Body of Evidence

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 3:11-26 ~~~ Psalm 8 ~~~

~~~ Luke 24:35-48 ~~~

Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.

Touch me and see, because a ghost does not 

have flesh and bones as you can see I have.

Is is not surprising that the disciples 

would be afraid by the appearance of the Risen Jesus.

We do not believe our own eyes when we 

witness something that seems impossible.

Those who loved Jesus saw his brutal crucifixion and death.

Yes, he did tell them that on the third day he 

would be raised from the dead,

but they did not understand the meaning.

When he appears to them at first

 they believe they are seeing a ghost.

There had been some other witnesses but still

 they were reluctant to believe.

It seems the burden of proof was on Jesus.

And so he makes several post Resurrection appearances.

He wants them to have the first hand knowledge

 that he really was back.

Jesus testifies on his own behalf.

His own body is the evidence he offers to his friends.

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

Jesus opened their minds and hearts to 

understand his previous words.

Jesus is his own defense attorney...

Jesus gives his own testimony...

Jesus gives his evidence...

Jesus stands before them as proof.

His glorified body still bears the nail marks.

His glorified body still reveals the mark of the lance.

And for those who were still skeptical

he eats a piece of baked fish.

Now they all believe because a ghost cannot eat food.

Touch me and see...

Jesus goes out of his way to convince

 them he really was raised from the dead.

He really did conquer death...

If he can break the chains of death

 then forgiving the sins of the whole world is possible.

Dying from life as we know it seems very permanent...final.

Jesus has a message for all of us...

he has overcome death so that he can bring us to heaven.

He wants us to be with him for all of eternity.

Death is not final...

death is a shift in perceived reality.

Jesus was no magician.

He was not trying to fool the disciples with an illusion.

He was there with them.

They could see him, hear him, feel him, 

talk with him, and share their food with him.

They could finally experience the great

 truth of his promise.

While they were still incredulous for joy

 and were amazed...

He is just as real today.

He is just as present today.

He is just as alive today.

Come close enough to touch and see

 the marks on his body.

He will Bless you with

 an opened mind to better understand.

~~~ Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! ~~~

“Peace be with you.”

The Burning Within

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 3:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ 

~~~ Luke 24:13-35 ~~~

“Were not our hearts burning within us

while he spoke to us on the way and 

opened the Scriptures to us?”

These are beautiful words...burning hearts...

on the way...opened the Scriptures...

Jesus tells us that where two or more 

are gathered together he too will be present.

Peter and John were going up to the temple area...

Cleopas and his wife were walking home to Emmaus.

Peter and John come to the 'Beautiful Gate'

for the afternoon prayer time.

A crippled beggar approaches them asking for money.

Peter has no coins to give him,

but he does have within his body a burning heart.

His heart was so full of Jesus that 

he was blessed to heal.

Peter gave this man the gift 

of healing at the 'Beautiful Gate'

because his heart was burning.

We may not have the gift of healing,

 but I hope your heart is burning.

Every time we read or hear the Scriptures

our hearts should also be burning.

These words are our connection to Jesus himself.

Once again Jesus asks the obvious question to Cleopas...

'What are you talking about?'

I imagine they are startled from their deep 

conversation and grief.

Where has this stranger been?

The more Jesus speaks to them about his own history and life,

the more they are drawn to listen more intently.

They are so mesmerized that they do not want this

 'stranger' to leave, so they offer him hospitality.

But they urged him, “Stay with us,

for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”

This desire to hold on the Jesus can happen to us too.

When we have an intimate encounter with Jesus...

that burning within our heart...

we do not want it to end.

We want these 'feelings' of the presence

of God to remain with us.

We soon learn that we cannot keep

the feelings alive for ever...

just as Cleopas could not

 keep Jesus in their home.

Jesus stays with us just long enough 

to make his presence felt,

but then he vanishes 

leaving within our heart a burning.

"But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel."

Cleopas and many others had their own idea of who Jesus would be;

we do the same thing.

We put our personal hopes in what we want 

Jesus to mean for ourselves.

He always fulfills our hopes

with his more superb plan for our life.

When we stand before the 

"Beautiful Gate"

know that God stands beside you.

He speaks to you and reveals himself through the Scriptures.

Blessed to have within a burning heart.

Let your Alleluias fan the flames.

Let the Light of Christ shine brightly

 for those with you on the road.

~~~Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! ~~~

He is Risen!

He Calls Her Name

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 2:36-41 ~~~ Psalm 33 ~~~ 

~~~ John 20:11-18 ~~~

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?

Whom are you looking for?”

At first Mary is not aware that Jesus is outside the tomb.

She bends over to look inside where she 

finds two angels keeping watch.

They ask her why she is crying.

She was probably shocked by what she

 saw and even more shocked by their question.

We understand why she is crying

 because we can identify with her loss.

We too have wept at the loss of a loved one.

Usually no one asks us why we are crying 

unless they do not know what happened.

The two angels had no reason to weep.

They knew that Jesus was no longer among the dead.

The angels knew that Jesus was not bound by the burial cloths.

The angels had knowledge that Mary was soon to discover.

Earlier during the public ministry of Jesus the disciples

 tell him 'everyone is looking for you'.

Now Jesus wants to know who Mary is looking for...

You almost feel like saying,

 Duh, Jesus, she is looking for you.

She looks where she assumed his body

 would be...within the tomb.

When you are upset you are also not thinking clearly.

Mary does not recognize 

Jesus until he calls her by name.

She knows his voice.

He has spoken to her by name on many occasions.

His voice has not changed but his Risen body

 is completely changed.

Jesus said to her, “Mary!”

She turned and said to him in Hebrew, 

“Rabbouni,” 

which means Teacher.

Sometimes we look for Jesus where we think

 he is only to discover he is not there.

We then must believe that he is still near to us.

Jesus was not far from the tomb.

He was not yet gone.

The tomb was empty;

the glorious Jesus was much greater 

than the darkness.

Mary's tears were quickly replaced 

with wild smiles of happiness.

She must have been so excited 

that she raced to tell the others the good news.

When was the last time you were super

 excited about something?

Try to relive that experience today.

Transfer it to the joy of the Resurrection.

Some day we will experience 

our own resurrection with the Lord.

Oh what a grand day that will be for us

even though our loved ones will be weeping over our loss.

The Easter Joy is about the Goodness of the Lord.

He Blesses us in this joy for our faith.

Alleluia, Jesus is Alive!

~~~Peace~~~

Fearful Yet Overjoyed

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 2:14, 22-33 ~~~ Psalm 16 ~~~ 

~~~ Matthew 28:8-15 ~~~

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary

 went away quickly from the tomb,

fearful yet overjoyed,

and ran to announce the news to his disciples.

On the third day those who believed in Jesus

were fearful and overjoyed at the same time.

They were fearful because of the unknown.

They were fearful because they were known

 to be followers of Jesus.

They were fearful for their own safety.

At the same time they were overjoyed.

They were overjoyed because Jesus 

was no longer in the tomb.

They were overjoyed because he just might

 have been telling them the truth.

Finally they were overjoyed because Jesus appeared to them.

Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.

Jesus appeared to calm their fears.

Jesus appeared to assure the women 

he had indeed been raised from the dead.

Jesus appeared to the women

to comfort them in their time of fearful sorrow.

Jesus appeared to them because he wanted to dispel any doubt.

God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,

because it was impossible for him to be held by it.

God raised Jesus from death...

he alone has power over death.

God can not be held in death; because God is life itself.

The Resurrection of Jesus is more about

 life than it is about death.

God creates life from nothing.

God is the Creator of life even when 

it appears that death has won.

God breathed the Spirit of Life

into the person of Jesus.

God allowed Jesus to be seen for a few

 times after his Resurrection.

Now the Roman officials are to experience fear...

fear of the unknown.

"Where is Jesus?"

They told lies to cover up their fear...

'His disciples came by night 

and stole him while we were asleep.'

Jesus soon meets his beloved apostles on the beach.

The beach where he called them to follow him.

The beach where they gladly left their nets behind 

to become fishers of men.

Never underestimate the plans of God;

they truly are Divine.

Share the joy of those who saw the 

Resurrected Jesus

it's blessings last forever.

~~~Peace~~~

~~~Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia~~~

Wonderful Before Our Eyes

~~~ Easter Sunday ~~~

~~~Resurrection of the Lord~~~

~~~ 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 for all Christians 

to lift our hearts and minds to heaven.

It the day set aside for our thoughts 

to concentrate on what is above.

Spring is the perfect time to celebrate 

the Resurrection of the Lord.

Spring is a time when nature bursts into bloom.

All of nature is rejoicing with new growth.

It is a time for us to also rejoice in our new birth

with Jesus...we have been promised life everlasting.

Life everlasting...a new life unlike the one we are living today.

Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.

...they did not yet understand the Scripture 

that he had to rise from the dead.

Imagine the confusion on that morning after the crucifixion.

The women come first to the tomb only to find 

the body of Jesus missing.

They quickly run to tell Peter and the other disciples.

They so desperately wanted to believe that

Jesus was raised from the dead

and not snatched by some grave robbers.

The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;

the right hand of the LORD is exalted.

This is the day the Lord has made for us

 to spread the joy of the Lord.

It is a day above all days to rejoice,,,

A day to loudly sing Alleluia.

For the Lord has been raised from the dead.

The Spirit of the Lord Blesses us 

in a very special way today.

Let your whole being be a reflection of his Joy.

Jesus Christ is Risen today...

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

~~~Peace~~~

Creation to Resurrection...Alleluia!

~~~ Holy Saturday~~~Easter Vigil~~~

 ~~~Genesis 1: 1, 26-31a ~~~ Exodus 14: 15-15: 1~~~

 ~~~Isaiah 55: 1-11~~~ Romans 6: 3-11~~~

~~~Luke 24:1-12~~~

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

for his mercy endures forever.

The scriptures for the Easter vigil take us 

...from the Creation to Resurrection....

...from destruction to deliverance...

...from sinfulness to salvation...

...from repentance to rejoicing.

Truly this is a day for joy...a day for celebration...

a day when we are brought from darkness into light;

not just any light but the Light of Christ.

Today we are in flash back mode and fast forward...

Today we long for our own resurrection in the Lord.

If, then, we have died with Christ,

we believe that we shall also live with him.

We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;

death no longer has power over him.

This is what we profess to believe...

that we shall also live with Jesus for all of eternity in heaven.

The Resurrection of Jesus by God

broke the chains of death not only for Jesus

but for all of us too.

The death of Jesus was not in vain.

His death was for one purpose in obedience

to the Father to secure our eternal salvation.

Today remove the stone from your heart...

let the glorious light of Christ fill you with Joy.

We see the light...

we no longer walk in darkness.

Now we too must live for God in Christ Jesus.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

How can we keep from singing?

Salvation showers us with Blessings of Joy.

~~~Peace~~~

Silent Emptiness

~~~ Good Friday ~~~

~~~ Isaiah 52:13—53:12 ~~~ Psalm 31 ~~~ 

~~~ Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9 ~~~ John 18:1—19:42 ~~~ 

...it was our infirmities that he bore,

our sufferings that he endured...

...he was pierced for our offenses,

crushed for our sins...

...he surrendered himself to death...

...he shall take away the sins of many,

and win pardon for their offenses.

Each of these verses deserve our attention.

It is our sins...Jesus suffered for you and for me.

He took on the punishments that should have been reserved for us.

We have been saved by a person, Jesus,

 who did not know if we were ever going to exist.

He willfully took away the sins of many by surrendering 

himself to a cruel painful death.

Jesus absorbed the sins of the whole world for all of eternity
until nothing was left except for his pure heart.

He completely emptied himself of all
 that was not for our salvation.
Every drop of blood shed was for one of our sins.

Jesus emptied himself so that all sin
 would be meshed into his great mercy.

'Go and sin no more'
words Jesus spoke many times to those he healed.

Today, Good Friday, as we venerate
 his crucified body hanging upon the
cross those words are for us.

Silently he suffered and died for us.
How can this not be an invitation to love him even more?

We are Blessed in believing
that we can always love God more
 today than yesterday.

Today His Mercy is for you.

Cherish the Eucharist

~~~ Holy Thursday ~~~

~~~ Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ 

~~~ 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ~~~ John 13:1-15 ~~~

“What I am doing, you do not understand now,

but you will understand later.”

Today we celebrate the institution 

of the Most Holy Eucharist.

How could we possibly return

 to the Lord all that he has done for us?

The apostles did not anticipate or understand

 Jesus washing their feet before dinner.

The customary Jewish washing ritual 

prescribed hand washing.

The washing was to remove impurities 

before temple offerings.

It was not about physical cleanliness

 or killing germs as it is today.

The hand washing has continued in the Mass

 as a sign of the holiness of the consecration

 of the bread and wine. 

Jesus took this ritual and turned it upside down.

He washes their feet that would carry his message out to the world.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, 

you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

Jesus was teaching the apostles 

how they were to further spread the good news.

They were to walk all across the land consecrating bread and wine.

They were commissioned at this final meal

 to carry on without the physical person of Jesus with them.

He purified their feet...the apostles were to leave their homeland.

They had the task from Jesus to carry with them his power.

They now are to take ordinary bread and wine

and turn it into the his Body and Blood.

I have given you a model to follow, 

so that as I have done for you, you should also do.

All that Jesus did we are to do for others.

I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:

love one another as I have loved you.

At the end of Mass today 

the Eucharist is carried out of the main church.

In solemn procession it is relocated and 

exposed for Adoration throughout

the night...praying with Jesus in Gethsemane.

We may not fully understand what Jesus did for us that night,

but we can fully appreciate the marvelous gift

of the Most Holy Eucharist.

Jesus washed the feet of the apostles...

consecrated the bread and wine...

changing it into his own body and blood...

commissioned the apostles to take this

power of consecration out to the people.

Our blessing-cup is a communion

 with the Blood of Christ.

The greatest gift of the Eucharist

is Blessing us today in a special manner.

~~~Peace~~~

Facing the Truth

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

“Surely it is not I, Lord?”

Did Jesus make a mistake when he chose Judas

 to be one of his closest followers or was 

it part of the bigger salvation plan?

What if...Judas had declined

 the invitation to follow Jesus...would one 

of the others have betrayed him?

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

Judas was with Jesus every day,
yet he could not leave behind the temptations
 of the financial world.
He wanted to fill his money bag with the noisy coins.
He was not satisfied with filling his soul with the words of Jesus.

In all honesty are we that different from Judas?
It is hard to admit that we might resemble him just a little.

Jesus surrounded himself with disciples
 who exemplified all of human nature...
the good, the bad and the ugly.

Jesus kept on loving.
Jesus kept on following the will of the Father.

If we learn nothing else from the scriptures this week
it must be to see ourselves as the events unfold.

“Surely it is not I, Lord?”

We could be uttering those exact words.
We struggle with picturing ourselves wanting to harm Jesus.

The truth is like Judas we are
very attached to our material world.

Sometimes this attachment clouds our
 ability to focus on Jesus.

We too are challenged just like Judas and Peter
to admit that we are weak.
Human nature clamors for us to place
our physical world above our heavenly one.

And all too often it wins.
Surely Lord, we do not want it to be
 us that condemns you.

Blessed with the lessons taught
in the scriptures today.

~~~Peace~~~

Betrayed...Denied

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

For now the LORD has spoken

who formed me as his servant from the womb...

I will make you a light to the nations,

that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

The prophet Isaiah speaks beautifully

 of Jesus being 

formed in the womb, 

as we know the womb of Mary.

We also are known by God 

while we are yet in our mother's womb.

Because God has this intimate connection with our soul;

we are wonderfully made.

God made Jesus the light for all generations.

Since we are united with Jesus

we too must be a light to others.

Holy Week is not a time for us to walk 

around in sadness,

but rather for us to accept 

how much we are loved by God.

Jesus, knowing his time is drawing near,

begins his good byes.

He loves these twelve men very much.

It must cause him much heartache

to acknowledge that one of them would

 betray him that very evening.

In addition to betrayal he also knows

 that his most trusted follower, Peter, 

would deny him three times.

Not once or twice, but three times.

Peter said to him,

“Master, why can I not follow you now? 

I will lay down my life for you.”

Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me?

Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow

before you deny me three times.”

Peter wants to immediately go with Jesus.

He loves Jesus so much that he 

is willing to die for him.

The words of Jesus pierce the heart of Peter.

His words penetrate into the essence of Peter.

He has no concept of how he could 

possibly deny the one he loves and 

admires above everyone else.

There is no way we can predict how we 

would respond in specific situations.

Jesus is the light of the world.

We must keep his light shining within our hearts.

Jesus did not cease to love Peter or Judas.

We know Peter laments his denials.

We do not know if Judas did repent in the end as well.

One thing we can be confident of

is that there is nothing we could do that

 God would not forgive.

Neither betrayal or denial can keep

 us from being blessed with God's love.

You have been loved since you were formed 

in your mother's womb.

~~~Peace~~~

Dinner Party Pedicure

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

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The feast of Passover was just six days after 

Jesus called Lazarus from death.

They both attended a dinner honoring Jesus.

People were curious about the raising of Lazarus.

Many of the disciples of Jesus were

 in attendance including Judas.

During the meal a woman named Mary

 came to the feet of Jesus with her jar perfumed oil.

She generously emptied the entire liter of this 

precious oil over the feet of Jesus.

She did not hold back for herself one ounce.

Amid the disapproving words of Judas she 

dried his feet with her hair.

“Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages

and given to the poor?”

Judas had become so familiar with Jesus

 that he could no longer see him as the Messiah.

He thought it foolish for expensive oil

 to be 'wasted' on the feet of Jesus.

Why would this woman perform such a bizarre action?

Why would she feel the feet of Jesus were 

more important than his head? 

For Judas, was it the wasting of the oil or 

the fact that it was poured over feet of Jesus?

The scriptures indicate that he was concerned 

about the monetary value of the oil.

Jesus viewed the whole scene very

 connected to his death.

So Jesus said, “Leave her alone.

Let her keep this for the day of my burial.

After death the body is anointed with fragrant oils.

Jesus was able to experience the sweet fragrance of the oil.

He was able to experience the feeling of Mary

 tenderly caressing his feet. 

Mary gave Jesus the ultimate pedicure.

A pedicure for Jesus; can you picture such a sight?

Jesus was able to experience the pleasure 

of having his tired calloused dirty feet 

treated with loving care.

Mary emptied herself of any pretentiousness,

 with all concern for cleanliness.

She took her most prized possession, 

her hair, to dry his feet.

Which of your prized possessions 

are you willing to give to God?

What are you ready to give to him?

Is it something of great value?

Is it something you can live without?

Is it something you too much of today?

Do you feel Mary made a sacrifice?

Here is my servant whom I uphold,

my chosen one with whom I am pleased...

It is clear that Jesus was pleased 

with the actions of Mary.

It is also clear that he was 

not pleased with the attitude of Judas.

Where would you rather find yourself?

Today we are invited to come to the feet of Jesus.

Today we are invited to pour out the best 

of ourselves that we have to offer.

Be Blessed as you consider each 

aspect of this dinner party.

~~~Peace~~~

Hosanna...Horror

~~~ Palm Sunday...Passion Sunday ~~~

~~~ Isaiah 50:4-7 ~~~ Psalm 22 ~~~ Philippians 2:6-11 ~~~ 

~~~ Luke 22:14—23:56 ~~~ 

My God, my God, 

why have you abandoned me?

In the span a few hours

 the people sing hosanna as Jesus enters into the town

and turn around clamoring for his death.

How can it be that before the echoes of joy have subsided

the shouts of condemnation become louder?

Jesus could have escaped

 he could bypassed all of his passion,

but he did not...he took his place among us

as fully human.

He chose to put aside his being God

 instead he embraces, even endures his 

place in the plan of the Father.

The joy we feel today is the joy from the knowledge

 that our salvation was freely gained for us.

God loves us so much

 that he created the most outrageous 

visible way to bring us back to him for all eternity.

The passion and crucifixion of 

Jesus is crude and brutal...

only God could offer such mercy to us

his chosen ones.

 ...at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

of those in heaven and on earth 

and under the earth...

There is nothing we can do to express our gratitude 

for being saved more than to praise God 

every chance we get.

Look for opportunities to praise him...

to thank him...

he has done great things for us 

and holy is his name.

Never be intimidated to praise and thank God.

Where would we be without his mercy?

My God, my God, 

why have you abandoned me?

The truth is that God has not abandoned us

it is not part of his love plan.

Let the palms of today be a reminder 

of your desire to praise God more frequently.

We are Blessed today in our palms of praise

and in facing the words of the Passion.

~~~Peace~~~

The Humble Servant

~~~ Solemnity of Saint Joseph ~~~

~~~ 2 SM 7:4-5A, 12-14A, 16 ~~~ Psalm 82 ~~~ 

~~~ ROM 4:13, 16-18, 22 ~~~ MT 1:16, 18-21, 24A ~~~

Saint Joseph was not your typical male.

He did not think that he was qualified to make 

all of his own decisions.

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,

yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

decided to divorce her quietly.

His gut reaction was to quietly

 distance himself from Mary

 so as not to embarrass her or humiliate her.

For she was pregnant and unwed.

By today's standards it would not 

be such a scandal

 but then it was very different.

Instead he demonstrated his strength

 through his humility in following the will of God.

Too often if a male exhibits humility it is 

perceived as weakness.

God hand picked Joseph to be the protector of Mary and Jesus.

His divine plan was perfectly put together.

After all could you refuse God's request

if he sent an angel to you?

Saint Joseph was chosen by God

because he was instilled with 

with virtues that most resembled God himself.

God did not pick a celebrity... 

God did not pick someone

 well known to be the father for Jesus.

God picked his faithful servant Joseph.

Joseph was not perfect but he was perfect to be chosen 

by God to be the earthly father for Jesus.

Mary too gave the appropriate respect

 to Joseph as the father of Jesus,

  the head of their household.

“Son, why have you done this to us?

Your father and I have been looking

 for you with great anxiety.”

God has chosen each one of us for his

 holy purpose in life.

He has chosen you to be his own.

Maybe you already know what that purpose is,

but if not trust that you too

 are called by God.

Joseph was the humble servant of God.

We honor him today for agreeing to cooperate 

with God's plan for our salvation.

Blessed in our loving devotion to Saint Joseph.

Saint Joseph, pray for us 

to be ready to humbly consent to God's will.

May you be a positive role model for all

fathers in our present world. 

~~~Peace~~~

The Forever Covenant

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

The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

God made a covenant with Abraham as 

he was changing his name.

A covenant with God is a binding spiritual contract.

God did not lengthy complicated legal documents.

God did not have his heavenly attorney 

draw up a document for this covenant.

God keeps his word there is no need for legal protection;

no one is needed to enforce the rules of the covenant.

I will maintain my covenant with you

and your descendants after you

throughout the ages as an everlasting pact,

to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.

This covenant has now extended 

all the way through the ages to include us.

It boggles the mind to think about just how long ago God 

made this promise which we believe now.

What else would have survived for this many years?

God uses covenants to communicates us, redeems us,

saves us into eternal life with Jesus.

God's promises are never broken.

God's promises are not questioned.

God's promises are completely trustworthy.

The entire Bible is a covenant.

The Latin word for Covenant is Testament.

Thus we have the Bible in two parts...

the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Jesus said to the Jews:

“Amen, amen, I say to you,

whoever keeps my word will never see death.” 

We could not have asked for anything more from God

 than to be among his chosen people.

If today you hear his voice,

harden not your hearts.

God keeps his part of the covenant

 are you keeping you part?

God is the origin of his covenants;

 we are given the grace to fulfill our part.

His covenants are prefect and true.

~~~Peace~~~

Unwavering Faith

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

~~~ John 8:31-42 ~~~

Glory and praise for ever!

Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego were condemned
 to be burned alive in the fiery furnace for refusing
 to worship the bronze idol.

They willing accepted their sentence
believing that God could save them if he so desired.

They silently prayed as they were being bound
 and carried to the raging fire.

Imagine their surprise and awe when there appears an angel
 from God protecting them from the painful
consuming flames.

Abednego finds it fitting to begin his prayer of praise for God.
Excerpts from his prayer are used in place of one of the psalms.

This is a great prayer of praise
in the midst of not just a storm but a fire storm.

No matter how bad things get
can you still find some way to praise God?

These three men had strong faith but when they encountered
the angel of the Lord their faith itself was ignited
beyond understanding.

What would it take to truly ignite your faith?

Would your faith increase if you were caught
 in a personal storm fire?

These three brave men have so much to teach us about faith.

They exemplify unwavering faith.
They were willing to endure excruciating pain
rather than worship a false idol.

They refused to deny the one true God.

I wonder how they prepared themselves
to take such a stand.
It is obvious that they did not discover their faith
when they refused to worship the false god.

After the fire, how were these three men different.
God delivered them from certain death.
They did not become important preachers or teachers.

Would your faith override every other action and desire?
Would you be willing to give up your life for God?

Many today are still being killed for their faith.

This is the time to question your own faith.
What do you believe?
What would never be a deal changer?
Would you compromise your faith?

Praise God with the words used for today's psalm...

R. (52b) Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim;
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”
R. Glory and praise for ever!
“Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
praiseworthy and glorious forever.”

Blessed to praise him in good times
and in bad times.

~~~Peace~~~

The Heavenly Connection

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

“Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,
and whoever looks at it after being bitten will live.”

In the Garden of Eden it was the serpent
 who tempted Eve with the forbidden fruit.
Thus God condemned the serpent to forever crawl on its belly.

Today God instructs Moses to take the serpent
mount it on a pole and raise it high for all to view.

God takes the very thing that thrust us
into sin and now makes it a symbol of healing.

For all who look upon the serpent
 after being bitten will be healed.

It seems right for us to make the connection to Jesus.
Of course Jesus is not sin and Jesus is no serpent...
but all who look upon our crucified Jesus
will be granted healing for their soul.

When you lift up the Son of Man,
then you will realize that I AM,
and that I do nothing on my own,
but I say only what the Father taught me.

Jesus wants us to understand that he
 is not of this world;
he is from the heavenly world.
He says we belong to what is below...
he belongs to what is above.

When we lift our eyes to gaze upon his crucified body
then we realize that his dying for our sins
could have only come from above.

Jesus is the I AM...

God's ways will never be our ways.
When God sent Jesus to live among us
 it was only until his mission was accomplished.

During this time of Lent we remember
all that God has done for us.

He has done great things for us.

We invite you to pray the Stations of the Cross
sometime within the next few days.
Praying with these fourteen stations gives us time
 to reflect on how God has healed our soul.

The Lord looks down from above and heals our soul...
he saves us from the darkness of sin.

We are Blessed from our Father above.
Now is the time to express our deepest gratitude
for all that was sacrificed for us.

~~~Peace~~~

Truth or Silence

~~~ Deuteronomy 13:41C-62~~~ Psalm 23 ~~~

~~~ John 8:12-20 ~~~

“I am the light of the world.

Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,

but will have the light of life.” 

God sheds light where darkness prevails...
Susanna was sentenced to death
after two men lied about the facts.

Daniel, inspired by God,
had the men questioned separately.
He suspected that their individual stories would be different.
Both men had stories that contradicted each other.

Daniel shows how the light of the truth
saves those who hope in the Lord.

The two who lied about Susanna were they
themselves sentenced to death.

The light of life over shadows the darkness of lies.
Lies do not support life, it is in truth that life survives.

...even if I should judge, my judgment is valid,
because I am not alone,
but it is I and the Father who sent me.

In our court rooms today we have testimonies
 from witness stories that often do not match.

It is the duty of the jury to make a decision
based on the testimonies heard.

Jesus does not struggle with who is telling the truth
because his insight is validated by God the Father.

The Light sees through lies...
The Light invites us out of the darkness.

No one can testify on behalf of Jesus
except the Father.
The elders were bothered because
 they could not verify the testimony of Jesus

Blessed always in the truth.

Choose to speak words of truth
or opt for silence.

~~~Peace~~~

Let Go...Move Forward

~~~ Fifth Sunday of Lent ~~~

~~~ Isaiah 43:16-21 ~~~ Psalm 126 ~~~ 

~~~ Philippians 3:8-14 ~~~ John 8:1-11 ~~~

Remember not the events of the past,

the things of long ago consider not;

see, I am doing something new!

God is all about creating something from nothing.

He can look beyond events from our past 

because he wants us to consider the newness he offers.

He makes all things good.

He does not want us to live in the past.

He wants us to live with hope in our hearts.

If we are chained to the past

 we are in effect giving up on 

having a better future.

...forgetting what lies behind 

but straining forward to what lies ahead...

Paul says...okay so you have not been 

the best person all of the time.

But now it is time to let go and move forward.

We must keep our eye on the goal which lies ahead.

We do not find Jesus by going backwards

 into the darkness of our sins.

We find Jesus by looking forward 

toward the light of new dawn.

“Let the one among you who is without sin 

be the first to throw a stone at her.”

When the woman caught in adultery 

was thrown at the feet of Jesus, 

humiliated before the crowd,

he already knew the sins of the accusers.

We do not know what he writes in the sand, 

but it was enough to turn away the crowd beginning 

with the elders, the accusers.

God knows the real you within; 

the one behind the face you present to others.

Jesus never denies that this woman was a sinner, 

he just quietly revealed that she was not

 the only sinner present.

The accusers wanted to keep this woman

 in her past sinfulness.

Jesus invited this woman to move forward 

closer to her own salvation.

Where do you want to be...stuck in the past...

or straining with Paul for what lies ahead?

Let's move forward together.

He will give us the grace.

He will bless us with each step closer.

~~~Peace~~~