"I Am Who Am"

~~~ Exodus 3:13-20 ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ 

~~~ Matthew 11:28-30 ~~~

Standing with shoes removed,

 before a burning bush that is not consumed,

Moses hears the voice of the Lord say...

"I am who am."

God reveals to Moses and to all generations

his very existence...an existence that is timeless.

God is the same past, present and in the future.

God speaks of himself in the present tense.

He expresses to Moses concern for his people.

I am concerned about you

and about the way you are being treated...

Lest you ever question whether or not 

God cares about you record this verse

 in your prayer journal.

Commit this verse to memory...

Take this verse to your prayer time.

What does it mean to you personally

to hear God saying those very words to you?

Can you accept that God is concerned about you?

"I am who am."

God is clearly stating I am here with you...

I am here with you in the dark times.

I am here with you in the times of joy.

I am here with you when 

fear and sorrow torment your spirit.

There is nothing hidden about God.

God cannot not exist.

God cannot contradict who he is...

not who he was when he created the world...

not who he was when he spoke from the burning bush...

not who he was when Jesus died on the cross...

not who he is today.

The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

He is the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob...

who always keeps his promises to care for his people.

A God who is so concerned for us 

that he is willing to carry all of our burdens for us.

He invites us to let him be more present

during our deepest struggles.

"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,

and I will give you rest..."

The I AM who loves you 

is present at this very moment.

You are never alone.

~~~Peace~~~

Corpus Christi

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ 

(Corpus Christi)

~~~Exodus 24:3-8~~~Psalm 116~~~ Hebrews 9:11-15~~~

~~~Mark 14:12-16, 22-26~~~

Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying,

"This is the blood of the covenant

that the LORD has made with you

in accordance with all these words of his."

Being sprinkled with blood seems foreign

 and even barbaric to us today.

In the time when Moses was leading the Israelites 

such a sprinkling was very important.

It was their custom to sacrifice a warm blooded 

live animal as an offering to God. 

They believed this was pleasing to God.

They believed that it signified their holy relationship with God.

This blood confirmed and sealed their covenant with God,

as he had revealed to Moses.

Moses revealed to the people all that God had told him.

He wrote it down exactly as he had been told.

He must have delivered God's message with conviction and passion,

because the people agreed to do exactly as God commanded.

Today the church celebrates the great mystery

 of the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Throughout the pages of the Old Testament God 

consistently revealed tiny sparks of what was to be revealed 

when his son, Jesus, would be sent to us.

God took this graphic blood ritual and gave us the Eucharist.

Jesus came to fulfill the law, as he says, not to abolish it.

Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice.

His blood will flow freely from his body,

not only for the present but for all eternity.

It is Jesus, who freely gives himself to us 

under the appearance of bread and wine;

what today we call Eucharist.

As you receive the Body and Blood of Jesus

 recall the words of Psalm 116...

 I will take the cup of salvation, 

and call on the name of the Lord.

May the Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord

be alive in your soul.

May His consecrated Body and Blood 

be a living source of nourishment for all of your days.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven,

says the Lord;

whoever eats this bread will live forever.

(John 6:51)

Receive the many Blessings 

from Corpus Christi.

They were given for you.

~~~Peace~~~

How Do You Limit God?

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

God spoke to Abram, at which time he changed his name to Abraham. 

My covenant with you is this:
you are to become the father of a host of nations.

This was both an honor and a great responsibility.
There was one slight catch...
Abraham had to get
his people to keep their covenant with God.
This covenant was not just between God and Abraham,
but all of his descendants going forward...many generations.
As Abraham was already up in age
he found this covenant somewhat humorous. 

This all sounds easy enough, but it turns out to be
a rather difficult task going forward.

The word covenant is used thirteen times in the Bible.
Not surprising; God always keeps his side.

He remembers forever his covenant
which he made binding for a thousand generations –

Those standing in disbelief before Jesus were part of this covenant.
They stood and adamantly rejected it.
They imposed their own human boundaries...
their flawed human reasoning.
They limited the possibilities out of their own ignorance.

Too many times I catch myself limiting God's possibilities.
How do you limit God?
What boundaries do you set around him?

If we keep God contained within our boundaries
how can he exceed our expectations?

Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,

before Abraham came to be, I AM.”

Their own boundaries prevented them
from the possibility that Jesus was God.

Jesus put himself in the present tense, where as
 Abraham was in the past.

In the Gospel of John
Jesus makes eight 'I Am' statements.

Jesus spoke firmly...emphatically.
Jesus spoke with confidence.
Blessings within each of the 'I AM' statements.
Peace.

Antioxidants for the Soul

~~~ Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ Matthew 7:15-20 ~~~

 

The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.

 

By their fruits you will know them.

 

The Lord is forever faithful to his promises.

God made a covenant with Abram that he would have offspring as numerous

 as the stars in the sky.

 

At times we would like to be known by what we produce, if all is going well.

Other times we would like to disown our own offspring, resulting from poor decisions.

 

Saint Monica spent years praying for Saint Augustine.

He was the fruit of her womb and he was enticed by worldly pleasures for many years.

She was a good and holy mother who never gave up on her son.

 

She was confident that her son would be a good person.

She was expecting to reap the benefits of her fervent prayers.

Eventually she saw her son transformed by God's grace.
 

Must all of our works produce a harvest?

Is it our fault if our works do not yield fruit?

Is it acceptable to perform without producing anything of value?

 

These are tough questions.

By now you must know that God does not call the qualified to work for him.

Instead God qualifies those he has called to work for him.

He showers his chosen with sufficient grace,

but sometime we open up our umbrella in defense?

 

 

 

 We try to deflect his grace.

It is expected for God to keep up his half of the covenant.
We, on the other hand, often fall short of doing our part.

We complain about the least little sacrifice we are asked to make.
We want to walk away from our cross,
leaving it lying there on the ground behind us.

We want to pick the ripe juicy fruit without shedding one drop of blood.
We want to avoid all of the thorn bushes and thistles.

When I think of the wild blackberry bushes,
 I am reminded of the sweetness of the berry if you can get past the many thorns.

Too many times we may not see the fruit because of the thorns.
I believe that God does make all things for good.

It is up to me as an individual to follow through.
It is up to me to bear good fruit.

The fruit that I bear and that which you produce may be very different;
but fruit just the same.
If keeping your side of the covenant means bearing good fruit
then I can only pray for the grace to make God proud.

I have heard it said...God does not make junk.

So by their fruits you will know them.

What do your fruits say about who you are?
We can always improve the quality of our fruits.
We have many aids at our finger tips...
the sacraments, especially the Eucharist, come to mind.

Others will know we are Christians by our love.
Love is the super fruit...loaded with antioxidants for your soul.

Reap the many Blessings of your Faith.

Restored...Adorned...Rejected

~~~ Ez 16:1-15, 60,63 ~~~ Psalm(Is 12) ~~~Matthew 19: 3-12~~~

Most likely the shorter version from the prophet Ezekiel

will be heard today, but I would encourage you to get the Bible

and read Chapter 16. It is a beautiful poetic writing

reflecting honesty and great love. It describes how the daughter,

Jerusalem, was born.

What is most evident is that the usual birth rituals

were not performed.

The navel cord was not cut,

the ritual washing and anointing were not done.

The child was not even swaddled, but instead

thrown out on the ground.

This child was passed by and told to live in its blood and

grow like a plant in the field.

The child grew and developed, but was stark naked.

In old age God came and used his cloak to cover the child's nakedness.

At this point God entered into a covenant with the child, Jerusalem,

claiming her for his own.

Once God extended his care and his covenant

everything changed.

Jerusalem was transformed into a beautiful princess.

Dressed in the finest of textiles and adorned with fine jewelry.

This transformation by God to an entity of beauty was squandered.

Jerusalem was

"...captivated by your own beauty,
you used your renown to make yourself a harlot..."

Everything that had been gifted by God was misused and wasted.

The beauty evolved into a source of corruption.

God gives us gifts free to use.

God gives us gifts with no strings attached.

God gives us gifts to use wisely.

God gives us gifts; it should follow that we want to return

praise back to him in thanksgiving.

Once we break relationship with God he is not required to repair it,

but if we let him he will.

Repairing a broken relationship does not mean that the consequences

of your actions are also erased.

God did just that with Jerusalem...

he restored the relationship, but it was not the same as before.

"I will re-establish my covenant with you,
that you may know that I am the LORD,
that you may remember and be covered with confusion,
and that you may be utterly silenced for shame
when I pardon you for all you have done, says the Lord GOD."

Sometimes restoration requires accepting the associated loss too.

All things can be restored by God, but the harm done is just that

harm done.

If a drunk driver accidentally kills someone while driving

nothing will bring that person back to life,

but the driver can be restored

to living a life of sobriety.

"Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth."

Give appropriate credit to the One who is deserving of it, God.

God chose Jerusalem to be his and then God was ignored.

It is not a good practice to ignore God.

Salt and Light

~~~ Kings 17: 7-16 ~~~ Psalm 4 ~~~ Matt. 5: 13-16 ~~~

Salt and Light...two things very important and familiar to the early Christians.

Salt as we know is important even for us today. In Biblical times salt was used to create a covenant with another individual.

Salt is a preservative; so without the luxury of refrigeration meat was encased in salt to keep it from spoiling. Salt is necessary for our body to function properly. Without salt your body suffers grave consequences.

Salt is as important as water for the human body.

Back to the covenant of salt used in the Bible. A Biblical salt covenant was unbreakable with the penalty being death.

In Pauls letter to the Colossians he say, "Let you speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you know how you should respond to each other."

The words we speak to one another when seasoned with salt will be words of kindness

...words used to preserve the relationship between you and the other person.

Honoring a salt covenant implies being honest and trustworthy.

You would not blindlessly or carelessly enter into a salt covenant.

If for some reason a salt covenant is to be dissolved then it would no longer be

useful for either participant. A broken trust would break the covenant. Later of course through reconcilliation another convenant could be agreed upon.

Immediately following this example of the salt covenant Jesus speaks of light.

Back in thise days it got really dark once the sun set. They did not have the modern conveniences we have today...electricity. Fire provided their source of light either on a torch or in the form of an oil lamp.

On occasion when our power has been out I have experimented with lifting the candle or the flashlight up higher as opposed to waist level. What I discovered is that when to light is lifted higher it casts light on a wider area.

So it makes sense that the oil lamp would be placed on a lampstand.

The lampstand would also serve as place of safety for the fire.

Naturally it is difficult to hide an open flame especially under a basket.

Perhaps Jesus is saying you cannot hide what I have given you. Plus you should not want to hide your gifts. Instead let your light shine for all to see just as your words are seasoned with salt. You light must illuminate the path as you journey with your sisters and brothers.

Whatever gifts God has given you must be taken out and used not kept hidden under a basket. For even under a basket tiny bits of light will still escape. Light is powerful.

Even the smallest source of light pierces the darkness.

No matter what you may think about your gifts when we join our gifts together for one cause the combined light created will shine like a beacon into the darkness.

Jesus is the Light of the World he came to dispel all darkness.

We needed him to bring us his light otherwise we would still be stumbling in the darkness. Even today, we have those who do not want to see the light and keep themselves closed off in the darkness.

Just as the widows flour and jar of oil was replenished;

our light souce will never run out of fuel. We only have to return to him often

and our light will be made bright once again.

Keep the flame burning!

Covenant of the Heart

~~ Jeremiah 31:31-34 ~~ Psalm 51 ~~ Hebrews 5: 7-9 ~~ John 12: 20-33 ~~

A contract is made between two parties who do not trust one another and because of this distrust they set 'limits' to their own responsibilities. A covenant is made between two parties who trust one another.
Throughout the Old Testament we see God entering into covenants with individuals...Adam, Noah, Abraham, and Moses.

If you have ever purchased anything life a car or a house you have undoubtedly had the experience of entering into a contract with another party. Usually these contracts are filled with legal verbiage that mean nothing to the non legal person...until something goes wrong. If something goes wrong then you drag out the contract, that you faithfully signed, and begin to read the fine print...

When you enter into a covenant with God you never have to be anxious about the fine print or the legality of the agreement. Covenants with God are always for our good. God does not break his covenants, but the other party may not follow through.

God makes a new covenant, a covenant of the heart. God places upon our hearts his law claiming us for his own. '...they shall be my people.'

This covenant of the heart which God initializes remains in us and resides in the hearts of each person. To further solidify this covenant he sends his only Son to earth. This son, Jesus, through obedience to the Father perfects this covenant of the heart God makes with us. Because of the death of Jesus we have complete trust in God. The death of Jesus sealed the covenant of the heart; "he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him."

When we honor our side of this covenant we too become obedient to the Father. We must die to ourselves just as the grain of wheat in order to become fruitful. "Whoever serves me must follow me" To honor his/her side of this covenant.  "...and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me."
A covenant with God is imbued with Love and never distrust.

Those who live in covenant of the heart with God will be lifted up
from the earth and drawn to Jesus himself.

It is to our benefit to guard this covenant of the heart we have with God. He wants us to be at peace with this 'covenantal' arrangement. He creates the clean heart of a clear conscience, he renews our spirit and gives us a willing spirit, and the joy of salvation.

God sent Jesus to save us because he was not taking any chances with our salvation. He could not leave us to our own way...
he saw how that did not work too well in the past.
Open your heart into the possibilities of this magnificent covenant with the Lord.
Let Go and Let God
design your heart.

Painted Promise Across the Sky

~~~ Genesis 9: 8-15 ~~~ Psalm 25 ~~~ 1Peter 3:18-22 ~~~ Mark 1: 12-15 ~~~

Covenant...Rainbows...

No matter how old I get I like most people enjoy seeing rainbows. There is something almost magical about the way the colors arch so perfectly across the sky. It is as if God has gotten out his giant water color set to paint in the air. It reminds me that we have the most phonomenal God. It makes me giddy with excitement. The best is when you see the rare double rainbow or twin rainbows side by side. Two for the price of one rain shower. 

I wonder how far a rainbow can be seen?

As we see in today's Genesis reading God had a definite plan in mind when he revealed the first rainbow across the sky for Noah. He told Noah, "This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every living creature with you..." God promised to never send another devastating flood. This covenant God entered into with Noah was with all people the whole of mankind.

One might ask why would God use a rainbow? Today we understand that a rainbow is created by light from the sun refracting through water, but in Noah's time it was more mysterious. The theme of water runs throughout the Bible. This is just one of the early references that alluded to our cleansing of sin and evil. In a way God was baptizing the whole earth.

We have this reading during Lent because it is a preview of our salvation. It certainly has nothing to do with any weather phenomenon. We need to be remind each year of our salvation story and Lent is the prefect time to get our attention. We need to be reminded because in spite of our Baptism and faithfully following Jesus we still fall into sin.

It seems the power of sin is stronger than our knowledge of God's saving power. No matter who you are or what position you hold in society or the church; we must all be vigilant about sinfulness in our lives. Lent is a time to return to God's way. Lent is a time to remember the message of the rainbow. The message of God's immense love for all of his living creatures.

The Grace of God is always available for us to draw strength,
all we need do is ask for it.

The next time you see a rainbow remember that it is a sign of God's covenant. a promise of our salvation. It is a sign to give us hope in our eternal reward with
God in heaven.

This image reflects God's covenant of life to me.

The light reflected throughout is the gift of eternal life.

The Gift of Baptism.