Would you trade places with Jeremiah in the cistern?   

Do you want to “… preserve in running the race that lies before us ….?”  

Do you want the Lord to come to your aid?

Do you think our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has come to bring peace or division?  Do you think Jesus has “… come to set the earth on fire ….”

Last Sunday’s scripture readings present us with difficulties, and with some challenges.  One of the key words in our readings is FIRE.

 

What does Divine FIRE mean? 

In the Hebrew Scriptures it meant the presence of God.

Think back to Moses and the Burning Bush, Israel meeting the Divine FIRE at Carmel and [then] going back to their faith.  Several times in the Hebrew Scriptures FIRE = the DIVINE.

Today’s Scripture TRUTH is difficult to handle, we are called to fix our eyes, hearts and wills on Jesus and to do His Will all the time.  Jesus came to set the earth on FIRE, meaning you and I need to have Jesus front and center in everything we do!  You and I are the light of Christ in the darkness of our world.

What kind of light are we shining?

In an attempt to fit in socially we fail to show and share our faith, do we bless ourselves and say grace when we dine either at a fast food or high-end restaurant.  Our lives should be a candle shining brightly.

Do you have FIRE in your belly for the Lord?  Is the Divine FIRE consuming you?

May God Be Praised!  [Part of Homily Cycle C 8/18/19]

We are thirsting for God’s Guidance, God’s Providence and Spirit.  In the letter to the Galatians were reminded we “were baptized into Christ and clothed … with Christ.”

Jesus asks His Apostles and He asks us, “Who do you say that I am?”   

That is the single most important question you will ever answer!  Jesus is true God, true Man; the Word made flesh to guide us to His Heavenly Home.   

The 2^nd most important question you will ever answer is “What does Christ look like?

“Christ looks like the homeless person who we see on the streets.

Christ looks like are sisters/brothers in (Syria or Nigeria).

Christ looks like the pregnant 17 year old trying to determine what to do, where to turn.

Christ looks like the gay couple coming to church.

Christ looks like the divorced catholic waiting for an annulment.

Christ looks like the alcoholic and the addicted.

Christ looks like your dying loved one who was just anointed.

Christ looks like the baby who watches the face of the priest or deacon as they pour baptismal water over their head.

Christ looks like the faces of the couples who come before (the altar to marry).   

Christ looks like you and like me!  (Hungry and You Fed Me: Cycle C)

St. Francis deSales teaches us to “Live in such a way that you give proof of God’s Presence.”

What can we do to “live Jesus”?

1.    Preserve more faithfully in your prayer life.

2.    Pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance in your personal lives and the life of our nation.

3.    Persist in living a life that gives witness to God’s love and His Son’s Way!

May God Be Praised!

In the book of WISDOM we read; “…the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them.”  God wants us to know that He is always with us.  In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus teaches us: “DO NOT BE AFRAID”!  Jesus wants us to acknowledge Him by how we live our lives!  deSales wrote, “Our business only is to become good, devout people, pious men & women; and all our efforts must be  to that end.” (Sermon in a Sentence, p.54)

A friend of mine sent me this story about a mother of the bride who is confronted by a difficult situation.  Her daughter Jennifer’s wedding day was fast approaching.  Nothing could dampen her excitement -- not even her parent's nasty divorce. 

Her mother found the perfect dress to wear!  A week later, Jennifer was horrified  to learn that her father’s new young wife had purchased the exact same dress as her mother!  Jennifer asked her father's new wife to exchange it, but she refused. “Absolutely not, I look like a million bucks in this dress, and I'm wearing it”.

Jennifer told her mother who graciously said, 'Never mind sweetheart.  I'll get another dress.  After all, it's your special day.'   A few days later, they went shopping and found another gorgeous dress.  When they stopped for lunch, Jennifer said to her mom,  'aren’t you going to return the other dress?  You don't have another occasion where you could wear it.’

Her mother just smiled and replied,  “Of course I do, dear.  I'll wear it to your rehearsal dinner.”  Well that was pretty good payback, but you and I are not called to develop clever payback schemes.

We are called to Live Jesus! 

Years ago George Burns played God in the movie, “Oh, God!”  In the movie, God appears to a supermarket assistant manager (John Denver); He wants him to spread His message, despite all the skepticism.  One of the great lines in the movie occurs when God is in court testifying and says, “…maybe it will help to know that I have faith in you.”

God has faith in you & me!  Jesus reminds to “Be Not Afraid” to make Him the focus of our lives.  Jesus wants us to use our gifts, and talents to help build God’s Kingdom!  We are called to use our gifts and talents to do God’s work.

For a few moments, reflect on:

What is driving you? 

What is motivating you?

What is your goal in this life?

May God Be Praised!

Sin alienates us from God; our Catechism explains it this way: “Sin is present in human history; any attempt to ignore it or to give this dark reality other names would be futile…. [We] must … recognize the profound relation of man to God, for only in this relationship is the evil of sin unmasked in its true identity   ….” (CCC)

Jesus teaches us that we are called to share life intimately with God; Jesus, also, reminds us to always be prepared for His return.

You & I are called to live our faith by seeing the world through the eyes of Christ.  Bishop Robert Barron wrote, “Everything else in Christian life flows from & circles around the transformation of vision.  Christians see differently, & that is why their prayer, their worship, their actions, their whole way of being in the world, has a distinctive accent & flavor.”   (William Bausch, The Yellow Brick Road, p.19)

The best way to do that is - to live a life of prayer & to regularly reflect on our life’s priorities: our actions, our choices, our manner of living.  Set aside some time today to pray this litany

Your Response is: Lord, have mercy

For putting second things first … R:

For not rejoicing in Your love … R:

For getting lost in what doesn’t matter … R:                                                

For cluttering my life … R:             

For collecting things at the expense of people … R:

Close by offering a few petitions with this your R: I thank You, Lord.”

For simple gifts … R:                      

For Your presence in my life … R:

For Your call … R:                         

For Your love … R:                        

For knowing my name …R:                

For reminding me what really matters … R:

Amen. (Ibid. pp. 255-256)  

May God Be Praised! 

In the Entrance Antiphon for the Mass to remember Saint Therese of Lisieux, the “Little Flower” we pray,  “The Lord led her & taught her, & kept her as the apple of his eye.  Like an eagle spreading its wings he took her up & bore her on his shoulders.  The Lord alone was her guide.”                                 

Therese gave us “the little way”  - to focus on the mundane day-to-day stuff of life.  Whether it is washing dishes, mowing the grass, eating, or simply being with family or friends, no matter what is in your day you & I are called to offer it God.

St. Francis de Sales recommends the Direction of Intention to focus our interior disposition toward God.  “My God I give you this day .… Help me to conduct myself this day In a manner pleasing to you.”  St. Therese said, “Jesus does not demand great actions, but only abandonment & gratitude.”  (Sermon in a Sentence)

Therese's "little way" was a humble approach to the great task of cultivating holiness.  In her ordinary interactions with family & community, she tried to find opportunities to love.  When she heard that a criminal was to be executed, she devoted herself to praying that he would return to God in the end.  (He did.) 

When she was bent over the laundry basin in the convent & the nun next to her kept splashing her with dirty water, she offered up her aggravation in love to Jesus.  St. Francis deSales teaches us that God {… asks for our heart.  Give it such as it is ….}  “Our entire good consists not only in accepting the truth of God’s word, but in persevering in it.”  (Sermon in a Sentence)

May we join with St. Therese & have the lord alone as our guide.

That singular purpose should be our singular purpose!

     

May God Be Blessed!

Recently in Morning Prayer we prayed, Come, let us climb the mountain of the Lord.

‘The mountain of the Lord’s dwelling towers above every mountain….  He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.”

 Come, let us climb the mountain of the Lord.

 

As we climb the mountain of the Lord remember Who you seek!
We long to climb that mountain so we can join in the eternal worship of God.

“All peoples shall come and worship in your presence.”  (Revelation 15:4).

May God Be Praised!

In the Gospel of John we read about the curiosity of the people regarding who Jesus was?  When Jesus performed the miracle of feeding the 5,000, the people were interested.  Interested, not so in having their eternal longings satisfied, but in having there earthly needs being satisfied.

Jesus called them to a higher plane – the spiritual; He wanted them and He wants us to realize that although the daily necessities need to be obtained; the spiritual must be primary.

St. Francis deSales advises us, “He asks for your heart.  Give it such as it is ….”   

Jesus is the Bread of Life.  Jesus’ offers each one us the deepest, most profound and most rewarding friendship possible – friendship with God!   de Sales also said,  “Our entire good consists not only in accepting the truth of God’s Word, but in preserving in it.”

The movie 42 tells the story of the difficult challenges facing anybody who puts listening to and following God ahead of everything else.

Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey “…accomplished the works of God because they believed in Jesus and followed His will by their actions.

May each one of us, not only believe in Jesus, but also, follow Him.

 St. Francis de Sales reminds us of our goal in life, “What is the prize if it is not Jesus Christ?”

May God Be Blessed!