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!

Holiness: What is it?

In the first reading, 1 Thes 4: 1-8, St. Paul exhorts the Thessalonians in the the name of Jesus to conduct themselves in ways that please the Lord. "For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.  This is the will of God, your holiness: that you refrain from  immorality, that each of you know how to acquire a wife for himself in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion as do [those] who do mot know God; not to take advantage of or exploit a brother or sister in this matter..."

You and I also know that God's will for us is our holiness, nothing less than that!  What does holiness look like? It may be a father playing basketball with his teenage son, a mother coloring with her seven-year old daughter, a husband helping his wife prepare the evening meal, a wife tending to her paralyzed husband, grandparents babysitting their grandchildren, an adult being a faithful, dependable employer; a family attending Sunday worship services,  persons making choices that improve their physical, mental and spiritual well-being (choices that lead to wholeness or holiness), and on and on!

What is holiness for you? What, obviously, would you not describe as holiness?

The Lord, Your God Wills Your Holiness/Wholeness

In  today's first reading, Leviticus 19: 1-2, 11-18, the Lord says to Moses and to us:   "Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy." How, we ask, are we to be holy as the Lord, our God, is holy? Is that not impossible? For us, on our own, yes. For us, with God, no!  God can do all things and that includes putting us on the path to holiness when we stray!

I was getting caught in a pattern of thinking that is detrimental to grace.  As I recognized the pattern, I began to pray the mantra:  "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me, a sinner."  As soon as my mind drifted back to negative thinking, I returned to the mantra.  I woke up refreshed, consulted a friend, who set me right and reminded me of what my mission is and how I allowed myself to get pulled into issues that are not my responsibility to resolve and over which I was obsessing. How free I felt and grateful for God's grace at work in me as soon as I turned to the Lord for help and realized how right my friend was in her counsel of me! And, yes, God had put me back on the path of holiness and wholeness!

What do you do when you recognize that you are on a dangerous path, one that will lead you away from what God wants of you?  What helps you experience the freedom and the peace that only God can give? What puts you back on the path to holiness, that is, to wholeness and becoming the person God intends you to become?

Transformation through Emmanuel with Us

In today's first reading, Isaiah 41: 13-20, the Lord speaks through the prophet, saying to us:  "I am the Lord, your God, who grasp your right hand; it is I who say to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.' Fear not, O worm Jacob, O maggot Israel; I will help you, says the Lord; your redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. I will make of you a threshing sledge, sharp, new, and double-edged, to thresh the mountains and crush them, to make the hills like chaff. When you winnow them, the wind shall carry them off and the storm shall scatter them. But you shall rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the Holy One of Israel."

Reading this, I am, at first, offended by the Lord describing Jacob and Israel as worms and maggots. What? a worm? a maggot?  Then the thought came to me of the transformation of each of us when, as Isaiah says later in this passage, we are made "a threshing sledge, sharp, new, and doubled-edged, to thresh the mountains [of sin] and crush them, to make the hills chaff."   What are we, in Christ Jesus, threshing and turning into chaff which the wind blows away?  Mountains of pride and selfishness, of deceitfulness and corruption; in short, sin in us is transformed, by grace, into holiness! All of this leads us to "rejoice  in the Lord, and glory in the Holy One of Israel."

Through the shedding of His blood on the cross and His resurrection from the dead, Jesus clothed us with a mantle of justice and put a robe of salvation on us. In our baptism we died with Christ and rose with Him; hence the "mountains" are crushed and the "hills"turned to chaff, rough ways are made smooth and the heavens are opened for the redeemed!

That is why God became human!

Sanctified in Christ Jesus and Clothed in Holiness

In today's first reading, 1 Cor 1: 1-9, St. Paul refers to the people of Corinth and us,  as persons who "have been sanctified in Christ Jesus," persons "called to be holy with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Grace to you," Paul prays, "and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."  Paul tells the people that he always thanks God "for the grace bestowed [upon them] in Christ Jesus, that in him [they] were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ." In today's Gospel,Matthew 24: 42-51, Jesus asks us to "stay awake" for Jesus' coming, be that our personal dying to this world and returning home to heaven  with Jesus or Jesus' second coming at the end of this world as we now know it!

What blessing is Paul, perhaps, talking about?  First of all, God's grace and  peace, a peace the world cannot give and what is ours when we seek God in solitude, in prayer, in being true to our call as children of the Most High. Furthermore, Paul speaks about our being enriched in every way and not lacking in any spiritual gifts! What might those be?  The opportunities, I believe,  for discourse of things that matter concerning our faith, our growth in love and in trust; all knowledge necessary for 1) walking with the Lord God through this world in which we now exist and 2) for growing in love!  WOW!  For what else can we ask?

Living through the Eyes of Faith

In yesterday's first reading, 1 Thes 3: 7-13, Saint Paul tells the Thessalonians that they are "reassured about you, brothers and sisters, in our every distress and affliction, through your faith."  Could those who know me, know you, be reassured in what they are going through because of our faith?  Do you, do I, live each day and look upon each circumstance of life through the eyes of faith?  "Night and day," Saint Paul tells the Thessalonians, "we pray beyond measure to see you in person and remedy the deficiencies of your faith."

May the deficiencies of your faith and mine be remedied. May our hearts be so strengthened that we are found "blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones."  This is Paul's prayer for the Thessalonians and for us. It is my prayer for my loved ones and for myself, so that our faith strengthens others and does not lead to their downfall, causing them to lose faith in Christ Jesus and especially to lose faith in Jesus' invitation at each Eucharist:  "Take and eat; this is my body given up for you. Take and drink of this cup; it is the blood of the New Covenant poured our for you" (Luke 22: 19-20).

God's Instructions of Being Holy/Whole in His Sight

Today’s first reading, Leviticus 19: 1-2, 11-18, begins with the Lord asking us to “Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy” and then spells out ways in which we are not holy, namely, when we:

·         Steal, rob others of their rights, engage in fraudulent behaviors

·         Lie in any way, swear falsely, spread slanderous statements against anyone

·         Use God’s name disrespectfully

·         Curse the deaf and put stumbling blocks in front of the blind

·         Render unjust , dishonest judgments towards anyone

·         Show partiality toward the rich and famous as well as toward the weak and vulnerable

·         Do nothing when another’s life is in danger

·         Bear hatred in our hearts  towards anyone

·         Seek revenge and hold grudges

Lord, how unholy am I, how much in need of your mercy and forgiveness from you and others.

Dorothy Ann,   (your name), as “the height of heaven above earth, so strong is [God’s] faithful love for… [you] who [reverence the Lord].  As the distance of east from west, so far from [you] does [God] put [your] faults. As tenderly as a [loving, caring, forgiving] father treats his children, so Yahweh treats [you, his daughter/son]; [God] knows of what [you] are made, [God] remembers that [you] are dust."

Thank you, Lord, for your merciful, caring restorative justice, loving me into eternity, loving me into right relationships with you, others and myself.  Thank you for being merciful and understanding of my human nature, its downfalls and weaknesses, its sinfulness and efforts to do what is right before you, to “be holy as You are holy.”

Seeking Peace and Holiness

In today’s first reading, Hebrews 12: 4-7, 11-15, St. Paul instructs us to “[a]lways be wanting peace with all people, and the holiness without which on one can ever see the Lord. Be careful that no one is deprived of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness should begin to grow and make trouble; this can poison a whole community.”

In this same passage, Paul reminds us that the Lord disciplines his sons and daughters.  The purpose of that discipline is that we may grow in holiness and, thus, not deprive others of the grace of God that gives life to the whole community. That discipline might come from a correction from another or by a disturbance in my relationships or within myself that alerts me that something is not right. I then need to take note and look at what part of the suffering I am causing. And when I discover how I have contributed to the turmoil, I then need to do my part to restore the peace, that is, acknowledge my part and, possibly, apologize.  When I am ranting within myself about something, frustrated and upset and pointing a finger at someone else's role in the commotion, I find it very helpful to say to myself: Dorothy, you have the most to improve.  That helps me let go and embrace the peace God wants to give me.

  At the end of each day, it is also helpful to reflect upon whether or not I have been a source of holiness in the community, that is, have I,  by my love and forgiveness, by my peace and serenity, by my hopefulness and faithfulness to the Gospel, allowed the grace and mercy of God to flow through me into others? Or, on the contrary, have I poisoned the atmosphere by my unresolved anger and bitterness,  by my selfish ambitions and unforgiving stance, by hidden pride lurking in my attitudes or by my hopelessness and disloyalty to the Gospel of Christ?

"Made Glorious in God's Sight" (Is 49:3, 5-6)

In today’s first reading, Isaiah 49: 3, 5-6, God says to us through  the prophet : [You are] made glorious in the sight of the Lord,…God is now [your] strength.” That gift is confirmed in the second reading of today’s liturgy, 1 Cor 1: 1-3, where St. Paul reminds us that we “have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…”In today’s Gospel, John 1: 29-34, John the Baptist points out Jesus to us, saying: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world….[H]e is the Son of God.”

May you and I ponder the fact that we “are made glorious in the sight of the Lord.  If I truly believe that,  then nothing else really matters!  And if I remember that God is my strength, then, too, nothing else matters.  When I do not remember these realities, I can easily become flustered, even in the face of minor realities affecting my life.

I have  a greater possibility of remaining calm in today’s troubled world when I take time to ponder God’s Word and sit in God’s Presence every day!  When I do not take time to seek the Lord in personal prayer on a daily basis, it is easy to get swept away in frantic activity. Calling upon the Lord’s name is an essential element of growing in holiness—that is my responsibility. God has done His part: He has sanctified me in Christ Jesus. I have to seek God in quiet, personal prayer and devote time to serving the needs of others  for that holiness to grow in me!

The Righteous and the Unrighteous

Today’s first reading,, 1 John 3: 7-10,  gives a clear description of those who choose good, following Jesus’ example  and those who choose evil, following and being deceived by Satan, the Father of Lies:  “Children, let no one deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness is righteous, just as he {Jesus] is righteous. Whoever sins belongs to the Devil, because the Devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the Devil. No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God’s seed remains in him [or her]….[N]o one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his [or her] brother [or sister].”

Those are strong words and could be very confusing.  All of us sin! Does that mean that all of us belong to the Devil?  We need to read further, realizing that “the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the Devil.”  By our baptism, we have become children of God, begotten by God. Through our baptism we belong to Jesus and through our baptism and the other sacraments, the works of the Devil in us have been destroyed and the seeds of holiness planted.  Therefore, within us is the power to grow in holiness, in goodness, and in grace.  We are not doomed to be slaves of Satan, to act dishonestly, unjustly, or immorally nor out of hatred, prejudice, or bigotry. No!  We will, through grace and in Christ Jesus, become free of sin, free of Satan, free to act justly, honestly, and morally and to love tenderly (cf. Micah 6:8). Through the overpowering of the Holy Spirit in baptism and confirmation and any other sacrament, Jesus in given birth in us.  Through this birth, by Jesus dwelling within us, by our faith in Christ Jesus, sin has no more power over us. Hatred,  bigotry, prejudice, greediness, slothfulness, deceitfulness, or other immorality within  us is deprived of its power  by God’s Presence.

I believe this!  What is your belief? Does your life, and mine,  reflect our belief in Christ Jesus as redeemer and sanctifier

Claiming our Royalty at the Foot of the Cross

One of the meditations I reflected upon today stated “The world is under the bondage  of sin and evil” (Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, p. 153).  In today’s first reading, 1 Peter 2: 2-5, 9-12, St. Peter says    “you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of [God’s] own, so that you may announce the praises s of [God] who called you out of darkness into [God’s] wonderful light.” One statement describes why we needed redemption and the other the effect of redemption!   O, the greatness, the generosity and the mercy of our God, as described by Peter: “Once you were no people  but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy  but now you have received mercy.”

Being God’s people, Peter invites us to “long for pure spiritual milk so that through it [we] may grow into salvation…”  May we grow into the salvation that is ours: being “a chosen race, a royal priesthood,  a holy nation, a people of {God’s] own.”  Yes, we will, in fact,  grow “out of darkness into {God’s] wonderful light.”  We might not realize that God is always at work in the world, transforming its darkness into light, its sinfulness and evil into holiness  and goodness anymore than persons watching the crucifixion of Jesus on the cross realized that the world was being freed from its bondage to sin and evil or that the Crucified Jesus truly was the One sent by God to save us, not condemn us.

 As we listen to the news every night and are fed “food” poisoned by ways in which people are “under the bondage of sin and evil” may we thirst and hunger more and more for God’s righteousness, for “pure spiritual milk” that St. Peter talks about in today’s first reading!  May we also, at times when we are faced with this world’s sinfulness, recall Jesus’ words: “Be not afraid. I have conquered the world.”  Jesus, who resides within us, will conquer the world of evil that we face and or experience within or with-out ourselves.

This is my belief! What is yours?

The Struggle of Good and Evil Within

"In God I trust; I shall not fear" (Ps 56)  had to be David's mantra, as he learns that Saul is determined to kill him. Saul is jealous that David, following his killing of Goliath. The women from all the cities of Israel attribute to "David ten thousands, but only thousands to me. All that remains for him is the kingship" (1 Samuel 1: 6-9). Saul's son Jonathan intercedes on his behalf, convincing his father not to kill David. Though he does not do so, his jealousy is aroused over and over again, as is that of David's own son Absalom.  David spends a lot of time hiding from those who seek to kill him.   In the Gospel of today, Mark 3: 7-12, Jesus asks his disciples to provide him a boat "because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him".   We also know that eventually the Scribes and Pharisees were so jealous of Jesus' popularity and afraid the people would put Him on the throne that they, too, plotted to kill him and did so.

Jealousy and envy are attitudes that can lead nations, families and individuals into murderous plots and/or other behaviors that bring harm to one's perceived enemies as well as to oneself. What do I do when the "Saul," the "Absalom," the "Scribe," or the "Pharisee" in me dominates my thoughts and actions?

May jealousy and envy within us be transformed by an attitude of thankfulness and rejoicing in the Lord. May we  put "on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts" (Romans 13:14) or, in the words of Ephesians 4:24, by our putting "on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness".

Mary, the Immaculate Conception

Through Jesus Christ, we are adopted into a new family, a holy family, a transformed family, a redeemed family on the road to eternal salvation.  The first member of this family is Mary, born without sin, who gives birth to Jesus, to the Son of God made man, taking on human nature.  God would come to dwell in each one of us, beginning with Mary's "yes." He entered her sinless nature, her womb, at that "yes."

God's plan from the beginning of the world was unfolding and continues to unfold in our lives. Goodness, which is rooted in our very nature, would take on evil.  Jesus also says "yes" to God's holy will, unlike Adam and Eve, who disobey God in the Garden of Eden and unlike the Chosen People, who over and over again on their journey to the Promised Land, followed their own will instead of God's.  Jesus is the new Adam and the New Israel, obedient to the Father unto death.

Through that obedience, you and I become adopted children of God. We become part of the Holy Family, "blessed...in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as [God] chose us in [Christ], before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him." The only way we appear "without blemish before him," is through the blood of Christ poured out upon us from the cross. "In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ," Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12, "in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved."

Yes! our destiny is both Mary's destiny and the  destiny of Jesus, the first born of the dead.  The gates of heaven, closed to us when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, was opened to us when Mary and Jesus said "yes," a yes that took Mary to the foot of the cross and nailed Jesus on the cross for our salvation.  Our "yes" will also take us to the foot of the cross, to endure the suffering of saying "no" to sin and "yes" to God every day of our lives. May we realize that God meets us in each of those situations to help us in our weakness, to strengthen our resolve to say "yes" as Mary and Jesus (and Joseph) did.

Consecrated--Made Holy and One with God--by Christ Jesus

Both readings of today’s liturgy, Acts 20: 28-38 and John 17: 11b-19, are farewell discourses. Paul is saying goodbye to the people he served and to whom he proclaimed the Good News of salvation. Jesus is saying goodbye just before going to the Garden of Gethsemane where He accepted His Father’s will to shed His blood for our salvation and to show us the depth of God’s love for us.

I am blown away by Jesus’ final prayer for us. He asks His Father, His Abba, and ours, to “keep” us in His “name that you have given me, so that they may be one just we are one.”   Jesus is praying that we may be one with the Trinity as the Persons of the Trinity are one with each other. In no way will the Father not answer Jesus’ prayer. His request will be granted. We, as God’s adopted children, are in the process of realizing our oneness with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We have the choice of saying “yes” to this gift that Jesus wants for us! 

Jesus reminds the Father that those the Father has given to Him He has guarded and that none of them have been lost. He says to the Father: “I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.”  May we let those words sink into our very beings: you and I do not belong to this world!  Jesus then goes on to say to the Father: “I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One….Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth….I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.” Remember we are one with Jesus, who dwells in our very being so in Jesus’ consecration, we, too, are consecrated.

Wow! What an awesome God!  May you and I live up to the dignity that Jesus has secured for us by the shedding of His blood and His consecration of us.

Be holy as I, the Lord Your God, am holy

Today's first reading, Leviticus 19: 1-2, 11-18,  opens with: "Be hold, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy."  This counsel follows with a set of "shall-nots."  If we change the "shall nots" to positive behaviors that lead to being transformed into God image, into the image of the Trinity, the text might read as follows:

"Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy":

• Respect the goods/the possessions of others.

• Be honest in all your relationships with them.

• Speak the truth about  and to others. Be affirming of the good within and performed by them.

• Honor God's name.

• Be generous and just with others.

• Be helpful, caring and compassionate toward the deaf, the blind, and those handicapped in any way.

• Judge others fairly.

• Be inclusive and treat all persons alike: the weak and the strong, the rich and the poor, males and females; this culture, this sexual orientation, this religion or another.

• Assist others especially when their lives are at stake.

Do all this for I am the Lord and God of all. I am the One who created and sustains the existence of each person as each progresses in holiness, learns to reject Satan, and builds my Kindom on earth as in heaven.

In this passage, what, in particular, is God calling me to this Lent?

God Dwells among Us

In today's first reading, 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30, Solomon is amazed that God, the Creator of the Universe, has entered the Temple. How, he wonders, does God, whom the highest heaven cannot contain, dwell in a temple built by humans. More than that, however, God becomes a human person Himself. He takes on human flesh as the Son of Man, God Incarnate. He becomes one of us and experiences everything about being human, except sin. He is acquainted with sadness and sorrow, rejection and acceptance, joy and gratitude. Because he became human, he knows firsthand what it is like to be treated rudely, arrogantly, abusively, to be spoken to disrespectfully,to be looked down upon with disdain. His feelings have been bruised by sarcasm and ridicule. He's been abandoned, left to die--yes, he has been the man left for dead on the roadside, having been beaten and robbed. He is our homeless and immigrant population, the so-called alien person that people want deported, cast out of their countries, their towns and cities, their parishes and their homes. How can it be so? That is God's love for humanity, a love that is infinite.He is elated when we experience the best of what it means to be human. He grieves when we experience the worst of what it means to be human, when we allow sin in us to have the upper hand over grace. For that reason He became human, died and rose from the dead that we, too, will rise from all that creates death in ourselves and in others. What a great God we have, one like us in all things but sin so that we, too, can become the very holiness of God and realize the best version of ourselves.

Aspirants to holiness

In today’s first reading, 1 Tim 3: 1-13, Paul addresses bishops, deacons and women.  As I reflected upon his message, I applied it to all Christians, to disciples of Christ, to all of us aspiring for holiness.  It then reads something like this:

“Beloved, this saying is trustworthy: whoever aspires…[to be a disciple of Christ] must be irreproachable,…temperate, self-controlled, decent, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle, not contentious, not a lover of money.  …[One who aspires to holiness] must manage…[one’s own person] well, keeping…[oneself] under control with perfect dignity; for if…[a person] does not know how to manage…[oneself], how can…[such a person] take care of the Church of God  [the people of God]?   ….[Such a person] must also have a good reputation among outsiders, so…[as not to] fall into disgrace, the Devil’s trap.”

Furthermore, all who aspire to holiness, “must be dignified, not deceitful, not addicted to drink, not greedy for sordid gain, holding fast to the mystery of faith with a clear conscience….Thus those who serve well…gain good standing and much confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.”

Wow!  We know that none of us acquires this dignity on our own. We all need Christ and the Holy Spirit working within us. We all need the sacraments and the Word of God instructing and transforming us on a daily basis.   Without God, we will not attain this stature of being Christ’s disciples or being serious aspirants to holiness.

God Wills Your Wholeness

St. Paul reminds us in today’s first reading, 1 Thes 4: 1-8, that God’s will for us is our “holiness.”  God wills our integrity, our transparency, our wholeness, our honesty, our purity, our simplicity; in short,  our sacred commitment to Truth, to Life, to  Christ--the way to the Father.  God wills that we again become childlike: innocent, awe-filled, loving and trusting, inclusive, transparent, faith-filled and hope-filled.  God desires that you and I refrain from immoral acts: acts of evil intent, malicious acts, hate-filled acts; that we refrain from deceitfulness and from all that is contrary to godliness, to loving and forgiving as God loves and forgives us.  God wills our good. 

What do you will for yourself and others?  Is your will worthy of being carried out in actuality, that is, are your actions and attitudes in sync with your innermost desires, those that come from your God-self, or are they aligned with the propensity to act contrary to God's will, to succumb to the weakness of sin that exist within each one of us?

Jesus' Gentle but Profound Reminder

Today’s reading may, at first glance, be experienced as repulsive. How can Jesus say, I asked, if you sin with an eye, gouge it out. If your hand or foot causes you to sin, chop it off. “Better to go to Gehenna maimed than with both hands and feet and eyes.”  Granted,  Jesus is overstating a point because sin is a serious offence against God. An insult, in fact! God came to earth, assumed human nature, subjected Himself to humankind’s inhumanity toward each other in order to save us from sin and all of its effects.  How is it that I could possibly take sin lightly!

As I ponder both the first reading, Sirach 5: 1-8, and the Gospel, Mk 9: 41-50, the following prayer surfaced from the depth of my being:

Lord, how easy to use my ears to listen to gossip, my lips and tongue to spread gossip, my feet to walk away from a beggar, my hands to withhold that which would ease the pain of another, my eyes to look away from a desperate person hoping for mercy  May that not be so today and less and less so as time for me progresses toward eternal life. I want to see as You see, hear as You hear, speak as You speak, use my hands and feet as You used Yours to heal people and to approach people as one who cares about and for them, as persons who are my sister and brother in Christ Jesus.

Lord, forgive me when I used my hands, feet, eyes, ears and any other of my senses in selfish, sinful ways. Transform me, Lord into a vessel of grace this day and every day.

The Lord then reminded me that God saves, God heals, God sanctifies, God makes us whole.

Begotten of God

The first reading for today’s liturgy begins with the statement: “If you consider that God is righteous [good, just, truth and love], you also know that everyone who acts in righteousness [goodness, holiness, justice, and truth] is begotten by God."  If I am begotten of God, I originate from God. If my choices flow out of justice, goodness, righteousness, holiness, truth and/or love, they originate from the Holy Spirit working within and through me.  If my works are of God, I, too, am of God. Christ came into the world in obedience to the Father to take sin away, to destroy sin, so that we are no longer its slaves but free to act through the Spirit.  Sin in the world and sin in human nature has been nailed to the cross. Anyone who believes and looks upon the cross of Christ for mercy each day and each moment, especially when tempted by Satan, will know Christ as Christ knows him/her and is set free to reject Satan by the One who knew no sin.  Christ triumphed over sin through His death and resurrection  in obedience to the Father’s will  and so, too, will you and I in Christ Jesus, who, as St. John tells us in today’s Gospel,  baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. That is my hope. What is yours?