Healing Threads

~~~ 1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13 ~~~ Psalm 132 ~~~ Mark 6:53-56 ~~~ 

King Solomon processed with the high priests.

They carried the ark of the Covenant into the temple.

The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD

to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary,

the holy of holies of the temple.

The glory of God filled the tent with a cloud.

The cloud was so dense and dark that it obscured their vision.  

Solomon interpreted this as a sign that God 

was dwelling there forever.

Perhaps this is reminder for us that God dwells

 in the dark clouds of our life too.

God is present when we cannot see no matter

 which direction we turn.

Mark's gospel today paints a very different 

picture for the presence of Jesus.

Jesus himself becomes the walking tabernacle of God.

Jesus was not carried around by the elders.

Jesus came out to the people.

He walked among them...in plain sight.

There was no cloud surrounding the person of Jesus.

Just the sight of Jesus inspired people to come closer.

They did not seek a private audience with Jesus.

Many were content to only touch the tip of his cloak.

Whatever villages or towns or countryside he entered,

they laid the sick in the marketplaces

and begged him that they might touch only the tassel on his cloak;

and as many as touched it were healed.

The glorious power of God passes freely

 and abundantly though Jesus extending even to his clothing.

We must never underestimate this power of God.

Jesus does not confine himself to places of worship...

Jesus is with us...he walks beside us...

Jesus is with us until the end of time.

Jesus is here to heal us...to love us...to extend

 his mercy and forgiveness to us.

The threads on the tip of his tassel 

are more than sufficient to heal.

When all else fails seek the threads from the tassel.

For just a slender thread contains the power of God.

How can we ever doubt his love for us?

Blessings in God's threads.

~~~Peace~~~

So Much More

~~~ 1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13 ~~~ Psalm 142 ~~~ Mark 6:53-56 ~~~

King Solomon and the entire community of Israel
present for the occasion
sacrificed before the ark sheep and oxen
too many to number or count.

The special feast honoring the ark of the covenant

 is taking place and people from all around have came together for this event.

The ark is surrounded by beauty...

suspended above are the large wings of the cherubim...

There was nothing in the ark but two cold 

stone tablets etched with the Ten Commandments. 

When the priests left the holy place,
the cloud filled the temple of the LORD
so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud...

In the Gospel today we see Jesus in a familiar spot, a boat. 

He is not surrounded with any special ornamentation;

just himself. There is such a stark contrast between the ark and Jesus.

The ark was inanimate and Jesus was alive, Jesus was a real person.

Jesus attracted the people because of who he was not because of what he was.

Seeing the ark was almost like going to a museum to see a precious object.

It is true that the people believed that God resided in that space.

When Jesus attracted a crowd, they came to see him.

They came to listen to his words.

They came presenting their brokenness.

They came to be healed.

Again we see crowds coming from all around the countryside.

They are carrying the sick on mats.

They firmly believed that merely

 touching a small tassel of his garment was enough

 to make them whole again.

Jesus did not exercise his loving compassionate 

heart under a dark cloud.

Jesus openly expressed his compassion... 

even through the very tip of his clothing.

What Jesus could do would never 

compare to the grandeur of the ark;

Jesus was so much more.

The ark was separated with the people...set apart.

But Jesus was out among the people.

Jesus walked with the people.

Jesus Blessed the people in every way he possibly could;

just as he Blesses us today.

Jesus wants you to see him walking with you

just as much as he wants you to see him in the Eucharist.

Whenever you happen to see a tassel or some fringe 

consider your many blessings.

Peace.

Flawed Plans

~~~1 Samuel 4:1-11 ~~~ Psalm 44 ~~~ Mark 1:40-45 ~~~

For our souls are bowed down to the dust,
our bodies are pressed to the earth.

When we allow ourselves to be overcome by our own pride
we usually end up falling off the edge of the cliff.

If we do not humble ourselves
before God he has his ways of bringing us to our knees.
The Philistines defeated the Israelite army much to their surprise.
They lost four thousands men in that battle.  They decided to carry
 the ark onto the battlefield with the men.
Just seeing the ark brought forth cheering so loud that it was
heard by their enemies miles away.
It might have been a good plan to freak out their enemy,
but it only made the enemy more determined to fight harder.

On learning that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp,
the Philistines were frightened.

Now they had new motivation to fight the Israelites...fear.
They not only slaughtered the army they also captured the precious ark.
Israel lost thirty thousand infantry soldiers that day.
Eli lost both of his sons as they fought until the end protecting the ark.

Things are not going well for the Israelites.
They failed to out fight or out smart their stronger enemy.

Pride blinds us from seeing our own areas of vulnerability.
The ark of the covenant was not enough to keep them safe.

It was more like they were relying on a long held
superstition about the power of the ark.
The power was not in the ark itself.
The power was in the grace of God's protection.

A real relationship with God does not consist in making deals with him.
God cannot be bribed into protecting you.

Have you ever made a promise to God if...happened
then you would...?

The Israelites wrongfully believed that the presence of the ark
would make God work
for them by defeating the Philistines.

Let us fetch the ark of the LORD from Shiloh
that it may go into battle among us
and save us from the grasp of our enemies.

Material artifacts should serve as reminders to us...
reminders of our personal relationship with God.
They are not the end in themselves.

Even when all seems to be lost God blesses us.
God did not come for us to bargain with for our welfare.
He came to love us...to be with us no matter what we are enduring.
He is with us...the God who loves us.
The ark itself had no control over the battle.
The Philistines were a stronger army...they had better weapons.
The Israelites were no match with or without the ark.
May the Peace of the Lord reign in your heart.

Blessed Above All Women

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

 

~~~ Revelation 12:1-6a, 10a,b ~~~ Psalm: Judith 13-18 ~~~ Luke 1:26-38 ~~~

 

The completion of Mary's conception with Jesus brought together

the power of God and the salvation of all of mankind.

If for some reason Mary would have been too frightened to hear

all that the angel said to her salvation history might

look very different.

 

I do believe that God would have found another way to accomplish

his salvation plan, just maybe not in the same manner.

 

Over time Mary is so loved that she has appeared in many different

types of clothing. Who would have thought Mary to be such a typical woman.

I am smiling as I write this because Mary truly was a typical woman.

All kidding aside...

She was a typical woman chosen and blessed by God.

 

He chooses each of us to carry on the work he started here on earth.

He has chosen us to carry on the work that Mary so courageously

continued after he was crucified.

 

We do not have any writings that I know of of Mary going out and teaching.

But we could certainly expect that she told his stories

of love, care, compassion, and healing to anyone who would listen.

 

 

Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God,
above all the women on earth;
and blessed be the LORD God,
the creator of heaven and earth.

 

It is so fitting that during the Advent season we would be blessed with

two occasions to honor Mary just a few days apart.

 

Mary is a key figure in our salvation.

She was a willing participant in the loss of her son

so that we could be saved...

so that we could enter into eternal life with Jesus and herself.

 

The Holy Spirit was at work making things perfect in the heart

of Mary at the Annunciation.

And I know from experience when the Holy Spirit wants you

 to do something it eventually comes to be realized.

 

Not only was Mary overshadowed by the Holy Spirit,

but her cousin Elizabeth was also filled with

that same spirit.

It does not matter if you are young or old

the Holy Spirit

finds a way for you to be useful.

When the Holy Spirit pours on the grace

like gravy on mashed potatoes

it is hard to refuse his or her request.

(I added 'her' just to see if you were paying attention)

 

Mary is a model person for all of us, men and women alike.

 

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior."

 

She never let her 'special' motherhood

go to her head.

She remained convicted by what God had done in her.

She was the vessel now; the new ark of the covenant.

 

Surely Mary had many opportunities to embrace the child Jesus

during his formative years.

Today she is opening her arms to receive all who come to her.

No other human being was ever as physically close to Jesus as Mary.

She loves us first and foremost because Jesus loves us.

Is God Present to You?

2 Samuel 12b-15, 17-19

We continue to be steeped in the Books of Samuel. There is much here we can harvest for reflection. When I first read today's reading I was not sure what I would write about. As I sat with this reading a while longer I was struck by some parallels to Palm Sunday. Yes I see a connection between the celebration in the City of David as he enters with the Ark of the Covenant and the entry of Jesus into the city on Palm Sunday. Both are surrounded with joyous celebration.

The Ark of the Covenant was only a container, but it held within things important and meaningful for the people of David. The Ark was carried by several servants high up on their shoulders. As they traveled all knew and could see that the Ark was with them. It was an outward sign of the presence of God. If God was with them they had a certain sense of confidence. 

There are many other references to the Ark in the Old Testament. God instructed Moses to build the Ark. The book of Exodus is filled with all the details about building the Ark, the dimensions as well as the materials to be used.(Ex. 25) This was a special structure that was to be with them as they went on their journeys. This gold laden box was believed to have powers so strong that they even carried it with them into battle. This Ark allowed them to have safe passage across the Jordan River.

Throughout the Bible the Ark has been reverenced, stolen, fought over, and ultimately lost. It's mysterious whereabouts has been part of myths and legends ever since. Remember the Indiana Jones movie? I am sure you do. Today people are still searching for the Ark.

The point is...the Ark was very important!

Three important things resided in the Ark:

1. The 10 commandment tablets given to Moses (laws), Exodus 25: 21-22
2. The reserved manna given to them by God (food)Exodus 16: 32-33
3. The budding rod of Aaron marking him as priestly.(symbol) Numbers 17: 16-26 

The Ark was always placed in the center of the camp where the glory cloud could be easily seen hovering above the mercy seat.

This is really fascinating, but back to the parallel with Palm Sunday. Right before the Passion we have this glorious entrance of Jesus into the city. There is singing and dancing. Everyone is celebrating; the holy one, the teacher, the healer is entering. Jesus is the ultimate container.

He holds within his person the salvation for all of humanity. He is carried upon a lowly humble donkey; unlike the golden Ark. He gives us his very own body and blood for the nourishment not of our bodies, but of our souls. He is the food for the journey leading us into eternity. Jesus comes not to abolish the old law, (Matt 5:17)  but to fulfill the new law. He gives us the greatest commandment... Love. Jesus is more than the bud on the rod of Aaron. Jesus dies and then rises from the dead. Jesus is the essence of Life itself.

While people still search for Jesus today.

We believe he is with us until the end of time.

(Matthew 28:20)

Original image: the 'Eye of God' taken through the Hubble telescope.

I chose this Kaleidoscope image because the presence of God in my life is sometimes bold andbrilliant; as well as hidden and obscure at times.

But he is always present.