Nothing Held Back

~~~  John 4: 7-10 ~~~ Psalm 72 ~~~ Mark 6: 34-44 ~~~

This is a deserted place and it is already very late. 
Dismiss them so that they can go... 

What we see as obstacles or impossible, Jesus walks into for us.
The disciples want Jesus to send the crowd away.
Basically they are saying to Jesus,
'you have been talking too long'.
They are thinking about the reality that people
need food sooner or later.
Jesus could have responded by telling them
this was his gig and they should sit down and be quiet.

All joking aside, the story of the loaves and the fishes
is one we are all comfortable with;
we have heard it since we were children.
We know that Jesus preforms a miracle;
 he effortlessly multiplies the meager food brought to him.
We know that five thousand men, along with their wives,
and children were fed that day.
No one went hungry that day; their physical needs were met.
We also know there were twelve baskets of leftovers.

How can there be left overs when you begin with so little?

Jesus is foreshadowing the last supper
here when he will give his own body and blood for nourishment.

The loaves and the fishes story fed their bodies and minds
 leaving the crowd yearning for more. They wanted their souls to be fed as well.

Jesus took a simple peasants meal and it became abundance.
All that we have been given from God is capable of becoming greater.
When we place ourselves into the hands of Jesus
 he will multiple our efforts toward his good.

Today Jesus nourishes us with the Eucharist.
He gives us himself at every Mass.
He holds nothing back.

All were fed that day...all were satisfied.
When Jesus blesses and we are no longer hungry.

Jesus never sends anyone away hungry.
When the basket gets to you what will you do?

There is more than enough
for everyone to partake in this miracle.

From this Day Forward...

~~~ 1 John 3:22-4:6 ~~~ Psalm 2 ~~~ Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25 ~~~

Jesus has just endured the temptations in the desert.
He was more determined than ever to carry out
the purpose of his mission.
He was sent by the Father to preach repentance and to save us...
to love us unconditionally.
He eventually calls others to join him
in spreading this good news.

Upon hearing of John's imprisonment, Jesus moves into action.

Jesus, the Anointed one, through the power of the Holy Spirit
 is able to heal people from all types of affliction.

Jesus heals people in mind, body, and in spirit.
Jesus is all about change...
We must change.
In order to be saved we must change.
This change must be profound.
This change is not for show.
This change is not to impress others.
This change comes through the gift of faith.
Faith that comes from God alone.

...the people who sit in darkness
have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.

“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The kingdom of heaven is at hand because Jesus is now with us.
The Messiah has come; he has been honored by the
wise men of the East.
The time is now for you to also make changes.
The beginning of a new year is traditionally the time when
many people begin to at least think about changing.
Isn't that what new year resolutions are all about?
We want to improve...we want to get in shape...
we want to eat a healthy diet...
we want to get better organized...we want to do this and that.
But, I wonder if we truly wanted to change,
 would we always be making the same resolutions year after year?

We are jubilant with promises to ourselves.
Jesus calls us to a change that will last our entire lifetime.
The Holy Spirit will give us the grace to stay the course.

We know that Jesus walked this earth changing people along the way.
And he wants to change you today.
He wants to heal you in mind, body, and soul.
Your former days are of old.
A new dawn has begun filled with blessings for change.
May this new year bring about a lasting change in your life.
Peace be with you from this day forward.

Led by Star-light

~~~ Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord ~~~

~~Isaiah 60:1-6~~Psalm 72~~Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6~~Matthew 2:1-12~~

This fascinating story of the Magi
is only found in the gospel of Matthew.
Three foreigners travel to see the new born king.
Being kings themselves, they brought
with them fine gifts to lay before the crib.
The magi from the East arrived in Jerusalem
after the birth of Jesus.
They had celestial guidance; a star
led them to where the holy family was staying.
Jesus was the light in the darkness of night.

We saw his star at its rising...

...the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star... 

We only think there were three travelers because
Matthew names three gifts...
gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Today there is still something about traveling
east to Bethlehem that draws millions of people every year.
It is a home coming of sorts; coming home to where
what we believe had its beginning.
The Holy Land will always attract both believers
and the curious traveler.
People I know who have been there say
they felt a sense of peace.

These three wise men represent all of us.
We all are on a journey to find Jesus.
We may not have expensive gifts to lay before him,
but we come just the same to pay him homage...
to knell before him.
We want to follow the star...his light.
He is the Light of the World...
The Child himself led these foreigners
to his crib by his light.

Whoever these wise men were being in the presence
 of the child Jesus profoundly changed them.
Somehow they were Blessed that day...
they were home...they were exactly
where they were supposed to be.
This is where they belonged and they were at peace.
They had no desire to return to Herod.

Being in the presence of Jesus
 blesses us with sufficient grace to no longer
have the desire to sin.

His Given Name

~~~ Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton ~~~

~~~ 1 John 3:7-10 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ John 1:35-42 ~~~

We continue to celebrate Jesus as the Lamb of God.

The one sent by God to save us.

To save us because we are his children...

he loves us unconditionally.

John was able to see Jesus as much more than just his cousin.

John was so convicted in his understanding of who Jesus was, 

others also followed and became believers.

Have you ever been in that situation?

Have you ever been the one who convinced others 

to see a certain movie, for example?

Has your enthusiasm ever been that contagious?

Do you like your name? I do.

We tend to strongly identify with our given name.

Imagine meeting someone for the first time;

now imagine that stranger changing your name right then.

Some would just laugh it off and move on

while others might loudly object to the notion.

That is what happened to Peter the first time he met Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas,” which is translated Peter.

Cephas in Aramaic means the rock.

This was previously not a commonly used name. 

It was given to Peter,

because God already had great plans for him.

Jesus knew the important role Peter would play in the coming days.

The seeds for the future were already planted within Peter

by God prior to this meeting.

God has planted his seeds within your heart as well.

Have you found them yet?

Are you looking for them?

Are you waiting for someone else to help you find them?

A few simple questions to ponder today.

All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.

Elizabeth Ann Seton found in her heart

 the seeds of God's special calling for her.
She was widowed at age 30 left with five small children.

It would have been easier for her to ignore them, but instead she listened.

She was converted and went on to become the first

native born American to be canonized.

She was the foundress of the Sisters of Charity.

What You Become

~~~ 1 John 2:29-3:6 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ John 1:29-34 ~~~

Beloved, we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.

Recently some friends of ours adopted a baby.
They spent a great deal of time, effort, and money
 to make this adoption a reality.
When they had successfully completed every criteria
and were approved to just be considered they were so happy.

Now they had to wait until a birth mother
would choose them to adopt her child.
They continued to prepare their home and their hearts
 to receive a child...a child of their own...
a child that they would welcome into their open arms...
a child that they would instantly love as their own flesh and blood.

Finally the long awaited phone call came one morning.
They had been chosen by a birth mother;
she wanted to meet them in person.
They were beside themselves with excitement
tempered a bit with anxiety.
What if she did not like them after seeing them?
What if she did not like the color of their hair?
What if she did not like the sound of their voices?
So many questions swirled about in their heads.

I am sharing this story because God has adopted us to be his own.
He wanted a way to make us his for all of eternity.
We could never be like God not even if we desperately tried.
But God had a plan, as he always does.
He sent his son, Jesus, to be one of us...now we are kin.

He came as a child in order to make us his children.

He is the light and we are the children of the light.
Our friends did get a child, a son, and they do indeed
 love him as their own.

You know that he was revealed to take away sins,

and in him there is no sin. 

For in the light the darkness of sin cannot prevail.

Jesus came to save us from the darkness of sin.

We continue during this season of Joy
to praise God for all he has done for us.

Psalm 98 sings of how generous and loving God has been to us.

For three days we hear the echos of this joyful psalm.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.

John saw Jesus. John baptized Jesus.
John was given the grace to recognize Jesus
as truly the only one could take away our sins.

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

In God's divine plan we were adopted by a baby's birth
and then saved by him as an adult.

Only God could have devised such an awesome plan.
Let us forever sing Our God is an Awesome God.
We are adopted, saved, and
eternally Blessed.

The 'Voice'

~~~~ 1 John 2:22-28 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ John 1:19-28 ~~~

I am the voice... 

Today we actually have an American reality program,

 a singing competition, on NBC. 

The concept, as you may know, is to find new singing talent.

The winner is determined by the viewers votes.

The winner walks away with a substantial check and a recording contract.

John is not in a competition for his ability to sing.

John is quoting the Old Testament prophet, 

Isaiah when he answers the question.

The officials sent from Jerusalem wanted to know

if what they had heard about him was true.

How is it that a person could claim to be nothing but a 'voice'?

A voice is not something concrete

 and definitely not tangible although unique.

Many people can be identified by their 'voice'.

I have written here in the past about each of us having 

a distinct sound to our voice.

John is not speaking of the sound of his own voice.

He is speaking on behalf of the Messiah.

John does not want to confused with the Messiah.

He is not speaking under false pretenses.

He knows why he has been given his 'voice'.

He is to testify for the coming of the Messiah.

A witness in a court of trial often has 'eye' witnesses.

These people come and speak from their point of truth.

Another person may come and testify to the character of the accused.

This person speaks as the 'voice' of the defendant.

Jesus was being accused of many things, not to mention

claiming to be the Messiah.

John was sent ahead to prepare the way, but he met

with local resistance more often than not.

John never made any claims on his own behalf.

John was sent to do the work of the God.

He baptized with water in the name of the Father.

Preparation for any event includes cleaning up in advance.

The water image was one of cleansing.

The main event was the coming of Jesus, the Messiah.

...one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.

John was only the 'voice'...

the real person of Jesus was to follow his announcements.

The 'voice' was heard in the distance

 announcing the arrival of someone important in this case 

the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah.

John was the announcer...he was the opening act...

he warmed up the crowd...

He served his purpose and fulfilled his role well.

We are also blessed to be the 'voice' of Jesus to others.

We are invited to speak of the peace of Christ 

to those we meet along the way.

Do not be shy...speak out...

humbly giving all the credit to Our Lord.

We have seen the saving power of God...rejoice and be glad.

Blessings for 2014

~~~ Happy New Year~~~
~~~2014~~~
~~Numbers 6:22-27~~Psalm 67~~Galatians 4:4-7~~Luke 2:16-21~~

This is how you shall bless...
Say to them:
The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!

In Biblical times the words in Hebrew had very concrete meanings.
The Hebrew word for bless is 'barak' which literally means 'to kneel'...
A blessing is gift brought to another on bended knee.

The Hebrew word for 'keep' is 'shamar' which literally means 'to guard'...
A related word is 'shamiyr' which means 'thorn'.
In an effort to protect their sheep
 a shepherd would construct a corral of thorn branches.
This was a way to 'guard' their sheep.

God surrounds us guards us and protects us
letting the light of his face shine down upon us.
While we are in his protection
we will also experience his kindness and peace.

May this year bring greater blessings than you could imagine.
We begin this new year with his blessings.
May your heart be filled with peace, joy, and love.

!!!Happy New Year!!!