Signs We Desire

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 7:51—8:1A ~~~ Psalm 31 ~~~

~~~ John 6:30-35 ~~~

The crowd said to Jesus:

“What sign can you do, that we 

may see and believe in you?

We may not want to admit it, but

most of the time we are asking the very same question.

We too want God too reveal himself in a way that we expect.

We too come with our preconceived ideas of who God is.

We too want signs...we too want to feel His presence.

We too want to see his works in our life...

in the lives of our loved ones.

We too are confused by the signs we are given.

We too overlook the manna from heaven.

We too take the goodness of God for granted.

 “Behold, I see the heavens opened

and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Stephen was given a visible sign

 as he was being stoned to death.

His death was overseen by none other

 than Saul, who would be called Paul.

Stephen was martyred

 in spite of his passion for the Lord. 

Stephen might have wanted to have been

 spared from death by stoning,

but God withheld his sign

 until his death was immanent.

“Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

within the pain of being pummeled with rocks,

Stephen calls on Jesus to receive him in heaven.

He goes on to forgive his executioners

even as they hurl more rocks at his body.

Stephen knew that his physical body

 was not the body God would take.

He knew that the very essence of who he was...

 his spirit...his soul...that is what would 

live on in heaven with Jesus.

 “I am the bread of life;

whoever comes to me will never hunger,

and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

I pray that when my final days come

I too may be able to release all anxieties and

say into your hands I commend my spirit.

Blessings as we desire to imitate Stephen

in our final hours.

~~~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~~~

Breaking News...You are Saved!

Solemnity of the Annunciation

~~Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10~~Psalm 40~~Hebrews 10:4-10~~Luke 1:26-38~~

Mary's 'yes' to the angel Gabriel
is the most profound and unique sign God could ever have given us.

Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!

God, sending Jesus to be one of us is an extraordinary and miraculous sign,
proving just how much he loves us.

We should not be surprised, because everything about God is extraordinary.
His miraculous signs abound beyond our comprehension.

God is miraculous even we do not have the visible evidence.

We too may want signs.
But we only want signs of the positive things in life.
We do not want signs of impending catastrophes.

Here we are well into Lent.
Why would a passage about signs be necessary?
Why in the depths of repentance
would we need to hear of Mary's Annunciation?

I believe that the Annunciation is the sign given to us
from God that he has every intention of saving us.
He plans to keep his covenant with us...we are his chosen people.

The Father sends the Son to redeem the sins of all of mankind.
Emmanuel was coming. We have ample reason
 to be hopeful in our time of repentance.

Sacrificing lambs and turtle doves are not sufficient
offerings for the sins of the whole world.
It would take a person...one unique person...to atone for these sins...
Jesus is the only one chosen for the task.
We are Blessed through the offering of the
Body and Blood of Jesus Christ
once for all.
One person,
One life,
One death
sufficient for all of eternity.

Thank you is simply not adequate.
Peace.

Do You Want to Know?

~~~ Daniel 2:31-45 ~~~ (Psalm) Daniel 3:57 ~~~ Luke 21:5-11 ~~~

 

People have long speculated about the end times being near,

they base this opinion on the increase of  wide spread disasters...famines...wars...floods...earthquakes...

or comets streaking across the sky....

 

Most likely God will not be setting up billboards across the world

 foretelling of the end of civilization as we know it. 

Instead we are told that we will not know the hour in which the end will occur.

Then they asked him,
“Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”

 

We like to know...we even gloat about our knowledge of things.

God is not going to provide queue cards in advance of his return.
Not knowing, by design should keep us more attentive
to what is taking place around us.

  

 

Rather than concerning ourselves with the possible signs of the end
we should be focused on our relationship with God. 

 

 Yet God has given us numerous signs of his magnificent glory.
He has shown us that as he cares for the lilies and birds of the fields
 he will care for us much more.
He has shown us he will search for the one lost sheep.
He has shown us that he will cure the sick, make the lame walk,
and purge those possessed by evil spirits.
But above all he has shown us, by the cross,
 that his love for us is the greatest sign.

We do not need any signs of the end times.
We only need to live like believe in life ever after 
as we have been promised.

Blessings come in trusting
that we do not need any new special signs.

The Hope for Something Greater

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

 

This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.

 

We are so filled with doubt that we too want visible proof.

'Seeing is believing' may just be our crutch.

Too often we are lacking in faith, trust and hope.

In life there seems to always be something better

whether it is in our imagination or actual.

We seem to never be satisfied.

 

Jesus is telling the crowd...

I am not going to give you another sign.

You have Jonah.

Jonah emerged after three days.

 His preaching saved the entire city of Nineveh.

The people heeded his words, took the appropriate action

and God spared them from destruction.

 

Jesus goes on...what Jonah did was great and wonderful.

but there is something far better, much greater.

 

 ...there is something greater than Jonah...

 

 

The people all knew the story of Jonah.

How could anything be greater?

An entire city was spared the wrath of God.

 

Jesus was giving them a preview of what was to come.

He was speaking about himself as the one

who would bring about something greater

 than the saving of one city.

 

Jesus was sent by the Father to secure salvation for all peoples.

Jesus was not only the greater he was the greatest.

Through his death all generations would be able to be granted salvation.

 

Our salvation is a gift from God.

The people of Nineveh showed their willingness to repent

 in a very visible way...

sackcloth....ashes...fasting.

What are we doing so many years later?

Are we willing to show visible signs of our repentance?

Is Ash Wednesday sufficient?

 

Jesus called the people he was speaking to

an evil generation.

I wonder what he would say to us today?

If you tune into the evening news regularly

you may begin to think that we are the evil generation.

We are inundated with images of our culture of death, yet we have

the greatest gift of eternal life.

 

Blessings come in believing something greater

is a reality in our world today.

The Lord has made known his salvation.

Are You Able to See Joy in All Things?

~~~~ James 1: 1-11 ~~~~   Mark 8: 11-13 ~~~~

"Consider it all joy..."

Today's reading from St. James is probably one of the most beautiful passages to hold in your heart. If we just look at those four words and not even read further into the following ten verses we have much to think about.

The word 'consider' has a kindness and gentleness about it to me. It is not a commanding word. It does not conjure up visions of a parent shaking a pointed finger at you. It is more of a suggestion... Have you ever tried to look at your life from this point of view? Certainly in our daily lives we can find many reasons to focus on the disappointments and frustrations that present themselves. We can focus much time on how we would like things to be different. But James is simply asking us to consider an alternative view.

Yesterday scripture told us to do everything for the glory of God. Today we hear, oh and by the way, while you are doing all for the glory of God you might as well see it as "all joy". James goes on with his inspiring and encouraging words..."...when you encounter various trials...". He is acknowledging that life can bring some situations that seem far removed from Joy. I am sure you could name several things happening today in your life which do not make you feel joyful.

So we are offered this challenge...Can we persevere when our faith is being tested? Can we look for the 'joy' in spite of what it seems? The verses go on speaking of being 'perfect and complete' in our perseverance 'lacking in nothing' and seeking wisdom from God if necessary.

He makes a strong statement about faith...comparing those who doubt as one being tossed about like a wave on the high seas. 'Driven and tossed about by the wind' without perseverance in faith. As we go through life it is good to have little reminders that God has a plan. We can embrace it or we can resist and make ourselves miserable. The more we resist, I find in my own life, the less likely we are able to 'consider it all joy'.

In the gospel of Mark we have another account of the Pharisees creating their own irritating exchange with Jesus. Jesus is frustrated with these unhappy men who wanted proof for everything. When you want proof you are not acting in faith, because part of you is still doubting. I am certainly one who has asked God for a sign as an answer to a personal decision. Heck, I have gone so far as saying to God, 'If you want me to do this, then I need a huge billboard.' And you know one time he did give me a sign.

A tiny penny was lying on the ground right by the car door. Months before I had used the penny to symbolize trusting in God. After all it does have the words, 'In God we trust' inscribed upon it. The penny; the smallest denomination of currency we have carrying the message we most need to be reminded of.

We certainly cannot expect to receive signs of affirmation from God. And sometimes we just flat miss the signs he does send, because we cannot see as He sees. James knew in his wisdom that seeing joy in all things would require great faith. A challenge that would require a lifetime of perseverance.

I would suggest taking a small penny and placing it where you can see it everyday as a reminder that even if God does not give us a 'sign', through faith we can "Consider it all Joy".

I took this picture of the statue of the Blessed Mother, Mary in the Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral in Houston, Texas. I believe Mary is a beautiful example to us. In her life she persevered through her deep faith. She endured much sorrow in her life and yet was able to 'consider it all joy' through her immense love.

I chose this kaleidoscope image because the blue and the gold seem to be supporting one another. Through faith we can see all things in our life as Joy.

May we continue to persevere so in the end we can say we have run the good race filled with Joy.