In the End Angels Will Come

~~~ Jeremiah 14:17:22~~~ Psalm 79 ~~~ Matthew 13: 36-43 ~~~

"...Why have you struck us a blow
that cannot be healed?
We wait for peace, to no avail;
for a time of healing, but terror comes instead."

The advantage of being close to someone you admire is that you can take
 them aside and ask questions. This is what the disciples do with Jesus;
 they take him aside and ask him to explain the parable he just taught.

The disciples were confused wondering if there would ever be peace.

They had questions about weeds.
Have you ever wondered if you could be one of the weeds?

Jesus explains that he is the one

that sows the seed into the field of the earth.
If he sows the good seeds.
Where does the Evil One get his seeds?
The devil is allowed to sow the seeds of the weeds freely.
Have you ever wondered why no one prevents the devil from sowing his seeds.

Recently I have been asking myself the same question;
who can stop the Evil One from sowing his seeds of hatred.
Surely any seeds which do not emerge in the form of love have not come from God.

God says we must patiently wait until he sends his angels to gather up the harvest.

At this time

"The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his Kingdom
all who cause others to sin and all evildoers.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."

Jesus issues strong words here about what will happen to those who cause others to sin.

What if you do not realize that you have caused another to sin?

What if it was not your intention?

I firmly believe that if you have come from the hand of the Evil One then your

intentions to harm others will be evident.

I pray to be spared from ever coming in contact with one whose

desire is drag others into sin with them.

This sheds a whole new light onto the saying misery loves company.

Jesus goes on to say...

"Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the Kingdom of their Father."

If you listen and hear the words of the Lord then

you shall become part of the light of Christ.

At the end of the age we will be gathered up by the angels and carried

to the Lord where we will be cherished for all eternity.

Let your hearts not be troubled by the seeds of the Evil One,

for in the end all that is good will prevail.

Obedient to the Lord

~~~ Jer 13:1-11 ~~~ Psalm Dt 32:18 ~~~ Matthew 13:31-35 ~~~

"...Obedient to the LORD's command..."

The Lord sent Jeremiah to buy a loin cloth...to wear it...not to put water on it...

Later the Lord directed him to hide the loin cloth in a cleft in a rock...

Much later the Lord told him to go back to the rock and retrieve the loin cloth.

When Jeremiah removed the cloth from the cleft in obedience he found it to be rotten....and good for nothing.

God wanted this cloth to become rotten to make his point.

When we are not obedient to the Lord's command we too can become rotten.

He never makes a request of us that we cannot accomplish.

Jeremiah was given multiple directions any of which he could have skipped.

We want to jump to the end without following all of the steps.

From time to time I have been known to struggle with the concept obedience.

If you are obedient, are you still exercising your free will?

You can in fact exercise your free will by making

the decision to be obedient.

Does that make sense to you?

Being obedient is always a choice.

There may be extenuating circumstances that influence this decision, 

but you make the final decision.

Jeremiah made the decision to follow each direction given by the Lord.

He even followed the direction when it probably made no sense to him.

"...Go now...and fetch the loincloth
which I told you to hide there."

When he saw the rotted cloth he must have been wondering

what could God possibly want with a rotten piece of cloth.

Jesus spoke in parables about things that were

 "...hidden from the foundation of the world."

The loincloth had been purposely hidden in the cleft and left there to rot.

"...This wicked people who refuse to obey my words,
who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts,
and follow strange gods to serve and adore them,
shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing."

God did not just use an anology in this example; he was not telling a story.

He actually had Jeremiah carry out his prescribed

steps to make his story

real and tangible.

Jeremiah was instrumental in making a prop for God.

With this prop of rotten cloth God could better explain his point.

Participate with God through your obedience to him.

Trust that He just might be preparing to make good use of your obedience.



The Child's Basket

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

~~~ 2 Kings 4: 42-44  ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ Eph 4:1-6 ~~~ John 6: 1-15 ~~~

The multiplication of the loaves and the fish

is one of my favorite miracle story.

Jesus takes a few loaves and fish from a child and creates abundance.

He creates this abundance right in plain sight,

not hidden away in a deserted place.

Jesus sees the need of the people and he takes care of their need.

They were hungry and he feeds them.

Does he feed them because he did not want them to leave?

Does he feed them because they had walked some

distance to hear him speak?

No one carried with them even a water filled cooler.

There was no food truck nearby.

Basically Jesus was all they had to address their hunger pangs.

Jesus used what was available...he worked with what

they brought with them.

He could have just as easily had them pass an empty basket

which miraculously filled with food. Jesus had the power

to take nothing and make it into something,

but he chose to use what they had.

He allowed what this child brought to be part of his miracle.

Not just part of the miracle but the basis for the miracle...

five barley loaves and two fish.

God uses what we bring to him to create more in our lives.

No matter how small or insignificant God can change

what we have into more.

God can fill our small basket so that it never appears to be empty.

Whenever I see images of St. Peter's square filled with people

 receiving Holy Communion it reminds me of this miracle.

The Pope gives thanks and consecrates what has been

brought forth by the people.

The priests then move out into the crowd distributing the

Body of Christ to everyone present who desires to receive.

Before Jesus preformed this miracle he asks those closest to him this question. 

"Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?"

Jesus already knew what he could and would do...

he already had the solution,

but he still asks for their input.

Was Jesus making fun of them?

I don't think so.

Was he asking to see if they would ask him to perform a miracle?

Their answer made it obvious that they alone did not have

the means to feed this crowd.

We can do anything with the help of Jesus.

All things are possible in our life.

Many times Jesus seems to wait to see if we have our own solution.

He may even let us try.

He waits for us to give him the little that we have.

We then watch in awe as he creates his miracles of love.

Next time you think you have little remember that is exactly where God

can come into the picture and create miracles.

W&W: Side by Side

~~~ Jeremiah 7: 1-11 ~~~ Psalm 84 ~~~ Matthew 13: 24-30 ~~~

Sometimes we fool ourselves into imagining things the way

we want them to be and not the truth of how they are.

Just because one is a God fearing person who goes to church regularly

does not give this person the 'carte blanche' to go out the rest of the week

and act without love.

Jeremiah is addressing this very problem today,

Reform your ways and your deeds,
so that I may remain with you in this place.

Only if you thoroughly reform your ways and your deeds...

...will I remain with you in this place...

...But here you are...come to stand before me
in this house which bears my name, and say:
"We are safe; we can commit all these abominations again?"

Just because we have THE most merciful God does not mean that

we can continue merrily along in our sinful ways. It is true that

God is kind and merciful, but he is not blind. It is true that we are

weak frail humans, but that does not excuse us from reforming our ways.

Walking through the door into the house of God is not the same as

changing our bad habits. The truth is we are not safe from our own

short comings just because we are in the church.

We cannot come into the house of God to barter with him.

We cannot come to pretend we are better just because we are in his house.

I too see what is being done, says the LORD.

So we gather together, the good and those who deceive themselves,

in the house of the Lord. The 'wheat and the weeds' side by side.

'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?'

No matter how wonderful God is...no matter how good he wants us to be...

in the end he will never take away our free will.

If God wanted only the good and righteous people to live in this world

he certainly has the power to make that a reality.

But instead, we have seen so often he allows the 'weeds' to exist

along side of the 'wheat'. We may not like what appears as

God's lack of intervention, but it must be that way.

In the gospel today he does not send the workers

into the field to pull up the weeds.

Instead He allows the weeds to grow until the time of the harvest.

At the time of the harvest 'his will' will be made evident.

"...Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
'First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn.'"

We will each face our individual day of harvest at the time of our death.

I am sure you and I want to be brought into the barn

for safe keeping with the Lord.

The heavenly house of the Lord is reserved for the pure of heart.

The 'weeds' will no longer be able to pretend.

God sees our true self.

God sees beyond what the human eye can see.

There is no other God with this capacity to love and forgive.

As we know, God's ways are not our ways.

We will either be truly surprised at who we meet in heaven or

 it will not matter.

I suspect the later will be the case.

God is love so all that can exist in heaven is love.

We can only imagine...

Where is the Rich Soil?

~~~ Jeremiah 3: 14-17 ~~~ Psalm response Jer. 31 ~~~ Matthew 13: 18 23 ~~~

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Hear the parable of the sower.

The gospel today is one of the very familiar parables

about the seeds and what happens to them.

Jesus is giving his commentary on a previous teaching.

I like analogies they clarify things and make them relevant.

An analogy helps you to connect a story to your own life.

The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom
without understanding it,
and the Evil One comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.

If you sow your seeds on the path they will surely be trampled

by the footsteps of others. There is not any way to protect the seeds.

If you are on the path you are probably in transit...

you are moving along the path.

To create a path there must be previous usage of the same area.

Sometimes a path can be created by those ahead of you.

It is easy to take the existing path for granted.

How many times in our busy lives do we just hear the Word

without taking the time to understand?

Simply hearing the Word is not sufficient to sustain your soul.

The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.

If you leave the path you encounter the rocky ground.

The stones which you find here may have been intentionally

pushed aside in order to clear the path.

The seed which falls on this rocky ground is unstable.

You are more apt to lose your balance when walking on rocky ground.

The rocks roll and move around under your feet.

Things do not adhere to rocks they just slip off.

The seeds sown here among the rocks almost make it to the ground,

 but many do not.

These seeds lay on the surface not having any way to anchor themselves.

They cannot even send out roots, for if they do they will be met

with a harsh hard surface.

Our hearts can become like these rocks...hard and cold.

The Word of the Lord cannot penetrate into a heart as hard as stone.

When the Word cannot sends its roots into the heart

it is easily blown away by the winds of trials and tribulations.

These seeds seem to serve no long term purpose;

 so they are not cared for and are eventually swept away.

Receiving the Word with joy without letting it send

its roots deep within will also not sustain the soul.

The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.

For years we had wild blackberries in the front flower bed.

These tenacious little vines are covered with tiny thorns.

They literally made it impossible to pull them up, so they flourished.

The birds came and fed on these wild blackberries.

They were not bothered by the thorns.

As these vines flourished they choked out the other flowers.

The thorns attach to the surrounding plant life binding them bound to the ground.

They strangle all vegetation near them.

It took many years before we were able to rid this bed of these blackberries.

When the Word falls among the thorns it is so difficult to get

past them that it is just easier to give up.

The thorns of worldly anxiety scares you into abandoning the rest of the garden.

You do not want to be pierced by the thorns so you practice avoidance of the Word. This avoidance fosters fear making the easy way out appear more attractive.

It is possible to remove the thorns with patience and perseverance.

Once the thorns are removed there is a much higher probability that

the rest of the garden will bear fruit.

But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it,
who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirty fold."

The seed sown on rich soil.

How does one get the rich soil?

Do you just have the local dirt guy dump a truck load in your front yard?

How do you get rich soil in your heart?

In order to have rich soil it takes time, dedication, hard work.

Rich soil is tilled up and aerated. Rich soil has some nutrients mixed into the soil.

Rich soil drains well. The presence of a few earthworms

is another indication of rich soil. Rich soil does not just happen.

Rich soil is not on the beaten path...

Rich soil is not burdened with rocks...

Rich soil is not choked with thorns...

Rich soil is the ideal environment to yield positive results in your garden.

The better prepared the soil the more it will bear in the end.

So what do you want?

Are you safe on the path?

Can you just kick the rocks aside?

Can you avoid the thorns?

Will you risk being tangled in the thorns?

Are you willing to create the rich soil needed?

 Your heart yields the most when the Word falls on well prepared soil.

There you will find the 'rich soil'.

Misleading Appearances

~~~ Jer. 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13 ~~~ Psalm 36 ~~~ Matthew 13:10-17 ~~~

"...Two evils have my people done:
they have forsaken me, the source of living waters;
They have dug themselves cisterns,
broken cisterns, that hold no water..."

It is so easy to be misled by the appearances of things.

Jeremiah is talking about the wells the people have dug that are defective.

They appear to be collecting water but in reality

they are broken and the water is being wasted.

Recently I was filling the kitchen sink with hot soapy water to wash the dishes.

I thought I had placed the stopper correctly into the drain.

However, a few minutes later when I returned to the kitchen

the water had all drained out.

Initially it appeared to be retaining the water; it was only later

when the water was gone that I checked the stopper.

We can be fooled into thinking because something looks right that it is right.

It reminds me of the saying you can not judge a book by its cover.

The people listening to Jeremiah were confused they missed the true living waters becasue they were too busy digging their faulty broken cisterns.

"...they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand..."

Too often when we are off doing our own thing we miss what is most important.

Where is your living water today?

Are you focusing your attention on the faulty well?

Are you confused?

Are you missing the crack in the cistern?

Are you losing precious living water?

"But blessed are your eyes, because they see,
and your ears, because they hear."

Do you have the desire to really see and to really hear?

How long will you be fooled by imitations?

As a child I wanted to prove my daddy wrong. Whenever he said I would not get something accomplished I worked harder than ever to prove him wrong.

Maybe that was his real motive I never asked him.

Jesus is lamenting the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah.

"...You shall indeed hear but not understand,
you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people,
they will hardly hear with their ears,
they have closed their eyes,
lest they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts and be converted
and I heal them."

Today we are in a much better situation; our eyes and ears have

access to the truth.

We can see if we but open our eyes.

We can hear if we but open our ears.

The question for us is once you see and hear, then what?

Is it good enough to just be able to say I see and hear?

Seeing and hearing comes with some responsibilities.

We must in effect keep the cisterns in good repair.

We must be vigilant of even the tiniest crack.

For left unattended a tiny crack can eventually become more serious.

Jesus used parables because they are timeless in their ability

 to convey their message.

We are reminded that keeping the faith is not a one time deal.

Keeping the faith alive requires daily maintenance...

payiny attention to the little details.

Lord, grant us the grace to see and hear the truth in all situations.

One Thing Remains Constant

~~~ 2Cor. 4:7-14 ~~~Psalm 126 ~~~ Matthew 20: 20-28 ~~~

St. Paul understands our human nature so well.

He recognizes that suffer with a vast array of feelings.

We are afflicted by many things most of which are created in our heads.

Too often we get caught up with the stuff in our heads.

Our self talk is fully charged with doubt, confusion, and fear.

Paul is reminding us that we are not to be defined

by those afflictions that trouble us.

He wants us to see that in spite of all these things

one thing remains constant.

We are not abandoned for we are ...

"...always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
For we who live are constantly being given up to death
for the sake of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh."

If we want Jesus to be alive inside of our earthen vessel

then we must consistently die to ourselves.

We must speak to others what we have come to believe.

Paul was speaking because he believed with his whole heart.

He believed that no matter what he was feeling if he had belief

in Jesus all would be well.

Paul confidently believed "...we have the same spirit of faith...".

This internal talk focused on our afflictions must subside. 

 Paul says surrender yourself to trusting in God.

If you have these truths within your soul;

 abundant grace is being showered down upon you.

When you are permitting God to fill your earthen vessel with his grace,

this abundance thanksgiving wells up from your heart.

If we have no other words of prayer except ones of gratitude

for all that we have been given; that is sufficient.

Often in prayer I have asked for things which seem not to be granted,

you have most likely experienced this too.

In the future I will try to remember this sentence from today's gospel.

"You do not know what you are asking."
I am taking the liberty here to take this verse out of context,

but it is so true, at least for me. How many times I have asked God for things

which sem to fall on his deaf ear?

I read once that more tears are shed over answered prayers.

Try taking that to your prayer and reflection time.

Think about the opposite.

Does that mean if we allow

God to lead our lives we will in the end find more joy?

It is so hard to let God have control of our lives.

We foolishly believe that we know what is best for ourselves, but really

it is God the Father who knows what is best.

I invite you to pray that God not only provide what you truly need,

but that you can accept these things in thanksgiving.

Who is There Like You, God?

~~~ Micah 7: 14-15, 18-20 ~~~ Psalm 85 ~~~ Matthew 12: 46-50 ~~~

"...Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance..."

If we just took those first three words...

who is there like God

we could spend much time giving thanks and praise to the Lord

for all that he has done for you.

He does not wait for us to meet him half way.

Nothing is fifty fifty with the Lord.

He gives one hundred percent without fail.

The Lord does remove our guilt, we must allow him to take it.

How many times have I held on to guilt from past offenses?

Even after being forgiven we have this unhealthy tendency

to hold on to the guilt for our offense.

Guilt can spoil the most innocent of times in our life.

Guilt can punch holes in the best of times and bring one to

greater sadness in difficult times.

As we are growing up we are taught to feel guilty

when we are not 'being a good girl/boy' but we are not really

taught how to learn from our mistakes and move on.

Eventually we have this huge mountain of guilt

that we do not know what to do with.

This guilt we have kept in reserve keeps us from even believing

that God can make it go away. You may believe with your whole heart that

God forgives us your offenses, but still hold on to the associated guilt.

It is much healthier to let go of the feelings of guilt too.

Learn from your mistakes and move forward.

Forgiveness becomes tarnished when we still insist

to holding on to the guilt or worse shame.

Guilt is like the stubborn stain that just will not wash out.

Help us Lord, to accept your gift of forgiveness

and teach us to release any associated guilt.

"...Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt..."

Certainly if you are found guilty of a crime in a court of law

 there is given a required sentence in reparation for the crime.

In our society guilt serves its purpose when we willingly

chose to break the law.

"...and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance..."

A remnant is a fragment, something left over, a small remaining portion.

A fabric remnant is at the end of the bolt.

Are we the people who are the remnants of his inheritance?

We keep falling we keep offending with our selfish self centered

ways and yet he is always ready to forgive.

He is always ready to bring us back into his arms.

He has prepared an inheritance for us and even the smallest

remaining remnant can save us.

Something as small as a remnant of God's love and

grace is sufficient to heal our soul.

The Prodigal Son returned to his father not even having

a remnant of his inheritance left. The father rejoiced at his return,

ran out to meet his son, embraced him,

and wrapped his arms tightly around him.

We have been chosen by God to be his people. 

He "...will again have compassion on us..." each time

we stumble along the way.

We have a God that actually delights in granting us his mercy...

"...Who is there like you..."

How can he not deserve our love in return? We are not worthy

yet this clemency is freely given to us.

For we are now his sisters and brothers; we are no longer strangers.

Give the remnants of any guilt you have to the Lord.

Allow his forgivness to be free of the tarnish of guilt.

"...Who is there like you...God?"

The Compost Pile

~~~ Micah 6:1-4, 6-8 ~~~ Psalm 50 ~~~ Matthew 12: 38-42 ~~~

"...You have been told, O man, what is good,
and what the LORD requires of you:
Only to do the right and to love goodness,
and to walk humbly with your God."

If you are regular reader of this blog you realize that I wrote about

this verse from Micah just a couple days ago.

I did not look ahead at the readings, by the way.

"...do the right and to love goodness..."

It takes constant vigilance to do right in all circumstances.

It takes reaching down into your gut to have the

stamina to do the right thing.

You must reach deep inside to bypass the fresh "poop" of life.

Excuse me if I am too graphic.

In the compost pile of life what appears to be buried and forgotten

is where we must nourish our souls. It takes time for the stuff on

top to yield the richness of decomposition. It takes patience to wait,

but it takes greater courage to shovel it aside.

Going deeper is how we learn to walk humbly with God.

I am still a compost digger in training.

At times my shovel seems too small...too heavy...

there is too much on top.

I sometimes wonder if it is all worth it and then I see

what life there is far below the surface.

Far below where the earth worms are busy at work

tending the new rich dirt.

I struggle with the times when it is not easy to see what is good.

I want what is good to be victorious over all that is less than good.

But would that be life? Maybe not.

We ask God for signs, when in reality he gives us signs everyday.

God just does not always give us the signs we can see

or the signs we want.

Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
"Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."

You cannot see what is in the bottom of the compost pile

 unless you stir it up.

You cannot see unless you dig into the bottom.

 Jonah had to be swallowed up and plunged deep inside...

Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights

Much like the bottom of the compost pile.

Our eyes are so blind to the signs;

we fool ourselves into believing they do not exist.

Yes, there is something greater than Jonah or Solomon here.

It is the grace we are given to do right, love goodness above all,

and to keep walking humbly with God.

We must keep walking humbly with God even when he leads us

to the compost pile, hands us the shovel and says,

'Start digging, my beloved'.

Life at the compost pile can be messy and yes, even stinky. 

In the end Jonah came out of the belly a changed man,

just as we can return from the compost pile a changed believer.

The richness is below the surface.

Deserted Time Well Spent

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

~~~ Jer. 23: 1-6 ~~~ Ps. 23 ~~~ Eph. 2: 12-18 ~~~ Mark 6: 30-34 ~~~

I will focus on verses from the Gospel reading today,

but the familiar Psalm 23 deserves a note.

The beautiful Psalm 23...

"The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want."

This psalm gives a classic background of rolling hills of green pastures. 

Beside the green hillside runs a lovely babbling stream.

The sheep are peacefully grazing and all is well in the world.

The shepherds, staffs in hand, are slowly strolling among their sheep.

It is the perfect picture of peace...the world in which we long to live.

But this week we turned on the news and this peaceful ideal scene

was shattered with the violent act of one individual in Colorado.

We inwardly long for the green pastures beside the restful waters even more

when we are faced with tragic and shocking events.

So when you can return to this peace-filled scene of Psalm 23 and rest awhile.

Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians

"...He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near..."

The gospel today contains a verse we have heard many times before...

"...The apostles gathered together with Jesus...
He said to them,
'Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.' "

God wants us come away by ourselves to rest with him.

He wants to be with us to restore the peace and rest that only he can give.

If we are in a deserted place we are less likely to be distracted and disturbed by

the things of the world. The apostles had been out among the people spreading the word and teaching. If you are engaged in any type of ministry you know how important it is to have some regular time away.

In a deserted place you can be yourself there is no reason not to be.

There is no one to judge you.

There is no one you need to impress or please.

God wants us to separate ourselves so as to have more quality time with him.

He can take us to the verdant pastures and lead us to the running waters.

He can refresh and restore us at the same time;

 if only we will come to the deserted place and rest a while.

They, Jesus and the apostles, (plus you) climbed into the boat

and went off to this deserted place. Jesus ministered to the needs

of the apostles, but he also had pity on the great crowds

beginning to grow along the shore.

Jesus is aware of you no matter where you are...

in the boat with him or waiting on the shore along the edge of the water.

He has many things for you to learn from him

and many blessings for you to receive from him.

There is room for you to join the apostles in the boat with Jesus.

The deserted place does not need to be a desert it can be a

pasture of peace and flowing water.

What will be that deserted place of rest for you?

It can be almost anywhere if you meet one criteria;

make sure you are together with Jesus by yourself.

In this deserted place of rest you will know no greater peace.

Stay a while...return as often as you are able...

it will be time well spent.

Justice for the Poor

~~~ Micah 2:1-5 ~~~ Psalm 10 ~~~ Matthew 12: 14-21 ~~~

Micah was a minor prophet during the reigns of Ahaz and Hezekiah,

whom you may recognize from recent OT readings.

Micah's writings speak of justice, love, care and concern for the poor.

It is believed that Micah greatly influenced Hezekiah's reforms.

Micah boldly attacked those who would exploit the poor.

Today's reading we see strong words against those in power.

"...Therefore thus says the LORD:
Behold, I am planning against this race an evil
from which you shall not withdraw your necks;
Nor shall you walk with head high,
for it will be a time of evil."

Micah is giving fair warning...what you are plotting is not going

unnoticed by God.
Each prophecy of judgment by God also includes his

promise of love and mercy.

If you read more from the book of Micah you may wonder

if it was really written centuries ago.

Micah 6: 8 gives us the beautiful words included in the hymn

We Are Called

"...You have been told, O man, what is good,

and what the Lord requires of you:

Only to do right and to love goodness,

and to walk humbly with God."

I invite you to spend some time in the book of Micah.

He was a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah even though we do not

hear his words proclaimed very often.

The psalm continues to focus our attention on the poor.

Do not forget the poor, O Lord!

"...You do see, for you behold misery and sorrow,
taking them in your hands.
On you the unfortunate man depends;
of the fatherless you are the helper."

Do not forget the poor, O Lord!

This psalm is reaching out to the poor assuring them that they

have the attention of our compassionate God.

In spite of all the good Jesus spread on his travels from town to town;

 those in power were devising a plan to oppress him.

Jesus was being forced into the same position as the poor.

He had to flee and act in hiding many times until the time

came for him to fulfill the prophecies of Isaiah...

"Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not contend or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope."

The prophet sums up the passion of Jesus here in these few lines of text.

The last line 'and in his name the Gentiles will hope'

is a message for us today.

We are the 'Gentiles' and we do place our hope in Jesus.

No matter how low you may be feeling...

like a bruised reed or a smoldering wick

Jesus wants you to place your hope in him.

He alone can make all things right.

He alone has the final judgment call of justice.

We are called to walk humbly with God.

Something Greater...

~~~ Isaiah 38: 1-6, 21-22, 7-8 ~~~ Psalm (Is.38) ~~~ Matthew 12: 1-8 ~~~

"...Hezekiah turned his face to the wall...And wept bitterly..."

Hezekiah is overwhelmed with grief at the revelation of his immanent death.

Would we not plead with God faced with our own death?

Would we not want God to recall and value all that we had done for him.

Would we not want God to appreciate how we had served his people?

Would we not also turn to the wall and weep?

Turning to the wall, symbolically withdrawing from what can be seen; over there.

When you are faced with death there are times when you can see nothing but a blank wall. A wall...empty, impersonal, cold which is further blurred by your own tears.

Turning to the wall; turning away from living.

God does hear the cries of Hezekiah and grants a fifteen year

extension on his life.

Hezekiah got the extended warranty for his faithfulness to God.

God listened and responded. Hezekiah was blessed.

We do not always get a similar response to our prayers,

which is frustrating.

As we go through life we encounter things that are not as we had expected.

We face disappointments and failures. Sometimes it is necessary to sever the last thread in order to move forward.

"...You have folded up my life, like a weaver
who severs the last thread."

When we feel alone and find it difficult to pray we act as if we 

God has severed his relationship with us. Even when we cannot find

God in our life we are still connected to the tapestry.

And even if we willfully sever our relationship through sin;

God will seemlessly splice us back into the tapestry.

He is that kind of merciful God.

Perhaps in death the final thread connecting us physically to our bodies

is severed by God. For we can only enter into our eternal life if we

have been folded and severed from this world.

Today's readings provide such a wealth of reflection opportunities.

The gospel reading gives us a beautiful visual of Jesus and his disciples

 making their way through a field of grain.

How picture perfect is that...sun shining, tall slender stalks of ripe grain

gently swaying in the breeze. As Jesus walks through the field

these stalks of grain envelope his body.

With each step he takes the delicate fronds brush against

his skin from all sides.

It is the Sabbath with all of its strict rules, but they are hungry.

They do what comes natural...pick off the heads of the grain

and consume it as convenient fast food.

"Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath.
His disciples were hungry
and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them."

Jesus came to fulfill the laws in a new way.

He is the Bread of Life.

He picks the grains from the field in violation of the law.

He is more than their laws...he is more than the baked bread.

Jesus is the very essence...the tiny grains that will be ground into the flour.

Without Jesus we cannot have the Bread of Life.

His words at the consecration...this is my body...give us life.

Jesus was crushed and condemned by the words of the laws.

"...something greater than the temple is here..."

How frustrated Jesus must have been trying to get his disciples

to see the greater picture much less the Jewish officials.

These synagogue officials only knew what they had always

been taught about keeping the Sabbath holy.

How many times does God look at us and say,

"There is something greater going on here. Why don't you get it?"

Is God trying to tell you something?

If you look closely or enlarge the kaleidoscope above you may see

the Easter Lilies and the  Resurrection Crucifix draped in white fabric.

What Do You Yearn For?

~~~ Isaiah 26: 7-9, 12, 16-19 ~~~ Psalm 102 ~~~ Matthew 11: 28-30 ~~~

"...My soul yearns for you in the night,
yes, my spirit within me keeps vigil for you...

it is you who have accomplished all we have done..."

The excerpts from the prophet Isaiah are saturated with love

and humility for the Lord.

When was the last time you can say you honestly 'yearned' for anything?

Here is how yearn is defined.

1. To have a strong, often melancholy desire.

2. To feel deep pity, sympathy, or tenderness.

It does seem that we are more inclined to have more noticeable yearnings

under the cover of darkness.

When nightfall comes the busyness of the day subsides.

We no longer have the daytime distractions that mask our yearning hearts.

The darkness and quiet of the night deprives us of a full sensory experience.

Darkness brings a particular kind of blindness. A temporary blindness.

A blindness we can terminate with a flip of a switch.

Just maybe it is easier to yearn for God because of this temporary

sensory deprivation.

When you physically cannot see you have the chance

 to join with the spirit that resides within.

When you take the time to go inside and inventory your life

you may discover an obvious truth.

All and anything that you have or will accomplish in your life

 is because of God.

In the darkness of night you are able to see who really

deserves the credit in your life...God of course.

Jesus said:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Jesus always has an open door policy.

When he invites us to come to him he is sincere.

He has no ulterior motive.

He will never use the high pressure approach.

He will never use the 'bait and switch' tactics.

Do you yearn for meekness and humility of heart?

Do you yearn for peace of heart?

Maybe you just yearn for the 'good ole days'.

Ideally you yearn for something that raises your spirit to a higher level.

By design we are searching and yes yearning for something

more in our lives. We are making selections for our life

based on what is missing...

or at least what we percieve to be absent from our life.

Jesus invites us to come and rest with him.

As St. Peter says, "Cast your cares on him, because he cares for you."

When the darkness of night falls around you, accept his invitation...

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.

If we have everything what is there left to yearn?

Yearning resides within the voids.

"...for you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts...

So I look to you in the sanctuary

to see your power and glory.

For your love is better than life

my lips offer you worship."

Psalm 63: 2-4

Who Holds the Power?

~~~ Isaiah 10: 5-7, 13b-16 ~~~ Psalm 94 ~~~ Matthew 11: 25-27 ~~~

It is not often that we are given two readings that so vividly contrast in sentiment.

In the Isaiah reading God has had enough with Assyria.

He will not entertain any ridiculous power struggles.

God says I am the God here and you are not.

Stop pretending to be something you will never possess.

Instead of boasting in and of yourself; consider what I, God, can bring forth.

Whatever amount of power you may think you have God surpasses.

God does chose to give certain powers to his chosen ones...

healing, forgiveness of sins, casting out demons.

After the psalm we move from God's ability to impose his power

on whole nations

to this tender loving gospel of Matthew.

 At that time Jesus exclaimed:
"I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."

Now we are given the picture of God as the loving father.

The concept of his power has been framed as that of a gracious loving father.

How can this be the same God?

In one picture he is slaying armies like a giant and in the next

he places you in his lap.

Jesus is giving praise to the father out of love for him; not because of fear.

God does want us to love and respect him.

God does not want us to cower down in fear that his wrath will come upon us.

Should we have fear of the Lord?

Does fear of the Lord serve a purpose?

Would you rather love God and keep the commandments,

or keep the commandments because of fear?

If you want to get into a power struggle with God then you had better

be prepared to accept the consequences in fear.

On the other hand if you want to live loving God

then you must love others.

Children have the most extraordinary ability to trust those who love them.

We forget how wonderful it feels to be able to relinquish

power and place our trust in someone else...

namely God.

For many years in my teaching career I was blessed to witness how trusting

young children are with others. I think it is natural to be trusting

until you learn to be otherwise

through life experiences.

It is humanity that teaches us being childlike is a waste of time.

Every time someone breaks a trust our disbelief grows until we are wary of everyone...including God.

It is only when we can rely on God and climb into his lap that

we can ignore the whole power issue.

God alone has the power to provide what is lacking in our lives.

Let him take control of your life; you will have more peace.

We are like helpless children when we are not keeping our heart, mind,

body and soul in his presence.

He alone has the power to make all things new...

will you let him?

How Strong is Your Faith?

~~~ Isaiah 7:1-9 ~~~ Psalm 48 ~~~ Matthew 11: 20-24 ~~~

"...the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled,
as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind...."

"...Unless your faith is firm
you shall not be firm!"

When thrust into turmoil you will undoubtedly be blown

off course

unless your faith is firm.

Just last week we had some local flooding close to our home;

this is one occasion when your faith needs to be firm. The overwhelming

 feeling of watching the water creep up your yard and gradually

seep into your house. Within a couple hours some had water entering

their house as if nothing was to prevent it from swallowing

up the whole property.

No matter what your age there will always be something

that makes you tremble in the depths of your heart.

There will always be the unknown that can catch you off guard.

The fact is no matter how hard we may try we are just not capable

of creating every possible scenario in our heads.

It is probably better for our mental and emotional health

that we not be able to conjure up all of the possibilities

that we may encounter.

I have heard people wish they knew their future.

I believe if we could see the future we would not have the stamina

to develop the stronger faith required.

We would become overwhelmed or even paralyzed at what the

future had in store for us.

It amazed me that even storms far away can effect you where you are.

Even when you cannot see the storms...they are not yet on your radar screen...

they still send out far reaching ripples.

Those who have firm faith find the strength to continue

in spite of the storms of life.

In many cases they are able to extract good in the midst of their trials.

Often when we witness the trials of others the fallout is a stronger

commitment in our own faith.

There can be no resurrection without death.

No rainbow without the dark rain laden clouds.

No fruit without the fading shriveled blossom.

No delicate butterfly without the earth bound caterpillar.

Sometimes we must have our faith tested in order to validate its

existence to ourselves.

Faith is not seen with the naked eye it must be a like a drenching rain

which chills to the bone.

Pray for a faith strong enough to help you weather the worst of times

even as you experience the good times.

Only a Cup of Cold Water

Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

~~~ Isaiah 1: 10-17 ~~~ Psalm 50 ~~~ Matthew 10: 34-11: 1~~~

What care I for the number of your sacrifices?
says the LORD.

Hear the word of the LORD...
Listen to the instruction of our God..."

Isaiah, the prophet, is warning Sodom and Gomorrah to mend their ways.

It is not enough to cover yourself with ash and clothe yourself in sack cloth

if what is inside your heart remains unchanged.

Making sacrifices should result in a change of attitude or conduct; if not

then you have wasted your efforts.

God wants more than the outward appearances of sacrifice.

"...He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God."

We are here to know, love, and serve the Lord.

God gives us the written instructions of how to go the right way.

The words of scripture have given us countless examples 

pointing to the 'right' way.

But we are weak and while we may hear and have good intentions

our selfishness and our ego causes us to trip.

I do believe our ego gets in the way.

We care too much about what other people think about us.

We care too much about other people seeing what we are doing.

Have you ever done something simply because

you thought it was expected

of you by others?

"...And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple?
Amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward."


Giving even a cup of cold water to someone in need is valuable to the Lord.

A cup is only eight ounces...eight ounces is a small amount of water.

Jesus calls himself the living water.

Giving of yourself as one of his disciples is more acceptable to the Lord

than hours and days of meaningless sacrifices.

When you give even in a small way it can be as refreshing as a cold cup of water.

Nothing can live without water.

Water is essential for our physical health.

Thinking more of others and less of yourself is really what God is encouraging.

For many people in our world today having only a cup of cold water

would be a cause for celebration.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, protect us! 

The "Walking Stick"

~~~ Amos 7:12-15 ~~~ Psalm 85 ~~~ Ephesians 1: 3-14 ~~~ Mark 6:7-13 ~~~

"...He instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick--"

This is a verse that makes me curious no matter how often I read it.

This verse is written not only in the Gospel of Mark but also in Luke 9:3.

Popular authors like Joyce Rupp and Maya Angelou have written books focused

around this theme of the 'walking stick'.

'Take nothing' is both freeing and frightening in the same breath.

How can you take something that does not exist?

What is nothing?

If you have lived long enough you undoubtedly accept;

 that just as you were born with nothing you will also die with nothing.

Birth and death two very different kinds of journeys,

but journeys just the same.

Jesus is sending out the twelve; it is a birth for them into their

new role in his ministry.

The ministry based on trusting him alone.

He is challenging them to believe. He wants them to know that, although he

cannot walk with them, he will provide for them.

Sometimes the only way you can come to believe something

is to experience it for yourself.

Jesus is saying to them 'you are ready for this assignment'.

Go out and you will see.

"...He instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick--"

They were allowed to take their walking stick.

The walking stick was useful as they made their way from town to town.
It certainly is symbolic of a shepherd's staff, even today
we can observe the Pope and the Bishops processing with their 'walking stick'.
A walking stick assists in keeping your balance when
walking along uneven rocky ground.

Some believe the walking staff is a metaphor for God's protective hand.

The shepherd could use the crook in the handle to grab the neck
of a straying sheep,protecting him from any dangers.

In the book of Numbers the Lord tells Moses,

"...Call together the twelve tribes of Israel and tell the leader of each tribe

to write his name on the walking stick he carries

as a symbol of his authority." (Numbers 17:17)

Here it is clearly understood that the staff is a the symbol of authority.

Having marked his, Aaron's staff sprouts as a sign from God.

His staff not only sprouts but actually puts forth blossoms

and even bore ripe olives. (Numbers 17:23)

As you can tell taking only a 'walking stick' was very

 indicative of their being sent out by God.

St. Paul's writing always has food for thought and his letter to the

Ephesians to day was true to form. His words here are so encouraging.

"...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.
In him you also, who have heard the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him,

We too should reach out to others even though we may not

have a 'walking stick'

...for we have also been chosen.

sealed with the promised holy Spirit,
which is the first installment of our inheritance

Being sealed with the  holy Spirit is the begining of our eternal life with God.
toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory."

 I hope in the future the gospel passage will hold new meaning in your life.

What is like the walking stick for you?

What does it represent in your spiritual journey?