The Eternal Embrace

~~~ James 5:13-20 ~~~ Psalm 141 ~~~ Mark 10:13-16 ~~~

Pray, Sing, Anoint, Confess...

Saint James covers all aspects of our relationship with God.
If you are suffering...pray.
If you are happy...sing.
If anyone is sick anoint them with sacramental oil.
And finally if you are in sin...confess your sins and be healed.
All of the above are part of one's life of prayer.

Let my prayer come like incense before you.

Have you ever watched rising incense?
It begins close to the fiery coals...it gently rises
and begins to swirl around.
The higher it rises the harder it is to detect
until finally it merges with the air and disappears from sight.
But what does remain lingering in the air is the fragrance of the incense.

May my prayers rise to you, Lord.
May they be such that they merge with the prayers of the whole world.
May my prayers be bigger than just for those I personally know.

Open my heart to see every occasion as a reason to pray.

...whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child
will not enter it.

In the time of Jesus a child was not important.
A child can do nothing on its own.
A child is dependent on adults to provide for them.
This is precisely how God wants us to view our relationship with him.
He wants us to depend upon him for all of our needs.
It is true that we are not children, but God is our parent.
The best parent any child could ever have.

Let the children come to me; do not prevent them...

The kingdom of heaven belongs to those
who accept Jesus and his Kingdom like that of a child.

Jesus embraced the children and blessed them
placing his hands on them.

I want to be blessed in the same manner by God.
Imagine to joy in feeling Jesus wrap his arms around you
holding you close to himself.
Imagine yourself releasing into his embrace...
becoming one with him.
Perhaps this is what heaven will be like...
the eternal embrace.
Peace.