Do You Reflect Joy?

~~~ Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary ~~~
~~~ Zephaniah 3:14-18A ~~~
~~~ Psalm Isiah 12:2-3, 4BCD, 5-6 ~~~ Luke 1:39-56 ~~~ 

Be glad and exult with all your heart, 
O daughter Jerusalem!

Today we commemorate the Visitation.
Mary joyfully makes the journey to visit
 her senior cousin, Elizabeth.

Mary was so filled with joy
 after learning she was to be the mother of her Lord,
she could not resist sharing it with Elizabeth.
She could only imagine how much joy Elizabeth
 was experiencing with her own pregnancy.

Under normal circumstances Elizabeth
 would have been to old to conceive a child.
God had everything under control.
He needed John the Baptist to be born before Jesus.
John was chosen to be the last prophet.

Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

The spirit of God was residing within
 the womb of Elizabeth, in her son.

Mary went out to embrace Elizabeth.
Sometimes a hug speaks volumes to the other person.

Elizabeth eagerly greeted Mary with words
 of honor and praise.

Today when we use the word visitation
we are usually referring to the rights
 of divorced parents to see their children.

Sometimes the visitations are even supervised.

Prisoners get visitation rights.
It is a part of the rehabilitation process.

You have most likely visited a funeral home
during the visitation to express your sympathy
 to the family members.

The first definition of visitation is
an official, formal visit...
the appearance of a divine or
supernatural being.

The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth
might not have been a 'formal' visit,
but it was a visit of a divine being...Jesus...
being carried in the womb of Mary.

Elizabeth received a visit
from the young mother, Mary,
 carrying Jesus...
a visitation from God.

Mary models for us the true meaning of joy.
She also teaches us to how to express and celebrate joy.

Blessed to have the Blessed Mother Mary
to teach us true joy.

Let your mind, body, heart, and soul
reflect the joy of the Lord.

~~~Peace~~~

Rhetoric or Challenge

~~~ Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ ~~~

~~~ Genesis 14:18-20 ~~~ Psalm 10 ~~~ 

~~~1 Corinthian 11:23-26 ~~~ Luke 9:11B-17 ~~~

Jesus had been preaching and teaching all day.

There were at least 5000 men in the crowd.

The people were getting hungry.

The twelve apostles want Jesus to call it a day...

to send the crowd on their way.

They were hungry and tired themselves.

Jesus surprises them...

He said to them, "Give them

 some food yourselves.

They presented him with a problem 

and he flips it into a challenge for them.

Clearly the apostles were not prepared

 for the challenge to feed the huge crowd.

It seemed to them a ridiculous task 

to feed so many with so little.

 "Five loaves and two fish are all we have,

unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people."

The available food was meager

 and they did not have the funds to feed so many.

They were not up to the challenge.

Was Jesus serious about them 

buying enough food to feed the crowd?

Was Jesus toying with the apostles?

Was he taking advantage of a situation 

to reveal his power to them.

Or was Jesus making a profound 

statement by feeding 

the crowd through his

 divine partnership with the Father?

The crowd was fed out 

of the great abundance of God.

When we are faced with seemingly

 impossible challenges

we but need to rely on the great

 love God has for you.

Jesus feeds us with his 

own flesh and blood.

The mystery of the Eucharist 

is much greater than the feeding of the crowd...

much greater than the changing of the water into wine.

Our body cannot live without food.

Our soul cannot live without the Eucharist.

Jesus was neither speaking in empty rhetoric

nor was he teasing the apostles.

He knew they did not have the power 

within themselves to multiply the loaves and the fishes.

We are so blessed to have this miracle

of the Eucharist offered for us at every Mass.

Receive the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus 

with the utmost care, respect, love, and reverence.

Blessed by the Eucharist.

~~~Peace~~~

In the Love of God

~~~ Jude 17, 20B-25 ~~~ Psalm 63 ~~~ Mark 11:27-33

Keep yourselves in the love of God...

We know that falling in love with someone is a great feeling.

We also know that staying in love does not just happen.

Staying in love cannot be maintained on autopilot.

The same is true with our loving relationship with God.

In order to keep ourselves in the love of God

we must nurture this love.

Here are a few suggestions for staying

 in the love of God.

1. Spend quality time with God.

This means not only physically being aware of him.

This means setting aside a special time dedicated to God.

2. Use opportunities throughout the day

 to be mindful of God's presence.

Pay attention to him in the present moment.

Pause and say 'I love you, God'.

3. Express your appreciation and gratitude 

for the wonders of God.

Notice the beauty of creation great and small...

a flower, a cloud, a rain drop, a cardinal, a horse...

4. Learn more about the one who loves you.

Make a retreat. Participate in a Bible study.

Read the lives of the saints...they have much

 to teach us about loving God.

My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Our soul is thirsts for the one we love.

Our soul thirsts for the one who loves us

We thirst for the one who also thirsts for us...God.

Remember, God loved you first.

Because of his first love our soul desires to be with him.

We long to be in the presence of his glory.

It is God's love for us that gives our soul life.

Sing praise to the one who loves you...

from ages past, now, and for ages to come. Amen. 

The world goes around with love.

Love powers everything.

Keep your heart in the love of God.

Keep your thoughts in the love of God.

Keep your actions influenced in the love of God.

Blessings in the love of God.

~~~ Peace ~~~

The Withered Fig Tree

~~~ 1 Peter 4:7-13 ~~~ Psalm 96 ~~~ Mark 11:11-26 ~~~

Jesus is hungry...he sees the fig tree in the distance...

he knows it is not fruit bearing time...

“May no one ever eat of your fruit again!”

And his disciples heard it.

The initial reading of this gospel seems

 a bit harsh to the fig tree.

Jesus knew it was not the season for the tree

 to have figs yet he looks for them anyway.

Some commentators suggest that this fig tree

might represent Israel.

Israel became 

a great disappointment 

for Jesus.

The cursing of the fig tree could symbolize 

Jesus' disappointment with Israel for not bearing fruit.

Jesus certainly did not waste his time checking

 up on the local agriculture.

And his disciples heard it.

The disciples travel with Jesus into the temple

 where he turns over the money changers tables.

Jesus declares the temple to be a house of prayer.

My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples?

But you have made it a den of thieves.

Jesus is angry seeing how the temple 

had become preoccupied with selling and buying offerings.

Despite the appearance of the temple in Israel it was not 

producing the fruit God wanted.

God desired to find fruit on his 

chosen 'tree' Israel.

Jesus curses the barren fig tree and proceeds 

directly to cleanse the temple.

In condemning the fig tree, Jesus is expressing

 his judgment of the Jewish leadership.

Jesus was establishing his authority as the Messiah.

It is important that the fig tree held a special place 

in both Jewish and Graeco-Roman culture.

This tree provides shade, fruit, and medicine.

Its blossoming signaled the end of winter.

In choosing the fig tree he was calling 

attention to a very familiar tree. 

We have a responsibility to develop our gifts and talents.

We have a responsibility to follow

 Jesus...to become holy.

How are you pleasing God?

~~~ Blessings & Peace ~~~

A Brighter Life

~~~ 1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12 ~~~ Psalm 100 ~~~ Mark 10:46-52 ~~~

Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Bartimaeus, a blind man, came 

into the presence of the Lord with joy.

He was hoping to have his sight restored.

While we might think it obvious

 that a blind man would be seeking sight,

Jesus asks him, 

 “What do you want me to do for you?”

It is important that we come

 to Jesus with our needs and wants.

It is important that we call out to Jesus

 letting him know we are aware of his presence.

We receive many gifts from God,

but we also need to be able to express our desires to him.

Come with joy into the presence of the Lord.

Jesus did open the eyes of Bartimaeus,

simultaneously he opened his heart.

He was granted his sight, becoming a follower of Jesus.

In his blindness this man 

was able to see the goodness of Jesus.

There are different types of blindness.

Without light none of us can see.

Jesus is the light of the world...

He is the source of all light, visible and invisible.

The light of Jesus dispels all types of darkness.

This gives us reason to come into his presence with joy.

Blessings for a brighter life.

~~~Peace~~~

Ransom Prophecy

~~~ 1 Peter 1:18-25 ~~~ Psalm 147 ~~~ Mark 10:32-45 ~~~

Realize that you were ransomed from your futile conduct,
handed on by your ancestors,
not with perishable things like silver or gold
but with the precious Blood of Christ...

I have never been held for ransom, but it does
actually happen in our world today.
I know of two ransom situations that
happened to a couple friends' family members.

The kidnappers demanded money in these two cases.
The money was unfortunately paid and the
people were thankfully released.
But there is not always a happy ending.

We were not ransomed by Jesus for sack of gold coins.
We were ransomed by Jesus because we were
being held prisoner by our sins.

The death of Jesus released us from the chains of death.

...the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus came to serve. He did this by paying
the price with his life for our offenses.

Jesus took the idea of serving beyond
 a customary understanding.

You might say that you serve others in your life.
Some people thrive as long as they are in a servants roll.

During the Christmas season we sing
of Emmanuel coming to ransom captive Israel.
At the time of the birth of Jesus the prophecies
 of the prophets were being fulfilled.

God the Father sent Jesus to serve us,
 to save us, to ransom us...
Jesus came to free us...
Jesus came humbly 

to secure our entry into heaven.

 ...the flower wilts;
but the word of the Lord remains forever.

Our ransom remains intact forever...
it will never perish, rot,
wilt, or decay.

We can be confident in our salvation
which was ransomed for us
by the second person of the Trinity.

You have been saved by the one who
 came to humbly serve.

Blessed to be free.
~~~ Peace ~~~

Holiness and Grace

~~~ 1 Peter 1:10-16 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ Mark 10:28-31 ~~~

...set your hopes completely on the grace 
to be brought to you

at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Yesterday we heard 'for God all things are possible'.

Today we are directed toward the expression

 of hope through the grace.

Through grace we are fortified

 in our journey to becoming more holy.

Grace is equivalent to a dose of mega

 spiritual vitamins.

...be holy yourselves in every aspect 

of your conduct...

Grace is the nourishment for being holy.

Grace helps hold Jesus in our sight.

If Jesus is within your sight your conduct

 will reflect his holiness.

 ...many that are first will be last, 

and the last will be first.

In the journey toward deeper holiness 

everyone makes progress at their own rate.

This is not a race.

God is not comparing you to anyone else.

If God is not comparing you to anyone
then you should not either.

Stay focused...remember the story of the
Hare and the Tortoise.
The hare was far ahead of the
slow and steady tortoise.
In the end the tortoise wins because
 he does not give up. 

Blessings of holiness and grace.

~~~ Peace ~~~

Your Reserved Seat

~~~ 1 Peter 1:3-9 ~~~ Psalm 111 ~~~ Mark 10:17-27 ~~~

“For men it is impossible, but not for God.

All things are possible for God.”

Every day we face our personal struggle
 with getting to heaven.
We are no longer children yet
 Jesus says we must be like little children.

We are attached to our material world
yet Jesus says we must go sell all that we
 have if we want to get into heaven.

It seems that the minimum we must
do to get into heaven is keep the commandments.

When I get into heaven I want to have a good seat.
I don't want to sit in the nose bleed section...
I don't want to be in the back seat.

Jesus gave us the inspiration to try harder to be better...
He gave us new birth, a living hope...

Jesus gave us an...

...inheritance that is imperishable, 
undefiled, and unfading... 

The covenant we have with Jesus
insures that if we are moving in his direction
no matter how long it takes he will be there for us.

All things are possible for God.

When you are on your death bed...when you are
 contemplating your own death...
I hope you remember to take the leap
into the arms of the Lord.

All things are possible for God.

He will catch you and carry you across the finish line.
He will usher you to your reserved seat in heaven.

On the road...
The Lord will remember his 
covenant for ever.

Although we have not seen God
we believe that he is ever near to us...
we love him for all he has
 done for us...
all that he does for us each day.

Do your best and God will do the rest.

~~~ Blessings ~ Peace ~~~

Grab the Mirror

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
~~~ Proverbs 8:22-31~~~ Psalm 8 ~~~ Romans 5:1-5 ~~~
~~~ John 16:12-15 ~~~

What is man that you should be 
mindful of him,
or the son of man that you
 should care for him?

God is mindful of each of you.

God the Father is mindful of you...
he created you.

God the Son is mindful of you...
he died on the cross for you.

God the Holy Spirit is mindful of you...
he blesses and inspires you.

We cannot understand the mystery of the Trinity...

We might not grasp how God can take delight in us...

We can see how much God loves us each time
we contemplate the crucifix.

I was his delight day by day,
playing before him all the while,
playing on the surface of his earth;
and I found delight in the human race.

As I reflect on these verses of Proverbs,
I get this playful vision of a young child skipping
 along the waters edge kicking and splashing in the water.

Having the care free time of his life.
All is well with the world...
everything is perfect.

Soon another child comes along.
The two play together laughing, giggling
 building elaborate sand castles.

What do you take delight in doing?
How do you have celebrate life?
Are you willing to have fun?

If God finds delight in humans what is he seeing?
Are you one of the humans God
 finds delight in?

Always believe that God does take delight in you.
He created you to know him, love him,
and serve him...he takes delight in you as one
of his special human creations.

When you find something
 that brings you delight
remember that this is but a fraction
 of the delight God has for you.

Are you smiling yet?
God takes delight in your smile.

Grab the mirror...
Be Blessed!
~~~Peace~~~

Has Complaining Become a Habit?

~~~ James 5:9-12 ~~~ Psalm 103 ~~~ Mark 10:1-12 ~~~

The Lord is kind and merciful.

Let your 'yes' mean 'yes' and your 'no' mean 'no'...

Jesus is ever willing to give us the benefit of the doubt.

He models kindness and mercy for us.

This same kindness and mercy,

 if exercised in marriages,

 might reduce the number of divorces.

Do not complain, brothers and sisters, 

about one another,

that you may not be judged.

This advice not only applies to our relationship with strangers,

but also with family, friends, and yes...spouses.

Unfortunately it is very easy to get into the habit 

of complaining about everything and everyone.

Before we know it our whole life experience

 is tainted with complaining.

Certainly marriages are not all perfect.

Marriage requires work from each person.

Last week my husband and I celebrated being 

married for forty four years.

They have not been perfect years.

They have been years filled love and forgiveness.

When complaining becomes

 the primary mode of conversation 

the whole relationship becomes sour.

Marriage is more than just a piece of paper.

It is the coming together of two people

 from two different backgrounds.

Two different people that can easily

 find reason to judge and complain.

...a man shall leave his father and mother

and be joined to his wife,

and the two shall become one flesh.

This is not simply about the sexual union.

becoming one encompasses the 

essence of each individual.

The longer two people are together, 

many times, the more they become as one.

There are situations when 

the marriage cannot be kept in tact.

Marriage is fragile in many ways.

Spouses that pray together are inviting God 

to be present in their relationship.

When God is included in the union between a couple

 there is a greater chance for marriage longevity.

If you are married I invite you to become

 aware of how God is uniting you and your spouse.

God can bring you closer to your spouse.

God can remove your tendency to create a chain

 of complaints about your marriage.

If you are single and hope to be married one day

decide now to bring God into the relationship.

If you are not married please pray for marriages

 to be strengthen in the Lord.

~~~Blessings & Peace~~~

Salty for the Lord

~~~ James 5:1-6 ~~~ Psalm 49 ~~~ Mark 9:41-50 ~~~ 

Come now, you rich, weep and wail 

over your impending miseries.

Just maybe it is more difficult 

to live a life of luxury.

You may get more preoccupied 

with the things of this world.

You have a tendency to forget 

that nothing you have accumulated 

while here on earth will be of any use when you die.

You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure;

you have fattened your hearts...

If riches fatten your heart,

how might poverty effect your heart?

Might your heart be more functional without riches?

Certainly some of the healthiest hearts

in the eyes of God belong to people who have no wealth.

It is the riches of our heart...the love of God...

and others that will get us to heaven.

If your heart is 'fattened'

let it be with mercy, compassion, and love.

It is better for you to enter into life maimed ...

If any part of your body is causing 

you to sin Jesus says to amputate it.

Let not your fattened heart lead you into sin.

Strive to keep your heart lean and pure.

Let your heart and soul be salted 

with the fire of the Lord.

If the salt of the Lord is in your heart

you will be protected and made holy

 for all of eternity.

Keep salt in yourselves and you will have

 peace with one another.

Having peace with one another

and you will not be led into sin.

If you are not led into sin you will 

not need to cut off any part of your body.

Pray to keep your heart lean for the Lord.

~~~ Blessings and Peace ~~~

For God?

~~~ James 4:13-17 ~~~ Psalm 49 ~~~ Mark 9:38-40 ~~~

“If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.”

Asking God for your personal wants and needs
is never a waste of you time...
It is spiritually healthy to engage
 in a prayer of conversation with God.

What we often fail to remember is that
God answers our prayers if it is his will.

God answers our prayers every day in
 more ways than we know.
We are usually looking for the answers
to appear as we have imagined them in our mind.

Had it been the will of the Father,
Jesus might have been spared some of his pain and agony.
But as we know Jesus was willing to accept
 the Father's answer.

...you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow.

Since we do not know what our life will be like tomorrow
perhaps our prayers should be broad and global.

What if today was your last day?
Would you change your
prayer of conversation with God?
Would you pray for others?
Would you pray for yourself?

Would you want God to give you multiple
choices for the following day?
How would that change your prayer life?

...whoever is not against us is for us.

As we pray we must never think that God
would ever be against us.

No matter what we say or do God
will always be for us.

All the good we do in our life confirms
that we are for God.

If you are for God no one can be against
 you in the eyes of God.

When we are for God we know to do the right thing.
God sends us his Spirit to bless us with wisdom.

Be for God today, because we do not know
 what tomorrow will bring.

What we do know is that our prayers
 are answered according to the will of the Lord.

He alone knows what our soul needs
most to become more holy.

~~~ Blessings and Peace ~~~