God's Dwelling Among Us and His Covenant of Mercy

 In today's collect, we pray: "Come quickly, we pray, Lord Jesus, and do not delay, that those who trust in your compassion may find solace and relief in your coming."   In the first reading, 2 Samuel 7: 1-5a, 8b-12, 14a, 16, the Lord says to us through the prophet Nathan:  "I will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance. Neither shall the wicked continue to afflict them as they did of old, since the time I first appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from your enemies."

God is a God who saves, who destroys evil. Wicked people shall perish, shall be cast down from their thrones.  In Mary's response to her cousin Elizabeth's greeting, Mary reminds us in her Magnificat that "[God] has mercy on those who fear [reverence] him in every generation.  [God] has shown the strength of his arm, [God] has scattered the proud in their conceit. [God] has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. God has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel, for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever."

As we ponder the baby Jesus in the crib, let us remember that this Infant is the Son of God, through whom the strength of God's arm will be shown, the proud will be scattered in their conceit, the mighty shall be cast down from their thrones, and the lowly lifted up!  It is through this Mighty Infant, Son of the Most High God, that the hungry will be filled with good things and the rich will be sent away empty. We celebrate this reality in every Catholic Mass, at Christmas time and every time,  when, at Mass, we memorialize the Paschal Mystery--Jesus' Passion, Death and Resurrection--and hear Jesus say to us, as he said to the disciples in the Last Supper: Take and eat; this is my Body given up for you. Take and drink; this is my Blood poured out for you."

May we have the humility and the faith to believe in Jesus' words and promises of mercy!

God: the Builder of Our "House" here on Earth and in Heaven

 In today's first reading, 2 Samuel 7: 1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16, King David wants to build a house for the Ark of the Covenant, explaining to Nathan the prophet: "Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the art of God dwells in a tent!" And Nathan responds: "Go, do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you."  But that night the Lord spoke to Nathan and says to him: "Go, tell my servant David, 'Thus says the Lord: Should you build me a house to dwell in? 'It was I who took you from the pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all  your enemies before you. And I will make you famous... I will fix a place for my people Israel; I will plant them so that they may dwell in their place without further disturbance....I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also reveals to you that he will establish a house for you...."

It is no different for us than for King David!  God took each one of us from lowly places, insignificant places, and made us who we are today.  Wherever we have gone, God has gone with us and ahead of us to prepare the way for us to succeed. He's fixed a place for us where we would thrive in doing the good we  were sent to accomplish!  It is God who removes that which disturbs us, causes us trouble, many times that being negative attitudes, weaknesses within us: our pride, our envy, our jealousies, our deceitfulness, lustfulness, fears, lack of faith and trust in the Lord, patterns of unforgiveness and/or the holding of grudges, and our judgmental ways, and so on.  It is God who gives us "rest from all [our] enemies." It is the Lord who is establishing a house for us, an eternal house, in heaven above where, for sure, there will be no "further disturbances." That is the gift of Christmas: A Savior who destroys all of our enemies, those within and those without and leads us to our eternal home!

Surrendering to God's Will and Living Out His Salvific Plan

 In today's Gospel, Matthew 1: 18-25, Joseph learns that  Mary, to whom he is betrothed,  is pregnant and he knows that the child is not his! Joseph decides to divorce her quietly, as he is "unwilling to expose her to shame."   It is not just shame to which Mary would be exposed. Being pregnant before one's marriage meant, in the Jewish culture,  that she is likely to be stoned to death. And,  "...behold, the  angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and  you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us.'"

What faith on Mary's part to have said 'yes' to the angel when she is asked to be the mother of the Messiah by the power of the Holy Spirit overshadowing her.  She is still left with the fact that her child was conceived out of wedlock. And what faith  on Joseph's part when he is asked to take Mary as his wife and, obviously, to become the foster father of a child that is not biologically his own. How do either one of them, humanly speaking, explain any of this to their families, their friends, fellow synagogue goers, or to anyone raising questions?

Saying "yes" to God's will, surrendering to God's plan for us, does not mean that suffering is not involved! And so it was with Mary, Joseph and Jesus: Herod's plan to kill the infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph's flight into Egypt to protect Jesus and living as foreigners for as long as needed, the loss of Jesus in the Temple, Joseph's death, Mary witnessing the fact that Jesus is rejected by the Scribes and the Pharisees and the rulers of the people, is betrayed by one of His apostles and denied by another, and ultimately is arrested and put to death by crucifixion!

Through all of the sufferings involved in surrendering to the will of God for us, as with Mary and Joseph and Jesus, God suffers and weeps with us!  It is God's presence, God's power, God's comfort, God's compassion, God's understanding that gives us the strength we need to cope in such a way  as to become strong in our faith, trust and love of God, self and others.

"I Am God; There Is No Other" (Isaiah 45: 6b)

 In today's first reading, Isaiah 45:6b-8, 18, 21c-25, the Lord affirms his identity and the sanctity of the earth itself:

"I am the Lord, there is no other; I form the light, and create the darkness, I make well-being and create woe....[Furthermore, God proclaims that He is the] creator of the heavens,...The designer and maker of the earth..."  Whatever God designs is sacred, is not to be exploited, abused, trampled upon.  In God's words, the earth is not "to be a waste, but...to be lived in"!   The earth, the universe in all its grandeur, is a gift to us and reveals the glory of God, as does each human being! God  says to us: "To me every knee shall bend; by me every tongue shall swear, saying, 'Only in the Lord are just deeds and power. Before him in shame shall come all who vent their anger against him (and such is done when we abuse the earth or anything in it and anyone who shares life with the universe).  In the Lord shall be the vindication and the glory of all the descendants of Israel.'"

In the Gospel of today, Luke 7: 18b-23,  Jesus models how we are to be responding to each other: "...the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, [and] the poor have the good news proclaimed to them."  May others have the good news proclaimed to them that every creature, the earth itself and all that is on it, is a creation of God whose purpose is to reveal God's glory. We are here to reveal God's presence and respect God's presence in all!  God forms the light and creates the darkness according to His will for His redemptive purposes. He also, I believe, does so through us, as God respects our free will to that decree, not that He wills us to "create darkness and make woe." But God uses whatever we create for us to learn what is right and good, what is evil and woeful and so turn to Him as our Savior, as God says to us in the responsorial psalm:  "Turn to me and be safe, all you ends of the earth, for I am God, [your Savior]; there is no other."

To Whom Am I Listening?

 In today's first reading, Numbers 24: 2-7, 15-17a,  Balaam was sent by the authorities of his nation to curse Israel.  As he approaches the Israelite camp, "the spirit of God came upon  him" and he blesses Israel. He does not curse them. He gave voice to the following oracle:  "the utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the utterance of a man whose eye is true, and knows that the Most High knows, of one who sees what the Almighty sees, enraptured, and with eyes unveiled:  How goodly are your tents, O Jacob; your encampments, O Israel!  They are like gardens beside a stream, like the cedars planted by the Lord. His wells shall yield free-flowing waters; he shall have the sea within reach. His king shall rise in her, and his royalty shall be exalted....I see him, though not near: a star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel" --a prophesy of the coming Messiah!

Am I, are you, open to the Spirit of God? Do you, do I, see what God sees when we look upon other people, other nations, other races, other cultures?  Do you, do I, hear God's voice and speak God's words? Do we do what God expects of us or do we follow what we believe others want of us?  

In today's Gospel, Matthew 22: 23-27, the chief priests and the elders of the people are sent to Jesus and are expected to trap Him. Following other people's expectations, they interrogate  Jesus, questioning His authority to be doing what He is doing. Jesus knows that they are trying to trap Him and find something for which they can arrest Him and put Him to death--that is what their rulers have sent them to do.  Jesus responds to their questions with asking them His own questions. He sets a trap into which they themselves fall!

When you and I are following other people's expectations, doing what we believe others want of us, we easily fall into a trap and trip ourselves up! To whom am I listening ? The voice of Jesus, the whispering directives of the Holy Spirit, or the voices of others?

Clothed in a Robe of Salvation and Wrapped in a Mantle of Justice

In today's first reading.  Isaiah 61: 1-2a, 10-11, Isaiah invites us to "rejoice heartily in the Lord, [for] in...God is the joy of [our] soul for [God] has clothed [us] with a robe of salvation and wrapped  [us] in a mantle of justice, like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem, like a bride bedecked with her jewels."

Everyone, at his/her baptism,  has been "clothed...with a robe of salvation and wrapped...in a mantle of justice."  What a gift from our God!  A gift freely given to every human being: the rich and the poor alike, the criminal and those caring for them, the sick and the lame, the healthy and the unhealthy, the employed and the unemployed, those living in the country and those in the city, those in this country and in every other country,  those anyone of us has difficulty loving and those we love with ease!  May anyone involved in criminal activities--blatant and disguised--in corrupt and deceitful ways of living, in greed and narcissism, in violence of any kind turn from their evil ways and do good, turn from greediness and narcissism and be generous and caring of others, turn from corruption and live a life of integrity. May our  eyes be opened to truth and may our ears hear the voice of the Almighty calling us to repentance of whatever sins we have committed --those we are aware of and those that escape our attention.  

May each of us hear the Lord, in the words of the second reading, 1 Thes 5: 16-24,  in which St. Paul calls us to "retain what is good," to "refrain from every kind of evil."  "In all circumstances," Paul says to us, "give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit [and] "do not despise prophetic utterances."

Lord, help each of us heed the words of today's Scriptures in whatever way they apply to us!  

Hail, Full of Grace! The Lord Is With You!

 In today's Gospel, Luke 1: 26-38, the angel Gabriel visits Mary  a young teenager at the time and says to her:  "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."   Imagine being that young teenager!  Out of nowhere an angel stands in front of you and greets you: "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!"  Luke tells us that Mary was greatly troubled and pondered the angel's words!    I would also have been frightened, I think. Memories of times past  entered my mind, times when I was told that someone in authority wanted to see me. The first thought was: What have I done wrong!  In Mary's case, the angel gently says to Mary: "Don't be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God."  Imagine your child coming to you at your bidding and you can see that the little one is scared. So you say to him/her: "Don't be afraid. I love you and am very pleased with you."  That is your God!  God delights in you always! And, as with Mary, says to you: "Hail, full of grace! the Lord is with you!"

We do not physically conceive the Lord. However, throughout the day we give "birth" to good deeds, kind words, forgiving messages,  acts of justice and truth, even in the face of odds that seem unsurmountable. How do we do it? Through the Holy Spirt, who, as with Mary, overshadows us throughout the day and night!   I am sure that you have, at times, looked at your past and said: "I don't know how I did that!" And, of course, you did what you did through the Spirit. Nothing is impossible for God, Mary says,  and nothing is impossible for those who rely upon God to assist! And so we say with Mary, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."

God: Teacher and Leader

 "I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go," we read in today's first reading, Isaiah 48: 17-19.   God is always at work teaching us the way to go and what is good for us to grow into the man/woman God intends us to become! And what is His intention, you might ask!  God has called you and me to become the best person we are capable of becoming. Think of the person in  your life that you most admire? What is it about this person? His/her capacity to bring joy into another person's life? His/her capacity to do what is right even in the most trying of times? His or her ability to weather whatever storm he or she might be going through? Is it the person's sense of humor, his/her humility, generosity, willingness to go the extra mile, faith, trust?  Whatever it is, a person who wins your admiration or mine, I believe, is someone who allows God to teach him/her what is for his/her good and who follows God's lead!

What do you think sustains a person whom you admire? What might another admire in you?

The Lord God Is Our Redeemer

 In today's first reading, Isaiah 41: 13-20,  the Lord says to us:  "I am the Lord, your God, who grasp your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.'....[Y]our redeemer is the Holy One of Israel....[T]he afflicted and the needy seek water in vain, their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the Lord, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open up rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the broad valleys; I will  turn the desert into a marshland, and the dry ground into springs of water....That all may see and know, observe and understand, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it."

God grasping us by the right hand brings to my mind Facebook images of men rescuing animals that have sunk into the mud or fallen into a frozen lake!  From time to time, you and I lose our footing and also fall into muddy sinkholes of sin and corruption, narcissism and greed, sloth and lust.  We literally are unable to save ourselves.  God alone is God and God alone can save us! Or, our desperate need for God's intervention may appear because we have walked away from the table of the Lord, the Eucharist. Thus, our tongues have become "parched with thirst" for the Living Water that alone can quench our thirst, not material things, not a second home, a yacht, another car, a different spouse, a job on Broadway, or for whatever we might be frantically searching!  

No matter how far from the Lord we may have strayed, the Lord is near and shows us his compassion, as we pray in today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 145:  The Lord is good to all and compassionate toward all his works."  God reveals His power to save us, no matter how far we have fallen or into what "swamp" we are trying to crawl out of.  Let us, the psalmist prays, "give...thanks...and bless" the Lord.   "Let [us] make known to [others God's] might" and His strong arm around our waist guiding us to safety all the days of our lives.

For the Weak God Makes Vigor Abound (See Isaiah 40: 25-31)

 In today's first reading, Isaiah 40: 25-31, the prophet reminds us that "The Lord is the eternal God, creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint nor grow weary, and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny. He gives strength to the fainting; for the weak he makes vigor abound. Though young men faint and grow weary and youths stagger and fall, they that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles' wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint."

As I reflect upon this passage, I think of my mother. I believe that  her hope in the Lord was what gave her strength every day and was the reason she seemed to soar through any given day. She did not ever seem to grow weary nor did she seem to grow faint. Every morning she rose early and every night she stayed up late doing what had to be done for her family.

So, too, for you and me!  It is our hope in the Lord that stays us, that gives us strength each day to get up from sleep and begin a new day!  It is our hope in the Lord that keeps us from growing weary or faint as we take on the responsibilities of each day: the responsibilities of raising a family, building community, serving the sick, educating our children, doing service jobs according to our professional capabilities, and so much more!  For "the weak [God] makes vigor abound!"  And so we see children caring for younger children, youths' making and delivering meals to the homeless or to one's  next door  neighbor, a spouse caring for a handicapped marriage partner, paramedics responding to an emergency, healthcare workers taking on added shifts, parents homeschooling their children! For "the weak [God] make vigor abound!"

"Where Are You," God asks us!

 In today's first reading, Genesis 3: 9-15, 20, God enters the Garden of Eden and is looking for Adam. "Where are you", Adam?" God calls. Adam responds: "I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself."   We haven't changed. How often do we,  when we have committed sin, try to hide from God, from our spouses, from our children/grandchildren, from our friends, fellow workers and even from ourselves by whatever distraction temporarily works!   God asks Adam:  "Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!" Notice God's gentleness and His understanding.   God does not condemn Adam. He does not scold Adam. No, he simply states the truth!  And what does Adam do? Blame Eve!  Still trying to hide his guilt!  We, also, recognize the pattern, as we, too, often blame others when we have made poor choices, committed sin, insisted on doing things our way and not followed God's way! 

Only the truth will set us free and, so, God shares the truth with Adam: "You have eaten...from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"  When you and I have sinned, God also shows us the truth!  In the depth of our being, Truth resides--God Himself. Gently, a small inner Voice says to us:  You have done wrong and this Voice softly or loudly spells out the wrong we have done!

In today's second reading, Ephesians, 1: 3-6, 11-12, St. Paul  praises God for blessing us with "every spiritual blessing in the heaven" and one of those spiritual blessings is that Truth dwells in the very core of our beings and that when we have chosen our will above God's we feel "naked"!  We may try to hide our nakedness but grace prevails because, as we are reminded in today's Gospel, Luke 1: 26-38, "nothing is impossible for God."

 Repent and believe in the Gospel is a message we hear often, especially in lent. Today, we hear it  in all of the readings. Isaiah, in chapter 40: 1-5, 9-11,reminds us that a voice cries out: "In the desert prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!" St. Peter says to us in chapter 3: 8-14, of  his second letter: that the Lord "is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." And finally, in today's Gospel, Mark 1: 1-8, St. Mark brings to our attention John the Baptist, who appears "in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."

God waits, as He does not want any one of us to perish! And for God, St. Peter tells us in today's second reading that, "one days is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day."  God waits, the prophet Isaiah tells us, as every "valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill shall be made low; the rugged land shall be made a plain, the rough country, a broad valley."   What are those mountains, hills?  What is the rugged land that shall become a plain, the rough country that shall become a broad valley? Our sinfulness, our wickedness, our abandonment of God, our removal of God from our collective consciousness, the removal of any religious symbolism on public lands; our denial of moral codes, of truth--everything is relative in our country!  Repent! Believe in the Gospel! Bring God back into our government, our schools, our public lands, our homes, our civic life, our entertainment--all of life. 

"Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

Come, Lord Jesus, Come to  save us. And Jesus says to us, through the prophet Isaiah: "Here comes with power the Lord God, who rules by his strong arm; here is his reward with him, his recompense before him"  

God's Abundant Blessings

 The Scripture readings of  today--Isaiah 30: 19-21, 23-26,Psalm 147 and Matthew 9: 35-10: 1, 5a, 6-8--all speak of the goodness of our God, God's closeness, God's compassion, love and generosity!  In Isaiah, the prophet, delivers the following positive message:  "...no more will you weep; [God] will be gracious to you when you cry out, as soon as he hears he will answer you. The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself , but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher, while from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: 'This is the way; walk in it,' when you would turn to the right or to the left."

And how true!  Young and old, children and adults, agencies around the world, are delivering food to those who have no way to provide a meal for their families, given the loss of jobs due to the pandemic.  Thousands of people are involved in developing a vaccine and getting it to us! Over and beyond, thousands of people are protecting our streets and homes against criminals or are in the process of apprehending those who are cheating us of our livelihood in some way!

In the Gospel of today, "at the sight of the crowds, [Jesus'] heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd."  This day, God looks upon us here in the U.S. and around the world and is "moved with pity" for us because we, too, are "troubled" by what we see around us. God not only weeps but acts, choosing persons to address our needs and bring relief to us and asks us, in turn, to do the same for others, giving us the means to do so! Yes, our God is a compassionate God, a loving God, a caring God and, through each one of us, is acting to bring relief to one another and to those beyond our own families and communities.

Over and above all that, Isaiah says: God  "will give rain for the seed that you sow in the ground, and the wheat that the soil produces will be rich and abundant. ...[Y]our flock will be given pasture and the lamb will graze in spacious meadows. The oxen and the asses that till the ground will eat silage tossed to them...  Upon every high  mountain and lofty hill there will be streams of running water...."   Not only his people but plants and animals and soil receive the blessings of our God.  And so, in the responsorial psalm of today's liturgy, we pray:  "Praise the Lord, for he is good; sing praise to our God, for he is gracious; it is fitting to praise him."

For what blessings in your life today will you praise God?

God's Challenge to Us in Isaiah 29: 17-24

 In today's first reading, Isaiah 29: 17-24,  the Lord God speaks to us through the prophet Isaiah as follows:  "But a very little while, and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard, and the orchard be regarded as a forest! On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book; and out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see.  The lowly will ever find joy in the Lord, and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For the tyrant will be no more and the arrogant will be gone; all who are alert to do evil will be cut off, those whose mere word condemns a man, who ensnare his defender at the gate, and leave the just man  with an empty claim."

Woe to those whom the Lord, in this prophesy, confronts for their wrongdoing: those involved in evil, those who condemn others with merciless, unforgiving, condemning words; those who are arrogant and govern or interact with others tyrannically! But joy and bliss for those who followed the law of the Lord here on earth, who reached out to the poor, the oppressed and downtrodden; who fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and provided shelter for the homeless; who governed wisely, loved tenderly and acted justly in all of their undertaking. Their eyes and ears will be opened, their souls will be inundated with joy!  Joy and bless, also, to those who, on earth, were victimized and treated unjustly, for, in heaven, "the tyrant will be no more and the arrogant will be gone."

As you and I reflect upon this passage, we need to take note: are we the ones who oppress others by what we say or don't say, by what we do or don't do? Are we the ones acting arrogantly, harshly, unforgivingly, mercilessly toward others?  Are we involved in evil? Are we complicit with others doing evil things to our neighbor or to members of our family? Or are we the ones in whom, on this earth, the poor and oppressed can rejoice, knowing that we will bring whatever relief we can to their difficult situations? Do the children within our homes know that they will be heard and treated with respect but also given the structure and counsel they they need to become the best person that God has called them to become as adults?  Does our spouse know that he/she can count on us to be there as a faithful, God-fearing partner? Do my fellow religious/priests/deacons know that they can count on me to give 100% to building up the Kingdom and bring others to Jesus?

Conversion!

 In today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 118, we pray: "Blessed is he who come in the name of the Lord."  You and I have been sent to this world blessed by the Lord, our God and Savior. We are sent to be a blessing as well.  And we are sent in God's name!

As I pray this, I think of St. Paul, who prior to his conversion was on a self-imposed mission to imprison those who following the Way, that is, who were Christians. He would get letters from emperors authorizing him to chain Christians and bring them to the appropriate authorities who would imprison them and put them to death.  One day on his way to Damascus to get such authorization, "there came a light from heaven all around him. He fell to the ground, and then heard a voice saying, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' 'Who are you, Lord,' he asked, and the voice answered, 'I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me. Get up now and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do.' "  At the same time that Saul was having this vision, Ananias,  a disciple of the Lord in Damascus, heard a voice call out to him: "Ananias...You must go to Straight Street and ask at the house of Judas for someone called Saul, who comes from Tarsus. At this moment he is praying, having had a vision of a man called Ananias coming in and laying hands on  him,  to give him back his sight.'"  Ananias is take aback. This is the man he knows is rounding up Christians, putting them in chains, and arresting them. No way will he get caught in this trap, so he thinks. Jesus, in the vision says to him:  "You must go all the same, because this man is  my chosen instrument to bring my name before pagans and pagan kings and before the people of Israel. I myself will show him how much he himself must suffer for my name. And Ananias went!"

The same Lord in charge of Saul's and Ananias' life is in charge of your life and mine! At times you and I, in turn, have persecuted others, spoken out against them, put stumbling blocks in their way, misjudged them and engaged in activities that we were convinced were the right things to be doing, as did Saul! Like Saul, however,  there are times when we, too,  need to be knocked down, blinded and then healed of our blindness through the intervention of others!  Like Ananias, we are at times the ones that Jesus sends to be interveners, to restore sight to the spiritually blind.

We might argue that we are not worthy to be doing the work of the Lord!  From that kind of thinking, neither was Saul worthy! Worthiness is not the question. God equips us for the work that He wants us to do. God is the worthy one; we are the instrument He chooses! The tasks might not be as mighty, so it seems, as was Saul's but as important: loving the homeless man or woman we pass on the way to the supermarket, comforting a crying child that has been denied his/her request to visit a friend down the street during this pandemic, taking on our responsibilities as spouse or as parent, waring a mask to protect ourselves and others from the coronavirus, participating in liturgical services on a regular basis at our churches, and so on! Or we may be asked, as Saul was: "Why are you persecuting me? Why are you treating a family member, a child,  your spouse, a coworker with such disdain and indifference? Why are you being unforgiving," and so on! "I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me. Get up now" and have a change of heart!

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit Filling Our Hearts and Souls

 In today's first reading, Isaiah 11:1-10, prophesizes that a "shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord, and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord...."

Every confirmed Christian has received the same Spirit that Isaiah describes in this passage. At our baptism and reinforced, so to speak, at our confirmation, the Holy Spirit poured forth upon each one of us a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, a Spirit of counsel and of strength, a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the Lord."   When we receive Holy Communion, the body and blood, soul and divinity, those same gifts are given to us in Christ Jesus.  We are one with Jesus and Jesus one with us. God lives in us--the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and in them, each of the gifts of the Spirit. Open our eyes, awaken our hearts, to this truth!