Accept the Invitation

Memorial of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

~~~Exodus 3:13-20 ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ Matthew 11:28-30 ~~~

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

and I will give you rest.

This verse is frequently used as a retreat theme.

It is a verse that offers us great comfort.

Jesus invites us to come to him when we are worn down...

heavily laden with our problems.

He promises to give rest to all who come to him.

It is an invitation from the lips of Jesus directed to your heart.

The words of Jesus are pure, sincere and true.

During the conversation Moses had with God

God identified himself as...

 “This is what you shall tell the children of Israel:

I AM sent me to you.”

God uses the pronoun 'I' and the present tense 'AM'.

Normally this is the beginning of a sentence 

that one completes telling more about oneself.

God simply states it as who he is...

nothing more need be added.

God is the present...

when we bring our weary spirit to him he takes it 

upon himself each time we come to him.

There is no past or future in God...

there is only the present.

God is the "I AM"

for all ages far all peoples.

Jesus also speaks in 'I Am' statements.

I Am...

you can easily finish this sentence.

Later Jesus will ask Peter...

who do you say that 'I Am?'

Jesus invites you to bring your burdens to him.

He is with you now.

His presence is as real today as it was 

when he spoke to Moses from the burning bush. 

Come to Him

and let Him give you rest.

Blessings in resting with God.

~~~Peace~~~

Our Lady of Mount Carmel,

pray for us.

Protecting the Nest

~~~Our Lady of Mount Carmel~~~

~~~ Isaiah 10:5-7, 13B-16 ~~~ Psalm 94 ~~~ Matthew 11:25-27 ~~~

My hand has seized like a nest the riches of nations;
As one takes eggs left alone, so I took in all the earth;
No one fluttered a wing, or opened a mouth, or chirped!”

Just this week a Texas power line company did something extraordinary.
It took two days but a Bald Eagle's nest has been moved to safety.
They did not just pick up the nest and move it alone;
they moved the entire platform supporting the nest.
What a wonderful reminder of how carefully God takes care of us.
How precious we are to him.
The eagle, of course, had no idea of the danger to his nest.

We are sometimes in the exact same situation;
we are often not aware of how God has intervened
 to protect us from harm.

Do you consider God to be like a giant?
Certainly he is Lord over all...he sees all...he knows all...
He provides all that we need, but is he a giant?

We are often advised by those in the financial world
 to save up a nest egg for our retirement days.

While this may be excellent advice
 we all know that taking such action comes with no guarantee.

A nest egg of money can be depleted
in a matter of a few days
 if we are not vigilant...
if we do not pay attention to our assets.

I would like to think of my nest resting peaceful in the hand of God,
whether he is like a giant or not.
It does not matter to me as long as he
 is protecting the nest...my nest.

Many look forward to having an empty nest.
But should your nest ever really be empty?
It is generally held that this term 'empty nest' refers to the last
of the children having left home...gone out on their own.

As parents we hope that we have prepared our children to leave the nest...
to survive out in the world on their own.
Just as God desires for our faith
 to prepare us to go out
 into the world as his strong followers.
God never leaves us alone to be snatched up by evil.
If we but speak his name...if we but make a peep
 he will reveal his presence to us.

We are Blessed with an all powerful God.

Those who do not know God may feel lost and alone at times.

The Lord will not abandon his people.

Those who have faith know that God is here to stay with us.

He will never leave our nest in harms way.
He will send the giant cranes if necessary
 to move the whole structure supporting our nest
 to a place of safety, secure in him.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel,
pray for us.

Peace

Just a Basket Among the Reeds

~~~ Our Lady of Mount Carmel ~~~

 

~~~ Exodus 2:1-15a ~~~ Psalm 69 ~~~ Matthew 11:20-24 ~~~

 

Carmel is a place where Elijah lived in service to the Lord.

This feast of Our Lady was instituted for the Carmelites in the fourteenth century.

It honors the day in 1251 when the Blessed Mother gave the brown scapular to Saint Simon Stock.

This brown scapular symbolizes our relationship with the Blessed Mother of Carmel

entrusting ourselves into her protection.

 

I have a special affection for Our Lady of Mount Carmel

since that was the name of my parish

and where I went to school growing up.

 

 

Today's reading from Exodus is the beautiful story of the baby Moses.

It is a story of the far reaching providential care of God.

It is a story of sacrifice on behalf of a mother who loved her son.

She was willing to give him up in order to save his life.

It is a story of sibling love...Miriam protects her little brother.

It is a beautiful story of adoption.

The Pharaoh's daughter took in this male baby knowing

he was of Hebrew parents. 

This is a story of creativity...Moses was carefully placed in a basket

among the reeds where the young princess would come to bathe.

 

It is a story of love...

 

It is hard to picture Moses as a baby

 because we usually see him portrayed as the old man

 receiving the stone tablets from God.

God had plans for Moses from the moment he was born.

In spite of the fact that he was male and should have been killed

 like so many others his age,

God protects him.

 

This is a story of bravery...it took much courage for

the sister of Moses to approach the daughter.

She risked her own life to save her brother's life.

Her actions were also able to bring much happiness to their mother.

Miriam offers to recruit a 'nursing mother' to care for the baby.

 

This is a story of how a helpless infant floating in a basket

affected a young princess who was the 'enemy'.

 

Noticing the basket among the reeds, she sent her handmaid to fetch it.
On opening it, she looked, and lo, there was a baby boy, crying!
She was moved with pity for him and said,
“It is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

 

Moses, as we know, becomes one of the key figures of the Old Testament.

He is the leader of the people out of the desert.

Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt...he gave them manna from heaven...

he provided water from the rock...and so much more.

Moses cooperated with God in good times and in discouraging times.

 

Working for God is no guarantee for an easy life.

Just look at the life of Moses. 

Moses lived a long life; God had lots for him to accomplish.

Tomorrow we hear more of the incredible story of Moses.

 

Blessings today...

the next time you look at an infant remember that God does indeed

have plans for this one little life.