We are called to be just, to be merciful and to be prayerful.  The prophet Isaiah teaches us that God’s earth is to be a house of prayer.  If our life is a house of prayer, it will be joy-filled.  We will have crosses to carry, hardships to deal with, and evil confronting us.  BUT we will have God’s JOY to sustain us.

Musicians who play stringed instruments like violins …call them “tested” strings.  “Tested” strings are stretched and strained to remove all the unsteadiness; then they are put through a number of chemical tests, until they produce a perfect and full tone.  When installed and tuned, tested strings bring out the full resonance and tone of the instrument … producing melodies that are noticeably warmer and richer ….  Christ promises us that (H)e will keep us in tune … if we trust … his hand ….”

(Connections, 08-10-08)

Jesus challenges us to TRUST Him and His Gospel.  Jesus wants us to life a life centered on Him.  To do that we need to know what is IMPORTANT!  Maybe this story can illustrate that for us, “… Every day, for years, he visited his wife in the nursing home.  She suffered from Alzheimer’s disease; with each day she slipped further and further away ….  Every day he would feed her lunch.  He would sit with her and show her the pictures of their children, telling her the latest family news and stories she would forget as soon as she heard them. 

He would patiently remind her who he was and explain that they were married and (have) been for the past 52 years and they had two daughters and a son and four beautiful grandchildren.  He would hold her hand as she drifted in and out of consciousness.  Before leaving, he would kiss her and tell her how much he loved her and she would never realize nor remember … that he had … been there.

His heartbroken friends would ask him, Why do you keep going when shedoesn’t even know who you are?
  And he would always reply, “Because I know who I am.”  (Connections, 08-17-08)

The husband’s faithfulness accepts what life has dealt he and his wife, with love and trust in God.  We are called to take God’s love, justice and mercy into our lives and from there into our world.

Because we know who we are – disciples of Christ!

May God Be Praised!