Your Homecoming

~~~ Fourth Sunday of Lent ~~~

~~~ Joshua 5:9A, 10-12 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ 

~~~ 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 ~~~ Luke 15:1-3, 11-32 ~~~

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

The Lord hears our cries of distress...

in times of need he is near.

He delivers us from all our fears.

His praise shall ever be on my lips.

The goodness of the Lord is manifest

 before us in so many varied ways.

Today we once again hear the comforting story 

of the Prodigal son returning home to his father.

No matter how many times we listen to this story

 we can picture ourselves as the delinquent child.

Time after time we ask God for our share of heavenly bliss

only to take it and run away to seek our own passions.

Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:

the old things have passed away;

behold, new things have come.

If we are a new creation then the old ways

 of our sinfulness must fall to the ground.

If we truly want to be a new creation by the end of Holy Week

we must be intent on cleansing our heart...

we must seek the face of the Lord...

the face of mercy.

The father in today's Gospel

 looks past every poor decision made by his son.

He excuses the foolishness of his son...

He lets go of the hurt and heartache caused by his child.

How much more will God rejoice 

when one of us returns home.

He sees into the depths

 of your soul; there he finds

the goodness placed there when you

 were conceived.

That goodness is always there 

even when we, like the prodigal son,

run away and squander our inheritance.

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

There are no boundaries or expiration date on God's mercy.

We implore you on behalf of Christ,

be reconciled to God.

Return to God the Father.

See God running out to meet you.

Let the celebration begin

 with his blessings over you.

Close your eyes and picture God 

rejoicing in your homecoming.

~~~Peace~~~

The Eternal Bond

~~~ Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~~ Proverbs 9:1-6 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ 

Ephesians 5:15-20 ~~~ John 6:51-58 ~~~

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood

remains in me and I in him, says the Lord.

How many times have you heard...
You are what you eat.
This is exactly what happens when we
receive the Body and Blood of Jesus...
when we eat and drink from his gift of eternal salvation.

When we consume the very body and blood of Jesus
he becomes part of our living flesh and blood.
We are the living tabernacles holding his precious body.
It is his flesh and blood that nourishes your soul.
He takes us unto himself every time we receive Eucharist.
He bonds himself to every cell in your being.
This bond goes beyond your physical body;
this bond flows into your soul.
This bond is undetectable with the naked eye.
This bond exists over all of time.

How can you ignore or even deny your body
 and soul such an eternal bond?

It is not necessary for you to try to understand this unique bond
you have with Jesus through the Eucharist.
The mystery of this relationship you have with Jesus
is meant to keep you returning time and time again.

This relationship is meant to sustain you until
 you are perfectly united with God in heaven.

The perfection of the Eucharist enters into our imperfect
bodies and makes us holy.

Who else but our loving God would
allow such a relationship?
We are not worthy to receive him,
but none the less he gives of himself to us.

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Jesus is the Living Bread.
He is the Way the Truth and the Life.
It would be foolish of us to miss the gift he gives of himself.

Accept his gift of life as often as you can receive Eucharist.
It is his true presence within the bread and wine
that brings new life to your soul.
This is the life you long for in the depths of your heart.

Blessed to receive the most precious
Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

~~~Peace~~~

The Color of Grace

~~~ 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ Matthew 6:24-34 ~~~

“My grace is sufficient for you,

for power is made perfect in weakness.”

The beautiful message today is 

God will provide all that you need.

It is not useful to worry or to be anxious.

The grace of God will meet you where you are.

His grace will make up for all that is lacking in you.

His grace will place people in your life for your good.

He is not seeking those who are already perfect,

but rather those who are on the journey.

Learn from the way the wild flowers grow.

Every season God paints our land with the colors

 of the wild flowers.

These flowers spread across fields

 with yellow, red, blue and white.

They remind me of how grace comes into our life.

His grace is sufficient, but it also changes depending on our needs.

If grace came in colors it would be like the wild flowers.

The many colors and forms of wild flowers

are like the many forms of grace we receive.

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

We are surrounded by the goodness of God;

grace is one way it is manifest to us.

Enjoy the good things of today.

Look for the way in which God is making 

visible to you his goodness and grace.

Taste and see...

His grace is sufficient...

Enjoy the wild flowers...their lovely colors...

their beauty across the fields.

God's grace is more beautiful than a field covered in flowers.

Do not waste your time and energy with worry.

Let the flowers be a sign of his love for you.

May the grace of God

saturate your soul.

May you be Blessed to taste and see

His goodness.

~~~Peace~~~

Reconciliation...a New Creation

~~~Fourth Sunday of Lent~~~

 

Joshua 5:9A, 10-12~~Psalm 34~~2 Corinthians 5: 17-21~~Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

 

 

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

The Lord removes the negative, delivers you from fear...
he makes all things new.

"Whoever is in Christ is a new creation:
the old things have passed away;
behold, new things have come."

"...given us the ministry of reconciliation..."

"...We implore you on behalf of Christ,
be reconciled to God..."

 

If you do not accomplish anything else this Lent,

examine your heart and be fully reconciled with God.

If you are reconciled with God you can

then extend the same reconciliation to others.

Perhaps it is a relative, a neighbor, or a friend that

you can extend your words of forgiveness.

 

Reconciliation is the healing of the heart.

Reconciliation is accepting the shortcomings of another.

Reconciliation can be the greatest gift of joy you can give a loved one.

 

Too many people wait until a loved one is on their death bed

before they consider reaching out in reconciliation.

 

Lent is a wonderful time for reconciliation between yourself and God

and yourself and others.

 

It is through the goodness of God that we have been reconciled with him.

Be Reconciled!