Overflowing Grace

~~~ Romans 5:12, 15B, 17-19, 20B-21 ~~~ Psalm 40 ~~~ 

~~~ Luke 12:35-38 ~~~

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

Each time you recite/pray the Our Father
you are professing the will of God...
thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven...

Do these words actually mean that YOU are
willing to do the will of God?
Is it okay for others to do his will?
Do you have reservations
when it becomes too personal?

This is not an easy verse to reflect upon.
It is not easy because you cannot know
what God will ask of you.

There are times when doing the will of God is fulfilling.
There also those times when doing the will
 of God is down right painful.

Have you ever hesitated to raise your hand...
to willfully volunteer...to say 'here I am, Lord'?
Of course God knows where you are at all times.

Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more...

Sometimes we do not volunteer to do the will of God
because we are trapped by our own frailties.

It takes trust and courage to step out of the crowd...
to come forward...to accept the invitation.

When you raise your hand...
when you come forward to do the will of God;
in that precise moment grace is poured upon you.

His grace is more powerful than any of your shortcomings.
When you say 'here I am, Lord'
the grace begins to flow into your soul.
It continues to flow until the cup of your
soul is overflowing.

It is only through this out pouring of grace that you
are able to hear the will of God.

When grace is filling up your heart
his words become clear.

Your fears and doubts are washed away
 as his graces overflow your soul.

It is grace that you can do the will of God.
It is grace that gives you the strength to commit
even when you are not sure.

May the Grace of the Lord
bless your soul today.
May you have the strength needed to
do the will of God no matter what
or where it may lead you.

~~~Peace~~~

Power Washed in Grace

~~~ Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~~Ezekiel 2:2-5 ~~~ Psalm 123 ~~~ 

~~~ 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 ~~~ Mark 6:1-6 ~~~

 “My grace is sufficient for you,

for power is made perfect in weakness.” 

This verse holds such wisdom for all of us.

God does not seek our greatness or our perfection

before he comes to us, instead he seeks our weakness.

The most important figures in the Bible

all had their personal weaknesses.

Perhaps it is because of our weaknesses that God 

chooses us like them.

It is a lot like ironing or power washing.

Ironing always gives me a sense of accomplishment.

Right before your eyes the once wrinkled item

 is transformed into something smooth and lovely.

The finished item has been changed by heat and pressure.

Power washing removes the dirt and grime

 from a surface to making it clean once again.

If only God could come into our hearts with his power

 washer to cleanse away our weaknesses of sin.

God takes those who are 

'hard of face with obstinate heart'.

Those are the ones he reaches out to...

the ones he seeks.

...when I am weak, then I am strong.

It is in our weaknesses that God desires

 to give us the most grace.

Do not be discouraged in times of weakness,

instead tap into the power of his grace.

This grace washes away all weakness.

~~~Peace~~~

Abundant Grace and Debris Removal

Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

 

~~~ 1 Timothy 1:1-2, 12-14 ~~~ Psalm 16 ~~~ Luke 6:39-42 ~~~

 

I am grateful to him who has strengthened me...

 

Several times in the last five years I can confirm that it was only

because of God giving me strength;

 I have carried on from one day to the next day.

I am truly grateful for the many experiences he has brought

 me into and led me through.

Some have been life changing others are a work in progress.

It is in times of trials and heartaches that we need the strength from God.

 

When things are going well we may not be as cognizant

of even having strength,

much less being grateful for it coming from God.

 

Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant,
along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

 

 

 

It is the Lord who can counsel us.
It is the Lord who shows the path to life.

A blind person cannot lead the way.
If you are to be the leader you must be able to see where you are going. 

You cannot be the one who tells your friends
 their faults and sins when your own you overlook. 

It is easier to see someone else's faults.
It is easier to be critical of others.
It is easy to set higher standards for others
while excusing yourself.

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own?
 

 Have you ever noticed that what bothers you the most in someone else
 is the very same thing you yourself struggle with every day.

 Or it is the same thing you deny is part of your list of faults.

I think back to the last supper, when Peter was so worried about
who was going to betray Jesus when in the end
 he too openly denied knowing Jesus.

Whether we are blind, trained, or riddled with splinters
it is the Lord was who reveals to us our faults and shortcomings.

 It is better for us to focus on our own faults
 before we begin to point out the faults of others.

Why is it that finding fault with others some how makes us feel better.
It seems a little arrogant. Or is it that we really
do not want to see our own faults?

 

 So we pretend they do not exist.
We actually get upset if someone notices the splinter in our eye.

 It is God who searches our heart. He knows our faults.
He knows everything about us.
 

He gives us the abundant grace to not only see our own wooden beams
but the strength to carefully remove them.
Blessings in God giving us the strength
to remove our own wooden beams.

The Narrow Gate

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

~~Isaiah 66:18-21~~Psalm 117~~Hebrews 12:5-7, 11-13~~Luke 13:22-30~~

 

Jesus is the way, the truth, the life, the light, the vine, the shepherd,

and today we are presented with the narrow gate and the door.

 

“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will say to you in reply,
‘I do not know where you are from.

 

To me these are such harsh words.

It is disappointing to think that at the end of your life you could find

yourself standing before the wrong door.

 

I believe the path to the narrow gate is wrought with obstacles.

Before you can pass through this narrow gate you must first reach it;

furthermore you must know it even exists.

 

I pray to have the stamina to continue on this path to the narrow gate.

I pray to be able to forge ahead in the face of temptations.

I pray to have the grace to avoid that which

would lead me on a misguided detour.

 

Jesus says many will attempt to enter this gate

 but not be strong enough...

Why will some not be strong enough?

 

Is it really easier to give in to sin

than to keep our eyes fixed of Jesus?

Apparently that is the case now and was even

 in the time of Jesus.

 

Perhaps we will not be strong enough to open the gate

 even if we find it.

Oh what a shame that would be.

 

Is this gate of heavy ornamental ironwork

or is it carved from the finest wood?

Why is it difficult to pass through?

Will it be locked? Will I need to have the key?

Of course Jesus does and always has had these answers.

 

I must strive to remain near to him so that I do have the required

 strength to pass through his gate.

 

 

Once through the gate apparently we are not yet home free.

Then we must get to the house only to find the door is closed and locked.

Really? After making it through the gate

there will be another challenge to overcome.

 

I pray that I will not be too weary from getting through the gate

 by the time I reach the door.

As I call out to Jesus from outside the locked door will he hear me?

Will he recognize me, as one he so wonderfully made?

The one he made in his image is asking to come inside...to come home.

 

I pray that I will not hear the words echoing from the closed door...

'I do not know where you are from.'

 

But Lord I beg you to let your child into your house.

I want to come home. I want to be with you.

 

Blessings in striving to pass through the narrow gate.

Never give up...trust in the Lord.

He will lead the way.

...for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines...

Who is Your Neighbor?

~~~ Galatians 1:6-12 ~~~ Psalm 111 ~~~ Luke 10: 25-37 ~~~

 

To inherit eternal life you must...

"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."

 

The scholar of the law knew the correct answer even before he met up with Jesus.

You undoubtedly knew the correct answer before reading these verses as well.

 

The real question is how to accomplish this prescribed entry fee.

The first four points seem relatively easy...well at least doable.

It is the last few words that seem to send us into a tail spend.

'love God and your neighbor as yourself'

 

Even the scholar is struggling with this last phrase.

"And who is my neighbor?"

Jesus gives him an example.

First he sets up the scene...a man falls victim to some robbers,

he was stripped, beaten, and left on the side of the road for dead.

 

This victim represents the last person you would want to stop and help.

He is a stranger. He is a victim of a violent crime. He is naked. He is bruised and bloody. He is lying helplessly on the side of the road.

 

It would be easy just to pass him by; thinking that he was too needy.

Or thinking there was no use in stopping

 since he was too near death from his wounds.

 

Jesus describes someone as the neighbor that you would find difficult to love.

He does not give an example of a young woman

needing help carrying her water jugs

 up the hill to her house.

No.

Jesus uses an example of someone in a dire situation

to make his point even more emphatic.

 

To love your neighbor as you love God

you must be willing to overlook those you find less lovable...

those you might judge to be less worthy of love.

 

Jesus was implying that 'everyone' is your neighbor.
The victim is naked thus preserving his anonymity.

 

A priest and a Levite both go out of their way to ignore the victim on the side of the road. They both moved away from the victim to the other side of the road.

It might have been excusable if perhaps they had not seen the man, but they make the decision to move to the other side of the road.

They did not want to be bothered with this neighbor.

He was not someone they were willing to give care or attention to.

 

In fact they were willing to pretend that he did not even exist.

If they were on the other side of the road perhaps they were excused from helping.

How do you feel about that concept?

 

The Samaritan man goes above and beyond to help this man.

Not only does he give immediate care to his wounds,

but he carries him to a place to rest and further heal.

The Samaritan takes the victim to a place of safety.

He sees beyond the present situation.

 

Is this what it means to love with your whole heart?

Is this what it means to love your neighbor?

The Samaritan treated this man as a real neighbor.

He did not treat him as a stranger, which of course he was.

 

The Samaritan not only carried the man to a place of rest, but he remained there with him. He cared for the man. He put his own plans aside for this needy victim.

Would you be willing to make such a sacrifice?

Would you be willing to put your own agenda aside to care for a stranger?

 

 

I think it is safe to say that most of us would not go to such lengths.

We would not be able to show such love for a total stranger

who had been victimized and left for dead.

 

Today every state has what is called

'the Good Samaritan Law'.

This law was inspired by today's parable.

It protects someone who stops to give emergency aid to another person.

 

Even our laws seem to encourage us to care for a stranger

as if he were our neighbor.

A Good Samaritan is a person who sees the need to help someone

and reaches out to that person. 

 

Look for opportunities to love your neighbor

even if that person is a stranger.

Loving others as you love God and yourself is not an option

if you want to attain eternal life.

It is required!

God never promised it would be easy.