The Quest for Good

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

Seek good and not evil so that you may live,

and the LORD will be with you.

Most of those who actively oppose Jesus

 are not in the habit of seeking good.

When the prophet Isaiah said God was going to create

 a new heaven and a new earth 

people were skeptical. 

Even today we long for that prophecy

 to be our reality.

 ...there shall always be rejoicing and happiness

in what I create...

Our times are no different than Biblical times;

we are still struggling to 'seek good'...

and perhaps we always will be on this quest.

The prophet promises no more tears...

no more premature dying...

we will build our own houses

and raise our own fruits and vegetables.

In this wonderful world 

the 'good' will be visible every where we turn.

Just this thought makes me want to sing 

It's a Wonderful World

at the top of my lungs.

'seek good'

Believe that there is goodness 

and beauty in this world

waiting for you to witness.

The royal official thought Jesus 

had to physically see his ill son before 

he would be healed.

'seek good' and the Lord will be with you.

Jesus said to him, 

"You may go; your son will live.

The man believed...

we must believe with the same conviction.

It is the good in this world that gives

 us a reason to live.

It is the quest for good that brings

 us closer to Jesus.

Lent is a time 

when seeking good

leads us to life everlasting

with our Savior and Redeemer.

Blessing...

the Lord is with you.

~~~Peace~~~

Hold On to Goodness

~~~ Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2 ~~~ Psalm 9 ~~~ Luke 11:15-26 ~~~

...it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons...

The evil in our world today seems to be overpowering any good,

yet there are many people who still believe in God.

When Jesus was presented with evil spirits 

possessing the soul of a person he only need raise 

a single finger to cast away the evil.

A single finger contained enough power and goodness

to send the evil spirits fleeing in the opposite direction.

The crowds are jealous and in their jealousy they are confused.

They accuse Jesus of drawing his power directly from Satan.

To me this does not make any sense...

Why would you engage evil to get rid of evil?

Jesus demonstrated that his power was coming from God.

No other assistance was required.

Jesus is one with the Father there is no 

separation of power.

Therefore if God is all powerful 

then it follows that Jesus too is all powerful.

Evil spirits are no match for the power of God's goodness.

It is the pure goodness of God that makes it possible 

to make evil spirits turn away.

As long as this goodness from God remains fresh and alive

the evil spirits are hesitant to return.

It is possible for you to be an active participant

 in warding off the evil spirits.

One way is through your prayers.

Your daily prayers keep the goodness 

of God like a pool of spring water.

Spring waters are moving, bubbling, teaming with energy.

This is how your prayer life must be if you are to keep 

the evils spirits away from your soul.

Evil does not want to exert extra energy to soak up a soul.

Evil searches for those who are spiritually frail...

Evil comes into the unsuspecting soul.

Hold on to the 'finger of God'

that is truly all you need.

If you do find yourself in a battle with evil spirits

remember it just takes one finger of God

to bring you into his care.

We have never been promised by God

 that all evil would be erased from the world...

But we have been promised

 that he will always be there for us.

Take refuge in your prayer life;

for it is there that you will find the 'finger of God'.

Blessings of protection from all evil.

~~~Peace~~~

Tip the Scales

 

~~~ Exodus 1:8-14, 22 ~~~ Psalm 124 ~~~ Matthew 10:34—11:1 ~~~

 

Jesus broadened the scope, by showing us

 that our neighbor may be a stranger.

While this seems contradictory, it is what Jesus

gives us to reflect upon.

 

If a stranger can be considered our neighbor

worthy of our compassion;

then our family may likewise be a source of evil.

Sometimes the best way to get your point across

 is to polarize the issue at hand.

Presenting the extremes helps us to identify where we fall in between

or where we want to strive towards.

 

Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.

 

The sword????

 

Jesus wants to rid the world of darkness...of all evil influences.

He uses examples concerning those we may not even consider...

fathers, mothers, daughters, sons etc.

 

Our true peace does not lie within our family members.

Our true peace lies within our personal relationship with God.

Can we honestly say that we love God above all else?

 

 

We are being invited to evaluate our personal relationship with others.

 

Consider how much you love your parents.

Consider how much you love your siblings.

Consider how much you love your spouse.

Consider how much you love your children.

 

Imagine that no matter how great your love is for others in your life;

you must love God even more.

 

This is hard to determine because love

is not something we can measure.

Love initially springs forth from the heart via chemicals

released into the blood stream.

We have the feelings associated with 'being in love'.

Eventually as these chemicals dissipate

we must use our mind to make the intention to love.

 

The chemical induced love cannot sustain our love for another.

Loving God requires effort on our part

because we are constantly being presented with reasons not to love.

 

We fall into the trap of blaming God for whatever

does not go well in our lives.

There are so many temptations in this world hiding in plain sight

that we actually miss them.

 

Jesus tells his disciples...open your mind...

expand your vision of that which is good,

 but also of that which is potentially evil.

 

We live in a world where it sometimes appears

that evil is stronger than good.

We must make the commitment to live in such a way

as to have no doubt

of our intentional commitment

to that which is good.

Our help is in the name of the Lord.

 

Our Blessings come in

what we do to make love stronger than evil.

How are we living our conviction

 to love God above all else

and our neighbor as ourselves?

 

This week be aware

 of how you can love with greater depth.

Tip the scales with your love for what is of God.

Seeing Others as They Ought to Be

 

~~~ Genesis 41:55-57; 42:5-7a, 17-24a ~~~ Psalm 33 ~~~ Matthew 10:1-7 ~~~

 

'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

 

Surely the kingdom of heaven was evident through the hands of Jesus.

Each miracle of healing...every word of mercy and compassion

 he was bringing the kingdom of heaven to Earth.

 

We pray in the Our Father...

thy kingdom come...as it is in heaven...

 

Can we deliver a piece of the kingdom of heaven today?

I believe this is exactly what we are called to do.

 

In the first reading today we have the familiar story of Joseph.

His brothers opted to sell into slavery instead of killing him out of their jealousy.

 

We find the tables have turned and the brothers are in need of their brother's help.

They are in danger of starving and it Joseph who can make the difference.

 

Joseph finds in his heart the goodness

to bring a piece of the kingdom of heaven

down to his corner of the world.

Joseph was in a position of power. He could have exercised revenge on his brothers.

He could have given them what they rightfully deserved life in prison,

but Joseph found goodness in his heart.

 

The Kingdom of Heaven is always about finding goodness.

The Kingdom of Heaven is pure love.

The Kingdom of Heaven is following the will of the Father.

 

 

Pharaoh directed all the Egyptians to go to Joseph
and do whatever he told them.

 

I found some curious parallels in this story between Joseph and Jesus.

 

At the wedding of Cana

 Mary tells the servants 'to do whatever he tells you'

referring to Jesus.

Here we have Pharaoh telling the Egyptians to do whatever Joseph tells them.

 

Joseph shares some of the same Jesus qualities.

 

It is Joseph who opened up the grain reserves for 'the whole world'.

It is Joseph who feeds the thousands...including his own brothers.

The very brothers who were willing to end his life.

 

Joseph conceals his identity from his brothers and locks them up for three days.

For three days they were confined to a prison cell.

Jesus was raised form the dead after three days.

The brothers have time to reflect on their guilt for the crimes against Joseph.

 

to be continued...

 

"God has to have two pictures of us:

one is what we are and the other is what we ought to be."

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

The World's First Love

 

By the grace of God, Joseph is able to see what his brothers

ought to be while they stand before him as they are.

 

Lord, let your mercy be on us...

 

The blessings today come through our ability

 to see others as they ought to be;

this is one way we can bring the Kingdom of Heaven to others.

Illuminate Goodness

 

~~~ Proverbs 3: 27-34 ~~~ Psalm 15 ~~~ Luke 8:16-18 ~~~

 

If you are a good person you will shine brightly.

God urges us to extend our good will towards others...

just as he did.

 

God desires for all people to get along.

God desires us to put quarreling and envy aside.

These serve no purpose if you are living your life with the Lord.

 

The Lord delights in the humble one; he shows them kindness.

 

The Proverbs have a slight echo of what we hear in the ten commandments.

 

If you can maintain your goodness in the face of temptation

you will be a light to others.

 

It takes being constantly aware of how you are acting towards others

for your light to shine.

If we are not vigilant in striving to be a better person,

our light will become dim.

If you let little negative things enter into your heart

your light will gradually become dim.

This will happen over time thus you may not even notice,

until one day you discover you no longer have any light left to shine.

 

We need the light not only to shine for others, but for ourselves.

We need to be able to see inside to look at our hearts...

this requires the light of humility.

 

 

I think herein lies the tension...

How do you let your light shine forth and still remain humble?

How do you do right and just things and not let it go to our head?

 

Doing right does not mean that you broadcast it from the rooftops.

The good person does not require acknowledgment.

The good person does not require

the 'job well done' accompanied by a hearty whack on the back.

 

God does not give you pats on the back for doing the right things...

He just expects you will.

 

Living in goodness does require you to take certain actions.

Your goodness must be exemplified by your actions.

It is much easier to reach out to others in loving care

if you first have it in your own heart.

 

I invite you to pause today; 

 imagine what your

heart looks like filled with goodness.

 

This goodness is the light that expels all darkness.

The darkness of temptation and sin.

The darkness of evil, war, and jealousy.

 

This light is given to us by God as he sees fit.

Place this light on a lamp stand for all to see as they enter

into your personal space.

No one can see your light if you keep it locked inside.

 

Light is meant to make visible that which otherwise

would remain in the darkness.

 

Your light is needed in this world!

Please let it illuminate the way for others.

Eleven Years Later: Let Peace Arise

~~~ 1Cor 6:1-11 ~~~ Psalm 149 ~~~ Luke 6:12-19 ~~~

 

I can still feel the remnants of the shock and fear that morning eleven years ago.

 I was sitting with my small group of struggling math students.

My thoughts quickly went to my son and daughter in law;

for they were living in Brooklyn and working in the the city.

Just a few months before she had turned down a job

in one of the twin towers.

 

That tragic day eleven years ago still has the power to fill our eyes with tears.

How could another human being even conceive of such a horrible act;

much less carry it out?

Were the people responsible even human?

 

We sat for hours and days as the media replayed

the footage of those two towering man made structures

crumble to the ground like toys.

 

In the following days every reaction known to mankind

was thrust into action.

That day thousands of innocent lives were lost.

That day thousands of lives were spared by seemingly small delays.

That day being late for work may have

made the difference between life and death.

 

In spite of the evil that had struck our country

God brought out the genuine core of goodness within so many people.

That day God created the perfect environment

for people to think not of themselves first

but of their fellowmen.

That day the first responders acted fearlessly as they climbed the stairs 

to meet their calling; to save the lives of those they had vowed to take care of.

 

Today eleven years after this tragedy, we remember all those who were lost.

Today eleven years later we remember those who lost loved ones that day.

Today we remember those who continue to suffer as a result of this evil act.

 

Eleven years later where are we as a country?

Eleven years later where are we as individuals?

 

How have we been able to move on into a place of peace?

Eleven years later are we any closer to being able to forgive?

Eleven years later are we more fearful?

Eleven years later do we harbor more hatred

and bias within our own hearts?

 

Today as we remember let us continue to trust

that God did, does, and will be our protector.

Today as we remember let us believe that this world

can only experience peace

to the extent that each individual

experiences the same peace.

 

True peace can only come from God above.

The prayer of St. Francis is more important than ever.

I invite you to let your heart be an instrument of peace in our world.

Seek peace for yourself so that through this peace

you may spread peace on to others.

 

 

God alone will deliver justice.

We are ever reminded that his ways are not our ways.

His mercy endures forever.

He alone is the judge.

He came to be among us so that we could come

to a deeper understanding of love....his love.

 

I pray that we continue to strive toward a greater world peace.

I am forever grateful for the out pouring of goodness 

we were witness to

eleven years ago today.

 

"...now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified,
you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and in the Spirit of our God."

(1 Corinthians 6:11)

 

May the Christ residing in your heart dispel all darkness, fears, and hatred.

Let Christ raise you up with himself, bringing you unto himself.