Go...Tell the People

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 5:17-26 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ John 3:16-21 ~~~

...whoever lives the truth comes to the light,
so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.

God sent the angels to open the doors of the prison...

to release the Apostles instructing them to speak in the temple.

From the beginning, it was jealousy
that resulted in the apostles imprisonment.
The Sadducees thought that with Jesus out of the picture
 everything would return to 'normal'.
They completely missed the whole point of the mission of Jesus.

The darkness of the cell was broken.

The Apostles walked freely into the light of the day.

The guards confirmed
 that indeed they had been securely

 locked in their cells.

They were at a loss to explain how the men had escaped.

Obviously it was the power of God

 that brought them forth to speak.

 Go...tell the people everything about this life.

God did not want the Apostles locked up in a dark cell.

God wanted them out in the light

 sharing everything about the joy and love of living 

as he had intended them to live.

God intends us to live in his love.

He gave the life of his son, Jesus, for us.

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.

This eternal life is life in the light of God...
the eternal light...
the light that can never be extinguished.
There is nothing that can conceal the light of Christ.

May we be blessed to always live in the light of the truth.
The truth being; we are loved beyond measure.
There is no greater love...
~~~Peace~~~

Is Your Faith Contagious?

~~~ Saint Catherine of Siena ~~~

~~~ Virgin and Doctor of the Church ~~~

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 4:32-37 ~~~ Psalm 93 ~~~ John 3:7b-15 ~~~

The community of believers was of one heart and mind...

This is such a foreign concept for us today.

We live in a society that places more value on the individual.

Not only functioning independently, but we strive to be unique.

We value our goal of being different.

Just think for a moment about some of our current entertainers.

Lady Gaga comes to mind right away, but there are many.

Jesus came that we might be one; one in his love and mercy.

Is it possible for us to retain our diversity
 and still be of 'one heart and mind'?

I believe the answer is 'yes'.

Being of one heart and one mind is more than
 pooling material possessions.

The unity of this community is something deeper...

something that cannot be seen.

The disposition of the heart and mind must be one with the Lord.

This oneness will then be the guiding force in our lives.

The apostles, with the power of the Spirit, were able to speak 

and act with great passion.

The passion which sprung from their faith and love for Jesus.

Their passion was contagious, thus many came to believe.

Many wanted to be a part of this community...to support
 it any way they could.

We see this even today in our various church communities and groups.

To enter into a passionate community is ultimately to be 

of one heart and mind with the other members.

Being of one heart and mind does not mean diversity 

and creativity are destined to become obsolete.

Being of one heart and mind makes for a much stronger community.

It takes a strong community to carry out the work of the Spirit.

All of the threads of a tapestry are woven together 

while retaining the unique color of each thread,

as it can be in our society today.

We are Blessed to live in a world where the possibilities are endless...

where we can have 'one heart and mind'

with one another.

~~~Peace~~~

Are You Bold for Him?

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 4:23-31 ~~~ Psalm 2 ~~~  John 3:1-8 ~~~

...no one can do these signs that you are doing
unless God is with him...

The apostles were afraid after seeing how Jesus was executed;
until they were filled with the Spirit.
Suddenly they were able to speak with boldness.
There fears no longer kept them from proclaiming the good news of the Resurrection.
They were strong enough to leave the upper room...
to unlock the doors and go out among the people.
They were able to stand tall and their confidence was strengthened.

The earth shook as a sign of the Divine presence when
they acted in his holy name.
They acted on his behalf in all circumstances.

Have you ever been so sure of yourself
 that it did not matter to you what others thought?
The apostles were so changed that they
were probably amazed by themselves.
Until this time they had been the ones listening to
and learning from Jesus.
They were not the ones doing the teaching.
They were not the ones dealing with the scribes and the Pharisees.
Until now they were not the ones who possessed
the power of healing.
But now things had changed.
Now they were constantly discovering
just what they could do for others.

The possibilities seemed to be almost limitless.

(But not really)
They knew they were not the same as Jesus.

...unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot 
enter the Kingdom of God.

Nicodemus came to recognize that only someone
 very close to God could perform such great works i.e. miracles.

Jesus confuses Nicodemus by telling him
 that one must be born from above and from the Spirit.

It is known that we are only born of the flesh once,
but to be born in the Spirit may come much later in life.

When we are born in the flesh we can see our physical body.
When we are born in the waters of Baptism our soul is cleansed.
When we are born in the Spirit we have no real tangible evidence...

We are, however, profoundly changed...
We can now act and speak with boldness.

He Blesses us to be bold for Him, for the Kingdom of God.

Be bold, be strong,
you are filed with the Spirit.
~~Peace~~

Living the 'Resurrection' Life

~~~Sunday of Divine Mercy~~~

~~Acts of the Apostles 2:42-47~~Psalm 118~~1 Peter 1:3-9~~

~~John 20:19-31~~

  

The formula for a happy 'resurrection' life is recorded 

for us in the Acts of the Apostles.

Today not only is it Divine Mercy Sunday it is also with great joy 

that we welcome two new Saints...

Two of our beloved Popes,

John XXIII (1881-1963) and John Paul II (1920-2005).

We are all called to the live the 'Resurrection' Life to become saints.
The Lord wants to fill us with the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit guides and inspires us along our journey toward sainthood.
Today the Catholic puts the 'stamp of approval' on two men
 of the church who lived their lives in a manner worthy to be canonized.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ ...

God's great gift of mercy gives a new lease on life,
 a chance for a new beginning;
not just once but each time we seek his mercy.
Receiving his mercy gives us living hope.
Without hope we nearly cease to be among the living.

The locked doors of the upper room did not keep Jesus from entering.
Open your heart and let the living hope refresh your soul.

We are Blessed with His Divine Mercy.
Peace and Joy!

Unharnessed Joy

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 4:13-21 ~~~ Psalm 118 ~~~ Mark 16:9-15 ~~~

It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard.

What is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to you?
What happened on the best day of your life?
How good are you at keeping a secret?

Some things are not meant to be kept a secret.
If I had been blessed to have had a meeting with the risen Jesus
there is no way I would have been able to keep quiet.

This is where the apostles find themselves.
They are swimming in the pool of unharnessed joy.

He said to them, “Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”

Jesus wants us to be so excited
 that when he sends out into the whole world
we will be jumping with joy.

He wants us to be so filled with joy
and happiness that containing it is no option,
 even if we tried.

He fills us with joy so that we want to go out
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature on earth.

Open up your heart for the possibilities of Joy.
Let your heart burst
at the seams with the joy and love of the Lord.

Let your face reflect this unharnessed joy.

You can make a difference in someone's life right now.
Blessed with unbelievable joy.
Peace.

...Wonderful in Our Eyes...

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 4:1-12 ~~~ Psalm 118 ~~~ John 21:1-14 ~~~

...it is wonderful in our eyes...

They apostles were on fire with their belief in Jesus.

The apostles were not intimidated by the elders,
acting as judge and jury.

“By what power or by what name have you done this?”

Even though the leaders, elders, and scribes assembled together
 in Jerusalem could not comprehend
what was happening with Peter and John.
They did not want to have their minds opened.
Were they afraid that maybe they had been wrong?
Did they realize killing Jesus was not enough
 to halt the power of his message?

This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.

When Jesus appears to the disciples on the beach.
He meets them in their comfort zone.
They were fishermen. He had been in their boats.
He had been on the edge of the water with them many times before.

This day would be unlike any other day they had
previously experienced as fishermen.

The catch that day nearly ruptured their nets.
They could hardly haul the fish onto the beach.

Jesus showed the disciples,
to follow his directions one more time was worthwhile.
When things seem to be impossible
Jesus steps in and surprises us.
Sometimes he asks us to perform the identical
task we have done many times before.

For fishermen, the greater the catch the more jubilant
will be their response.

...it is wonderful in our eyes...

Peter and John gave all of the glory to God.
They went about healing and curing all in the name of the Lord.
They did not try to take personal credit.
Jesus appears to bestow his abundant Blessings.
Peace.

What is the Mix?

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 3:11-26 ~~~ Psalm 8 ~~~ Luke 24: 35-48 ~~~

The Apostles were in such shock at all they had experienced.
Jesus washed their feet, shared his own body and blood, was arrested,
mocked, scourged, nailed to a cross.
They were so overwhelmed. Their faith could have been in jeopardy.
In his great love, Jesus helped them make the transition.
He used his human body to support his resurrection.
He was not a ghost he appeared to them in his flesh...his human form. 

"Peace be with you."

He did not want them to be fearful or sad.
He wanted them to understand all that the prophets had foretold.
He wanted their hearts to be opened to the fullness of the prophecies.

 “Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?

The questions arising in their hearts were coming from
 their doubts and dis-beliefs.
We know oil and water do not mix.
The oil floats on the top, even after it has been mixed into the water.
So it is with doubt; doubt is like the oil.
We can always convince ourselves that we have reason to doubt...
Sometimes this doubt get mixed into our reservoir of faith.
We must trust that the Peace of God
will keep our doubts from mixing into our faith.

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

Jesus used his appearances after the resurrection to reveal himself.
He gives disciples the reassurances they needed.
He had truly been raised from the dead on the third day
 just as the Scriptures had said.

They had no reason to doubt; his appearances confirmed his resurrection.
He spoke with them, he ate with them, he let them
touch his resurrected body.

He opened their hearts and their faith increased;
leaving less room for the prior doubts.

Jesus wants to bless us more completely each day.
Allow his presence to remove your doubts.
Allow this season of Easter to increase your faith.

It is His peace that we must give to one another.

He Drew Near

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 3:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ Luke 24:13-35 ~~~

The walk to Emmaus is such a beautiful story.
Jesus meets Cleopas and his companion where they are on their journey.

Jesus himself drew near and walked with them...

They have been walking seven miles now.
They walk in silence because they have lost some of their hope.
They walk in silence as they return home wondering what they will do next.
How are they to carry forward with what they have seen
and learned from Jesus?

Eventually they begin to speak about what had happened to Jesus.
How could he have been arrested, convicted, and crucified?
How could this happen to one so good?
Why did things not turn out as they had expected?

Does any of this sound familiar to you?
I am guessing it does.
I can relate to disappointments in life.
Sometimes things do not turn out like we thought they would.

Jesus not only walked with these two, but he also listened
to their sad expression of the past events.

He spoke of what had to be in his unique compassionate way.

He remained with them until they reached their home.
He entered their home. He sat down at the table with them.

He used something familiar to reveal himself before their very eyes.

They recognized him in the breaking of the bread.
It was this action of breaking the bread,
not the burning in their hearts.
The burning of their hearts was only connected
 to the presence of Jesus after the fact.

How many times can we too look back on an event
only later to realize its real significance.

These two longed for Jesus to stay with them,
but he vanished leaving them with joy.

Now they could return to Jerusalem light-hearted...
with a spring in their step.
They were bringing the good news of the Lord's Resurrection.

They returned to share their story.
They came to discover the others stories.

We each have our story of the living Jesus.
Share yours and you will be Blessed.
He is with you always,
even when you do not recognize him.
Peace.

This is No Fairy Tale

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 2:36-41 ~~~ Psalm 33 ~~~ John 20:11-18 ~~~

In John's writing right after the Resurrection of the Lord,

we find Mary Magdalene inspecting the tomb.

She was weeping, understandable as she was in mourning.

...she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.

Angels were sitting inside the dark empty tomb.

Things had changed once again.

At the birth of Jesus angels sang heavenly songs;

now at his death they are sitting in silence.

They sit one at the head and one at the foot where he had been,

honoring this holy space.

This space where the Father raised up Jesus,

giving him his new glorified body.

Mary comes to the tomb not certain of what she will find,

but she was prepared to love him even in death.

Jesus appears to her in her grief and in her confusion.

He brings her comfort.

He calms her fears...He answers her questions.

He speaks her name...the voice she had become so accustomed to hearing.

He speaks her name...Mary.

The voice she thought she would never hear again.

Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,
for I have not yet ascended to the Father.

He has previously told the apostles 

he was going away, that they could not come.

Now that he is risen he tells Mary 

she must not hold on to him.

Things had changed.

He cannot stay. This is not where he belongs.

He must return to the Father who sent him.

So why does Jesus make these appearances after he is risen?

Does he appear to others, not recorded in the Gospels?

Personally, I believe that he most certainly 

appeared to his mother, Mary.

Jesus knew that his friends wanted to believe 

all that he had told him about his death and resurrection;

he wanted them to see him.  Now there would be no doubt.

There would be no fairy tale stories about his resurrection.

Jesus is the 'happily ever after'.

This is no fairy tale, this for real.

He is the promise come true.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Jesus blesses us with his promise of life eternal.

Peace.

Overjoyed...Released from Death

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 2:14, 22-33 ~~~  Psalm 16 ~~~ Matthew 28:8-15 ~~~

...fearful yet overjoyed...

We know too well what fearful looks like and feels like,

but how would you express overjoyed?

Throughout the Scriptures we have examples of those who were overjoyed 

by the miracles Jesus performed.

...Walking....Seeing...Hearing...

Many people are overjoyed today too.

Imagine the survivor after having lost both legs, walks again 

on their prosthetic legs...

...the stoke victim who learns to speak again...

or the liver transplant recipient who is no longer facing eminent death.

We too can find times in our life when we have been overjoyed.

Sometimes even things we feared can transform into sources of joy.

We fear the unknown; we are overjoyed by the known.

And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.

I can just imagine Martha and Mary seeing Jesus,

looking at one another and 

saying, He really has been raised!

Maybe they even jumped in the air with joy

right before they fell to their knees to kiss his feet.

At that very moment nothing could take away their joy.

But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it.

Saint Paul says it well...

it was impossible for death to hold on to Jesus.

For Jesus death was the price he paid for our salvation...

it was never meant to be a permanent state.

Because we too believe in the Resurrection.

Death is not meant to be permanent for us either.

What we feel overjoyed by today 

does not compare to the joy awaiting for us in heaven.

May all your fears transpire into being overjoyed.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Overjoyed with Blessings!

Alleluia, He is Risen!

~~~ Easter Sunday ~~~

~~Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43~~Psalm 118~~Colossians 3:1-4~~John 20:1-9~~

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

This is the day of the Lord...the day of resurrection.

This is the day the Lord conquered death for us.

It is truly a day of rejoicing.

Do you find it curious that we use the empty tomb as a sign of joy.

No one actually witnessed the Resurrection of Jesus.

It is his very absence that signifies his resurrection.

I can only imagine how difficult

 it was to let Jesus go after all they had seen him accomplish.

They did not understand and today they are left with emptiness.

Saint Paul tells us Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.

Jesus has once again emptied himself of his human body.

He must be emptied to be raised from death.

His Resurrection is Light, Life, Freedom.

We are invited to enter into the Joy of the Empty Tomb.

He is the Resurrection and the Life.

Believe that you too may be raised up with him to eternal life.

Blessed with the Joy of Easter!!!

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Renew the Face of the Earth

~~~ Holy Saturday ~~~

~~Genesis 1:1-2:2~~Psalm 104~~Genesis 22:1-18~~
~~Psalm 16~~Exodus 14:15-15:1~~

Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.

~~Isaiah 54:5-14~~Psalm 30~~Isaiah 55:1-11~~

You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation.

~~Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4~~Psalm 19~~Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28~~

~~~Romans 6:3-11~~~Psalm 118~~`

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

~~~ Matthew 28:1-10 ~~~

Each year the holy church in her wisdom gives us the history of our salvation.

From the beginning of creation God made evident how he loved us.

He created everything for us.

We are profoundly reminded through our senses of the the contrast 

between darkness and light.

We are given the cool refreshing and sometimes raging waters.

God populated the new earth with every living creature;

on the land and under the water.

The earth was teaming with life and beauty.

Every year we sing...

Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.

Every year we are given the chance to see the world renewed...

to see the world as God intended it to be from the beginning, creation.

It is fitting that we are in the Springtime 

of the year; we have visible signs of new birth and new growth.

God put Abraham to the test.

Abraham was willing to sacrifice his young son Isaac.

Abraham was ready to prove his undying willingness to obey God.

From that time forward God blessed the descendants of Abraham.

God chose Moses to lead his people out of the desert.

He gave them all that they needed.

He saved them from their enemies by parting the sea.

He fed them with manna from heaven 

'like the dewfall'.

Sadly, his chosen people became a disappointment for God.

They acted just like bratty spoiled children...

whining and complaining.

God never stopped loving.

He continues to give.

My favorite reading is Isaiah 55: 1-11

All you who are thirsty,
come to the water!

What are you waiting for? 

He is here loving, giving, satisfying your thirst.

Seek the Lord while he may be found...

He is generous...His ways are not like ours.

He is a magnanimous God.

He has the words of everlasting life.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. 

The stone has been rolled back...the tomb is empty...the burial cloths are folded.

“Do not be afraid!

Go tell everyone He is Risen.

It is now a time of rejoicing.

He has given us life eternal the greatest gift of all.

Alleluia, we are blessed beyond words.

By His Stripes...

~~~ Good Friday ~~~

~~Isaiah 52:13-53:12~~Psalm 31~~Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9~~John 18:1-19:42~~

 ...he was pierced for our offenses,
crushed for our sins;
upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole,
by his stripes we were healed.

The prophet Isaiah reveals in detail the gruesome evidence
 of how Jesus suffered for each of us.

Jesus was pierced, crushed, and chastised.
His horrid brokenness makes us whole;
for we came into this world already scarred.

His torn bleeding flesh slashed by brutal soldiers
result in our healing.
Not the healing of our physical bodies, but the healing of our souls.
For it is not the healing of the body
that allows us to enter into heaven. but rather the healing of our soul.

We had all gone astray like sheep,
each following his own way;
but the LORD laid upon him
the guilt of us all.
I am not sure if we can be compared to sheep who are docile creatures.
Yes, it is true that when we turn away from God we are like the lost sheep.
We sin even when we know better; we make the choice to sin.
When we follow our own way it is because we think
we know what is better for us.

I have often reflected on how it was possible for Jesus to be silent
as false accusations were hurled at him one after the other.

Most of us today would be eager to defend our innocence.
We would have the best legal representation available to us.
We would be coached; to choose our words carefully.
...he was silent and opened not his mouth.

Jesus stood in humility while they humiliated,
scorned, and mocked him.

Sometimes the best we can do is to keep silent.
But can we?

...he was cut off from the land of the living,

Jesus came down to the land of the living to save us
who call this land our home.
This 'land of the living' was never the home for Jesus.
His home has always been in heaven with the Father.
This is where he also wants us to reside.
Our home is also in heaven with the Father and the Son.

...because he surrendered himself to death
and was counted among the wicked;
and he shall take away the sins of many,
and win pardon for their offenses.

We give you praise and adore you...
For you have set us free...
you have redeemed us.

Jesus suffered and died once for us;
he sends down his saving grace and blesses us each and every day.

The bleeding stripes upon his precious body heals our soul.
He suffered and died for you.
There is no greater love.
Amen.

Eucharist...the Great Gift

~~~ Holy Thursday ~~~

~~Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14~~Psalm 116~~1 Corinthians 11:23-26~~John 13:1-15~~

For the next three days we remember...

we reenact...we celebrate...we pray...we mourn...we rejoice.

Jesus begins his passion journey by emptying himself 

at the feet of his chosen followers.

He washes the feet of his twelve apostles 

including the one who would betray him 

and the one who would deny him.

 “Do you realize what I have done for you?
You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am.
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash one another’s feet.
I have given you a model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”

The Apostles like us did not fully grasp what Jesus had done for them.

He was not just talking about washing their feet.

He was speaking of all he had done each day.

How he had reached out to others.

I am reminded of the lyrics of a beautiful Taize music.

"Lord God you love us, source of compassion."

Jesus took the opportunity to extend compassion to everyone he met.

His compassion was made evident in his kindness, his acts of healing,

his mercy and forgiveness.

Many of his parables were also scented with his great compassion.

Jesus left us his body and blood as a personal act of compassion for all ages.

Compassion...a feeling to want to help someone who is suffering.

Jesus was leaving, his time on earth was ending.

He did not want to leave us alone and lost.

He left us the greatest gift, the gift of himself....

the Most Holy Eucharist.

A compassionate person wants to alleviate pain and suffering.

Receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus

 is our source of comfort

given to us by Jesus personally.

Do you realize what I have done for you?

Compassion focuses on relieving pain and suffering.

Jesus left this model of compassion 

for us in hopes that we too 

will find this practice of compassion valuable.

Jesus extends his compassion 

for us every time we come forward 

to receive his Body and Blood...in Holy Communion.

Blessed through the gift of the Eucharist.

In deep gratitude for his presence.

Peace.

Actions Have Consequences

~~~ Isaiah 50:4-9a ~~~ Psalm 69 ~~~ Matthew 26:14-25 ~~~

“What are you willing to give me
if I hand him over to you?”

We may not say these exact words, 

but we do express the same sentiment of the heart

in our sinfulness.

When we chose sin we are choosing something other than God.

We are choosing the pleasures of sin.

When we are in sin we are handing over our soul 

in much the same way Judas handed over Jesus.

They paid him thirty pieces of silver,
and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

We may not consciously think about in a monetary way.

Judas betrayed Jesus for a bribe.

Judas betrayed Jesus for an empty promise.

Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss of friendship.

It is worth noting that the price of a slave 

was about thirty silver shekels...

the equivalent of three months wages.

Judas gave up his soul when he betrayed Jesus;

he became a slave to Satan.

Satan tempted him and seduced him into the darkness.

What would you be willing to betray Jesus for?

Would it be financial gain...

fame...or satisfactions of the flesh.

I am afraid that sometimes we commit sin 

without fully comprehending the price.

Later we will hear that Judas was distraught as he learned 

Jesus was to be killed.

Too many times our sins are committed 

with only the immediate rewards in view.

We do not see the greater consequences of our offenses.

Judas was greedy and wanted more money;

he never agreed to take part in the actual killing of Jesus.

So I can see his great remorse as the hours

 and the reality of what he had done unfolded.

What Judas put in motion he could not stop.

It was all down hill like a runaway train on a collision course.

Part of me actually feels sorry for Judas, 

because he did not allow the grace of God to stop him from acting.

Every day we must pay attention to the words of the Our Father...

...lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil...

I invite you to pray for the blessing of God's grace;

especially when you are confronted with your

'thirty pieces of silver'.

Peace.

Reflect His Glory

~~~ Isaiah 49:1-6 ~~~ Psalm 71 ~~~ John 13:21-33, 36-38 ~~~

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

God is commissioning us to go beyond our local church community...
beyond our circle of friends.
We are called to shine our light to the ends of the earth.
Our light, which comes from the Lord,
is a reflection of his glory.
We are light because he is our source.
Without his light we would have no light of our own.

He shares his light with us through the grace of our salvation.
It is his grace that continues to keep our light burning brightly.
We must share what God has done for us.
We are called to tirelessly speak of his wondrous love.

The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
We have each been chosen by God.
He not only knows our name he has counted every hair on our head.
There is no one who could love you more.
We must let the sparkle of God's love radiate out to others.

Jesus indicates to the apostles that the one to whom
 he gives the morsel of bread will betray him.

Jesus names Judas without actually speaking his name.

After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.

Did Judas give his soul to Satan?
Did Satan seize upon the opportunity to take control of him?

Apparently not even the presence of Jesus is protection enough from evil.
Judas took the morsel from the hand of Jesus and Satan entered him.
This whole string of events is a little troubling.

Did Jesus know that Judas had already entered into sin in his heart?
When we have already become weakened by our own sinfulness,
 what happens next is crucial.

Jesus had to be betrayed in order for his subsequent arrest could take place.
Jesus had to be betrayed in order for us to be redeemed.

It makes me more determined to be vigilant of the state of my soul.
To be more aware of what I allow to curl up in my heart.

The evil in the heart of Judas was like a snake
waiting to strike its victim.

Jesus had the Father by his side to give him strength.
Jesus knew he would be raised from the dead by the Father.

Hold on to Jesus.
He is our strength. He is our hope.
He is our Savior.
He has made us a light to shine before others.

Blessed to be a tiny reflection of the glory of God
in a world filled with so much darkness.

Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him...

Let us glory in the cross today.
Peace.

Swaddled by Her Hair

~~~ Isaiah 42:1-7 ~~~ Psalm 27 ~~~ John 12:1-11 ~~~

Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil
made from genuine aromatic nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;
the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 

Mary held nothing back for later.

She did not just pour the expensive oil on the feet of Jesus;

she broke the jar.

She broke the with not hope or intention of saving any for later.

She gave it all completely to Jesus.

Recently I had the experience of following a path 

to reach an unfamiliar prayer space.

While small signs and candles marked the way 

what led me most was what I could smell.

The fragrance of the scented candles

 burning in the prayer space guided me the closer I came.

Imagine one quart of perfumed oil spilling in your home.

The fragrance would permeate the entire house.

You would be able to smell the perfume days or weeks later.

Now we have devices that plug into the wall

 to continuously send a pleasing fragrance into the air space.

We are not told why Mary had such a large 

amount of this expensive oil.

Had it been in her family for years?

Was it kept especially for burial rites?

Whatever the reason she took this beautiful jar 

of expensive oil and broke it 

allowing the oil to freely spread all around 

the legs and feet of Jesus.

At that moment her intent was to anoint Jesus.

This was not typical anointing where the oil 

was poured over the head.

The oil instead was poured on his feet.

She takes her long hair and wraps it around his feet.

She is kneeling at the feet of Jesus as she had done before.

Before she was focused intently on listening to his every word.

Now no words were necessary from Jesus or from Mary.

Judas breaks the moment with his harsh accusation...

he was thinking about the material value of the oil.

Mary valued the presence of Jesus much more 

than the money she could earn by selling the oil.

Dare I say that Jesus and Mary had a very intimate moment that day.

She humbled herself at his feet.

She took her hair, a source of beauty for a woman,

and swaddled his feet.

I invite you to fill your home with your favorite fragrance today.

Allow yourself to attend to this smell for a moment.

Reflect on how you can give yourself more fully to God.

Pour out all of your fears, joys, and sorrows.

Empty yourself at his feet.

This lingering fragrance like peace and joy 

will permeate your soul.

Blessed to broken and poured out at his feet.

May the peace of Christ 

be the fragrance you leave with others.

Remain Here...Keep Watch

~~~Palm Sunday~~~

~~Isaiah 50:4-7~~Psalm 22~~Philippians 2:6-11~~Matthew 26:14-27:66~~

...at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Today the readings carry us through a full range of emotions.
We begin with the triumphant palm waving entry into Jerusalem,
 within minutes we are in the agony in the garden
soon we are on our knees.

“Hosanna to the Son of David;
blessed is the he who comes in the name of the Lord;
hosanna in the highest.”

Blessed is the name of the Lord...Jesus.
Sometimes I reflect on how difficult it must have been for God the Father
 to silently remain in the distance
as Jesus was being mocked and scourged.
Even knowing that it had to be the agony must have been great.

Jesus was betrayed by one of those in his inner circle, Judas.
It is hard to grasp how someone that close to Jesus
could hand him over to the authorities just for a few coins.
Is money really that important?

Would you be willing to betray a friend for financial gain?
Maybe we would not, but it does still happen in our society today.

The teacher says, “My appointed time draws near;
in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.”

The Pharisees were correct in believing
 that Jesus would come out of the desert for the Passover meal.
Only this Passover would be different.
This would be his last Passover meal with his friends.
The same God that led the people out of slavery
 is now preparing sit at the table with the one who will betray him.

Then Jesus said to them,
“This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken...

We know this statement was shocking, at least to Peter,
who is convicted in his belief in Jesus.
Even though Jesus had tried many times to tell them
 he would go away where they would not be able to come;
they could not fully grasp his words.

Has your faith in God ever been shaken?
I think many good and faithful people would answer 'yes'.
We are not very different than the apostles;
we have our own expectations of God.
When he does not fulfill those expectations our faith is shaken.

When we feel that our faith is shaken
 that is when we must cling to the Lord with even greater tenacity.
Many times in the face of great pain and sorrow
we want to cry out 'where are you God?'
We want to know why he has allowed this to happen.
Often our questions remain unanswered.
Some questions are not meant to have answers.

“My soul is sorrowful even to death.
Remain here and keep watch with me.”

During this Holy Week join me as we remain
 and keep watch with the realities of our redemption.
Surrender to the Lord those times when your faith is most shaken.
Keep watch knowing that he is with you.
Pause to kneel before the Lord.
Give him all of your fears and concerns;
no one understands better than he does.

May you have a Blessed Holy Week.

The Thorn Bush

~~Ezekiel 37:21-28~~(Psalm)Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13~~ John 11:45-56~~

...If we leave him alone, all will believe in him,
and the Romans will come
and take away both our land and our nation.

The Pharisees were quite happy with their prestigious positions.

They felt threatened by the good things Jesus was doing.

They wanted to be the ones who were the 'good' people.

The problem is the Pharisees wanted to appear good in the eyes of the Romans.

The Pharisees were considered by the Sadducees to be the 'dissenters'.

The Pharisees became intensely focused on the words of the holy texts;

rather than on the ritual sacrifices.

The leaders for the Pharisees were given the title of rabbi 

meaning master or teacher.

The Romans eventually came into power over Jerusalem.

The Romans are brutal, even killing the priests at the altar.

Herod, a Jew, comes into power and tries to keep the peace.

He tries to keep the Romans and the Jews happy which is a great challenge.

Herod does a good job. He keeps the peace among the Jews 

and the Romans are pleased with him as ruler.

The Pharisees were willing to do most anything to keep their position in society.

They were also willing to dissolve anything that caused unrest;

anything that might jeopardize their place of good favor with the Romans.

So in defense of the Pharisees they were afraid of Jesus.

They did not have the strength of character to Jesus as doing good.

They did not want Jesus to tell them what they were doing wrong.

They plotted to kill Jesus in order to save the nation 

from the wrath of the Romans.

...Jesus was going to die for the nation,
and not only for the nation,
but also to gather into one the dispersed children of God.
So from that day on they planned to kill him.

Once they had made their decision Jesus had to flee from Jerusalem.

He retreated into the desert; no longer spending

time with his Jewish friends.

The danger was intensifying, but Jesus was a devout Jew.

They began to speculate as to whether or not 

he would return for the feast of Passover.

Jesus moves to a place of hiding.

He too was acting in fear.

Fear plus fear does not equal peace.

Fear causes people to act irrationally.

Getting rid of Jesus would solve all of their problems.

Life would return to the status quo 

and all would be well in regards to the Romans.

Sometimes we fall into the same trap of deception.

We believe if we get rid of a situation which we deem as threatening

all will return to the previous state.

We see this played out among our politicians everyday.

I won't bore you with examples, which I am sure you can easily find.

Jesus was about peace.

He does not choose violence to achieve his peace.

His peace is achieved through unconditional love and forgiveness.

The relationship between the Pharisees 

and the Romans was like a giant thorny bush.

The Pharisees were not about to get tangled in the thorns.

It was much easier to just kill Jesus.

Get Jesus out of the way and ignore the thorn bush...the Romans.

They plotted to kill Jesus to maintain 

their false sense of peace with the Romans.

Jesus is the one who has the true peace.

He blesses us with his peace.

He calls us in turn to pass his peace on to our neighbors.

Fear is prickly...

Peace is resting in the Lord.

Rejected for Doing Good Works

~~~ Jeremiah 20:10-13 ~~~ Psalm 18 ~~~ John 10:31-42 ~~~

The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
Jesus answered them, 
“I have shown you many good works from my Father.
For which of these are you trying to stone me?”

The crowd picked up rocks to stone Jesus.
They are accusing Jesus of speaking irreverently against God.
They accuse him of the serious crime of blasphemy.
They are taking issue with Jesus claiming to be the son of God.

Jesus tries to explain to them that he is doing what the Father
 has sent them to do.
Jesus did appoint himself...
God consecrated him...
God sent Jesus as his representative.
Jesus gives these non believers an option.
He says to them.
Look if you don't believe me what about my works?

"...even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize and understand
that the Father is in me and I am in the Father."

Jesus had been healing the lame, casting out demons,
making the sick well, even raising the dead,
but still they reused to accept.

Jesus must have been frustrated that his own people rejected him.
It gives me great comfort to know that Jesus
went around only doing good works and was labeled as a blasphemer.

It is important that we find our selves in Scripture.
We have all been rejected at some point in our lives by someone.
Perhaps we have we have been rejected by our own family members.

If Jesus, who went about doing good works is rejected;
we should not be surprised or hurt when
 we find ourselves in a similar painful position.

We are on the cusp of Holy Week.
On Palm Sunday, Jesus will be triumphantly welcomed
only to suffer the greatest rejection through his passion and crucifixion. 

Lord, please bless us with hope in you even
 in spite of rejection.

Let not the fear of rejection halt
our continuing endeavors to perform good works.

Peace.

How Do You Limit God?

~~~ Genesis 17:3-9 ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ John 8:51-59 ~~~

God spoke to Abram, at which time he changed his name to Abraham. 

My covenant with you is this:
you are to become the father of a host of nations.

This was both an honor and a great responsibility.
There was one slight catch...
Abraham had to get
his people to keep their covenant with God.
This covenant was not just between God and Abraham,
but all of his descendants going forward...many generations.
As Abraham was already up in age
he found this covenant somewhat humorous. 

This all sounds easy enough, but it turns out to be
a rather difficult task going forward.

The word covenant is used thirteen times in the Bible.
Not surprising; God always keeps his side.

He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –

Those standing in disbelief before Jesus were part of this covenant.
They stood and adamantly rejected it.
They imposed their own human boundaries...
their flawed human reasoning.
They limited the possibilities out of their own ignorance.

Too many times I catch myself limiting God's possibilities.
How do you limit God?
What boundaries do you set around him?

If we keep God contained within our boundaries
how can he exceed our expectations?

Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,

before Abraham came to be, I AM.”

Their own boundaries prevented them
from the possibility that Jesus was God.

Jesus put himself in the present tense, where as
 Abraham was in the past.

In the Gospel of John
Jesus makes eight 'I Am' statements.

Jesus spoke firmly...emphatically.
Jesus spoke with confidence.
Blessings within each of the 'I AM' statements.
Peace.

What Does It Take?

~~~ Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95 ~~~ (Psalm)Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56~~~

~~~ John 8:31-42 ~~~

The Jews were arguing with Jesus with a closed mind.

They were not listening to his words.

They were just repeating what they believed.

There was not reasoning with them.

There was no changing their minds.

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, 

you would love me,
for I came from God and am here;
I did not come on my own, but he sent me.”

Sometimes no matter what you say 

or how much proof you claim to have

you still will not be believed.

Sadly this is what happens in this dialogue...

The Jews are confronted with the primary source 

and still they refuse to be convinced.

Is this an example of what it means to have a hard heart?

They wanted to hold on to their beliefs no matter what.

They were being presented with the winning lottery numbers,

to put it into today's context, and they refused them.

It is possible to be just as convinced by misinformation as it is 

by the factual information?

It takes wisdom and discernment to tell the difference.

The Jews were skeptical and it cost them dearly. 

...who is the God who can deliver you out of my hands?

By contrast in the book of Daniel we find three young men 

who are thrown into a blazing fire for their strong beliefs.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 

believed in the one true God to the point

 of choosing death over worshiping the false idol. 

These three had trust beyond comprehension...

they had no doubt that God would intervene...that he would save them.

As we know from today's reading form the book of Daniel,

God saves them in a most spectacular way.

He surrounds them with his protection from the consuming flames.

God not only saves them he sends down an angel to be with them.

God envelopes them with his protection.

God wants to extend this same level of protection to us.

Is your faith like that of the Jews arguing with Jesus?

Is your faith like that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?

For myself, I am probably somewhere in between.

How many times, Lord, do I argue 

with truth and goodness when it is in my face?

Would I crumble if faced with the flames of the fiery furnace?

God is all powerful, yet he still allows

 us to exercise our free will.

He does not force the Jews to believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

He did not force the three men to choose flames 

over worshiping the golden idol.

I am reminded of a song we sing in Taize....

Bless the Lord my soul and bless God's holy name...

We give you praise and glory

forever.

The Lord has blessed us...

He has done great things for us...

Blessed is his name.

Peace.

Get Up...Keep Going

~~~ Numbers 21:4-9 ~~~Psalm 102 ~~~ John 8:21-30 ~~~

Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,
and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent
looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

We are no different than the people who followed Moses.

We too get weary with our life journey.

We get frustrated and rebel in our own way against God.

Sometimes we expect more from God.

We are like spoiled little children 

whining about not getting our way.

So God sent serpents to bite the people

 in response to their grumbling.

We have the numerous temptations of our world.

We are constantly bombarded with attractive 

opportunities to turn away from God...to sin.

Moses did as God instructed, made a bronze serpent

and mounted it high upon a pole.

All who gazed upon it lived.

Do you see any parallel here with Jesus?

Jesus was raised upon the cross so that we may have life.

Our life is not life in this world, 

but rather life in the next.

Looking upon the cross is the reality of our sinfulness.

It appears that Jesus is alone hanging on the cross,

but the Father is with him.

It is the Father that gives him the necessary 

strength to complete the journey.

...The one who sent me is with me.
He has not left me alone,
because I always do what is pleasing to him.

While we may not say that we 'always'

do what is pleasing to God,

but what we can say it that God is always with us.

He will never leave us alone.

We chose to walk away from him in our frustrations.

It is our frustrations with life that cause us 

to enter into the darkness of sin.

If we were to be more accepting 

of just what has been freely given to us

what could possibly frustrate us?

Jesus showed us how to triumph over our frustrations.

He fell three times while carrying the cross to Calvary.

Every time he got up and took another step forward.

He could have easily become frustrated and slumped to the ground.

Jesus had the assurance and conviction that he was not alone.

I pray that our conviction and assurance of God's presence

 with grow with each passing day.

Blessed to have the Crucifix as a reminder.

Get up.

Do not be frustrated.

Keep going.

Try and try again.

Look intently upon the Crucifix.

 Although we are 'bitten' we will have life eternal.

Peace

as our Lenten journey continues.