Among the Ordinary

~~~ Saint Peter Claver ~~~

~~~ 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 ~~~ Psalm 149 ~~~ Luke 6:12-19 ~~~

Jesus departed to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.

Jesus separated himself from the disciples
 and the crowds of people coming to be healed.
He went away in the darkness of night.
He went away into the silence of the night.
He went away to the stillness of the mountain.
Jesus prays alone to the Father for guidance.
He was about to make a big announcement...
naming his chosen apostles.
Apostle...one sent out, a missionary sent to preach the word of God.
He named twelve ordinary men as his closest companions.

This definition permits us to include many others
under the title of 'apostle' including Saint Peter Claver.
He spent much of his priesthood ministering
 to the large population of salves.
He served them and catechized them as often as he was allowed.
He called himself "the slave of the slaves."

After spending all night in prayer Jesus chooses his 

twelve apostles from among his disciples.
Then together they come down...
...he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground.

They came down together to level ground.
They were joining the people.
They were with the people. Jesus did not set himself apart.
He made himself accessible. 

A large number of people came from all of the neighboring towns.
Jesus is teaching his new apostles his life of compassion.
He could have gone back to the village to rest and sleep,
but instead he comes to the people who were waiting for him.
They wanted to see him and hear his holy words.
But most importantly they wanted to touch him...
they wanted to be touched by him.

Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him
because power came forth from him and healed them all.

When you imagine such a scene how can you not
be in awe and wonder at the person of Jesus?
His entire ministry was one of self sacrifice, love, and compassion.

We may not be able to physically touch Jesus today,
but that should not stop us from believing
that his power is just as real today as it was two thousand years ago.

Jesus chose twelve apostles in hopes that we
would also want to join their ranks.

The Lord takes delight in his people.

The Lord takes delight in you right now today.
Do you want to be one of his chosen?
Do you want to be one of his 'apostles'?
You must be willing to preach the word of God.
As Saint Francis of Assisi says,
use words if necessary.

The power that came forth from Jesus was the combined
power he shared in with the Father. 

They are still willing to send down this power to us.
God invites us to work together with him.

Be Blessed with the assurance
 that God takes delight in the ordinary person;
that would include you.

Don't let him down.
~~~Peace~~~

Beautiful Feet

 ~~~ Feast of Saint Andrew ~~~
~~~ Romans 10:9-18 ~~~ Psalm 19 ~~~ Matthew 4:18-22 ~~~

 

...it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news! 

 

Jesus walked along the seashore where he called his first apostles...
Peter and Andrew. These two brothers were fishermen.
They shared much of their time together every day.
Now Jesus is calling them both to follow him.
Jesus invites them to walk along side of him.
To walk with him as he brings the good news to the whole world.

When these two began following Jesus they probably had no idea
 that they too would be sharing the good news.
They did not realize that day the they would be left
 to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.

Those who have gone a mission trip
may be able to relate to this verse better than the rest of us.
 I have been told that the joy is evident on the
faces of the villagers when the missionaries arrive.

Just seeing that you have come to their little village because
you love the Lord raises them up.

A missionary walks in the footsteps of the Lord;
 their presence brings joy to the locals.

 

 

 Walking through the streets of a town brings you closer
to the people who live there.

You get a sense of who the people are who live there.
 

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. 

 

 There is a whole chain of events that take place to close the circle of faith.
Someone must be sent to preach...
someone must there to listen...
once they have heard they must believe...
now the new believers can turn to the Lord for their needs.

Faith becomes then the grounding factor for future needs.
For those who hear will experience a
refreshing of their soul;
 a rejoicing of their heart;
 and an enlightening of their eye.

Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.

 

 The words of the Lord keep our feet firmly planted
on the ground giving us the stability we need
 to continue bring the good news.

Dirty, smelly, calloused, tired and worn, Jesus had the most beautiful feet.
His feet carried him into places where he could heal.
His beautiful feet carried him to where he could do the most good...
to where he could bless people, often unexpectedly.
 

 Saint Andrew, pray for us.

Blessings come in bringing the good news to others...
We too can have beautiful feet.