Saturday 15th Week of Ordinary Time

A bruised Reed Mt. 12:14-41

The difference between the Pharisees and Jesus was day and night.

While the Pharisees took counsel to put Jesus to death,

Jesus showed tenderness,

“Even a bruised reed, He did not break”

Nor a smoldering wick, did He quench.”

In the face of persecution,

Jesus showed tenderness for the

Bruised and those who life was on the verge of being snuffed out.

Try a little tenderness today

To the littlest and the least.

God Bless

Friday 15th Week of Ordinary Time

Mercy Not Sacrifice

The Pharisees were very good at keeping all the laws of the Sabbath such as rest and offering sacrifice in the Temple.

But they were not very good at being merciful.

They always saw the faults and failings of others

And pointed them out.

And Jesus pointed out to them,

That what God wanted was not the rest of the Sabbath or their sacrifices.

Rather God wanted them to be merciful to others.

For in being merciful they were most like God.

God Bless

Thursday 15th Week of Ordinary Time

Gentle and Humble of Heart

The world seems filled with anger today.

Some of it may be justified.

But rarely does anger achieve much.

It usually only catches fire in the hearts of others

And can often burn out of control.

And anger can also become so loud that one only hears the screams

And not the solutions.

This is why Jesus says we should learn from Him Who is Gentle and Humble of Heart.

Whether it is anger in the streets or anger in the home.

Peace will only be found,

In the Gentle and Humble Heart of Jesus.

God Bless

St. Bonaventure

(1221-1274)

Bonaventure, Franciscan, theologian, doctor of the Church, was both learned and holy. Because of the spirit that filled him and his writings, he was at first called the Devout Doctor; but in more recent centuries he has been known as the Seraphic Doctor after the “Seraphic Father” Francis because of the truly Franciscan spirit he possessed.

Born in Bagnoregio, a town in central Italy, he was cured of a serious illness as a boy through the prayers of Francis of Assisi. Later, he studied the liberal arts in Paris. Inspired by Francis and the example of the friars, especially of his master in theology, Alexander of Hales, he entered the Franciscan Order, and became in turn a teacher of theology in the university. Chosen as minister general of the Order in 1257, he was God’s instrument in bringing it back to a deeper love of the way of St. Francis, both through the life of Francis which he wrote at the behest of the brothers and through other works which defended the Order or explained its ideals and way of life.

From St. Bonaventure

“If you wish to know how these things may come about, ask grace, not learning; desire, not understanding; the groaning of prayer, not diligence in reading; the Bridegroom, not the teacher; God, not man; darkness, not clarify; not light, but the fire that wholly inflames and carries one into God through transporting functions and consuming affections.” The Soul’s Journey to God

God Bless

Wednesday 15th Week of Ordinary Time

The Childlike Mt. 11:25-27

How many of us are Learned?

How many are rich?

How many are powerful and Influential?

It does not matter.

Because what God has hidden from the wise and learned,

He has revealed to the childlike.

From St. Bernadette to St. Therese the Little Flower,

God loves to reveal Himself to the least and the childlike.

Because it is not how much we know,

But how much we love,

That makes us like God!

Tuesday 15th Week of Ordinary Time

Capernaum Mt. 11:20-24

After Jesus grew up,

He left Nazareth and moved to Capernaum.

Imagine having Jesus live next door?

Or see Him healing the sick;

Or hear Him preach in the synagogue?

Would it change your life?

For most of the people in Capernaum,

It did not!

So Jesus condemned Capernaum,

By saying if the miracles that took place in Capernaum,

Had Happened in Sodom, the most sinful city on earth,

Sodom would have repented in sack cloth and ashes.

But Capernaum did not.

Our cities hear the words of Jesus every Sunday,

May they take root,

So that they are not condemned as was Capernaum.

God Bless

Monday 15th Week of Ordinary Time

Insults Is. 1:10-17

If there was a contest for who could give the most biting insult,

The prophet Isaiah most likely would win.

He accuses Israel of being like Sodom and Gomorrah!

One of the most vile and evil societies of ancient times.

Israel would sacrifice whole rams and lambs and goats

To God,

And then take advantage of the poor, widows and orphans.

The most vulnerable.

And Isaiah calls out their hypocrisy.

We are no better than Sodom and Gomorrah,

If we go to church and say our prayers,

And then turn around and lie, or cheat or steal;

Or gossip or defraud our neighbor.

God Bless

15th Sunday of Ordinary Time

The Sower Mt. 13:1-23

When was the last time you saw a farmer spreading his seed on the road?

Or a parking lot?

Or a weed infested patch of ground?

That would seem like a waste of good seed

And also not very productive.

But God is different.

He scatters the seed of His Word everywhere.

With utter abandon.

Jesus preached the word to Pharisees and Saducees.

To tax collectors and prostitutes.

Why waste His breath on people who weren’t going to listen?

Because one never knows.

The human heart is always changing.

Thomas Merton once wrote,

Just as There are millions of seeds carried by the wind looking for a place to take root.

so God scatters seeds of spiritual growth everyday throughout the world,

but for these to take root in our hearts

we must have FREEDOM, SPONTANEITY and LOVE!

And God sows these seeds

Not just at Church or during prayer,

but at every moment of our lives,

God is scattering seeds of of spiritual growth and vitality in our hearts.

And if we Hope to receive them and bear fruit ,

we need to be FREE, SPONTANEOUS and LOVING.

How free are we?

Are we slaves to our passions and desires?

Are we slaves to our addictions?

Can we turn down that donut?

Can we pass up that sale at the store?

Can we turn off the TV and and say a rosary?

Can we put our cell phones down during dinner?

Many people are not quite as free as they think.

How spontaneous are we ?

Do we have to check our calendars before we make a decision?

When was the last time you dropped everything and called a friend for lunch?

When was the last time you took a walk without scheduling it?

When was the last time you you decided to pull over and visited the Blessed Sacrament rather then driving by?

When was the last time you visited a cemetery and prayed for your relatives?

When was the last time you bought your wife flowers just because.

Or are we just too busy?

How Loving are we?

What do we love more?

Sleeping in on Sundays or going to Church?

Listening to our children or watching the game?

Praying to God or our personal hobbies?

How do we speak to our neighbors and co-workers?

How do we respond to those with whom we disagree?

Where we spend the most time is what we love the most.

So many things in our life choke off the seeds that God tries to plant in our hearts and souls.

Seeds of spiritual life and vitality that can bear abundant fruit

in our hearts, our families, our neighborhoods and at work.

But Only if we are FREE, SPONTANEOUS and LOVING!

God Bless

Saturday 14th Week of Ordinary Time

Holy, Holy, Holy! Is. 6:1-8

At every Mass we pray,

“Holy,Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts

Heaven and earth are full of your glory. “

Where does that phrase come from?

It comes from the prophet Isaiah

Who had a vision of God in the Temple in Jerusalem.

God was surrounded by a host of angels.

And God’s holiness filled not only the Temple

But all of creation.

So with Isaiah at every Mass

We join all the angels

And all creation as they praise God singing,

Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of Hosts!

God Bless

Friday 14th Week of Ordinary Time

Who is speaking? Mt. 10:16-23

Jesus is sending His disciples out to preach the Gospel.

And He tells them not to worry about what they are going to say.

For at the proper moment,

The Holy Spirit will inspire them.

When we have a discussion or an argument about religion or politics,

Who is speaking?

Is it our own ego or prejudice?

Or is it the Holy Spirit?

If it is not the Holy Spirit speaking through us,

Then maybe we should remain silent

Before we say something foolish or that we might regret.

God Bless