Blessed Among Women

 Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Patronal Feast day of the United States of America

 ~~Genesis 3:9-15, 20~~Psalm 98~~Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12~~Luke 1:26-38~~

We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing,
Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians,
but his message is also to us.
God chose us and he destined us...

In him we were also chosen,
destined in accord with the purpose of the One
who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will,
so that we might exist for the praise of his glory,
we who first hoped in Christ.
If we all have been chosen, imagine how wonderful it was for Mary
 to be chosen to be the Mother of Jesus.
When the angel appeared before her she was startled and humbly filled with joy.
How amazing was the day when Mary was gifted with the child Jesus in her womb.
The greatest love to ever become a living person
was carried by this young innocent daughter of God, Mary.

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

 

 

 “Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus...

As we come closer to the celebration of the birth
of our salvation it is fitting that we set aside this day
dedicated to the Blessed Mother, Mary.

God found her worthy to be the mother of Jesus.
God destined her to bring forth the Savior of the World.
She gave him nourishment with her very body.
He was born of her flesh and blood.
 

Mary is the most beautiful example of surrendering to God's will.
May she cover the United States of America with her loving grace.
Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us now and at the hour of our death.

The Town Crier Arrives

 ~~~Second Sunday of Advent~~~

~~~ Isaiah 11:1-10 ~~~Psalm 72 ~~~ Romans 15:4-9~~~ Matthew 3:1-12 ~~~

 

John the Baptist came before Jesus to 'prime the pump'
one might say. He was sent to prepare the way.
He was God's town crier...
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”  

The kingdom of heaven was at hand because Jesus was coming to town.
John spoke with a certain urgency in his message.
Of course the Pharisees and the Sadducees were very curious.
They were quite content with their long held beliefs.
After all the Pharisees were experts in the law.
The proud Sadducees were the priestly aristocratic party.

How could anyone else know more than either of these two groups?
They sought out John to question his authority.

 

 

Imagine what they must have thought when John tells them...
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,
but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.
I am not worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 

 

 John is expressing his humility as he makes reference to the coming of Jesus.
The arrogant elders present would never bow so low
as to carry someone else's dirty sandals.
That would be beneath their position in society.

 

 We are presented with baptism in two forms...
the first being the baptism of water, the second
the baptism of the Holy Spirit, fire.
 

The baptism of water cleanses.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit comes after our salvation has been secured.
The baptism of fire is what leads us on our way.
The baptism of fire is the light for the path.
The baptism of fire is what keeps us moving forward.
The baptism of fire is that burning desire to be with Jesus in heaven.

Anticipating the coming of the kingdom of God is filled with blessings.

Bless the 'Field Technicians'

 ~~~ Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church ~~~

~~~ Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26 ~~~ Psalm 147 ~~~ Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8 ~~~

 

No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,
While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:
“This is the way; walk in it,”
when you would turn to the right or to the left.
 

 Many times in my life I have longed to hear those actual words...
"This is the way; walk in it..."
but this did not happen.
In some circles if you were to actually hear such words
you might be considered mentally ill.
God communicates with us in many different ways.
He has a way of letting us know this is the path I mean for you to take.
He has  a way of giving us his peace when we are walking
the way he has chosen for our life.
Trust in the Lord that you are exactly where he wants you to be right now.
He can make all things for good if we but let him.
He will never try to shield his presence from our eyes
or muffle his voice from our ears.

 

 

Jesus sent his disciples out into the community.
They were sent with his blessing.
They were sent to represent him.
They were sent to be instruments of his good works.
 

As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  

 

 Jesus intended to spread the good news as quickly
as possible to as many people as possible.
He filled those he sent out as his field technicians with the necessary tools.
 

 This continues today, we are all called to spread the message of salvation.
Our clergy are called in a special way to also minister to our
spiritual well being through the sacraments.

Throughout the centuries we have been given a handful of men and women who
have been given the grace to share God's love in a very personal way;
we call these saints.
Today the church gives us Saint Ambrose.
Ambrose was baptized, ordained and installed as bishop
within a week, on this day in 374.

Being well educated and even knowing Greek he studied intensely.
He was a true shepherd and teacher of the people.
He left us musical hymn compositions and influenced Saint Augustine.
St. Ambrose, pray for us.
 

We are blessed to have great teachers led to us by God.

Spoken Confirmation

 ~~~ Isaiah 29:17-24 ~~~ Psalm 27 ~~~ Matthew 9:27-31 ~~~

 

 The Lord is my light and my salvation. 

Two blind men came behind Jesus together.
Being blind they followed from behind so they could
hear where he was walking.
He was leading them while trapped in their darkness,
but they wanted to see the light of day.

These two men even followed Jesus into the house.
They were determined to be heard by Jesus.

“Do you believe that I can do this?”

Jesus questioned their faith before he considered restoring their sight.
He made them proclaim their belief in him.
Their own spoken 'yes' claimed the healing Jesus was about to grant them.
The heard their own words confirming what was in their hearts.

 

 

 Jesus gives these two men their sight, but he also
solidifies their faith in him.

Can you imagine how difficult it must have been for these two men?
They were able to see the world for the first time and had to keep it quiet. 

Once you can see how could you pretend nothing had happened?
It is true for us as well, once we have been given
the insight from God we are forever changed.

Blessings come with sight from within...
in-sight.
Jesus gives us in-sight to see more clearly
which in turn shows us how merciful
 and compassionate he is toward us.

Sturdy as a Rock

 ~~~ Isaiah 26:1-6  ~~~ Psalm 118 ~~~ Matthew 7:21, 24-27 ~~~

 

Trust in the LORD forever!
For the LORD is an eternal Rock.

What do you think you know about rocks?
Yesterday Jesus is the shepherd caring for his sheep
today we have the Lord as an eternal rock.
Rocks...you may recall from science class that there are three different
kinds of rocks...igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary.

It takes time for a rock to be formed...
no matter how long time will never be an issue for God.
There is no need to wait for him to become...he is.
Rocks are formed as they are subjected to intense heat and pressure.
God can be our rock when we are the ones
experiencing intense heat and pressure.

Trust in the LORD forever!
For the LORD is an eternal Rock.

Perhaps as a child you may even have had a rock collection.
Some rocks are just prettier than others.
Some rocks are pressed together by the forces of water.
Rocks can be found everywhere you go...look for them...
let them be a reminder that God is everywhere too. 

 

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them
will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
 

Not only can Jesus be compared to a rock so too are his words.
The words of Jesus can bring us comfort, forgiveness,
healing, joy, and so much more.
Taking these timeless words of his and using them to guide our actions will
give us the support we need to withstand any calamity.
  When the storms come and the rains drench the ground around us
we will trust in the Lord and his promise.
He promises to be with us until the end of the age.

We are Blessed to have a God whom
we can count on in times of uncertainty.

In Care of the Shepherd

 ~~~~ Isaiah 25:6-10a ~~~ Psalm 23 ~~~ Matthew 15:29-37 ~~~

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm twenty-three is often heard during each liturgical year,
because we need to be reminded that God is really caring for us.
A shepherd would never let anything bad happen to one of his sheep.
A shepherd truly loves his sheep; in much the same
way we may love our dog or cat.
 This in no way makes we a humans the same as an animal,
but rather to show something more.
If we are capable of loving an animal as if it were
a member of our own family;
how much more does God love us.

We provide a certain amount of security for our pets.
They usually do not have to hunt for their own food...
we give it to them.
We make sure their water bowl is clean and full of fresh water.
We carry them to the vet when they are sick.
We make the time to exercise them and play with them.

In general we take care of all their needs.
We give them our loving attention.

 

 

“Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place
to satisfy such a crowd?”

 Jesus feeds the crowd and proves to the disciples
that he can create abundance from scarcity.
With only a few loaves of bread and fish he feeds
thousands and still has a surplus.

I wonder how many people left the crowd that day because
they had not brought their own food along.
Little did they know that Jesus
would be healing and speaking for hours and hours.

Psalm twenty-three gives us a simple message.
If we abide in the house of the Lord
he will lay a banquet before us.
 

 I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

 Living in the house of the Lord
we are definitely going to receive Blessings.

I want to be in the care of the Shepherd.
Do you?

How Does One See Clearly?

 ~~~ Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier~~~

~~~ Isaiah 11:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 72 ~~~ Luke 10:21-24 ~~ 

 

Turning to the disciples in private he said,
“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see...

Being a disciple of Jesus does have its privileges.
It also comes with responsibilities.
Jesus wants to make sure that the disciples
understand how lucky they are to be among his followers.
He reminds them that they are Blessed.

We too are blessed through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The wonders of the Son will spring forth from the stump of Jesse.

A tree stump appears to be dead...all traces of life gone.
This is where hope springs forth, from what appears to be dead.
When this stump shows signs of life there is rejoicing throughout the land.
Jesus is this new life...the perfect life,
filled with the abundant blessings of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him...

Today we reference this passage for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
These gifts are recognized at the time of our Confirmation.
They grow and continue to develop throughout our life.
 

 

I have the desire to see what is being made visible to me.

Some days I need the assistance of my corrective lens.

Some days it seems as if I have cataracts covering my eyes.

Some days my vision is blurry, cloudy;

things just seem out of focus.

It is those days in particular that I must remember

 to pray for more grace from the Holy Spirit.

  

 Today let us pray for those who have closed their eyes,
refusing to see what is being revealed to them.

Whenever I am able 'to see' something clearly for the first time;
that is when I know I am blessed.
Open the eyes of my heart, Lord.
I want to love like you.