Signs or Faith ? Jn. 4:43-54
There are those who seek signs
And then there are those who do not,
Because they have Faith.
Those who seek signs are never satisfied.
They are always seeking after another.
Filled with doubts about the sign they saw.
Whether it was real or not.
The royal official had Faith.
And because he did, Jesus healed his son who was dying.
Signs are like the weather always changing;
But Faith can weather any storm.
The Prodigal Son Lk. 15:1-32
Many people nowadays do not go to church.
They say “I am a good person.”
“Why do I have to go to church?”
Well if everyone is good, then why is the world in such a mess?
Why is there division, war, violence, crime and rioting?
And I do not mean just the things happening half way around the world,
These same things are happening in our own back yard;
In Our cities and our homes as well.
Even in our families.
Maybe just a different degree,
But happening still the same.
Maybe we are not as good as we think we are?
Maybe there is a little or a lot of the Prodigal Son in all of us.
In the parable, There were two sons.
One who left and one who stayed.
Neither however were really good.
They were more concerned about themselves.
One wanting his inheritance
while the other stayed home ,
but his heart was just as far away from his father as was his prodigal brother’s.
Both never really understanding that everything the father had was theirs.
Never really understanding their father who never cared about his own possessions which he so freely gave to his sons.
All the father cared about was his sons!
Everything our Heavenly Father has is ours and yet we run off and chase after things in this world like the prodigal son.
Or like the other brother we stay home and appear to do everything we are obligated to do but our hearts are not really in it either.
Neither son was as good as they thought,
but they had a father who loved them anyways and so do we.
No matter how far we stray we always have a home to come to, and a father who will welcome us with open arms.
Love the Lord Mk. 12:28-34
The Great Commandment is that we should love the Lord,
With all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength.
Lent is a good time to make a list of how we love the Lord,
With all our heart, all our soul and with all our mind and strength.
So find time to sit down,
get out a piece of paper and write down,
All the ways that you show how much you love the Lord.
And then make a list of all the ways that God loves us;
And compare!
Divided Kingdoms Lk. 11:14-23
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Where do wars and insurrections and revolutions come from?
The human heart.
They all come from a divided heart.
When a heart is divided
Then no family, no house, no nation, no church can stand.
And what divides the human heart?
Bitterness, greed, jealousy, anger and lust.
Only when these are cast out of our won hearts first;
Can the human heart be at Peace
And the human race!
The Law and the Prophets Mt. 5:17-19
God may be Love
But that does not mean we can do whatever we want.
Love involves sacrifice, commitment and responsibility.
If we Love God then we will keep His commandments and listen to His prophets.
For Jesus did not come to abolish the Law and Prophets but to fulfill them. Mt. 5:17-19
And when we fullfill them then we too will Love others as God loves us.
The Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and asked her if she would bear God’s only Son.
When Mary said “Yes” to God,
the Word became flesh and dwelt within her
and it bore fruit
and she gave birth to Jesus.
When we go to communion,
our “Amen” is our “Yes”,
and through the Eucharist we receive,
the Word becomes flesh and dwells within us.
Does it bear fruit in our lives?
Do we give birth to Jesus in the world as Mary did?
Only when we say “Yes” as Mary did,
Without hesitation or question or counting the cost;
Will the life of Jesus within us bear fruit.
God likes Surprises. Lk 4:24-30
We Will never box God in.
Because sometimes God likes to think outside the box.
As when He healed Naaman the Syrian and the widow of Sidon.
They did not belong to the Chosen People.
They did not make sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem
Nor did they keep the Sabbath.
Yet God healed Naaman and fed the Widow.
This is because God’s Mercy knows no boundaries
And surprises us when and where we least expect it.
I AM
It is estimated that at the time of Moses there were over 2,000 different gods.
Almost like a greeting card.
A god for every occasion.
So when Moses asked the God Who appeared to him in the burning bush,
what His name was
It was so that the Israelites would know which god was saving them.
God however did not say, “I am the Sun! Or I am the Moon; or I am the crocodile of the Nile!”
The name that God gave Moses was “I AM.”
By saying “I AM” God is not limited to being an object like the sun or moon.
God is not limited to time and space;
And God is not limited to a specific people or country.
God just “IS”
Always has been and always will be.
Unlike us who have a beginning and an end.
We “weren’t “ and we “won’t be.”
But we can BE!
We can Be Forever.
We can be that bush that burns and is never consumed By death and the grave.
As Jesus said,
“I am the Resurrection and the Life Who will raise you up. “
“I am the Light of the World Who scatters the darkness of death. “
“I am the Good Shepherd Who leads you through the valley of death. “
“I am the Bread of Life Who will raise you up on the Last Day. “
I AM and I can do it.
Because IAM GOD!
In the Eucharist we receive the God Who IS!
And We become burning bushes.
Bushes that are no longer consumed and eaten up by this world,
But that will burn forever in the fire of God’s Love;
Who always IS and WLL BE!
Forever and ever!
Betrayal of Brothers Gen. 37:3-28
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One can only betray a friend.
This is what makes betrayal so painful.
For if an enemy had done, it would be expected;
But when it is done by a friend or a brother,
It is unexpected.
Joseph was betrayed by the jealousy of his brothers.
They saw that Jacob loved him best and their jealousy got the best of them.
So they threw him into a well and were going to kill him but decided to sell him as a slave instead.
What a friend we have in Jesus,
And when we sin, we betray Him,
And rather than throw him in a cistern as Joseph’s brothers did,
We throw Him on a cross.
What do you trust in? Jer. 17:5-10
Where do we place our trust ?
In Ourselves? Someone else?
In Money, power, popularity?
Jeremiah says “cursed is the man who places his trust in anything other than God.”
They are like a bush in the desert.
Dead and bearing no fruit.
But those who Trust in the Lord
Are like a tree beside flowing water.
Unafraid of the heat of day
Bearing fruit and thriving even in drought.
Before you start you day and go out to face the world
Always say, Jesus, I trust in you!
St. Joseph
So many of us want to know what God can do for us.
But all St. Joseph wanted to know was
What can I do for Mary and Jesus?
Joseph reminds us that true fulfillment is not in getting but in giving.
Joseph found his fulfillment in giving to Jesus
And providing for Jesus whatever He needed.
Joseph was a Loving father to Jesus,
As he held Jesus close to his chest when Mary needed to rest.
Joseph was a Provider
Who took what God provided,
And gave it back to God, as he cared for Jesus.
Joseph was a Carpenter who put a house over the head of Jesus
and gave the One Who calms the winds and the waves,
Shelter from the storm.
And Joseph Protected Jesus from harm,
when they fled to Egypt as refugees from the persecution of Herod.
I wonder,
Did Jesus walk around on the feet of Joseph?
Did Joseph bounce Jesus on his knee?
as a young boy, did they play games together?
Would not Joseph and the young Jesus walk hand in hand as they ran errands or went into town?
And Joseph is the Patron of a Happy Death,
For after all that Joseph did for Jesus,
Would not Jesus have been at His bedside as he lay dying,
Holding the hand of His earthly father who so often held His hand as a young boy,
Whispering in his ear,
“Do not worry, I am the Resurrection and the Life.”
As Joseph Loved and Protected and Provided for Jesus,
He will love and protect and provide for us,
If we turn to him as Jesus did.
Until the day comes,
When Joseph visits us on our deathbed
And holding our hand
whispers in our ear,
“Do not worry,
My Son is the Resurrection and the Life.”
