Being Open to Goodness

~~~ Titus 3:1-7 ~~~ Psalm 23 ~~~ Luke 17:11-19 ~~~

 

"...be obedient...be open to every good enterprise..."

 

Paul shares his personal indiscretions prior to his conversion.

How he was living in the throes of physical pleasures.

 

The kindness and generous love of God

grabbed him all the way to his soul.

Paul acknowledges the mercy God extended to him,

admitting he was undeserving.

 

He describes his conversion as a 'bath of rebirth'

 and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

It is only through this great mercy and love

that we too become heirs in hope of eternal life.

 

It is only through being open to the goodness of God

that we can come to our salvation.

We must believe in a God who only wants good for us.

We must believe in a God who like the shepherd cares for each

and every one of his flock.

 

If the lepers in today's gospel had not opened their hearts to the

remote possibility that they could be cured then they might have

remained in the shadows.

These lepers might have never found the courage to approach

Jesus and ask for healing.

 

 

Being open to every good enterprise means you are able to

experience the green pastures and the restful waters.

It means that even when you walk in the valley of darkness

you hold on to the vision of Jesus walking beside you.

 

Being open you can see the banquet and feel the oil

as it drips from your forehead.

 

Being open to every good enterprise...

you desire to stay close to him...

you want to dwell in his house all the days of your life.

 

Have you closed off parts of your life?

Have you closed off parts of your heart?

 

Being open to the possibility of God's goodness places

us in the state to also receive it.

 

I invite you to be open today and witness

what happens.

Seamless Service

~~~ Titus 2:1-8, 11-14 ~~~ Psalm 37 ~~~ Luke 17:7-10 ~~~

 

At first reading the gospel account from Luke seems harsh and selfish.

The slave in Biblical times literally had no rights.

 He was the property of his owner and would have

been given few priviledges.

Certainly the servant would not have expected or been

entitled to special allowances.

 

 

Jesus is using this slave as an example of our relationship with God.

What could God possibly owe to us?

On the other hand we owe everything to God.

He has given us all that we are and all that we have.

 

We are not is a position to bargain with God.

We are not is a position to expect special priviledges.

But at the same time we are not slaves to God.

 

When we obey God we are not doing so in hopes of sitting

with him as his honored guest.

We obey out of a desire to give something back to him.

The only thing we can give to God is ourselves.

Giving ourselves back to God is really all that we can give to him.

 

 "'...We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.’”

 

We might like to think that we are worthy of something from God

in return for our prayers and good deeds, but it is not true.

It is out of the goodness of God that our prayers are even answered.

No matter what we do for God he does not profit from our efforts.

 

Just as the slave returns from the field with more work waiting to be done,

we too can never become complacent. We must never think that we have done enough...that we have served the Lord long enough or enough times.

There will always be more work to be done in the vineyard.

Our whole life needs to be one of serving...bringing forth the word of the Lord.

 

No matter what we are doing with our life;

the underlying mission should be about pleasing God.

 

 

I guess the question remains...

when have we ever given enough back to God?

Does your love for God compel you to give him your best?

Does your love for God help you to give yourself back to him?

 

We know that even the apostles were confused by the message of the kingdom.

They even thought that they were going to be entitled

to some special merits for being among his closest followers.

In this example Jesus may be trying to tell them to be patient;

things were not exactly as they might have thought.

 

Often our perception of things turns out not to be the reality.

Serving in the 'field' or serving at the 'table'

our work in the eyes of God is never completed.

It is by the grace of God that we continue to freely serve him.

In the end it was Jesus, himself, who assumed the servant's position

and washed the disciples feet.

Forgiveness: One Facet of Self-Control

~~~ Titus 1:1-9 ~~~ Psalm 24 ~~~ Luke 17:1-6 ~~~

 

Here Paul is speaking about the local bishops,

but we need to heed this same message

as followers of Jesus.

 

"...as God's steward...

...but hospitable, a lover of goodness,
temperate, just, holy, and self-controlled,
holding fast to the true message as taught..."

 

We are the people who long to see the face of God.

In order to come into the presence of his face it is necessary

to be convinced of the importance of living in goodness,

temperance, and holiness.

To insure that we are not a source of sin to another

we must strive for self control in all areas of our life.

If we practice self control we will have a greater chance

of maintaining our call to holiness.

 

 

Self control has many components; one being forgiveness.

Forgiveness is something we most probably will work on

for our entire life time.

 

If we actively practice forgiveness with the small offenses in our life

we will be better prepared to extend forgiveness

for the more serious situations.

Self control to forgive and not retaliate.

 

I continue to be blown away by the number of people

who forgive those who have committed a serious crime against them.

Perhaps if we heard more from these individuals

we could all learn how they manage something so difficult.

People have forgiven murders, rapists, and abusers;

 to name just a few.

 

"...If your brother sins, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he wrongs you seven times in one day
and returns to you seven times saying, 'I am sorry,'
you should forgive him."

If someone wrongs you seven times in the same day

you might question whether or not he was sincere about his repentance.

But Jesus is saying instead to keep forgiving the person;

to rebuke or correct him.

 

Does this attitude of forgiveness predispose you to becoming a victim?

Jesus certainly does not say that or imply victim hood.

 

Jesus taught us how to forgive even when facing unwarranted death.

He forgave his accusers and those who drove the nails into his hands and feet.

 

He gave them the benefit of the doubt right up until his final breath.

Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.

 

The other side of this equation is for us to seek forgiveness

right away if we have hurt another person.

Even if the other person does not grant us forgiveness we

must express our remorse for what we have done.

 

It is through our faith and conviction that we offer forgiveness

 to one who has harmed us.

It is by exercising great self control, through grace,

 that we can forgive.

If we do hope to ever see his face then we must

learn to forgive.

Forgiveness requires love, faith, and trust.

The Widow's Gift

~~~ Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time ~~~

~~~ 1 Kings 17:10-16 ~~~ Psalm 146 ~~~ Hebrews 9: 24-28 ~~~ Mark12:38-44 ~~~

 

The first reading and the Gospel from Mark use the example of a widow.

In Biblical times a widow within the Jewish community had no status. Without her husband she had literally no one to take care of her. She was left to fend for herself which often ended in poverty.

 

In the first reading we have the desperate widow who barely has enough food to feed both herself and her young son.

 

"...there is only a handful of flour in my jar
and a little oil in my jug."

 

She is resigned herself to the fact that she and her son are in fact doomed.

They are facing imminent death from starvation.

She is scraping together what little she has left to provide for her son.

 

You can imagine how torn she must have been when the prophet, Elijah, asks her to share her last bit of food with him.

Giving water to Elijah was was enough...just go to the source scoop up a cupful and bring it to him. But he asks for more; he wanted some bread as well.

 

Certainly it would not have been unreasonable for her to have ignored his request.

Somehow Elijah's words dispel her fears and she decides to honor his request for some bread. In reality what did she have to lose? She was going to die soon from lack of food. Elijah goes on promising her that neither the flour jar or the oil jar would go empty.

Here she takes a huge leap of faith and puts her trust in his words.

As we know she has the grace to make the right decision and God blessed her with abundance. For the next year the flour and the oil remained constant.

 

God had indeed kept his promise foretold to Elijah.

Some may have accused the widow of acting in a foolish manner,

especially when she also had her son to care for.

 

Sometime trusting in God does make us appear to be foolish

in the eyes of others.

What we give to God is returned to us a hundredfold.

Our giving is never in vain.

 

 

Our second widow has come to the temple to worship. She files into the temple with the crowds and drops in her last two coins for her offering.

Some would say that she too acted foolishly; giving her last couple coins.

The scribes and Pharisees all but despised widows. They often took advantage of their poor financial state insisting that they pay their part.

 

So there she was giving her all along side of those

who were giving from their abundance and wealth.

She was giving from her poverty.

Which is the greater gift?

If we only give from our abundance...is it truly giving?

 

Give yourself fully to God.

He will use you to accomplish great things

on the condition that you believe

much more in His love than in your own weakness.
Mother Teresa

 

These wise words from Mother Teresa

give us much to contemplate in this season of thanks and giving.

 

Jesus gave all that he was for our salvation...

every last drop of blood.

We have never been expected to give at that deep level.

 

May our giving bring us greated cause to trust in God's providential care.

He will take what litle we may have and turn it into so much more.

God will provide!

The jar will never be empty if we trust in him.

Live in Gratitude

~~~ Philippians 4:10-19 ~~~ Psalm 112 ~~~ Luke 16:9-15 ~~~

 

We should never under estimate the importance of gratitude.

Today Paul is expressing his heart felt gratitude to the Philippians.

Even when it seemed that they had forgotten his plight

he was grateful for their past support.

 

"...I rejoice greatly in the Lord
that now at last you revived your concern for me..."

 

Paul is able to see benefits and blessings no matter what his conditions.

If things are going well he is grateful.

If things are less than perfect he finds reason to be grateful.

 

 

 

"...My God will fully supply whatever you need,
in accord with his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

 

Paul reminds us that when we are generous with our possessions,

giving to the less fortunate, God will reward us.

The word of caution here is avoiding the temptation

to give simply in response to what you will gain in return.

 

Unselfish giving is the ideal goal...

giving out of love and compassion is the benchmark.

The Philippians certainly loved Paul and wanted

him to continue spreading the good news.

 

If your basic needs are supplied then you can focus

on the higher things in life.

Paul proves himself to be trustworthy in handling what he was given.

 

Jesus is addressing the Pharisees, who love their money.

They love the perceived status symbol from acquiring wealth.

Jesus is saying just because you may have some wealth

does not mean your spiritual state is comparable. 

"...No servant can serve two masters...."

 

Is is possible to concentrate all of your attention on creating wealth

and still maintain a profound relationship with God?

Jesus seems to be saying it is unlikely you can do both simultaneously.

"...You cannot serve God and mammon."

 

I believe the challenge is to keep yourself in balance.

Balance between wealth and God.

One does not have to be exclusive of the other.

We all have seem many examples of wealthy individuals

reaching out in compassion to those who are less fortunate.

"You justify yourselves in the sight of others,
but God knows your hearts..."

 

In all circumstances we should find reasons to be grateful.

Whether we are among the wealthy or not we have many reasons to be grateful,

if we but look for them.

As we approach our annual day of thanksgiving; begin

making a list today of reasons to live in gratitude.

Paul, himself serves as a model for how this can be done.

He words reveal where to begin,

"...I have the strength for everything

through him who empowers me."

 

Live in Gratitude and Be Blessed.

The Perfect Planned Community

~~~ Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 ~~~ Psalm 46 ~~~ 1Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17 ~~~

~~~ John 2:13-22 ~~~

Today's readings sound more like the city planners describing their vision.

Water will be abundant and easily accessible no matter what part of the city you inhabit. The available water will insure good produce.

Wildlife will flourish along with the people near the water.

All living creatures need water to survive.

 

This water running through the middle of the city will also be a source of medicine.

Everything has been provided for the people to thrive not just to survive.

They are destined to have the 'good life', in today terms.

 

It reminds me of our 'planned communities' that developers

have become so fond of more recently.

These meticulously designed communities include almost

everything that you would need making

it more attractive to the busy families.

 

 

Of course God was way ahead of us with these ideas...

I think the original Garden of Eden was the first

'planned community'...

the inhabitants just misused it for their own glory.

 

The waters of the river gladden the city of God,

the holy dwelling of the Most High!

 

We are reaping the benefits of what the Master Builder planned for us.

A planned community for eternal life.

Jesus Christ laid the foundation with his life.

The Holy Spirit continuously makes all things new.

We are so blessed.

Let us give thanks for all the Lord has done for us...

especially during this Thanksgiving time.

Carried on His Shoulders

~~~~ Philippians 3:3-8a ~~~ Psalm 105 ~~~ Luke 15:1-10 ~~~

 

"...The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." "

 

Many people crowded around Jesus

 sometimes just to be in his presence.

It makes me believe that he must have been very charismatic.

People, even sinners and tax collectors, wanted to be with him.

Many were satisfied just to touch his clothing at times.

 

Today we get to picture Jesus seated with these despised

members of society sharing a meal with them.

He shares a meal in friendship and love with 'these' people.

 

As often happens when friends gather around the table stories are shared.

Jesus shares the story of the lost sheep and the lost coin.

You only look for something lost if it holds some meaning of value to you.

 

Jesus is saying the shepherd loves his single lost sheep

so much he takes the time to find him.

Not only does he find the poor lost sheep

he picks him up, drapes him across his shoulders

and carries him back to the safety of the herd.

Wow!

This is the God who loves me even more than the shepherd

could possibly love his lost sheep.

 

The shepherd counts his sheep and notices he is one short.

He quickly goes out and combs the nearby area for the solitary sheep.

He repeatedly calls out to the sheep,

hoping that the sound of his familiar voice

will reach the ears of the lost one.

 

Is God calling to you?

 

Upon finding the sheep he is so joyful.

He reaches down and scoops up the sheep into his arms.

The sheep relaxes into the arms of his shepherd.

He does not struggle to escape...he is safe now.

 

The shepherd places the sheep around his neck,

legs stretched out across his shoulders.

He feels the weight, as the sheep completely rests on his shoulders.

 

Let God scoop you up into his arms.

 

He also feels the warmth of the body of his animal.

He feels the breeze from each exhaled breath.

He smells the hoofs which carried the sheep away.

 

'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.'

 

Being returned to the flock brings peace and calm to the lost sheep.

He quickly mixes in with the herd exactly where he belongs.

 

 

This can be the story for every repentant sinner.

Once you let God find you and carry you back into his fold,

a new sense of peace can fill you.

 

One sheep who has strayed away from the safety of the flock

may not realize how at risk he has become.

When you are alone you are a much more

desirable target for danger to strike. 

You have lost not only the protection of the shepherd,

but you have also lost the protection from the rest of the flock.

 

"...I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents."

 

I invite you to spend time today reflecting on being draped lovingly

across the shoulders of the Lord.

Stay there awhile and feel his strength supporting the weight of your body.

Let him bring you back rejoicing!