In today's first reading,Galatians 2: 1-2, 7-14, Paul goes up to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus. He shared the Gospel that he preached to the Gentiles with Cephas, James and John, whom Paul considered pillars of the faith. Cephas, James and John recognized that Paul was entrusted with the same Gospel to preach to Gentiles, the uncircumcised, that they were preaching to the circumcised. They also recognized the grace bestowed upon Paul. The Holy Spirit was working in each of these individuals to spread the Good News of Jesus in different parts of the world and to different people of the world in which they lived.
God does the same gifting today, the same work in each of us, using us to build the Kingdom and spread the Good News of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and Pentecost! Just as Paul and his co-workers,both men and women, by the way, needed one another and so, too did Cephas, James and John need Paul. It was during this visit, that Paul challenged Peter's hypocrisy. It is through and with each other that we grow in honest living and preaching of the Gospel, no less than in the days of old when the Church was in its infancy, so to speak!
May I have the courage to name hypocrisy when I see it and to be called when I am being hypocritical.
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Consulting the Lord above all else!
In today's first reading, Galatians 1: 13-14, St. Paul tells us that, after Jesus revealed Himself to him, he "did not immediately consult flesh and blood, nor did [he] go up to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me..." How often when something amazing or overpowering--good or evil, triumphs or failures--happens to us do we not go to "flesh and blood," or rush to our "Jerusalems" to seek counsel or share our stories. What if we went first to the Lord and poured out our souls to Him and, after prayer, consulted "flesh and blood."
A few days ago, I had an experience in which I did not approve of the way I reacted. Tonight I first shared it in prayer with the Lord. In my heart, I heard the Lord say to me: "Seek Me, Dorothy Ann, not justification or approval from anyone. I am enough for you." How humbling but how true!
As, in many of my prayer times when I pour out my soul to the Lord, my loved ones in heaven want "a piece of the pie", so to speak. In my heart I heard my mother say to me: "Dort, your mom! .... (she then gave me expert advice that applied to the situation). Other family members also let me know that they love me and were supporting me. Then, in the depths of my heart, I heard my mom say to me: "Dort, [w]e are here for you. Seek our counsel."
I need to learn, or the Lord is teaching me, to seek Him above all, to trust Him above all, to rely upon His counsel above all. How much heartache I would spare myself, if I followed this advice!
How about you?
A few days ago, I had an experience in which I did not approve of the way I reacted. Tonight I first shared it in prayer with the Lord. In my heart, I heard the Lord say to me: "Seek Me, Dorothy Ann, not justification or approval from anyone. I am enough for you." How humbling but how true!
As, in many of my prayer times when I pour out my soul to the Lord, my loved ones in heaven want "a piece of the pie", so to speak. In my heart I heard my mother say to me: "Dort, your mom! .... (she then gave me expert advice that applied to the situation). Other family members also let me know that they love me and were supporting me. Then, in the depths of my heart, I heard my mom say to me: "Dort, [w]e are here for you. Seek our counsel."
I need to learn, or the Lord is teaching me, to seek Him above all, to trust Him above all, to rely upon His counsel above all. How much heartache I would spare myself, if I followed this advice!
How about you?
Monday, October 8, 2018
Being a Person of Compassion,Love and Concern for Others in Need
Today's Gospel, Luke 10: 25-37, presents the story of the Good Samaritan. We may think of the Good Samaritan as Jesus and the wounded person as ourselves. By being caught in Satan's web of constant lies and being slaves of sin--selfishness, greediness, lustfulness, deceitfulness, pride, hatred, racism, judgementalism and other sinful behaviors--we lie in the ditches of life half dead, bleeding, beaten down, wounded, weakened and in need of healing. Jesus, the Compassionate One, the second person of the Blessed Trinity, sent not condemn the world but to save it, is not going to walk by us, ignore us, or be too busy or too holy for us. No! Jesus stops, binds up our wounds and cares for us so that we may be made whole again, provided that we co-operate with His efforts. Are we willing to change our behaviors, our attitudes and walk the Way God points out to us through Jesus Christ in the Holy Gospels?
We may also read this Gospel story and see ourselves as the Levite, the priest or the Samaritan. The Levite and the priest past the wounded man, the person in need--in fact they cross the road and walk on the other side--not wanting to become unclean, according to Jewish law, and not be able to perform their religious duties! Do we find excuses to not help our neighbors in need? Or are we, in fact, the good Samaritan who renders assistant to the wounded in our midst: in our homes, our streets, our churches, our places of employment?
We may also read this Gospel story and see ourselves as the Levite, the priest or the Samaritan. The Levite and the priest past the wounded man, the person in need--in fact they cross the road and walk on the other side--not wanting to become unclean, according to Jewish law, and not be able to perform their religious duties! Do we find excuses to not help our neighbors in need? Or are we, in fact, the good Samaritan who renders assistant to the wounded in our midst: in our homes, our streets, our churches, our places of employment?
Friday, October 5, 2018
Freedom or Slavery
Today's Gospel, Luke 10: 13-16, begins with strong, harsh words spoken by Jesus: "Woe to you Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have long ago have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you." Jesus is not trying to bully the inhabitants of these two cities. Rather, He is expressing His grief that they have not turned back to God. Instead they remained slaves to their sinful way of life in spite of the many ways in which Jesus revealed God's love and mercy.
To this very day, it is very easy to get caught in a lifestyle dominated by greed, immorality, lust, resentments, envy, avarice, and other corrupt activities. Satan is a Father of Lies, a "professional" at conning people into choosing wrongful actions to the point that people do not even realize when they have been deceived. The scene in the Garden of Eden plays out over and over again in today's reality: Satan entices one person to sin and that person lures another, while both find ways to pass the blame onto another person or something else, refusing to accept responsibility for the choice one has made.
All of us need to pray with the psalmist the words of Psalm 139, today's responsorial psalm: Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way and take to heart the words of the psalm:
"O Lord, you have proved me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar."
So, I may cover up the truth from my fellow human beings and from myself, but not from God. God knows me through and through and is deeply saddened when I make poor choices, choices whereby I become more and more a slave to sin and less and less a slave of the truth that makes me free.
To this very day, it is very easy to get caught in a lifestyle dominated by greed, immorality, lust, resentments, envy, avarice, and other corrupt activities. Satan is a Father of Lies, a "professional" at conning people into choosing wrongful actions to the point that people do not even realize when they have been deceived. The scene in the Garden of Eden plays out over and over again in today's reality: Satan entices one person to sin and that person lures another, while both find ways to pass the blame onto another person or something else, refusing to accept responsibility for the choice one has made.
All of us need to pray with the psalmist the words of Psalm 139, today's responsorial psalm: Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way and take to heart the words of the psalm:
"O Lord, you have proved me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar."
So, I may cover up the truth from my fellow human beings and from myself, but not from God. God knows me through and through and is deeply saddened when I make poor choices, choices whereby I become more and more a slave to sin and less and less a slave of the truth that makes me free.
Thursday, October 4, 2018
Transcending Ego Disturbances
In today's first reading, Job 19: 21-27, Job speaks of being hounded by his friends "as though [they] were divine." He complains that they "insatiably prey upon" him! How easy it is to pontificate against those whose behaviors we abhor and who seem to "insatiably prey upon" us! Are we not then acting as though we were God?
It is easy to focus on the negative aspects of life, and there are many, and to get stuck on complaining about this or that or the other thing that disturbs our ego self. I caught myself doing just that today and realized later, in prayer, that, instead of seeking counsel from the Holy Spirit, I was focusing on an ego issue important to the prideful part of the self and about which another was hounding me.
Job did not cling to the words of those hounding him or complaining about him. No, he turned his focus to God and said to his critics: "[A]s for me, I know that my Vindicator lives..." If, like Job, you and I focused on God when things get rough around us, for whatever reason, we certainly would not be "crying" about issues that naturally disturb the ego self. May the Lord grant us the graces needed to redirect our thoughts to things of the Spirit self.
It is easy to focus on the negative aspects of life, and there are many, and to get stuck on complaining about this or that or the other thing that disturbs our ego self. I caught myself doing just that today and realized later, in prayer, that, instead of seeking counsel from the Holy Spirit, I was focusing on an ego issue important to the prideful part of the self and about which another was hounding me.
Job did not cling to the words of those hounding him or complaining about him. No, he turned his focus to God and said to his critics: "[A]s for me, I know that my Vindicator lives..." If, like Job, you and I focused on God when things get rough around us, for whatever reason, we certainly would not be "crying" about issues that naturally disturb the ego self. May the Lord grant us the graces needed to redirect our thoughts to things of the Spirit self.
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Fit for the Kingdom!
In today's Gospel, Luke 9: 57-63, three different persons indicate a desire to follow Jesus. When invited to do so, each has an excuse before making a commitment. Jesus points out that following Him is not easy. Sacrifice is required. What seems more important than an immediate, direct and complete response needs to be relinquished. How often, when the Spirit calls, do we not say: "I've gotta do this or that first." That to which the Spirit called us to give time and attention is then left undone, forgotten.
Jesus uses strong words at the close of this passage when speaking to the person who asked to first say farewell to his/her family at home and then follow Him. Jesus says: "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God." Experiencing and building the Kingdom of God right here, right now, often depends on our obedience to the Spirit's invitations to do the right thing, the loving thing NOW, not later when whatever we chose to do instead crowds out the opportunity to grow in self-sacrificing love!
Lord, I ask forgiveness for the times that I have excitedly said that I want to follow you but when the rubber hits the road, so to speak, I have chosen my will, not yours!
Jesus uses strong words at the close of this passage when speaking to the person who asked to first say farewell to his/her family at home and then follow Him. Jesus says: "No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God." Experiencing and building the Kingdom of God right here, right now, often depends on our obedience to the Spirit's invitations to do the right thing, the loving thing NOW, not later when whatever we chose to do instead crowds out the opportunity to grow in self-sacrificing love!
Lord, I ask forgiveness for the times that I have excitedly said that I want to follow you but when the rubber hits the road, so to speak, I have chosen my will, not yours!
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Dealing with Difficult Times and Depressing Feelings
In today's first reading, Job 9: 1-12, 14-6, Job is so depressed that he cursed the day that he was born: "Perish the day on which I was born, the night when they said, 'It is a boy!' Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire," Job asks God in his despairing moments. Depression is a horrible experience. Many suffer its ravaging emotions, its darkness, not knowing what to do or to whom to turn. Sometimes medication simply does not seem to work. All seems lost! To get out of bed in the morning, to put one foot ahead of the other, so to speak, to keep on and stay involved in life in spite of one's lethargy is a monumental task.
Many of us, when going through hard times, are encouraged by the psalms. In today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 88, we pray:
O Lord, my God, by day I cry out;
at night I clamor in your presence.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my call for help.
For my soul is surfeited with troubles
and my life draws near to the nether world.
I am numbered with those who go down into the pit;
I am a [person] without strength.
My couch is among the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom you remember no longer
and who are cut off from your care.
You have plunged me into the bottom of the pit,
into the dark abyss [of depression].
Upon me your wrath [seems to lie] heavy,
and with all your billows you overwhelm me.
That is what depression feels like! Both Job and the psalmist teach us to mince no words in our prayer but to tell the Lord how it really is with us when we are troubled, troubled to the point of death! Let us not pretend that all is well when all is not well! God wants honesty from us, not because He does not know what we may be suffering but because honesty sets us free. When we can name an emotion, we are in control. When we are unable to name our emotions, they control us! Let us take control by acknowledging before God what we are truly feeling when we are down or hurt, angry or frustrated. I have found that sharing my feelings with the Lord in writing and then asking for God's counsel works for me. God always comes through with words of Wisdom that lift my spirits, that give me the courage to go on and stay involved in life, giving the best I am capable of giving!
How about you?
Many of us, when going through hard times, are encouraged by the psalms. In today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 88, we pray:
O Lord, my God, by day I cry out;
at night I clamor in your presence.
Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my call for help.
For my soul is surfeited with troubles
and my life draws near to the nether world.
I am numbered with those who go down into the pit;
I am a [person] without strength.
My couch is among the dead,
like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom you remember no longer
and who are cut off from your care.
You have plunged me into the bottom of the pit,
into the dark abyss [of depression].
Upon me your wrath [seems to lie] heavy,
and with all your billows you overwhelm me.
That is what depression feels like! Both Job and the psalmist teach us to mince no words in our prayer but to tell the Lord how it really is with us when we are troubled, troubled to the point of death! Let us not pretend that all is well when all is not well! God wants honesty from us, not because He does not know what we may be suffering but because honesty sets us free. When we can name an emotion, we are in control. When we are unable to name our emotions, they control us! Let us take control by acknowledging before God what we are truly feeling when we are down or hurt, angry or frustrated. I have found that sharing my feelings with the Lord in writing and then asking for God's counsel works for me. God always comes through with words of Wisdom that lift my spirits, that give me the courage to go on and stay involved in life, giving the best I am capable of giving!
How about you?
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