The Prison or Chains of Racism

In today's first reading, 2 Timothy 2: 8-15, Paul is speaking to Timothy, and to us, from prison , asking us to "[r]emember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory."  As a prisoner, as one in chains, Paul "died with Christ" and therefore now "lives with Christ in eternal glory."

Remembering Jesus Christ gave Paul the strength that he needed to endure being treated like a criminal. The Christ who strengthened Paul in prison and in chains is the same Christ who helps our black brothers and sisters who suffer the "chains" of discrimination and false imprisonment. Let us remember that  any person, of any color, who dies with Christ  "shall also live with him." Any person who perseveres with Christ, "shall also reign with him" (2 Timothy 2: 8-15).  In verse 15 of chapter 2 Paul, who now lives and reigns with Christ in eternal glory,  asks us to be "eager to present [ourselves] as acceptable to God, a [laborer] who causes no disgrace, imparting the word of truth without deviation." Our black brothers and sisters and brothers and sisters of any color do just that as well as we white people do!  In the words of today's responsorial psalm, Psalm 25, "may God guide [us] in [this] truth and teach [us]" what we need to know to eradicate racism in this country but, more importantly, in each of our hearts, for God alone is our savior!  And let us remember, in the words of this psalm, that all "the paths of the Lord are kindness and constancy."  So if we are kind to  all people, we are then on the path of the Lord and, if not, we are on the path of the Evil One.

Our Holiness and our Salvation!

In today's first reading, 2 Timothy 1: 1-3, 6-12, Paul gives Timothy, and us,  the following message:  "..I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control....He saved us and called us to a holy life, not  according to  our works but according to  his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel..."

May you and I stir into flame the gift of God given us in baptism, in our love for one another, in any of the sacraments, in prayer, in solitude, in reflection upon the Scriptures, in our being grateful and drinking in the beauty of creation and all that is in it. May this gift of God be set aflame by our efforts to erase racism, sexism and any other "ism" that blurs our vision and blocks us from being open to God hidden in all people of any color, in all animals, birds and fishes and in the universe itself. Every living being contains the Source of life, God the Creator of us all. God breathe His life into anything and anyone who exists!

Each of us is called to holiness! Our striving to be holy is a grace and whatever progress we make in being like Christ in our world is because of the gift of God given to us in baptism, confirmation, the Holy Eucharist and any other vehicle through which God's love flows into us, men and women of all races, all religions, all states of life, all cultures and nationalities on the face of this earth!

Let us remember that we are saved and made holy "not according to our works but according to [God's] own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began...."  God's work is eternal. It is continual, day and night! Our holiness and our salvation is God's plan from the beginning of the world and will persist until that day when life here is no more!

God's awesome mercy!

In today's second reading, 1 Peter 1: 3-9, St. Peter gives praise to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for "his great mercy" in giving "us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for [us] who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time."

WOW! THE MERCY OF GOD! First of all, God gives us a new birth, a second birth, if you will, and this is birth into eternal life, a life that is "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading." That immortal life,which does not fade in brilliance, is "kept in heaven" for you and me.  If it is kept in heaven, no one can defile it, neither you nor me nor anyone else.  And, since it is kept in heaven, no one can destroy it or steal it from you or me. The only way we lose it is by denying Jesus Christ, our God or denying God PERIOD!  Secondly, you and I "are safeguarded through faith," a faith freely given us in our baptism! Safeguarded for what? For "a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time."  We are in that final time.  You and I might not recognize salvation that comes to us moment by moment. However, God is at work saving us all of the time through the good we do to others, the love we show toward them, our acts of forgiveness,  and through the good others do to us and the love they express to us by how they treat us as well as ask and give forgiveness. We are also being saved by our faith and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ hidden in everyone and every thing! And by our gratitude for God's goodness, the goodness of others, our own goodness--all gifts from a loving, caring, compassionate God of mercy!

Thank you, Lord!

Food for Thought---III

The Psalms certainly contain food for thought as we navigate through the threat of the corona virus. Here are some possible helps:

Come back, Yahweh, rescue [our] soul[s] (Ps 6:4).
Our strength,come quickly to [our] help (Ps 22:19).
Rise, Yahweh, save [us, our] God (Ps 13: 7).
Our soul awaits Yahweh; he is our help and shield       (Ps 33:20).
Now, break your silence, Yahweh....Do not let them     say, 'Now we have got him down' (Ps 35:22).
Assign your Love and Faithfulness to guard [us] 
  (Ps 81:7.
Verily,God is our shelter, our strength, ever ready         to help in time of trouble (Ps 46: 1).
I rely on you, do  not let me be shamed (Ps 25:2).
Relieve the distress of [our] heart[s], free [us] from     [our] suffering. See [our] misery and pain 
   (Ps 25:17).
Up,wake up, come to [our] defense, Lord, [our]          God, side with [us] (Ps 35: 23).
See, Yahweh is a stronghold when times are hard.       Those who acknowledge your name can rely on         you. You never desert those who seek you,               Yahweh (Ps 9-10: 9-10

Remember the Marvels the Lord Has Done

In today's first reading, Gen 37: 3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a, we are given the story of Israel's son Joseph, who was especially favored by his father and thus hated by his brothers.  Israel sends Joseph to join his brothers who are tending the sheep. They see him coming and they plot to kill. His brother Rueben, however, talks them out of doing such a thing to him and instead they sell Joseph for twenty pieces of silver as a slave to some Ishmaelites who happen to be passing by. In  the responsorial psalm we pray: "Remember the marvels the Lord has done," when a seven-year famine hit the land and Joseph's family, as well as the Egyptians, were in danger of starving. It was Joseph, who, at that point, occupied an important position in Egypt, having won favor with the King and was in charge of the silos of grain that had been stored up during the seven years of plenty.  Consequently, Joseph became a significant figure in saving his family from disaster.

In the horrible day when Joseph was sold as a slave, God was at work caring for His people. Many times, we experience tragedies, as Joseph did. At the time, we may, and often are not, aware of God's hand in what is happening. 

There are significant similarities between Joseph and Jesus. Joseph was a favorite son of his father and Jesus of His Father.  Both were sold: Joseph by his brothers for 20 pieces of silver and Jesus by Judas for 30 pieces of silver. Joseph was exiled, so to speak, to Egypt. Jesus became a refugee in Egypt when Herod was seeking to kill him. Joseph played a significant role in saving his family from physical death. Jesus played a significant role in saving us from eternal death.

As significant as Joseph was in salvation history, and, of course, Jesus as well, so, too are we.  What we do or do not do brings others to Jesus, our Savior, or has the power to cause alienation from Jesus. We can be a source of nourishment for others or cause a "famine".  People can be starving of love, of compassion, of understanding, of support because of us or be rich in these gifts. People can be abandoned by us to horrible situations because of our jealousy of them, as Joseph's brothers had done, or worse, kill them spiritually and/or physically because of our jealous natures.  The choice is ours to be a "Joseph" or a "Judas".

Catching Sight of Jesus

"Unclean spirit, come out out of the man," Jesus was saying to a demoniac whom  He encountered in the territory of the Gerasenes (See Mark 5: 1-20).  This man lived "among the tombs  and no one could restrain him...even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him....
"

How terrifying for anyone and for the demoniac himself!  Jesus was unafraid and approached him. As He got near to him, the demon in the man shouted:  "What have you do do with me, Jesus, Son of  the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me! ....He asked him, 'What is your name?' [The Devil] replied, 'Legion is my name. There are many of us.'" The legion of evil spirits, united in their desire to stay in the region and not be driven away, spoke through one of them:   "Send us into the swine. Let us enter them."  Jesus granted their request and the possessed pigs dashed down the hill and into the sea where they all drowned.

Jesus has power over Satan and all of his fellow devils. There are legions of them roaming the earth, seeking someone to devour us. Their last desire is to be confined to hell, where they will be sent at the end of the world along with their followers, those bent on doing evil and avoiding the good here on earth, those who deny Jesus or God's existence, who do not accept God's give of salvation, who do not call out to God for deliverance from the chains and shackles that bind them to wrongdoing, to deceitfulness, to corruption, to avarice, to hatred and divisiveness, to covetousness and abuse of any kind, who submerge themselves in the "pleasures" to which Satan lures them at the expense of others and their own demise from living wholesome lives pleasing to God.

May you and I cling to God, catch sight of Jesus, who, in fact, does not leave us out of His sight,
and beg to be freed from the chains and shackles that bind us to any kind of wrongdoing. May we seek God's deliverance, knowing that God is a warrior God, a God who is on our side and feared by Satan and his legion of helpers. Let us not be afraid to approach Jesus in the Eucharist, in the sacrament of Reconciliation, in private, communal and family prayer time, no matter how we may have bruised ourselves or others by our sinfulness.
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Set Apart by the Lord for a Special Vocation and a Special Ministry or Profession

In today's gospel, Mark 2: 13-17, Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector, to follow him.  At table dining with Levi in  his house, Jesus hears scribes outside the house asking why is eating with sinners and tax collectors.  His response is that he "did not come to call the righteous but sinners." And furthermore states: "Those who are well do not need a physician."  Sinners, not well spiritually, do!

Many are called be that to marriage, to single life, to religious life, to priesthood,  or to the deaconate. All of us need a physician to stay well, to remain faithful to the Lord, as Levi had even to the point of being martyred for his faith. You and I most likely will not face physical martyrdom but a spiritual martyrdom, dying to sin, to selfishness, to anything that is an obstacle within us to following the will of God for us, especially when the choices God calls us to embrace provoke others to say: Why has the Lord called this person to that way of life, to be involved in that ministry, to marry that person, to be involved in that profession?

Samuel, unlike Levi, was highly praised: "There was no other child of Israel more handsome than Saul; he stood head and shoulder above the people....When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord assured him, 'This is the man of whom I told you; he is to govern my people'...[Saul anointed him, saying:) 'The Lord anoints you commander over his heritage. You are to govern the Lord's people Israel, and to save them from the grasp of their enemies roundabout."

Saul, unlike Levi, does not remain faithful to the Lord or to his calling, but get lured into evil ways with others around him.  You and I need to know that fidelity to the Lord is not a given.  We, like Saul, may face challenges to follow others paths. Without keeping our focus on the Lord and remembering that we are sinners dependent on the Lord for our salvation, we, too, could succumb to temptations all around us. 

Lord, help us remain faithful to you in whatever calling you have given us. May we stay close to you and remember our dependence upon grace to do the good  to which you have called us.

The Explosion of Grace through Jesus Christ

Today's first reading, Romans 5: 12, 15b, 17-19, 20b-21, explodes with the awesomeness of God's grace and the gift of salvation. Paul states that "death came to all...inasmuch as all sinned,"  when Adam, the first human being, sinned.  That may appear incomprehensible to us. However, let us think of the body of Christ--one body, the Body of Christ. We know that if any part of our personal bodies is diseased, the whole body is diseased. So, too, with the Body of Christ. If one body of the Body of Christ is diseased by sin, that is, by disobedience to God, each member of that body is, in fact, diseased by sin, as we are one body in Christ.  Paul goes on, however, to remind us that just as, through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death,..." so,too, through one man did grace and righteousness enter the world:  "If by that one person's transgression [that of Adam] how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many....For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one the many will be made righteous. Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more, so that as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Think of what Jesus gave us by His obedience to the Father unto His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection, His triumph over death and His nailing of sin to the cross!  On that cross, where Jesus poured out the last drop of His blood for our salvation, Jesus tricked Satan and all of us. Satan may have believed that he had won the war in his seeking our demise and his efforts to block us from ever knowing eternal life with Jesus. He is the one who failed, not Jesus! And for us who may look upon Calvary as a failure, we, too, have been fooled. What looks like failure to the naked, human eye, is, in fact, our salvation. It is from the cross that "grace overflowed all the more, so that as sin reigned in death, grace, also might reign through justification for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

"Justified Freely by His Grace" (Romans 3: 22)

In today's first reading, Romans 3: 21-30, we are reminded that the righteousness of God is a reality for all who believe in Jesus Christ, that is, it is manifested "apart from the law and the prophets," though the law and God's prophets give testimony to it.  There is no distinction, St. Paul reminds us, between those who serve and know God's righteousness through the law and those who serve God "through faith in Jesus Christ..., as well as through observance the of the law. "[A]ll have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God."  And all "are  justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, who God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his Blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins...."   To this very day God, those who believe in Jesus Christ are made righteous and justified by Jesus' pouring out every drop of His blood for the redemption of all peoples.

I invite those reading this blog and myself, as well,  to apply St. Paul's message to ourselves personally, hearing St. Paul say to each of us:  Dorothy Ann (Insert your name)        , though you have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God, you "are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, who God set forth as an expiation  [of your sins] through [your faith] by his Blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of [your] sins."  Jesus, the Righteous One, has justified you and restored "the glory of God" in you, Dorothy Ann (insert your name),  by shedding every drop of His Blood, beginning with His circumcision, His sweat turning into drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, His scourging, His crowning with thorns, His loss of blood on the way to Calvary, nails being driven through His hands and feet, and His side being pierced on the cross.

You cannot, Dorothy Ann (insert your name),  boast of saving yourself--you are saved only through Christ Jesus' obedience to the point of death. St. Paul states: "What occasion is there...for boasting? It is ruled out.  On what principle, that of works? No, rather on the principle of faith....God is one and will justify  the circumcised on the basis of faith (the Jews)  and the uncircumcised (the Gentiles) through faith."  "There is no distinction."  The glory of God is restored in all peoples--every Jew and every Gentile--without any exceptions through the Righteous One, Jesus Christ!

The Goodness and Mercy of our God

In today's first reading, Joshua 24: 1-13, Joshua summons the people and enumerates the many ways in which God blessed them: protecting them from evil, blocking their enemies from destroying them or doing harm to them, snatching them, so to speak, away from idolatrous behaviors or delivering their enemies into their power, so as to defeat them in battles.  He even thwarts curses against them and causes the one asked to curse them to bless them instead (See today's first reading).

In the responsorial psalm, we pray: God's "mercy endures forever."  As God showed great mercy to the Israelites, so, too, does he show such to you and me.  We, too, are delivered and protected from evil, especially from evil within us: deceit, resentment, jealousy, pride, lust, laziness, hate, gluttony and so much more.  When we do fall into the traps Satan sets for us, God is there to pull us out of the pit, so to speak, to save us, restore our integrity and make us whole again, healing our broken spirits and binding up our wounded self.

Let us, in the words of the psalmist, "[g]ive  thanks to the Lord of lords, for his mercy endures forever....[he frees] us from our foes" (Psalm 136) every day and every night!   Why? Because God is good and merciful, slow to anger and full of kindness!  His love is infinite and unconditional!

Needing to be Saved

Today's first reading, Numbers 21: 4-9, the Israelites are angry about having been brought out into the desert where food and water are scarce.  In their anger, the people complain against Moses and God: "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food! In punishment the Lord sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died".

As we reflect upon this passage, let us note that the people admit their sinful behavior and ask Moses to intercede for them.  God instructs Moses to make a saraph and mount it on a pole. Anyone who has been bitten and looks at this mounted saraph will live.  This obviously reminds us of what God asks of us as well; namely, that we, too, acknowledge and/or admit our sinful behaviors to others, ask forgiveness of others and look to Jesus upon the cross for healing.

Upon further reflection, I am challenged to look at how we identify with this Scripture passage. Complaining against God and others is a common human experience--evil spirits delight in our choosing to complain. When we enter a complaining mode, we set ourselves up to sink deeper and deeper into a rut of discontent!  However, if, on the other hand, we follow the lead of good spirits and choose an attitude of gratitude, look for ways to resolve whatever the problem is, and accept our responsibility to do so, we take power away from spirits that wants us to be divisive.

May you and I become "Moses" in the world of our day and also follow the example of the Israelites in acknowledging our sinful behaviors, repenting of such and looking, not to a mounted saraph but to Jesus upon the cross to save us!

What delights our God!

In the second reading of today's liturgy, Hebrews 10: 5-10, St. Paul reminds us of when Jesus came into the world, God wanted obedience to His will, not sacrifices of thousands and thousands of animals to appease for sin.  As explained by St. Paul to the Hebrews and to us about Jesus becoming human and what God wanted of him: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight. [Jesus' response:] Then I said, 'As is written of me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.'....[Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings] are offered according to the law [and the law cannot save anyone]. Then he [Jesus] says, 'Behold, I come to do your will.'"

We cannot save ourselves. Only Jesus can! By His obedience to God's will we are saved and sanctified. The gift of salvation is freely given to us!  As with Jesus, God does not want sacrifices from us. He wants our obedience to the Spirit's promptings to do good and avoid evil, to forgive those who hurt us and not hang on to resentments,  to ask for pardon, to love and not hate, to act in justice and mercy and not out of revenge exacting demands, such as an eye for an eye.

In  today's responsorial psalm, we pray: "Lord, make us turn to  you; let us see your face and we shall be saved" from Satan's lies and the ways he lures us to turn away from You.

Emmanuel, God-with-us

The Entrance Antiphon to today's liturgy states clearly that our "Lord and Ruler will be coming soon, and his name will be called Emmanuel, because he will be God-with-us."  Yesterday's Gospel was about the messenger of God, Gabriel, visiting Mary and telling her that she was to conceive and bear a son, that her son would be "great and will be called the Son of the Most High...and of his Kingdom there will be no end....The Holy Spirit will come upon you, [Mary,] and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.....[F]or nothing will be impossible for God."

In a few days we will celebrate that great moment when Mary gave birth to Jesus, to "Emmanuel, God-with-us."  God's plan for our salvation would not be thwarted or blocked in any way.  Even now, though it looks as though evil is triumphing in this world of ours, God's will for our salvation will not be thwarted. God will triumph in the world of today, as God triumphed when Herod sought to kill the infant Jesus. God also triumphed in Jerusalem during those three dark days of Jesus' arrest, condemnation, crucifixion and death.Three days later Jesus rose from the dead and continues to dwell among us, having returned to His Kingdom in heaven, from where He sent the Spirit to be our Advocate, to teach us all things that Jesus taught during his ministry here on earth.

Emmanuel, God-with-us, in the Eucharist! Emmanuel, God-with-us, in our sufferings and ultimately in our death and resurrection to new life in Christ Jesus.  Every day when we die to ourselves, to sin and selfishness, we give birth to Jesus and rise to new life in Christ Jesus.  God is with us just as God was with Mary and Joseph and all those who have gone before us, believing in Jesus, in God, living in their midst, dwelling in the core of their very beings.  From our core inner selves, our spirit selves, God radiates to the world in the good that we do, in the faith that we live!

Consecrated to the Lord from Baptism

Both readings of today's liturgy, Judges 13: 2-7, 24-25a and Luke 1: 5-25, tell the story of two women who were barren and were about to become fertile.  The stories also reveal that both Samson and John the Baptist will be consecrated in the womb and chosen as key persons in salvation history. Concerning Samson, the messenger of God said that he is the one "who will begin the deliverance of Israel from the power of the Philistines." John the Baptist, Zachariah, his father, is told "will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb, and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God."

Every child that God brings into the world,  including you and me, though not consecrated in the womb but first at our baptisms, has a key role in the salvation of the world.  We, too, are called to turn to the Lord ourselves and thereby turn other people to the Lord.  We are also to cooperate with God in our deliverance from that which overpowers and distracts us from the one thing necessary: the Lord our God and His Spirit at work in our lives!

As we pray in today's responsorial psalm, Ps. 71,  God is our refuge, "a stronghold," the One who "rescues [us] from the hand of the wicked".  On God we depended "from birth; from [our] mother's womb [God had been our] strength."  It is God who makes it possible for us to carry out the purpose for which He created us. It is God who consecrates us to be a significant person in the salvation of the world in which we live! It is God who transforms our barrenness into fertility for the good all!

Called to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb

Today's first reading, Revelation 18: 1-2, 21-23; 19: 1-3, 9a, clearly describes what will happen, at the end of time when God comes to judge the world, to harvest the earth, separating good from evil, and opening the heavens to all those invited to "the wedding feast of the Lamb." John tells us that he saw an "angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth became illumined by his splendor. He cried out in a mighty voice:  'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great. She has become a haunt for demons. She is a cage for every unclean spirit...a cage for every unclean and disgusting beast....With...force will Babylon the great city be thrown down, and will never be found again....Because your merchants were the great ones of the world, all nations were led astray by your magic potion.' After this, [John tells us, he]  heard what sounded like the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying: 'Alleluia! Salvation, glory, and might belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her harlotry...."  Then the angel said to me, "Write this:  Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb."

You and I have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb! May we be ready when our last day here on earth arrives to accept Jesus' invitation to the Eternal Banquet. We prepare for that final hour every day by putting God, family and community first in our lives, by self-sacrificing love for others, by living honest and moral lives or lives of integrity, by respecting others and ourselves and by keeping our focus on Jesus, the Lamb of God who saves us from being corrupted by the unprincipled and immoral persons of this world! Truly "Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb" and whose knowledge and actions reflect that truth!

Jesus Comes to Your "House" Today

In today's Gospel, Luke 19: 1-10, Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, who gained his wealth by cheating people, learns that Jesus is passing by his house.  He is a short man so he climbs a sycamore tree to get a glimpse of Him.  Jesus looks up and says: "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house."  Quickly, Zacchaeus comes down and joyfully receives Jesus into his house, and vows to make restitution to those he has cheated: "'Behold, half of my possessions [and he is a wealthy man], Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.'  And Jesus said to  him, 'Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."

Jesus sees and knows who is seeking Him even when the person him/herself does not realize that one's frantic engagement in this and that, running here and there, switching jobs and relationships feverishly is actually a search for the Divine, for the Reconciler, for the One who really brings salvation to one's "house."  And as urgent as a person's search for that which he/she believes is the answer to his/her problems, just as urgent is Jesus' invitation:  "Come down quickly," Jesus says to Zacchaeus.  He says the same to us: "Come quickly; salvation has come to your house today"!  Jesus does not want us to delay our coming to Him or letting Him come to us with the gift of salvation!

Am I, are you, willing to step off the speeding "train"of distractions and spend time with Jesus? will you, will I , accept Jesus' invitation today? He truly wants to bring salvation to our "houses."

Open to Goodness or Maliciousness?

In today's first reading, Titus 3: 1-7, St. Paul asks Titus to remind the people "to be obedient, to be open to every good enterprise. They are," he says to Titus, "to slander no one, to be peaceable, considerate, exercising all graciousness toward everyone. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, deluded, slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another." 

As I view the news each night, I begin to wonder what happened to righteous living. I ask myself: "How deluded and foolish have we become, "slaves to various desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another"?  In faith, I know, and I hope you do, too,  a God who is generous and kind. God comes to save us, not to condemn us, we are told in the Gospels. Though I do not see it now, in the majority of the nightly news broadcasts, I know in faith that we will be saved from our foolishness, our disobedience, our delusions, our slavery to "various desires and pleasures, [from] living in malice and envy, [from]  hating ourselves and hating one another."  However, God has promised salvation to those who believe and who turn to Him in truth and in repentance, recognizing one's wickedness and sinful deeds!  Any one of us will be, or have been, given the graces which were given to the good thief on the cross when he acknowledged who Jesus was and turned to Him, begging to be remembered by Jesus when He entered the glory of the Father!  That grace is available to all who believe!  I do!  what about you?

God's Mercy

In today's first reading, Galatians 3: 7-14, St. Paul reminds us that "no one is justified before God by the law."   Only our faith in Christ Jesus justifies us.  "[T]he one who is righteous by faith will live,"   Paul tells us. "But the law does not depend on faith... Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,  for it is written, Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree, that the blessings (the gift of faith) of Abraham might be extended to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

Thank God for the gift of faith, especially on days when our behaviors would be condemned by the law.  God does not condemn; no, God saves! Christ has ransomed you and me from the curse of the law "by becoming a curse" and gives us the grace to forgive those who "curse" us and, yes, defends us from ourselves when we want to stand in judgment of self!

With the psalmist, in today's responsorial psalm, let us  pray:

"Majesty and glory are [God's] work,
and his justice endures forever.
He has won renown for his wondrous deeds;
gracious and merciful is the Lord." 

Smartness or Stupidity: Which Is it for Me/You?

In today's first reading, Galatians 3: 1-5, St. Paul is frustrated with the Galatians who have turned to the flesh and away from the Spirit. "Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?"   Paul is having a hard time comprehending how people can turn away from a God who poured out His love them upon the cross, surrendering to the Trinity's plan of salvation even unto death.   Jesus held nothing back to redeem us from the law, which condemns us, and from the cruel deceitfulness and wickedness of the devil who will go to any length to get us to deny Christ and turn away from our salvation, to deny Truth and Justice, Love and Mercy.  Satan seems to be having a hay day in the world of today. Evil seems to be triumphing over good, as on that first Good Friday.  However, we know that, as black as Good Friday was with the Savior of the world being put to death as a criminal that day, death--evil--was destroyed on that day and resurrection followed.  Good is going to triumph over evil. The wicked will not have the last word. Jesus will! Good people will!

On whose side will I be that day? the side of evil or the side of good? the side of justice or the side of injustice? the side of honesty or the side of deceitfulness? the side of love and mercy or the side of hatred and mercilessness? the side of humility or the side of pride? the side of forgiveness or the side of revenge?

Where do I stand today?  The choice is mine to make in cooperation with Jesus, who comes daily to save us, not condemn us!

God Comes to Save

In tomorrow's first reading, Is 35: 4-7a,  God asks the prophet Isaiah to "[s]ay to those whose hearts are frightened:  Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared....Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe. The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground springs of water."

Imagine the day when "the eyes of the blind"  and "the ears of the deaf" throughout the world--in our  own country, in our government, in Congress, etc.--will actually be opened to truth and to the cries of the poor, the oppressed, the abused of our societies.  That day is coming, Isaiah tells us!  God will come "with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save [us] from all kinds of oppressors, within and without: pathological lying, corruption, thievery, murder, avarice, narcissism, covetousness and so many other ways in which we are deceived by Satanic forces.

Know, too, that our own ears and eyes will be opened.  "Streams [of grace] will burst forth in the desert [of our hearts]." Our thirst for God, for Truth itself and for truth within ourselves, will be quenched!