Resistant to Change?

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 13:13-25 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ 

~~~ John 13:16-20 ~~~

I know those whom I have chosen.

Paul stands in the synagogue and recaps

 the history of the Israelite people.

He reminds those listening of the prophets...

 their crossing in the desert.

He continues to point out God's presence and promises.

How God gave them a king, which they requested.

Finally he speaks of specific tribes, 

like the tribe of Benjamin.

This is all leading up to the prophecy of Jesus.

Paul also includes the prophecy of John the Baptist.

For some reason we  may not understand

 the prophecies concerning Jesus were rejected by the elders.

We can only imagine how frustrated

 Paul must have been.

Maybe he just wanted to shake

 them into opening their hearts.

...whoever receives the one I send

receives me, and whoever receives me

 receives the one who sent me.

How do you handle change?

The people listening to Paul were faced

 with having to decide how they would 

accept or not accept change.

It is easy to resist change when you are 

comfortable with the present.

Today we are faced with changes 

as a regular part of life.

In Biblical times change came more slowly.

They did not have technology to keep them up to date.

They did not have day to day information.

The more set you get in your ways

 the less open you become to change in general.

Jesus brought about a major change.

His presence challenged the beliefs of many 

who regularly came to the synagogue.

It seems that his message still meets resistance today.

I invite you to be part of the change Jesus envisioned.

We are still called to be the ones who live out 

his vision of love and mercy.

Blessed to have his taking the lead for us.

For ever I will sing the goodness of the Lord.

~~~Peace~~~

Some Things Never Change

~~~ Philippians 2:12-18 ~~~ Psalm 27 ~~~ Luke 14:25-33 ~~~

....in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life...

Ever since St. Paul penned these ominous words
each subsequent generation has found evidence to confirm them.
Every generation feels that the current generation
is worse than the previous one.
Maybe it is because we are not able to see just
how corrupt and perverse
 the time is in which we are living.

Maybe that is our curse from original sin...to forever
 be in a time of turmoil and unrest.
Each generation tries to improve on what they perceive
 to be the 'sins' of the previous generation.
Sometimes the sins of the current generation have not truly improved.
Each generation may not make the exact same mistakes,
but mistakes are indeed made.
The whole world from time to time has experienced
 doom and gloom...
destruction and despair,
we must hold steadfast to the truth of God's words.

He is our light and our salvation...
in him we must place our trust...he is the way...he is the life.

Are you living as the light that you are in our world?
We are all here together; just imagine how bright our world
would be if we were all able to shine with the Light of Christ.

As we know a light cannot be hidden under a bushel basket,
it will escape through the smallest of cracks.
Our light was given to us from God.
His love for us is what keeps our light powered.

It is up to us how and where we will shine our light.

Our light might just be a tiny spark darting about the dying embers,
but light none the less.
Our light might be a small candle flickering in the darkness.
Our light might be a strong beacon, like a search light
scanning the night sky. 

We have a responsibility to shine our light for the glory of God.
If it happens that our goodnees
 be connected to his light, then we are cooperating
with the Lord.
If our light shines it should be to bring people of our
 crooked and perverse generation back to the word of the Lord.

Many tiny lights standing together make
for one powerful source of light.
No one can casually walk past a bright
 light shining into their face.
Our light must be noticed,
not for ourselves,
 but for the sake of the whole world.

God is depending on us to let our
light shine into our world of darkness.

Are you up for the task?
Join a group who is willing to find
ways to shine their light in spite of corruption.

It only takes one candle to dispel darkness.
You could be that single light.
Blessed with this challenge and responsibility.
Let the light of the Lord shine through you...
How many ways...how many directions...how long must you shine?

Do not be deterred to shine your light.
Every generation has been given this identical opportunity.
Now it is our turn.

~~~Shine in Peace~~~

What Does Old Mean?

~~~ Amos 9:11-15 ~~~ Psalm 85 ~~~ Matthew 9:14-17 ~~~

Why do we struggle so with change?
What does old mean to you?
This is what I have experienced as I get older.
Things that used to matter a great deal matter less.
Material things are not that important.
I value the relationship I have with family and friends so much more.
These few verses speak such simple beauty.

Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven. 

In the past I have written about the old wine skins
in comparison with the new.

The beauty in aging is that you can
choose to see value in both the old and the new.

One problem the Pharisees had was their inability to see
 anything 'new' as having value.

Perhaps they were suffering from the fear of change.
Perhaps they felt that any change would
in turn change who they perceived themselves to be.

Change does not have to be embraced for the sake of change,
but we must be open to the new horizons
offered through change.

We may not like getting older, but it can be
less traumatic if we can see the 'silver lining'.

The Pharisees could not change their attitude and it trapped them in time.
They could not see Jesus as the light of hope that he was then.
He continues to be the very same light of hope for us today.

The Pharisees were complaining about Jesus and the disciples not fasting.
Fasting was a sign of mourning and as Jesus points out to them
a wedding feast is about celebrating.

So it is with getting older...do you want to mourn
 or do you want to celebrate?

I want to celebrate the good things in my life.
I want to anticipate the new opportunities for goodness in the future.

Appreciate what you have today.
Celebrate with those you love.

The more you give of yourself to others the happier you will be;
the happier you are the less likely you will be anxious about getting older.

We are blessed with all things new
brought to us through the workings of the Holy Spirit.

May you experience peace
where you are today.

Slippers

~~~ Isaiah 1:10, 16-20 ~~~Psalm 50 ~~~ Matthew 23:1-12 ~~~

The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

If we humble ourselves before the Lord 

admitting our sinfulness he will 

make all things white as snow...white as the lamb's wool.

If we swallow our pride and obey his commandments;

we shall eat the good things of the land.

Conversely, if we resist and fight against the Lord

his mighty sword will slay you.

I recently heard that it is better to put on your slippers 

than to try to carpet the whole world.

I think this has a connection to the message for today.

To humble oneself is to put on your slippers 

realizing that you can only change yourself.

If you want the world to be a better place 

then you must begin with yourself.

It is only in pride that we believe

 we can or should make everyone else change.

Our responsibility is to make ourselves the best person we can be;

this is how to generate a greater change.

It is true that one person can change the world;

but only if that person changes first.

Jesus led us by example in so many ways 

throughout his public ministry.

We must live the words of the Gospel message 

before we can look at how others are living.

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, understands this very well.

His words and his actions are beautifully aligned.

His actions reflect his words...

his words are reflected in his actions.

What we say and do should compliment each other.

There should be no tension between our actions and our words.

Jesus is not fooled by the scribes and the Pharisees.

...they preach but they do not practice.

If we all look intently at ourselves during this Lent 

then we will all have on our slippers 

and there will no longer be the need to carpet the whole world.

Whatever you think needs to be changed in the world

begins with how you make the change yourself.

We are Blessed to be able to change.

Lent is a time for changing...

yourself.

Peace.

"Grown Up" Jesus

~~~ 2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17 ~~~ Psalm 32 ~~~ Mark 6:1-6 ~~~

Where did this man get all this? 

Jesus came from the small insignificant village of Nazareth.
In the time of Jesus there may have only been 200 inhabitants living there.
It was a small farming village like many others in that time.

Jesus returns home accompanied by his disciples;
he is not home for a sabbatical from his ministry.
He is there to heal and to preach to his neighbors and friends.

Those who heard him were impressed, but skeptical at the same time.
How did he acquire all of this knowledge?

It is not unusual to be skeptical of a local person
who returns to their old neighborhood as a changed person.
There is no reason for the local people to believe that Jesus is a special person.
His actions, not necessarily his words, will be their proof.
They will see in his healing who
Jesus has 'grown up' to be.

He is no longer just the kid from the neighborhood.

How would people receive you
 if you were to return to your childhood community?

Are you a different person today?
How have you changed?

If we want to grow in our relationship with God
change is inevitable.
Whether or not we make the conscious effort to change it does happen.
It is up to us to manage the manner in which we change.
Do you want to become a bitter person resisting any change?
Do you want to embrace change in your life as coming from God?

Today I invite you to consider
those things which have changed in your life so far.

What feelings rise up in your heart?

God blesses us with his invitation
 to become all that he sees we already are.

Peace.

From this Day Forward...

~~~ 1 John 3:22-4:6 ~~~ Psalm 2 ~~~ Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25 ~~~

Jesus has just endured the temptations in the desert.
He was more determined than ever to carry out
the purpose of his mission.
He was sent by the Father to preach repentance and to save us...
to love us unconditionally.
He eventually calls others to join him
in spreading this good news.

Upon hearing of John's imprisonment, Jesus moves into action.

Jesus, the Anointed one, through the power of the Holy Spirit
 is able to heal people from all types of affliction.

Jesus heals people in mind, body, and in spirit.
Jesus is all about change...
We must change.
In order to be saved we must change.
This change must be profound.
This change is not for show.
This change is not to impress others.
This change comes through the gift of faith.
Faith that comes from God alone.

...the people who sit in darkness
have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.

“Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The kingdom of heaven is at hand because Jesus is now with us.
The Messiah has come; he has been honored by the
wise men of the East.
The time is now for you to also make changes.
The beginning of a new year is traditionally the time when
many people begin to at least think about changing.
Isn't that what new year resolutions are all about?
We want to improve...we want to get in shape...
we want to eat a healthy diet...
we want to get better organized...we want to do this and that.
But, I wonder if we truly wanted to change,
 would we always be making the same resolutions year after year?

We are jubilant with promises to ourselves.
Jesus calls us to a change that will last our entire lifetime.
The Holy Spirit will give us the grace to stay the course.

We know that Jesus walked this earth changing people along the way.
And he wants to change you today.
He wants to heal you in mind, body, and soul.
Your former days are of old.
A new dawn has begun filled with blessings for change.
May this new year bring about a lasting change in your life.
Peace be with you from this day forward.

Life Changing Tree

~~~ Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~Wisdom 11:22-12:2~~Psalm 145~~2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2~~Luke 19:1-10~~ 

 

In one day Zacchaeus went from being the chief tax collector,

resorted to climbing a tree,

to having Jesus dine with him in his home and repenting.

 

Obviously Zacchaeus was a man of small stature,

 perhaps that is why he prided himself so much

as a chief tax collector and a wealthy man.

 

He was wealthy he had a good job, but yet something

was still missing in his life. You might say he had tenure.

 

He left the ground, his comfort zone, and climbed

 high above the crowd into a tree.

By doing so he removed himself from his usual surroundings.

He was no longer influenced by those around him.

He could for the time being escape the glaring stares.

Jesus sees him and calls him to come down.

Jesus wants to change his life forever.

 

"Zacchaeus, come down quickly,
for today I must stay at your house."

 

In his position, Zacchaeus had power, he had authority over his co-workers.

But now he is moved to be a generous and even honest man...

now he wants to make reparation for his wrong doings.

Zacchaeus convicted himself, Jesus never accused him of anything.

 

You cannot come into contact with Jesus and remain the same...

you must change...change for the better.

Meeting Jesus inspires you to be a better person.

 

 

...you overlook people's sins that they may repent.

 

God does not hold your past offenses against you.

 

Therefore you (Lord) rebuke offenders little by little,
warn them and remind them of the sins they are committing,
that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O LORD!

God can remind you of your sins without uttering a word...

he may simply call you down from the tree or write in the sand.

He does not need a powerful job, he does not need material wealth;

he just wants to meet you where you are in this moment in time. 

 

If we are to be blessed

 it is because others are praying for us...

Paul writes to his friends...

Brothers and sisters:
We always pray for you,
that our God may make you worthy of his calling
and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose...

 

Someone you know needs prayers today.

Can they count on you?

 

Change...Come Back...Today

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



Again today we are given readings about God's incredible covenant with his people. A covenant that will sustain us a people for all eternity. I have previously written about covenants on this blog; check out the titles and will find those posts.

If anyone has an encounter with the Lord you always come away a changed person. Abraham, Paul, and Peter had their name changed as a result of their God encounters. Having you name changed by God is special no doubt, but you can be changed in so many other ways.

In many if not all of the miracles Jesus performed  people and things were changed. Changed from what they were into something different; something even more pleasing to God. His changes result in the exemplification of his goodness.

Every year during Lent we are called once again to change. To change our hardened hearts, to turn away from sin, to come back to him, to change our path of destruction. Lent is all about change.

When we return to the Lord and seek forgiveness we are seeking change for our soul. If we only confess our sins and never have the sincere intention to change who are we really fooling? I know that we are weak and we often fall again into the same pattern of sin. It is the intention of the mind, body, and soul that truly makes the difference. 

During Holy Week I urge you to make some kind of promise with yourself. Promise to be more aware of whatever your most difficult sin is; decide to be vigilant with keeping it out of your life. Maybe you need some outside help...recruit a friend or a spouse if you can. Maybe seeing a spiritual director would be of help.

Whatever it takes only you can make the decision to change. If God were to come before you what one thing would you request of him to change in your life.

If you could only change one thing what would that be? Sometimes it only takes changing one small thing to make a huge impact on the rest of your life.

What will it take for you to make the necessary change in your life?

If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.



Trapped in the Old Wineskin

Mark 2: 18-22

"...no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather new wine is poured into fresh wineskins."

Well I have to admit when I first read these verses I am offended as I am getting up into the older segment of the population. Am I then to consider my self to be an old wineskin? A wineskin not worthy of new wine?

All joking aside the real issue in this chapter of Mark is the topic of fasting. Why or Why not? Obligation or not?

Once again we have the Pharisees trying to stir up trouble among the followers of Jesus. They try the same tactics a child may use with their parents. The child's argument may go something like...why does Johnny get to do ___, and I cannot? The Pharisees try to cause tension among the disciples. They try to make them believe that by not fasting as was customary they were doing something wrong. "Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?"

Jesus responds with a reference to the wedding party where the guests would certainly not fast as long as they were with the bridegroom. Jesus is in effect saying this is one of those times when it is permissible to deviate from the norm. It is much like allowing your kids to stay up past their bedtime when their grandparents are visiting. When the grandparents leave things will return to normal; in bed at 8:30 pm. if that is the rule.

The Pharisees did not want things to change; and they certainly did not want Jesus to be the one instigating any changes. In reality the Pharisees felt very threatened by Jesus and all the he represented.

I do not think we are that different from the Pharisees. In many ways we do not like change either. Take a moment right now to think about the changes in your life that you do not like. I can think of many in my own life.

Fasting for that time period meant you did not eat anything not just meat. So you can imagine how grumpy some people were from not eating. Maybe that is the promary problem with the Pharisees; they were just hungry. I know when I am hungry I cannot even think straight; I get grouchy and short-tempered. (I am not trying to discuss the pros and cons of fasting here.)

Jesus was the new wineskin and the new wine the Pharisees were the old wineskins. They were blinded by their stict adherence to the old laws. They were unable to see any reason for not fasting. They could not rejoice in the Lord!

The original picture I chose for this kaleidoscope was of a bare winter tree,

because if we cannot change and move forward we will cease to grow;

we will remain as bare branches.

While I too am challenged by change I believe it is necessary.

May you find a way to embrace change in your life and see it as catalyst for growth.

Water into Wine

"Do whatever he tells you." John 2:5

These short sentence can change your life in a profound way. The first miracle Jesus performed was, as you know, at the marriage feast of Cana. He changed the water into wine. He did so as a result of his mother, Mary's, gentle request. Mary was not frustrated with Jesus' initial reaction, "Woman, how does this concern affect me? My hour has not yet come."

Jesus uses the common water jugs which had held water for the Jewish ceremonial washings. The guests and all present had seen that the water in these jus had been for cleansing. A cleansing that was required before they could partake of the food.

In the time of Jesus the Jewish people had hundreds of rules. The process of “carefully washing their hands” involved washing the hands before and after eating. The process required a person to take at least half an “egg-shell” of clear water and pour on both hands. The hands had to be free of gravel, dirt, mortar or any other contaminant. The hands had to lifted up so that the water would run down to the wrist in order to ensure that the whole hand was washed and the “dirty” water did not re-flow across the fingers. Then the hands were rubbed against one another. If the water did not flow down to the wrist, the Jewish rabbis said that the hands were not clean and the process had to be repeated. If the hands had gravel, dirt, mortar or other contaminants when the washing started, the process was repeated twice. However, the second time, the water had to flow from the wrist down over the fingers.

So all present knew the purpose of the water in the jugs. Jesus came to show us a new way and this is a good example. By using these specific water jugs for his first miracle he changes the meaning of not only the jugs, but more imporantly the water. Water, without which ther is no life!

The water becomes wine which will come to be his own blood poured out for us on the cross. And this wine could not be just plain ordinary wine it had to be the finest wine because it was a representation of his very being...it represented his very essence.

That day all present noticed and commented about the best wine being reserved for the end of the party. At the end of parties many people, having had too much to alcohol, would not even notice a change in the quality of the wine.

The ritual cleansing was going to be taken to a higher level as Jesus would offer himself for our salvation on the cross. Jesus would become the Living Water. 

I chose a photo of water to create this kaleidoscope image.

The marriage feast of Cana is the reference point for doing whatever God tells you. When you do God's will amazing things will happen in your life. Believe it!