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- Who Was Philip? Part II - Who Was Philip? Part II: Philip was a young man, probably a teenager when he received Jesus’ call to follow, and it was a change of life event for him. He was a fisherman from Bethsaida, an acquaintance of Andrew and Peter, and probably one of the growing crowd of young men that went to nearby Capernaum to listen to the rabbi, Jesus of Nazareth, who was drawing so much attention with his teachings. Philip was a man with a warm heart and a pessimistic head. He was one who would very much like to do something for others, but rarely knew how it could be done. Yet, this simple Galilean gave all he had. In return, God transformed him into a true teacher and missionary to Greece, Syria and parts of Phrygia. Continue reading
- Who Was Philip? Part I - Who Was Philip? Part I: One thing we know about Philip is that he was the first to hear the words from Jesus, “Come, follow me” – and he did. Not only that, but, it affected him so profoundly that he immediately went to his friend Nathanael, or Bartholomew, telling him that “we have found him of whom Moses and the prophets had spoken”. We never know when the words we speak, or write, will act as seeds, and results in growth in faith. Yes, we are doing as Phillip did, a good and faithful servant. Our hands and voices, our passing it on, but Jesus, within, is leading us. Continue reading
- Rejoice. I Say It Again Rejoice - Rejoice. I Say It Again Rejoice: “This is the day the Lord has made…” How often have we said that over the years? But the question is, how often have you finished it with “…and I will rejoice and be glad in it”, and actually, did rejoice and was actually glad? Or did you wake up to a day that the Lord made, and you found yourself in a dark shadow, filled with worries and concerns? Sometimes it’s just plain hard to get out of bed, and face a day filled with so much “stuff” you’d rather not deal with. I think on those days our Lord wants to grab me by the nap of my neck and shake me, and tell me to my face “Make a decision not to worry about those things, give them to Me!” Continue reading
- God Is in Charge? - God Is in Charge?: Yes, indeed, God truly is in charge, even more than we know. But it is more than that, He also loves us! But wait, there is more. He leads us, in subtle ways, in real ways, in ways that we are unaware. Those everyday "little miracles", those "coincidences", that cause us to marvel, "how did that happen?" The lucky chance. The unexpected smile. The times we felt blessed by the beauty of nature, of a seascape, of mountains, of flowers, or the giggle of a small child, or, simply, the spontaneous love of family. How did that happen? Ah, the work of our God, who never sleeps. Continue reading
- Hot, Steaming Sex! - Hot, Steaming Sex! Poor Joseph, what is he to do? Here was this very comely woman, inviting him to her bed. No, not inviting, ordering him, Come to bed with me! How would Joseph resolve this “war” between this temptation and his integrity, his loyalty to God and Potiphar? A key difference between Joseph’s story and some elements of politics today is Joseph’s integrity. Potiphar has doubts about Joseph’s guilt, nevertheless, the young man ends up in prison and adds his name to a remarkable list of biblical figures. Continue reading
- Water Walking - Water Walking: The men in the boat were experienced, and yet the change in the wind, and the roughing of the sea caused great concern. Then they saw Jesus walking toward them, on the waves. Peter called out, “If that is you, Lord, let me come to you.” Water-walking, risk taking, trying something new are all best done in the trusting embrace of our Lord. How about the start of a new day? Yes. How about worry? An awareness of all that you must do, and how will you get it all done? The water is rising all the way up to your chin, and the waves are getting higher, and you simply don’t know what to do. Then you remember the “Escape Clause”. Continue reading
- Compassion II - Compassion II: Father Richard Rohr, founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, writes that God, in the form of Jesus Christ, comes to us disguised as our living, breathing life. Our willingness to find God in our own struggles with life, and to let it change us, is our deepest, truest obedience to God’s eternal will. Jesus arrives among us and never leaves. His purpose goes beyond forgiveness. His purpose is to dwell with us and within us, to grace us with His peace, so rich and deep that we cannot fully understand… Divine Love. It is because of that love, that God took on human form and dwelt among us. Continue reading
- Compassion I - Compassion I: The Season of Advent is behind us, the Christmas celebrations are memories and here we are at the start of a New Year. I want to revisit one phrase that we heard repeatedly around December 25, “Today Jesus Christ, the Son of God, IS born in Bethlehem of Judea.”why do we say, “Jesus Christ IS born this day…” each year? Hmmm. Prior Aelred, of St. Gregory’s Abbey, offers a partial answer to that question. He says that the coming of our Lord and Savior, the Incarnation, changes everything for the entire human race, and it is the reenactment of this God-given miracle that we celebrate at Christmas. Continue reading
- The Joy of the Lord - The Joy of the Lord: Did you find a day of joy in the midst of all the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations? A day of joy, a day for the joy of the Lord to be your strength? I am sure you found some joy, maybe an abundance.When the psalmist refers to joy, it doesn’t mean the tendency some people have, because of their temperament, to be happier than other people. For one reason or another there appear to be people who are more naturally wired to smile, who can wake up in the morning singing a cheery song, and who look at their breakfast cereal and simply clap their hands with delight. So, throw away all ideas that joy is found in things apart from God. Know that these are Words from God. Such is the joy of the Lord being our strength. Continue reading
- Forgot Your Password? - Forgot Your Password? Have you ever seen that question? Probably not more than three thousand times! You want to get into one of YOUR accounts? What’s your password? Accessed denied! Why all that rigmarole just to get into MY ACCOUNT? GRRR. It’s for your own good, it’s for your own security, to protect your property, etc. The protocols (password) for entering that part of the tabernacle, beyond the curtain, called the Most Holy Place were a bit more elaborate. The penalty for getting those elements wrong…DEATH! I am not sure what we would do, as a company of believers, if we could not come to Jesus, to God, Continue reading
- My Cup Overflows - My Cup Overflows: I had never heard this song nor read these lyrics until recently when they were sent to me by a friend. While I don’t do this often, I do want to share this as the meditation for today. I hope these words speak to you as clearly and as spiritually as they did to me. Too often we take the blessings that flow to each of us from our Lord, and move on to the next challenge of life without the recognition of whose we are and how loved we are, and how His graces affect our lives. Continue reading
- Meditate on God’s Word - Meditate on God’s Word: Do we ever really take time to truly meditate on the Word of God? I mean really dwell on words, phrases, settings, meanings. When we personalize the Word and make it ours? It is not an easy task to translate the Holy Word of God into our everyday life, but I think the full power of His Word is unleashed when we truly make it ours, personal, in the midst of our conversation with God. You know, letting the scripture guide your conversation with God. This is what I came up with. Give it a try, you have the Master of the Universe helping you! Continue reading
- Abide with Me - Abide with Me: Moses was a great man; one of the greatest to ever walk this earth. But Moses was not irreplaceable. God being with them, Israel was in good hands, with or without Moses. God’s word, through Moses to Joshua, was: Be strong and of good courage. As believers in Jesus Christ we need to allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit then to reach out with courage and compassion tor others who are suffering through this time. We cannot do this on our own, that’s the reality of our frailty. But we can do it with Jesus who will give us the strength. We are never alone when we speak the truth in love. Continue reading
- Do Not Fear - Do Not Fear: So much is happening around us and it seems beyond our understanding and our ability to deal with it. The Omicron virus now lurking and apparently undetectable until you are infected. In times like these, it is easy to let fear grip our hearts and occupy our minds. What we heard last night about the spread of this new virus, garners even more fear, if we let it. You know that much of our fear is of the unknown. That kind of fear fills our mind too much of the time. Yes, we hear God say to us, “Do not be afraid,” but we are. We need to remember these important, timeless truths: God is with us, God is for us, God is in charge and God loves us. Continue reading
- New Years Day – Jubilee! - Jubilee! Yes, happy new year, indeed. All who hold a mortgage on house, car, boat, whatever, would indeed be happy if we practiced the Jewish tradition of Jubilee. Debts forgiven. A fresh start for all (except for the mortgage and holders of notes who would shed a tear or start a war). Wikipedia tells us a little of the ancient Jewish tradition of Jubilee. The Year of Jubilee is the fiftieth year at the end of seven cycles of Sabbatical years: seven sets of seven years. and, according to biblical regulations, had a special impact on the ownership and management of land in Israel. I can only imagine the chaos that would reign, if in some future time, a year of Jubilee were instituted in this country. Can you imagine? Wow! Wait, just a doggone minute! We already have that blessing, Continue reading
- The Next Room - The Next Room: We are mere hours away from the birth of a spanking new year. The year 2021 is in its final moments and will soon die away and we will be left with only the memory. As promised, a whole new year dawns promptly at the stroke of midnight. Blessings upon blessings. It would be hard to miss the symbolism of the calendar changes and our own lives as promised through Christ. Our own life becomes dust and we move into eternal life, brand-new, our bodies and minds sound, our joy unrestrained. This is why we come to the Lord with gratitude each day, for all the graces that have rained down upon us throughout our lives. Blessings upon blessings, and a peace that passes all of our understandings, all from a God who loves us. Continue reading
- Before Damascus - Before Damascus: I wonder if many of us in our religious lives, are back where Paul was before he became a Christian? Oh, I don’t mean they are out there persecuting other Christians, but what if we are caught up, or I should say grown-up, with a religion that has taught us, we are bad, we are sinful. It taught us how to feel guilty, but not how to be free, free and at peace. how many children, sitting in church week after week and heard that same theme in sermons -- We’re all sinners. Young children, hearing that repeatedly may search in their minds for how they were so bad, what sinful things have I done, and not really having a resolution of that question. Continue reading
- Time Traveler – Bible Style - Time Traveler – Bible Style: What if we could transport ourselves in the Way-back Machine to that time prior to the birth of Jesus. If we could stand there in the Temple, beside the teachers of the law who are reading the prophecies and shaking their heads, mumbling, “I don’t understand.” And, we, with our post-Resurrection understanding, begin to explain to these very smart Pharisees, the truth of the prophecies. Would they listen? I think the catchword, in this modern era of ours, is “seeing is believing”. The question really is how does firsthand knowledge, hands-on experience, proof positive, etc., deepen our faith? Nevertheless, imagining what it would be like to have borne witness to the ministry of Jesus, is fertile ground for story, but it is also enlightening as we dig deeper and deeper into the Word. Continue reading
- Pride… - Pride: We all struggle with pride in life! The seeds of pride are planted very early in life. Who among us has never said, “That’s mine!!” we grow out of some of that childish possessiveness, but little threads of pride remain in each of us. Isaac Watts has written a wonderful hymn: When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died, My richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride. We need to distinguish between pride, as referred to in the hymn, and positive self- image. Jesus gives Peter the comfort he needed when his pride was broken and he had lost hope. That’s us, as well. Jesus asks us, do you love me? Continue reading
- Christmas Day – Oh, Happy Day! - Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all. Glory to God in the Highest and on earth Peace and good will. Amen. Continue reading
