29th Sunday of Ordinary Time

 

If you are beautiful or handsome.

If you are rich and powerful.

If you are strong and athletic.

Then you have the ability to oftentimes get what you want.

That’s how this world works.

We’ve all seen it.

But what if you are poor and homeless?

What if you are elderly and alone?

What if you are sick or dying?

What if you are disabled or disfigured?

What are the chances of getting what you want?

There was a Widow who was seeking a decision from the judge. Lk. 18:1-8

She had nothing.

No family.

No power or clout.

No money.

No social standing.

Nothing except perseverance!

When we come before God what do we have?

Do our good looks impress Him?

No one is more Beautiful than God.

Do our riches make Him want to be our friend?

Everything in the Universe belongs to God.

Does our power and clout influence Him?

God is all powerful

When we come before God in prayer

we are like the Widow;

We come with nothing.

Nothing that God needs or wants.

All we have is our perseverance.

Thorough our perseverance we show God that we are Real!

Those who pretend do not persevere against all odds.

Through Our perseverance we show God that we are Faithful!

Those who do not believe eventually walk away.

What catches God's Eye?

What touches His Heart?

What moves Him to Act?

It is not beauty, or power, or money or intellect.

But perseverance.

A Faith that perseveres against all odds.

For that is REAL FAITH!

But When the Son of Man comes will He find such Faith on earth?

Friday 28th Week of Ordinary Time

 

Pope Callistus

Pope Callistus went from embezzling

to being a slave

to being imprisoned to the mines in Sardina

to Pope.

Quite a journey.

At the time,

There were those who taught that after Baptism,

If a person sinned, they could not be readmitted to Communion.

Callistus however taught that sinners could be readmitted to Communion if they repented.

Callistus had tasted the Mercy of God in Communion

And wanted to make sure that everyone else did too!

And so we should offer that Mercy to all we meet,

For who knows what they will become if we do!

Thursday 28th Week of Ordinary Time

 

Before the Foundation of the world Eph. !:1-10

Look at the world around us.

The sky and the sea;

The fields and the mountains;

The birds and the fish;

Before the foundation of all that was made;

God planned for each of us to be holy and blameless in His sight;

To be full of love.

Our destiny is not to be rich or famous

But to be holy and blameless.

We are to be as full of love,

As this world is full of life.

Wednesday 28th Week of Ordinary Time

 

Flesh and Spirit Gal. 5:18-25

St. Paul pointed out the differences between living a life of the flesh and one of the spirit.

Those live lives of the flesh

Are immoral, impure;

Filled with hatred, jealousy, anger and selfishness.

While those who live by the Spirit

Live lives of Love, Joy, Peace, and Patience;

Faithfulness,gentleness and self control.

We are made up of flesh and spirit.

We may live “in” the Flesh but we must live” by” the Spirit.

Tuesday 28th Week of Ordinary Time

 

Feast of Pope John XXIII

Pope John XXIII was Pope at a time when the Church and Society were in great change.

The Second Vatican Council had begun and the Civil rights movement was just beginning

And all of it would lead to the tumultuous 1960’s.

And in the face of such change and upheaval,

Pope John would say,

“See everything, overlook a great deal, correct a little.”

There is really very little that one person, even a Pope can do.

So in the face of the changes taking place in our world,

Pope John gives us the same advice,

“See everything, overlook a great deal, and correct a little.”

And leave the rest to God!

Monday 28th week of Ordinary Time

 

Give them a sign Lk. 11:29-32

The Pharisees asked Jesus to give them a sign

To prove that He was the Son of God.

What if someone asked you for a sign,

To prove that you are a Christian.

Would your word be enough;

If not,

Would your actions prove beyond a doubt

That you are?

God Bless

28th Sunday of Ordinary Time

 Mass

Once in awhile you might hear someone say’

“I don’t get anything out of Mass.”

We do not come to Mass to “Get”

But to “Give!”

God has already given us so much.

God has given us our life.

Our very breath comes from God.

And God continues to give us life everyday.

God gives us everything we see around us.

The blue sky, green fields;

Birds and animals;

Oceans and rivers and mountains.

Everything we see God gave us.

And God continues to give us life and everything and everyone around us everyday!

And God gave us His only Son.

Whose death and resurrection has opened the Gates of Paradise for us

So we come to Mass not to “Get”

But to “Give”

To give Thanks.

Thanks for all that we have already been Given.

That is what “Eucharist” means. “To give Thanks”.

Considering alll that we have been given already and are being given now and will be given in Heaven

Is “Thank you” once a week for 45 minutes really enough?

We can never really Thank God enough for all that He has given us.

And we come to Mass because Jesus told us too!

He said “Do this in Memory of Me!”

You can’t do this at home.

For on the altar heaven comes down to earth.

The Holy Spirit descends upon the bread and wine

And through the words of the priest who stands in the person of Christ

They become the Body and Blood of Christ.

So in the face of all that God has given us already,

God continues to give to us the greatest gift of all

Himself!

His very Body and Blood!

So that our humanity can share in his divinity and live forever.

We get plenty; more than enough; more than we deserve.

And so we come to Mass to say “Thank You.”

For all that we have received;

All that we are being given now.

And all that we will receive in Heaven.