"Starter Pack"

~~~ Revelation 4:1-11 ~~~ Psalm 150 ~~~ Luke 9:11-28 ~~~

If we did not know any better one would think that the author
of the book of Revelation was on some kind of hallucinating drug.

The descriptions of his visions are so rich with imagery that
 film makers continue to find vivid theatrical material.

If you want beautiful jewels, read Revelation.
If you want a royal environment covered in gold, read Revelation.
If you want scary winged creatures, read Revelation.
If you want thrones, elders, pomp and circumstance, read Revelation.
This book has it all including the highest words of praise.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty,
who was, and who is, and who is to come.”

All creatures great and small
flock before the one who sits upon the throne.
For he is the Holy One...he alone is worthy.

Let everything that has breath
praise the LORD! Alleluia.

Jesus was rejected in so many ways during his time with us.
But in heaven there is no conflict...no hesitation.
In heaven nothing is too much to give to the Lord.
In heaven no creature feels unworthy
 to come forward with their songs of praise.

In heaven beauty, precious and dazzling, is presented to the Lord.
In heaven we will be made into a new creation...
one clothed in the purity of his love.

In heaven no one will need to be coaxed
 into singing their praises of God. 

In heaven the splendor of the One who sits
 upon the throne will be brighter than even the sun.

In heaven we join the others in giving him
praise day and night.

All that God has so generously given
to us we will return to him in thanksgiving.

Our life long task is to discover the gifts we have been given,
and then to use them to their fullest.
If we only partially use our gifts we are
 ignoring their full potential.

God gives each of us our starter pack of gifts;
he does intend for us to use them.

A started pack is only the beginning it is up to you to continue...
to do more...to multiply your gifts...to expand them...
to use them in creative ways.

When we approach the One who sits upon the throne
the question will be,
"What did you do with my 'starter pack' of gifts?

The gifts we have must be used in order to increase.
The more we make use of our gifts
the more abundantly they will be developed.

The is only One God...
He alone is worthy of our unceasing praise.
The 'starter pack'  is only to get you excited for the Lord.

Blessed to be called to join
 in the unending hymns of Praise. 

 Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!

~~~Peace~~~

One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic

~~Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome~~
~~~ Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12~~Psalm 46 ~~1 Corinthians 3:9C-11, 16-17 ~~~
~~~ John 2:13-22 ~~~

Every Bishop or Cardinal in the Catholic church
 has a church dedicated for their use.
Today we celebrate the setting apart of
the official ecclesiastical seat of the Holy Father,
the Bishop of Rome...
Saint Johns Lateran Basilica.
Many years ago it was dedicated to both
St. John the Baptist
and St. John the Evangelist.

We are not honoring the building,
instead we are honoring what it represents to us.
It represents what we profess in the Nicene Creed...
one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.

The church in spite of all of its failings unites us together as one.
Each Sunday when we gather together in our home churches
 we come as one people to worship together.

You are God’s building.

The church is holy, not because of its building materials,
but because we the people have been set apart as holy.
The church structure gives us a special place to experience
 his holy presence at each Liturgical celebration.
A place where our personal holiness is nourished with the Eucharist.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

We are then sent out to continue the work of Jesus.
All that God does is holy.
We therefore, by design are holy.

...for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.

We are catholic, universal, welcoming to all peoples of every nation.

Our church doors are not closed we are not a private club.
In our local churches we are the ones who welcome friend and stranger.
We are the ones who greet parishioner and guest.

We are apostolic, connected to the original apostles.
We are apostolic, sent on a mission...a mission from Jesus.
Jesus chose one of his apostles, Peter, to build his church upon.
We continue to look toward Peter as the head of our church.
Through the years we have come to recognize the popes
as successors of the apostle, Peter.

...believe the Scripture
and the word Jesus had spoken.

As we go out into the world to spread the gospel
of love we must carry with us at least a thread
of the same apostolic mentality.

What we believe has come down to us from Jesus
 through the apostles through the popes.

We have been given the words of Jesus to carry with us
 as we go out into the world.

The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

We are one, holy, catholic, and apostolic.
We are temples of the Holy Spirit.
We are the church of today.
Blessed with the ancient mission of Jesus himself.
~~~Spread Peace~~~

Two Pieces of Wood

~~~ Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross ~~~

~~~ Numbers 21:4B-9 ~~~ Psalm 78 ~~~ Philippians 2:6-11 ~~~ 

~~~ John 3:13-17 ~~~

Today we remember and honor in a special way
 the cross upon which Jesus died for us.
If do an historical search on the true cross
 you will find that is had quite a journey.
It was buried, excavated several years later,
captured after a battle, and finally returned to Jerusalem.

The person who carried it to its original location was dressed
in his finest garments lavishly decorated in jewels.
He was accompanied with a great procession.
When he arrived at the gate of Jerusalem which led to Calvary
he became unable to take another step.
It was not until he removed his fine robes
 and put on a simple cloak that he was able to walk again.

The cross was bare, there was nothing regal about the two pieces of wood.
What made them special was whose body was nailed upon the wood.

Normally we would consider the cross to be a burden,
but for Emperor it was his regal clothing...
the evidence of his materialism...his connection to the world.

What is the message here for us?
It it the cross we carry that burdens us or is it our worldliness?
What is it that you consider your cross to bear?

Have you ever wondered what happened to the cross
 the day they removed the body of Jesus?
His body was laid to rest in an empty donated tomb.
The last thing the apostles of Mary was
thinking about was the cross.
Perhaps they could not even bear
 to look upon it for one more minute.
It represented what they believed
was the end of their best friend and beloved son.

Tradition says the cross was thrown into
 a ditch or well and covered with dirt.
The cross was recovered, this inanimate object
 became the very symbol we identify ourselves with as Christians.
The cross is a reminder to us that Jesus gave up everything.
The cross is a reminder that Jesus completely
 surrendered to the will of the Father.
Jesus never considered himself to be equal to God.
He came down to Earth to do the will of the Father;
the cross gives us something tangible and visible as proof.

The Cross is the ultimate symbol of God's unconditional love for us.
Jesus died upon the cross because his desire for us to be with him
 in heaven someday was to great to ignore.
There is nothing more sacred than the cross
upon which the blood of Jesus was shed for you and for me.

Let us often look to the cross with love, compassion, and humility.
The cross...two pieces of wood made sacred and holy by the blood of Jesus.
For without the cross we could never have been
Blessed by such a heart as that of Jesus.
~~~ Peace ~~~

'Trail Mix' Lesson

~~~ Hebrews 6:10-20 ~~~ Psalm 111 ~~~ Mark 2:23-28 ~~~

 

Observing the Sabbath as special and holy.

 

'...As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath,
his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain.'

 

Jesus and his disciples are passing through a field of grain.

They are hungry, so they eat what is available...

the tips of the grain.

It is their 'trail mix' of the day.

There is just one minor problem; it is the Sabbath.

Jewish law has strict guidelines for keeping the Sabbath set aside.

Keeping the Sabbath holy is the fourth commandment;

so how is it that Jesus appears to ignore this law?

 

Jesus so often challenges the Pharisees, today is no exception.

Is it more important to follow the letter of the law

or to act for the good of the person?

 

In this case Jesus chose the later...

it was better for his disciples to eat for their

journey was long.

Of course Jesus knew the Pharisees were intently watching his every action.

So picking the grain to eat was not overlooked.

 

Jesus quickly refreshes their memory with the story of David.

David actually ate of the bread set aside solely for temple use.

This would have been considered far worse an infraction.

So it was not about what they ate or that they ate this grain.

It was only about when they ate.

It seems somewhat trite in today's world.

The Sabbath was to be a day of rest.

Picking grain would have been considered work.

 

How about today?

Just to attend Sunday services we get into our car and drive.

For some the very act of driving is their work.

Driving a vehicle is their job.

If we follow the logic of the Pharisees just going to the church building

would be in violation of the law.

 

 

The Pharisees prided themselves on knowing every letter of the law.

They were the authorities.

They were the ones who were appointed to interpret the meaning of the law.

Thus the plucking of grain on the Sabbath

was in violation of the law.

 

The laws were very black and white for the Pharisees,

 but not so with Jesus.

Jesus saw the bigger picture.

 

Within the boundaries of laws were real people.

Real people cannot always be held to the letter of the law.

Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances when a person decides

to make a choice outside of the law.

Not above the law just outside the strict interpretation of the law.

 

Perhaps keeping holy the Sabbath has more to do with your mental attitude...

is your intention to at least give back to God one day a week.

At least one day of the week to stop and consider all that God has done for you.

 

All during the week we are harvesting the grain.

When we set aside the Sabbath each week we can take the opportunity

to open our hand and look at what we have.

 

The Sabbath should be used to retreat if possible from the

extreme business of our daily lives.

This Sunday when you attend Mass bring with you the

tiny grains you have collected during the previous days.

It may be a time to leave them at the altar.

It may be a time to thank God for just the smallest

single grain held tightly in your hand.

 

Walk with Jesus through the fields

and you are sure to find tiny grains of blessings.

Holy, Holy, Holy...

~~~ Revelation 4: 1-11 ~~~ Psalm 150 ~~~ Luke 19: 11-28 ~~~

 

 

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty,
who was, and who is, and who is to come."

 

Today we proclaim the omnipotence and omnipresence of God...

A timeless God...A God who is all that time is...

A God that conceived time in its fullest.

 

Our God is the most consistent reality in existence.

God is present to us today just as he was in the times of Moses.

God is present to us today just as he will be in future generations.

God never changes.

God is constant and reliable.

 

Today as we continue reading from the book of Revelation

 I am struck by the magnificent beauty described for us.

 

Thrones, crowns, precious stones, sparkling gems, and brilliant halos

create a scene beyond comprehension.

Filling out the glorious scene is the deafening sound of praise and thanksgiving

being exclaimed throughout the heavens.

 

"Worthy are you, Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things;
because of your will they came to be and were created."

 

Praising and thanking God for all of creation;

 for out of his goodness

everything was made.

 

 

There is a celebration going on in heaven, the likes of which

we have never experienced.

 

There is singing and dancing.

Trumpets and harp fill the air with their joyous sounds.

The dancers twirl playing their tambourines.

As the music reaches a crescendo all of creation

joins in the dance of praise and song.

 

Holy, holy, holy Lord, mighty God!

 

The celebration continues for all of eternity.

For it is right to give him praise and glory.

 

As we prepare for our annual day of Thanksgiving let us rejoice

with all of creation.

The Lord God almighty is forever worthy of our praise.

Enriched in Every Way

~~~ 1 Cor 1:1-9 ~~~Psalm 145 ~~~ Matthew 24: 42-51 ~~~

"Stay awake!
For you do not know on which day your Lord will come..."

 

If we are to take this verse literally I guess we would never get any rest.

We would always be on the lookout for the coming of the Lord.

So eventually as a result of sleep deprivation we would experience

hallucinations and begin to see the coming of the Lord.

 

When the Lord does come for us it will not be a sleep deprived

induced hallucination.

So if God did not mean for us to take this in the literal context,

what does it mean?

 

If we are awake to the many ways in which God blesses us

we will not be surprised when he comes.

We must stay awake so as to never take things for granted.

It is so easy to be complacent, especially when things are going well.

It is easier to stay awake when you are in troubled or dark times.

Staying awake does not imply that you are in the disposition

to receive the Lord though. They are not one in the same.

 

Paul gives us some insight into why we should stay awake.

Paul helps us to see how it is possible to stay awake.

 

First of all we should stay awake because we

"...have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy..."

 

How can we read those words and then refuse to stay awake.

Paul also reminds us through his letter to the Corinthians that

in him, Jesus, we were enriched in every way.

 

As a former teacher of those children who were gifted and talented,

part of my responsibility was to enrich their educational experience.

We have numerous food products on the market today that are enriched with extra nutrients and vitamins.

We can enrich the soil in our gardens through fertilizers.

Paul says we were enriched in every way.

His words are all inclusive.

How many ways could we be enriched by God?

 

Let's examine the word enrich.

The dictionary:

to make rich or richer especially by the addition or increase

of some desirable quality, attribute, or ingredient.

to add beauty to

to enhance the taste of

improving the nutritive value of food

especially by restoring part of the nutrients lost in precessing

to process so as to add or increase the proportion of a desirable ingredient.

 

Surely through the grace of God which Paul speaks of often

we have been granted access to every desirable quality and attribute.

Jesus modeled for us all of these enriched qualities.

We are capable of seeing the hidden beauty all around us

if we but stay awake.

 

Jesus came to restore us to the fullness

of relationship with our creator.

Jesus is the one who embodies all

of what the word enrich means.

 

Enrich is to make something more full,

more meaningful,

and more rewarding.

Does this not describe the person of Jesus?

The promise of everlasting life makes

everything more meaningful

and more rewarding.

If we stay awake we will appreciate more deeply.

 

Paul further says

"...you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait..."

 

While we may feel inadequate in many ways

let those words of Paul inspire you.

You are not lacking in any spiritual gift.

 So what are you

waiting for?

What are you looking for?

You have been enriched in all things in all ways.

We have every reason to join the psalmist...

"...tell of your wondrous works..."

 

 

We have been called, sanctified, enriched and are not lacking.

When you consider all of this packed into one sentence

you have been prepared to stay awake.

Prepared for your soul to be awake does not mean

your physical eyes are also open.

You can be physically asleep in your bed and still

remain awake in your heart for the coming of the Lord.

 

It is dependent on the disposition of your heart.

If your heart is closed then you cannot be truly awake.

If your heart is clouded with sin

you cannot stay awake;

 it would be far too painful to endure.

 

If you are concerned about 'staying awake'

ask for that new heart to replace your heart of stone.

God is faithful...

It is worth 'staying awake'.

The Humble Servant, Joseph

~~~ Sam.7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16, ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ Rom. 4:13, 16-18, 22 ~~~ Matt.1:16, 18-21, 24a ~~~

In the bosom of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written...
Today is the feast of St. Joseph. He, as was Mary, was chosen by God to be entrusted with the care of the child Jesus. Joseph must have had a deep faith.

He responded to the advice of God in a dream where an angel speaks to him. He was a man of great honor, for he did not want to embarrass Mary because of her unwed pregnancy. Joseph trusted that God the Father would guide him and lead him in the care of both Mary and the child, Jesus.

Joseph led this Holy Family by surrendering to the will of God. For these were not the plans he had envisioned for his life. There was no way he could have had any idea of what he would be called to do. Joseph was able to lead the family to safety and to provide for them as a humble servant of God. He was obedient to God at every venture in his life.

I feel sure that Joseph came to love and care for Mary. He was charged with the protection of both Mary and Jesus from those wanting to harm him from his birth. As Jesus grew older Joseph would spend time with him teaching him how to be a model Jewish boy. Jesus was likely taught much about the writings of the prophets by Joseph.
Jesus would have called Joseph dad or father at least until he was lost in the temple.

That is the last time anything is recorded in scripture about Joseph. Sadly we have very little given to us through scripture concerning Joseph. Most likely he did come from a very devout holy family. A family that believed in the word of God. A family that accepted mysteries without question. God would not have chosen someone for this important roll in the life of Jesus who was not holy.

I wonder why we do not have any accounts of Jesus using carpentry stories in any of his parables? He was a very good story teller; it was easy to identify with his life examples and the various situations in people's lives.

Saint Joseph shows us how to be supportive yet humble in our service to God.
We can step back and still be in an important roll.


Your Personal Mosaic of Holy

~~~ Leviticus 19: 1-2, 11-18 ~~~ Psalm 19 ~~~ Matt. 25: 31-46 ~~~

I am sure you have all seen one of those photo mosaics. A photo mosaic is a one large image made out of hundreds and thousands of tiny images collected from several sources. They have software programs now that will take your images and arrange them for you into a specific picture. The beauty of a photo mosaic is that are only able to appreciate the image when you step back away. If you are too close it is harder to see the larger image because the eyes want to pick out the individual pictures.

This is how I see today's gospel as one large photo mosaic of Jesus. Every time we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit an imprisoned, or do anything for a person in need we are adding a tiny snap shot to the photo file. This file collects pictures as we go through life. We do not select the pictures for this folder. The criteria is predetermined for our advantage. We may not even be aware when a photo gets dropped into this special folder.

'...whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine you did for me.'

At the end of our life, when we stand before God our photo mosaic will be revealed to us. The compilation of the tiny photos of good that we did for another will be arranged into our own personal picture of God. The tiniest pictures when carefully placed together with the others will depict how each of us proclaimed the word of God with our actions.

'...whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine you did for me.'

This will be your unique picture of God, no two will look alike. No two will look alike because while you may engage in the same good deeds as another; God alone can look into your heart and see your real intention.

I can just envision some of the magnificent stained glass windows I have seen of Jesus, Mary, God, the Holy Spirit, and much more. I would hope to be creating a photo mosaic of similar color, beauty, and design.

In the Leviticus reading today Moses is sharing with the people a message from God. This message to 'Be Holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy' fits nicely with my analogy of collecting life images of good. If we have the desire to be holy then it follows that we will be more conscious of our actions. If you are living a life striving to be holy your perspective on situations will change. As this perspective changes you begin to see things in a more Godly way. When you see things in a more Godly way your actions will follow. When your actions follow more tiny pictures will be tucked away into your special photo folder. Tucked away to later reveal your glorious photo mosaic of the Divine.

'...whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine you did for me.'

As we strive during Lent to be a better person, keep in mind God sees all. He will use, for your benefit, even the smallest thing you do to bring glory to him. You are creating your personal mosaic of your personal God through what you do for others.

What do you want your mosaic to look like? How many 'pictures' will it take to create the picture you want God to see?

The whole picture will not come into focus until the end of your life.

There is no limit to how many pictures can be included into your photo mosaic file.

In the end God will arrange them into something beautiful and holy.

He is the most creative designer,