“We have but to live, take each day as it comes, see the Lord in all that happens and have a kind of response to the will of God that is much like dancing.  You must work with it.  It is not a matter of passive submission.  This [is] no way to dance; it is too heavy, too laden, too dragging and uninspired.  No, you must dance with your partner, you must cooperate, you must work with the will of God.  This is the sort of dancing that leads to the kingdom and makes one free.”   
[In Praise of The Useless Life, by Paul Quenon, O.C.S.O., quoting Fr. Matthew, p.4]

Dance with God today and every day!

May God Be Praised!

"Three things are necessary to everyone: truth of faith which brings understanding, love of Christ which brings compassion, and endurance of hope which brings perseverance."   
[St. Bonaventure]

Reflect on: truth, love and endurance each is a gift from God, which must be accepted by us to help us.

May God Be Praised!

Insights from three Saints:

“The secret of secrets in prayer is to follow attractions in simplicity of heart.” [St. Francis de Sales]

“I am not called to be successful, I’m called to be faithful.” [St. Teresa of Calcutta]

"Help me to journey beyond the familiar and into the unknown. Give me the faith to leave old ways and break fresh ground with You."  [St. Brendan]

Reflect on this the Lord always listens to us, the way to pray most effectively is to listen to the Lord.

May God Be Praised!

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Homily Cycle B – September 2, 2018

Today our Scripture readings challenge us to live authentic lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.  “Who we are, what we believe, how we respond to life's challenges is centered in our souls….  The kind of human being we are begins in the values of the heart, the place where God dwells within - but the evil we are capable of, the hurt we inflict on others, the degrading of the world that God created also begins "within," when God is displaced by selfishness, fear, anger, hatred.” [Connections 9-02-18]

St. Augustine wrote, “A Christian is: a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, and a hand through which Christ helps.”  Our Scriptures remind each of us that the truth of our existence is where our will, our heart and our actions merge/combine to direct our lives.  In Deuteronomy Moses teaches the people of Israel [& us] to hear God’s statutes and decrees and to live them.

When Msrg. offered our Opening Prayer [Collect], he prayed, “God of night, giver of every good gift … by deepening our sense of reverence you may nurture in us what is good ….”  The reading from St. James’ letter reminds us that, “All good giving & every perfect gift is from above …. Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you & is able to save your souls.  Be doers of the word & not hearers only ….”

Mark in the Gospel relates the story about the Pharisees challenging Jesus on “ritual” washing before eating; this is not a lesson on good hygiene, it is a challenge about God’s law verses man’s practices and customs.  They were living the Jewish custom, but not the Jewish law, [the law of Moses].  Jesus is teaching them & us to follow the laws & the customs that take us to God.

Maybe this story can help us, “Is Your Heart In It?”

“…imagine a youngster learning to play the piano.  ‘The child holds her hands just as she's been told...she has memorized the piece perfectly.  She has hit all the proper notes with deadly accuracy.  But her heart's not in it, only her fingers.

What she's playing is a sort of music, but nothing that will start voices singing or feet tapping."  When it comes to faith and life, let’s ask this question: Are our hearts in it or only our fingers?  Are we allowing God's renewing grace to work in us?  [Sermons.com 9-02-18]

We are in an extremely difficult time for our Church and for our Faith. The vile and terrible sins committed by some in our Church make me sick, BUT I know with God’s grace we will come through this crisis as a Church closer to the Lord & a people of God more faithful to Jesus Christ.

The road ahead will be difficult, BUT so was Jesus’ road to CALVARY; remember the Resurrection followed!  Jesus reminds us to follow Him with our whole heart, soul, and mind and allow Him to guide how we live.  God’s Word will form us and direct us if we allow it.

Prayer should be the basis of our relationship with Jesus Christ.  The devil is tempting us to stop praying, but we know in the core of our being that prayer is most need at this time.  Jesus called some people in today’s Gospel hypocrites.  In the 1990’s a musical group called “Milli Vanilli” had 5 big hits, 3 of which were #1 songs.  Then, “… it was discovered that they really weren’t singing on their records or at their concerts.  They were lip-synching.”  [William Bausch, Once Upon a Gospel, p.246]

The Pharisees and some scribes were “lip-synching” their faith.  We are called to reflect on our lives today and consider how we are living as disciples of Jesus Christ.  As we reflect on our discipleship, I suggest we use the Gospel of Matthew Chapters 5-7 as our blueprint to living authentic lives.  St. Francis de Sales said, “Our words must come from the heart, not the mouth.  The tongue speaks only to the ears.  The heart speaks to the heart.”

For a few minutes, in silence, reflect on your actions and your heart.  Are they based on Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount?

May God Be Praised!

Today we remember and we celebrate Mother Teresa’s canonization, her life reminds us that every action can be a prayer, if we offer it to God.

"God speaks in the silence of the heart, and we listen. And then we speak to God from the fullness of our heart, and God listens. And this listening and this speaking is what prayer is meant to be."

Begin today [& every day] by praying the St. Francis de Sales’ – Direction of Intention prayer:

My God,

I give you this day.

I offer you, now,

all of the good

that I shall do

… and

I promise to accept,

for love of you,

all of the difficulty that I shall meet.

 Help me to conduct

myself during this day

In a manner pleasing to you.

Amen.

St. Teresa of Calcutta offered each day and each action to God, let’s try to do the same.

May God Be Praised!

                                               

“Where did I find you, that I came to know you? You were not within my memory before I learned of you. Where, then, did I find you before I came to know you, if not within yourself, far above me? We come to you and go from you, but no place is involved in this process. In every place, O Truth, you are present to those who seek your help, and at one and the same time you answer all, though they seek your counsel on different matters…
Late have I loved you, O beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you… You touched me, and I burned for your peace.” [From the Confessions of Saint Augustine, bishop]

May God Be Praised!

“Take my heart, O Lord, take my hopes and dreams. 

Take my mind with all its plans and schemes. 

Give me nothing more than your love and grace. 

These alone, O God, are enough for me.” 

                                             

Great advice from Dan Schutte in his song: “These Alone Are Enough”

May God Be Praised!