“St. Benedict said the first degree of humility is to live constantly in the eyes of God.  Judgment is always looming over me.  That begins as a fearful thing, and turns my mind away from what other people think of me.  To that extent it is the first step in freedom ….” [In Praise of the Useless Life, p. 132]

The eyes of God’s Judgment want us to know God’s love, to live God’s love and to share God’s love.

We are called to that life.

May God Be Praised!

Br. Paul Quenon, O.C.S.O., “Ask me, ‘Have you found what you wanted in this life?’… I basically wanted only one thing.  ‘Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well.’” [In Praise of the Useless Life, p.134]

To live only for the Kingdom of God, to focus all of your life for that purpose will bring you such joy and peace, peace that the world does not know.  

Make God’s Kingdom your first and primary goal in life, and you will be at peace.

May God Be Praised!

St. Vincent DePaul teaches us, “If a needy person requires medicine or other help during prayer time, do whatever has to be done with peace of mind. Offer the deed to God as your prayer. 

Do not become upset or feel guilty because you interrupted your prayer to serve the poor. 

God is not neglected if you leave him for such service. 

One of God’s works is merely interrupted so that another can be carried out. 

So when you leave prayer to serve some poor person, remember that this very service is performed for God. Charity is certainly greater than any rule.”

Like St. Teresa of Calcutta, Vincent dePaul reminds us that the poor should be the in the priority in the actions we take.  The poor can be poor economically, spiritually, emotionally, etc., we are called to help the poor we meet.

May God Be Praised!

A reflection on 2 Corinthians 1:3,4

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.”  [2 Corinthians 1: 3, 4]

St. Paul reminds us that Compassion and Encouragement are necessary components in our spiritual lives.  We need these now, to accept the Grace that Our Lord and Savior offers us.  I want to share with you some thoughts on two Saints, Ignatius of Antioch and Francis de Sales.

1^st Saint Ignatius of Antioch’s Story

Ignatius converted to Christianity, who became the third bishop of Antioch. In the year 107, Emperor Trajan visited Antioch and forced the Christians there to choose between death and apostasy.

Ignatius would not deny Christ was condemned to death in Rome.

He wrote seven letters on the long journey from Antioch to Rome, they urge the Christians there to remain faithful to God and to obey their superiors.

The final letter begs the Christians in Rome not to try to stop his martyrdom. “The only thing I ask of you is to allow me to offer the libation of my blood to God. I am the wheat of the Lord….”

Ignatius bravely met the lions in the Circus Maximus; the devil is still prowling in our world today.

Ignatius’s great concern was for the unity and order of the Church.  He did not draw attention to his own suffering, but to the love of God, which strengthened him.

He knew the price of commitment and would not deny Christ, even to save his own life.

The 2^nd Saint Francis deSales gave us a prayer we need to pray during this time of turmoil.  Day Is Ending let me share it with you today:

Thank you for all the gifts of the day,
for the place I spent it
And for those with whom I spent it, for all its joys
and all its sorrows, for the troubles overcome
and for those that remain.

I offer you the silence of this night, its darkness and its solitude.
Whether you chose under the cover of this night to take away the problems of this day, or leave them for tomorrow, I will bless your name.

Thy will be done.                   Amen.

May God Be Praised!

"When we come into church from the outside our ears are filled with the racket of the city, the words of those who have accompanied us, the laboring and quarreling of our own thoughts, the disquiet of our hearts’ wishes and worries, hurts and joys. 

How are we possibly to hear what God is saying? 

That we listen at all is something; not everyone does. 

It is even better when we pay attention and make a real effort to understand what is being said. 

But all this is not yet the attentive stillness in which God’s word can take root. 

This must be established before the service begins, if possible in the silence on the way to church, still better in a brief period of composure the evening before."

[Msgr. Romano Guardini, p. 17 Meditations Before Mass]

May God be Praised!

"Always be impartial and just in your deeds. 

Put yourself into your neighbor’s place, and him in yours, and then you will judge fairly . . . 

Frequently, therefore, examine your heart, whether it is so disposed towards your neighbor, as you would have his disposed towards you, were you to change places; for this is the true test."  

[St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life]

Great advice from a great saint!

May God Be Praised!

"Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you."  [St. Thomas Aquinas]

Reflect on the wise insight from Thomas Aquinas, it can help you strengthen your HOPE in God’s presence in your daily life.

May God Be Praised!

“Holiness does not consist in achieving extraordinary things, in accomplishing singular actions, but in uniting ourselves entirely to the Will of God and in doing everything with Him and for Him.   

Then even the most insignificant actions in themselves become acts of perfect charity, acts that have an immense value.”  [Blessed Father Louis Brisson]

May God Be Praised!

"For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy."  [St. Therese of Lisieux]

Prayer is the oxygen of eternal life, breath it regularly and often.

May God Be Praised!

"The most deadly poison of our times is indifference. And this happens, although the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to praise Him to the greatest extent of our powers."  [St. Maximilian Kolbe]

Offer to God every action you do today, and the world will be a better place. 

May God Be Praised!

Homily Cycle B – 9-16-18

When George H.W. Bush when he was president “…was doing his public relations thing by visiting a nursing home.  He came upon [an]…old man hobbling down the corridor.

President Bush took the man by the hand and said, ‘Sir, do you know who I am?’  The man replied, ‘No, but if you ask one of the nurses, she’ll tell you.” (Bausch, The Best of Bausch “Real Presence”).

Today Jesus asks His Apostles, “Who do you say that I am?”

Today Jesus asks us, “Who do you say that I am?”

The answer to that question is the most fundamental & important question we will ever answer.

Isaiah tells us that “… God is my [our] help ….”  St. James reminds us that faith & good works go hand in hand.

The Gospel emphasizes two principals:

1.     Who Jesus is!

2.     Following Jesus, Son of God, Lord & Redeemer means hardship, the cross & salvation.  

C.S. Lewis wrote, “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.

That is the one thing we must not say.

A man who was merely a man & said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher…. Either this man was, & is, the Son of God, or else a madman….  He has not left that open to us.  He did not intend to.”  [“Mere Christianity”]

We must choose & act on our choice regarding Jesus.  We profess in our CREED that Jesus is true God & true man.  That CREED should guide every decision we make.  Peter professes Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, BUT Peter decides to tell Jesus – How to be Jesus!  The Lord tells Peter that there is no easy way, following Him [Jesus] includes: hardship, the cross & the way to salvation.

Many of you already know that my son Brian’s wife Laurie suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm on July 4th of this year.  An unexpected cross thrust on them like, Simon of Cyrene.  She is in rehab - coming our of her coma & has begun communicating.

This past Friday Laurie saw their two children [ages: 7 & 4], for the first time since July 4.  My son Brain lifted Caiden John age 7 up so could kiss his Mom on the cheek and then did the same with Berkleigh.  It was an emotional and poignant moment. Brian has been carrying this cross with uncommon grace and your prayers [as well as many others] have supported him on his journey.

His little Calvary walk is filled with HOPE for Laurie & her full recovery, which will happen.  His posts on caringbridge.org are inspiring many & helping him cope.

In one post recently he wrote “I came across a quote from Albert Einstein … ‘There are two ways you can live, you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as everything is a miracle’. 
Prior to July 4th I didn’t live as is everything was a miracle, but I also didn’t live as though nothing were a miracle either.  I guess I fell somewhere in between.  My views have changed so much since then, & I appreciate everything so much more…. 
My suggestion to you is to live in the moment, it’s hard to do, but if you learn how to do that, you can appreciate miracles.

In Happy Moments Praise God
In Difficult Momnets Seek God
In Quite Moments Worship God
In Painful Moments Trust God
Every Moment Thank God. 


[Brian Kelly, CaringBridge.org]

Today Jesus asks us “Who do you say that I am?”

Your answer will guide how you live, for a few minutes reflect on your answer!

May God Be Praised!

"Truth sees God, and wisdom contemplates God, and from these two comes a third, a holy and wonderful delight in God, who is love."  [St. Juliana of Norwich]

May I delight in God today and every day, and May God Be Praised!

Mary the dawn, Christ the Perfect Day;
Mary the gate, Christ the Heavenly Way!
Mary the root, Christ the Mystic Vine;
Mary the grape, Christ the Sacred Wine!
Mary the wheat, Christ the Living Bread;
Mary the rose tree, Christ the Rose blood-red!
Mary the font, Christ the Cleansing Flood;
Mary the cup, Christ the Saving Blood!
Mary the temple, Christ the temple’s Lord;
Mary the shrine, Christ the God adored!
Mary the beacon, Christ the Haven’s Rest;
Mary the mirror, Christ the Vision Blest!
Mary the mother, Christ the mother’s Son
By all things blest while endless ages run. Amen.

                                     [Fr. Justin Mulcahy, C.P.]

May God Be Praised!

Tryin’ To Get To Heaven Written by: Bob Dylan

The air is getting hotter
There’s a rumbling in the skies
I’ve been wading through the high muddy water
With the heat rising in my eyes
Every day your memory grows dimmer
It doesn’t haunt me like it did before
I’ve been walking through the middle of nowhere
Trying to get to heaven before they close the door

When I was in Missouri
They would not let me be
I had to leave there in a hurry
I only saw what they let me see
You broke a heart that loved you
Now you can seal up the book and not write anymore
I’ve been walking that lonesome valley
Trying to get to heaven before they close the door

People on the platforms
Waiting for the trains
I can hear their hearts a-beatin’
Like pendulums swinging on chains
I tried to give you everything
That your heart was longing for
I’m just going down the road feeling bad
Trying to get to heaven before they close the door

I’m going down the river
Down to New Orleans
They tell me everything is gonna be all right
But I don’t know what “all right” even means
I was riding in a buggy with Miss Mary-Jane
Miss Mary-Jane got a house in Baltimore
I been all around the world, boys
Now I’m trying to get to heaven before they close the door

Gonna sleep down in the parlor
And relive my dreams
I’ll close my eyes and I wonder
If everything is as hollow as it seems
Some trains don't pull no gamblers
No midnight ramblers like they did before
I been to Sugar Town, I shook the sugar down
Now I’m trying to get to heaven before they close the door

Today ask yourself are you really tryin’ to get to Heaven?

Would there be sufficient evidence to convict you, in a court of law, of being a Christian when the Sermon on the Mount is used as the criteria?

My spiritual posts appear on my blog: A Daily Dose of God here is the link: https://deacongeorgekelly.blogspot.com

May God Be Praised!

“Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” [Bishop Robert Barron with John Allen To Light A Fire On The Earth, p.109]

Today spend some time with Jesus Christ, the Son of God who shows us the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Friendship with Him is THE difference maker.


May God Be Praised!

St. Teresa of Calcutta’s The Simple Path
 
The fruit of silence is PRAYER.
The fruit of prayer is FAITH.
The fruit of faith is LOVE.
The fruit of love is SERVICE.
The fruit of service is PEACE.

The true wonder of this prayer is Mother Teresa lived it daily, if we live it daily we will make the world a better place.

May God Be Praised!

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. 
I do not see the road ahead of me. 
I cannot know for certain where it will end. 
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following
your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. 
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. 
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. 
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. 
And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,
though I may know nothing about it. 
Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in
the shadow of death. 
I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to
face my perils alone.”  (Merton - Thoughts in Solitude, p. 81)

Wisdom worth pondering today!

My spiritual posts appear on my blog: A Daily Dose of God here is the link: https://deacongeorgekelly.blogspot.com

May God Be Praised!

“Glorious things are said of you, O Virgin Mary.  Blessed are those who hear the word of God.  And cherish it in their hearts.”  [September 8, 2018 Office of Readings]

You & I are called by the Lord Jesus to read the Word, to study the Word, to reflect on the Word, to cherish the Word and most importantly to live the Word.

May God Be Praised!

Today take a breath and thank God for your life and for His love of you. If you get the chance listen to this powerful song.
 
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love what Thou dost love,
And do what Thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with Thee I will one will,
To do and to endure.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Blend all my soul with Thine,
Until this earthly part of me
Glows with Thy fire divine.
Breathe on me, breath of God,
So shall I never die,
But live with Thee the perfect life
Of Thine eternity.  [Ed­win Hatch]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8avdudzdpQ

May God Be Praised!

Canticle - Habakkuk

"For though the fig tree blossom not nor fruit be on the vines, though the yield of the olive fail and the terraces produce no nourishment, though the flocks disappear from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet will I rejoice in the Lord and exult in my saving God.

God, my Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet swift as those of hinds and enables me to go upon the heights."

May God Be Praised!

Let us adore Christ who offered himself to the Father through the

Holy Spirit to cleanse us from the works of death.

Let us adore him and call upon him with sincere hearts:

In your will is our peace, Lord.

From your generosity we have received the beginning of this day,

grant us also the beginning of new life.

In your will is our peace, Lord.

You created all things, and now you provide for their growth,

may we always perceive your handiwork in creation.

In your will is our peace, Lord.

With your own blood, you ratified the new and eternal covenant,

may we remain faithful to that covenant by following your precepts.

In your will is our peace, Lord.

On the cross, blood and water flowed from your side,

may this saving stream wash away our sins and gladden the City of

God.

In your will is our peace, Lord.  [Morning Prayer Week II]

May God Be Praised!