long to be with Christ.
We believe it is much better to be with God
but we don't want to let go.

We get frustrated with the challenges
of everyday life, but it is our life.
We grow into the life we live every day.

While we are confined by our physical limitations
we are also confined to our understanding of the mechanics of life.

The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

We want to believe that the Lord is near to us.
Yet we are challenged because we cannot see the Lord.
We look for signs of his presence...ways that he reveals himself to us.

While we are caught between these two worlds of heaven
 and earth we can magnify the Lord to others.
We can be the face of the Lord to those in need.

The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner...
The kingdom of heaven is open to anyone who is invited to enter.
There is no age limit. There is no prescribed length of time it should take.
There is no amount of money that can secure your entry.
It does not matter when you enter into heaven, the rewards are glorious.
The rewards are incomprehensible, yet this is
precisely what we are longing for...
Our vision of heaven is the reward we are striving toward.

The landowner is our best example of the generosity of God.
So while you are between the two worlds know
that the Lord is near to you.
He wants you to believe that he is near to you.
He wants you to know that there is a place for you in heaven. 

Blessed to be counted among those who seek the Lord.
~~~Peace~~~

Give...Forgive...Receive

~~~ Daniel 9:4b-10 ~~~ Psalm 79 ~~~ Luke 6:36-38 ~~~

Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together, 
shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.

Generosity...
The truth is that when we are giving to others
we are not thinking about ourselves.
Giving to others requires that you
focus on the other, even if just for a short time.

It is easy to give if we are not trying to judge at the same time.
Is it possible to give without judging?
Do we automatically judge before we make the decision to give?
These are tough personal questions.
Some give for their own greater glory...
wanting to be held in higher esteem for their giving.
This is not the manner in which Jesus speaks of giving.

Jesus gave of himself every day.
The genuine gift of giving should be without
 expectations of personal returns.
Jesus is saying that what we receive
will be based on what we give.

It is worth noting that in this passage forgiveness is closely linked to giving.
This is interesting since the more you are willing to forgive
 the greater gift you are really giving yourself.

While this is not a post on forgiveness
we see it here paired in the same breath with giving.

It is good for us to consider, during this time of Lent,
 just how generous God has been to us.

His generosity has preceded our generosity in all instances.
His advice today is about how he expects us to be generous to others.

What he gives us is so incredible that it is overflowing,
spilling onto our laps...running down to the floor.

How can we be blind to the benefits of giving?

Scrooge had to have a near death experience before his heart was opened.
What will it take for us to realize the gift in giving?

The best way we can thank God for his generosity with us
 is to do likewise for others.

Be more generous from this day forward
 and experience this overflowing of grace from God.

Forgiven and Blessed.
Pass it on!
Peace.

~Pomegranate and the Spirit~

~~~ Galatians 5: 18-25 ~~~ Psalm 1~~~ Luke 11: 42-46 ~~~

 

If you are truly guided by the Spirit, as Paul suggests,

 then you should have nothing to worry about.

If you are in the Spirit then you will be less inclined

to indulge in the things of the flesh.

Most all of the sins that Paul refers to in this letter 

are about selfishly putting yourself above others.

They are supported by believing that we should live for the moment.

They fool us into believing that satisfying our own needs take preference.

 

Paul goes on to say that if we are to be led by the Spirit

then we will manifest more goodness in our lives.

Embed yourself in the Spirit and you will bear fruit.

 

"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."

 

It seems to me that the pomegranate is the perfect fruit

to represent the fruit of the Spirit referenced in today's letter by St. Paul.

The pomegranate fruit is unique in that the fruit itself

is neatly packed inside of a vibrant reddish sphere.

Once you cut open the pomegranate you see the actual

edible fruit...many small seeds between 200 and over 1000.

 

So imagine for a moment within the pomegranate

you find all nine fruit of the Spirit.

If you notice the word fruit is singular,

but yet contains many wonderful qualities of the Spirit

to cultivate in our lives.

 

 

In further research on the the pomegranate I was amazed to find

that it has Biblical connections. It is mentioned several times

in the Song of Songs, which poetically speaks of love,

the first of the fruit of the Spirit.

See Song of Songs 4:3, 6:11, 7:12, and 8:12 t

o share just a sampling of the references to the pomegranate.

I am now so fascinated by this unusual fruit

that I want to take more time with it's Biblical connection.

 

But for now take time to reflect on these qualities

that flourish as the fruit of the Spirit.

 

"...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."

 

Which of these do you feel most comfortable with in your heart?

Which do you find the most challenging?

 

Each one is inviting you to live in the Spirit and not just by the law.

The law can be blind, cold, harsh, and rigid.

By contrast the Spirt is tender, compasionate, and kind.

May the fruit of the pomegranate flourish in your heart.

You Satisfy the Hungry

Honoring the Big Mac?

Jeroboam set up calves for worship to make it more convenient for his people. He used the 'good ole boy' system of picking his high priests not those from the order of priests...Levites. He set up feasts to honor the calves he had made and offered sacrifices before these idols. He went about his ways in total disregard of what had been set forth by God.

Once you head down the path of wrongdoing it is strewn with dangers. The greatest danger is that one thing will lead to the next until you are so lost you cannot see your way back. When you are in a position of leadership you have a responsibility to lead in a righteous way. You have an obligation to seek wisdom in what it means to lead well. Jeroboam was attempting to please his people and not his God and the God of his ancestors.


Jeroboam was misusing his abundance and his his generosity to his friends. He thought ruling was a popularity contest. He wanted to maintain good favor among the people through granting their desires.

I have seen some parents who sadly find themselves in the same situation; trying to win favor with their children instead of being the parent and using good judgment. Sometimes saying 'no' is the best thing for a child. Jeroboam could not say 'no'.

In the gospel Jesus is once again feeding thousands with only a few loaves and fishes. This is such a familiar story that until now I had failed to see this as a generosity story. A story if you will about the abundance of God. Jesus, says, "My heart is moved with pity for the crowd..." The people had been together for three days.

A few times we have been at an outdoor concert and once you get your area 'staked out' you do not want to leave for fear of losing your spot. Not having fast food readily available and no one circulate through the crowd selling cold drinks so leaving for food was the only option. They did not buy an entrance ticket...they did not know this was to be a three day conference. They just did not want to leave. Jesus was amazing them with each teaching. The may not have fully understood the message, but it was Jesus, the healer, who was speaking. They were lucky enough to be present for this event.

The disciples were overwhelmed by the crowd and advised Jesus to send them all home rather than try to feed such a crowd....again. Or just maybe the disciples needed another example of the immense abundance of this person Jesus.

Either way it is a very good lesson for us today; for if God is this generous

with food for the physical body.

How much more generous will he be for our spiritual body.

How generous is he with mercy and forgiveness?

How generous is he with protection?

How generous is he with his presence?

He is generous enough to give us his body and blood in the Eucharist at every Mass.

He is generous enough to say I will be with you until the end of time.

He is generous enough to say 'be not afraid'.

He is generous enough to calm the stormy seas.

He is generous enough to mold us into something for himself.

He is generous enough to sustain our life every day.

Jesus only dismissed the crowd after he had fed all four thousand of them.

On my death bed I hope to be able to pray in thanksgiving

for having been satisfied by the love of the Lord.

Lord, you alone can satisfy the hungry heart.