Listen to God's Instructions

In today's first reading, Isaiah 1: 10, 16-20, the prophet Isaiah asks to: Hear the word of the Lord...Listen to the instruction of our God...Wash yourselves clean, the prophet Isaiah says to us, "Put away  your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow. Come now, let us set things right...Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as show; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool."

"Cease doing evil,"  O people of the U.S., of North Korea, of Russia, of the Middle East, of North and South and Central America, of Africa and New Mexico, of Australia and New Zealand, of Iceland, Greenland and Europe, of Italy, Ireland and England, of Denmark, Switzerland, Scotland and Wales, of China and Japan and any other nation any where in the world! "Learn to do good!"

God says to you and me: "Listen to God's instruction" one day at a time and  "Learn to do good"  one day at a time.  Every morning when you and are awakened--it is God who does the awakening--God gives us one more day to learn to do what is right, to learn to be just and holy, to learn to defend the defenseless, to speak for those who have no voice, to set things right with those we have wronged or who have wronged us!  God gives us this day, the now, to find Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in the daily tasks that confront us each day!  "Why," God asks us in today's responsorial psalm, "do you recite my statues, and profess my covenant with your mouth, though you hate discipline and cast my words behind  you?"  Why do you ignore your spouse's request to help with the children, to prepare a meal, to do the grocery shopping, to take out the garbage, to shovel the driveway, to fix that leaking faucet? Why do you not read to the elderly person who is blind, take time to comfort the person who recently lost a loved one or spend time with a someone who is lonely or who is confused because of severe dementia?  "When you do [not] do these things," asks the psalmist, "shall I be deaf to it?"

In today's Gospel acclamation, the Lord asks us to "[c]ast away from you all [selfish and sloth-some ways]...and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit" (Ez 18:31)  and promises "those who go the right way" that they will be shown "the salvation of God"  (today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 50).

"Speak, Lord, Your Servant Is :Listening"

In the opening prayer of today' liturgy we pray"  "O Lord, we pray, that they may see what must be done and gain strength to do what they have seen."  Jesus models this in today's Gospel, Mark 1: 29-39.  He enters the house of Simon and Andrew.  Immediately, he is told about Simon's mother-in-law's illness. And just as immediately, Jesus approaches her, takes her my the hand and helps her up. He healed her, as he did many others who were brought to him that evening.  When Jesus saw a need, he responded in a positive way. What about you and me? do we act when we see a person who needs our help? Or do we say: "Not now; I'm busy." Or "Not now, I'm tired."  "Not now; can't you see that I am reading the paper!"

In the first reading of today's liturgy, Eli teaches Samuel to respond to God's calling.  Three times the Lord called Samuel, awakening him from sleep. Samuel, not yet familiar with the Lord, thinks it is his master, Eli, calling him.  With Eli's counsel, Samuel learns that it is God who is awakening him from sleep.  Eli had the strength to do what must be done--direct Samuel appropriately.  Later, we will see that Samuel also has the strength to do the Lord's bidding.

You and I are called in many ways. The call to be the Lord's servants came to us first in Baptism, then was reconfirmed in any of the sacraments we received since that day at the baptismal font, brought there most likely by our parents and godparents.  Like Simon (Peter) and Andrew, as adults,  we may be called to intercede for others. Like Eli, we may be asked to counsel another to listen to the Lord's voice. Or the Spirit may be calling us to take time out to pray/meditate, sit in quiet. Also, throughout the day we are called to follow the Spirit's lead: our employer has a special project that needs our attention, a coworker needs support; we need to stop and do grocery shopping before coming home from work. Once home,  a child needs help with his/her homework, a spouse needs help preparing the evening meal or cleaning up afterward,  chores need to be completed and the person doing the chores would like support; a relative or coworker calls and needs to talk. A small son or daughter wants you to play a game with him/her. A spouse needs an errand run after supper! Tired? Probably not as tired as the Lord was at the end of his busy day!

With Samuel, let us learn to say: "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening".  Help me, Lord, to be attentive to your voice, to recognize your voice and "see what must be done and gain the strength to do what [I] have seen."

Heeding the Voice of the Lord

In today's first reading, Baruch 1: 15-22, the Chosen People realize that the evils of the past cling to them.  Acknowledging their sinfulness, the exiles in Babylon pray:  "Justice is with the Lord, our God; and we today are flushed with shame, we men of Judah and citizens of Jerusalem, that we, with our kings and rulers and priests and prophets, and with our ancestors, have sinned in the Lord's sight and disobeyed him."  The Israelites grieve the fact that "we have neither heeded the voice of the Lord, our God, nor followed the precepts which the Lord has set before us...[W]e have been disobedient to the Lord our God, and only too ready to disregard his voice." 

 We certainly can repeat those truths, as we, too, have often paid no attention to the voice of our God. We, too, have many times been disobedient to the Lord, our God.  Evil seems to cling to us, as the Chosen People realized had become their reality.  We can look back to Adam and Eve who followed their own wills, not the will of God for them.  Also, instead of owning their personal truth, Eve blamed the serpent--the devil made me do it--and Adam blamed Eve--it was her fault.  Neither accepted responsibility for the pit into which each had fallen.

How often do we deny our personal responsibility for the "pits" into which we have fallen. How often, that is, do we not blame someone else for our sinfulness, as Eve blamed the serpent and Adam blamed Eve. This behavior, and other ways in which the voice of the Lord goes unheard, abounds in our world today, in spite of the fact that we have Jesus in our midst! Will Jesus say to us what he said to the people of Choazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum:  Woe to you...For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and  Sidon, they would long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgement than for you. And as for you Capernaum, 'will you be exalted to heaven?  You will go down to the netherworld.' Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." 

To whom am I, are you, listening?

"Come and see"

In today's Gospel, John 1: 43-51, we are told that Jesus decided to go to Galilee, where he found Philip and says to him: "Follow me." Philip, in turn, finds Nathaniel and says to him:  "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth."  "From Nazareth?" Philip responds. "'Can anything good come from Nazareth?'...'Come and see.'"  Jesus sees Nathaniel coming toward him and says of him: "Here is a true child of Israel. There is no duplicity in him....'How do you know me?'...'Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.'"

Jesus comes to our countries, villages, cities, reservations, homes in search of us, as well. He finds us under "our fig trees," or does He? Are we too busy about many thing to stop and think, stop and reflect, stop and ponder, stop and be quiet?  If we pause, become silent, take time to seek Jesus, we open our heart to hear His voice. He says to us, as He said to Philip:  "Follow Me. Come to know me! Come, develop a personal relationship with Me. Good does come from growing close to Me. And good does come from the place where you were born. Other may not think so, but I do!"

Like Nathaniel, may our eyes be open to Jesus, the Son of God, in our midst, dwelling, in fact, in the very core of our being. We won't realize that, however, if we shun alone time, if we don't take time to sit under "our fig trees," if we do not seek the Lord regularly, consistently in personal quiet prayer  time! We might use that quiet time simply uttering the name of Jesus or gazing upon the face of the Lord, on contemplating a phrase from the psalms or a favorite Scripture passage.

God's Power to Save Those of Faith

Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, apostles of the Church. In the first reading of today's liturgy, Acts 12: 1-11, St. Luke shares the story of Peter's arrest and imprisonment,  which immediately followed the martyrdom of St. James. Seeing the people's celebration of St. James' death, Herod believes that he will delight the people even more by killing Peter. The night before being brought to trial, an angel frees Peter, who is heavily guarded by four squads of soldiers and "secured by double chains".  The chains fall off, the locked doors of the prison open and Peter and the angel pass all of the guards unnoticed! Securely outside of the prison, the angel leaves Peter and he realizes that what happened to him was not a vision but reality!

Paul's story is as mind-bottling and miraculous, as he is on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians and bring them to Herod for imprisonment and most likely the same fate as St. James. The Lord God knocks Paul down, then known as Saul, and says to him: "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Blinded by the light, he gets up and is told to go into the city.  There, he will be met by a man who will direct him on to what he is to do instead of co-operating with the plan of human beings to to wipe out the followers of Jesus.

God is no less real in your life or mine than in the life of Peter and Paul nor any less real in the world of our day than in the world of Peter and Paul's day. Forces rose up against truth then, and now. Immorality, killings, false imprisonments,violence against people of integrity, the slaughter of innocents and other criminal behavior abounded in Peter and Paul's culture and continue in our day with people supporting these kind of choices in the belief that they are doing what is right--even believing that people doing evil are divinely inspired and divinely appointed to lead us.

God sent Jesus into this world, not to condemn it, but to save it. God sent angels, His messengers, to people like Mary and Joseph, Zachary and Elizabeth, Peter and others. He spoke to Pilate through his wife, who warned Pilate to "have nothing to do with this man," meaning Jesus whom the people desired to be be put to death by crucifixion. In this day and age, God continues to send warnings and also to intervene for us. Are we aware of these interventions?  Or are we too enamored by those yielding power and control and wanting that kind of power ourselves that we go right along with them, even believing that they are of divine origin?

Lord, I pray, open our minds and eyes and ears to the evil around us!  May we recognize the "Herods"  of today--persons as determined  as was Herod in Jesus' time to seize absolute power over others and to do whatever necessary to secure that power, including destroying men and women of integrity, men and women of faith, men and women committed to what is true, right and just!




 

Seeking God's Help

In today's first reading, 2 Kins 17: 5-8, 13-15a, 18, we read about the consequences of the people of Israel having "venerated other gods,"  having "followed the rites of the nations whom the Lord had cleared out of the way of the children of Israel and the kings of Israel..."  The people of Israel and of Judah were warned to give up their "evil ways and keep [God's] commandments and statues, in accordance with the entire law..."  The people "did not listen, but were stiff-necked as their fathers, who had not believed in the Lord their God. They rejected...the warning which he had given them, till, in his great anger against Israel, the Lord put them away out of his sight. Only the tribe of Judah was left."

What, do you think, God is saying to us here in the 21st century?  Are leaders of various nations throughout  the world, are you, am I, venerating other gods"?  Are we following precepts that are contrary to what God is asking of us? Are we involved in "evil ways,"  not listening, not heeding, any of the warnings that God is sending to us to alert us of being on a path that will lead, ultimately, to our downfall, to a disastrous end that could be avoided if we followed God's ways?

As in today's responsorial psalm, we pray:  "Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us,...for worthless is the help of men." Help us, Lord, right the wrongs in which we are involved as a nation, as a society, as a church, as a family, as individuals.  I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen!

Heeding God's Words, God's Voice, God's Commands

In today's responsorial psalm, God says to us: "If today you hear [my] voice, harden not your hearts."  In the first reading, Jeremiah 7: 23-28, the Lord says to the Israelites and to us: Listen to my voice; then I will be your God and you shall be my people. Walk in all the ways that I command you, so that you may prosper."  Saddened, God tells us that "they obeyed not, nor did they pay heed. They walked in the hardness of their evil hearts, and turned their backs, not their faces, to me....This is the nation that does not listen to the voice of the Lord, its God, or take correction. Faithfulness has disappeared; the word itself has banished from their speech." Is that also true of you and me? Is that true of our nation, our country, our city, our society, our family, our religious communities, our parishes?

Satan, a fallen intelligent angel, roams the world seeking souls to devour. In no way does He want us to listen to God's voice. He and those angels who followed him did not!  They lost their home in heaven and no way want us to achieve that goal!  May we take heed of God's voice directing us, guiding us, beckoning us to do God's will, keep God's commandments, listening to the prophets in our midst, some of them children used by God to direct us toward the good.

Openness to God at Work in the Ordinary

In today's first reading, 2 Kings 5: 1-15b, we encounter Naaman, the army commander of the king of Aram and a man afflicted with leprosy.  We are told that Naaman is highly respected by his master, for through him the Lord brought victory to the Arameans.   In that military victory over Israel,  a little girl was captured and made a servant to Naaman's wife.  This little girl says to Naaman's wife: "If only my  master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria, ..., he would cure him of his leprosy." The faith of a little girl!  Do I have the faith of a child?

The little girl's master sends Naaman to the king of Israel. The king reacts angrily when Naaman approaches him. His fear and his pride get in his way--what will he say? will he fail? will he look like a fool? "Am I a god with power over life and death,"  he asked.  Is the king of the Armenians "looking for a quarrel with me!" Where is this king's faith?  In reflecting on my responses to challenges, how does my fear and pride block me from acting in positive ways?  Are there times when I conclude that people are just out to pick a fight with me when that is absolutely not  true?

The prophet Elisha hears that the king tore his garments in anger and confronted him. "Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel."  Then there is Naaman who reacts angrily when the prophet sends a messenger to him and he is given the following instruction: "Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean."   
Naaman is insulted that 1) the prophet did not come out of his house and talk to him in person and 2) that he is asked to wash seven times in the Jordan River.  Ever bulk that you were not treated as "royalty," as someone of importance deserving a personal interview and a dramatic response to your need for help? "Wash seven times in the Jordan?  You kidding me! We have rivers in my own country!"  Ever walk away from a situation out of pride, refusing to follow a suggestion that, as for Naaman, could have brought you amazing results of God's mercy and compassionate, understanding love? Without humility, we easily deny ourselves hidden graces and blessings such as Naaman experienced.

God Redirects Saul's Life and Ours

Saul, a zealous Jew, was on a mission to arrest Christians, men and women the Jews believed were traitors to their Jewish faith.  God saw his zeal, his determination, his commitment to his Jewish faith.   It was like god said to Himself: "I need that man to spread the Word about who My Son truly is, to proclaim the death and resurrection of My Son Jesus.  Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians when Jesus stopped him: "Saul, Saul, why are go persecuting me?"  The bright light knocked Saul to the ground. Saul responds to the voice of Jesus, asking: "Who are you, Sir?"  "I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting." "What am I to do, Sir?"  "Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything appointed for you to do."  Blinded by the light, he needed to be led into Damascus. There God had arranged for a committed Christian to reveal God's will to him.

Notice how Jesus gets Saul to reflect upon his actions, leads him to where he needs to go and gives him the instructions he need to change the course of his life and come on board with Jesus.  Jesus does the same for for you and me!  He does not come to condemn when He finds us off track.  He uses people ad events to redirect us, as He did for Saul. He saves us from choices that are contrary to the will of God for us.

God knows you and me through and through, as He knew Saul.  He has a mission for us to fulfill in building up God's Kingdom and spread the Good News of our redemption, to bring hope to those who are hopeless and faith to the despairing by introducing them to Jesus and His Way of Life, the Gospels.

To know God's mission for us, we need to take time to sit at Jesus' feet,  especially when we know that we are off track.  Especially at those times, we need to come to Jesus, listen to His voice, and be open for His instructions. I had to do that tonight when I ranted and raved about a meeting that was called and that I felt interfered with what I wanted to accomplish tonight. In the solitude of prayer, Jesus asked me: "Why were you against that meeting?"  My response: "I was afraid that I would not get my hour of prayer in."  Jesus' response to me:  "My desire for you is that you do my will, not yours. And my will is that you co-operate with those who have the authority to call a meeting."  Jesus did not condemn me but he definitely redirected me!  Like Saul, I need to be redirected from time to time.  What about you?

"Behold, the Lamb of God" and Listen to God's Call

In today's first reading, 1 Sam 3: 3b-10, 19, God calls Samuel three times during his sleep. He thinks it is his master calling him, so he goes to Eli each times until Eli realizes that it is the God calling Samuel. So, he instructs Samuel to let the Lord know that he is listening. In the Gospel, John 1 35-42, John sees Jesus passing by and he says: "Behold the Lamb of God."  Upon hearing this, two of John's disciples follow Jesus, who turns around and says to these two disciples: "What are you looking for?"   In turn, they ask Him where he lives and Jesus responds: "Come and see!"  One of these disciples first goes to  his sibling and says  to him: "We have found the Messiah."

Notice the role of others in bringing people to the Lord or in listening to the Lord calling us by name, as He called Samuel. You and I also need others, at times, to intervene so that we learn both to listen and to go to the special places where Jesus lives (in our Catholic Churches where Jesus resides in the Tabernacle, where consecrated hosts are stored--a red light in a church's sanctuary means Jesus is there in person in the consecrated bread). The bread does not look like "the Lamb of God," but is. God's voice, also,  may sound like any other voice--Samuel thought he was hearing Eli call. It was the Lord.  In John's case, as Jesus walked by, the two disciples of John who were standing there probably just saw another man walk by and, not until John said "Behold the Lamb of God," recognized this man as just another person in the area.  Some Catholics, I am told, in receiving Holy Communion, think they are just eating a wafer of bread, not as the Son of God--body, blood, soul and divinity--come down from heaven to visit them in person!

Deepen my faith, Lord,  in your presence, as Eli did that for Samuel and John the Baptist did it for his disciples.  Like Eli  and like John the Baptist, may I take time to grow in the faith by taking time to pray and to reflect upon the Scriptures as well as doing what is right and helping my neighbor in need so as to grow in intimacy with you.  By living my faith may I, at the right moment, be ready to direct young people to make right choices when you call upon them and as you walk quietly among them.  Like John the Baptist, who recognized you passing by, may I grow in my openness to the unseen God in my midst and direct people to follow Him.

Trusting God's Messages or Messengers

In today's first reading, 1 Samuel 3: 1-10, 19-20,  God calls Samuel three times during his sleep. Each time, not familiar with the Lord, "because the Lord had not revealed anything to him as yet," Samuel gets up and goes to his master Eli and says: "Here I am; you called me." After the third time, Eli, realizing that the Lord is calling Samuel, counsels him to go back to sleep and if you are called again, say: "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening."

How often do you and I not recognize the Lord calling us, as He "had not  [yet] revealed anything" to us.  It is God's desire to communicate with us, as He did to Eli and so many others through time. That God calls to each of us is no secret. Age is not a factor.  God has spoken to children, adolescents, young and older adults, as well as persons advanced in age.  What we need to realize is that God speaks to you and me.  We need to ask the Lord for the grace to be listening. Sometimes God communicates to us directly.  At other times God sends an intermediary: a friend, a spouse, a son or daughter, a co-worker, a counselor, a teacher, someone in the medical field--in short, anyone He so chooses.  Are we listening? Or is our mind made up? Do we dismiss the message because of the messenger? Do we play God?  

In the responsorial psalm for today's liturgy, we pray:  Blessed the man [woman] who makes the Lord [one's] trust; who turns not to idolatry or to those who stray after falsehood." How does one learn to trust the Lord? By asking for that grace and asking the Lord to teach us to trust Him above all else.! By saying to the Lord: "Lord, I place my trust in you."  We also learn to trust the Lord by learning to and practicing trust of ourselves and of others!  Grace builds on nature. If I am unable to trust people whom I see, how will I trust God whom I do not see?  Start with self!  When you promise  to do something for yourself, for another, do you follow through? Can your spouse, your children trust you and you them?

Trust takes work! And it is important to not put yourself down when you fail yourself! Acknowledge the broken trust issue, forgive yourself or the other person and ask God for the strength to do better tomorrow!  Build the virtue of trust one day at a time and do not be afraid when you have to rebuild that strength, as being human makes us vulnerable to failing others or self or to be a subject of another person not following through on a promise or expectation. Failing is an invitation to continue trying (just remember how often you failed when learning to ride a bike as a child).  Riding the "bike of trust" is more challenging! God is at our side to raise us up and help us begin again, just as an adult helped us as a child get back on that bike and try again!

"Victors Over the World"

In today's first reading, 1 John 5: 5-13, St. John asks us the question: "Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"  In the Gospel, Mark 1: 7-11, St. John the Baptist, proclaims that "[o]ne mightier than I is coming after me....I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." John, in fact, baptized Jesus with water. "On coming out of the water he [John] saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit...descending upon him [Jesus]. And a voice came from the heavens, 'You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."  Yes, John baptized with water and God did so with the Spirit, as does Jesus, as the Father and the Son are one God!

John, who believed in Jesus, was, as he says in the first reading, "the victor over the world."  So, too, are all the saints in heaven and on earth--those doing good in the world; those living pure, just, honest loving and humble lives, those helping the poor and oppressed, those teaching others to faithfully follow Jesus' example, doing what He did here on earth in revealing a loving,  compassionate, merciful Father by the way  we give "birth" to Jesus in their lives.

Am I a "victor over the world"? f not, what beliefs, behaviors and attitudes do I  need to change in order that I, too, with the saints in heaven and those on earth, will reveal the face of God to all with whom I live and work and worship God as Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier?

May your faith, and mine, grow deeper throughout 2018 so that we, too, hear God saying to us throughout the day: "This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him," as did the disciples on Mount Tabor. And at the end of each day, as we reflect back on the choices we made that day, may we hear God say to us: "You are my beloved daughter/son in whom I am well pleased"! May we, also, at the end of the day, discern the times we truly were a "victor over the world" and when, on the other hand, we succumbed worldly allurements that did not give "birth" to Christ.

Being Cherished by the Lord

In today's first reading, Acts 16: 11-15, we meet Lydia, a woman who worshipped God and listened intently to Paul and his companions proclaim the Lord Jesus. As she is listening to Paul, the Lord "opened her heart to pay attention to what Paul was saying." Graces poured into her heart and she and her household asked to be baptized in Christ Jesus.

As you and I listen to the Word of God that comes to us in the Scriptures, in our participation in sacred liturgies, or through others witnessing to the Lord, our hearts, too, are opened by Jesus.  Graces pour in and, like Lydia, hopefully, graces pour out onto others with whom we interact throughout the day!  Triumphantly, through the Holy Spirit operative in our lives, we live the Pascal Mystery as the day unfolds, having sat at the Lord's feet in prayer.

Because of the mercy and compassion of the Lord, we experience what the psalmist in today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 149, says to us; namely, that the "Lord takes delight in his people, and "adorns the lowly with victory."

Jesus's Lesson on Intimacy

Today's Gospel, Luke 34: 13-35, recounts the story of the two persons on the way to Emmaus. They are discussing all that had taken place in Jerusalem, where Jesus, their Lord and Master, was crucified, died and was buried.  As they are sadly recounting the story and sharing their grief, the Risen Lord joins them but does not reveal who He is. "He asked them: 'What are you discussing discussing as you walk along?' they stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, 'Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?' And he replied to them, 'what sort of things?'"

As with the disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jesus joins you and I in our conversations with our loved ones--our spouses, our fellow religious, family members, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, our grandchildren and grand nieces and nephews.  As with Cleopas and his companion, Jesus feigns ignorance, as He knows what is heavy upon our hearts.  As with the two persons on the road to Emmaus, He knows what is difficult for us to understand as well. He wants to know from us! He wants us to share our sorrows, our concerns, our hurts. He wants to know, from us, what is bothering us. Please don't say "Jesus already knows!"  Yes, He does, but is waiting for us to be honest with Him.

Notice what Jesus also teaches us in how to relate to others so that they are respected, understood, and loved: Listen, ask questions, before speaking.  How difficult that is to do when our egos what to show how much we know!  Acting ignorant is not what the ego does. It wants to be on top. It wants to dominate and let the other people know how informed it is, how intelligent we are. Consequently, it is easy to shut others down, close the door to growing in intimacy, love and understanding.

Help me, Lord, learn to listen, to ask questions, to be silent as the other person is telling his/her story! And speak only after that person has finished pouring out his/her heart. Then share my response, as only then is the other person's heart open to hear what I have to say in love!

Nudged by Angels, God's Messengers

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus and husband of Mary, Mother of God. Joseph, like Mary, is specially chosen to be Jesus earthly foster father, as Mary is specially chosen to be Jesus’ Mother, having conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Mary becomes pregnant with Jesus during her betrothal to Joseph and before she and Joseph lived together.   Joseph agonizes over what to do, as he does not want to expose her and risk that she be stoned to death by the authorities of his day. So, being a just man, kind and compassion ate, he decides to divorce Mary quietly. “Such was his intention,” Matthew tells us in today’s Gospel, Mt. 1L: 16, 18-21, 24a, “when, behold, the angel of the Lord appear to him 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.’”  On awakening, Joseph does as the angel commanded.

Joseph witnesses to the faith of a righteous man, a man willing to sacrifice for the sake of others!  How willing am I to make sacrifices for others or how attentive am I to the messengers God sends into my life to alert me to an action I need to take to protect others in danger of being harmed by another, whether that harm is death itself or the result of decisive action that could lead to an unnecessary death. Why? Because they might die of an otherwise treatable illness for which they cannot afford recommended medication or treatment for lack of insurance lost by the appeal of the ACA. Or a message to do that which would reconcile one to one’s spouse or children but which is ignored because it “cost” too much for one’s pride to swallow!  Or a choices I regret not making: “If only I had been there for her/him,” “if only had been more attentive, perhaps my son/my daughter would not have run away,” “if only I had helped my son/my daughter get the help he/she needed, things might have turned out differently.” “If only I would not have enabled my son/my daughter to act irresponsibly (I assumed responsibilities that were theirs, as adults to assume), he/she would have begun to make adult choices.”  Is it possible, that, at the end of the day, these regrets, or any others, are part of having ignored the Spirit’s nudges, unlike Joseph?

Waiting for Peace

Today’s readings, Jeremiah 14: 17-22 and Matthew 13: 36-43, are awesome! Jeremiah cries out to the Lord, distraught over the destruction he sees in his country: people are being killed, left to rot in the fields. People are starving in the cities.  Wherever he looks he sees the effects of evil.  Sounds like Jeremiah is living in 2016: every day, on the news, we hear of individuals being gunned down,  stabbed, beaten (whether that be physical, verbal, or emotional).  Every day children are abandoned, neglected,  abused, sold into slavery, become victims of the sex industry or drug traffickers. Every day babies are killed in their mother’s womb. On and on and on we see evil, that is, we witness  people ensnared by Satan’s deceptive maneuvers, lured into becoming wealthy by any means or avoiding inconvenience or sacrifices that are part of life here on earth.

  

Like Jeremiah, we could ask God: “Have you cast Judah (us) off completely? Is Zion (insert the name of your city, country, State) loathsome to you? Why have you struck us a blow that can not [it seems] be healed? We wait for peace, to no avail; for a time of healing, but terror comes instead.  We recognize, O Lord, our wickedness,” or do we?

And God says to us, through Matthew 13:  28-30,   Do not pull out the weeds, those doing evil in the world,  because “when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow til the harvest; and at harvest time, I shall say to the reapers:  ‘First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.’”  In Matthew 13: 41-43, Jesus says to us that at the end of the ages:  “The Son of man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of falling and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the upright will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.’ Anyone who has ears should listen!”

Are we listening? And, what am I doing to bring about healing: to decrease wickedness, to lessen violence (verbal, physical, emotional, spiritual) in my relationships, to bring about peace in the world, that is, in the family, in my religious community, in the parish, in the municipal or civic community in which I live?

An Invitation Worth Noting

Today’s first reading, Isaiah 1: 10-17, opens with the following invitation:

Hear the word of the Lord,  princes of Sodom (insert your city, country)!

Listen to the instruction of our God,

People of Gomorrah (insert your city, country)!

What care I for the number of your sacrifices?

says the Lord.

I have had enough of whole-burnt rams

And fat of fatlings;

In the blood of calves, lambs and goats

I find no pleasure.

 May we realize that the prophet Isaiah is addressing us, the people of the U.S. and other nations.

Has God not had enough of the blood of persons killed in war, in our streets, cities and homes and in the wombs of parents murdering their unborn children? Has God not had enough of the “blood” spilled by slanderous accusations and untruths of all kinds proclaimed in order to get ahead of another person and secure power and control  by whatever means?  “I find no pleasure” in your sacrifices or in the “fat” of your wealth and power used to exploit the poor and helpless.   “Trample my courts [others] no more,” God says to us through the prophet Isaiah (Is 1: 12).  “Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow” (Is. 1: 16-17).

 God continues to say to us through the prophet Isaiah (Is 1: 18-20): “’ Come, let us talk this over,’ says Yahweh. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.  If you are willing to obey, you shall eat the good things of the earth. But if you refuse and rebel, the sword shall eat you instead—for Yahweh’s mouth has spoken.’”

Are we listening?

Do what? You Gotta Be Kidding!

In today’s first reading, 1 Kings 17: 7-16, we learn that the place where Elijah was hiding dried up.   Elijah is directed to move on to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. "...a widow...[will] provide for you."   Elijah had the choice of following those directions or of  ignoring them.  “Oh, I will manage right here,” he might have argued.  “I will be fine,” might have been another way of resisting the voice within him telling him that it was time to move on. Furthermore, Elijah might have bulked on depending on a poor widow!

The Lord is always giving us directions throughout the day. These directions may seem so mundane

that we simply ignore them and choose otherwise only  to regret that we did not listen to the

suggestions rising within us. Or, what we are hearing may sound outright ludicrous. Our response: "No way; I will do it my way!" Or we might argue: “What will others think?” Or, “let me check this out with so-and-so first,” not trusting ourselves as having the wisdom from within the core of our being, where the Spirit resides, to be making a right choice.  This is not to say that consultation is not important, but how often do we not live to please others and not ourselves and not our God!

No one was around but Elijah, you say. He had to trust God. “No, he didn’t,” is my response. He had a choice, because God will not coerce us to follow the Spirit within us. He gave us a free will and will

always allow us that freedom.  God does not force us to follow His directions or to be His servant or handmaiden. He gives directions freely all of the time;  and, yes, all of the time, he respects our free will to say “yes” or to say “no.”

What will my choice/your choice be? 

Opening my Heart to God's Blessings

Today’s first Scripture reading, Isaiah 58: 9b-14, continues to challenge us to look at our behaviors.  Are they such that God’s light and blessings and mercy  and love have an opening to enter our lives in abundance is the question, I think, Isaiah is asking indirectly.  Through Isaiah, the Lord says to us: If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday; then the Lord will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails.”

I think it behooves me to ask myself: how have I oppressed others with whom I live and work? In what ways do I entertain others by falsely accusing someone or exaggerating a weakness about them or stretching the truth to get other's attention? Do I  engage in juicy  gossip, some of it, perhaps, malicious in nature?  With whom do I have contact on a daily basis who is hungry for a listening ear, hungry for love, hoping to be understood, starved for affirmation, who wants to feel safe to reveal a hurt that is gnawing away his/her faith in humanity, in oneself, in you or me; or simply wants to talk honestly about something that is on his/her mind?

“If you bestow your bread on the hungry’and satisfy the afflicted, then light shall rise for you in the darkness and the gloom shall become for you like midday.”

Stop to Listen!

Today’s first reading, 1 Samuel 15: 16-23, is a continuation of what happened when Samuel went back to sleep and when hearing his name called a fourth time answered: “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” God had a message that He wanted Samuel to deliver to Saul.  To get Saul’s attention, he said to him the next morning: “Stop! Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”

As I reflected upon that passage, I realized how often I do not stop. I plunge into the day’s work. I move forward full speed into what I was bent on doing.  Sometimes, many times perhaps, I need someone like Samuel to say to me: “Stop! Let me tell you something that the Lord wants me to share with you.”  I may still keep right on going: “I can’t listen to you now. I am busy.”  Or, I may say to myself: “Who does this person think he/she is to tell me what he or she believes the Lord wants me to hear. I will go directly to the Lord myself. I don’t need an intermediary.” Or more blatantly, I might say to myself: “No one tells me what to do!”

Pride precedes the fall! I need to pray for humility to listen! And, if this person is telling me something I already know, I need humility to say: ‘Thank you!’  The person does not need to know that I already got the message and am working on the very thing she or he was bent on telling me “for my own good.”  I also need to pray for the gift of courage and the strength to choose humility and what humility asks of me in my interaction with people each day!  I think of a professor who said to us counselors: “Act dumb and ask questions!”  What if, instead of bulking when I do not want to hear what another is saying, I truly listened, acted dumb and asked questions.  Would that not build the other’s self-esteem, strengthen our connection and, yes, transform my “water” into “wine”?