Jesus Chooses You

~~~ Saint Catherine of Siena ~~~ 
~~~ Virgin and Doctor of the Church ~~~

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 15:22-31 ~~~ Psalm 57 ~~~
~~~ John 15:12-17 ~~~

I have called you friends...

We all have family, friends and acquaintances.
Jesus calls us his friends not his acquaintances.
He did not want just a casual relationship with you.
He wants a true friendship.

Jesus does not want you for a business companion.
He wants the intimacy of a friendship.

Jesus wants to be in your inner circle.
He wants to be one with whom you can tell
 your deepest desires and fears.

Jesus has chosen you to be one of his friends.
Will you chose him to be your BFF?
Does this influence how you view your
relationship with him?

Jesus cares more for you than your best friend.
He loves you more than any of your relatives.
Only you would treat him life and acquaintance.

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you...

When Jesus chooses you it is not like a sorority
choosing someone following rush week. 

Jesus chose you before you had
 the presence of mind to reciprocate the offer.

In life we chose people to be our friends
 who share common interests.

Jesus invites us to
share in everything he values.

Jesus invites us to
share his own body and blood.
He has proved his friendship by laying
down his life for us.

We cannot just be an acquaintance
 of Jesus because he knows us too well.

An acquaintance is someone you do not know well.

If you think Jesus is just an acquaintance
read the Bible, learn as much as possible about him.

Look at who you call friend and reflect
on Jesus calling you friend.

Blessed to be called a friend of Jesus.
Pray to treat him as my best friend.

Be who you were created to be and you
 will set the earth on fire.
St. Catherine of Sienna, pray for us.
~~~Peace~~~

Joy Multiplied

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 15:7-21 ~~~ Psalm 96 ~~~

~~~ John 15:9-11 ~~~

“I have told you this so that

my joy might be in you and

your joy might be complete.”

Jesus gives us his joy.

It is up to us take that joy and bring it into our life.

If we bring the joy of the Lord into our heart

 then our joy will surely be complete.

When it comes to Jesus we have

 so many reasons to have complete joy.

We must share our joy with others.

There is joy that God knows our heart.

Who else can possibly know your heart better than God?

Sometimes we are unsure when it comes to things of the heart.

God knows our heart because he made it

 to beat every moment of our life.

He made our heart to be one of the most

 amazing parts of our body.

We have the joy of Jesus because he

 has showered us with his grace.

Grace we need to be the person we know we can be...

the person deep inside that we want to be...

the person he made us to be.

We were created to be people of Joy.

What does joy look like to you?

What does joy feel like?

How does joy change you?

How can you spread more joy?

Who shares their joy with you?

Just maybe joy shared is joy multiplied.

The more joy we have in our heart

 the more joy we have in living.

Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds

 to all the nations.

Proclaim God's marvelous deeds

your joy will become the strength of your soul.

Your joy will be complete

if you but remain in his love.

Blessings from His complete Joy.

~~~Peace~~~

Remain on the Vine

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 15:1-6 ~~~ Psalm 122 ~~~

~~~ John 15:1-8 ~~~

I am the vine, you are the branches.

Cultivating a grape vine takes patience.

The vine must be planted when the roots

 are bare in early Spring.

It is helpful if you soak them in water

 a couple hours prior to planting.

You must construct a trellis support for the vines.

Grape vines thrive in full sun.

The spacing between each plant is between 6 and 16 feet.

Jesus has already done the prep work for us.

Now we must use the richness of him to flourish.

He is firmly planted in the Father's love.

He is all the support our branch of the vine needs.

He provides the sunlight needed for us to bud and be fruitful.

Jesus truly is our everything.

He has already pruned away the dead branches.

By this is my Father glorified,

that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.

Jesus provides all that we need to prosper 

and bear much fruit.

Bearing fruit is how we give back to God.

Bearing fruit is how we continue to glorify God.

Bearing fruit keeps us walking with the other disciples.

The teachings of Jesus are the way,

 the truth and our life.

Jesus remains in us as long as we stay 

connected to the vine.

Unlike plants we can separate ourselves from the vine.

We can avoid the support trellis right before our eyes.

We can hide ourselves from his light.

...without me you can do nothing.

You are a branch on the vine of Jesus.

Cling to the trellis for his support.

Relish in the light of his face.

There is no doubt you will bear much fruit in your life.

Your life will glorify the Lord.

Blessings come up from the roots

 out into the branches to produce fruit.

~~~Peace~~~

Deep Peace

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 14:19-28 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~ 

~~~ John 14:27-31A ~~~

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

Not as the world gives do I give it to you.

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

In today's world the only peace we can rely 

on is the peace from Jesus.

We are all searching for peace...we long for peace.

The peace that we find is often temporary.

The peace that we long for is illusive.

There are ways in which we attempt

 to create an environment conducive to peace.

I think we would all agree that when we are

 at peace we are also in a positive environment.

It is essential that we find a way to create

 peace in some form at home.

We need a space where we can escape the chaos of the world.

We need a way to disconnect from the rat race world.

...my peace I give to you.

The peace we are given from Jesus

 is internal peace of heart and soul.

The peace from Jesus is 

experienced from the inside out.

The peace from Jesus runs deep within.

The peace from Jesus gives us hope 

in the promise to be united in the kingdom of heaven.

All tears...all hardships...all suffering

will be no more with the peace of the Lord.

Peace from Jesus is better than any peace 

we can create for ourselves.

Whatever peace we can achieve here 

is just a snapshot of true peace.

The Peace from Jesus

 is the uppercase P.

The peace we create

 is the lowercase p.

Each time we can experience peace

 in our life is a glimpse of the deeper peace.

The deeper peace from Jesus is waiting

 for us in heaven.

When we get to heaven 

the peace we long for will be the norm.

When we get to heaven there will be no anxiety

 that we will lose our peace.

When we get to heaven

 peace will be even better than any

 peace we might hope for today.

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

We are Blessed with Peace that only

 Jesus can give to us.

Until we reach heaven 

this peace comes in small servings.

The promise of Peace is for all people

 in all times.

~~~PEACE~~~

Partner with the Lord

~~~ Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist ~~~

~~~ 1 Peter 5:5B-14 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ Mark 16:15-20 ~~~

Go into the whole world

and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.

Jesus sends the eleven out into the whole world.

I am reminded of the song I used to sing as a child.

'He's Got the Whole World in His Hands'

God has always had the whole world 

in his hands as the creator.

He sent the apostles, those closest to him,

to spread his message.

Jesus made this easier for them because

 he created a partnership with them.

...they went forth and preached everywhere,

while the Lord worked with them...

The same partnership is offered to us...

the Lord does work with us.

He gives us signs that he is working with us.

For instance when situations unfold better

 than we had expected.

When we say something to someone

 that they really needed to hear.

Cast all your worries upon him 

because he cares for you.

Believe that God is with you.

You can proclaim the gospel message.

You should proclaim the good news.

You may just amaze yourself.

The God of all grace...

will himself restore, confirm, strengthen,

 and establish you after you have suffered a little. 

At some point in our life we all experience 

suffering to some degree.

The grace of God 

has you covered in so many ways...restoring...

confirming...strengthening...

...humble yourselves under the 

mighty hand of God...

How can we be anything but humble 

when we think about

God offering to partner with us?

We are Blessed enough

to go out and do the impossible.

~~~Peace~~~

Hardships Attract Love

~~~ Fifth Sunday of Easter ~~~

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 14:21-27 ~~~ Psalm 145 ~~~

~~~ Revelation 21:1-5A ~~~ John 13:31-33A, 34-35 ~~~

I give you a new commandment: 

love one another.

As I have loved you, 

so you also should love one another.

Jesus left us with this single important

 commandment to love.

We just cannot seem to keep his one request.

Every time we try

 we close off parts of our heart.

Each time we try to love we let 

our emotions take charge.

Too often we make excuses for who we love...

and who we do not love.

Yes, we make decisions about who not to love.

We may even be someone who is 

not loved by someone.

To love one another as Jesus commanded

 is not about feelings.

Jesus is compassionate...just...all loving.

God gave Moses the ten commandments 

written on stone tablets.

Jesus gives one commandment so profound

it over shadowed the previous ten.

If we could love as Jesus wants us to love

the other commandments would be so much easier to keep.

“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships

to enter the kingdom of God.”

There are many types of hardships we could discuss.

Let's consider the hardships connected with love.

It is a hardship to have your love rejected.

It is a hardship to have your love ignored.

It is a hardship to have your love minimized...ridiculed.

It is a hardship to discover your love has been betrayed.

Our personal hardships just might be prepping

 us to be completely overwhelmed 

by the love Jesus has for us.

No matter how much we try to love

the pure love of 

the kingdom of heaven

is boundless.

Every day we must ask Jesus 

to teach us how to keep his commandment of Love.

How do we learn to love better?

The more we practice loving without judging

 the better we will be prepared to enter 

the kingdom of heaven.

When we love 

then even our hardships will be less painful.

Hardships can attract more and more

 love if we let them.

Be Blessed in Love every day.

~~~Peace~~~

Visible Joy

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 13:44-52 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~

~~~ John 14:7-14 ~~~

...whatever you ask in my name, I will do,

so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 

If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.

We ask Jesus for things all the time.

We ask for trivial things like finding a good parking spot.

We ask for things very important like disease cures.

Jesus and God the Father are one, joined together;

what we ask of one we also ask of the other.

Answered prayers 

are meant to give glory to the Father.

Whether you pray to Jesus or God the Father

your prayers are heard by both.

Your prayers are answered by both.

Remember to give thanks to both

 as your prayers are answered.

We give thanks to you God the Father.

We give thanks to Jesus.

 All the ends of the earth 

have seen the saving power of God.

The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

If we want to be a disciple of Jesus

 we must be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Why would we be filled with joy?

Where is this joy we seek?

What does it look like?

What does it feel like?

When we fill a glass with water 

we can see that the glass is filled.

Can there be any visible reflection 

of our being filled with joy?

I believe the answer is 'yes'.

There are visible signs of being filled with joy

just as there are signs when you are in love.

When you are in love your face

 is brighter...your eyes sparkle.

When you are in love the world is a better place...

you feel like you are 'walking on sunshine'.

Evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit

becomes evident in us through our actions.

Consider yourself filled with joy

in every way.

Blessings and grace of the 

Holy Spirit are with you every day.

~~~Peace~~~

Reserved in Your Name

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 13:26-33 ~~~ Psalm 2 ~~~

~~~ John 14:1-6 ~~~ 

Do not let your hearts be troubled. 

There are times in our personal lives when

 our hearts are very troubled.

When was the last time your heart was troubled?

For those in our community it may be today 

as they clean up after the flooding of their homes.

If you lost everything this week your 

heart may be very troubled

The apostles were troubled because 

they did not know where Jesus was going

 or how they would find their way.

They were used to following him per his own invitation.

Come follow me.

I am the way and the truth and the life. 

Jesus assures all of those who are troubled

 that he is the way out.

He is pure truth in all that he is for all eternity.

He is everything...he is our life itself.

We need not be stuck in a state of trouble.

Jesus  provides for all of our needs.

He will bring people to us in our time of need.

He will use us for his own good.

We are given the way...

We are given the truth...

We are given life.

Jesus went before us to heaven

to prepare a magnificent place for us.

I am going to prepare a place for you

Jesus says 'I come to serve not to be served'

Jesus gave us evidence of this promise.

His whole life was in service...

this continues even into his heavenly home.

He prepares a place in heaven for you and for me.

He has a reservation made in your name.

He shows us the way...

make sure you make it to your reserved room.

Jesus assures us that we know 

the way because we know him.

Do not let your hearts be troubled.

We are Blessed in staying on the path

created for us by Jesus.

Your room is reserved by Jesus.

He waits for your return.

~~~ Peace ~~~

Resistant to Change?

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 13:13-25 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ 

~~~ John 13:16-20 ~~~

I know those whom I have chosen.

Paul stands in the synagogue and recaps

 the history of the Israelite people.

He reminds those listening of the prophets...

 their crossing in the desert.

He continues to point out God's presence and promises.

How God gave them a king, which they requested.

Finally he speaks of specific tribes, 

like the tribe of Benjamin.

This is all leading up to the prophecy of Jesus.

Paul also includes the prophecy of John the Baptist.

For some reason we  may not understand

 the prophecies concerning Jesus were rejected by the elders.

We can only imagine how frustrated

 Paul must have been.

Maybe he just wanted to shake

 them into opening their hearts.

...whoever receives the one I send

receives me, and whoever receives me

 receives the one who sent me.

How do you handle change?

The people listening to Paul were faced

 with having to decide how they would 

accept or not accept change.

It is easy to resist change when you are 

comfortable with the present.

Today we are faced with changes 

as a regular part of life.

In Biblical times change came more slowly.

They did not have technology to keep them up to date.

They did not have day to day information.

The more set you get in your ways

 the less open you become to change in general.

Jesus brought about a major change.

His presence challenged the beliefs of many 

who regularly came to the synagogue.

It seems that his message still meets resistance today.

I invite you to be part of the change Jesus envisioned.

We are still called to be the ones who live out 

his vision of love and mercy.

Blessed to have his taking the lead for us.

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

~~~Peace~~~

Never Abandoned by God

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 12:24—13:5A ~~~ Psalm 67 ~~~

~~~ John 12:44-50 ~~~

May God have pity on us and bless us;

may he let his face shine upon us.

In light of our current flooding issues,

please keep those who are dealing with the flooding

 and high water in their homes in your prayers.

Many people lost all of their belongs including their cars.

We ask God to protect us from further rains at this time.

May his face shine upon us. 

May the sunshine dry our area as soon as possible.

 I did not come to condemn the world 

but to save the world. 

Sometimes we are tempted to think that our 

world has been condemned by God.

God sent Jesus to save the world...all people in it,

that includes you and me.

God does not ever abandon the world 

he chose to save.

God is trustworthy.

If anyone is to be condemned 

they have convicted themselves.

Every time we chose sin we are ultimately 

choosing condemnation.

Each person must make the personal decision.

Salvation is offered to all not condemnation.

Why would God want to condemn anyone

 after he went to such lengths to save us.

It does not make any sense 

even though we cannot begin to 

understand his ways.

...sent forth by the Holy Spirit...

As we let the Holy Spirit guide our life 

we can rest assured of keeping on the right track

...away from condemnation.

Stay close to the Holy Spirit;

you cannot go wrong.

May God bless us,

and may all the ends of the earth fear him!

~~~Peace~~~

First Christians

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 11:19-26 ~~~ Psalm 87 ~~~

~~~ John 10:22-30 ~~~

...it was in Antioch that the disciples

were first called Christians.

What does it mean to you to be called a Christian?

The disciples knew that they were doing the work of Christ,

the Anointed One...Jesus.

Being a Christian means you have a direct 

connection with Jesus.

Having this connection means we too must 

act in accordance with his message of love and mercy.

As a Christian we profess the teachings of Jesus.

Being a Christian today holds us to the same teachings 

of Jesus as when the disciples were first labeled.

Just because one goes to church 

does not imply that they are a Christian.

Being a Christian is more about how you live your life.

A true Christian embraces others with the love of Jesus.

A true Christian loves the Word given to us in the Scriptures.

A true Christian puts their trust in Jesus.

We certainly have Barnabas and Paul to thank

 for us being called Christian today.

Together they preached intensely for a year in Antioch.

A great number came to believe.

A great number came to follow the Lord.

We want to be known as Christians by our love.

We have many situations where we can live our Christian 

commitment in how we love and treat others. 

My sheep hear my voice;

I know them, and they follow me. 

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. 

Let us rejoice in being called 

to live a Christian life to the fullest.

By your love...

They will know you are Christian.

Blessings and Peace!

Jesus is the Gate

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 11:1-18 ~~~ Psalm 42 ~~~ John 10:1-10 ~~~

“Amen, amen, I say to you,

I am the gate for the sheep.

Jesus is not only the shepherd but he is also the gate.

Jesus leads his sheep through the gate.

Staying close to Jesus insures that we 

will be led safely through the gate.

Thieves and robbers 

attempt to fool the sheep into following them...

most are unsuccessful.

They are unsuccessful because the sheep 

know the voice of the Shepherd.

Be confident that you too recognize

 the voice of the shepherd.

John baptized with water

but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

The disciples witnessed the total change

in the Gentiles who came to believe.

The disciples followed the urging of the Spirit

as they went among the local Gentiles.

Those who had converted to Judaism at first objected 

to the disciples going out to the Gentiles. 

God works in surprising ways; 

this is evident in the spreading of the  disciples message.

God has then granted life-giving repentance

 to the Gentiles too.

What if it was a blessings in disguise

 for us that Jesus was rejected by the Jews.

Do you think God would have 

reached out to the Gentiles too?

The spread of the good news was certainly 

an example of early evangelizing.

Today the need for evangelizing

 is just as real and vital.

The Shepherd has led us through the gate 

inspiring us to go further, to evangelize others.

We are called to evangelize;

to spread or preach the gospel news.

I came so that they might have life and 

have it more abundantly.

Follow the Leader

through the Gate to the land of Redemption.

~~~Peace~~~

Welcoming the Gentiles

~~~ Fourth Sunday of Easter ~~~

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 13:14, 43-52 ~~~ Psalm 100 ~~~

~~~ Revelation 7:9, 14B-17 ~~~ John 10:27-30 ~~~

My sheep hear my voice;

I know them, and they follow me.

The Acts of the Apostles continue to inspire us
with the enthusiastic growth of the church.

Paul and Barnabas are thrilled to be received
by crowds of people starving for the gospel news. 

I imagine it was a little like our current campaign rallies.
Paul would say a few words about Jesus and the crowd
 would cheer in response.

People came to hear their message;
they also thought it was necessary for them
 to convert to Judaism.
Paul says wait,
 now we are speaking to you, the Gentiles.
The Jews were given their chance but now we want you.

The good shepherd takes care of all of his sheep.
He learns to recognize each one of his sheep
and in turn the sheep learn to recognize his voice.

I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;

I know my sheep, and mine know me.

The Gentiles learned to recognize
 the good news of Redemption.
They were so very delighted.

They celebrated and gladly went about
sharing what they had been told.

The disciples were filled with joy 
and the Holy Spirit.

In spite of being rejected by the Jews
 the movement did not stop.
Paul and Barnabas were on a roll
and they kept on going with fervor.

They gained more faith the more
they preached the good news.

We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Jesus has claimed us all as his sheep.
He will never let us be taken
out of his hand.

The Good Shepherd cares for all his sheep.
When one is lost he searches for it.
When the thief comes in the night he is
there to protect.
When one is hurt he tends to it.

He does the same for each of us.

He is our personal Good Shepherd
in today's crazy mixed up world we live in.

We are all in need of a Good Shepherd
 to guide us to green pastures and fresh water.

Blessed are we to have a Good Shepherd

who is also our God.
Our God who promises to wipe away every tear...
to shelter us...to protect and save us.
Our God who gives us life eternal.

~~~Peace~~~

More Than White Noise

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 9:31-42 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~

~~~ John 6:60-69 ~~~

It is the Spirit that gives life, while 

the flesh is of no avail.

The words I have spoken to 

you are Spirit and life.

God has extended to each one of us

an open invitation to eternal life with him.

We on the other hand make up excuses

 as to why this is not true.

While our excuses become our reality

 we build walls between ourselves and God.

We do this to ourselves.

We push the Spirit into the background of our lives.

We consider the Spirit to be white noise,

which we can routinely ignore.

You can download a white noise app 

but you cannot download the Spirit.

Just as in Biblical times, we too turn and walk away 

because we cannot accept what is true.

Jesus was prepared for the apostles to turn away from him.

But Peter hits the nail on the head when he says...

 “Master, to whom shall we go?

You have the words of eternal life.

We have come to believe

and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

Have you come to believe?

Do you believe that Jesus has the words of eternal life?

Do you believe that the Spirit is working in our midst?

It is the Spirit that gives us and sustains our animation.

We live and move and breathe in the Spirit.

When we leave this world it is our Spirit that leaves our body.

It is the Spirit that gives us the qualities of being alive.

No matter how close science comes to creating a mechanical being

they will never be able to 'create' a Spirit.

The breath of the Spirit was given to us by God.

Once we take our final breath the Spirit 

returns to God for all of eternity.

In the early church some of the apostles 

could call upon God to return the Spirit 

into the body of one who had died.

Jesus allowed them to tap into his divine power of life.

They did not possess it of their own workings.

The apostles could only do as much as the Lord permitted.

I can imagine their awe and surprise the first time

 they healed someone or called their spirit 

to come back into the body.

How shall I make a return to the Lord for all 

the good he has done for me?

Psalm 116 reminds us to be cognizant of the life we have

in the Spirit...through the Spirit...and of the Spirit. 

God is with us in every breath we take 

whether it is a deep cleansing breath 

or a shallow weak breath.

The Holy One of God

lives in you.

...to whom shall you go?

The Spirit is not white noise.

The Spirit is our Life!

Let each breath make a grateful 

return to the Lord.

Fill your lungs completely with his life.

Blessed to have Spirit and Life...

gifts from God. 

God himself!

~~~Peace~~~

The Effects of Darkness

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 9:1-20 ~~~ Psalm 117 ~~~

~~~ John 6:52-59 ~~~

God used physical blindness to lead Saul 

out of his spiritual darkness.

The spiritual darkness within Saul's heart 

held him in emotional darkness as well.

 ...he has authority from the chief priests

to imprison all who call upon your name.

He was going about rounding up each person

 who believed in the Way.

He carried this out in very methodical 

disconnected manner.

He was operating on auto pilot without much thought.

He had a mission and he diligently carried it out.

He had the authorities giving him his orders

and he acted in accordance.

God needed to impress upon Saul who really had the power.

God had the power to cast a light so bright to cause blindness...

a light so startling bright that he fell off his horse.

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Saul did not realize that whatever he did

 to the least of the people he was also doing to God.

We struggle with this concept of God right now.

Just as the living Father sent me

and I have life because of the Father,

so also the one who feeds on me will 

have life because of me. 

When the scales are removed from Saul's 

eyes he was changed man.

His darkness was dispelled with the light of God.

He soon began to become a true believer.

He began to preach fearlessly to everyone along his path.

Saul, given the Holy Spirit,

could now redirect his commitment

 to his new mission...toward the things of God.

God takes our weaknesses and in his own way 

transforms them to support our strengths.

Saul's darkness of heart was transformed

 into a light for all of us.

We often hear of someone who is able to turn

 their darkness into good for others.

People who suffer the loss of a child...

recovering alcoholics...amputees participating

 in all aspects of life.

Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood

remains in me and I in him.

Saul captured this truth about God...

took it completely into his being

and shared it in holy places.

We are Blessed to have the gift of the Eucharist

which keeps us in close relationship with God.

God desires us to be in communion with Him.

Saul was 

 a chosen instrument 

of God and you are too.

We can all be his instruments...

Which one would you choose to be...

a drum, cymbal, cello, trumpet, or a gong?

I invite you to make some noise for God today.

~~~Peace~~~

Drawn to Come Closer

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 8:26-40 ~~~ Psalm 66 ~~~

~~~ John 6:44-51 ~~~

No one can come to me unless 

the Father who sent me draw him,

and I will raise him on the last day.

Jesus draws us to himself because this
is where our soul longs to be.

We may not know why we are
drawn to the things of God.
Jesus draws people too himself
in ways that are unique to each person.

Many times Jesus draws us to himself and we resist...
We do not understand that delicate flower
blooming in your yard is an invitation from God.

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

You have probably heard the saying...
when the student is ready the teacher will come.

The same is true with Jesus.
When the believer is ready Jesus
will draw him/her closer.

They shall all be taught by God.

When we come closer to Jesus we naturally
want to stay in that space.

Being close to Jesus means we
want to be near the Living Bread of Life.

Pay attention so that you never miss
 the opportunity to come closer to God.

Come close enough to God so that you
will be within teaching proximity.

It is true God can reach you
no matter how far away you are, but
don't you want to be close enough to hear clearly?
I don't want to fill in the missing words
because I am not close enough to hear well.

Come closer, be attentive,
Be Blessed.

~~~Peace~~~

Bread...Broken and Shared

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 8:1B-8 ~~~ Psalm 66 ~~~ 

~~~ John 6:35-40 ~~~ 

I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me will never hunger...

Did you ever wonder why 

Jesus chose bread to become his body?

He could have any available food, but

 he chose bread and wine.

Bread was shared at meals. 

Bread was broken apart...torn apart.

Bread nourishes our body.

Bread is a complement to every meal.

Jesus nourishes our body.

He is the Bread of Life because without 

him we would perish.

Every culture has some form of bread.

Every occasion we have to consume bread 

can be a reminder of the One who also

 nourishes our spiritual life.

How could God have known that bread

 would be around for thousands of years?

Many people can not imagine a meal without bread.

Bread is the foundation upon which a whole meal can be built.

Imagine the best sandwich you have ever eaten.

Jesus, the Bread of Life, is so much better.

I will not reject anyone who comes to me,

because I came down from heaven not to do my own will

but the will of the one who sent me.

In the Old Testament bread was a symbol of hospitality.

It was often shared with strangers.

If you broke bread with someone it was assumed

 that you had a relationship with him.

So to betray one with whom you

 had broken bread was a serious insult.

Jesus broke bread many times with the apostles before

 speaking the words of his being the bread of life.

Jesus gives us himself as the Bread of Life

we will not be rejected.

No one who comes to the table of the Lord 

will be refused or turned away.

God invites each one of us to come to him.

When we come to him he will feed our soul

 with the Body and Blood of his only

 begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus left us visible signs to remind us of his presence.

Things we can see make a greater impression

 on our memory than written or spoken words.

Our brain likes to be able to picture things 

we want to remember.

Jesus gave us himself in bread...

something every culture can visualize.

Jesus is not a loaf of bread,

but he uses bread to give us himself.

Moses and those in the desert 

were given manna from heaven.

We have been given Jesus himself...

he is the bread of life.

During the consecration of the Mass

Jesus is Present...

he invites us to receive

 his body and blood.

Blessed to receive the Bread of Life

as we journey to our eternal destination of heaven.

~~~Peace~~~

Signs We Desire

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 7:51—8:1A ~~~ Psalm 31 ~~~

~~~ John 6:30-35 ~~~

The crowd said to Jesus:

“What sign can you do, that we 

may see and believe in you?

We may not want to admit it, but

most of the time we are asking the very same question.

We too want God too reveal himself in a way that we expect.

We too come with our preconceived ideas of who God is.

We too want signs...we too want to feel His presence.

We too want to see his works in our life...

in the lives of our loved ones.

We too are confused by the signs we are given.

We too overlook the manna from heaven.

We too take the goodness of God for granted.

 “Behold, I see the heavens opened

and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Stephen was given a visible sign

 as he was being stoned to death.

His death was overseen by none other

 than Saul, who would be called Paul.

Stephen was martyred

 in spite of his passion for the Lord. 

Stephen might have wanted to have been

 spared from death by stoning,

but God withheld his sign

 until his death was immanent.

“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

within the pain of being pummeled with rocks,

Stephen calls on Jesus to receive him in heaven.

He goes on to forgive his executioners

even as they hurl more rocks at his body.

Stephen knew that his physical body

 was not the body God would take.

He knew that the very essence of who he was...

 his spirit...his soul...that is what would 

live on in heaven with Jesus.

 “I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me will never hunger,

and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

I pray that when my final days come

I too may be able to release all anxieties and

say into your hands I commend my spirit.

Blessings as we desire to imitate Stephen

in our final hours.

~~~Peace~~~

'Soul' Food

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 6:8-15 ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~

~~~ John 6:22-29 ~~~

Do not work for food that perishes

but for the food that endures for eternal life,

which the Son of Man will give you. 

The people were still searching to find Jesus,

but what is their real motive?

Jesus suggests that maybe they just 

want more bread and fish.

Maybe they wanted another free meal 

from the abundance of the power of Jesus.

He was not the local welfare program solution.

Jesus knows we need nourishment for our bodies.

He also knows that we need nourishment for our soul.

Jesus served up the first 'soul food'.

The food that Jesus was offering didn't fit into a basket.

The food Jesus offers is soul sustaining.

The food Jesus offers cannot be seen or touched.

It is spiritual food from heaven above.

Stephen, filled with grace and power,

was working great wonders and signs among the people.

We hear about Stephen's diligent preaching

 the message of the good news.

The more he preached the more convicted he became.

He was 'on a roll' amazing people across his community.

Stephen was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

He was so filled that there were visible signs.

Not only was there a twinkle in his eyes,

but his whole face exposed his love.

...the Sanhedrin looked intently at him

and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Like the face of an angel...

Beautiful, strong, glowing, joyful...

Stephen was intent on praising God

 through his work among the people.

Stephen was so passionate

today he might have been considered 

a top motivational speaker. 

Praying to be Blessed

 with more passion for the Lord.

I invite you to make the same prayer.

The Holy Spirit is just warming up!

~~~Peace~~~