One Bite

First Sunday of Lent

~~~ Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ 

~~~ Romans 5:12, 17-19 ~~~ Matthew 4:1-11

One does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

One bite from the fruit of the tree

 of good and evil

cast us all into the darkness

 of temptation and sin.

One bite of sweetness made us 

feel ashamed of our own beauty.

One juicy bite caused us 

to run and hide from the voice of God. 

One bite...

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Cleanse me Lord.

Before you alone I confess my guilt.

Before you I acknowledge my offenses.

Cast me not from your holy presence.

Give me back a willing spirit to remain steadfast

in loving you with all my heart and soul.

Cleanse my heart with a contrite spirit.

Give me back the joy of knowing you will always love me.

Teach me to embrace the power of your words.

Your words are more than bread alone.

Your words bring healing and forgiveness.

Your words have the power to cleanse

 and heal the broken-hearted.

Your words are more nourishing than one bite 

of the fruit of the tree of good and evil.

I invite you to let this be a Lent

sustained by the reassuring words of the Lord.

For He will send the angels to sustain you.

One bite is nothing compared

 to the living words of God.

Blessings along the journey.

~~~Peace~~~

Peter's Correct Answer

~~~ Memorial of Saint John Vianney ~~~
~~~ Jeremiah 31:31-34 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 16:13-23 ~~~

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

In spite of Peter's tendency to speak without thinking,
this answer was very revealing.

Jesus asked Peter a serious personal question...
"Who do you say the I am?"

Jesus was Peter's friend...his leader...his teacher...
Jesus loved and respected Peter.
Jesus had faith in Peter's leadership abilities.
Jesus was a good teacher and Peter was a good student.

Peter recognized Jesus as Christ...the Anointed One.
Peter recognized him as the Son.
Peter recognized God as living.

Peter saw Jesus as much more than
who he appeared to be to the other apostles.

Peter saw him as the Son of the Living God...
the Living God.

God did not 'die' because he sent Jesus to dwell among us.

God is not dead, Jesus is his living son.
Jesus tells us that he and the Father are one in the same
therefore God is very much a living God.

Jesus trusted Peter enough to give
 him responsibility for the future of his church.

And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not 
prevail against it.

Peter was given the insight
to see Jesus as both divine and human.

This insight came to Peter from the Father.
God the Father was also at work in the heart of Peter.

God is also at work within your heart.

Create a clean heart in me, O God.

It is within the context of a clean heart
 that we can answer the same question
Jesus posed to Peter...

I invite you to sit with your own answer.
Who do YOU say that Jesus is?

Can you be honest with yourself?

Can you live with your answer?
Is Jesus the Son of a Living God to you?

God is Alive!
Jesus came to live among us in a very real way.

Blessings
~~~Peace~~~

Heart Graffiti

~~~ 1 Kings 21:17-29 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 5:43-48 ~~~

So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The only way for us to even come close to perfection

 is if we purge all hatred from our heart.

This purging must be done on a consistent basis.

If we are not vigilant when it comes to hatred

 it eases its way into the walls of our heart.

How often do you pay attention to the pictures hanging

 on the wall that you pass all day long?

Eventually you do not even notice.

The same is true of hatred...eventually you do not

 notice that hatred is there.

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Be merciful, O Lord, because hatred

 has become the graffiti painted on the walls of our heart.

Be merciful, O Lord, because we too often

 believe it is necessary to combat violence with violence.

Be merciful, O Lord, because we do not 

find enough space in our heart for love.

Justice is for God to administer.

We should not try to read the mind of God,

because our mind is too limited.

Sadly our world today is on overload with hatred.

We can only change the world of hatred

by being a reflection of God's pure love.

If we practice modeling God's pure love;

then we are on the path to perfection.

Graffiti often resembles art work,

but it still defaces the structure.

Hatred may seem justified;

but it still spoils the purity of your heart.

May you choose love over hatred

in all circumstances.

~~~Peace~~~

Begin with Your Heart

~~~ Jonah 3:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Luke 11:29-32 ~~~

...when the people of Nineveh believed God;

they proclaimed a fast

and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth.

All the visible signs of repentance

will be useless unless one 

believes God.

Just going through the actions 

and motions of repentance is a waste of your time.

You must begin with a contrite heart.

It is through our contrite heart

that the desire and inspiration comes for us to do more.

For the people of Nineveh 

conversion of their hearts led them

into fasting, ashes, and sack cloth.

When conversion begins in the heart

no sacrifice or penance will be a burden.

A clean heart create for me, O God,

and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

A clean heart is the precursor to a renewed steadfast spirit.

Even now, says the LORD,

return to me with your whole heart

for I am gracious and merciful.

It is never too late to return to God.

We were born from the goodness of God.

Our Baptism cleanses our soul...returns it to God sparkling white.

The primary criteria for returning to God

 is making the first step toward his mercy and love.

God listens even to the slightest 

attempt to reconcile your heart to his.

He rejoices every time you get back up...

every time you begin again.

God is loving, patient, slow to anger.

God is waiting for us to turn our heart back to him.

Jonah, one chosen by God, resisted in the beginning.

God called out to him a second time.

Finally Jonah gave in to the grace God

 was sending into his heart.

God is sending this same grace

 into our hearts during this Lenten time.

He will not give up on one of us

no matter how long or how resistant we have become.

God did not create our hearts to be hard and stiff as our bones.

God created our heart to be in constant motion.

Our heart beats, pushing the blood 

of our life through every part of our body.

God wants all of us...head to toe...inside and out...

physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Now is the acceptable time to Believe...

God is waiting for you.

Take the first step his grace and blessings

are there for your assistance.

He is the one who is greater than Jonah.

Begin with your heart.

~~~Peace~~~

Prayer Takes You Deeper

~~~ Ash Wednesday ~~~

~~~ Joel 2:12-18 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ 

~~~ 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2 ~~~ Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 ~~~

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

The Lenten message is always to turn away from sin.
We are further reminded to return to the gospel.
Returning to the gospel is not about carrying
around the Bible for forty days.

If we were to physically pack our Bible on our backs every day,
maybe we would be more cognizant of how we should be living.

...return to me with your whole heart..

You cannot hold back part of your heart for the world.
Jesus wants us to return to him in body, mind, and soul.

We must be willing to leave behind
that which does not bring us closer to the heart of God.

‘Where is their God?’

It is our responsibility to make sure that no one
 who looks at us would ask this question.
If our life does not reflect our God,
now is the acceptable time.
Make some changes today.

Cast me not out from your presence...

We humbly approach the throne of mercy.
We trust that we will not be turned away from his presence.

Give me back the joy of your salvation,

and a willing spirit sustain in me.

Lent is not about doom and gloom...
Lent is about the humble joy in our great gift of salvation.

Lent is about having a firm commitment
to stay the course even in the face of setbacks.

...we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.

God makes his grace available to us as we search our hearts.
His grace gives us the clear vision to see how
we can render change in our heart.

Do not miss this awesome opportunity
 to receive his special grace of repentance.

...when you pray, go to your inner room,

close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.

Set aside quiet time during this Lent...
spend some alone time with God.

Maybe it means getting up a few minutes early.
Maybe it means attending daily Mass at least once a week.
Maybe it means coming to Adoration for some
intimate time alone with Jesus.

Come to pray when no one knows you are praying.
Pray in your car...
Pray when you are running errands...
Pray when you are cooking and cleaning.

It is vital for the health of your soul
 to spend time in prayer each day.

Lent is the perfect time...begin a new habit of prayer.

Deepen the prayer life you already have established.

We can always go deeper with God.

Forty Days
Blessings in repentance and change.

Mercy reaches down to touch your soul.

~~~Peace~~~

David Faces Reality

~~~ 2 Samuel 12:1-7A, 10-17 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~

~~~ Mark 4:35-41 ~~~

Create a clean heart in me, O God.

The readings today are a precursor to our
time of repentance...Lent.

Ash Wednesday is little more than a week away.

During lent we are reminded about our own sinfulness...
we are reminded that God has command over life and death...
even over the wind and sea. 

God did show great forgiveness toward David,
but David also had to suffer for his hideous decisions.
David experienced our all powerful God.

David saw the results of his lust and adultery...
the death of his child.
This loss of this innocent life brought
David to the ground. 

Create a clean heart in me, O God.

God has unlimited power and mercy.
It is through our faith that we are led to trust him.

David ruled with ruthless violence, not only against his enemies,
but with his own soldiers.

In reality how can we expect God
to deal with us in any manner other than the way
 we have dealt with others?

The difference is that we are clueless
to the love God has for us.

We are also clueless to God's immense power and justice.

David was caught in a violent
storm that he himself caused by his sins.
Sin eventually has repercussions for our soul.

Crushed by the truth of his sinfulness David
faces reality fasting and clothed in sackcloth.

Jesus can calm the storms of our life...
He can speak the words...
 “Quiet! Be still!”

These three words can create peace
 in your soul...in your life.

Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.

A willing spirit is our ticket to salvation joy.

Blessings in the storms of life.
~~~Peace~~~

Why Are You Waiting?

~~~ Joel 2:12-18 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ 2 Corinthians 5:20—6:2 ~~~ 

~~~ Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 ~~~

No matter which reading you choose to reflect 

upon today the message is the same...

...return to me with your whole heart...

Repent, give alms, mark yourselves with ashes, fast,

pray to God to cleanse your heart.

God asked Adam and Eve why they were hiding 

when he came to walk the garden with them.

Today God is telling us to come to him.

He gives us permission to hide, when we are praying.

But when you pray, go to your inner room,

close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.

Now is the acceptable time...so what are you waiting  for?

God reminds us today, Ash Wednesday,

 that he wants to bless our repentant heart. 

If you have been hiding, embarrassed by your sins, 

the invitation is extended to you at this very moment.

Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land

and took pity on his people.

The Lord is giving you forty days to return to him.

He wants to welcome you back

 into his garden where all is wonderful...

where pure spring water runs freely...

where every kind of plant and animal

 is there for your enjoyment...

where his love for you is most evident.

We join the psalmist in praying...

A clean heart create for me, O God,

and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

Your relationship with God is personal.

Today he speaks to the depths of your heart...

to the places where you keep hidden and secret.

For in your relationship with God you have no secrets.

His invitation today is to let him,

 during this time of repentance, cleanse your soul.

You do not need to question 'Where is our God?'

He is not hiding from you.

Your day of salvation is right now.

What are you waiting for?

Blessed with ashes cleanse our minds and hearts,

O Lord we pray.

~~~Peace~~~

The Invitation

~~~ Saint Pius X, Pope ~~~

~~~ Ezekiel 36:23-28 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 22:1-14 ~~~

Have you ever failed to RSVP before attending a party?

Have you just ignored an invitation just because

 a better invitation came in the mail? 

Have you ever received an invitation to an event

 that you really had no interest in attending at all?

Have you ever just completely

 threw an invitation into the trash can?

The king planned a grand party. 

He sent out invitations to all the most distinguished guests.

As the hour for the festivities draws close the guests were not arriving.

He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast,

but they refused to come.

Why do you suppose they did not want to come?

He had his servants prepare the best possible foods.

A second time he sends out his servants

 to give the guests a preview of the menu.

But still they refused to attend the king's party.

They were being called to party with the king

 but found reasons for not showing up.

If this king just happened to be God or Jesus, do you think 

they might have had a different response?

So often this is exactly the case; Jesus is sending his invitations

 out to us and we toss them aside.

We ignore them...we pretend they never came...we busy

 ourselves with less important matters.

God extends an open invitation for us to come to his home for the feast.

The king eventually scraped his guest list 

and invited the street people to his celebration.

The servants went out into the streets

and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,

and the hall was filled with guests.

Where would you place yourself?

Is your name on the guest list or did you get invited off of the street?

There is just one thing...if you do get invited to come to the feast

 you must be dressed properly.

The wedding garment for the heavenly feast

 is one of a repentant heart.

You must come ready with a clean heart

 one free from all hatred and evil.

One must be clothed in the fabrics of love, compassion, 

patience, kindness, forgiveness 

and all other qualities of finer goodness.

There will be no place at the wedding feast for those

 who come unwilling to live a life of love.

Blessings come...open your invitation...

RSVP...dress up...

show up...

it is the grand feast.

~~~ Peace ~~~

The 'New' Crayons

~~~ Ezekiel 18:1-10, 13B, 30-32 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 19:13-15 ~~~

Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed,

and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

It is a miracle that modern medicine has discovered

 a way to literally give a human being a 'new' heart.

Technically I guess it is not really a 'new' heart

 since it comes from a donor...

another human being

 that for some reason will no longer need their heart.

God presents us the possibility of making ourselves a new heart.

Along with the new heart you may just get the added
bonus of a new spirit too.

Do you like new things? Most people do.

I remember every summer right before school began

 shopping for those 'new' school clothes.

I still enjoy the 'new' notebooks and school supplies.

What about 'new' crayons? Nothing better.

They look so beautiful all perfectly lined up in their box,

each with that carefully point.

I actually knew an art teacher who would make the kids

 tear the paper off of the crayons,

and if that wasn't bad enough 

then they had to break them in half.

Her theory was; they would be able to use the crayons

 to create in more creative ways. Ugh!

Create a clean heart in me, O God.

The psalmist is asking God to make his heart 'clean'.

Certainly God would do a better job with our heart then we could.

God can see what really needs to be done.

Perhaps a deep cleaning will suffice.

Perhaps we don't really need a 'new' heart. 

The dentist told my friend that his teeth needed
a 'deep' cleaning, 

like beneath the gum line.

That sounds very unpleasant to me, 

but if God would just 'deep 'clean my heart

 I would be so grateful. 

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;

for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Jesus wants the apostles to let the little children come to him.

The Kingdom of heaven belongs to them

 because they are the ones with the 'new' hearts.

They are the ones with the 'clean' hearts.

The older we get the more we mess up our heart.

Luckily God reminds us several times a year

to allow him to create a clean heart for us.

He does not tell us it will be a pleasant experience,

just like the dentist does not give any details

 about that 'deep' cleaning procedure.

Blessed with options...

a 'new' heart or a 'clean' heart.

Which would you prefer?

Pray with Psalm 51 and then decide.

~~~Peace~~~

Indelible Ink

~~~ Jeremiah 31:31-34 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 16:13-23 ~~~

God no longer needs to take his people by the hand.
He no longer must give them signs in the desert.
From now on he guides and leads us from the inside out...
he has made his way into our hearts.
He writes his loving laws in our hearts with his own unique font.

I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

I try to imagine just what this font of God's might look like, if I could see it.
Is it the same for each person or is it a font chosen for each person?
Perhaps it is plain with very straight lines or could it be slanted
with smooth curves on the ends?

I do want God to write in my heart.
But do I have a choice? Is it a prepackaged deal?
Do I need an interpreter as for sign language?
How will I know for sure God has written in my heart?
What if I am not able to understand his words?
Is there a chance that his words will fade away with time?
Will I grow too old and no longer be able to see his words?

Create a clean heart in me, O God.

A clean heart is necessary if I am ever going to be
 able to decipher what God has written on my heart.
The wonderful thing is that God is also the one
who can cleanse my heart.

A cleansed heart may be much like
 I cleaned my old chalkboard in my classroom on Fridays.

The kids would get a bucket of clean water
and rags to wipe down the blackboard from top to bottom.

They looked so clean and ready for the chalk written
 words to appear on Monday morning.

If our heart is like sand paper the words may be distorted...
If there are smudges from previous mishaps
 the message may be too blurry to read.

God is here to keep our spirit steadfast
to give us the willing spirit we long for
deep within our soul.

If we come to him with a clean heart
 his words will materialize within our heart
 and we will without a doubt know who he is.

We are Blessed with a loving God who always keeps his word.

I want God to write on my heart with his indelible ink.
I want God to write on my heart in his special font.
I want God to write on my heart
 the words he has chosen for me...the words I most need to hear
...the words that will lead me ever closer to his side.
May his Peace be in your heart today.

Responding Appropriately

~~~ Hosea 6:1-6 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Luke 18:9-14 ~~~

My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled...

A sacrifice is the act of giving up something
 that you want to keep especially to get or do something else.
A sacrifice is a loss or something you give up,
usually for the sake of a better cause.

We can make sacrifices for many different reasons.
But often we gain something in return for the sacrifice.
Parents routinely make sacrifices so their
children can have a better life.

We sacrifice our selfish ways, our prideful thoughts and actions
so that we may have this closer relationship with God.
We would be nothing without him and yet we find ways to ignore him.
We find ways to close him out of our lives.
It happens before we even realize he is missing.
Do you ever feel as if you have replaced God
with something else in your life?
This exactly what happens when we sin;
we replace God with what we want
 to do instead of listening to him.

For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

More than anything else God wants us to love him.
We can make one sacrifice after another,
 but God simply wants us to love him.
The best way to love God more is to get to know him better.
The best way to get to know God better is to spend
more quality time with him.

But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’

The tax collector came to the temple
with his heart already in the state of repentance.
He came, not to brag about who he was or what he had done;
he came to seek God's mercy.
He came to spend more time with God.
He came to learn how to love God more
in response to his mercy.

During Lent there is great emphasis on our being repentant,
but every Mass begins with a penitential rite.
We begin the celebration of his death...
of our salvation with repentance.
We call to mind how God has loved us
and how we have failed to respond. 

This is how we fall into sin,
 we do not respond appropriately to God's love for us.

If we could consistently love God in return as much as he loves us
then how could we step into a life sin?

Perhaps we can never love God enough.
Loving him with our whole mind, body,
and soul may not be possible.

Just maybe loving our neighbor as ourselves
bolsters our ability to love God more.

The more time you spend with God
the better you will be at responding appropriately.

We are Blessed not by what we sacrifice,
but rather by how much we can love.

I invite you to take time this weekend to consider
how well you have responded to his love.
For it is love that he desires above all.
Peace.

What Lurks in Your Heart?

~~~ Isaiah 58:1-9a ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 9:14-15 ~~~

It may be true that actions speak louder than words, 

but they are not a substitute for what lies within your heart.

Just because you go through the motions of fasting,

depriving your body of nourishment does not make you closer to God.

“Why do we fast, and you do not see it?
afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?”

If your body is hungry but your heart clings to hatred and unforgiveness,

you are wasting your time.

It is our heart that needs to be in a state of fasting.

We need to fast from those things which are not of God.

Fast from those thoughts and actions 

that are not drawing you closer to the Lord.

If you are still committing the same sins whether or not you are fasting;

what is the point.

If you want to impress others by your appearances of holiness,

who are you really trying to fool?

Simplify your life...let go of that which is weighing you down.

A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

Contrition must be accompanied by humility before the Lord.

Lay your heart before Our Lord

there is nothing to hide and nothing to fear.

Allow God to bless you 

with a contrite spirit and a cleansed heart. 

Peace.

Actions Have Consequences

~~~ 2 Samuel 12:1-7a, 10-17 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Mark 4:35-41 ~~~

Create a clean heart in me, O God.

A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat,

The Lord sends Nathan to pose a problem to David.
As the king David is in the position to make decisions
concerning the lives of others.
God uses Nathan to present a special situation...
the subject already dear to David's heart...a lamb.
David, of course, had been a shepherd.
He understands the tender relationship a shepherd has with his animals.
The story says the rich man orders the poor man to prepare his only lamb
for the guest's dinner.
David grew very angry with that man and said to him:
“As the LORD lives, the man who has done this merits death!

Eventually Nathan reveals the motive for the story.
David is faced with the gravity of his sinful escapades.
...you have despised me
and have taken the wife of Uriah to be your wife.’
Thus says the LORD:

Sometimes God sends another person to help us understand
how we have fooled ourselves with our sinfulness.
David and Nathan now can have an honest
conversation about what David has done.

The Lord does indeed forgive David, but he must pay a high price.
The Lord vows to take the life of his 'love child'.
We are all faced with the consequences of our actions.
Until now David thought he had gotten away with his scheme to deceive.

He woke up,
rebuked the wind,
and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”

If God can quiet the wind and calm the violent sea;
surely it is possible for him to forgive our offenses no matter how grave.

David found himself in the depths of a storm.
A storm that he virtually created himself.
When we create our own storms through our sinfulness
God is there ready to forgive us and calm our storm.

Seek forgiveness from the Lord...
nothing is beyond his forgiveness.
We are Blessed to have a God
who graciously forgives us.

Create a clean heart in me, O God.

How Can We Know God

~~~ Hosea 6:1-6 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Luke 18: 9-14 ~~~

'It is love that I desire, not sacrifice.

And knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.'

Seek the knowledge of God through His word...

read the scriptures daily.

The Bible contains the living word of God.

You are Loved.

The Belly of Conversion

~~~ Jonah 3:1-10 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Luke 11:29-32 ~~~

A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

Every year during the season of Lent we are given the opportunity to repent.

The people of Nineveh proclaimed a fast put on sackcloth and covered themselves with ashes.

The entire city joined in this great outward sign of conversion,

including the king.

Today we are not being asked to take part in such a public

demonstration of our repentance.

But we are being called to return to the same God...

the same God that sent Jonah to bring the people to conversion.

Even the king of the city got the message and made

the personal decision to also repent.

No matter who tells you to repent it will always be your personal decision.

The people of Nineveh were so moved to respond to the message

delivered through Jonah that they even imposed this fast upon their animals.

I do find this curious since the animals had nothing for which to repent.

Perhaps the message here is that all of creation bows to God

and is made holy by the creator himself.

Or the people could have just been going to the extreme with their penance.

The important fact is; they heard the message and they acted accordingly.

When Jonah does finally surrender his control to God the results are far reaching.

Jonah was taken into the darkness of the belly of the great fish.

 It is there, in the place of darkness and isolation, that Jonah was  

able to give up all control of his life.

This place where he did not want to be became his greatest saving grace from God.

It is here where God is finally able to get his attention.

Jonah was deprived of what he previously knew to be his life.

From the belly of the great fish, God led Jonah

 into a greater life more closely aligned with God's plan for his life.

There have most likely been times in my life and your life

where we did not want to give up control to God.

Sometimes he, God, must take us deeper and deeper until finally

we have no other option but to say 'I surrender'.

God brings us to the depths into the darkness

to teach us to rely completely on him.

When we have no where else to turn he is there...

in the darkness...

when we feel isolated...

when we feel abandoned...

he is there.

He is there waiting to bring forth wondrous things from

his humbled servant.

Sometimes it is hard to pray the words...

Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will...

especially when it pains you with perceived loss.

The presence of God is with you in the darkest of times.

Humbled Heart

~~~ Isaiah 58:1-9a ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 9:14-15 ~~~

 

Instead of fasting and walking around in sack cloth do something charitable for others.

Instead of 'showing off' how you are afflicting yourself share with others...

reach out to those less fortunate.

If you do something to help others God will be more pleased.

 

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
Your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer,
you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!

God cares more about your naked honesty with him than

all the external actions of 'chest beating' you can perform.

He is not interested in whether or not you look the part.

 

When you are helping others; that is when your light will shine forth.

When you are thinking of others your problems begin to fade into the background.

Soon what you thought was of utter importance has passed.

 

Then you are able to hear God say, Here I am.

I am here for you. I have heard your cry for help.

 

 

 

A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

You can maintain a humble and contrite heart without marking yourself with ashes,

 fasting or inflicting corporal punishment on your body.

 

Seeking forgiveness from God with a sincere heart is of utmost importance.

 

My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.

 

The prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi comes to mind.

Let me be an instrument of Peace.

 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.


O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

 

Be aware of the Lord's presence in your life today.

Ashes of Forgiveness

 

Ash Wednesday

~~~ Joel 2:12-18 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 ~~~

 

Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

 

Saint Paul says we are ambassadors for Christ.

What does that mean especially as we begin another Lenten journey?

Every year we pray in psalm 51

for a clean and contrite heart...

a renewed spirit...

a restoration of salvation joy...

and lastly a willing spirit.

 

You may believe you have a willing spirit until the 'hammer hits the nail'

until something happens to you that causes you to stop.

Until you have personally experienced a situation where

you must admit whether or not you really can have a willing spirit.

 

When someone does something wrong against you,

it is challenging to be an ambassador for Christ.

You want retribution.

You want the wrong done to be fixed.

You often do not want to forgive the person who wronged you.

If you do not know the person it is not any easier to forgive them.

 

We are signed with ashes today as a reminder of God's mercy.

The ashes upon our forehead also serve as a reminder to ourselves

that if we are to be ambassadors of Christ we must

 emulate his same mercy and forgiveness.

 

 

If I am to be an ambassador for Christ then I must strive to model him.

This is often not an easy task.

In our frustration we sometime cry out to God,

'this is too hard'

 

Every day of Lent is another opportunity to live the gospel message

of forgiveness and repentance.

We have forty days to practice forgiveness and repentance.

Current research finds it takes at least 21 consecutive days to create a habit.

The church has given us 40 days, plenty enough time to solidify the habit of forgiveness.

 

Take baby steps, begin with the small things...the minor irritations.

Begin forgiving people you do not even know.

Forgive those closest to you; this could be the most difficult.

 

Make yourself a calendar reminder to forgive at least one person each day.

Forgive without judging...

forgive without making excuses for either yourself or the other person.

 

Above all remember that you can only change yourself.

In order to create a new habit you must be aware of what you are doing.

Creating a new habit in this case is connected to our prayer

for a clean heart.

 

Habits are things we gradually do without thinking about them.

I know I have plenty habits that I should stop.

Habits that are not indicative of my being an ambassador for Christ.

 

During this Lent I invite you to create the habit of forgiveness in your life.

When you have the impulse to lash out pause for a moment;

forgive that person instead.

Be conscious of this decision.

By the time we arrive to Good Friday our heart will

be in a better state of openness to God's forgiveness of our offenses.

 

Sustain in me a willing spirit, Lord.

A spirit of forgiveness creating in me a clean heart.

A New and Natural Heart

~~~ Ezekiel 36: 23-28 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~Matthew 21: 1-14 ~~~

 

"A clean heart create for me, O God..."

 

"I will sprinkle clean water upon you
to cleanse you from all your impurities...

I will cleanse you..."

 

The pure cleansing baptismal waters come to mind here.

Jesus is the Living Water.

He cleansed, healed, and inspired the woman at the well with one cup of water.

Just to be sprinkled with his 'holy' water will send down his healing and cleansing.

There are times when the sprinkling with holy water is part of our liturgy.

One of the most moving times we see a sprinkling take place is during a funeral.

Towards the end of the service the entire is sprinkled with holy water.

This sprinkling ushers us into relationship with the Lord at our baptism.

This later sprinkling ushers our soul into it's eternal relationship with God.

 

 

"...I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you,
taking from your bodies your stony hearts
and giving you natural hearts...."

 

If you have ever had the occasion to walk into a Build a Bear store.

The whole process from picking out your 'bear', stuffing it,

 to the fluffing station is quite charming.

What I think is the best part is when you get to take

the soft little heart...

hold it in your hands...

make a wish or prayer intention for the recipient...

kiss it and lovingly place inside the bear.

 

You can also at some point

record a personal message

to your loved one.

This tiny recording is also tucked inside the bear.

 

The person who receives this precious gift can listen

to your recorded message over and over again.

Each time they want to hear your voice it is just a squeeze away.

Every bear has its own special 'touch point' to activate the message.

 

You may be wondering where I am going with this stuffed animal story.

Today we hear God promising to remove our stony heart,

replacing it with a new natural heart.

I believe if we allow God to take our heart

 and replace it; he goes a step farther.

 

Along with this new natural heart

comes his voice embedded within it.

So that from then forward we have but to return

to that 'touch point' and hear his voice speaking to us once again.

 

You do believe God speaks to you, right?

His grace gives us the ability to hear his voice

 deep within our heart.

I believe it is natural to be able to hear God,

but we are not always in a disposition

to find the correct 'touch point'.

 

 

How awesome would it be to be a heart surgeon?

If I were I would hold the person's heart and say a prayer for their healing.

I would also pray for God to carefully guide my hands.

 

Place your hand over your heart...

now imagine God touching your heart making it new and natural.

He did not create us to have stony hearts.

He is always willing to restore your heart to its natural state;

so that you can be better at loving and listening.

Allow God to Pray Over You

~~~ Ez 18:1-10, 13b, 30-32 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 19:13-15 ~~~

Create a clean heart in me, O God.

The prophet Ezekiel gives us a lengthy, detailed list of the things

God does not want us to do.

This list is mirrored through the commandments.

In reading this list we are encouraged to lead an exemplary life.

We are encouraged to live a virtuous life.

"...If a man is virtuous—if he does what is right and just..."

To be virtuous you are honest, caring, fair, compassionate,

faithful, and truthful.

Sounds easy enough, but there is one catch...

you must live this way in all areas of your life

every day.

Why wouldn't you want to live a virtuous life all the time?

Because we are human...we have difficulties being consistent.

We have good intentions, but we are weak.

We mean to do well and follow the Lord's commands,

but our actions often miss the mark.

"...man is virtuous—he shall surely live, says the Lord GOD."

God understands well our weaknesses and so he planned for it.

He wants us to have hope.

He does not want us to throw up our hands

when we fail and walk away.

"...Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed,
and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit."

The psalmist wrote psalm fifty-one with this promise from God in mind.

We can ask God every day to create in us a clean heart.

We can always return to God.

He is here for us just as the father in the parable if the prodigal son.

Maybe we do not deserve this great compassion and mercy from God,

but we can humbly recognize and accept it.

God is waiting for us to return to him as many times as is necessary

no matter how long we live.

Come to God with your frustrations;

 with how challenging it is to live virtuously every day.

God will touch your heart with love.

Jesus layed hands and prayed over the little children.

Perhaps his prayer over them was for their heart to

be open. Perhaps he prayed so that they would have the desire

firmly planted into their heart to return to God time after time.

Just for today imagine God praying over you...

praying for you...

laying his hands on you...

touching your heart.

If necessary return to your childhood and let God hold you.

Do You Know the Answer?

~~~ Jeremiah 31:31-34 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 16:13-23 ~~~

Jeremiah leads us right into the psalm 51...

Create a clean heart in me, O God.

God revealed to Jeremiah that there would be a new covenant his people.

 "I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

God himself would create this new, clean heart.

A heart that desires to be steadfast...

A heart that desires to be in the presence of God...

A heart that desires to be united with the Holy Spirit...

A heart that desires saving joy...

A heart that desires to always have a willing spirit...

A heart that desires to be contrite and humbled.

God and the psalmist are very ambitious with their desires.

There is no excuse for not knowing God;

he put the desire to know him into your heart himself.

One day as Jesus is talking with the disciples he poses

an important question.

"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"

It is easy to give answers for another person.

You are not required to have insight into what

their answer would actually be.

You just answer by what you have heard them say.

Jesus is not content

to let that be the end of the conversation;

he goes deeper.

Have you noticed how God can do that, get you to go deeper?

He is interested in your answers because he wants

you to have a relationship with him.

If you cannot answer his next question perhaps you might

examine your heart more closely.

"But who do you say that I am?"

I know you have heard this verse many times before,

but today picture Jesus standing before you.

He looks into your eyes as he asks

 'who do YOU say that I am?'

He wants to know what is in your heart.

Is his new covenant of the heart really residing within your heart?

This is a personal question...only you know the answer.

No one is going to make you proclaim your answer before others.

This personal question is a wonderful clue to how much

God desires your heart.

You do not ask questions such as this of those you do not care about.

If God did not love you he would not care who you thought he was.

God does not need us to validate who he is for his sake.

God wants you to validate who he is for you--- for your own sake.

To know who God is for you is to better love him.

To know who God is for you means to love him more.

This all relates back to the clean, contrite, and humble heart we desire;

a desire placed there by the very same God who asks the question. 

"But who do you say that I am?"

Once you can truthfully answer that question

you will ultimately have the heart you desire.

You will know without a doubt that God is for you.

You will know that you are His.