If you read the first reading for Mass today, you will hear how the scroll was to taste sweet in John’s mouth, but then turn his stomach sour…I hope the pie does not turn sour in my stomach, but I am hearing the call of the Lord to continue the prophecy that is being given to me through the Word everyday…I pray that God continues to show me through His Word and His Followers, the truth that comes from scripture and sacred tradition…Amen!
Gift: Knowledge – With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God’s Revelation, especially as expressed in the life and words of Jesus Christ. A person with knowledge is always learning more about the scriptures and Tradition.
Reading: Arise, LORD! Save me, my God! (Psalms 3:8)
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But he would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home *to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” (Mark 5:19)
Observation: It is amazing that the Lord would rise up inside of me and save me, because I have spent so much of my life looking more like the man possessed by many demons than someone worthy of salvation. I guess that is the point of today’s responsorial Psalm from the Mass readings and the Gospel. The truth is, even the crazy man who is running around destroying stuff and tormenting people, God sees as worthy of saving. For me, I am thankful that God has taken up residence in my heart and I am hopeful that I will always remember to call on the Lord to rise up in me and never take for granted that Jesus is waiting for me to invite him into my body through the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
Personification: Love I know that with the love that God has shown me through the sacrifice of His Son, I should be able to love everyone that I meet today. It is only by grace that I can display love for people who I do not know, and it is a miracle that someone like me, who was raised not to show affection, can make a free and open display of God’s love to others.
Prayer: Lord, help me to display your love to others out of store of grace that has been freely given to me through your church. 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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Gift: Knowledge – With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God’s Revelation, especially as expressed in the life and words of Jesus Christ. A person with knowledge is always learning more about the scriptures and Tradition.
Reading: Brothers and sisters:
I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh.
The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not.
For I do not do the good I want,
but I do the evil I do not want.
Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it,
but sin that dwells in me.
So, then, I discover the principle
that when I want to do right, evil is at hand.
For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self,
but I see in my members another principle
at war with the law of my mind,
taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
Miserable one that I am!
Who will deliver me from this mortal body?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 7:18-25a)
Observation: So, as I read the first reading yesterday and today, I was left with a sincere impression that Saint Paul was excusing himself from judgment for any future sins. However, as I sat in Mass this morning, I realized that he was only explaining his past sinfulness, with a sincere hope that God through his Son, Jesus Christ, would save him from his sinful nature in the future.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. 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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Gift: Knowledge – With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God’s Revelation, especially as expressed in the life and words of Jesus Christ. A person with knowledge is always learning more about the scriptures and Tradition.
Reading: Therefore, you are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment.* For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the very same things. (Romans 2:1)
Observation: It was not my intention to pass judgment on anyone with yesterdays post. I hope it was not taken that way. The reading was leading me to post that video and I know that the music would speak directly to someone that I tagged with it, but I did not mean to accuse him of any wrong doing. At least, not anymore than I would accuse myself of, especially in the light of today’s reading from the continuation of the letter to the Romans. I am, by no means, free from sin, and therefore not qualified to judge anyone, and I hope no one took my post from yesterday as an indictment against anyone.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. Amen!
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Gift: Knowledge – With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God’s Revelation, especially as expressed in the life and words of Jesus Christ. A person with knowledge is always learning more about the scriptures and Tradition.
Reading: And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,i to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,* for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,* to the extent of the full stature of Christ. (Ephesians 4:7,11-13)
Observation: The title of my post for today is the 7th verse of the 4th chapter of Ephesians. I am hearing today, after attending our Mass at 8:30am this morning, that I am being given the grace to fulfill the mission that God has given me. It is because God has a mission for me, and I feel obligated to use this grace to seek the path that he has laid before me, and not be sidetracked by something that would put my focus on something that was not of God.
Personification: Patience It is my hope that I will be able to show the fruit of patience in my life today. I know that God is trying to build up patience in me, but I hope I can start displaying it, so he can stop building it up in me so much.
Prayer: Lord, help me to display patience in my life, so that you will not have to build it up in me anymore. 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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Gift: Knowledge – With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God’s Revelation, especially as expressed in the life and words of Jesus Christ. A person with knowledge is always learning more about the scriptures and Tradition.
Reading: He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.”* (Luke 8:21)
Observation: It appears to me that I am hitting kind of a softball pitch today, in choosing to journal on this verse because I know I have journaled on this concept of being in the same family of God by following the Word of God before. However, it is a different reading this time that has more to do with what it means to be a brother to the Lord, than in Mark’s gospel where it has to do with our status as it relates to the Mother of God. Before, I think I took a more conceited view of this position, instead of a humble view that Luke gospel is calling me to today.
Personification: Gentleness My middle son, who is 9, is very sensitive to any form of discipline. I could give you the many reasons I believe this happens, but I would rather see his emotional reaction as a barometer for me to see if I have crossed the line from discipline to anger. I will display gentleness today and will see the fruit of that gentleness that manifests itself in my children.
Prayer: Lord, continue to build in me a spirit of forgiveness and thankfulness for everything that you have done and will do in my life. I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit. Amen.
Moses Sees the Promised Land from Afar
Gift: Knowledge – With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God’s Revelation, especially as expressed in the life and words of Jesus Christ. A person with knowledge is always learning more about the scriptures and Tradition.
Reading: I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the LORD, your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. (Deuteronomy 30:19-20a)
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Then he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily 11 and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
Observation: I put the title for my post today in quotes, because that is how I hear God speaking to me today through the first reading and the gospel for today’s Mass. Please don’t get me wrong, I know that there will be times when I will be weak and I will fail, but I am hearing this morning that the Lord has called me to something greater than just being a sinner. If I choose to not get involved in sin, I will surely be rewarded with the grace to get one step closer to becoming all the God has created me to be.
Personification: Joy I am going to steal a quote that I received this morning in a tweet from a Roman Catholic priest in Africa this morning. He said, “Father, do in me whatever it takes to make me acutely and joyfully aware of your presence.” I think that is the key to displaying the fruit of joy in your life. If I can be aware of his presence in my life, I will not only choose not to sin but I will be able to act with the fruit of joy in all situations.
Prayer: Lord, help me to show joy 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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Gift: Knowledge – With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God’s Revelation, especially as expressed in the life and words of Jesus Christ. A person with knowledge is always learning more about the scriptures and Tradition.
Reading: The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:16,19)
Observation: After revealing the truth of his coming and bringing light to the world, Jesus calls his disciples to follow him. It is clear to me that the people who Jesus was talking to were not just those that would be his apostles, but also all of us. We should here that he did not only come to ransom us out of the darkness of sin, but he came to make us into a people who draw others into a relationship with him.
Personification: Faithfulness I hear today that God is calling me to be a beacon of light to those around me that consider me someone to look up to. I will be as patient as God gives me the strength to be, but I feel like God is telling me to say that we must consider the original apostles did not hesitate when answering the call and we should not hesitate either.
Prayer: Lord, please give me the strength to deliver the message that the youth in our parish need to hear tonight. I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit. Amen.
Gift: Knowledge – With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God’s Revelation, especially as expressed in the life and words of Jesus Christ. A person with knowledge is always learning more about the scriptures and Tradition.
Reading: Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
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Jesus heard this and said to them (that), “Those who are well do not need a physician, 11 but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” (Mark 2:17)
Observation: I see today that it is only by the recognition that I am nothing more than a sinner, that I can be sure of the fact that Jesus will hang out with me. If I walk around as some righteous person who is not in need of a Savior, Jesus would not see a need to be around me and I could be in danger of falling into the hands of the enemy. However, if I am able to constantly remind myself of my need of a Savior, in my recognition of my being a sinner, I can be sure that Jesus will always be with me to protect me from all evil.
Personification: Peace I would hope that the simple fact of recognizing that I am a sinner would be enough to allow me to display the fruit of peace in my life. It is only in the knowledge that comes from the Word of God that allows me to be aware of the grace that flows from true repentance for my past sins. Of course, I don’t only mean that sins that I committed a long time ago, but rather the ones that I have committed today.
Prayer: Lord, allow me to always remember my own sinfulness, so you can keep me away from real evil in this world. I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit. Amen.
Gift: Knowledge – With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God’s Revelation, especially as expressed in the life and words of Jesus Christ. A person with knowledge is always learning more about the scriptures and Tradition.
Reading: 3 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. (1 John 4:7)
Observation: This morning, I am getting the feeling that I have focused too much lately on how my actions will affect others, I guess that is whyGod chose to focus my attention on this verse. It is God’s will for me to love everyone, not to judge or wonder about the salvation of anyone. As it says in the footnote for this verse, God loved us so much that he offered up his son to die for our sins, I guess I should see that he has our salvation handled and I just need to focus on loving more effectively.
Personification: Love It probably is not a surprise that I would choose to focus on the fruit of love today, but I hope that I can really display it today in a true sense to everyone that I come in contact with today. Maybe, if I accomplish this, by the grace of God, I will begin to change into the person that God is willing me to be.
Prayer: Lord, please allow me to see that it is your will for me to crave you alone and not allow anything to take my focus away from what you would expect me to be doing. I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit. Amen.
The Divine Life 