On being a nice human

Good morning, dear reader and a blessed Sunday to you. This is our last Sunday of the Lenten season. Next Sunday we begin the Passion of Christ, where we will see the story of His death and resurrection begin. 

We begin this morning with the prophet Isaiah. God is speaking to the people, reminding them that He is the God who makes way for all. He is the one who rules the oceans and the lands. He is also the one who punishes the wicked and rewards the just. He reminds us that He is the one who created us in His image. He is the one who puts on us the task of spreading His word. 

God also reminds us that we are not to focus on the things of the past. What's done is done. We are to savour today and enjoy the things He has given us. He has provided the life-giving waters of His words to help us on this journey. Without that, we become like the baren desert. We need to start each new day with His word, His instruction. It is through these words that we are to conduct ourselves and our life; to remind all that He is responsible for our being here. 

Philippians is one of my favourite books in the Bible. It was written by the apostle Paul, who, at the time, was in prison for spreading the word of Jesus, facing his imminent death. He is using this letter to guide the faithful Christians on how to live a life that speaks of Jesus. He is recounting his thankfulness for his conversion at Damascus (Acts 9:1-31). Paul is reminding us that we need to always remain thankful and humble for all that we have found in Jesus. To remember that it is not the material things in life that count, but our faith in Jesus is what is important. 

Moving on to our reading in John. We see Jesus is teaching the people who have come to the temple to listen to Him. In the middle of this, a group of men barge in, hauling with them a woman who they have caught committing adultry. They know that this is a mortal sin that breaks one of the great commandments. This sin must be punished. The men want to use this event as a way to solidify their case against Jesus. They're basically saying that Jesus knows this is a sin, that the woman needs to be punished, and if He doesn't punish her, then He is breaking the law as well. But their plan backfires. Jesus tells them that the person who is blameless, who is without sin, should be the first one to stone the woman. At this point, I imagine the gentlemen must've looked at each other, realising that none of them are as lily white as they claim to be. They slowly shuffle out of the temple, leaving the woman and Jesus alone. Jesus then looks at the woman and asks her where are the people who said she is guilty? Are they still here? He tells her that He is not here to judge her. He forgives her sins, tells her to be good and not do it again. He is giving her a second chance to change her life. I'm sure the woman was grateful and would not take a chance on her life again. 

All of this reminds us that we owe our lives to our Creator. That Jesus took our sins with us to the cross. All we need to do in return is live our lives according to the laws that God set before us. When we sin, and we will, we need to admit to what we have done wrong and ask forgiveness, promising that we will try to do better. This does not mean we are free to go and do it again, ask forgiveness again.. it doesn't work that way. If we constantly do the things we know are wrong, then we are not truly sorry for having done it. Those actions WILL be punishable. As the saying goes, we reap what we sow. And that, dear reader, is what I mean when I say be a nice human. Treat others as you wish to be treated, let your life speak of your faith, and be thankful every day. 

Enough of my preaching.. go out there and spread love and kindness. Be a nice human to all you meet!! 😇

Here is a video for the song "To The Cross" by Paul Baloche:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mzqwnAvpTQ

The Laws of God

Yesterday we talked about God's mercies and forgiveness. Today, we sort of back track and look at the laws laid down by God and what it means to be faithful to those laws and to God.

We have rules and laws for a reason. It keeps the peace, steers our paths and helps us to not do whatever it is we want without repercussions. In order to reinforce the rules, there must be both punishment and rewards. If there is only one then these rules are not as effective. Think of it this way, when we are children, our parents give us certains things that we must do. Clean our rooms, take out the trash, go to school, etc. For most, the reward meant earning a few bucks every week. For others, it meant a satisfaction that we were able to show that we were responsible. And that's exactly what we do when we follow God's laws. We are demonstrating that we are responsible people, capable of remaining true to our God. We are forming a covenant with Him. We are promising to follow His rules and in exchange we will not only be a better person for it, but we are acknowledging the fact that we will be judged and punished if we break our agreement. 

When Jesus enters the picture in the New Testament, He tells us that He will carry out the promises of His Father, but He will also nurture us and help us to grow faithful. He sort of softens the blow. This encourages us to WANT to follow what God has put forth for us. It's not all fire and brimstone, hell and damnation. Remember, you can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. BUT, if you chose to ignore the rules, keep breaking them, then you will pay for it, just not right away, though. You will have to answer to God the Father when you pass on from this world. 

Do you really want to risk that? Is it really worth breaking the rules if you know that you have displeased Jesus? Do you know that when you sin, you are breaking Jesus's heart? Think about that the next time you feel like stepping out of line. Think about your relationship with Jesus. 

Be blessed, dear reader. And remember.... be a nice human. It is worth it. 😇❤

Father Bill's reflection on todays readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgpgaVQNGhg

Here's a really cute video from Steven Curtis Chapman, reminding us that everything we do should be done for the glory and grace of Jesus Christ: https://youtu.be/uVTeIMursb8