A House Divided

Good Morning, dear reader. I hope this finds you in good spirits. Today we are talking about hearing God's voice and living true to His ways. 

I know sometimes it's hard to have to live by God's commandments. We become slaves to society, always doing what everyone else is doing. We are "woke", we accept what they say is truth. We are led to believe this is how we should be. We allow them to tell us religion is bad. It's not the "in thing" to do. It's not politically correct. Our moral compass has strayed far beyond our reach. 

We see in Jeremiah that God has tried talking to His people, tried to reach out to them. He has sent many prophets to preach to the people. He has tried everything within His power to keep His people safe. But the people have become so hardened, so ingrained to conforming to what was deemed acceptable, that they virtually tuned out God's voice, His teachings, His laws. They have sunk to the depths of evil. 

We see the same theme in Luke. Jesus tells the people that they have allowed evilness to pervade their lives. The people have become divided. Their loyalties displaced. "A house divided cannot stand." There is no longer a strong foundation on which to build their faith. Jesus reminds them that those who do not follow Him, those who speak against Him will be scattered in the wind like the petals of a wilting flower. There is nothing that can hold it together. You're either with me or against me, is what He is basically saying. 

When we veer away from having God in our lives, when we don't hear what He has to say, it casts a darkness on our soul. The further we go, the darker it gets, until we can no longer hear God's voice. We allow the evilness of this world to harden our hearts, taint our soul, and colour our perspective. Sometimes this can happen without us even realising it, till it becomes the norm in our every day life. We become numb to its effects. 

BUT, dear reader, all is not lost!! We can allow Jesus back into our lives!! We can turn away from that darkness!! All we need to do is take a moment, one small moment, to tune out what is around us and ask Jesus to drive out that gloom that has crept into our lives. We don't need grand gestures, we don't need to run to the nearest church to have the demons driven out. It can be as simple as just saying "Jesus, help me." Three simple words, spoken with conviction, are all you need. 

Be blessed, my friends. And as always.... be a nice human. 😇

Here is a great video from my favorite "pastor", Joyce Meyer, on hearing God's voice:

https://youtu.be/b5ea0P2xSR8

Here is a song to give you a little inspiration: https://youtu.be/EqsnGE3_dsg

 

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!! Who is St. Patrick and why do we celebrate him? St. Patrick of Ireland is one of the world's most popular saints. He was born in Roman Britain and when he was fourteen or so, he was captured by Irish pirates during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. At the time, Ireland was a land of Druids and pagans but Patrick turned to God and wrote his memoir, The Confession. He often used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity and entire kingdoms were eventually converted to Christianity after hearing Patrick's message.

Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions. He lived in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering. He died March 17, 461 in Saul, Ireland, where he had built the first Irish church. He is believed to be buried in Down Cathedral, Downpatrick, Ireland. His grave was marked in 1990 with a granite stone. In the United States, he is the patron saint of immigrants.

🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀🍀

Today's Gospel isn't very difficult to understand. It states plainly that those who follow in the Lord and trust in the Lord will reap their benefits in Heaven. Those who value material things, those who do not reach out to others, who will not repent, will suffer their fate in Hell. It is basically "you reap what you sow". However, these are the very same people that we need to show mercy to. We need to pray that the Lord will change their hearts. 

In Jeremiah, the story reminds us that we should not rely solely on ourselves. We will become like a tree that is planted in the middle of the desert. There is not much nourishment for a tree planted in sand and exposed to heat with little water. If you plant that same tree near a water source, where there is equal parts sun and shade, that tree will grow big and strong. God's word is water to our souls. It provides us the substance we need in order to grow in our faith. 

Lent is the best time to renew yourself in God's love, to dive deep into His word. It will fill your soul with all you need to make your faith strong so that you will be able to withstand the storms that will eventually come into your life. Take some time to reflect on today's reading and take an inventory of where you stand with your beliefs. Ask yourself if you are too reliant on yourself instead of placing your burdens with God. 

Be blessed, dear reader. And, as usual.... be a nice human.

Here is today's reflection from Father Bill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zeek62WTFs

Here is a wonderful song to get your heart prepared for prayer and reflection: https://youtu.be/4g-iYws5868

Serving Faith

We often struggle in our own lives with finding that balance between living in "the world" and following Jesus, living by His example. This is the problem Jeremiah faced. He wanted to follow God and what He had in mind for him, but more often than not, Jeremiah found himself overwhelmed by it all. To further complicate matters, we have these men who wanted to discredit Jeremiah. They wanted to use Jeremiah's words against him. But, Jeremiah, this humble person who struggled to follow God, called out to Him. "Heed me, O Lord, and listen to what my adversaries say. Must good be repaid with evil that they should dig a pit to take my life?" (Jer 18:19-20, NAB). How often have we wondered the same thing? We have to remember that, in times like that, we need to seek the Lord even more, to allow Him to guide us, to be reassured that we are doing just what we need to. 

In turning to our Gospel reading, we see the mother of James and John asking Jesus to assure that her sons will be favored and be seated with Him in Heaven. The crowd that had gathered wondered why these two men should be so privledged as to receive favor in Heaven. Jesus promptly replies that that is not His choice to make, it is whatever His Father has predestined for these men. You see, Jesus was just a humble servant of His Father. He tells the crowd that even though the Gentiles may hold power over people and seek glory for themselves, this is not how it's done in Heaven. Those who are willing to humble themselves, to do for others without glorification are the ones who are the most blessed. They will see their reward in Heaven. 

In everything Jesus did, it was with kindness, understanding and compassion. Knowing He was the Savior of the world did not inflate His ego. It could have. For most folks it would have. But not Jesus. He showed that He was ready and eager to serve the needs of others. Are we ready to take on that challenge? Are we willing to humble ourselves in the service of Jesus? Are we willing to be the least among others? It is something to think about. 

With so much strife and unrest in the world today, take time to pray for others. Pray for peace. "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them." (Mt 18:20, NAB)

Be blessed dear friends. And as always, be a nice human. 😇