Who are My Enemies?

~~~ Deuteronomy 26:16-19 ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Matthew 5:43-48

...today the LORD is making this agreement with you:

you are to be a people peculiarly his own, as he promised you...

Now is the acceptable time for us to renew

 our agreement with the Lord.

God gave his decrees to Moses and Moses 

passed them on to us.

Moses agreed on our behalf to keep these 

commandments of the Lord God.

Thus we too are in agreement...we will keep 

these same commandments.

Blessed are they who observe his decrees,

who seek him with all their heart.

Now is a very acceptable time for us to take inventory of our heart.

How well are we keeping up our end of the agreement?

But I say to you, love your enemies,

and pray for those who persecute you,

that you may be children of your heavenly Father...

In our society today I find it challenging to love my enemies.

First of all who are my enemies?

Are they the people we see on the news?

Are they the people who have different values than we have?

Are they the ones who pray to a different God.

How can we determine just who our enemies are?

Maybe we can pray for those who persecute 

our fellow Christians across the globe.

Is that what God means?

I cannot honestly say 

anyone is personally persecuting me? 

God wants us to seek out those 

who are difficult to love.

Those who want to be confrontational

 when it comes to beliefs.

God wants us to love those who constantly 

push us away whenever we even mention God.

So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

To be perfect we have to see as God sees.

To be perfect means we must be blind to all things

 that appear to be contrary to what we believe.

We cannot take sides...

We cannot cast blame...

We can only be steadfast in our beliefs ...

We must look upon those who would persecute us 

with eyes of love and compassion.

The eyes of love and compassion 

that can only come from God himself.

We can only be perfect if we have the eyes and heart of God.

Blessed in times of persecution.

To be perfect is to love our enemy.

~~~ Peace ~~~

Hold on Tight

~~~ Ezekiel 18:21-28 ~~~ Psalm 130 ~~~ Matthew 5:20-26 ~~~

If anyone repents from their sin God promises to save them.

...he shall surely live, he shall not die. 

This is really good news for the majority of we humans.

But there is a flip side to this promise from God.

If you are doing well...

keeping the commandments...loving God etc.

and 'fall off the wagon'; into sin, things will not go well for you.

If the virtuous man falls into the same sin as the one 

who turns away from his sin...

None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered,

because he has broken faith and committed sin;

because of this, he shall die. 

These are very harsh words to hear...almost scary.

The moral of the story is 

continue to be a virtuous person...

this is your warning.

Falling off can be fatal to your eternity.

God is always there for us

 to return to him...to repent...

This is THE message of lent.

If you are on the 'virtuous' wagon

 it is in your best interest to hold on tight.

There may be rough times ahead, hold on

 you will survive them.

There may be times when you are tempted to get off

to pick the forbidden flowers.

Stay on the wagon.

Invite others to come on the wagon with you.

Share with them the benefits of remaining 

on this wagon of virtue.

 ...be reconciled with your brother,

and then come and offer your gift.

This is the wagon of faith, love, forgiveness.

This wagon is covered with the mercy of God.

This wagon is headed to the Kingdom of God.

All occupants on this wagon know the time

 for repentance is now.

Make room on this wagon of virtue;

others are sure to come aboard very soon.

On this wagon there is abundant grace

 and daily Blessings for the journey.

Are you on board?

~~Peace~~~

The Answer is...

~~~ Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ Matthew 7:7-12 ~~~ 

Ask~Seek~Find~Knock~Open

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

During our entire life we never run out of things to ask God for...

What was the latest request you made of him?

During our entire life there is always something

 else we are seeking...

Are you seeking for something special today?

During our entire life we find many things...

How many things have we found when looking

 for something else?

During our entire life we knock on many doors...

some are opened, but some remain closed to us.

How many doors have you stood before?

Are there doors you are still hoping will open?

During our entire life many things are revealed to us 

by having an open heart.

Is your heart open to receive his word today?

Save us from the hand of our enemies;

turn our mourning into gladness

and our sorrows into wholeness.

Some may have thought Esther acted irrationally,

but she threw herself at the mercy of God.

She did everything in her power to save her people.

Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,

had recourse to the LORD.

We may not be seized with mortal anguish 

when we come to the Lord.

No need to wait until that happens to your heart.

Ask~Seek~Find~Knock~Open

We are Blessed with a God who invites us

 to come to him at any time.

He waits for us to ask, seek, find, knock and open.

He is the answer to all our desires.

~~~Peace~~~

The Bramble Bush

~~~ Jonah 3:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Luke 11:29-32 ~~~

Jonah was not a particularly important prophet,
 but God sends him to Nineveh with the message of repentance.
As we know Jonah was not excited about his mission.
He tried to ignore God through his actions.

You know the whole big fish story...

In the end God does win; Jonah
brings the message to the people of Nineveh.

“Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,”

The prospect of being wiped off
 the face of the earth got their attention.

God went to great measures to save this whole city...
a city that no one really cared much about.

For some reason God thought it was necessary
 to give the Ninevites another chance to repent.
A chance to turn away from their sinful ways.

Here is the message for us.
We are no different than the Ninevites.
Wherever our sinfulness exits God cares
enough to put himself there too.

The Ninevites were known for their sinful ways.
It is even accentuated by the manner in which they repented.
They covered themselves in rough coarse fabric
 and smeared their bodies with burned ashes.

They did not eat or drink as a further sign of their repentance.

Lent is a time when we too can open
our eyes to the corruption that exists in our own heart.

This message of repentance is meant to be heard by us today.
This message is to let us know that God
 does not stay away just because we have sinned.

He comes to us in our darkest times.
He comes to us when temptation seems so appealing.
He comes to us even when we do not believe we can resist sin.

Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me. 

Whatever it takes for us to repent
 of our sinful ways God will be there.
He is not waiting on the sidelines
 for us to figure it out by ourselves.
He sends people. He puts them on our path.
He keeps trying to reach us...to save us.
The only way he knows is to keep loving
 us more with each passing day.

Sometimes it takes someone else
 to probe deep within our hearts.
Sin is like the blackberry bush...thorny
with far reaching hidden roots.
The blackberry is called the bramble fruit.
It is covered with tiny prickles that can penetrate most fabric.
Bramble, an impenetrable thicket...
Could this be our sinfulness?

The sins we hold on to the longest are the ones
 that appear to be ripe and juicy.
Clumped together, held tightly as one offense.
A single sin rarely stand alone...it has attachments.

...return to me with your whole heart
for I am gracious and merciful.

God is here with you...loving you...blessing you...
He wants your whole heart for himself.
Are you holding something back?

~~~Peace~~~

Curl Up with His Words

~~~ Isaiah 55:10-11 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~ Matthew 6:7-15 ~~~

So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.

When we are toddlers our words are oftentimes unintelligible.
A young child does the best he/she can
 to imitate what the adults are saying.
Are we so different when it comes to the words of God?
In the beginning we repeat his words best we can.

For God, his words give spirit and life.
He sent his Son, The Word, to become one of us.
Our words cannot compare to God's words,
but the more we immerse ourselves into his words the better
we will be at using them ourselves.

Lent is a very good time to curl up with His words.
Reading the scriptures everyday allows
 his words to be firmly planted into your heart.

A time to surrender to his will, revealed to us through his words.

The more we allow his words to become a part of who we are
 the easier it is for us to speak those words to others.
The toddler does learn enough words to gradually communicate.

Soon the Our Father becomes much more
 than just a string of words.

Especially with the words we routinely speak
it helps to slow down the tempo...to speak softly...
let the words seep deeper into your soul.

Jesus does not ever speak idle words.
Jesus speaks words with purpose.
Jesus speaks words to change people's minds,
hearts, their very bodies.

God Blesses you with his living word each and every day.
How are you letting it change you?
~~~Peace~~~

In the Margins

~~~ Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 ~~~ Psalm 19 ~~~ Matthew 25:31-46 ~~~

Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.

If we are to be holy we must follow the words of the Lord.

It boils down to how we treat others; not surprising.

The words of the Lord are Spirit and Life.

His words refresh the soul...rejoice the heart...and endure forever.

Being holy is within our reach...

treat others as if you were caring for Jesus himself.

If you keep that in your heart and mind it will be easier.

Can you imagine being sinful in the presence of the Lord?

Yet we fail to see the face of Jesus in those around us.

It is so easy to dismiss this or that person for whatever reason.

‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did

for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Being holy requires us to put the needs of others before our own.

It is naturally our first instinct to take care of our own needs,

but the words of Jesus say something different.

Those who selfishly do only for themselves will be 

separated from those who do for others.

This seems easy, but it is a concept 

we must be reminded of often.

Do you want to be on the right side of Jesus?

That is where you will find those who found their way to being holy

 by ministering to the needs of those less fortunate.

From time to time we may find ourselves among

 those who are on the fringes.

God is always there disguised as one of them.

He blends in to everyone except 

those who are striving to be more holy.

The journey to holiness is mostly along the margins.

It is along the margins where we can find Jesus.

The margin is where we write notes to our self.

Write this note in your margin...

Whatever you do for the least, you do for Jesus.

...highlight it in yellow...bold the font if necessary...

do whatever it takes to make you take notice...

Save it as a reminded message on your phone...

whatever it takes to make you notice.

Blessings along the edge 

where we can find our way to becoming holy.

~~~Peace~~~

Forty Days~Water~Desert~Lent~Forty Nights

~~~ First Sunday of Lent ~~~

~~~ Genesis 9:8-15 ~~~ Psalm 25 ~~~ 1 Peter 3:18-22 ~~~ 

~~~ Mark 1:12-15 ~~~

Forty Days of Lent has deep meaning for us...

God sent a great flood. It rained for forty days and forty nights,

but God saved Noah, his family and pairs of animals of all species.

Jesus is led into the desert to be tried and tempted 

by the devil for forty days and nights.

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, 

and he remained in the desert for forty days,

tempted by Satan.

Jesus was alone in the desert...a time of solitude and torment.

He was being tested by Satan...Satan needed to prove

 to himself that Jesus was truly the Son of God.

The Spirit drove Jesus into the desert.

Was this time of temptation part of God's plan?

Was it necessary for Jesus to be put to the test?

Did Jesus need to have a personal encounter with Satan?

Is this what gave Jesus his later power over the Evil One?

After these temptations in the desert the Evil One

 knew that Jesus was the Savior.

After the flood God promised to never again destroy

 the Earth with floods.

He sends a brilliant rainbow

 to spread across the sky sealing his promise.

Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth to those 

who keep your covenant.

God did not abandon Jesus while he was in the desert;

he sent the angels to minister to him.

The angels were not there to prevent the attacks from Satan

they were present to let Jesus know he was not alone.

God has given us our own guardian angel.

In times of temptation it is this angel 

that comes to our assistance.

The waters of our Baptism is a reminder 

of the covenant God made with Noah.

Through our Baptism waters we are saved.

Forty Days...flood...rainbow...

...desert...Satan...temptation...salvation...

Remember the Blessings of the Rainbow.

It is true there can be no rainbow without the rains.

Jesus overcame the temptations in the desert for our salvation.

Repent, and believe in the gospel.

~~~Peace~~~

Levi's Dinner Party

~~~ Isaiah 58:9B-14 ~~~ Psalm 86 ~~~ Luke 5:27-32 ~~~

Jesus called Levi, the tax collector, to follow.

Jesus was an equal opportunity employer.

Levi was so excited about his new career...

 ...he gave a great banquet for him in his house,

and a large crowd of tax collectors

and others were at table with them.

Levi invited all of his friends who also just happened

 to be in the financial field.

So was this one of the first fund raiser events.

Did Levi see that if Jesus was to spread his message 

some additional funds might be necessary?

Jesus chose to place himself in the company

 of every kind of person imaginable.

He did not concern himself with a person's 

sinfulness social or economic status.

Jesus came for everyone.

Imagine for a minute if Jesus 

had only chosen fine upstanding members 

of the community for his followers.

Would the greatest of sinners given him any notice?

Jesus purposely went out of his way to encounter

 all aspects of the human condition. 

No one repulsed him... no one was rejected by him...

“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, 

but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous 

to repentance but sinners.”

Today we believe in annual 

visits to our physician for our well-being.

Jesus was focused on the well-being of the soul.

We have many ways to maintain the health

 of our soul through the sacraments.

When Jesus walked among us

 he was the preview of all of the sacraments. 

Jesus restores and repairs all things;

those whom he called came to witness this first hand.

We are Blessed today because Jesus

is the Divine Physician

for the body and soul.

~~~Peace~~~

Fasting Beatitudes

~~~ Isaiah 58:1-9A ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 9:14-15 ~~~

Today's message highlights the pitfalls 

and the beauty of fasting.

Fasting is a spiritual practice designed 

to bring us closer to God.

We do not fast to let others think more highly of us.

A time of fasting is not to pretend we are a better 

person because we are not eating.

Fasting is a practice to remind ourselves of our dependence on God.

It is God who sustains us in all our needs.

We fast for blood work, we fast because it is prescribed 

by our religious beliefs.

Fasting is not so much about what we do or don't eat.

Fasting is more about our mindset.

We must ask ourselves what is our motivation for fasting. 

God reveals to Isaiah what amounts to 

the Beatitudes of Fasting.

This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:

releasing those bound unjustly,

untying the thongs of the yoke;

Setting free the oppressed,

breaking every yoke;

Sharing your bread with the hungry,

sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;

Clothing the naked when you see them,

and not turning your back on your own.

Yours will be a clean heart...entrance into the kingdom.

...your wound shall quickly be healed...

If while you are fasting you focus on the care of others;

your own ills will be healed...

your heart will be cleansed...

you will be forgiven...

Your fasting will not be in vain...for all the wrong reasons.

The wounds of our soul are healed 

when we reach out to care for God's children.

The wounds of our soul from years past 

will be filled in smoothed over with the grace of God.

If you choose to fast do so with a loving heart...

for even if you are not aware of the wounds of your heart

healing will occur.

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn...

Fasting is not about being sad and gloomy.

Fasting is about surrendering our will to doing God's will.

It is in fasting where we can come to know

 what hunger for God truly is...

Our hunger for God is our hunger to be made 

whole again to be with him in heaven.

Blessings may come in restricting you food intake, 

but not by ignoring the needs of the poor.

~~~Peace~~~

Digging in the Dirt

~~~ Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ~~~ Psalm 1 ~~~ Luke 9:22-25 ~~~

If you are to choose life...if you are to follow Jesus...

you must also take up your cross.

Choosing life may even mean digging into the dirt;

 searching for the smallest sign of life.

Have you ever been digging

 in the soil only to find a long wiggly earthworm?

Choosing life is not always about being green and growing.

Choosing life can get down right dirty and smelly.

Today I have set before you

life and prosperity, death and doom.

The truth about life is that we often 

do not realize it is happening.

For Jesus, choosing life meant carrying the cross

 plus having every kind of torture imposed upon him.

We have the tendency to run away from our crosses

 under the belief that they do not lead to life.

The truth is each of your crosses has the potential to give you life.

Our crosses are much like a geode.

It is only when you crack it open

 are you able to see what is locked inside.

Without the cross what would the Resurrection be?

The trials and tribulations you experience in your lifetime

are creating amazing beauty within your soul.

It is in your times of anguish that real life is possible...

but it is up to you to choose this life.

You have the choice to see them as 'life' or to view

 them as utter destruction.

If, however, you turn away your hearts

 and will not listen...

You must die with Christ in order to take part in his life.

God does not force you to choose life,

he offers it to you every day.

Lent is the perfect time to look upon the dry parched world

believing that underneath it there is life to behold.

Trust in the Lord to give you the courage 

to 'choose life' even in the darkest of times.

There is a special Blessing waiting for you today...

look for it...choose it...claim it for your own.

~~~Peace~~~

Why Are You Waiting?

~~~ Joel 2:12-18 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2 ~~~ 

~~~ Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 ~~~

No matter which reading you choose to reflect 

upon today the message is the same...

...return to me with your whole heart...

Repent, give alms, mark yourselves with ashes, fast,

pray to God to cleanse your heart.

God asked Adam and Eve why they were hiding 

when he came to walk the garden with them.

Today God is telling us to come to him.

He gives us permission to hide, when we are praying.

But when you pray, go to your inner room,

close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.

Now is the acceptable time...so what are you waiting  for?

God reminds us today, Ash Wednesday,

 that he wants to bless our repentant heart. 

If you have been hiding, embarrassed by your sins, 

the invitation is extended to you at this very moment.

Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land

and took pity on his people.

The Lord is giving you forty days to return to him.

He wants to welcome you back

 into his garden where all is wonderful...

where pure spring water runs freely...

where every kind of plant and animal

 is there for your enjoyment...

where his love for you is most evident.

We join the psalmist in praying...

A clean heart create for me, O God,

and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

Your relationship with God is personal.

Today he speaks to the depths of your heart...

to the places where you keep hidden and secret.

For in your relationship with God you have no secrets.

His invitation today is to let him,

 during this time of repentance, cleanse your soul.

You do not need to question 'Where is our God?'

He is not hiding from you.

Your day of salvation is right now.

What are you waiting for?

Blessed with ashes cleanse our minds and hearts,

O Lord we pray.

~~~Peace~~~

Poetic 'Still Life'

~~~ Genesis 6:5-8, 7:1-5, 10 ~~~ Psalm 29 ~~~ Mark 8: 14-21 ~~~

Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, 

ears and not hear? ...And do you not remember?

God is the greatest artist there ever was 

or ever will be...he created all things.

We are not a poetic 'still life' arrangement...

We are not a carefully chiseled marble form...

We are not a highly polished bronze statue...

We are flesh and blood...we are alive.

We do not have eyes that do not see.

We do not have ears that do not hear.

We do not have a heart of hard stone.

We are made to see...to hear...and to love with all of our heart.

No matter how beautiful the painting...

how perfectly formed the sculpture...

they cannot compare to what God has created with you.

You are his perfect creation.

He gave you eyes to see natural beauty...

eyes to see the pain of another.

He gave you ears to hear the sounds of nature...

ears to hear his words being spoken to you.

He gave you a strong heart to love others...

a heart that can too often become calloused and scarred 

from the cruelties of the world. 

God calls to remember how good

 he created us to be in the beginning.

He wants us to remember how he loves us.

For if we can remember this love our eyes will remain open...

our hears will hear his truth...our hearts will remain 

pliable as he continues to create in us.

We are his living breathing creations...

we belong to him...we are his unique creation of love.

This Lent I challenge you to become more alive...

to see more...to hear more...

to let your heart become softer and more compassionate.

The cold marble statue may be beautiful

 but none can compare to the beauty of who you are to God.

Blessings to be alive...to remember the good.

See more...hear more...love more...

~~~Peace~~~

Disappointing God

~~~ Genesis 4:1-15, 25 ~~~ Psalm 50 ~~~ Mark 8:11-13 ~~~

There is no delicate way to say that when Eve and Adam 

disobeyed God there life would change forever.

Not only did they hide from God.

They also covered their bodies in shame.

God did not stop loving them even in his 

disappointment with their actions.

We cannot escape the consequences of our own actions.

Adam and Eve were undoubtedly disappointed in themselves.

They had everything in the garden and they failed to be grateful.

They carried within themselves the guilt, shame, 

and sadness for disappointing God.

They were not able to love themselves 

to the degree to which God had intended.

When you harbor such things in your heart

 it affects the rest of your life.

Perhaps Adam and Eve were not able to love 

Cain and Abel with pure hearts.

What if they never really felt 

like they deserved to have their sons?

Parents do pass on feelings and attitudes without 

even realizing it is happening.

Certainly I am not saying it is their fault

 that Cain killed his brother,

 but something was corrupt in his own heart.

If the parents cannot love themselves 

how can they pass on love to their children?

God loved them all.

But he could not force them to love 

one another as he did.

So the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest anyone

 should kill him at sight.

God never ceased loving Cain 

even in his greatest time of sin...when he 

took the life of his brother.

Adam and Eve were granted great joy 

in giving birth to their sons.

They were also to experience great sadness 

in the death of Abel;

and even greater sorrow

 that his life was taken by his brother.

God loves us, but lets the consequences

 of our actions be fully experienced.

Before you chose to stray away from God's commands

 pause and consider what the consequences

 might be later in your life.

The love God has for us does not protect

 us from a pained heart.

The opinions expressed here are not meant

 to be a psychological diagnosis.

They are offered for your reflection...Adam and Eve 

were human just like us.

Blessings of loving kindness.

~~~Peace~~~

Discrimination

~~~ Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~~ Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 ~~~ Psalm 32 ~~~ 

~~~ 1 Corinthians 10:31—11:1 ~~~ Mark 1:40-45 ~~~

‘Unclean, unclean!’

The laws were exactly spelled out in the book of Leviticus.

It was very important, if you were to be a good Jew,

 to follow the laws as prescribed.

That meant that if you had any kind of skin sore 

you were considered to be unclean.

If you were unclean you were ostracized from the general public,

but more importantly you could not join in temple worship.

You were barred from hearing the readings and the teachings.

You were were at greater risk of falling into darkness.

If and when you were healed you had to present yourself 

before the elders as proof.

Then you were granted permission 

to return to the temple for worship.

You no longer had to publicly announce

 your presence in the street. 

Jesus did not come to abolish the law.

He came to show the people a better way...

a more compassionate way.

The leper came to Jesus to be healed.

He wanted to be fully restored into his community.

He wanted to be freed from his affliction.

Lepers were discriminated against at all levels of society.

Jesus cured the leper, but he also directed him

 to present himself to the elders.

Jesus wants to cure and cleanse each of us...

in mind, body, soul and spirit.

Jesus desires for us to be united with our community.

Standing on the outside looking in creates unrest and tension.

Those who were unclean were judged by others 

at all levels not just because of their physical diseases.

Who do we ostracize in our life today?

Is it the person who dresses differently...

whose skin is a different color

...who lives in a different area...who has less money...?

We all discriminate at one level or another.

Jesus removes the label of unclean.

He offers healing and forgiveness to all who come to him.

Jesus lived doing everything for the glory of God.

Saint Paul speaks to each of us...

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

If we must discriminate...let it be to give 

God glory in everything.

Blessed to have the means to remain united to our community.

God restores all to wholeness and cleanliness.

~~~Peace~~~

The 'Blame Game'

~~~Saints Cyril, Monk, and Methodius~~~

~~~Genesis 3:9-24 ~~~ Psalm 90 ~~~ Mark 8:1-10 ~~~

When you are in the presence of God the 'blame game' does not work...

You have eaten, then,

from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!

God is speaking to Adam,

 who excuses his action by blaming the woman

 for giving him the fruit to eat...the woman 

blames the serpent for tricking her with an irresistible deal.

The justice of God was dealt to each in accordance to their offense.

The most severe punishment was banishment from the garden of Eden.

Adam and Eve were sent out of the beautiful garden

 where God provided all they would ever need.

The magnificent goodness of God in the garden

 was taken away from them by one bite of the forbidden fruit.

One seemingly minor disobedience.

God, however consistently acts from his loving compassionate heart.

God wants each of us to gain 

wisdom of the heart by listening to his words.

His words bring spirit and life.

Jesus feeds the crowd, because his heart was moved with pity.

We may not know the fullness of what God created

 in the garden of Eden,

but we do have a choice.

We can chose not to eat the forbidden fruit.

We have a choice to recreate 

God's heart of love within our own heart.

Today, Valentine's Day, let us remember God's love

 for us by sharing it with others.

We are Blessed with God's justice and goodness.

We do not need to play the 'Blame Game'

we only need to let God in his wisdom teach us

 to listen to his words

and keep his commands.

The forbidden fruit is not confined to hanging on a tree.

May your heart be filled with his Peace.

"Do Not Touch"

~~~ Genesis 3:1-8 ~~~ Psalm 32 ~~~ Mark 7:31-37 ~~~

Garden--Snake--Fruit--Woman--God--Disobey--Open

God placed in the garden all that was needed 

to sustain life for his new creatures.

All that he created was good and beautiful...

maybe a little too beautiful.

The special tree with the juicy fruit was placed 

in the center of the garden by God.

The serpent also knew about this tree and its fruits.

The serpent also knew what God had told the couple.

‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’

This was some tree...not only were they forbidden to eat the fruit, 

they were not to even touch it. 

I have been into a few expensive gift shops with 

'Do Not Touch' signs near some items.

This tree was inviting, but God had labeled it

'Do Not Touch'

In slinks the serpent using his forked tongue

 to contradict the very words of God.

He slithers up to the woman and convinces her 

that God was not really serious about not 

eating from this one tree.

He tells her it is just foolish to believe that God 

would deprive them of this luscious fruit.

This is the very same thing that happens to us 

when we fail to follow God's commands.

Somehow we fool ourselves into believing 

that God was not serious or that he meant something else 

or that he was not talking to me.

Ultimately we reach out pick the fruit, consume the fruit

and things become very messy.

We may find temporary pleasure but in the end; 

we have disobeyed God.

When they heard the sound of the LORD God 

moving about in the garden at the breezy time of the day,

the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God

among the trees of the garden.

The choices we make against the commands of God

eventually open our eyes to our own weakness and sinfulness.

God comes to the man and the woman at the breezy time of the day.

Perhaps it is evening and the sun is about to set...

the cool breeze is passing over the land...

the day is drawing to a close.

God did not want Adam and Eve to hide themselves.

He does not want us to hide ourselves from him either.

God will never leave the garden.

He will never abandon us even when we disobey his commands.

God comes to us at the breezy time of the day

even if that is when we lie upon our death bed.

When you are tempted by juicy fruit, disobeying God,

remember the 'Do Not Touch' sign.

God knows our weakness and he also knows the serpent 

of temptation can paint an inviting picture to entice us.

Just as Jesus opened the ears of the deaf he opens our hearts

 to see where we have touched and eaten the forbidden fruit.

With our hearts opened we can seek forgiveness...

and be convicted to turn away from our sins.

God Blesses us with his forgiveness.

He comes into the garden and calls to us.

~~~Peace~~~

From One Rib

~~~ Genesis 2:18-25 ~~~ Psalm 128 ~~~ Mark 7:24-30 ~~~

So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man,

and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs

and closed up its place with flesh.

These couple of verses causes me to chuckle inside...

God is his infinite wisdom put the man into a deep sleep.

God made woman from one of the man's 

ribs, but the man had to be asleep.

While asleep the man could not resist or argue with God...

the man could also not give God any requests

 about how this woman was to fashioned.

The LORD God then built up into a woman

the rib that he had taken from the man.

God could have created woman without

 taking any part of the man,

but for whatever reason he wanted 

to incorporate part of the man into the body of the woman.

I find it so curious as to why God chose 

to create woman in this manner.

By using one of the man's ribs God created a vacancy within the man

 that ultimately would be filled by the creation of the woman.

When man woke up he was very pleased 

that God had created this woman

 to be with him in the garden.

That is why a man leaves his father and mother

and clings to his wife,

and the two of them become one flesh.

God bless all men and women; we were created in his image...

we were created for one another.

Blessings today especially

 on all marriages.

~~~Peace~~~

Precious Water

~~~ Our Lady of Lourdes ~~~

~~~ Genesis 2:4B-9, 15-17 ~~~ Psalm 104 ~~~ Mark 7:14-23 ~~~

Water is one of the themes connecting all 

of the readings together today.

When the Mary made her appearance at Lourdes 

healing waters sprung forth from the earth.

In the creation account of today... 

 ...a stream was welling up out of the earth

and was watering all the surface of the ground—

God brought water up from the ground 

without first causing it to rain.

For God the rain came after his 

bring up the water from no apparent source.

Bernadette was instructed by the Blessed Mother

 to begin digging in front of the grotto.

She was further told to drink from the spring

 of water that would appear.

Bernadette says at first it was muddy and then it became clear.

As word spread then and continues today 

miraculous cures are associated with

 these waters at Lourdes.

The waters created by God in the beginning 

are still a part of the great cycle of water he set into motion.

New water is not being created every day or each year by God.

In his infinite wisdom he created 

water on earth to last for all of eternity.

Water is precious.

Water refreshes and gives us life.

Water is for drinking, healing, and cleansing.

Be mindful each time you come into contact 

with water just how necessary it is to our very existence.

We thank you God for the gift of watering our earth.

Blessing abound from the waters of Lourdes.

Our Lady of Lourdes,

pray for us.

~~~Peace~~~

Creation Time Lapse

~~~ Saint Scholastica, Virgin ~~~

~~~ GN 1:20—2:4A ~~~ Psalm 8 ~~~ MK 7:1-13 ~~~

 God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,

because on it he rested from all the work 

he had done in creation.

God was so delighted in all of his creation,

but he was especially with his creation of us...

God created man in his image;

in the divine image he created him;

male and female he created them.

God took so much delight in forming us 

that he gave to us his own image.

How can we ever doubt that God loves us?

He created us in his own image...his own image is one of goodness.

God used the seventh day to rest...

to stop the energy of creating...

to step back and gaze upon all that he had created.

God took time to appreciate how the world turned out.

God took time to make sure we were provided for through 

his skilled creation of plants that produced their own seeds.

God's creation would continue to bring forth life

 for all future generations.

God did not step back on the seventh day to admire

 his handiwork he had a plan...

a plan for our future...

a plan to sustain us.

He desired for his goodness to continue for all ages,

so that we would always know just how much he loved us.

In those seven short days God brought into action

 the master plan for life itself.

I have seen videos of artists creating a piece

 of art in time lapse;

I envision this is how God 

created all that we know today 

as our world.

The energy of God's creative goodness

 is still flowing to us right now.

So Blessed to experience 

all that is good

in creation.

~~~ Peace ~~~

Look for the Good

~~~ Genesis 1:1-19 ~~~ Psalm 104 ~~~ Mark 6:53-56 ~~~

God saw how good it was.

In the first nineteen verses of Genesis God looked 

upon his creation four separate times and saw good,

You might say of course God would see good he is God...

all of what he created was good.

But God paused to make note

 of the goodness manifesting itself 

from his very being,

God could have existed forever 

without creating anything from his goodness.

He chose to make his goodness visible for us.

Jesus comes into our world after the creation goodness

 had become obscured by people.

Jesus came to us with all of the goodness of the Father.

He went around looking for the goodness

 in everyone he came into contact with during his travels.

We can learn to do the same thing...

we too can look for the goodness within the people around us.

Sometimes it may be our own goodness 

that brings out the goodness in another person.

Jesus healed people because he could see deeper into their soul;

he could see that below the surface they did have a goodness.

When Jesus healed he was in effect bringing

 forth their innate goodness.

When Jesus healed he was magnifying

 the goodness that each of them had been born with.

Jesus healed through the power of his goodness

 which comes directly through the Father.

Many only needed to touch the tassel hanging 

from the cloak of Jesus.

That was enough to restore them 

to their fundamental goodness of healing.

Our challenge today is to look past 

the negativity of our world today;

to find the basic goodness God placed 

into all of creation.

God saw how good it was.

And we can too.

Looking for the good;

 you will attract many Blessings.

~~~Peace~~~