The Pothole

~~~ 2 Samuel 11:1-4a, 5-10a, 13-17 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Mark 4:26-34 ~~~

Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.

Young David came from tending his father's sheep
 to being anointed as the King.
Perhaps it was too much too fast.
He had so much success that he let it get the best of him.
He let his emotions cloud his better judgement.
He let his greed and pride rule over his moral code.

He knew it was wrong to take the wife of Uriah,
but he was ready for the harvest.
David began to believe that there was nothing he could not do
and nothing he could not have for his own.

David was a human being and he fell into a giant pothole on his journey.
We all have those times in our life when the temptation
 to sin seems far more attractive than not.

David danced around the edge of the pothole...
he began by looking on the beauty of Uriah's wife.
Before he knew it he was all the way down into the pothole.
Once down in the dirt of his sin he tries to hide his guilt
 by planning to commit a sin more grave...
murder.

Lies, lies, and more lies.
Truth begets truth, but lies can only beget future lies.

God values the truth.
Sooner or later a person who lies
 is caught in a dilemma they have set up for themselves.

David does come to his senses eventually and he does repent,
but it did not have to happen to begin with.
David let his powerful position lead him into sin.

Blessings in holding the truth in high esteem.
Peace.

Lampstand...Where is Yours?

~~~ 2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29 ~~~ Psalm 132 ~~~ Mark 4:21-25 ~~~

Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?

Jesus is asking one of those rhetorical questions...

you know those questions where you really do not intend anyone to respond,

because the answer is so obvious.

A lamp is lit first of all to provide light 

to a space that is either poorly lit or entirely in darkness.

So why would you want to hide this lamp?

A lamp has to be carried with you.

A lamp has to brought into the space you wish to illuminate.

If you have ever been camping overnight or

experienced a power outage;

you know what it means to carry a lamp into the darkness.

The higher you raise the lamp the greater the area is illuminated.

Jesus is the Light of the World.

He came to illuminate the will of the Father.

He came to light the way for all of us on the journey.

He came to show us the way...to light the path.

Jesus did not come to stay hidden away...

to remain anonymous or obscure.

Jesus came to be a beacon for us so that 

we would not loose our way.

Everything that Jesus said and did was for one purpose...

to illuminate the great love the Father has for us.

We were the children who were in the dark,

but now we walk in the light.

Is the Light of Jesus high on your lampstand?

Even when there is visible light there can also be mystery.

What needs to be illuminated in your life?

Let the blessings of the light lead you

to the Father.

Peace.

A Heart of Rich Soil

~~~ 2 Samuel 7:4-17 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ Mark 4:1-20 ~~~

Throughout the pages of the Old Testament we see God
housed in the ark of the covenant.
We see how this ark is carefully placed in a tent.
This ark is carried around with the people and is guarded.
It is honored and revered as a place of holiness.

God has boundaries and is kept hidden away.

We know that God does not have boundaries and he cannot be contained.

David is filled gratitude to the point of wanting to build
a wonderful cedar temple for the Lord.

“Here I am living in a house of cedar, 
but the ark of God dwells in a tent!”

God is with us just as he was with David...
God reminds him how he took him from caring for sheep
 to caring for the people of Israel.
The Lord makes promises to David
for his continued care
as a father cares for his son.

The Gospel brings us into the presence of Jesus...
God made flesh...one of us.

Jesus leaves in a boat to separate himself
from the growing crowd.
Jesus needs to set physical
 boundaries so he can teach the people.

This scene has been called the 'Sermon on the Sea' by some authors.

Now Jesus shares his parable of the seeds.
This is one of his more important parables.
There were many small farmers in this area.

Because the best plots of land were reserved
for those growing for the rulers,
a common farmer may not have very good soil.

The people could understand
 the many problems related to their farm land.

They also knew that in spite
of their poor soil; they were still able
to harvest some crops.

The astonishing yield of thirty, sixty, and hundredfold
did grab their attention.
It was unheard of to have that great of a yield.

Considering all that the early followers of Jesus went through,
 it is amazing that his teachings have survived
some two thousand years later.

We are part of the great mystery of the Kingdom of God.
The twelve apostles needed Jesus
to further explain his teachings to them.

When have you found yourself
needing God to clarify something for you?

Because his words are living;
meaning they are alive for us today,
it is of utmost importance that we pray for understanding.

What kind of soil waits in your heart for the seeds of his words?
Is it shallow? Is it rocky?
Is it tilled, moist and ready to receive?

...But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear 

the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty 
and sixty and a hundredfold.

I do want to bear fruit a hundredfold, but
I will be grateful for even thirty-fold.
Pray that God blesses you with fertile
soil within your heart.
Pray that you are able to hear and accept.

New Relatives

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest 

and Doctor of the Church

~~~ 2 Samuel 6:12b-15, 17-19 ~~~ Psalm 24 ~~~ Mark 3:31-35 ~~~

“Who are my mother and my brothers?”

I used to be shocked by these words
until I learned to see them differently.

Jesus' family did not really fully understand that he
had to go out to the people.
Inside Jesus was teaching those
who would become his disciples...his new family.

Jesus could not rely on his immediate family to be his disciples.
He had to go out to the people. He had to make his mission known.
Those who came to listen to him teach were usually
the ones who then became his disciples.

His family came because they loves him and wanted him to be safe.
Jesus knew that being safe was not going to be
the way of his life.

...For whoever does the will of God
is my brother and sister and mother.

Doing the will of God is what is required to become a true disciple.

Knowing the will of God is not enough;
one must do the will of God.

We must go forth practicing
and spreading the message of salvation.
Once we have become a disciple we will also
be a part of the family...
the family of Jesus.

Would you have been sitting in that group
 around Jesus that day?

Through his blessings we are in His family too.

False Accusations

~~~ 2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ Mark 3:22-30 ~~~

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
“He is possessed by Beelzebul..."

The scribes from Jerusalem had more authority than the local scribes.
These revered scribes are the ones who declare Jesus
to be under the influence of the devil.

This is a serious accusation for them to make.
Beelzebul is referring to the chief evil spirit.

Jesus counteracts their accusations with a parable.

Why would the head of the evil spirits be driving
out its own evil presence?
This makes no sense. You would think this evil spirit
would be summoning additional evil spirits
to descend upon their hosts.

Jesus uses parables to compare two things side by side.
This is an effective way to point out the differences
and similarities between the two.

In this case Jesus speaks about the divided house.
 ...if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.

This comparison makes it seems
 obvious that the learned scribes are confused.

Evil spirits are about using actions
 that strengthen their hold of a person's being.

This was just one example of many times when
Jesus was falsely or wrongly accused.

In the story of the Three Little Pigs,
the third pig built his house out of bricks making
 it impossible for the wolf to blow down.

Jesus wants us to be so strong in our faith
 and beliefs that any false accusations will not
catch us off guard.

Blessings come in times of false accusations.
We must not be fooled by the evil spirits.
Peace.

Interfaith Unity

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

~~Isaiah 8:23-9:3~~Psalm 27~~1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17~~Matthew 4:12-23~~

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light...

The great light being the coming of the Lord.
Jesus is the light of the world.
Too many do not recognize this as the truth.
Too many are still waiting and searching for something
 they cannot begin to explain.
We live in a world where division is more common than unity.
So many people fighting against one another within the same country.

...be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.

Saint Paul reminds the people that we all belong to Christ
not individual religious leaders.
Jesus called individuals from all walks of life and differing occupations.
He calls all to follow him...he brought the light of salvation
to all peoples...if we just believe in faith.

Recently in my city there was an interfaith prayer service,
while I was not able to attend,
I do believe it is a worthwhile endeavor.

The more we can come together and share
with one another the more understanding we will gain.

Coming together for a common goal will allow
 us greater communication.

In this space of prayer we can begin to appreciate our similarities
rather than focusing on our differences.

Praying that when we come together we may all
...gaze on the loveliness of the LORD...

Sitting together in prayerful silence
may be more important than any spoken words.

Blessings as we seek unity in the presence of the Lord.
We are all called to follow our Lord.
There is only one light source!
Peace.

Grow Up

Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle 

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 22:3-16 ~~~ Psalm 117 ~~~ Mark 16:15-18 ~~~

God needed Paul to come to work for him.

He needed Paul to 'grow up' spiritually as quickly as possible.

There was no time to waste.

Paul had all of the qualities Jesus needed to spread his message.

Paul was on a mission to find and capture the followers of the way.

Today we celebrate his swift conversion.

God arranged for Paul to acquire spiritual maturity in record time.

A normal person would gradually become a mature person.

..a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Every aspect of maturity progresses along a timeline of sorts.

As a person normally grows we mature physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

In some cases we have those who do not physically.

We have some who emotionally get stuck as a child.

They have difficulty relating socially.

Some people never become spiritually mature because 

they do not realize any different.

Paul models for us spiritual maturity.

He could have resisted his encounter with God.

He might have been able to reject the blinding light.

He could have become angry at his situation...

that is angry at God.

But what we see instead is Paul's compliance.

Paul receives and complies with God's invitation 

to 'grow up' spiritually.

Spiritual maturity is less about acquired knowledge and

more about what you do with what you know. 

It is possible to attend Bible studies and not grow up spiritually.

Spiritual maturity is not just about being a rule follower.

Consider those in the Scriptures who knew all the rules,

but were still spiritually immature.

Maturity is not just about growing old 

with a head full of gray hairs.

Spiritual maturity requires moral effort and discipline.
Normally there would be no short cuts...
But in the case of Paul's conversion
 it happened in one fall from his horse.

Pray for the grace and blessings
 to continue your spiritual growth.
Maturity is an attitude of life...blessings
to 'grow up' in Christ.

Snip of the Cloak

Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales
Bishop and Doctor of the Church

David bowed to the ground in homage and asked Saul:
“Why do you listen to those who say,
‘David is trying to harm you’?

David manages to hold respect for Saul
 in spite of the fact that he plotted to have him killed.

He gets close enough to snip a piece of Saul's
cloak without being detected.

Not sure if I had such an enemy that I would want to get that close.
I think I would want to at least wound such a foe.

David was given great wisdom.
It is only by the wisdom and grace of the Spirit
that he did what he did.

He could have become very arrogant and boastful
for his battle winnings,
but he is able to act with humility.

David bows, a gesture of humility.
God was with David and he acted accordingly.
David had pity for Saul because he was not thinking for himself.
Saul was listening to others who were filling
his head with evil thoughts.

One thing we can learn from David is not to retaliate
against our enemies.

Justice belongs to the Lord.

May God bless us to pray
for those who wish harm to come to us.

Peace.

This post today is late thanks to delayed
 traveling in icy winter weather.
Thanks for stopping by this blog.
I do appreciate each visitor.

Jealousy Corrupts

~~~ 1 Samuel 18:6-9;19:1-7 ~~~ Psalm 56 ~~~ Mark 3:7-12 ~~~

...my tears are stored in your flask;
are they not recorded in your book?...

Jealousy...
...Saul was jealous of David.

Saul was greatly disturbed by the success David had on the battle field.
He had just slain one of the most feared, Goliath, with one shot.
Saul becomes blinded by his jealousy, but his son Jonathan loves David.
Jonathan admires David as a model warrior...fearless and confident.

Jealousy...
can haunt your soul...

David was the youngest of his father's sons.
He would periodically return home to Bethlehem to care for the sheep.
He was not a trained warrior.
David, sent by his father, went out to bring grain and cheese to his brothers.
They were preparing to enter into battle with the Philistines.

Jealousy...
 can turn you into a monster.

Saul's son, Jonathan, intercedes on behalf of David.

Jealousy...
taints the color of your world.

Saul listens to his son, who not soiled by jealousy,
is thinking more clearly.

Jealousy...
keeps you from experiencing personal joy.

Saul decides to let David live...
at least for now.
Once you let jealousy stake a claim in your heart
it takes dedicated effort to override it.

Jealousy will keep rearing its ugly head stabbing your heart...
filling it with lies and egotistical thoughts.

Jealousy...
is reason enough to shed tears, for your selfishness.

Blessings come in the grace to see the good in others.
In being able to know that another person's success
does not equate to your destruction.

Peace be with you.

The 'Set Up'

~~~ 1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51~~~ Psalm 144 ~~~ Mark 3:1-6 ~~~

“Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil,
to save life rather than to destroy it?”

Jesus heals the withered hand of the man in the sight of all.
Jesus wanted the people to see the man's crippled hand
so that they would be able to witness to his healing.

It is ironic how much emphasis
is put on the details of keeping the Sabbath holy.

Is it really possible to go through the motions
 of being holy while harboring something very different in your heart?
Certainly God is not concerned with how
we demonstrate the practice of keeping holy the Sabbath.
We often get so caught up in the rubrics of prayer
 that it becomes an empty shell.
Prayer void of the heart is like a candle without its flame.

How much better is it to do good on the Sabbath
 rather than to 'show' with our actions how well
 we keep the Sabbath.

When we just keep the laws the true spirit of the Lord is lost.
What Jesus went about doing as he walked from
 town to town was revolutionary,
but when he did these things on the Sabbath
 it was horrific to the elders. 

He defied all that they held sacred
causing them to band together to plot his demise...his death.

They were the authority...they decided how the Sabbath
 was to be observed, not this outsider.

Just who did Jesus think he was?...

It is human nature to resist change much less radical change.
Jesus proposed 'radical' change.
His change was met with equal resistance.
The only way to stop Jesus,
so they thought, was to completely remove
him from the picture.

As we know, they grossly miss calculated his influence.

Their little scheme...their planned set up...
did not stop Jesus from getting his message to us.

Today we are Blessed
 because the plot to stop Jesus failed.
Even though they did kill him
his purpose; to do the will of the Father,
was accomplished.

Some plans are not meant to be effective in the end.

Do your plans align with God's plan for you?
His divine 'set up' will bring peace and blessings.

We pray for those who, for whatever reason,
are not able to follow God's plan in their life.
Peace.

Keeping the Sabbath

~~~ Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr ~~~

~~~1 Samuel 16:1-13 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ Mark 2:23-28 ~~~ 

...the LORD looks into the heart...

The Lord sent Samuel to the house of Jesse;

where he will find the one whom God has chosen to be King.

God does not consider the physical appearance or the spoken words;

rather the Lord sees into the depths of one's heart.

Your words and actions can be tailored to fit the occasion.

but the heart remains steadfast.

It is much more difficult to change your heart.

The journey was long the food was scarce,
but the disciples were hungry.

It was the Sabbath...no work was allowed.

It was set aside as a day of rest.

This may have been a matter of interpretation of the law,

the disciples did indeed pluck and consume the grain from the stalks.

Was that work? Were they just hungry?

Did they really take nothing for the journey?

Jesus consistently places compassion above the law .

So what do you think?

Were they breaking the law?

Would you be willing to break the law 

when presented with a situation of compassion?
God sees into your heart. 

Blessings as we walk through the fields today.
Peace.

Fasting and the Bridegroom

~~~1 Samuel 15:16-23 ~~~ Psalm 50 ~~~ Mark 2:18-22 ~~~

Obedience is better than sacrifice,
and submission than the fat of rams.

Samuel reprimands Saul for not being completely 

obedient to the will of God.

Saul has only partially carried 

out the task set before him from God.

He lets greed take hold of his heart.

Saul selectively carried out the wishes of the Lord.

Keeping for himself some of the best from the city.

He and his troops spared Agag and the best of the 

fat sheep and oxen, and the lambs. 

They refused to put under the ban 

anything that was worthwhile, destroying 

only what was worthless and of no account. 

Later he is so full of pride for his victory 

he erects a statue to honor himself.

When God sets us out to complete a task he expects 

us to complete the task in his name.

He does not give us permission

 to make exceptions for our personal satisfaction.

Saul is so blinded by his own accomplishments

 that he looses sight of his directive from God.

Jesus speaks of himself as the bridegroom in this chapter of Mark.

Fasting was common in among the local people at that time.

Of course Jesus knew of the prescribed fasting custom;

 he intentionally ignores it.

Instead he gives an analogy of the bridegroom,

which seems out in left field

It is true that when you are attending a wedding celebration

 few if any people would be fasting.

Jesus tries to present a different picture of the bridegroom;

namely himself. He is the bridegroom who will be leaving.

When he leaves it will be because he has been crucified.

His death and crucifixion will be the cause for fasting...

a fasting representing mourning.

But the days will come when the bridegroom

 is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.

Today we are encouraged by the our church

 to practice fasting during Lent and especially on Good Friday.

Fasting puts us in a better state to hear the Lord speaking to our hearts.

Food is no longer a distraction...our prayer life and our 

relationship with God takes on a deeper meaning.

...new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.

Jesus is the new wine. Everything about his way

 is in contradiction with the elders.

Jesus in effect is saying...whatever you thought 

you knew about God, you were so not right.

Jesus makes all things new...

even when we do not know anything needs to be changed.

It is so easy to just keep on doing what we have done for years.

Habits, good or bad, become a part of who we are.

They often reflect our system of beliefs.

Begin taking an internal assessment of your heart.

What needs to change? Ask God to help you see 

the ways you have held on to the old.

He wants to replace the old with the new;

but first you must identify the old.

We cannot change what we cannot claim as ours.

Blessings in having the courage and faith

 to look within for what needs to be removed.

Make room for the new wine.

Peace!

Grace and Peace

~~~Second Sunday in Ordinary Time~~~
~~Isaiah 49:3, 5-6~~Psalm 40~~1 Corinthians 1:1-3~~John 1:29-34~~

I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Through our Baptismal waters we were given the light of Christ.
It is only possible to pass on to others what you already have been given.
We too are to be the light of Christ to others.
Jesus made his light available for all peoples.
What about us? Are we selective as to who we are willing
to share our light with?

When we ignore people
or think it is beneath us to even speak to them;
how can our light shine forth?

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

John addresses Jesus by the title of Lamb of God.
He heard the voice of the Father and he saw
the Holy Spirit descend down in the form of a dove.

As all of these signs came together at one instance in time
John was given the insight to see Jesus in a new light....
He now was able to see Jesus as the one who would redeem all sinners.
The blood of Jesus would cleanse and atone for eternity.

We have the call to pass on this light from the Lamb of God to others.

We can only sing
Hear I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
if we are willing to pass on the light of Christ.
If we cannot reflect the light of Christ
then we might as well keep quiet.

Being the bearers of light
 requires receiving the necessary grace from God.

It is by his grace that we are capable of doing his will.
Blessings in receiving the light.

God and the Oily Head

~~~ 1 Samuel 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1 ~~ Psalm 21 ~~~ Mark 2:13-17 ~~~

A funny thing happened on the way to look for the lost asses.
Saul meets Samuel and becomes the King...what a strange turn of events.
God's plan is never dull and always filled with surprise.

Then, from a flask he had with him, Samuel poured oil on Saul’s head;
he also kissed him, saying:
“The LORD anoints you commander over his heritage.
You are to govern the LORD’s people Israel...

Saul really has few characteristics of a king...
he is hardly 'qualified' for the job.
But Samuel and God agree to give the people what they want...
a King.
Samuel tells Saul...
“This will be the sign for you
that the LORD has anointed you commander over his heritage.”

To anoint means to rub or smear with oil.

Samuel poured oil over the head of Saul...he set him apart.

In the Bible oil is the physical representation of a spiritual reality.

Saul was now set apart for God's purpose.

God orchestrated the setting in which they were to meet.

I believe God sets up things between people today

 in much the same way.

Think for a moment when you had a chance meeting 

with a strange that turned into something special

Things may appear random to us when in reality
 it is all part of God's plan for us.

Every person you meet either has something to share with you
or needs something you can share.

It is a mutual beneficial meeting seemingly to be random.

It happened to me just last month...
I had a chance meeting with a woman at tea on a cruise ship.
We began to share and talk as you at a first meeting.

Making a long story short she shared with me her personal
small way of reaching out to strangers,
which I implemented upon my return home.

Samuel anoints Saul consecrating him as a holy person for God.
As Samuel is pouring the oil over Saul's head
he is imparting the Holy Spirit to be upon Saul.

This anointing prepares Saul to be in God's service.

Saul has now been chosen to serve the Lord...
from that day froward he was a changed man.

In the Gospel reading today we another unlikely candidate
called into the service of the Lord by Jesus himself.
Jesus walks by the tax collector's table
and calls Levi, the tax collector to come follow him.

God has plans to bless us in ways we do not seem prepared for...
it is a regular occurrence in the Bible;
so why not today?
The oil of anointing is imbued with the Lord's Joy.
Peace.

Is Jesus Your King?

Memorial of Saint Anthony

~~~ 1 Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22a ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~  Mark 2:1-12 ~~~

Be careful what you ask for....
The people came to Samuel asking him to appoint a king.
They wanted to be like every other nation.
They erroneously believed that having a king would solve their problems.

Have you ever wanted something so intently;
only later to discover it was not what you should have gotten?

Samuel tried to paint the most awful picture for the people
about how their lives would be worse if he granted their request.
The rights of the king
 who will rule you will be as follows...

No matter what Samuel said they continued to insist on having a king.

We too must be like other nations,
with a king to rule us and to lead us in warfare
and fight our battles. 
There are good kings and there are bad kings.
Just as today we have good elected officials and bad officials.
Samuel had wisdom in trying to get the people to see that any person
 that he would choose to be king was not going to be a good kind of king....
rather this individual would turn out to be a typical king of that time.

A king who would mistreat his subjects, take advantage of their women,
put them to work for him plowing and harvesting.
They ultimately would not be happy.

On the other hand we have the picture of what a good king should look like.
A good king would look out for the well being of his subjects.
A good king would heal and protect.

A good king would forgive those who sinned against him.
A good king would teach the people
 and treat them with fairness and compassion.

A good king like Jesus would care about his people.
A good king like Jesus would rule with authority from God the Father.

But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth

Jesus was the good king that dwelt and walked among the common people.
When he was finally given the title of 'king'
they mocked him, spit upon him, and crowned him with thorns.

When the paralytic was healed by Jesus
 in body and spirit he picked up his mat and walked away.
All the people were amazed and glorified him.
Those kings before Jesus never treated anyone
 the way Jesus treated those who came
 to him or those who were brought to him.

So the question is what kind of king do you want?
The harsh brutal heavy handed one or
the kind fair forgiving compassionate one.

We remain astounded for the blessings God has given to us.
Thank God for your blessings today.
Jesus is the eternal compassionate King...the fair ruler...the healer
the one to be praised and adored forevermore. 

Flawed Plans

~~~1 Samuel 4:1-11 ~~~ Psalm 44 ~~~ Mark 1:40-45 ~~~

For our souls are bowed down to the dust,
our bodies are pressed to the earth.

When we allow ourselves to be overcome by our own pride
we usually end up falling off the edge of the cliff.

If we do not humble ourselves
before God he has his ways of bringing us to our knees.
The Philistines defeated the Israelite army much to their surprise.
They lost four thousands men in that battle.  They decided to carry
 the ark onto the battlefield with the men.
Just seeing the ark brought forth cheering so loud that it was
heard by their enemies miles away.
It might have been a good plan to freak out their enemy,
but it only made the enemy more determined to fight harder.

On learning that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp,
the Philistines were frightened.

Now they had new motivation to fight the Israelites...fear.
They not only slaughtered the army they also captured the precious ark.
Israel lost thirty thousand infantry soldiers that day.
Eli lost both of his sons as they fought until the end protecting the ark.

Things are not going well for the Israelites.
They failed to out fight or out smart their stronger enemy.

Pride blinds us from seeing our own areas of vulnerability.
The ark of the covenant was not enough to keep them safe.

It was more like they were relying on a long held
superstition about the power of the ark.
The power was not in the ark itself.
The power was in the grace of God's protection.

A real relationship with God does not consist in making deals with him.
God cannot be bribed into protecting you.

Have you ever made a promise to God if...happened
then you would...?

The Israelites wrongfully believed that the presence of the ark
would make God work
for them by defeating the Philistines.

Let us fetch the ark of the LORD from Shiloh
that it may go into battle among us
and save us from the grasp of our enemies.

Material artifacts should serve as reminders to us...
reminders of our personal relationship with God.
They are not the end in themselves.

Even when all seems to be lost God blesses us.
God did not come for us to bargain with for our welfare.
He came to love us...to be with us no matter what we are enduring.
He is with us...the God who loves us.
The ark itself had no control over the battle.
The Philistines were a stronger army...they had better weapons.
The Israelites were no match with or without the ark.
May the Peace of the Lord reign in your heart.

Mistaken Identity

~~~ 1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20 ~~~ Psalm 40 ~~~ Mark 1:29-39 ~~~

Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

Young Samuel was sleeping close to the Lord in the Ark of the Covenant.
The closer you bring yourself to the Lord
the more likely you are to hear his voice.
God spoke to Samuel in a dream, but the boy was confused.
He was experiencing mistaken identity.
He thought it was the voice of Eli calling him when in fact it was the Lord.

Eli, being a holy man, eventually directed Samuel
 to identify the voice of the Lord.
It is not surprising that Samuel would listen for the voice
of Eli even while sleeping.
He was Eli's devoted servant. Eli was his elder...his teacher.
Samuel had much love and admiration for Eli.
Eli was the mentor, Samuel the apprentice.

Jesus quietly slips away before dawn to pray.
He separates himself to get recharged with the Spirit.
He has been walking, touching, healing, and forgiving all day every day.

“Everyone is looking for you.”

In his slumber Samuel was not looking for the Lord,
but the Lord sought out this young man.

Imagine if everyone was looking for you?
This reminds me of another time in the scriptures where
everyone is looking for Jesus.
The first time he slips away on his own
 and goes to the temple to preach.
Mary and Joseph have no idea where he has gone.
They are frantically looking for their young son.
Eventually he is found in his Father's house where he belongs.

This time the disciples do not know that Jesus
has withdrawn to pray alone.

Jesus is very independent; he does not have
servants that tend to his daily needs.
He has, however, surrounded himself with a few men
who are willing to take a chance and follow him.

Eli has Samuel as his closest companion.
Through Hannah's prayers and through the wisdom
 and guidance of Eli
Samuel grows up in the grace of God.
God sees a potential in Samuel to accomplish
great things later in his life.

God sees potential in you too.
Are you willing to explore your future with him?
Will you respond...here I am, Lord?
Look inside for there your true identity
 is being blessed by God.
Peace.

Answered Prayers

~~1 Samuel 1:9-20~~(Psalm) 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd ~~Mark 1:21-28~~

 Hannah was praying silently;
though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard.

Fervently Hannah prayed for a child, not just any child but a son.

She spoke the words from her heart.

Her voice was silent, but her lips were carefully 

forming each word.

God listens and God answers even when we 

cannot hear our own voice.

God does not need to hear our spoken words in order 

to hear our prayer requests.

Eli said, “Go in peace,
and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

Eli loved Hannah even though she had been barren for years.

He respected and honored her longing to bear him a child.

He blessed her prayers. He joined with her desire

 that God would hear her prayer.

He wanted her to be at peace with her prayer.

He wanted her to believe that God was indeed listening to her heart.

Sometimes what we long for within our soul

 is more powerful than any prayerful words could ever be.

How has God answered your prayers?

...for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

A new teaching with authority.

Jesus taught in the Temple with the authority 

bestowed on him by the Father and the power of the Spirit.

He taught from the source. A 'new teaching' indeed.

He spoke with pure goodness, holiness.

He spoke from the heart from his core.

The evil spirits could not ignore his searing words,

even though he was not speaking directly to them.

They felt compelled to exit their host, whom they had been

 tormenting for some time.

His words literally put the fear of God in them.

They wanted to escape...to run and hide.

The unclean spirits could not get out 

of their host being soon enough.

Prayers were answered for a man who came to listen

 to the teaching of Jesus.

The man himself made no request to be freed

 from the unclean spirits.

Jesus heard his prayer of silent desire.

It is not always necessary to use words when we pray.

May God answer those prayers in the silence of your heart...

those unspoken prayers...those prayers which have no adequate words.

God Blesses us with answers to prayers

 we have yet to pray.

He answers with what he knows is best for us.

Hannah received her son, Samuel.

God heard her solemn prayer.

The man was cleansed of the unclean spirit.

God heard the prayer he had not yet spoken.

Making a Return

~~~ 1 Samuel 1:1-8 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ Mark 1:14-20 ~~~

How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?

To me psalm 116 holds some of the most beautiful 

verses in the book psalms.

It seems fitting that today as we begin ordinary time we find 

Jesus choosing his first disciples...ordinary men.

God sees potential in the common man.

God sees potential in each of us as well...

God can form us into someone special for his kingdom.

When Jesus was ready to spread the good news he needed men to help him.

Notice that he did not go home and choose his childhood buddies.

He did not pick people who already knew who he was.

He did not pick well educated men.

He did not pick men who were eloquent speakers.

Jesus chose these men because of who they were not, 

not because of who they were.

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

We are barely two weeks into the new year 

and God is reminding us that we too are being called.

We are being called to give a living testimony

 through our daily life for the gospel 

message of love and salvation.

We cannot be satisfied with just having

 the gospel message for ourselves.

We have been given our gift of faith so that

 we may lead others to Jesus.

God loved us first so that we may go out to love 

others in the same way.

It is through the sharing of his love 

that we become true disciples in today's world.

There is no need to coerce our neighbor into coming to God;

we but need to show them by how we live 

our life and how we treat others.

 Actions will always speak louder than words.

Jesus spoke with his actions on many occasions in scripture.

Sometimes the less sophisticated a person is the better 

they are at spreading the good news. 

Jesus does not ask us to analyze the message;

he simply asks us to believe and share.

You have no excuses not to respond.

Blessings come in knowing that God chooses you 

to be his disciple of love.

You are to cast his net of love out into the world.

This is how we make a return to God

 for all that he has done for us...

we agree to lead others to him.

You are Also 'Beloved"

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

~~Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7~~Psalm 29 ~~Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38~~Matthew 3:13-17~~

John reluctantly allows Jesus to be baptized by him
 in the penitential waters of the Jordan River.
Jesus, though sinless, enters into our sinfulness and submits
himself to the ritual cleansing.
He willfully enters with us into our darkness.
He humbles himself so that we may be
brought to his life giving waters of salvation.

Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
upon whom I have put my spirit;

As Jesus approaches the banks of the river he experiences
 the smells of the area.
He feels the coolness and wetness of the water.
He hears the voice of the Father...

The voice of the LORD is over the waters,
the LORD, over vast waters.
The voice of the LORD is mighty;
the voice of the LORD is majestic. 

He sees the Holy Spirit appear above his head as the dove.
He is the beloved Son, who is with us.

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.

The Trinity comes together over these cleansing waters,
these baptismal waters...
these waters that remove sin and cleanse the soul.

And a voice came from the heavens, saying,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Jesus became like us in all things except sin
so that we could become children of the light.

The Trinity comes together at the baptism of the Lord.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit converge together to validate
and confirm the salvation for all of us.

At our baptism we are also called 'beloved' by God the Father.
We are saved by the Son through our baptism.
We are strengthened through the Holy Spirit at our baptism.

We are surrounded by blessings through our Baptism.
Peace.

Center Stage

~~~ 1 John 5:14-21 ~~~ Psalm 149 ~~~ John 3:22-30 ~~~

...Abundance...

He must increase; I must decrease.

...we know that what we have asked him for is ours. 

John was baptizing in the waters when nearby

 Jesus also began to baptize.

John did not see this as a problem.

He did not feel Jesus was trying to compete with him.

John did not object to people going to his cousin to be baptized.

John knew from the beginning that he was
 the 'opening act'

not the main attraction.

So it happened that a heated discussion erupted 

concerning the fact that Jesus was also in the waters.

The Jewish people had strict rituals surrounding water.
There was abundant water in this region.

They had water rituals for consecration, cleansing, 

bathing, and purification.

There were specific instructions just for
hand and feet washing.

Baptism is closely connected with the water ritual of cleansing.

A person being consecrated or purified 

was to have their entire body washed and even their clothes.

Jesus observed the washing, cleansing, and purification rituals,

but he shifted the emphasis from the outward or external

to the inside or the internal...

ultimately to the core of the person; their heart.

The closer you get to something the larger it gets.

As Jesus gets closer to John, John steps aside 

and Jesus becomes the focal point.
Jesus was more concerned about the cleansing of the heart.
He would even be ridiculed later for not following
the strict washing rituals before eating.

Today we believe that hand washing
is the primary way to avoid spreading germs
 from one person to another.

John knew that allowing Jesus to take center stage
 in no way diminished the role he was sent to fulfill.

Blessed are those who allow Jesus to increase 

as they willingly decrease.

Peace.

The Crib was Still Warm

~~~ 1 John 5:5-13 ~~~ Psalm 147 ~~~ Luke 5:12-16 ~~~

God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 

The gift of the Son, Jesus, gives us our life.
Not just our physical life but our eternal life with him in heaven.
Jesus is our life force.
We get our life energy from the Son, Jesus.
If God had not sent Jesus, the Son,
we do not know what our salvation would look like.
John writes to us about our eternal life today.
While we are still in the season of the joy of Christmas
we are being faced with our death.
The only way to appreciate what has been given
you must be made aware of the gift.
We have to understand now
while the crib is still warm what we have been given.

I write these things to you so that you may know
that you have eternal life,
you who believe in the name of the Son of God.

We don't just have a sweet touching story here.
The animals did not gather around the manger to keep the baby warm.
The wise men did not come just to see the new baby king.
Joseph didn't have ordinary dreams.

Every last detail was part of God's plan to save us.
He wanted to save you before you were ever born.

We do not have eternal life like the movie vampire creatures.
We have eternal life because it has been given to us...
it is God's gift to us.
Everything in the universe seems to be very organized
so it is not surprising to me that our salvation
would have also been highly organized. 

God sent his Son to begin our saving process,
leaving much of the final parts to be done by us.
Individually we have to complete in our own hearts
what God began when his only begotten Son became man.

As always, we have a choice....
We can either cherish and nourish the gift or
let it wither and fall away.

Jesus saved us from the warmth of the crib.
That was the beginning of his salvation gift.
We have received; now we must put it to good use.

...he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.
Jesus withdrew to pray.
He prayed for us, that we would all
see his gift and appreciate it.

Blessings in appreciating the great gift of salvation.
The birth of Our Lord is the beginning of our salvation.
The Father eagerly waits our arrival into his eternal kingdom...
heaven.

Homecoming in the Temple

~~~ John 4: 19-5:4 ~~~ Psalm 72 ~~~ Luke 4:14 ~~~

Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

This is the fourth day including last Sunday, the Epiphany,
that we are given psalm 72
bridging the readings together.
The Kings came bearing gifts from afar,
prostrated themselves and adored the child Jesus.

Luke has Jesus returning to Galilee at the beginning of his ministry.
Mark, however has this reading in the temple closer to the end of his ministry.
Whenever it occurred, Jesus did go to temple.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day. 

He was a devout Jew, even though he came to bring about change.
Jesus is home perhaps he had come home to be with his family.
There is a certain comfort about coming home...
the unconditional love of family...
the familiarity of the home...
favorite meals...
sleeping in your own bed...
sharing stories...catching up on what has happened.

Jesus could not call home
or check in on social media with his loved ones.
It would have been normal for him to participate in temple service.
The elders welcomed him in the temple.
He was close to being an elder himself by now.

They handed him the scroll to read from in their presence.
However, they may not have been expecting to hear
 the passage he spoke aloud to them.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me...

But even more shocking was what he said to them afterward...

He was the kid down the street.
They had watched him grow up.
They had seen him laughing and helping Joseph
in his workshop.
Jesus was a local boy
who had been away and was now back home.

They must have been secretly irate when...
He said to them,
“Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” 

At first it took them by such surprise they were mesmerized by his eloquence.
They were impressed by how well he read from the scroll.
This first impressing will soon be replaced.
They begin to grumble quietly to themselves,
but soon their personal outrage spreads to others.

Just who does he think he is?

Jesus openly laid claim before the elders of Nazareth.
He proclaimed himself to be the subject of the prophecy of Isaiah.
What other surprises does he have for them?

Jesus blesses us where he needs for us to grow.
It may be in our home town, but it could
be while away in distant lands.
It may be among family members or it could be
amidst complete strangers.

He wants to bless you where you are today.
Peace.

Your Undivided Attention

~~~ John 4:11-18 ~~~ Psalm 72 ~~~ Mark 6: 45-52 ~~~

We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.

Jesus sends the disciples ahead of him
 while he stays behind to dismiss the crowd he has just fed.

Earlier the disciples had urged him to leave.
He would not be swayed by their arguments
of not having enough food for the crowd.

Maybe Jesus just needed some alone time...
time to communicate with his Father in private.

Perhaps he himself was surprised that his blessing alone
 kept the baskets flowing with bread and fish.
Mark makes no mention of the disciples
being amazed by the continuous supply of bread and fish.

The disciples do as Jesus asks and leave by boat
 for the other side of the sea.
The seas become turbulent, the winds are growing stronger.

The waves are tossing the disciples' boat up and down.
They are struggling just to keep rowing to make it to the far side.
They are tired and weary. It has been a long day.
Where is Jesus when they need him most?
I think we can all say we have been
in that very place in our life.

Suddenly Jesus is casually walking on the water
 toward them and Mark adds,
He meant to pass by them. 
Why would he want to pass them by?
Perhaps his walking on the water was some indication of his divinity.
But why would he just pass by them in their time of distress?
Maybe he thought they were too occupied
with their own struggle
to even notice he was near them.

Maybe some of us can honestly admit we have been
 in that place as well.

But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” 

Now Jesus had their undivided attention.
'It's me, Jesus, calm down, take a deep breath.
He tells them not to be afraid and gets into the boat with them.
And, yes, as soon as he got into the boat
the seas calmed down.

If the disciples were not impressed
 by the miracle of the loaves and fishes;
they were impressed now.
From then on they would take Jesus more seriously.

I know it may sound corny, but you've
 just gotta have Jesus in the boat with you.

That is the only way to weather the storms of life.
Even if you feel God intends to pass you by
in reality it is never the case.

Blessings of courage;
believe Jesus will never pass you by.

Nothing Held Back

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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