Re-Working the Clay

~~~ Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Priest ~~~ 

~~~ Jeremiah 18:1-6 ~~~ Psalm 146 ~~~ Matthew 13:47-53 ~~~

I went down to the potter’s house and there he was, 

working at the wheel.

Whenever the object of clay which he was making

turned out badly in his hand, 

he tried again,

making of the clay another object 

of whatever sort he pleased.

The Potter, the Fisherman, the Head of Household all made decisions.
The Potter worked the clay with his hands surrounding the wheel.
As the wheel turns the clay begins to take shape, but sometimes the clay collapses
becoming something other than what the potter had planned.

God as the Potter can shape me into his design, when I sin or stray
 it is as if I fall off of the potter's wheel...out of his hand...
as if I am turning out badly.

Do you trust that God is strong enough to take your brokenness
 and make of you into something better,
more pleasing to him?

God as the Fisherman allows all of the fish to be caught
 in the net...to be lifted out of the waters.

The Fisherman now carefully looks through his 'catch'
the good fish found and placed in the bucket.

When we sin we put ourselves in higher risk
of being cast out of the net...of being left
 on the shore gasping for air.

God as the Head of the Household
brings forth from the storeroom both the old and the new.

Jesus brought forth the new while taking care to preserve the old.
The Kingdom of God is so much more than we can comprehend.
It is more all encompassing than we would allow.

When God enters the scene, whether we are clay, fish,
or something tucked away in the storeroom
all things are subject to change.

I invite you to allow God to work you in his hands
 as he would a humble lump of clay.

I invite you to consider when the net scoops you up,
will you find yourself in the 'bucket'
with the keepers.

Lastly I invite you to consider how broad
God's perspective is as he goes to the storeroom
 and brings you up into the light.

We are Blessed because God never gives up on us...
He is always ready to rework the clay.
~~~Peace~~~

Is There a Difference?

~~~ Jeremiah 15:10, 16-21 ~~~ Psalm 59 ~~~ Matthew 13:44-46 ~~~

...out of joy... 

When was the last time you did something purely out of joy?

Have you ever done something just out of joy?

What would you do out of joy?

Is there anything worth doing out of joy.

Is joy a good reason to do something?

Is it possible to take the joy out of living?

In the last few days a YouTube video went viral of a little dog.

The dog nearly passes out from the sheer joy of being reunited 

with his owner who was away for two years. 

If out of joy our pets can show such 'emotion';

then it is reasonable for someone to sell everything

 just to possess the buried treasure. 

When I found your words, I devoured them;
they became my joy and the happiness of my heart...

It has been reported that 'happiness' appears in the Bible about thirty times,
but 'joy' or rejoice appear some three hundred times.
Is there a difference? Why would joy be used more often in Scripture?

Jeremiah says the very words spoken by the Lord
 became his joy and happiness.
He brought both words together into the same sentence.
If they were not different why would he use both words?

...in joy....with joy...for joy...

Even if you are considered to be a happy person
 are you also a joyful person?

Paul says in his letter to the Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. 

What are you willing to give up for the Lord?
It takes something more valuable than money for the God.
It is not money that the Lord desires from you.
He longs for you to experience joy...his joy...the joy that comes
from a close relationship with him.

Jesus is your treasure.
Joy is what sets apart those who are claim to be Christian.
Are you willing to give up whatever it takes to have him in your life?

Happiness is influenced and generated by outside
circumstances and situations.

Happiness comes with those rose
colored glasses you have often heard about.

Joy is so much more than what is going on in the world around us.

Joy comes from the inside; it is not influenced by the outside.
Joy is what keeps the pearl of great price real.
The treasure is Jesus; Jesus is the joy
we long for in our heart.

Joy is constant.
Joy is not subject to the roller coaster of daily life.

Joy is one of the fruit of the Spirit.
Joy is a precious gift for the heart from God.
Joy is not tangible. Joy is evident in how we live our life.

Consider it all joy.
James 1:2

This truly is what our heart desires.
It comes as long as we are in relationship with the Lord.
He is the source...the treasure...the pearl.

May you be blessed with true joy...
~~~Peace~~~

Chill Out...Do Not be Anxious

~~~ Memorial of Saint Martha ~~~

~~~ Jeremiah 14:17-22 ~~~ Psalm 79 ~~~ 

~~~ John 11:19-27 or Luke 10:38-42  ~~~

We have two Gospels where Martha is one of the main characters.

It is clear from both of these stories

 that Martha had a close friendship with Jesus.

Martha loves Jesus, but she is also open

 and blunt with her comments to him.

She reprimands Jesus for not coming to her brother's 

sick bed before he dies.

She believes that Lazarus, her brother,

 might have not died had Jesus arrived sooner.

"Lord, if you had been here,

my brother would not have died...

She is visibly upset over her brother's death, 

but she believes that Jesus has the power to turn things around.

She believes Jesus can intercede on behalf of Lazarus.

She believes Jesus can raise him from the dead.

...But even now I know that whatever you ask of God,

God will give you."

Her strong faith most likely came as a result of her knowledge

 of the healing power of Jesus.

In the Gospel of Luke we find Jesus coming to visit Martha and Mary.

This is one of the rare accounts we have

 of the personal life of Jesus during his public ministry.

He comes to rest, to share stories, to laugh, 

to relax, and to break bread together.

Martha is the one who scampers around the house getting everything

 just right for their visitor while her sister,

Mary sits at the feet of Jesus.

Clearly Martha is distraught. 

She complains, not to her sister, 

she complains to Jesus.

“Lord, do you not care

that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? 

Tell her to help me.”

Instead of Jesus telling Mary to get up and help her sister,

he tells Martha that Mary has chosen the better.

He basically tells Martha to chill out.

She really has no reason to be anxious. 

Jesus does not have expectations of her when it comes to the house

 or what they were going to eat.

He just wanted to be able to relax and spend time with his friends.

He wanted to share with them the stories of his travels.

Jesus does not want you to be anxious when he is with you.

He wants you to sit as his feet.

He wants you to hang on every word he has to give you.

He wants you to cherish his presence in your life.

He does not want you to compare yourself to anyone,

especially other family members.

How often are you more like Martha than Mary?

Jesus came to visit his friends.

One of them was too concerned 

about making things perfect.

The other was sitting at the feet of the one

 who was perfect.

Saint Martha, pray for us.

May we be Blessed with the desire to welcome

 Jesus into our home.

~~~ Peace ~~~

The Rotten Loincloth

~~~ Jeremiah 13:1-11 ~~~ Psalm 32 ~~~ Matthew 13:31-35 ~~~

Parables of the Kingdom of heaven continue as Jesus tries to help understand.
Pearls, buried treasure, mustard seeds, yeast....
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables.
He spoke to them only in parables, 
to fulfill what had been said through the prophet:

Even though we can relate and understand some of these parables,
for the most part the heaven remains a mystery.

Stories are a useful medium to illustrate a particular point.
In today's reading from Jeremiah he also uses a story to make his point.
The LORD said to me: Go buy yourself a linen loincloth;
wear it on your loins, but do not put it in water.

This loincloth was worn next to the skin.
Our relationship with God should be just as close...
next to our flesh...nothing separating us from him.

Jeremiah was set apart by God to bring messages to the people;
many times they were uncomfortable words.
Jeremiah was commanded by God to do three things with this loincloth...
Buy it, Hide it, and Retrieve it.
Furthermore it was not to be put in water
probably meaning it was to be kept unsoiled...clean.

It was to be hidden in a rocky crevice.
Hidden so no one would accidentally disturb it or remove it.
  God was not pleased with the people. Was he himself hidden
 from them by their own choosing,
their own actions?

We can feel as if God is hidden from us even though he is not.
We get confused when we cannot 'feel' his presence
 in our life as one feels the linen loincloth.

If we live our life pretending God is hiding himself from us
 eventually we can become 'rotten' as well just as the hidden loincloth.
Losing our close relationship with the Lord because
 we doubted his nearness to us is like this deteriorating linen.

Cloth that is rotting becomes very fragile easily torn...ripped to shreds.
Is this the kind of relationship you desire with God?
One that is thread bare and fragile...one that does not endure.

We must remain vigilant so as to not allow ourselves
 to become like the rotten loincloth.

The parables of the Kingdom of God offer hope to those who will listen.
Small seeds grow into trees with many branches, home to many birds.
A single handful of yeast leavens the whole batch of flour.

The Kingdom of heaven parables radiate hope.
We must cling to this hope as we long for our place
someday in the Kingdom of God.

You have a choice today;
rotten loincloth or the handful of yeast.
One speaks to a loss of relationship with God, the other
to the great abundance possible with him.

Blessings come from his parables even today.
~~~Peace~~~

God's Pearls

~~~ Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~~ 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12 ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Romans 8:28-30 ~~~ 

~~~ Matthew 13:44-52 ~~~

It might make you feel uncomfortable to think of yourself 

as the pearl of great price or as the treasure 

discovered in the field, but it it true.

You are this treasured pearl.

You are the one Jesus was willing to sacrifice all in order to buy.

...the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant

searching for fine pearls. 

When he finds a pearl of great price,

he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. 

Jesus sacrifices more than material possessions

 to secure his precious pearls.

Jesus was willing to sacrifice his very life blood.

What have you sacrificed recently?

The great King Solomon was also one of God's precious pearls.

Solomon says, I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act. 

How do you act with appreciation in response

 to being considered a treasure?

Solomon asks God...

Give your servant, therefore, 

an understanding heart...

This is how he chose to respond to being God's treasure.

As we know he was granted great wisdom 

evident in the manner in which he governed the people for many years.

Paul tells the Romans and us...

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

who are called according to his purpose. 

We should not be anxious about being called by God to work in his Kingdom.

For those whom he calls are the ones he considers to be great pearls.

The ones he calls he has often found buried in the field.

Once he finds us then we must allow him to work

us into his eternal plan of goodness.

Wherever you may find yourself in this parable of Jesus;

believe you are really there.

Believe that he willingly

 paid a great price for you.

Believe if he had it to do over again he would,

even if it was just to 'buy' you.

Blessed to be God's Pearls.

~~~Peace~~~

Living Examples of Love

Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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

How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

I just have this vision of Mary's parents 

having a most beautiful, loving, peaceful family.

Truly a dwelling place where the Lord God had a prominent place.

Not that they sat around and prayed all day long,

but that they went about their day with the joy of the Lord

 ever present in their hearts.

I believe this must have been a special family

 when I look at, Mary, their daughter.

Their daughter was chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus.

Mary's parents raised her in such a manner

 that she was able to open her heart 

to be accepting of the most sacred call...

to be the mother of The Son of God.

There must have been great love within their relationship with each other.

Mary was blessed with a mother and a father who loved

God...who loved each other, and who loved her.

Joachim and Anne must have been 

living examples of great love and devotion.

How else could Mary have been so well prepared to accept 

the most holy invitation from the angel?

Hear the word of the LORD...

Joachim and Anne not only heard the word of the Lord;
they listened and took it with love into their hearts.

Jeremiah speaks today of the temple of the Lord.
Mary's body became the living temple of the Lord.
Today let us give thanks for the love, for the pure sense of obedience
 they were able to share with their beloved daughter...Mary.

This is the temple of the LORD!

The temple of the LORD! The temple of the LORD!

Mary said yes to the angel of the Lord
becoming the temple of the Lord for nine months.
May Saints Joachim and Anne intercede on behalf of parents
 as they cope with the stresses of our society.

Saints Joachim and Anne, pray for us.
We thank you for the gift of your daughter, Mary.
~~~Peace~~~

Good 'Ole Mom

~~~ Feast of Saint James, Apostle ~~~

~~~ 2 Corinthians 4:7-15 ~~~ Psalm 126 ~~~ Matthew 20:20-28 ~~~

The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.

By this time in the ministry of Jesus his reputation
was starting to be evident.
Being male human beings it is not far a stretch
 of the imagination to believe the apostles just might
have had power stars in their heads.
Maybe James, whose feast we honor today, along with his brother
had discussed their dreams with good ole mom.
So here is where we find the well meaning mother
 trying to intervene for her sons.

One such mother comes to Jesus with her expectations.
She was prepared to celebrate great things planned for her sons.
She wanted Jesus to single out her two sons to sit at his side.
She had knowledge of the Kingdom of God,
but she did not have understanding of what it meant
to sit level with Jesus.

If you want to sit on either side of Jesus
then you must be willing to act accordingly.
You must be willing to take whatever is hurled toward him...
good, bad, praise, and ridicule.
You must be real, you cannot be like a stiff statue.

Can you imagine putting yourself in such a position?

Earlier another mother came to Jesus with her request,
Mary, his own mother.
Her request ultimately led to his drinking from the very chalice
of which he speaks of in today's Gospel.

Jesus drinks freely from the chalice filled with his own blood.
Jesus was not creating a ministry motivated by power or prestige.
Jesus was creating a ministry based on the role of the suffering servant.
Jesus modeled his 'kingdom' after that of a shepherd.
Shepherds do not sit around on thrones
waiting for the subjects to approach.
Shepherds are out walking among the sheep.
Shepherds are with their sheep caring for them.

James eventually came to see that it was more important
to take his passion for the mission of Jesus out to the people.
He figured out that it was not about being seated on either side of Jesus.
The real challenge was to be out among the real people.
Until finally the day came when James
became such a threat that he was brutally killed.

Today we are invited to partake of the chalice
every time we come to the altar to receive.

Every time we come to receive we join
with all those who have gone before us in faith.

Hopefully we will not be asked to lay down our life for our beliefs.
We should, however, have just as much passion and commitment
as those who have given up their life.

Saint James, pray for us.
Blessed to be chosen to walk with Jesus...
to be loved by him.
~~~Peace~~~

Sparks of Understanding

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

...knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven
has been granted to you...

Knowledge and understanding are not synonymous.
Many people make the assumption that if you know something
 then it follows that you understand it as well.
The reality is there are probably many things
 that you know but do not understand.

Being an educator I value knowledge, but at the same time
I accept my limits when it comes to understanding.

We have been given the 'knowledge' of the Kingdom of heaven,
but this knowledge does not imply the understanding.
The more knowledge we can gain about God's ways
the better chance of us also gaining some understanding.

Our knowledge of the Kingdom of heaven is largely grounded in our faith.
Without faith we would not be granted this knowledge.
Jesus spoke in many parables concerning the Kingdom of heaven.

The deeper our faith the greater our knowledge
the greater our knowledge the more we come to understand.

It is certainly true that we will never
be given enough knowledge to fully understand the Kingdom of heaven.
That is why we can never assume that we have learned
all there is to learn about God.

Our ears, eyes, and our heart must always be in a state of readiness.
Readiness to hear and see and feel God's presence
in our life. It is through his presence that he grants us
 tiny sparks of understanding.

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

We have been granted the assurance of God's love for us.
This assurance draws us to desiring more knowledge.
To understand the Kingdom of heaven
is part of our journey to holiness...
it is about 'taking in' and embracing
as much as we can about God.

You are Blessed, because he has given you
 knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven.

See and hear; there is so much more he wants to share with you.
~~~Peace~~~

The Lullaby from God

~~~ Jeremiah 1:1, 4-10 ~~~ Psalm  71 ~~~ Matthew 13:1-9 ~~~ 

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you...

As many times as I have read or heard this verse
 it is always mind boggling.
How is it possible to be known
 before your existence?

It is a beautiful thing to pray
 for those who will later come into your life.
For instance, I pray for the grandchildren
 I will some day be blessed to have.
But I cannot say that I know them as God claims here.

A friend prayed for God to send her the man he wanted her to marry.
Do you invite God to be a part of each of your relationships?

God has an intimate relationship with you and with me.

A relationship that transcends our understanding of time.
A relationship which is not bound by physical limitations.

 

How we humans often long to continue a relationship
 after a loved one has died.

Then we can say we knew this person.
We have had years of experiences together.

If God has known us before we were conceived then perhaps
 he too longs for us to return to him.

What if only after we die are we capable
of understanding this knowledge God has of us.

This love that is so great that it precedes us.
This is not a generic love, but an individual unique love.
A love that is just for you.

Why do we shove aside this God who has loved us for so long?
How is it possible to turn away from him in our selfishness?
How can we not love ourselves, as he loves us?

Imagine for a moment;
God singing a lullaby to your soul.
'To know, know, know you is to love, love, love you
and I do.'
You are Blessed with his love.
Believe it.
Never doubt it.
Always remember this special love
God has for you.
~~~Peace~~`

Saint Mary Magdalene

~~~ Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene ~~~

~~~ Micah 7:14-15, 18-20 ~~~ Psalm 85 ~~~ John 20:1-2, 11-18 ~~~

Mary Magdalene was one of the most
significant women in the ministry of Jesus.

It is widely believed that she traveled with Jesus on many of his journeys.

She was at the foot of the cross when Jesus took his last breath.
She was the first to seek the body of Jesus in the tomb.
We often erroneously believe she was a prostitute,
but this is not supported historically in the Bible.
In 1969 the Catholic church declared
 she was not the penitent sinner.

One thing we do know for certain;
she loved Jesus.
She washed his feet with perfumed oil...
she kissed his feet and dried them with her hair.

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he told her.

Jesus chose to reveal himself to Mary Magdalene
just hours after his death.
It was this woman he chose to carry the message to his apostles.
Sending a message via a female would not
have been customary at that time.
In fact, she is not initially believed; Peter and some of the others
 rush back to the tomb to see for themselves...
to get their own proof of her words.

Mary lived in the town of Magdala on the Sea of Galilee.
The full name of the town meant Tower of Salted Fish.
She may have worked in one of the local fish markets there.
She may have known some of the men Jesus called to follow him.
They were after all local fishermen who would have
brought their catch to the market for sale.

Her name suggests that she had no husband.
A married woman would have carried
 her husband's name;
she did not.

Luke 8:2 tells us that Jesus exorcised seven demons from Mary.
This action may have been enough to make her a believer. 

It would not have been surprising to believe in the person
 who had healed you in body, mind, or spirit.

The Resurrection of the Body of Jesus
 was the key point in the growth of Christianity;
Mary Magdalene discovered and delivered the news.

The question is...was Mary not an Apostle of the Lord?
Many have asked such a question.
What do you believe?

The fact remains that two thousand years ago
women were not in places of authority.

Jesus did cross the accepted boundaries on many occasions,
even concerning women,
but we have no substantial proof
he chose Mary to be one of his apostles.

Perhaps the apostles even saw Mary as a threat.

Mary Magdalene was declared a saint which means
she used her gifts to honor God.
God calls each of us to become saints by
using our unique gifts to honor him.

Mary Magdalene is a positive example
 for any woman who is or wants to be in church ministry.

Mary did not let her gender stop her from
being a loving, loyal, faithful
follower of Jesus.

You have no excuse to not be just such a person.
His Blessings make all things possible...
even for an ancient woman. (wink wink)
~~~Peace~~~

We Have Been Told...

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

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

God gives clear directions and guidelines.
He may speak in unfamiliar tones, but he always speaks to the point.
Today we are told...
to do right...to love goodness...
and to walk with God in humility.

There in the presence of God we must walk;
not in a prideful boastful manner,
but in humility.
There is nothing good in our life that we can solely lay claim to;
everything comes from above.
God tells what is good. Goodness is found in how much we love.
The more we love the more goodness we will have in our life.

God reserves the right to correct us when we have gone astray.
Sometimes as we look out upon the lack of goodness
 in our world we feel God must execute his correction sooner.

We grow impatient with God's correction of others,
but do not see where we ourselves need his correction.

God used Jonah, although reluctantly,
to send his corrective message of repentance.

Every party involved responded with resistance.
Jonah did not want to deliver God's message.
The people of Nineveh did not want to hear God's message.

If God were to suggest a similar situation today
I dare say the responses would be no different.

People still reject both the messenger and the message.

We struggle with God's corrective message of repentance.
We try to postpone taking action on the message
 even after it is delivered.

Jonah was willing to remain in the belly of the fish for three days and nights.
He let the sun rise and set on his hard headed stubbornness.

I think we probably do the same thing...
We let our stubbornness keep us from realizing God
 holds the necessary corrections for us to enter into heaven.

Jonah foolishly thought he could hide from God.
He thought he could ignore God.
He tried to turn his back on God, but nothing
 he did sent God away.

God does not and will not ever turn his back on you.
We can pretend to ignore and attempt to resist,
but God is there in every way.
Blessings of Peace.

Our Transparent God

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

~~~Wisdom 12:13, 16-19~~~Psalm 86~~~Romans 8:26-27~~~
~~~Matthew 13:24-43~~~

Those who wish to spread evil 

often do it under the cloak of darkness, with covered faces, 

pretending to be anonymous...as if they did not exist.

Cyber crimes and stolen identities are increasing every day it seems.

While everyone was asleep his enemy came

and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. 

Today we hear much about transparency.

Unfortunately transparency is becoming more and more difficult to define.

I routinely used transparencies during my teaching career.

Making it very easy to share information with the whole class.

They are even available in different colors.

God rules, governs, justifies, forgives,
and loves with complete transparency.
There is no ulterior motive when it comes to God.
The flip side of this might be that there
is only one ulterior motive with God, love.

Many good people today echo Paul's letter to the Romans.
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,

but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. 

And the one who searches hearts

knows what is the intention of the Spirit,

because he intercedes for the holy ones

according to God’s will.

I find myself in a quandary as to how to pray for the current violence

 in the Middle East and in the Ukraine.

It is best to leave the exact words to wisdom of the Spirit.
The Spirit alone can bring goodness and forgiveness.

Someone sowed weeds among the farmer's crops,
but we know in our world today the 'weeds' are among us.
Sometimes we ourselves may even be considered to be weeds;
as our Christian values are challenged.
The parable says Jesus allowed the weeds to grow along side of the crops.

In reality we all have a few of those weeds growing within our hearts.
They are the weeds of prejudice and hatred.
The weeds of our own individual sins.

In nature we sometimes enjoy the weeds
as much as those cultivated crops.
The so called weeds blossom in the Springtime
 dosing the hillsides with color.

It is time to place our complete trust in the Lord.
It is time for us to admit that we do not pray as we should.

It is time to let the Spirit take control.

Seek the Grace and Blessings to surrender all to God.

Allow God, the great harvester, to separate
 the weeds from our own hearts.

May his Peace Reign
 in our hearts.

Look to the Horizon

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

...he withdrew from that place.

Jesus had no one to look out for his safety.
When he enters the town it seems the Pharisees
 are busy plotting against him.
It is discouraging that they had nothing
 better to do with their time,
no better way to use their resources than for evil.

We often see this same mentality in times of war,
but here we have only one person, Jesus.
Why would they need to spend so much energy on this except out of fear.

Jesus does what he had to do in order to keep himself safe;
he in effect goes underground.
He goes into hiding, but he does not cease to heal
 those who followed him.

He does make one important request.
He asks them not to share his whereabouts.

Today we might become suspicious if someone acted the way Jesus did.
We wonder about keeping secrets. We would ask questions.
But for Jesus this was all part of the Divine plan;
his time had not yet come.

We see Jesus at the beginning of his ministry telling his mother
his time had not yet come at the wedding feast.
Now his actions of retreating and his warning of silence
tell us his time to die had not yet come.

Jesus had so much more to do...he was not finished.
He is shielded by the Spirit from harm.
The prophets had foretold....

...a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.

The very presence of Jesus brought hope to hundreds,
 even thousands of people.
Today we are still being blessed with hope.
Jesus is the reason we have hope.

The wicked can gather behind closed doors to plan their evil deeds.
But in the end, it is our hope in the Lord that saves us.

The very same hope that those who flocked to him
held firmly in their hearts.
They came in hope that he would cure them.

The Pharisees, however, had no hope in their hearts
as they plotted the death of Jesus.
They were blinded from seeing what could have been better.
Hope is about the future and the Pharisees were caught within themselves.

Sometimes we too may be tempted to be trapped within ourselves.
Our faith teaches us to look to the horizon,
where hope is strong and bright.
Hope is not shrouded in darkness.
Hope is in the dawn of a new day.

May you be blessed with hope when you are in most need.
Jesus withdrew, but he did not turn anyone away.
He kept their hope alive.
~~~Peace~~~

In the Noontime of Life

~~~ Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8 ~~~ Psalm 38 ~~~ Matthew 12:1-8 ~~~

In the noontime of life I must depart!

For most of us noontime is the middle of the day...
Oftentimes it is the warmest part of the day...the brightest part of the day.
Would you want to know when you had reached
 the noontime of your life?
My answer is 'no', because it would be
such huge a distraction to living in the present.
What would I tempted or inspired to do differently?
Would I spend too much time lamenting my last days?

Those live whom the LORD protects;

yours is the life of my spirit.

You have given me health and life.

God wants us to live each of our days to the fullest, to the best of our ability.
He has given us life in his spirit...this was intentional.
We have life because God has granted it to us.
What God has given to us can be withdrawn from us.
We live and move and have our being in the Lord.

Today we are learning more about the terrible
 downing of a passenger airliner.
One story to surface is about a woman who missed her flight.
Had she been on time she would have perished
along with everyone else on the plane.
Her life will now be forever changed.
She has evidence of God's saving power.

You saved my life, O Lord; I shall not die.

If she believes in God's promise of salvation and eternal life,
she now has proof that he saves lives in the present.
Mostly likely yesterday she was upset at missing her flight;
today she is giving thanks for missing her flight.

Living is unique and personal.
This woman has been given more life.
What will she do with her extra time here on Earth?

The beautiful fact is that she does realize she was spared from death.
So many times when disaster strikes people survive or escape eminent death.

How can you go back to life
 as usual after something like this happens to you?

God granted Hezekiah fifteen more years.
He apparently had passed the noontime of his life.
His health was failing; as he prayed he was overwhelmed with tears.

I invite you to consider how you are responding
or how you will respond to the noontime of your life.

We will all reach that point sometime in our life.
There is no prescribed age.
One may not even recognize this noontime until it has already passed by.

Perhaps it is true that we should live each day as if it were our last day.
Is that depressing? Is it challenging? Is it scary? Is it peaceful?

We are Blessed with a God who saves...
~~~Peace~~~

The Yoke of Love

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

Just recently we had this same Gospel

about coming to Jesus for he will give us rest.

The church must feel it is so important for us to believe this truth.

Next Jesus says...

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me...

What does this mean?

What is a yoke?

How is it possible for us to take on the yoke of Jesus?

Would not the burden be too great for us?

Why would he even suggest this idea?

A yoke is literally a band, something that binds.

To accept the yoke of Jesus is to be bound together with him.

Not such a bad idea when one is carrying a heavy burden.

To take the yoke of Jesus, to be bound with him,

 means that you go wherever he goes.

You are not in charge, rather you let Jesus take over your life.

If we believe that Jesus is love then it should follow

 that his yoke would be the yoke of love.

If we take the yoke of Jesus we are taking the better part of ourselves.

Jesus is binding us to all of his goodness.

We are attached...we are safe.

He would never lead us into danger.

Jesus would not call us to himself in this manner

 other than to relieve our stress.

Parents often must impose tough love on their children;

is this what Jesus is suggesting?

This may be his version of tough love; 

to give him our burdens in exchange

for binding ourselves to him.

If one cries out 'woe is me' they have either ignored

 or refused this invitation for Jesus.

If we accept his yoke, just being bound

 to him will indeed bring us rest.

To some love may be a burden, 

but how could we possibly go on without love?

To take on the yoke of Jesus means to let go

 of your selfish inclinations.

Being so closely bound to Jesus gives us a one on one,

face to face opportunity to learn from him.

Bound to Jesus is not hard...it cannot be a burden.

Accept his yoke.

Be Blessed along the way.

~~~Peace~~~

Protecting the Nest

~~~Our Lady of Mount Carmel~~~

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

My hand has seized like a nest the riches of nations;
As one takes eggs left alone, so I took in all the earth;
No one fluttered a wing, or opened a mouth, or chirped!”

Just this week a Texas power line company did something extraordinary.
It took two days but a Bald Eagle's nest has been moved to safety.
They did not just pick up the nest and move it alone;
they moved the entire platform supporting the nest.
What a wonderful reminder of how carefully God takes care of us.
How precious we are to him.
The eagle, of course, had no idea of the danger to his nest.

We are sometimes in the exact same situation;
we are often not aware of how God has intervened
 to protect us from harm.

Do you consider God to be like a giant?
Certainly he is Lord over all...he sees all...he knows all...
He provides all that we need, but is he a giant?

We are often advised by those in the financial world
 to save up a nest egg for our retirement days.

While this may be excellent advice
 we all know that taking such action comes with no guarantee.

A nest egg of money can be depleted
in a matter of a few days
 if we are not vigilant...
if we do not pay attention to our assets.

I would like to think of my nest resting peaceful in the hand of God,
whether he is like a giant or not.
It does not matter to me as long as he
 is protecting the nest...my nest.

Many look forward to having an empty nest.
But should your nest ever really be empty?
It is generally held that this term 'empty nest' refers to the last
of the children having left home...gone out on their own.

As parents we hope that we have prepared our children to leave the nest...
to survive out in the world on their own.
Just as God desires for our faith
 to prepare us to go out
 into the world as his strong followers.
God never leaves us alone to be snatched up by evil.
If we but speak his name...if we but make a peep
 he will reveal his presence to us.

We are Blessed with an all powerful God.

Those who do not know God may feel lost and alone at times.

The Lord will not abandon his people.

Those who have faith know that God is here to stay with us.

He will never leave our nest in harms way.
He will send the giant cranes if necessary
 to move the whole structure supporting our nest
 to a place of safety, secure in him.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
pray for us.

Peace

The Tranquil Heart

~~~Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church~~~

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

Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear;

let not your courage fail...

To remain tranquil is not always easy to accomplish.

When it seems that your world is crashing down

 around you tranquility is not on your mind.

If you search for images of the word tranquil

 you see calm water, gentle water falls, stillness of nature.

What you do not find are and images depicting fearful situations.

Being tranquil is being in a state of rest and peace.

There is no commotion, tumult or fear in the tranquil heart.

To have a tranquil heart means you know how

 and when to trust in the Lord.

It takes courage to remain tranquil 

when the storms of life are surrounding you.

To remain tranquil means you must be strong

 in spite of your initial reaction to flee.

What does tranquil mean to you?

What image do you see first when you think of the word tranquil?

The tranquil heart is not empty or void of understanding.

The tranquil heart does not ignore the obvious.

The tranquil heart takes its courage from the Lord, 

especially when facing fear.

When are you in most need of being in this tranquil state?

Tranquility is not an out of body experience, 

but it is one of complete surrender to the will of the Father.

It is the ability to pray under any circumstances...

whether it is in a busy airport or a private convent chapel.

To remain tranquil is to be in a state

 open to receiving the Blessings of the Lord.

To be tranquil is like floating alone in a quiet pool of cool water.

To be tranquil is like being a single orchard bloom on a long slender stem.

No matter what is happening around you remain tranquil,

do not fear, or let your courage wane.

You will not be abandoned or forsaken...the Lord is at your side.

~~~Peace~~~

There is No Denying Your Crosses

Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

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

Jesus teaches lessons filled with contradictions.

He comes not to bring peace but the sword...

he comes to turn family member against family member...

finally whoever gives a cup of water

 to one of the little ones will be rewarded.

Along with all of this comes...

...whoever does not take up his cross

and follow after me is not worthy of me.

We each have our crosses to bear.

These crosses are sometimes on-going,

but more often than not

 they come and go depending on the circumstances.

Crosses are not supposed to be easy to bear 

otherwise they would not be called crosses.

Taking up your personal cross means you first must face it;

you must see it as real.

You must realize that you are not alone.

The person next you must also face their own crosses.

No one is exempt from hardships in this world.

Why would Jesus make taking up one's cross be so important?

Taking up your cross means you must give up your idea of a perfect life.

Rose colored glasses  will not help you follow Jesus.

He did not pretend that everything was good and holy;

instead he went about spreading compassion and understanding.

Whatever our wants and desires are must come after 

what God wants to be in out life.

If God is above all else in our life 

then it follows that we will be called to make sacrifices.

In order to follow Jesus we must realize 

that there will be sacrifices all along the journey.

Actually many times following Jesus

 means we will find even more crosses along the way.

Jesus says so many times, 'be not afraid'

this also applies when it comes to our crosses.

Jesus wants us to accept our crosses

 because that is when he comes to our assistance most perfectly.

When we perceive our life to be 'perfect'

we have a tendency to want to take credit for it ourselves.

We have this bad habit of leaving God out of the picture.

On the other hand when we are facing our crosses...

when we are feeling overwhelmed,

that is when we find ourselves down on our knees.

We fall on our knees in desperation.

We cry out to God for his help and assistance, 

even though he was always there. 

We do not exist just for the good times, the happy times, or the times of joy.

We exist to accept all that means to be alive.

To be alive means there will be pain and sorrow.

Jesus carried his wooden cross to the place of his death.

He never denied the cross.

He knew it had to be the most important part of his journey.

He could not escape his cross any more than we can.

There is no way to pass through this life without crosses.

To be worthy of Jesus, from his own mouth,

 means you must take up your cross.

He will lead you to cool waters...he will give you rest...

he will be your strength and your protection.

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and there will be

 no cross too great for you to carry.

Jesus came to show us the way

 to the salvation he was winning for us.

If we look only for those parts of the Scriptures that are pleasant to us

then we will miss the whole point of his life and death.

Jesus was sent to do the will of the Father.

We too are sent to die to ourselves and live in the will of the Father.

Taking up your cross is not death,

 rather taking up your cross is the key to eternal life.

See if you can begin to view your crosses as blessings.

The burden will certainly be made lighter...

~~~Peace~~~

Seedless...

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

~~~ Isaiah 55:10-11 ~~~ Psalm 65 ~~~ Romans 8:18-23 ~~~
~~~Matthew 13:1-23 ~~~ 

The seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.

A young bearded man stands up to exit the light rail, nothing unusual.
But as he approached the doors he tore up two of his tickets
 and threw them on the floor.

Then he tore up and threw more tickets
down on the platform just outside the doors.

He was obviously trying to make some sort of statement,
but was going about it in a very negative manner.

In light of the readings today, concerning seeds,
 I couldn't help but see a connection.
He was sowing his 'seeds' at least he went through the motion.
His message was one of anti community.
For some reason he felt like he was sending a message.
What was the content?
Who was the intended recipient?
There were only a handful of people around
 to even witness what he had done.
He left a mess and disappeared into the environment he was attacking.
What might he do next? In our society I dare not speculate.

The topic of seeds is a recurring throughout the Scriptures.
We hear about the good and the bad seeds, seeds as small as a mustard seed,
seeds that are sown in every type of ground conceivable.

Where are you sowing your seeds?
Have you cultivated them within your heart for a sufficient length of time?
Have you nourished them as a mother nourishes her child?
Have you let the seeds rot within your heart?
Have you let the weeds of your sins choke out the good seeds?

Or do you choose to be one of the new genetically altered fruits
who can no longer generate their own seeds?

Seedless oranges, seedless grapes, and seedless watermelons
are great for the consumer,
but they no longer have the potential to naturally
pass on the genetic material.
The seedless watermelon cannot
 use its seeds to become another watermelon.

Sometimes it seems that we live in a society
 where we are becoming seedless individuals.
We no longer pass on our values, morals, and beliefs.
We let others plant their values, morals, and beliefs into our hearts.

I invite you to keep your seeds alive, cherished and nourished
with the words of the Scriptures.

We are Blessed with all that we need gifted to us through the Holy Spirit.
Bear good fruit by sowing the seeds of love, compassion, and forgiveness.
~~~Peace~~~

Truth Cannot be Held Hostage

~~~ Isaiah 6:1-8 ~~~ Psalm 93 ~~~ Matthew 10:24-33 ~~~

He touched my mouth with it (the hot ember) and said,

“See, now that this has touched your lips,

your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.”

Touched by an angel from God with a red hot ember. 

This is a frightening image.

Lips are tender, sensitive easily burned with food or drink that is too hot.

To purge one from wickedness takes extreme measures.

Once the wickedness is removed from your being;

that is when you can speak with purity of heart.

Once you have a clean heart then you can answer

'here I am...send me...I will go'

If God had indeed counted every hair on our head,

 why would he do that and then let us perish?

God's plan for our life never includes our destruction.

With pure lips we can speak his words of light and love,

because it him speaking through us.

God has only his chosen ones to speak on his behalf today.

Guess what? That would be you and me.

We must not be silent...we must speak up.

...do not be afraid...

Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,

nor secret that will not be known.

What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;

what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.

Everything that comes from God that is of God

 must be revealed to others.

In some countries, even today, the Gospel message

 must be spoken in the underground 'safe' areas.

We live in a country where freedom of speech is valued...protected.

When the kingdom of heaven is brought to its full fruition

nothing will be held back from us.

We will know those things which now

seem to be hidden in the darkness of our existence.

The truth cannot be held hostage it will be made visible.

What is said in darkness must be spoken in the light.

The apostles did not remain locked up

 in the upper room they went out into the towns and villages.

What they whispered among themselves

 Jesus made perfectly clear to them.

There was no longer a need to keep anything quiet.

They were given the courage to broadcast the Gospel message.

They used every available means to tell the story.

This is exactly why we have the message in out hearts today.

The apostles overcame their fear and we can too.

Never be afraid to let others know you are a believer...that you love God.

Never be afraid to look for the presence of God.

Let your words and your actions reveal what is in your heart;

it is so much easier that way.

Blessed to be released from fear and darkness.

Step into the light and say,

Here I am Lord...take me...I will go.

~~~Peace~~~

Hatred...Persecution...Endurance...Salvation

Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot

~~~ Hosea 14:2-10 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 10:16-23 ~~~

Earlier in this Gospel, Matthew writes
about the words we are to speak.
The Holy Spirit will give the right words to us.
The right words are not always received well...
in fact you may even be hated.
Hate is a really strong word. We use it in various negative contexts.
We 'hate' some foods, rude people, even certain colors.

Jesus is giving us a heads up...he says
you will be hated just because of his name.
So basically, before you say anything
 you will be hated just because you are a believer.
He doesn't say you might be hated he says you will be hated.
That one verse makes you pause a moment to stop and think.

You will be hated by all because of my name,

but whoever endures to the end will be saved.
When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.

Are you willing to be hated just because you want to believe in Jesus?
Why would someone knowingly
 put themselves in a situation to be hated?

But we cannot stop with that verse...
if you do not read the rest of the verse you miss the whole point.

The whole point being are you up to the task?
Can you tolerate the pain of being hated in order to attain salvation?

Being hated is something you can experience here and now.
It is the endurance that really counts.
Do you run away the first time someone
expresses their hatred against you for your beliefs?

Do you retaliate? Do you defend yourself?

When they persecute you in one town, flee to another.

Is Jesus telling us to run away?
Doesn't he want us to stand up and defend him?

Or is it more about getting the word
of our salvation out to as many people as possible?

Remember you will be given the words by the Holy Spirit.

Maybe one point about moving on is getting another chance
 to do a better job in the next town.

Every year at the beginning of the new school year,
even if I was teaching the same exact subjects,
I tried to make the lessons better,
 more interesting.

Every time you talk with someone about Jesus
 it will be better because you will be a stronger believer.

The more you speak of the goodness of God
the easier it will be the next time.

Speak the words placed in your heart; you cannot go wrong.
Rejection does not mean stop.
Rejection means move on and keep trying.
Let rejection roll off your back like water off a duck's back.

Blessed with words of wisdom from the Spirit.
~~~Peace~~~