Should we walk like him or live like him?

English: Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gift:  Piety (Reverence) – With the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love.

Reading:  This is the way we may know that we are in union with him:^e whoever claims to abide in him ought to live [just] as he lived. (1 John 2:5b-6)

Observation:  What would Jesus do?  As I am sure I have said before, I think the question should be, what would I do, in light of all the Jesus has done for me?  The first translation that I read in the readings today, said that if we claim to abide in him, we should walk as he walked.  It reminded me of all the times that I wore my sandals and felt like somehow I was walking like Jesus.  I think John is speaking more about walking in the light of truth and not letting sin lead your life.  If I am going to follow a life, I feel like I might have more chance of following Mary, since she was not begotten by God.  I am called by my Sacrament of Confirmation to be led by the Holy Spirit, and that same Holy Spirit makes a dwelling for the Lord in my heart, it is still a whole lot different than what Mary was called to do.  I go back to what I said earlier, I think it is less about me following their example literally and more about living my life in a way that pours out for others, like Jesus and Mary did.

Personification:  Generosity. If I am going to display the fruit of generosity in my life, I must continue to ask for others to help in our ministry to the youth in our parish, and be willing to do whatever is necessary to help them feel comfortable with leading the next generation to a better understanding of our faith.  This generosity is not allowed to hold back because of embarrassment from past sins or even present sins for that matter, if we are going to take part in mentoring young people to be the next leaders in our church.

Prayer:  Lord, let me be an example that leads people to an authentic relationship with you that is based on truth and not the illusion of faith that too often exist in our church today.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit…Amen!

 

Is it just me, or is Jesus talking to us too?

Offertoire en rite tridentin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Gift:  Piety (Reverence) – With the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love.

 

Reading:  Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.  For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”  (Luke 10:23-24)

 

Observation:  It is possible that I came to this conclusion before when I heard this reading and I may have even journaled on it.  However, I feel like it is important for me to say that I feel blessed to be living in these days where we can know Jesus intimately through all the Sacraments, especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Eucharist.  In both visible signs of God’s grace, we can see, feel and experience grace in a way that the prophets and kings of the old testament only dreamed about.

 

Personification:  Patience. I came to the conclusion after Mass on Sunday, that I need to show more patience with those that are leading our congregation in worship and in the different ministries in our church.  I was reminded of the fact that it took me 20 years of walking in the faith to come to the conclusions that I have about the importance and necessity of the church in all areas of your life.  That should not be a matter of pride for me that I got to this point in my faith in 20 years, rather I should be thankful that the grace of God has gotten me this far and his grace is enough to get us all to be able to enjoy eternal life with Him.

 

Prayer:  Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner…Amen!

 

If He has raised us from the dead, what do we do now?

Gift:  Piety (Reverence) – With the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love.

Reading:  and the LORD said to him:  ^* Pass through the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and mark an X on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the abominations practiced within it.  (Ezekiel 9:4)

&

He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.  (Luke 7:14-15)

Observation:  I feel like my soul was awakened this morning during my reading of the Office of Readings that included that verse from the book of Ezekiel.  After hearing the reading of the Gospel at our communion service this morning, I realized that dead man in Luke’s Gospel is me.  Jesus saved me from being buried in my sin, and how am I going to repay that gift.  My hope is that the vision that I have of the young man, that Jesus awakens in the Gospel, where he is  running around telling how great Jesus is, will be my reaction too.

Personification:  Joy  It is with great joy that I thank God for revealing the truth to me through His Word today.  I hope that I will continue to share this Good News with everyone that I meet today.  Although the reading of Ezekiel’s book could be seen as bad news, it is not bad news for those who are calling out the abominations that exist in our society, just as they did in Jerusalem during Ezekiel’s time.  The last line of the Gospel verse that I selected today says that Jesus gave the boy to his mother, and it is with great joy that I hope my mother on earth and His Holy Mother in Heaven receives me and they continue to pray and intercede for my immortal soul.

Prayer:  Hail Mary, full of grace.  The Lord is with you.  Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

Create in me, a clean heart…

 

English: Scroll of the Psalms (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Gift:  Piety (Reverence) – With the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love.

 

Reading:  My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;

 

a contrite, humbled heart, O God, you will not scorn.  (Psalm 51:19)

 

Observation:  I was trying to decide whether to post a video or post my regular journal this morning, when I got a tweet from Rick Warren this morning that said that I should not let anyone else make a decision for me.  The truth is, I post the videos because I think that is the way most people might eventually be exposed to the concept of journaling, but for now the focus is on the work that God is doing in me.  The potential for what he could do in others, will have to wait until God has better prepared me to do it.

 

Personification:  Peace.  The journaling that I try to do every morning, gives me such a peace about the work that God is doing in me.  I hope to be able to share that peace with my family today and anyone who I may come in contact with.  I just received another tweet from Rick Warren, exactly two minutes ago that said,  “Personal discipline always yields more freedom.  The fruit of the Spirit is #Self Control.  Gal 5:23…I should be focusing on self control as well today, and the hope is that it will yield more true freedom.

 

Prayer:  Lord, create in me a clean heart, so that my contrition will be a worthy offering to you and your work will be done in and through me today.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit…Amen!

 

 

 

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Great faith heals sickness and expels demons…

Jesus exorcising the Canaanite Woman’s daughter from Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, 15th century. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gift: Piety (Reverence) – With the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love.

Reading:  And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.  (Matthew 15:22,28)

Observation:  As in the case of the Centurion’s servant who was healed because of the Centurion’s faith, so is this Canaanite woman’s daughter set free because of the woman’s faith.  I don’t know if God meant to reveal a formula for those that are outside the church to receive healing, but I can’t help but think that this Gospel reading is revealing that formula.  My focus should be on the sheep in my fold, or my immediate family, but Jesus revealed that the grace to heal my extended family is available to them, if they can have great faith and approach Jesus and ask for it.

Personification:  Love. I hope that I can start to set the world on fire with God’s love that comes as a result of following His will for me today.  I see that His grace is enough for me, but I want my other family members to see that it is enough for them too, and I think the only way to do that is to love them.

Prayer:  Lord, make me an instrument of your love.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit…Amen!

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All evil must be left behind…

 

English: Repent window, Mathon church, near to Mathon, Herefordshire, Great Britain. Beneath the left side: Repent ye for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” and the right: “Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness”. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Gift:  Piety (Reverence) – With the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love.

 

Reading:  Jeremiah said to the princes and all the people: “It was the LORD who sent me to prophesy against this house and city everything you have heard.  Now, therefore, reform your ways and your deeds; listen to the voice of the LORD your God, so that the LORD will have a change of heart regarding the evil he has spoken against you.  As for me, I am in your hands; do with me what is good and right in your eyes.  But you should certainly know that by putting me to death, you bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city and its inhabitants. For in truth it was the LORD who sent me to you, to speak all these words for you to hear.”  (Jeremiah 26:12-15)

 

Observation:  I am reading in the first reading, an admonition to all of us to repent of the evil in our life, so that God will repent of the evil that he will rain down on us in judgment for choosing evil over Him.  If we do choose God, we can count on His protection over our lives.  Even the worst situation is a gift when seen through the eyes of faith, but the best situations will be seen as a curse to those that are not in God’s grace and not following His will for their lives.

 

Personification:  Self-Control. If I can focus on God’s will for my life and not on whatever evil I have gotten comfortable with, I will be able to display the fruit of self-control.  The best scenario would be to never get comfortable with evil, but our lives make that impossible sometimes.  The grace of God will come to those that repent of the evil when they recognize it in their life, or they are made aware of it by people who love them.

 

Prayer:  Lord, help me repent of whatever evil exists in my life, and help me be a prophet to those who cannot recognize the evil in their life.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit…Amen!

 

  

 

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Called to live an out of this world life, holy!!!

Jesus christ(coptic) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gift:  Piety (Reverence) – With the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love.

Reading:  For this reason, 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.So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,^* nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.^* 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,for which I was appointed preacher and apostle and teacher.^* On this account I am suffering these things; but I am not ashamed, for I know him in whom I have believed and am confident that he is able to guard what has been entrusted to me until that day.  (2 Timothy 1:6-12)

Observation:  I wrote out an entry for my journal this morning, it disappeared as I tried to post it.  The title was saved, but the body of the entry was erased, as if I never wrote anything.  I must have said something that was either going to get me in to trouble or was not written for building up the kingdom of God.  As I write this journal entry this evening, I do not know if what I am writing will be worthy to be posted, but I can be sure that God is working on me, so that I will understand more fully what his Word is revealing to me.

Personification:  Self-Control  It is only through the grace of God that I can display the fruit of self-control.  When I rely on my understanding and knowledge, along with my will and selfish desires, I can never hope to display the fruit of self-control.  However, once I realize that God has created me for so much more  than my own desires, I start to see the power and love that controls my will and directs me to follow His will for my life.

Prayer:  Lord, I want to make myself into the man who you created me to be, by complying with your will in my life.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.  Amen.

When you visit your relative, hate what is evil…

Sandro Botticelli, Magnificat, 1480-81, tempera on panel, Uffizi Gallery, Florence (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gift:  Piety (Reverence) – With the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love.

Reading:  Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord (Romans 12:9-11)

Observation:  Ok, I took a little poetic license with combining the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the first reading from Mass.  If it causes just one person to click on my blog today and read the readings for today’s Mass, and even more if it causes them to go to Mass, I will feel like God accomplished the objective of my little blog of getting more people to read His Word, and that is awesome.

Personification: Peace   It is my hope that I can display the fruit of peace in my life today and be an instrument of God’s peace to my family and my community today.  It is only be focusing on the truth that comes from God that I can display peace.

Prayer:  Lord, bring me to your peace today and allow me to put Your peace on display to everyone I meet in person, online or on the phone.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit. Amen.

We may be ignorant, but it is now our fault…

Gift:  Piety (Reverence) – With the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love.

Reading:  God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that all people everywhere repent because he has established a day on which he will ‘judge the world with justice’ through a man he has appointed, and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead.”  (Acts 17:30-31)

Observation:  In the first reading for today’s Mass, I am hearing Paul when he says these words to the people of Athens, he is speaking to us today in the United States.  I hear that up until this point, God has excused our ignorance, because it has seemed like we had the greater good of all people as our goal.  It seems we have completely lost that goal and are completely focused on money as our only one true God.  His words that we must repent, are even more biting to all of us that need money to support our family, but we must remember to treat the money we have with a sense of duty for the work that it can do to eradicate poverty and homelessness in the world and not for the things of this world that it can buy.

Personification:  Generosity   I hope that I can live my life today and every day with a generosity that comes from the grace of God.  I know that God is taking care of my needs and the needs of my family.  Therefore, I can live my life with the reckless abandon of all hope that I could have in the money that is in my bank account, and realize more fully the potential that it has to change the hearts of those that might need a small part of it to be able to put food on the table or keep from being put out on the street.

Prayer:  Lord, I know this is dangerous, but I want you to bring those people who could benefit from the money that I have in my account to my attention so I can see a way, by your grace, to help them.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of  the Son, and of the holy Spirit.  Amen.

Forgiveness…

Image via Wikipedia

Gift:  Piety (Reverence) – With the gift of reverence, sometimes called piety, we have a deep sense of respect for God and the Church. A person with reverence recognizes our total reliance on God and comes before God with humility, trust, and love.

Reading:  34″Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt.^*35^* So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”  (Matthew18:34-35)

Observation:  After Sunday’s tirade through the temple and today’s mention of the wrath of God that will come to anyone who does not forgive his brother, I am thoroughly convinced that Jesus is telling me that properly placed anger is definitely part of God’s will.  I don’t believe this gives me the right to judge anyone, but when something is evil and has the intentional harm of others as part of its foundation, I am allowed to be angry with it.  I will never hate the sinner, but I will always hate the evil.

Personification:  Peace  I hope that I can display the fruit of peace to everyone that I meet today.  Mostly to my family, but also to my extended church family.  We will see how it goes…God is enough to make it happen!

Prayer:  (Saint Francis Prayer)

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.Where there is hatred, let me sow love.Where there is injury, pardon.Where there is doubt, faith.Where there is despair, hope.Where there is darkness, light.Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.  Amen.

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