The Better Way

~~~ Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9 ~~~ Psalm 147 ~~~ Matthew 5:17-19 ~~~

Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

The laws were necessary for many different reasons
such as better health or community orderliness.
but with Jesus comes so much more

Sometimes laws continue to be kept on the books
 because it is the way things have always been done.
In all institutions rules and laws eventually are changed...
people change...circumstances change.

Jesus came to show us a better way.
He came to bring us something more
 than keeping all of the old laws.

Jesus brought us the beauty of love.
Jesus brought us the freedom of forgiveness.
Jesus brought us the gift of mercy.

Jesus gives us wisdom straight from the heart of God.

 ...what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, 
is to us whenever we call upon him?

If we want to grow in holiness we must draw
from the depths of what Jesus teaches us.

You can perform all of the rituals.
You can keep all of the laws to the letter.
You can do all of these things, but
if you do not have love, forgiveness, and mercy
you are failing miserably
in the way of the Lord.

There is no God as great as our God.
No other god can compare
 to his goodness and faithfulness.

No one could make the law more than
 it was written to be except Jesus.
Jesus found the meaning within the written words
 that no one would have suspected existed.

Jesus peeled open the laws
 and gave us food for our life.

Blessed to have Jesus on our side.

~~~Peace~~~

Be More God-Like

~~~ Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18 ~~~ Psalm 19 ~~~ Matthew 25:31-46 ~~~

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

The words of the Lord are living words.

They refresh the soul.

They inspire us, guide us, counsel us in his ways.

The words of the Lord teach us a better way to live.

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

I am the LORD.

Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.

Lent is the perfect time to focus on our state of holiness.

If God did not think it was important

 for us to strive to be holy he would not

 have spoken these words.

We are a constant work in progress.

Our life is about getting to heaven

 which implies that we must be holy.

The words of God are life.

To be holy is to be in tune with God.

Whatever becomes of our life begins within our heart.

What we believe in is what we reach toward.

If we believe that being holy

 is worth while then we will make 

the necessary changes.

It will not be too overwhelming.

It will be invigorating to be more holy.

We were created in the image and likeness of God...

to be holy is to be more God like.

Blessings to become more like God.

Holiness is not just for the Saints...

holiness is for you.

~~~Peace~~~

Seeking Proof

~~~ Romans 1:1-7 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ Luke 11:29-32 ~~~

...according to the Spirit of holiness... 

...the grace of apostleship...

...the obedience of faith...

...called to belong to Jesus Christ...

...called to be holy...

Maybe it is human nature to seek proof for our beliefs...

we seek visible signs to validate.

Jonah was one such visible sign; he alone 

saved the whole city of Nineveh.  

Jesus acknowledges the accomplishments of Jonah,

but tells the crowd there is something greater...

namely himself.

He alone saves, not just one city;

he alone saves all of humanity for all of eternity.

The sign of Jonah is so insignificant in comparison.

Paul comes on the scene and tells us that we are called to be signs.

Yes, you are called to be a visible sign.

You are called to be a sign because 

you are called to be holy.

You are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

It is through obedience of faith that it is possible

 to receive the grace of apostleship.

It is by this very grace that

you are filled with the

Spirit of holiness.

You do not need to be swallowed up by a big fish

before you can become a sign of hope...

a sign of salvation.

Is it evident by the way you live your life

that you belong to Jesus Christ?

This is the tough question you must answer.

Do you believe that you have been claimed 

by God to be one of his own?

I know, you do not feel worthy,

but let go of that thought because it is irrelevant.

Remember all things are possible for God,

therefore you do belong to Jesus.

He understands all of your doubts, failings,

short comings and still he calls you to 

partake in his Spirit of holiness.

Once Jonah and Saint Paul responded in obedience to God

they were strengthened with the necessary grace 

to go forth as a messenger of God.

You have this same opportunity.

Make your life a visible sign of what you believe.

You may never know who may be changed because of you.

Blessed to be claimed by Jesus.

Be determined to live accordingly.

~~~Peace~~~

Push Your Limits

~~~ Saint Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church ~~~

~~~1 Thessalonians  4:1-8 ~~~Psalm 97 ~~~  Matthew 25:1-13 ~~~

...you should conduct yourselves to please God...

When you think that you are living to please God
this is when you are called to do even more.

If we use our own criteria for pleasing God,
will it be enough?
God is asking you to remove any boundaries
you have set up for yourself.

Maybe you are satisfied that you
are making it to church once a week.

Maybe you even make it to church
more often than once a week.

Maybe you serve in one or more ministries in the church.
Perhaps you do volunteer work for the poor and needy.
The list could grow to be much longer.

Today you are being invited to challenge yourself.

Saint Augustine did challenge himself...
At first he was not making the best choices...
he lived a very worldly life...
wine, women, song, dance and more.
He finally exhausted his whimsical distractions;
that is when he found Jesus.

Augustine finally found his path to holiness.

Whatever you are doing with your life
God finds a way to turn it into his goodness.

Too many times we feel that God is not a part
of our present moments in life.

We forget that we can either choose to be prepared
when the bridegroom comes or we can be one
of the virgins with no oil left.

The best way to keep the supply of oil available for our lamps
 is to push the limits of our personal holiness.

It is through your holiness that you can keep
 the oil replenished in your lamp.

Growing in holiness is conducting yourself
in a manner to please God,
while stretching to the next level.

I invite you to challenge yourself.
 Become more pleasing to God; do more.
The will of God is for you to keep advancing in holiness. 

His Blessings are there to assist you.
Saint Augustine, pray for us.

~~~Peace~~~

The Spirit of Holiness

Fourth Sunday of Advent

~~Isaiah 7:10-14~~Psalm 24~~Romans 1:1-7~~Matthew 1:18-24~~

Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith...

 Everything that makes the birth of Jesus a reality
is covered with the spirit of holiness.

 Heavenly angels and earthly people unite in holiness
 to carry out the will of the Father.
I guess when God's sends an angel to you
you would pay attention.
At least I hope that I would give the angel undivided attention.

The best family stories are shared every time the family gets together.

 Eventually even the youngest children know the stories

well enough to retell them.

Every year during the Advent season we gather together to hear the story

 of how Mary and Joseph came together

with the guidance of the angelic appearances

following the will of the Father.

Eventually we learn this story so well that we are eager

 to hear it one more time.

We can picture each of the characters.

We know the sequence of events.

We have internalized the dialogues.

We never grow tired of hearing this story over and over again.

The story of how God loves us so much that he humbles

himself to become one of us.

Not just one of us, but he came into this world as a helpless infant.

Jesus comes to us as a little child.

He did not come as the one the people had expected.

They expected a king and God sent a baby.

What a shock that must have been.

When we retell the story we too become participants

in the spirit of holiness.

Once we are inside of this holiness we realize

just how Blessed we are each day of our lives.

Retell the story...participate in the holiness...be filled with joy.

Tell yourself...God is with you...every day.

Natural Beauty

~~~ Genesis 13:2, 5-18 ~~~ Psalm 15 ~~~ Matthew 7:6, 12-14 ~~~

 

Holiness...dogs....pearls...swine...

How are these things related?

Holiness is associated with the beauty of the soul.

Pearls are worn to enhance a woman's physical beauty.

One is invisible;

 the other draws attention to the person who wears them.

 

Holiness of the soul causes one to radiate a beauty from above...heavenly.

A woman's physical beauty is enhanced by the pearls she wears.

Beauty from wearing pearls comes from the material world.

 

Holiness comes through following Christ and daily carrying your cross.

Pearls are formed because of an irritation within the muscle shell.

 

You would not want to intentionally damage the beauty

of either the pearls or your holiness.

 

Dogs and especially swine were considered

 unclean during Biblical times.

If your holiness were to become infected

with fleas from the dogs this would taint the beauty.

Sin of any sort,

but perhaps even venial sin

 is like the first couple of fleas on the dog.

Within a short time the fleas multiply and the problem is serious.

 

Swine wallow in the cool mud, their preferred spot of repose.

Who would take a beautiful strand of pearls and intentionally

drag them through a puddle of mud?

 

 

Using your holiness and appreciating the beauty of your pearls

may inspire you to treat others better than they might expect to be treated

by you or anyone else.

 

Keep your holiness free from sinful indulgences.

Keep your pearls free from dust and dirt; retain their luster.

 

Take care to seek the narrow gate leading toward eternal life.

Holiness will guide your way while the beauty of the pearls

will help keep you focused.

 

Consciously guard your holiness and your pearls.

Keep them away from all that is harmful to them.

Grace from God supplies your soul with the natural beauty of holiness.
When you see a string of pearls be reminded of the natural
inner beauty bestowed upon you.

Let your actions reflect your
Natural Inner Beauty.

 

Afflicted in Every Way

 

~~~ 2 Corinthians 4:7-15 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ Matthew 5:27-32 ~~~

 

The Gospel passage from Matthew seems a little extreme initially.

Cut off your hand, committing adultery with your eyes,

marrying someone previously divorced

also considered an act of adultery...

So what does all of this mean for us today?

 

I think we are being admonished to be vigilant;

some sinful aspects of our life are less obvious than others.

 

Cutting a hand off or choosing to walk around blindfolded

will certainly not guarantee you will be free of sin.

Most of the time our sins begin first within our own hearts.

We are damaged merchandise when it comes to sin,

but we can practice conditioning our hearts to what is good.

 

If we practice being aware to the presence of God in our heart;

we will have more strength to avoid those occasions of sin.

 

The opportunity to sin never leaves

us whether we are alone or with others.

Certainly any part of our human flesh has the potential...

the potential for either sinfulness or holiness.

What matters is the state of your heart...your mental attitude.

Because we are basically weak it is easier to sin than to avoid sin.

 

We must be strong in our resolve

 to renounce sin in whatever form it may present itself.  

Putting God first above earthly pleasures is not easy.

 

Too many times it is our tongue that gets us into closest contact with sin.

Matthew falls short of suggesting you should cut off your tongue

 if it causes you to sin.

This is where we must remain cognizant of the words

we are using and the tone of our voice. 

 

 

St. Paul says we are but earthen vessels;

implying that we are fragile...

capable of being broken.

He says we carry within this earthen vessel the very death of Jesus.

For if we carry the death of Jesus we also carry his life.

 

Which will it be?

We are afflicted in every way...

 

What will dominate within our soul?

...always carrying about in the Body the dying of Jesus...

 

Do we truly want life to flourish in our heart or

will we tolerate the stench of death.

...so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.

 

Sin decays the soul.

The foul odor will permeate your entire being....

if you let it remain unchecked.

 

O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son (daughter) of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.

 

Bestow your grace upon me O Lord, so that I may care for the holiness of my soul.

Help me, O Lord to make your presence a reality in all parts of my life.

 

I am ready to receive your blessing and you grace.

Are You Willing to Change

~~~ Wisdom 2:1a, 12-22 ~~~ Psalm 34 ~~~John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30 ~~~

"Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us...
...his life is not like that of others,
and different are his ways...
...Let us see whether his words be true...
...let us put him to the test
that we may have proof of his gentleness
and try his patience...
...their wickedness blinded them..."

The wicked made a terrible mistake in judgement.
They did recognize that Jesus was very different from themselves,
but they held these differences against him.
They were unable to accept his holiness;
that is what made him different.
We tend to keep our distance from those who do not share similar views.
This is how we choose our friends.
We first search for what we have in common with the other person.
The more we have in common the more likely
a friendship will develop.

Jesus not only turned over the money changers tables
 he turned over most of their beliefs.
Jesus had no doubt that his way was the right way,
but he was unable to convince the wicked ones
who wanted him out of their way.
They wanted to continue to believe what they had always believed.
Isn't this the easier path to take even for us today?

Our own church is at the beginning of a new Papacy.
Already we are seeing changes...more simplicity...
less pomp and circumstance, if you will.
I wonder how long it will be before some become irritated
with the 'changes'?

The anointed one of God was in their midst and they could not see him.

'...When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.'

It is almost like they thought he would be coming from outer space...
as an alien.
This might have been easier for them to accept.
At least they would not experience any jealousy.
Did they want Jesus to look different too?
He certainly acted in ways different from them.

Jesus walked, ate, and drank with them.
He healed their illnesses, he feed them,
he showed tremendous compassion for the least of them.
And yet none of his words or actions were enough to convince them.

 

So Jesus cried out in the temple area as he was teaching and said,

“You know me and also know where I am from.
Yet I did not come on my own,
but the one who sent me, whom you do not know, is true.
I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.”

Many times I experience sorrow that Jesus was so violently rejected.
He endured this because he was in agreement with the Father
that we should be saved.
God created us to be with him in heaven.
The death of Jesus was the most profound way of accomplishing his will.
Our salvation had to be visibly secured in a way that we could not
ignore or dismiss it.
The Crucifixion cannot be taken lightly.

Has anything changed in your life or your heart during this Lent?
If not there is still time. It is never too late for a conversion of the heart.
Lord, take my life and make it more pleasing to you.
Enlighten the way to accept the change you desire fro me.
Amen.

What? Who Will be First?

~~~ 1Peter 1:10-16 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ Mark 10: 28-31 ~~~

I think today's readings are about expectations...our expectations.

We each have our own way of looking at the things that happen in our lives.

We each have our own reasons for doing the things we spend time doing.

The prophets had their expectations.

The angels had their expectations.

The obedient children had their expectations.

Peter's expectation is 'do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance...but, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct.'

He goes on to quote God's words from Leviticus,

"Be holy because I am holy."

No matter what you do in your life you act from a set of expectations that have been developed from outside forces over the years.We experience situations and circumstances in our lives that determine our outlook on life.

We soon learn to expect certain results and or consequences.

If we do not grow in our expectations life can become stagnant and tainted.

We can even become disillusioned when our expectations are not met.

Peter is writing this letter to encourage his followers to search

 for a higher perspective...

He is encouraging them to see all aspects of their lives

from the perspective of holiness.

Let your expectations emerge from your holiness.

View your expectations through the lens of your holiness.

But the caution here seems to be, if you see all things through the perspective of holiness; what keeps one from still having certain expectations.

If you have given up everything to follow Jesus you might expect to be rewarded in some fashion. Perhaps you think you should be granted special favors.

Perhaps you think you should be treated better than others.

Perhaps you want to be seated in the front at a place of honor.

But son we begin to see the prespective of Jesus through his words,

"But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first."

Okay. On second thought maybe we sould not be so caught up in our own individual sense of holiness. For we are consistently reminded about God's ways and our ways being so different.

Being holy obviously is not about giving up everything or about being first. Being holy is about living a life that is in union with God. A life that is abundant and full because of the love of God for us.

So what are your personal expectations?

Sometimes our own expectations can result in great disappointments.

Do you expect more because of your relationship with God?

Or are your expectations met with humility and gratitude?

Desire to Live in Holiness

Mark 5:1-20

I find the end of today's gospel most intriguing. The man just released by the words of Jesus from 'legions' of demons wants to make a total change in his life. This man's healing has frightened those who witnessed the incident and they are urging him to leave. They are afraid...who has ever seen demons being driven into swine?

As Jesus is getting into the boat, the man pleads to remain with him. But Jesus, and this is the curious part to me, does not allow him to come aboard he boat. Instead Jesus tells him, "Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you."

The man did as was requested of him and just like the woman at the well when she returned to share her story about her encounter with Jesus; "...all were amazed."

So often in scripture we see Jesus approaching someone in need of his healing touch. In this case Jesus removed the legion of evil spirits with a few simple words. "Unclean spirit, come out of the man." Jesus if you will invited them to remove themselves of their own free will.

Jesus always knows what is best for us, his children. Of course swine being pork were already unclean in the eyes of the Jewish people. Much is recorded in the Old Testament Leviticus 11 and in Deuteronomy 14 about clean and unclean animals and foods.

The Israelites were to be pure and holy dedicated to the Lord and that included not eating certain unclean animals. I think Jesus, in curing this man, was saying I want you to be able to live a 'clean and holy' life.

I also believe there is a message for us about the manner in which we can become holy. In gratitude the healed man wanted to follow Jesus. He was willing to leave his family and his village because he was overflowing with joy by his restored peace.

But what does Jesus do instead of saying sure come along with us as a witness to what I can do? He instructs the man to remain there and to return to his family. His family had probably given up on ever being able to be reunited with him, because of the violent demons. Jesus wants this man to witness to those in his hometown...to those who knew him...to those who would be able to recognize the dramatic change.

What does this mean for us? I think that we are called to be holy within our everyday lives. We are called to holiness in gratitude for what God has done for each of us. Maybe we have not been cured of numerous demons, but we do have issues in our lives that keep us in invisible chains. Namely our own sinfulness.

We are being called to live a life of holiness. The requirement is to make the commitment to live in holiness. It does not requirement one to enter religious life. Jesus did not take the man into the boat to sail away instead he sent him into his own community to proclaim his healing...proclaiming his desire to live in holiness.

We can do likewise!

I chose this original image of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona because on a recent visit there I was captivated by the sense of holiness I experienced in that holy consecrated space.

This kaleidoscope image reflects the subtle beauty you can experience when you strive to live in holiness. All is more united together peacefully.