Who Can Be Against Us?

~~~ Romans 8:31b-39 ~~~ Psalm 109 ~~~ Luke 13:31-35 ~~~

 

If God is for us, who can be against us?

 

Jesus is determined to continue his journey of preaching and healing.

Not even the real threat of Herod's evil intentions will stop Jesus.

Jesus does not crumble when facing fears.

He holds steadfast to doing the will of the Father.

 

God was with Jesus in every footprint he left on the sand.

Paul wants us to be convicted of the very same promise form God.

God will never abandon us.

 

If we truly love God then nothing will keep us away from his loving presence...

nothing not people, things, angels, law makers, not even death

can take away the love of God.

So just surrender, fall into his arms, and let God love you.

 

...will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It is only by the hand of God that we are saved.

It is only through his love and grace that we can boast of this truth.

 

 

Jesus calls Herod a fox...

Jesus is into name-calling...who would have guessed.

Foxes are solitary, territorial, and mate for life.

 

If Jesus is the shepherd and we are his sheep;

then a fox would pose a real threat.

Jesus gathers us to himself for protection

just a mother hen would collect her chicks under her wing.

 

Those who wished to cause harm to Jesus

because they felt threatened

could not out smart him.

If anyone is 'sly as a fox' perhaps it is Jesus...

In each instance, those who wanted to trick Jesus with their questions

were sent away by his complex response.

They walked away scratching their heads asking....

What did he just say? What does he mean?

 

Jesus was particularly crafty 'sly as a fox'.

He never intended to trick anyone.

He often responded to challenge their beliefs.

 

Jesus was able to recognize Herod

 for who he was underneath his façade.  

Jesus was not threatened or influenced by Herod's threats.

 

Blessings in knowing that God stands with you.

Nothing can separate you from him....

IF you love him.

Who Picks Up the Slack?

~~~ Romans 8:26-30 ~~~ Psalm 19 ~~~ Luke 13:22-30 ~~~

 

The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought...

I find this writing of Saint Paul to be very encouraging.
Most of the time I hear concerns about a person's prayer life.
They wonder if they are praying correctly or enough
or if they have the right words.
Oddly enough most of the time we are using too many words.

Paul is telling us not to worry; instead
we should trust that the Spirit will pray on our behalf.
The Spirit of God has the words.
Our greater goal during prayer is to be present
to the presence of God. Whatever is lacking
in our ability to pray the Spirit makes up the difference.

By opening our heart the Spirit itself can pray inside for us.
Sometimes I like to visualize what that might look like
 or even what it might feel like.

It is with hope that we can allow the Spirit
to pick up the slack in our prayers.
We have a tendency to avoid letting
God know just how vulnerable we are concerning our prayers.

God does not ask for a perfect prayer.
He does asks for us to let him love us.
He wants us to let him embrace us.
So much can be conveyed with an embrace.

If there is the perfect prayer perhaps it has no words. 

 

 

  We know that all things work for good for those who love God...

 

God does make good from the many fractured parts of our world.
We miss some of this good because
we are not paying attention.
We may miss some of what God is doing in our own life,
because it is not what we wanted. 

 

 I cannot imagine not loving God,
but I can imagine questioning if he does make
 all things work for good.

 Intellectually I get it but when
I look at our world today I have my doubts.

 

Perhaps we do not love God enough.
Maybe this is why we have our doubts
about his ability to make all things work for good. 

 

 Blessings come in trusting
 that where my prayer is lacking the Spirit fills in for me.

 

 Lord, teach me to love you more.

Hope is How We Cope

~~~ Romans 8:18-25 ~~~ Psalm 126 ~~~ Luke 13:18-21 ~~~

 

...Seeds...Hope...Yeast...

 

If you have ever planted seeds you hope at least

some of them will germinate.

If you have ever baked bread from scratch you hope

 the yeast will cause the dough to rise.

 

We use the word hope in many different ways.

Maybe we use the word a little too loosely.

I have caught myself 'hoping' for things that truly do not matter.

For example hoping to find a parking space...

...hoping the bus is on time...hoping my son will call.

 

Hope...a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
Hope is the state that promotes the desire for positive outcomes.
Without hope our days would be filled with darkness.

 

Paul sums up for us the real essence of hope.

Paul says it is pointless to hope for those things we already know to be;

 he says hope that sees for itself is not hope.

Hope must apply only to that which we cannot see in advance.

 

...we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
 

 A healthy dose of hope makes waiting more palatable.
Christopher Reeve said 'Once you choose hope, anything is possible'.
Hope is usually sandwiched between faith and love;
 one of the three virtues we should all should practice daily.
 

 

 I cannot imagine living my life without hope.
I pray for those who have given up;
who have lost their feeling of hope.
For many people around the world today, I fear,
 hope is not even a word in their vocabulary.

Having hope does not mean that we will never
experience disappointments in our life.
Having hope is how we manage to keep going through the desert times...
those times when we do not feel God is with us.
It is precisely in  these times of darkness that we must cling to Hope.
The shape of the upper case letter H can serve as a reminder
to hold on and never give up.

In times of temptation to despair imagine holding on with both hands
 to the horizontal bar in the letter H.
H
Hope keeps us always waiting for God to reveal more of himself to us.
Living in hope we wait for the tiny seed to become the tree.
Living in hope we wait for the yeast to rise up in the dough.
Living in hope we wait for the day when we will be united with God in heaven.

 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,

so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy Spirit.

 Romans 15:13

 

May you be blessed with an increase in your hope.
May it be stronger today than it was yesterday.
Hope always in the loving
merciful saving power of God. 

God Believes in You

~~~ Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles ~~~

 

~~~ Ephesians 2:19-22 ~~~ Psalm 19 ~~~ Luke 6:12-16  ~~~

 

Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

We believe that all things are possible with Christ.

But first you must answer the invitation to become one of the followers.

Just as Jesus called the Apostles from his disciples he also calls you.

When you are chosen to be called by Jesus you are no longer lost little children...

suddenly you are given a purpose in life.

You must now live up to your calling...you must change your ways.

You must put on Christ and model your life after his.

 

 

Humbly consider your self honored by God

that he would want you to help further his kingdom here on Earth.

You do know that he wants you, right?

I remember an old billboard with Uncle Sam pointing

a finger with the caption in the background

 indicating you were being called.

Called to serve in the armed forces in this case,

but imagine Jesus pointing his finger at you.

Hear his voice calling you...I want you, _____.

 

The sad thing is that God is extending this invitation to join

with him to all of mankind,

but only a handful will actually respond.

 

God sees our potential even if we cannot.

He did chose the Apostles because of their reputation.

He did not chose them because of their wealth.

He did not chose them because of the position in society.

He chose them because he saw their willingness

to allow him to make them great before the eyes of God.

 

Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;

God makes things holy...

he is the way, the truth, and the life.

There is no other greater than God...

and he chooses you today.

Will you say 'yes'?

 

Blessings in believing with all your heart,

that God believes in you.

 

He believes in you because he knows

what you are capable of with his guidance.

He can mold you into what you need to become.

Will you let him?

It is not a coincidence that today we are given Saint Jude.

The saint we pray to when things seem impossible.

Saints Simon and Jude,

pray for us.

Bragging to God

~~~Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time~~~

 

~~~Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18~~~Psalm 34~~~2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18~~~Luke 18:9-14~~~

 

Two men went up to the temple to pray.
A Pharisee and a tax collector.
The Pharisee immediately begins telling God what great person he was...
thanking God that he was not like most other sinners.
Somehow he has labeled himself as better, superior.
He elaborates on the sins he perceives others to be guilty of committing...
greed, dishonesty, adultery...or even like this tax collector.
Without even really knowing the other man
he judges himself to be better.
He is plagued with his own self wonderment.

He waits no time in informing God of what he does;
to make himself worthy of being labeled a 'better' person.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.

As you have already figured out God is not impressed.
He is never impressed when we are boastful for our own indulgence. 

 

 

The tax collector presents a very different picture.
  ...the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'

  

Jesus often does give us two views of the same situation. 

Notice we are told where the tax collector is standing.
He stands off at a distance...oops does that mean
I should not sit in the front of church anymore? I hope not. 

 

The tax collector is humbly approaching God in prayer.
The tax collector is admitting his sinfulness.
The tax collector is being honest with himself; he asks for
God to be merciful. 

He wants God to know that he is repentant for his sins against God.

These two men both come up to the temple,
 but with two very different attitudes.

One comes to brag on himself
the other comes with full disclosure of his sins. 

 

Usually when we start to brag about ourselves
we are headed for trouble. 

 

Have you heard the saying...
except for the grace of God, there go I?
That is not bragging because it is giving God the credit
 for all things good in your life. 

 

It is only because of the grace of God that we can
come before him in repentance. 

Blessings come from approaching
God with humble honesty.

 We do not need to impress God with our goodness
 at the expense of others.

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.

Flashing Warning Lights

~~~ Romans 7:18-25a ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Luke 12:54-59 ~~~ 

 

It is so frustrating to find yourself doing something
that you clearly do not want to do...such as letting your biases
dictate how your response in certain situations.

Paul has a way of writing from such a human perspective.
He is easy to relate to because he writes about things
that are relevant for us now.
Some may think the Bible is full of old customs and beliefs,
but the truth is along with them is this wonderful
living word...full of meaning no matter when it is read.

I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh.
The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not.
For I do not do the good I want,
but I do the evil I do not want.

When it comes to our bodies there are many
weaknesses and temptations.
God made our bodies to experience pain and pleasure.
We try to avoid pain when possible and experience
the pleasure when possible.
We struggle inside with these two opposite feelings.

It is too bad that we do not have internal flashing yellow lights
 when we are approaching danger.

Not only would it give us a warning sign,
but it would also alert those around us that we needed their assistance.
 

Almost every time I am driving on the highway I see the large signs
letting the public know of a missing elderly or child.
I get notices on my phone of accidents that would impact my route.
We get emergency messages along the bottom of our
television screens for severe weather.
 

 

 

 

Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 

 

Apparently we are too physically weak to judge
between good and evil by ourselves. 

It is easy to understand Paul because we all
have the same internal challenges.
Paul gives us the best failsafe we could ever have....

Who will deliver me from this mortal body?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 

 We can always turn to Jesus for his help to avoid sin,
but sometimes we are too afraid or too ashamed.

Whether we are acting in grace or in sin God is present there too.
When we are arguing inside with ourselves God is present.
When we overcome our daily temptations
no matter how great or small
God is present.
When we fail and succumb to that which
we do not want to do....sin;
God is present inviting us to return to him.

Hide me Lord in the shelter of your wings.
Blessings come in admitting to ourselves
that we need God
every day in every situation.
I am on the lookout for the
'flashing yellow lights'.

Split Flames of Hope

~~~ Romans 6:19-23 ~~~ Psalm 1 ~~~ Luke 12:49-53 ~~~

 

We typically think of Baptism as an entrance to a new life with God.
It is most often a person would be Baptized with holy water.

But Jesus is speaking today about his Baptism, not of water
but of death his own death.
Jesus dies for us and then he enters into his heavenly
home to be with the Father.

There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!

Clearly Jesus was distraught over his crucifixion and death
 yet he remained obedient to the will of the Father.

 Although you may be witnessing peace and harmony,
it may cause discord and ill feelings among your family members.

Sometimes without saying a word you can be the reason
another person may feel uncomfortable.
As the become increasingly more uncomfortable
 they may even begin to distance themselves from you.

Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.

 

 

I heard a priest say one day that if the gospel message does
not make you feel uncomfortable then you are not truly living it. 

 

 God has promised us the grace to stay on the path
to get to our heavenly home,
but he never said it would come without pain.
He never said it would be easy....
instead he does encourage us to take up our cross daily.
Sometimes that cross is  loving a family
that is divided in beliefs and practices.

He never said you would enjoy the long and winding path.
He never promised you would not suffer heart aches.
He never promised that the flames of a divided
family would be extinguished.

In spite of how discourage and heart broken we may feel at times.
We can hold on to one thing...
Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

 It takes great courage to ask the Lord to purify your soul.
...the benefit that you have leads to sanctification...

Just as fire purifies gold and silver we too are led to these flames
through the example of Jesus himself.

Allow God to set your heart a fire with the flames of hope.
Blessings come from keeping you eyes set on the Lord.

Freely Choosing Obedience

~~~ Romans 6:12-18 ~~~ Psalm 124 ~~~ Luke 12:39-48 ~~~

 

But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin,
you have become obedient from the heart...
Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.

Historically we know that the practice of keeping slaves

 has been around for centuries.

Slave...a person who is the legal property of someone and is forced to obey.

Slaves were usually held against their will and worked excessively.

 

Recently there have been movies made about

the realities of slavery in our country...

"12 Years a Slave" being the most recent, which you may not

 even know is in theaters. It is to be released in most cities on November 1.

While this is not a blog about such topics it is important to note

 that slavery does still exist in our world today.

 

No matter what you feel about slavery, Paul speaks of it

in his letter to the Romans.

They could understand the concept of slavery

Paul, however, is turning the concept of slavery upside down.

 

Paul says what if...you present yourselves as obedient salves?

If we present ourselves as slaves, obedient to the truth

the reality shifts.

We have two choices...we can either be slaves

 of sin or obedient to God.

When we look back at our lives

where do we find the greatest presence of God?

 

God is most evident in our lives when we choose

to walk in righteousness with him.

We can choose to be a 'slave' to God's holy way.

 

Being in the clutches of sin is much like being owned as a slave.

The longer you stay in sin the more the sin holds on to your soul.

The sin begins to fool you into believing

that you have no choice.

 

We always have the choice to escape from our sinfulness.

Jesus paid the price to set us free...he died for that reason.

Jesus was brutally and publically abused so that we

could be free from the slavery of sin.

 

How can we be anything but grateful?

 

 

Grateful because we have been given the gift of grace to helps us.

We can be obedient to the call of holiness and avoid sin.

We must be vigilant, sin surrounds us on all sides.

Sin often disguises itself as greater freedom,

but it makes you a slave unto itself.

 

We are presented with good and evil every day.

Every day we must once again make our firm

commitment to take the path of the good.

It will be a challenge at times, but the end is so much better.

 

A freed slave is eternally grateful to the owner.

I would freely choose to be a slave for Christ,

but that is not how he wants us

to define our relationship with him.

Our relationship with God is one of loving freedom.

 

Blessings come in freely being obedient to God.

Praying for his protection from sin.

Praying for the grace to resist the temptation of sin.

Delivered by Grace

~~~ Romans 5:12, 15b, 17-19, 20b-21 ~~~ Psalm 40 ~~~ Luke 12:35-38 ~~

 

Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more...

 

Sin was freely flowing across the land.

It cast itself from one generation to the next.

One serious infraction leading to one greater.

Hatred prevailed among the people.

All was chaos.

 

 There was only one person

who could halt the complete ruin of God's people...Jesus.

It was only Jesus who could deliver his saving grace to the people.

We must be forever bowed in humble thanksgiving.

 

God proved his great love for us in sending Christ.

Some recognized Jesus as the savior, but others

even fought against the very idea.

 

 

God's gift of Jesus to us saves all of mankind until the end of time.

The crucifixion is the ultimate pardon from God the Father.

 

Individually we cannot realize the fullness of our salvation

 until the hour of our death.

God's grace...more powerful than sin...that is phenomenal.

God's grace is what fills our hearts with hope.

Hope in the promise of our personal salvation.

Hope that comes to completion when we die.

Hope becomes the reality we are convicted by when
we exhale for the last time. 

Help me, Lord...
 I come to do your will. 

 

 The grace from above Blesses us here below
until the end of time.

Do Virtual Things Count?

~~~ Romans 4:20-25 ~~Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

he has come to his people.~~ Luke 12:13-21

 

"...this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God."

I really admire those people who manage to live simply...

those who keep only what they need.

It is so easy to routinely acquire things; many times

 it is not anything necessary.

There are things I possess that I could live without,

but I hold on to them.

Why? I really cannot tell you.

 

I heard once that women keep three different sizes

of clothes in their closet.

The size they are currently wearing...the size smaller

they used to wear...and the size larger just in case

they gain that weight back.

Oh my gosh, this makes no sense.

 

Now we can accumulate more stuff without leaving

 the comfort and safety of our kitchen table.

We can have things delivered right to our front door the next day.

In some cases there is no need to even take out your credit card;

all is stored on the server of the seller.

 

It is too easy to keep collecting stuff.

Sellers have made it easier and easier to get us

to buy their products.

Honestly, I cannot tell you right now

how many books I have on my Kindle.

They are virtual, no longer visible on my bookshelves.

Same is true with the hundreds of mp3 tracks

I have purchased on my computer.

These things are not taking up any physical space in our house,

but I own them none the less.

 

Today God is giving us a reality check.

Do material possessions count if they do not

take up any physical space?

What if they are not even visible?

 

 

Today God is asking us to consider what is important.

Does it get us any closer to God if we keep

collecting stuff until our homes are overflowing?

 

God is asking us to look at what we have honestly.

If our possessions are strictly that just possessions

 then maybe we should consider parting with them.

Do we have things that we could pass on that we are no longer using?

 

We cannot take anything with us when we die.

No one is going to build us a pyramid to store our belongings.

 

If I have not preserved those things which are precious before God;

what will I have in the end?

If your possessions are choking the life out of your living,

do something about it today.

Collect a single bag of items you truly do not need

and take it to a local charity. 

 

Consider what matters to God.

 

“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”

Contrary to what our culture wants us to believe...

our possessions are not what matters to God.

 

Blessings come in being able to see ourselves

without our material possessions. 

Possessions do not define who we are to God.

 

God is looking for more...

I pray that he finds it in my heart.

Stretch Your Desire, Pray

~~~Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~Exodus 17:8-13~~Psalm 121~~2 Timothy 3:14-4:2~~Luke 18:1-8~~  

 

Moses had his arms held up so that Joshua could

continue to victorious in his battle.

 

We too are in need of assistance as we are

continuously confronted with the forces of evil.

 

Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

 

Every day I get prayer requests in my inbox.

People know the power prayer has in their lives.

They consider themselves among the believers.
They request assistance with their prayer...
our prayers help hold up their arms to continue their effort.

 

Saint Augustine says, "We pray to stretch our desire for God."

 

God always answers prayers

even if it is to teach us to gracefully accept

or carry our crosses in life.

Paul encourages Timothy to be steadfast in what he knows to be true.

It is the sacred scriptures that give us the wisdom we need.

In times of trials and tribulations it is through

 the inspired words of scripture

 that we can find strength, comfort, guidance.

 

All Scripture is inspired by God....

...so that one who belongs to God may be competent,
equipped for every good work.
 

The scriptures are God's way of communicating with us.

When we pray with scripture verses

we are using God's own inspired words.

We are talking to God in his language so to speak.

 

If you have ever been to a foreign country

you can appreciate knowing the language of the local people.
Speaking the same language makes communication much easier. 

 

 

Even though Moses became physically tired
 his determination to keep his word never waivered.
He was old and needed help but he kept his arms raised up to God.

Sometimes in our prayer life we become discouraged.
We begin to ask is praying really worth the effort.
We think God may be tired of listening to us.

Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?  

 

Paul tells Timothy to be persistent whether it is
 convenient or inconvenient.
Paul also encourages us to pray always.
Every breath we take can be a prayer if we make the intention.

We are blessed because no matter what language or the manner
 in which we pray God hears and he understands. 

 God does not need the Google translator app.
God only needs to hear our desire to speak to him.

Blessing in believing God listens to our prayers.

 

Pray Before You Speak

 

~~~ Romans 4:13, 16-18 ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ Luke 12:8-12 ~~~

 

...the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.
 

In 2004 Marlo Thomas wrote a book titled

 The Right Words at the Right Time.

The book is a collection of inspiring stories written

by popular successful people.

People who were often told they would basically

never amount to very much.

 

I guess we never really know the impact our words

 may have on any one individual.

As a life long educator

 I think I have always innately known the power of words.

 

Oftentimes the words we hear as a child

will remain with us forever...

be they positive or negative words.

The spoken word is a strong vehicle to express emotions.

 

Jesus is speaking today about the words that come out of our mouths.

The words you hear or say can change your life.

Jesus is saying be careful with your choice of words.

 

He is also saying to have no fear.

If you are speaking on behalf of God the Holy Spirit

will give you the words.

It is God who makes all things work for good.

In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
 but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
Romans 8:26

  

 

The Spirit, the breath of God,

 will place upon your heart the words you are to speak.

In order for this to happen you must be one with the Spirit.

You cannot be struggling within yourself over

God's unconditional love for you.

 

You can only speak

the words of God if you have them first within your heart.

You must believe and trust in the Lord.

When you are immersed in the words of the Lord 

there is no need to be concerned

over what you will say when the time comes. 

God blesses us with his assurance of peace.

There is no need to be anxious....

the right words will spring forth from your lips.

The words of the Lord have been planted deep within your soul.

May the Holy Spirit

Bless our lips to speak His holy words.

The Cloak of Friendship

~~~ Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist ~~~

~~~ 2 Timothy 4:10-17b ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ Luke 10:1-9 ~~~

 

Luke is the only one with me.

 

Some scholars believe that Saint Luke was a slave.

It is also commonly held that he was trained as a physician.

We know too he was a close friend of Paul.

Luke was a Gentile, not a Jew.

Luke also wrote the Acts of the Apostles.

While we do not know the details of his conversion

we do know that he became close friends with Saint Paul.

 

In Paul's final time in prison it is his faithful follower

and friend Luke

who remains by his side.

 

Luke's writings are unique in his perspective.

Only in Luke's Gospel do we have Mary's beautiful Magnificat.

Luke tells us of Mary's visit to Elizabeth...the Annunciation.

Only in Luke do we hear the Prodigal Son parable of mercy and forgiveness.

Like gives us a picture of Jesus consistently reaching out to sinners.

Luke seemed to have a special place in his heart for the poor and for women.

 

 

Paul is asking for some of his belongs

to be brought to him while he is in prison.

There are many things in life that hold sentimental value for us.

Paul is confined and is seeking what little comfort he can

 through some things from home.

 

When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas,
the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.

Perhaps he is cold in his cell and needs his cloak for warmth.

Maybe cooler weather is moving into the area.

Maybe he just wants to wrap himself up in his cloak...

like a security blanket.

 

The papyrus rolls and the parchments most likely

contain some of his previous writings.

Maybe they are even old journal manuscript.

Keeping a journal allows you to capture

the details and emotions connected to a certain time period or event.

 

Reading over what you have written months or years later can bring joy.

In prison, Paul continues to reach out to his followers.

Who can really cheer up Paul?

 

He is being confined, unable to go himself and preach.

He has the strong desire to be out with the others,

but that is not possible.

As he rereads his previous writings

Paul is reminded of some points he wants to include

in his subsequent letters.

 

Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious

splendor of your Kingdom.

 

Paul was blessed to have his friend Luke.

We too are blessed with good friends in our life.

 

I am so grateful for my friends.

Like Luke, my friends bring me great comfort.

Friends provide the cloak of love and support.

 

I invite you to say a prayer today especially for your friends.

For it is by your friends that you are defined.

I strive to be worthy of my friendships.

May we offer mutual care.

Blessed through friendship.

The 'Key' is in Your Heart

~~~ Romans 3:21-30 ~~~ Psalm 130 ~~~ Luke 11:47-54 ~~~

 

Woe to you, scholars of the law!
You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.

 

These sharp words from Jesus directed toward the lawyers

strengthens their conviction to do away with him even more.

Now it becomes critical for them to get rid of him any way possible.

 

These scholars have concealed the key by continuously

imposing more and more restrictions on the people.

 

When you have a key you also have something that is

or can be locked up.

Kept in secret....kept for a later date...

 

They have taken the key of knowledge.

They themselves have not used this key to access the true knowledge.

Instead of teaching the truth they have made their own version.

They do not want the people to have access to the truth.

They themselves do not really want to have the knowledge.

 

Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

Keys represent authority in the Bible. Today we symbolically give

a new mayor the keys of the city.

 

Keys are unique...

A specific key fits into a corresponding lock.

Why would you keep in your possession a key

that you never intend to use?

 

Why would you feel the need to remove the key from others?

The key of knowledge must have deep significance.

 

 

These scholars had the responsibility

to lead the people toward holiness.

Instead they got caught up in their own grandeur.

 

When you have the key of knowledge

you can open up the meaning of God's words.

You then have a better chance of reaching your eternal home.

 

These learned men were worried.

How could they hold on to their esteemed position in society

if people knew the real truths?

 If the people were able to understand the ways of God

they might no longer need these so called scholars.

 

The people might come to a realization that the key

to knowledge was simple...

it was love.

 

From the very beginning God told Adam and Eve

 not to eat of the tree of good and evil.

This was symbolic of the tree of knowledge.

Gaining knowledge was more than they could resist.

 

The scholars were more motivated by fear

and pride than knowledge.

They were fearful of learning the truth themselves

so they kept the key,

but never unlocked the treasure of the truth.

 

They were corrupted with pride;

 convincing themselves that they had all of the answers.

They saw no reason to use the key of knowledge.

Lack of knowledge was one tool used to control the people;

until it came to Jesus.

 

Jesus had all of the knowledge...he was the key.

Nothing they said or did could control Jesus.

 They could not stop him from his salvation mission.

 

You do not look for something you believe to be already

 in your possession.

A very dangerous place to linger;

we are either moving toward God or away from God.

There is no such thing as static with God.

 

Jesus is the key of knowledge.

He tells us to take up our cross and follow him.

He tells us to love one another as ourselves.

He tells us to know, love and serve him with our whole

body, mind, heart, and soul. 

 

Blessings come from trusting in the knowledge

that you are loved by Jesus.

  He will not take away the key of knowledge.

He invites you to enter and gain knowledge of him.

What is Superfluous in Your Life?

~~~ Romans 2:1-11 ~~~ Psalm 62 ~~~ Luke 11:42-46 ~~~

 

...the just judgment of God,
who will repay everyone according to his works...

 

The Pharisees were noted for their strict observance of the rules and the laws.

They appointed themselves as the judges and the jury of the Jewish people.

 

...affliction and distress will come upon everyone
who does evil...

The Pharisees buried themselves in the details.

They were so focused on the letter of the law that they

lost their way to God.

They became hideous in the eyes of Jesus.

Woe to you Pharisees! 

 

Superfluous!

The Pharisees were creating so many rules and laws

that they have missed the point.

They were so far away from reality.

They ignored the real issues of the people.

They were more concerned about those things that were non essential.

They bring the tiny fragrant sprigs of mint as their offering.

They glory in being seated in the places of honor.

 

Woe to you Pharisees!

 

Jesus tells them they are foul because they have confused the people.

They have led the people in the wrong direction.

They have not practiced nor taught the people how to love God.

 

 

 The Pharisees were puffed up with their own sense of righteousness.

They puffed up their own egos to the exclusion of really loving God.

None of this will impress God.

God sees through all exterior facades

right into their hearts and minds.

 

There is no partiality with God.

Nothing you say or do will impress God.

He sees all that is good and all that is bad in your life

and he alone will judge accordingly.

 

Blessings come in doing good toward all people.

God rewards those who live in love.

The Inside of the Cup

~~~ Memorial of Saint Teresa of Avila,

Virgin and Doctor of the Church ~~~

 

~~~ Romans 1:16-25 ~~~ Psalm 19 ~~~ Luke 11:37-41 ~~~

 

Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?

 

We are just like the people of Biblical times....

we are often more concerned with our outside appearance than our inner self.

 

Jesus is invited to dinner and either forgot or intentionally

failed to wash his hands before eating.

Maybe his hands were not dirty, he had just been teaching the crowd.

Maybe he set the scene with the intention of addressing

the external rituals of the Pharisees.

What matters today is that the message we can use today.

 

We do tend to put our prayer life after our cleanliness.

I am guilty of often not beginning my day immediately with prayer.

I do eventually get to my morning prayers, but it is not before I wash my face.

 

Perhaps we tends to care more about our external appearance

than our interior disposition.

Our external rituals are visible to many,

but the state of our soul can be obscured.

We can make our outside look all clean and beautiful...

after all this is what others see.

This is how they relate to us...by what they witness.

 

Saint Teresa initially entered the convent for mostly external reasons.

As she grew in holiness she wrote her

well known book the Interior Castle.

Through the writings of Saint Teresa of Avila we find

 much to help us make our inner being

as well manicured as our physical bodies. 

 

 

May these words of Teresa provide food for the nourishment of your soul.

While it is true no human can see our soul...God does;

 he wants us to devote more time polishing and sprucing

 up the inside of the cup.

 

Saint Teresa, pray for us.

 

“May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received,

and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing that you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into our bones,

and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and everyone of you.”  

 

Saint Teresa, pray for us.

 

"Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices." 

 

Saint Teresa, pray for us.

 

“Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which to look out
Christ's compassion to the world
Yours are the feet with which he is to go about
doing good;
Yours are the hands with which he is to bless men now.”  

 

Saint Teresa, pray for us.

 

 God calls to us in countless little ways all the time.

 

 We cannot excuse or neglect the inside of our cup.

Fill it with thoughts and words worthy of your call to holiness.

The inside of the cup in the end will be our pass into heaven.

God does not care if you are dressed in the finest silk and satin clothing...

he does not care if you are wearing diamond rings and gold chains...

he does not care if you have polished nails and artistically blushed cheeks.

 

God is only concerned with the state and condition of our heart and soul.

He searches and probes our heart to seek more of him.

 

Blessings come pour forth from the inside of the cup...

where your heart fills the space with love.

The Hope for Something Greater

~~~ Romans 1:1-7 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ Luke 11:29-32 ~~~

 

This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.

 

We are so filled with doubt that we too want visible proof.

'Seeing is believing' may just be our crutch.

Too often we are lacking in faith, trust and hope.

In life there seems to always be something better

whether it is in our imagination or actual.

We seem to never be satisfied.

 

Jesus is telling the crowd...

I am not going to give you another sign.

You have Jonah.

Jonah emerged after three days.

 His preaching saved the entire city of Nineveh.

The people heeded his words, took the appropriate action

and God spared them from destruction.

 

Jesus goes on...what Jonah did was great and wonderful.

but there is something far better, much greater.

 

 ...there is something greater than Jonah...

 

 

The people all knew the story of Jonah.

How could anything be greater?

An entire city was spared the wrath of God.

 

Jesus was giving them a preview of what was to come.

He was speaking about himself as the one

who would bring about something greater

 than the saving of one city.

 

Jesus was sent by the Father to secure salvation for all peoples.

Jesus was not only the greater he was the greatest.

Through his death all generations would be able to be granted salvation.

 

Our salvation is a gift from God.

The people of Nineveh showed their willingness to repent

 in a very visible way...

sackcloth....ashes...fasting.

What are we doing so many years later?

Are we willing to show visible signs of our repentance?

Is Ash Wednesday sufficient?

 

Jesus called the people he was speaking to

an evil generation.

I wonder what he would say to us today?

If you tune into the evening news regularly

you may begin to think that we are the evil generation.

We are inundated with images of our culture of death, yet we have

the greatest gift of eternal life.

 

Blessings come in believing something greater

is a reality in our world today.

The Lord has made known his salvation.

The Ungrateful Majority

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

~~2 Kings 5:14-17~~Psalm 98~~2 Timothy 2:8-13~~Luke 17:11-19~~

 

The mystic, Meister Eckhart, says if the only prayer
we ever said in our entire life
was 'Thank you' it would be enough.
The first reading and the Gospel are connected
 with the theme of gratitude.

Both passages today are concerning diseased persons
who are considered unclean by their society.
Both are healed by God...restored to health.
Both readings speak of foreigners.

The military leader, Naaman, is healed by following
 Elisha's instructions to bathe seven times in the Jordan River.
The Jordan was not a mighty impressive river.
He may have doubted it would have any effect at all, but he did as he was told.

When he was cleansed he wanted to show his appreciation
 by giving gifts to Elisha.
Elisha expected nothing in return.
Elisha was doing the work of the Lord it was
 not for his honor and glory.

...none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?

 

There are so many things in our daily lives that we take for granted.

 God has always chosen those individuals
with open minds and hearts to act on his behalf.

Today God works through the prophet Elisha.
 Jesus is passing through Samaria and Galilee
when the ten lepers sought out his healing power. 

 

 

 Jesus healed without even touching them or even praying over them.
He simply tells them to present themselves to the priests.
This was to gain their permission to be reunited with the community.
Proof of their healing.

"Go show yourselves to the priests."

 

This group of ten of diverse backgrounds were joined together
because of their common illness. 

 

 Jesus makes no distinction between the Jews and the Samaritan.
The only one who did return to thank Jesus was in fact the Samaritan.
It was the foreigner who was the most grateful for his healing.

How many times I have failed to thank God?
I do remember the big things, but too many times
 I fail to mention the little incidentals.

 

 Every time we are in attendance at Mass
we are participating in a celebration of thanksgiving.
The word Eucharist means thanksgiving.
Jesus first gave thanks at his last supper.

Only one of the ten returned to give thanks.

 So where would you have been?
Would you have returned to thank Jesus?
Would you have been like the majority and just
 gone on with your life?

Blessing today come from thanking God
for all that he has done for you no matter how trivial it seems. 

Consider Yourself Blessed

~~~ Joel 4:12-21 ~~~ Psalm 97 ~~~ Luke 11:27-28 ~~~

 

Jesus defines true Blessedness.

Blessedness......Happiness.

 

At an initial reading it seems Jesus is being irreverent

 to his own mother, Mary.

But in further research we see this is definitely not the case.

Mary is referred to as blessed in several other verses.

Mary is the woman who carried the Word in her womb.

She brought Jesus into the world.

She was chosen by God as a pure holy vessel for his Son.

Mary knew she was blessed from the time the angel spoke to her.

Jesus does not need to defend the blessedness of his mother. 

 

While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
“Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed.”
He replied, “Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it.”

This woman was calling out a complement to Jesus and to his mother.
Jesus' response was extending the blessing beyond his mother.

Jesus is saying that those who hear the word of God

and obey it; they too are blessed.

Being blessed is something available to each of us.

Yes, we are included in those who hear and act.

 

It is one thing to be blessed because you are the mother of Mary;

 it is another to be granted the equivalent

for living what you heard.

 

 

Jesus extends his blessing to us.

Have you stopped to count your blessings lately?

Are your blessings a source of joy?

 

Mary was blessed with Jesus, but we can be just as blessed.

God knows what we need to be blessed in our life.

Trust that he is providing those blessings to you daily.
Can you identify them?

 

Jesus answers the woman in the crowd without

embarrassing her by his response.

He is telling her she too can share in the same flow of blessings

as the one who birthed and nursed him.

We are called into the family of God.
He blesses us let us be glad and rejoice.
It is only in God that we can find our joy and our rest.
It is precisely because God chooses to bless us that
we have any joy in our lives.

Fingerprinted by God

 

~~~ Joel 1:13-15; 2:1-2 ~~~ Psalm 9 ~~~ Luke 11:15-26 ~~~

 

The prophet Joel is preaching a time of mourning for everyone.
The priests are to proclaim to the people.
 Let all who dwell in the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming;

Maybe the people will be more apt to listen if the 'ministers of the altar'
are delivering the message.
It is not a popular message...repent...the end is near.
Today we still have preachers and those who claim to be prophets
 delivering the very same message.
They use similar texts to support their claims. 

The truth is we will not know the day or the hour.
The better message is to be prepared every day.

 

 

But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons... 

 

 The finger of God administers justice.

 The finger of God is pointed at me and at you.
The finger of God marks us as his own.
He has left his finger print upon our heart.
It is through this unique finger print of God that we are also
given the grace to repent

 

No amount of public display of penance can disguise the heart.
It does not matter if you are wrapped in sack cloth
and covered in ashes. 

It is your heart that must be changed.
God gives us all that we need to change;
 if only we would ask him. 

 

If you ask God to touch his finger
once again upon your heart you can experience genuine repentance. 

Blessings come in always having the intention
 to be on God's side. 

What we exhibit externally must come from deep within. 

 The day of the Lord is coming;
let him come into your heart today.

Keep Knocking

 

~~~ Malachi 3:13-20b ~~~ Psalm 1 ~~~ Luke 11:5-13 ~~~

 

The fragrance of baking bread is almost intoxicating,
You cannot confuse it with any other smell.
Bread is a staple food in every culture.
It is used almost as another utensil...
we use it for sandwiches, to sop up gravy,
or to just enjoy it warm slathered with melting butter.

Baking in general but especially bread symbolizes hospitality.
Making bread requires few ingredients, but it does require patience.

At what hour of the night would you not
 be willing to open your door for your neighbor?

I remember a few years ago our son was driving home with a friend.
We did not know exactly what time he would arrive.
He finally showed up at the door in the wee hours of the morning.
We were so excited to see him even though it was way past our bedtime.
This was a joyful time this was our son coming home,
whom we had not seen in a couple years.

Today we are being invited to share this same
 sense of hospitality with our neighbor.

...if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

Perhaps the smell of the bread brought the neighbor to this door.
The first knock may have been easy to ignore.
Maybe the person would just go away.
But if the knocking persists we can no longer pretend we do not hear it.
 

 But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.

We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves;
what better way than through hospitality.
When was the last time you truly felt welcomed?
When was the last time you opened your heart to another,
welcoming them to journey with you?

 

 

Jesus tells us today through these very familiar words...
he is always with us....
He welcomes us with open arms of compassion, mercy, and love.
If we never seek him we cannot experience finding him.
Jesus is present yet he wants us to seek more of him;
so that when we do find him he can be generous to us.

 ...everyone who asks, receives;

and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

  

He is standing on the other side of the door waiting for us to seek him...
waiting for us to find him...
waiting for us to knock on the door.
Jesus is dying to open the door for you.
He is waiting to hear your knock on the door.
He is ready to shower you with his eternal hospitality.

Ask, Seek, Knock...Knock, Seek, Ask

Receive, Find, Open...Open, Find, Receive. 

 

Blessings in being persistent...
especially with God.
He is the Bread of Life.