Be More God-Like

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

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

The words of the Lord are living words.

They refresh the soul.

They inspire us, guide us, counsel us in his ways.

The words of the Lord teach us a better way to live.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

I am the LORD.

Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.

Lent is the perfect time to focus on our state of holiness.

If God did not think it was important

 for us to strive to be holy he would not

 have spoken these words.

We are a constant work in progress.

Our life is about getting to heaven

 which implies that we must be holy.

The words of God are life.

To be holy is to be in tune with God.

Whatever becomes of our life begins within our heart.

What we believe in is what we reach toward.

If we believe that being holy

 is worth while then we will make 

the necessary changes.

It will not be too overwhelming.

It will be invigorating to be more holy.

We were created in the image and likeness of God...

to be holy is to be more God like.

Blessings to become more like God.

Holiness is not just for the Saints...

holiness is for you.

~~~Peace~~~

Testimony of Eternal Life

~~~ 1 John 5:5-13 ~~~ Psalm 147 ~~~ Luke 5:12-16 ~~~

If we accept human testimony,

the testimony of God is surely greater. 

We live in a world where the concept of truth

 is covered with skepticism.

We have learned to question everything we are told.

Now days we must also question what we see.

There is very little area of our life that cannot be manipulated.

Over time the prolific manipulation of the truth

makes us weary as we search for the truth.

In our court rooms those who testify 

promise with their hand upon the Bible

 to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth...

This too holds less and less a basis for truth.

It seems that all things can be modified without our knowledge.

We have become masters at slanting the truth...

at omitting details of the truth.

And this is the testimony:

God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 

God is the truth...his words are truth.

Some have become conditioned to question

 the truths within the pages of Scripture.

We have difficulty knowing with confidence when truth is present.

The Spirit is the one who testifies,

and the Spirit is truth. 

We were born with this Spirit of truth

 embedded within our soul.

Over time it becomes increasingly 

difficult to access this place of truth.

All of creation testifies to the truth of God.

Jesus came to live among us a testimony for eternal salvation.

Jesus testifies in Spirit, water, and Blood.

When you feel that all truth is lost,

remember the one truth of our eternal life.

This one truth is already within your soul.

God never lies to us.

God only speaks words of truth.

God blesses us with life...now and forever.

Speak words of truth

revealed to us through the Spirit.

Be a person of truth...

believe the promised truth of your eternal life.

Blessings of Testimony in the Spirit.

~~~Peace~~~

The Get Out of Jail Card

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 16:22-34 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ 

~~~ John 16:5-11 ~~~

On the third day Jesus was raised from the dead...
he broke the chains of darkness and death.
We believe this to be true even though we have
no personal experience.

...the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.

Paul and his companions, while wrongfully imprisoned,
had the experience of their physical chains being broken open.

Jesus freed us from the evils of sin.
Jesus gave us our salvation by his death.
Paul and Silas were freed from the confines of their prison cell.
They did not flee; instead they remained.
Because they remained the Holy spirit used them
 to save the guard and his entire family.

The Holy Spirit led his early Christians to every kind of peoples.
Building up Jesus' church was all inclusive.
He welcomed everyone...Jew Gentile...
man woman...rich poor...young old.
There was no discrimination.

So many came to believe after the Resurrection
 that we share in his church today.

We are the believers of this time in history,
just as those who have gone before us
were the believers of their time.

 ...they spoke the word of the Lord to him...

The Holy Spirit is coming to each of us,
just as he came to the early believers.
Our challenge is to courageously speak the words of the Lord.

If the church is to continue to grow in numbers
we must do our part.
It is not up to our clergy or consecrated religious,
it is up to each one of us.

If you cannot find the words to speak
 then at least let your intentions come forth from his words.

Paul and Silas did not use scare tactics or coerce anyone
 to believe in what they were saying.

They simply followed the lead of the Spirit.

Are you prepared to live a Spirit led life?
Even if you are somewhat hesitant
take the plunge.
The Spirit does not lead you where
you do not belong.

Whatever shackles are holding you back
the Spirit can release them.
Trust in the Spirit.
He holds the get out of jail card.
Keep your eyes focused on God.

Blessing in being released.
~~~Peace~~~

Best 'Teachable' Moment

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 14:5-18 ~~~ Psalm 115 ~~~ 

~~~ John 14:21-26 ~~~

The Holy Spirit will teach you everything
and remind you of all I told you.

Jesus promised that if you love him
 and keep his commandments
 he will send the Spirit to abide in you.

The Spirit has the power to teach you the ways of the Lord.
The Spirit offers you the opportunity
 to learn to be more like Jesus.

The Spirit abides in you. Are you taking advantage
 of this increased wisdom?

Every day the Spirit can reveal
 more and more of the beauty of God.

Are you willing to open yourself up
 to the power and wisdom of the Spirit?

Sometimes the Spirit within leads you into
environments you otherwise might not venture.

You might find yourself expressing a view
you previously had not even considered.

As the Spirit grows and strengthens within your soul
the more at peace you will be on a daily basis.

Saint Paul had faith, but he also allowed
the Spirit of God to flourish within his soul.
Allow this same Spirit, sent by Jesus,
 to remind you of all that he has taught.
The results just might be astounding...the possibilities boundless.

The Spirit will take advantage
 of the best 'teachable' moments to bless you.

~~~ Peace ~~~

Are We Using Words?

~~~ Saint Anthony ~~~

~~~ Hebrews 4:12-16 ~~~ Psalm 19 ~~~ Mark 2:13-17 ~~~ 

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

We have numerous examples of the words
 of God and from Jesus
attesting to their Spirit and Life.

Jesus does not need fancy speech.
He does not speak in some exotic language or dialect.
Jesus speak the words of the people.

The words of Jesus inspire people
 to drop everything and follow him.
The words of Jesus quiet wild demons.
The words of Jesus offer forgiveness to the sinner.
The words of Jesus heal the sick and lame.
The words of Jesus teach us he is our Savior.

How are we using our words?
Do our words extend life to suffering souls?
Do our words offer hope to those in pain?
Do our words bring the joy of the Lord to those in exile?

Jesus says I am the way the truth and the life.

Paul writes this about Jesus...
The word of God is living and effective...
...penetrating even between soul and spirit,
joints and marrow,
and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.

Jesus is Spirit and life because he is the Word made flesh.
It was with his words that God created all of creation.

Words have the power to motivate or destroy others.
Words are one way we convey our love for one another.
Words can also be used as weapons to instill
 fear into our hearts.

We must use our own words wisely
with care and love.
Our words can also be filled with the Spirit of the Lord.

May God Bless your words.
May they be used in a life giving manner.
~~~Peace~~~

Grafted to Life and Peace

~~~ Romans 8:1-11 ~~~ Psalm 24 ~~~ Luke 13:1-9 ~~~

 

 ...if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!

 

There is some confusion among the people

about what is really important...

Jesus is making it to them that THE most important focus

should be on their own repentance.

No one can repent for your sins for you.

Jesus made it possible for us to have salvation,

 but he did not say now go and do whatever you want.

Without Jesus how would it have been possible for us to attain salvation?

Our salvation is not a free pass; we must do our part.

It does not mean that we cannot have help from others,

but we must do our part.

 

God knows the depths of our heart...

He knows if we are sincere with our repentance

or if we are just going through the motions.

We cannot fool God.

 

It comes back again to our free will and the choices we make in life.

The grace is available to us...the Holy Spirit is here for us.

Why do we ignore this help so many times?

 

 ...live according to the spirit...

...the concern of the spirit is life and peace.

 

If we want to live in the Spirit we must reflect back

to the world the concerns of the spirit.

First we must be about life.

The gardener wants to give the fig tree one more

season to produce. He chooses life for the tree.

Is it not more important for us to choose life for ourselves and others?

 

 

The Spirit is about peace...if we want to live in the spirit

 we too must be about peace.

We must foster God's peace beginning with those closest to us.

Peace radiates out just as one small pebble,

when dropped on the pond, sends out ripples.

There is no act of peace too small.

 

...if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

 

Blessings come from allowing God to graft your soul to the Spirit.

Through this we too can live in the same Spirit...

the Spirit of life and peace.

Fireflies of Love

Commeration of All Souls

 

~~~ Wisdom 3:1-9 ~~~ Psalm 23 ~~~ Romans 5: 5-11 ~~~ John 6: 37-40 ~~~

 

As a little child, and honestly still today,

I have been excited when I see firefly.

Several years ago, walking in Central Park, I was surprised to see

them flying among the shadows of the foliage in the late afternoon.

 

Sadly we no longer see them in the suburbs as we did when I was young.

They are a most unique tiny flying insect...we do have an amazing Creator.

 

Just last week a friend told me,

with a twinkle in his eye and a child like smile,

how he had seen fireflies on his property in the country.

 

It may sound silly, but it thrilled me to know that the fireflies

 are flourishing not far away from where I live.

 

All of this about these tiny 'lightning bugs'

come to me each time I hear the Wisdom reading we have today.

 

"...In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble..."

 

Just as fireflies dart about the dark sky,

the embers from a fire send rising up tiny glowing particles.

These tiny sparks of fire are even capable of igniting

another source on their own.

What we see as light is really the energy of the fire itself.

 

This thought of rising up from the energy and yet

retaining a portion of the energy is wonderful.

I say wonderful because when a person dies the energy

that we knew as their life seems gone.

It is the energy of their spirit that leaves their earthly body.

They are returning to the Spirit of God that gave them life.

 

When I see fireflies darting around today

 I think of those who have gone before me.

While we may not see their light hear on earth they are

darting about like sparks through stubble.

They have been released from the bodily confines.

They are free to move about unemcunbered by their body.

Their soul lives on in a different way.

They still have energy from the Creator...

God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

I like many of you I suspect see death a transition from this life to the next.

A transition from what we know to what we know not.

A transition for the spirit of our soul from this body

 to state of being as free as a firefly.

 

Free to dart about, eager to praise God.

Free to truly express our love and gratitude

for the life we had on earth.

 

For us the lose of a loved one causes sadness to well up within

our heart, but for the deceased person I suspect it is quite the opposite.

 

Fireflies never cease to fill me with excitement

and joy each time I get to see them.

 

I am also reminded today that just over a year ago

this was one of the readings chosen to be read

for my best friend's funeral Mass.

So for me it will always have a special place in my heart.

The imagery is so alive and powerful.

She is darting about as a tiny spark of God's love now

just as she darted about while here spreading his love to everyone she met.

 

If you have doubts about what happens after a loved one dies

read these verses from the book of Wisdom.

Visualize your loved one rising from the fire as a tiny spark

of energy...light.

God is light and so we return to the source of all light.

 

I also remember my paternal grandmother who was born on this day

more than 100 years ago. May she rest in peace.

I love you Grandmother.

Blazing Love

~~~ Ephesians 3: 14-21 ~~~ Psalm 33 ~~~ Luke 12: 49-53 ~~~

 

Jesus said to his disciples...

"I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!

 

This morning the homilist spoke of this fire as the fire of love.

What a beautiful comparison.

The flames of love are not a consuming destructive fire.

The flames of love ignite passion.

When you are in love the whole world appears brighter..

as if illuminated by some invisible source.

 

In fact, Jesus is the invisible force of light...pure light.

He came from the source of light.

 

Jesus came to set the world on fire with this blazing love.

No one before Jesus or since him has exhibited such a blazing fire of love.

 

This extreme love, brought to Earth through Jesus,

may indeed cause dissension even among family members.

We can only begin to understand this love if

we invite Christ to dwell within our hearts.

This indwelling can only take place though the power of the Spirit.

 

His Spirit must enter into your heart and remain there.

The Spirit is not just passing through as if on a road trip...

no, the Spirit must take up residence within your heart.

You must give him a permanent address.

 

 

 

It is by the grace of his Spirit that we come to know...

"...the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

This outlandish love which Jesus desires to give us may indeed cause

discomfort to those around you.

We must pay attention to give this abiding love,

freely given to us, to all whom we meet.

Visualize your hearts burning within you as you contemplate

God's burning love for you.

What is There about His Word?

~~~ 1 Cor 2:10b-16 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~Luke 4:31-37 ~~~

 

We see Jesus in the temple, but he is now in a town of Galilee, Capernaum.

Once again the other Jewish officials were astonished at his teaching

because he spoke with authority.

They did not know just how much authority he had.

 They did not know that his authority had come from God the Father.

 

His words alone could command the evil spirits to evacuate themselves.

The evil spirits themselves recognized his authority.

 

"...Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are--the Holy One of God!"

 

The demon within the man obeyed the words of Jesus.

 

"Be quiet! Come out of him!"

 

When one is possessed by a demon it is exhausting.

The demon saps all of the available energy from its host.

Evil is a parasite it lives off of the spirit energy of the person.

When evil consumes you 

you have no energy left to combat its effects.

 

Jesus uses his words to calm the demon and

when it leaves the man is thrust to the ground.

The demons did not harm the man, but he collapsed as they fled.

 

The power of the words of Jesus

is such that he only needs to speak a few at a time.

He does not need to convince the demon to leave;

he just wills it to be done by his few words.

 

The demon was concerned about being destroyed by Jesus,

the Holy One.

Jesus does not destroy the demon

he sends it away.

The demon is cast out to be alone.

He has lost his comfortable host.

In the man the demon could act out his evilness upon others.

Through the actions of this unsuspecting man

the demon could spread his desires to harm others.

 

Jesus still works this way today among us

it is just not as easily detected.

People today are still healed.

It only takes a few words from Jesus.

His words are life and spirit.

 

 

Paul says we too have been given the Spirit of God.

"...We have not received the spirit of the world
but the Spirit who is from God..."

 

Jesus spoke words filled with the Spirit.

We too can tap into the Spirit of the Lord that resides

deep within our being.

Our difficulty is that we must believe

that the power of the spirit

 is alive within us.

 

We come to believe through practice and praying words with conviction.

Practice believing the Spirit of God is alive within you.

Sincerely pray the words given to us by God.

As soon as you detect or even suspect the demons are near

send them away with the words of Jesus.

"Be Quiet!"

Do not be distracted from going good in each situation

you find yourself in today.

Lord, grant me the strength to keep the Spirit within alive.

Words of Spirit and Life

~~~ Acts 9: 31-42 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ John 6: 60-69 ~~~

Now we are with Peter as he goes about doing the work of the Lord. Today, just as Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, Peter raises a woman named Tabitha. This news spread quickly causing many more to believe.

God was building up his community of believers.

I join the psalmist in song...

“How can I make a return to the Lord for all he has done for me?”

“I will call upon the name of the Lord.”

The words of the Lord are Spirit and Life. This is so because the Word became flesh and was born of a woman; Mary. Not only does Jesus give us the bread of life to eat the very words he speaks also carry the properties of life. Jesus knew that some who heard...some who walked with and followed him would not be able to believe.

In order to believe you must release your previous understanding about what you thought you knew. Because as we know, God’s thoughts are nowhere near our thoughts no matter how much we would like to believe otherwise.

Jesus will never force someone to believe, not even those who could look into his very eyes...those who could hear the passion in his voice as he spoke. He always allows you to make your own decisions. If you are reading this I could assume you have made the decision to believe, but you may have accidently stumbled upon this blog posting.

Some heard and returned to their former way of life.

If you turn and walk away from God he is still looking at you. He will never turn away from you, even if you try to push him away.

It will not work. His love is greater than we can fathom.

Spirit of the Living God

~~~ Acts 4: 23-31 ~~~ Psalm 2 ~~~ John 3: 1-8

Released by the authorities Peter and John returned to the people and openly prayed for God to intervene on their behalf.  Believing they were merely the instrument at the hand of the Lord. They prayed for the gift of fortitude and as they prayed the place shook with the power of God. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

Those things which one cannot see are more difficult to understand. If I hear an unfamiliar sound during the night I try to listen more intently. My brain begins trying to place the sound with something I have heard before.

Nicodemus, a Pharisee, has a similar problem. He understands what it means to be born of a woman. Jesus was speaking about another kind of birth. He was referring to a birth from above; a birth of the Spirit which comes from God.
The Breath of Heaven remains here with us.

The 'wind' of the Spirit comes upon you without being seen.

Sometimes the spirit comes as a cool gentle breeze you hardly notice, but you know it is there. The ways you look at things are different. Other times the Spirit comes over you with the power of a tsunami. You are profoundly and forever changed. I have most often felt the power of the Spirit during a retreat, even if I am staffing. At times the Spirit is just a subtle brush of a rose petal across your cheek.

May the Spirit of the breath of the Lord rest upon you.

Spirit of the Living God fall afresh on me.

Place Your Trust in the Lord

~~~ Jeremiah 17:5-10 ~~~ Psalm 1 ~~~ Luke 16: 19-31 ~~~

Sometimes I like to consider the New Living Translation of the Bible. You can gain fresh insight as to how these ancient texts relate to people in our times. This reading from Jeremiah is so rich and full of thoughts we can take to prayer for reflection.

Jeremiah 17:5-10

Wisdom from the LORD

⁵ This is what the LORD says:
“Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans,
who rely on human strength
and turn their hearts away from the LORD. 

Too often when we only rely on human beings we are disappointed. We have hurt feelings. We say things we did not really mean. We act before thinking about the consequences. We give credit when not deserved or earned.

 ⁶ They are like stunted shrubs in the desert,
with no hope for the future.

If we only put our trust in humans we will always be searching for the next greatest and most exciting person to follow. We will be like lost children wandering aimlessly about the world. We will be like a beautiful flowering desert cactus that is never able to bloom...is never able to bring forth its full beauty...its complete purpose.

   They will live in the barren wilderness,
in an uninhabited salty land.

The barren wilderness eventually causes you to become bitter, hopeless; even to the point of despair. To be barren is to be empty of new growth and new life. The wilderness is a lonely place when you are looking for the Lord.

⁷ “But blessed are those who trust in the LORD
and have made the LORD their hope and confidence.

But all is not lost..if we place our hearts and minds in the right place...in the Lord, we will be delivered from our barrenness. The Lord will be with us...he alone is our Hope.

⁸ They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.

Roots...faith in the living water of the Holy Spirit will sustain us even in the wilderness. Our roots must be given care and attention for they anchor us in the Lord.  

Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.

If we trust in the Lord nothing can shake us. If we are anchored in the Lord nothing can take that away; not trials or worries. If our faith is in the Lord alone we can remain faithful in prayer even in times of dryness.  

Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.

Even when we do not 'Feel' like God is present with us we must continue to walk in his way...to follow his lead. To keep our leaves green means to nurture your prayer life.

⁹ “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?

The human heart cannot be fully understood by us. Yes, we wonderful physicians who can diagnose and repair the mechanical workings of our heart, but we do not really understand the human heart. The human heart has most unique characteristics. Recent research has proven that the human heart even stores memories.

¹⁰ But I, the LORD, search all hearts
and examine secret motives.

That which we think is held secret within our hearts is well known to God. God knows us better than we know ourselves. The Holy Spirit can grab hold of our hearts when we least expect it. The Spirit of God can give you the desire for a pure cleansed heart. This is our task during Lent; to ask God to help us as we search our own hearts.  

 I give all people their due rewards,
according to what their actions deserve.”  

New Living Translation

"I, the Lord, alone probe the mind and test the heart,

To reward everyone according to his ways..."

Put your faith and trust in the Lord, but love your fellow human beings.