Be Not Shy...Boast

~~~ Romans 15:14-21 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ Luke 16:1-8 ~~~

I have reason to boast in what pertains to God.
For I will not dare to speak of anything
except what Christ has accomplished through me...

There is a great deal of attention placed on evangelizing others.
This was the main mission for St. Paul,
he was going about boasting about the Lord.
Paul was not shy about speaking what the truth about Jesus.
Paul used his voice everywhere he walked
to recognize the greatness of God.
He gave credit to God for every good thing
 accomplished through his preaching.

Paul held himself to a higher standard
than many others.
A standard that deferred all that was good
 to the spirit of God working in him.

You are called to hold yourself to the same
higher standard of living.

You may not have the personality of Paul,
but in your own way you too can reflect
what God has done for you.

Paul aspired to proclaim the gospel message.
Do you share this same aspiration?

Do you remain silent at times
when you know you should speak up?

Are you overly protective of your ego
 in situations where you should act?

Whatever goodness you possess in your life
has not come except through the power of God.

We all have reason to boast along with Paul.
God has done great things for you.
Are you aware of what those are?
Do you take the time to notice?

Give God his due credit...
speak his words as often as you can.
The words of Jesus are love, kindness, and mercy.
The greatest gift you can give may be
a few peace-filled words.

You have every reason to boast
about all things pertaining to God.

God sustains your life...
he is the giver of all that is good.
Speak to others of how God is working in your life...
making you a better person today than you were yesterday.

You are a participant in the salvation story.
Rejoice and be glad.

Blessings of courage to speak up.
You do possess the grace of God's goodness.

~~~Peace~~~

Soul Accounting

~~~ Romans 14:7-12 ~~~ Psalm 27 ~~~ Luke 15:1-10 ~~~

...there will be rejoicing among the angels of God

over one sinner who repents.

It is never too late to come back to the Lord.
Jesus chose to mingle with sinners.
Pope Francis chose to wash the feet of those in prison.

The shepherd goes in search of the lost sheep
even if they may not realize they are lost.
Jesus is the way for sinners to receive forgiveness.

None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.

Jesus is the living truth that you do not live for yourself alone.
Life would be too simple if your priority was only 'you'.

The lost sheep is found because the shepherd
knew one was missing.
Jesus is seeking you every moment of your life.
Jesus seeks you now for the times when you may be lost.
He knows you. You are so precious to him.

So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.

What will God ask of you on your final day?
Will you be given the opportunity to admit your failings?

How will you balance the ledger?
Will your acts of love, kindness, and forgiveness
be greater than your failings?

It does not matter how many or how severe
your sins may be Jesus restores life to your soul.

He is the only one who can restore your soul
to its original beauty.

...every knee shall bend before me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.

The soul, when restored to its beauty,
spontaneously bows before God;
praising him for his great mercy.

Giving an account before God
is the result of understanding and humility.
There will be no denial on your part
when you stand face to face with God.

God cannot be anything but transparent with you.
He is transparent through his desire
 to love you in spite of your sins.

He will bring you back amidst great heavenly rejoicing.

He knows the original unblemished
beauty of your soul; just as he created it.

May you be Blessed to believe
you are as precious as the one found sheep.

~~~Peace~~~

The Cross You Carry

~~~ Romans 13:8-10 ~~~ Psalm 112 ~~~ Luke 14:25-33 ~~~

 ...the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

All of the commandments are summed up
 in one word...
LOVE.

It is love, for yourself and love for others,
 that fulfill the law.
The law is both simple and complex at the same time.

Paul writes to the Romans...
love does no evil to oneself or to others.
When you honor the Christ
within yourself and your neighbor
it becomes obvious that all is about love.

The gospel of Luke sounds extreme at first reading.
Jesus instructs you to leave every member of your family.

Whoever does not carry his own cross 
and come after me cannot be my disciple.

Sometimes it is easier to 'hate' members
 of your family than to love them.

Jesus instructs us to love above all else.

Perhaps loving members of your family
 is the cross you must carry.

For some it is easier to walk away from certain relatives.

The question you must ask yourself
is more about your motive.

Do you ever examine the motives for your actions?

Is love your primary motive?

Love is the blueprint for all that is of value in your life.
In Love is where life planning begins.

Jesus shows you the way.
Jesus is love.
When you concentrate on your relationship with Jesus
you will discover the power of love.

When you come to painful
situations in your life
it is this foundation of love
that eases the pain.

There is no easy way out of this world.
You cannot run and hide from challenging times
 or people in your life.

All things are possible with God
 because God is love.

Blessed to believe you are never alone.

~~~Peace~~~

Your Full Potential

~~~ Romans 12:5-16AB ~~~ Psalm 131 ~~~ Luke 14:15-24 ~~~

...we have gifts that differ

 according to the grace given to us...

We though many, are one Body in Christ.

Each of us is an important part 

of the living functional Body of Christ.

God did not just randomly give you a special gift or talent.

He fashioned your gift exactly for you.

Then along with that gift he infused 

you with his grace.

It is this grace that allows you to succeed best 

when you are exercising your gift.

It is the grace that drives you to be 

convinced of your gifts.

It is the grace that encourages you to be 

the best that you can be in your field.

It is the grace that gives you the courage to give 

one hundred percent to your career.

Be the best that you can be;

it is possible through his grace.

Let love be sincere;

hate what is evil,

hold on to what is good;

love one another with mutual affection;

anticipate one another in showing honor.

Use your gifts to make the world a better place.

Use you gifts to spread the joy of salvation.

Use your gifts where it is difficult...when 

you would rather be passive.

Rejoice in hope...

Persevere in prayer...

Do not grow slack in zeal.

You cannot be part of the Body of Christ

if you are like a hang nail.

The Body of Christ is to be the source of all grace

The source of all spiritual energy.

The Body of Christ is where we learn

 to love one another with mutual affection.

Since we are all part of the Body of Christ 

it is there where we can find true rest and peace.

God's grace reflects among all of us 

when we exercise our gifts.

When we exercise our gifts the Body

 becomes more brilliant.

The more brilliant the better 

we can hold on to what is good.

Blessings of grace to develop

 your gifts to their full potential,

~~~Peace~~~

In God's Hand

~~~ Wisdom 3:1-9 ~~~ Psalm 23 ~~~ Romans 5:5-11 ~~~ 

~~~ John 6:37-40 ~~~

...everyone who sees the Son and believes in him

may have eternal life,

and I shall raise him on the last day.

Today we take the time to remember those who have died.

We pray for the repose of the souls

 of all the faithful departed...

those who have been baptized into 

communion with the Lord.

Your loved ones who have died are in the 

palm of the hand of God.

He holds them there until which time 

they can completely join the others in heaven.

All Soul's Day is a time to remember,

 and to pray for your loved ones.

Resting in the hand of God is a place of peace.

Resting in the hand of God allows 

time for the soul to be readied for heaven.

In God's hand your soul is purified....

In God's hand your soul is refreshed...

In God's hand your soul is allowed to understand its former life...

In God's hand your soul experiences the purity of love...

In God's hand your soul finds courage

 to transition from death.

...grace and mercy are with his holy ones...

There is no more pain, suffering or sorrow

for the soul in the hand of God.

The shepherd leads us to clear waters.

The souls of the faithful departed are cleansed, refreshed, renewed

and their souls are overflowing with grace and mercy.

The trauma and transition from life into death

becomes one of peace for all who believe.

The closer your soul gets to God 

the greater the experience of peace.

God is love and in love there is 

perfect peace for your soul.

May the souls of all your loved ones

experience God's blessings...

May they be found worthy to be

 in the presence of the Lord for all eternity.

May the souls 

of the faithful departed

 rest in peace.

~~~ God Bless You ~~~

Remnants of God

~~~Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time~~~

~~~ Jeremiah 31:7-9 ~~~ Psalm 126 ~~~ Hebrews 5:1-6 ~~~ 

~~~ Mark 10:46-52 ~~~

"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."

Jesus is calling us together...he gathers all people...

the blind...the lame...mothers...children...

Jesus dries your tears, consoles, guides, and leads all 

on level roads so that you will not stumble.

The Lord delivered his people even though

 they were the remnant of Israel.

Have you ever felt like you were nothing but a remnant?

Sometimes as we age and the daily tasks become more challenging

 we may feel like a remnant of our former selves.

I have fond memories of browsing through 

the remnant bin in the fabric store.

You may just find a beautiful piece of fabric 

rolled up and tossed aside as just a remnant.

A remnant is the end of the bolt...

the piece not large enough to make anything worthwhile.

The Lord intentionally sought after those 

who were left out of Israel.

Today he is still seeking out the remnants...

To God a remnant is something of rare beauty...

something worth saving...something to cherish.

You are the remnant God draws to his cheek.

The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

It must bring great joy to your heart to know

 how much God has done for you.

How he loved you more than you ever 

would have guessed.

Bartimaeus may have considered himself nothing more

 than a left over blind piece of society.

A remnant with a voice...a voice that cried out to Jesus.

Jesus heard the voice of this poor blind man.

Jesus sends his disciples to this blind man.

"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."

Jesus calls you when you least expect to hear his voice.

Jesus calls you when you have given up on yourself.

Jesus calls you from the remnant bin...

unrolls you...Jesus admires the beauty of your soul.

Jesus takes time to guide you,

 to love you, to save you.

You are a remnant chosen by God.

Blessed to be saved from the fabric bin.

~~~ Peace ~~~

Longing of the Soul

~~~ Romans 8:1-11 ~~~ Psalm 24 ~~~ Luke 13:1-9 ~~~

In reflecting on the words of Paul's letter to the Romans

 it was important to give you much of the text.

Allow his words to be addressed to you personally.

The concern of the spirit for you is life and peace.

Paul speaks harsh words to you who live only in the flesh.

He goes so far as to say if you are in the flesh you cannot please God.

Wow! Is it possible to have an inner balance

between the flesh and the spirit?

For those who live according to the flesh

are concerned with the things of the flesh,

but those who live according to the spirit

with the things of the spirit. 

The concern of the flesh is death,

but the concern of the spirit is life and peace.

For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God;

it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it;

and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

But you are not in the flesh;

on the contrary, you are in the spirit,

if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.

Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

But if Christ is in you,

although the body is dead because of sin,

the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,

the one who raised Christ from the dead

will give life to your mortal bodies also,

through his Spirit that dwells in you.

The body may be dead but the Spirit of the one

 who raised Jesus from the dead dwells within you.

With this Spirit within, your mortal body 

will also be granted life.

Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

It is the spirit planted within you that makes

 you yearn to see the face of the Lord.

The ache within your soul is this longing to see God.

The gardener love his fig tree...

He was willing to wait...to give the tree more time to be fruitful.

God is willing to wait for you to do whatever 

it takes to renounce the flesh.

God is willing to wait for you to realize 

the indwelling of the spirit.

It is through this holy spirit that we come

 to know and love Jesus at a deeper level.

The things of the flesh bring passing pleasures;

the spirit brings abundance fruitfulness to your soul.

Blessed to recognize it is the Spirit for which we yearn.

~~~Peace~~~