Go...Tell the People

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 5:17-26 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ John 3:16-21 ~~~

...whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

God sent the angels to open the doors of the prison...

to release the Apostles instructing them to speak in the temple.

From the beginning, it was jealousy
that resulted in the apostles imprisonment.
The Sadducees thought that with Jesus out of the picture
 everything would return to 'normal'.
They completely missed the whole point of the mission of Jesus.

The darkness of the cell was broken.

The Apostles walked freely into the light of the day.

The guards confirmed
 that indeed they had been securely

 locked in their cells.

They were at a loss to explain how the men had escaped.

Obviously it was the power of God

 that brought them forth to speak.

 Go...tell the people everything about this life.

God did not want the Apostles locked up in a dark cell.

God wanted them out in the light

 sharing everything about the joy and love of living 

as he had intended them to live.

God intends us to live in his love.

He gave the life of his son, Jesus, for us.

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.

This eternal life is life in the light of God...
the eternal light...
the light that can never be extinguished.
There is nothing that can conceal the light of Christ.

May we be blessed to always live in the light of the truth.
The truth being; we are loved beyond measure.
There is no greater love...
~~~Peace~~~

Jealousy Corrupts

~~~ 1 Samuel 18:6-9;19:1-7 ~~~ Psalm 56 ~~~ Mark 3:7-12 ~~~

...my tears are stored in your flask;
are they not recorded in your book?...

Jealousy...
...Saul was jealous of David.

Saul was greatly disturbed by the success David had on the battle field.
He had just slain one of the most feared, Goliath, with one shot.
Saul becomes blinded by his jealousy, but his son Jonathan loves David.
Jonathan admires David as a model warrior...fearless and confident.

Jealousy...
can haunt your soul...

David was the youngest of his father's sons.
He would periodically return home to Bethlehem to care for the sheep.
He was not a trained warrior.
David, sent by his father, went out to bring grain and cheese to his brothers.
They were preparing to enter into battle with the Philistines.

Jealousy...
 can turn you into a monster.

Saul's son, Jonathan, intercedes on behalf of David.

Jealousy...
taints the color of your world.

Saul listens to his son, who not soiled by jealousy,
is thinking more clearly.

Jealousy...
keeps you from experiencing personal joy.

Saul decides to let David live...
at least for now.
Once you let jealousy stake a claim in your heart
it takes dedicated effort to override it.

Jealousy will keep rearing its ugly head stabbing your heart...
filling it with lies and egotistical thoughts.

Jealousy...
is reason enough to shed tears, for your selfishness.

Blessings come in the grace to see the good in others.
In being able to know that another person's success
does not equate to your destruction.

Peace be with you.

God Upholds Our Life

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

 

~~~ Wisdom 2:12, 17-20 ~~~ Psalm 54 ~~~ James 3:16-4:3 ~~~ Mark 9: 30-37 ~~~

 

In today's gospel the apostles are acting like children...as they discuss who is greater.

It seems these men were doing some of their power 'chest beating'...

boasting about their accomplishments and comparing themselves to one another.

 

"If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all."

 

Jesus is letting them know that whatever they are arguing

about is of no relevance to him.

He does not care to hear their boasting.

He will not join them in their 'chest beating' exercise.

 

Instead...

Jesus picking up a little child quickly puts them in their place.

 

"Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me."

 

What can a helpless child boast about?

A child is totally dependent on their parents for everything.

I child must be taken care of and protected.

 

Jesus is saying to the apostles stop arguing among yourselves...

I am all you need.

I will provide for your needs.

What you think you have accomplished will mean nothing in my kingdom.

Stop comparing yourselves to one another;

in my eyes you are equal.

You are created in the image and likeness of God.

 

This is precisely why you have been chosen.

 

"...the wisdom from above is first of all pure,
then peaceable, gentle, compliant,
full of mercy and good fruits,
without inconstancy or insincerity..."

 

The wisdom from above...God...

is childlike in a way...

Gentle, compliant, full of mercy, and good fruits.

Children have this remarkable ability to accept all people.

Children are quick to forgive wrongdoings.

Children are sincere in a pure way.

 

Discontent, jealousy, and comparisons breed unhealthy resentments.

Jesus would not allow these to become diving forces among his apostles.

 

The psalmist reminds us that it is God who upholds our life.

The Master Dreamer

~~~ Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ Matthew 21: 33-43, 45-46 ~~~

Sibling rivalry is alive and prosperous in the Old Testament. The story of Joseph being left in the desserted cistern is just as well known as the Cain Abel story. Is it fairly common for brothers and sisters to play tricks on each other. Usually it is all fun and games, but in this case Joseph's brothers were not playing a game. Thet were serious about getting rid of their borther. A person consumed by jealousy becomes a non human creature. 'They hated him so much they would not even greet him'.

Imagine your own family members not talking to you.

Imagine how Joseph must have felt.

In today's society Joseph would probably have been the victim of bullying; from his very own brothers. The brothers were operating much like a close knit gang. Young Joseph was eager to be with his older brothers. He had the innocence of a child. Like most young children they want to be with their older brothers. They want to do everything that the older ones get to do. So Joseph was super excited to be sent out to join them.

From a distance the brothers plot to kill their own borther. They were filled up with hate. Their hearts were blackened with sarcasm, 'Here comes that master dreamer'. They were not referring about the dreams of our sleep. For some reason they thought Joseph spent much of his time 'day' dreaming.

How do you feel about being a dreamer? Do you ever 'dream' about things in your life? Do you ever dream about harmony within your family? Do you ever dream about the perfect spouse or friend? What do you dream about?

Jesus had a 'dream' too. His dream was to have us learn how to love like him. He too was betrayed by one almost as close as a brother, Judas.

Joseph was stripped of his special tunic made especially for him by his father. Jesus was stripped of more than just his tunic.

The only way to silence the 'dreamer' is to kill him, but in the case of Joseph God had a bigger plan for him. There is no way his brothers could have ever guessed that this very brother would later be the very one to save them from starvation. They just wanted him out of the picture at any cost, so they sell him for twenty pieces of silver.

and we know of course that Judas also sells Jesus for close to the same amount.

There are no coincidences in the divine plan.

Much later in the life of Joseph he is presented with the opportunity to show great mercy to his brothers and bring great joy to his father. The 'master dreamer' was able to pour forth love that had been taught to him by his father Israel. 'Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons...the child of his old age'.

The evil plot of the brothers was not able to silence the goodness in the heart of Joseph, the master dreamer. Killing Jesus did not stop him from acomplishing his mission, in fact his death was necessary for us to be saved. Just as it was necessary for Joseph to be sold into slavery in order for him to save his family,

even those who plotted to kill him.

The mercy and forgivness of God is way beyond anything we could dream...

either awake or asleep.

In your prayers today choose the one person you most need to forgive and pray for them...just for today...join the 'master dreamer'.

Jealousy...the Disease

1 Samuel 18:6-9, 19: 1-7



The book of Samuel continues...This is better than any prime time drama. The plot thickens as today we see jealousy and death wishes unravel  in a few verses.
Saul is jealous of the attention the women are giving David as they sing and dance in celebration of his victory over Goliath. He, as their King, believes he is entitled to their highest praises and acknowledgment. Sound familiar?

We see here a common human short coming; we are constantly comparing ourselves to others. Saul is doing what comes naturally. Within families we even see jealousy among siblings. It is a common dilemma for parents to not show favoritism. Jealousy is usually fueled by fear of loss. The loss can either be perceived or real.

We all want the recognition we think we deserve. Sometimes we begin to spread false accusations others. Sometimes we try to minimize the accomplishments of our competition. When in reality it would be much better if we could support one another...building up the Body of Christ together. We are all one Body, one Body in Christ. Lyric from a great song taken out of scripture.

Back to our drama...Saul shares his death plan for David with his son Jonathan. Jonathan though has developed a fondness for David and now comes to his defense. That's what friends are for, right? Friends come to your aid. Friends stand by you.

Jonathan appeals to his father's better side, reminding him of how he really is pleased with David's service and devotion. We all benefit from friends who will speak on our behalf. This is a reminder to be vigilant as I speak about others. Am I building them up or am I contributing to their surmise?

I sometimes wish I could return to innocence of childhood. Jonathan is looking through the eyes of a child and can see that David is a good person. Jonathan is able to convince Saul to spare David's life.

We have stark contrast between this episode and the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. Judas was more than a friend of Jesus; he was one of the apostles. He was well aware of all that Jesus had done for others and yet he went forward with the ultimate betrayal. We can only guess as to what may have motivated Judas to betray Jesus.

So what can we do about jealousy in our own lives? Definitely food for thought. Recognize it, Admit it, Evacuate it from you life...

I recently read this by an American Science fiction writer, Robert Heinlein :

"Jealousy is a disease, love is a healthy condition. The immature mind often mistakes one for the other, or assumes that the greater the love the greater the jealousy....but in fact they are almost incompatible; one emotion hardly leaves room for the other. Both at once can produce unbearable turmoil."

Saul and Judas were both in great turmoil. Saul was given the blessing to listen to his son; Judas hastily separated and isolated himself from any hope.

I chose this original picture of a male peacock because of it's brilliant tail feathers.

This kaleidoscope image captures some of this brilliance.

What if the other birds were jealous of the peacock's feathers?

I pray for the grace to appreciate more sincerely.