From Chaos Comes Opportunity

Good Morning, dear reader. Well, we are halfway through another week. I am still feeling under the weather. 😕 Be that as it may, we continue our Easter journey.

As we begin chapter 8 of Acts, we see that the church is beginning to fall apart.  Jerusalem is in chaos. People are leaving so they don't get caught up in it all. Stephen needs to be buried before the remaining faithful depart for other lands.

We now see another person enter the story, Saul. We briefly saw his name yesterday as we finished Acts 7. He was the one who gave permission for Stephen to be killed. If you are familiar with the various people in the Bible, you may recall that Saul later becomes Paul of Tarsis. He was transformed on the road to Damascus. But, before that happens, he remains Saul of Tarsis. And at this point, he is going house to house, finding anyone who is a believer or follower of Jesus, and throwing them in jail. Jesus has really turned things upside down! 

Philip arrives in Samaria and begins to teach the good news of Jesus Christ. The crowds of people are spellbound while they listen to what Philip has to say. Those who are full of sinful ways, those who were ill or handicapped were blessed and made well. The people of Samaria rejoiced! Never have they seen such miracles! The uprising in Jerusalem was a blessing in disguise as it gave more people the opportunity to hear about Jesus, to have miracles performed, and to have the number of followers multiplied! 

Our reading in John continues with the Bread of Life discourse. Jesus is telling the people that He is merely doing the will of His Father, "I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the One who sent Me" (v38). Anything that is given to Jesus by the Father will be passed on to those who come to Jesus. And anyone who has seen Jesus and believes in Him will be given eternal life. 

I know this seems redundant. I have had to go back and check to make sure we weren't repeating any readings. I do know that when something is repeated often it means that it is something that requires you to pay attention because it's important. Obviously, it is important that we pay attention to everything we read in scripture. But this lesson is even more important. This is the basis for our belief. We know that Jesus will sustain us. He will save us. He will bless us. All He asks is that we believe in Him and follow Him. I think that's a pretty reasonable request. One that should be easy enough to do, as well. I know that in my own life and what we are dealing with currently, if I didn't have my faith, if I didn't have that promise of hope in Jesus, I probably would've given up by now. 

And, on that note, dear reader, I'm going to crawl back under the covers and try to take a nap. I'm at least feeling slightly better today than I did yesterday. I wish you blessings for the day and remind you, as always, to be a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://youtu.be/GXTCFKfAqC8

Purposeful Intent

Good Morning, dear reader. It would seem that I have picked up a nasty bug. Despite that, I soldier on... so let's get to it!

Let me start with this… what is purposeful intent? It might seem a straightforward answer. It is doing something with meaning, with deep thought. You meant to do this, you expected this.. much like we’ll see Stephen when he looks up after telling off the old geezers (lol) of the Sanhedrin. We should approach our faith with that same purposeful intent. To really put thought and effort into what Jesus is trying to teach us. We also need to put that same effort into our prayer lives. Believe and you will receive! Ok… now on to today’s lesson… 

This morning's reading in Acts shows us a very angry Stephen. I actually had a bit of a giggle at the things Stephen had to say! "You stiff-necked people.." (v51) Yup, that pretty much describes them! lol, He tells them that their archaic attitudes need to change. You can't keep people from speaking freely about something or someone they believe in. If they didn't like you or the things you had to say, you were thrown into some dank, dark prison and forgotten about. Things remained this way for a very long time. Now Stephen is calling them out. He'd had enough. Someone had to speak up. It might as well be him.
Stephen's courageous outburst can be explained by the fact that it was the Holy Spirit within him that gave him the bravery needed to speak out. This can be confirmed because we see in verses 55 and 56 that Stephen looked up, saw God and Jesus standing before him, "But he, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up intently to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God". He wasn't just looking up.. he was looking up intently.. with a purpose, with rapt attention. He expected to see something. He expected something to happen. 

At this point, the Sanhedrin had had enough. This guy needs to go and he needs to go now! So they drag him out of the city limits. But this still was not enough to satisfy their anger, so they decide to stone him. This will send a clear message that no one is to speak out against this counsel, no one is to speak of Jesus. Something very powerful then happens. As Stephen is being stoned, he looks heavenward and says "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (v59), followed by "Lord, do not hold this sin against them"(v60). Hmm... these words sound mighty familiar... Stephen is speaking the same words Jesus did as He was hanging on the cross. Here you are being persecuted for speaking the truth, and yet you tell God to not hold their sins against them. I don't think I could be that forgiving. I'd probably be thinking that eventually the Karma bus is going to come around and will make its stop in front of the Sanhedrin. Not Stephen. He wants to follow in Jesus's footsteps and ask forgiveness of these men. 

As we move into the Gospel of John, we are still talking about the bread of life discourse. Jesus is trying to explain the whole idea but the men seem a little..dense? They want some giant show. "What sign can you do?" (v30). I would imagine that at this point Jesus rolls His eyes and thinks "What am I, a magician?!". Why do people always insist on proof? Does no one have faith anymore? Is faith not seeing but believing? Once the people hear this, they want to know how they can get in on this. They want what Jesus is offering.

Do you want what Jesus is offering? Are you looking for a deeper meaning in life? It is so easy to attain. All you need to do is accept Jesus into your heart. Allow Him to transform you and your life. Over these weeks, we have learned about how death and sin were overcome by a single sacrifice, Jesus. How one person gave His life so that we could be free. Free to worship, free to speak of Jesus's name, and free to believe in what He has to offer. We don't need signs and miracles for proof. We simply need to believe. Think about all this today. Think about what you need for you to believe in Jesus. While you're thinking of all this, try to remember that you should always be a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://youtu.be/z6HGMslyI5k

The Crucifixion and Forgiveness

Good Morning, dear reader. Happy Sunday! We embark on our journey into the third week of Easter. The resurrection was so glorious and miraculous that we celebrate it for 50 days, ending on Pentecost Sunday. As a matter of fact, the Easter season is more important than Christmas!! 

We have touched upon the book of Revelation in previous posts. As you will recall, Revelation is mostly symbolic in nature. It is not to be taken literally. There really isn't much explaining needed for this passage. In today's reading, you will see Jesus Christ referred to as the Lamb. We also hear this at mass when we pray "Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us." just before we receive communion. Equating Jesus with a lamb means that He is the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for sin. (There's a longer explanation, having to do with Passover and its celebration, but this is it in a nutshell.) All the creatures in heaven and on earth rejoice and honour God and His Son, Jesus.   

Now, on to John. Jesus asks Peter three times if he truly loves Him. He asks this because Peter was the one who denied Jesus three times before His crucifixion. So, now, Jesus is a little doubtful about how faithful Peter is to Him. However, Jesus is willing to forgive Peter and the role he played in His death. As we have seen throughout the Gospels, Peter becomes the most favoured and important Apostle. Probably because he did feel guilty about what he did to Jesus and now wants to make up for it. 

I think what this passage is trying to convey is that no matter how bad our actions are, Jesus is always willing to forgive and give us another chance. This doesn't mean you should keep doing something you know is bad just because you know that Jesus will forgive you. He can sense when you are insincere, and He will dole out punishment. I'm just saying, that in our everyday, imperfect lives, we mess up. We're all sinners. It's comforting to know that I can never be so awful that Jesus won't forgive me and bring me back to His care. This is our assurance of salvation through His death and resurrection. This is what Easter is all about. So, dear reader, you can rest assured that Jesus will never stop loving you or caring about you. Just try to be a nice human, though. The world will appreciate it. 😇

**I have omitted the video today because Father Bill doesn't upload any on Sunday. Also, it seemed today's readings were ones we have done previously, so I picked the second reading. You'll just have to make do with my thoughts! lol 

Bread of Life

Good Afternoon, dear reader. I am so glad you decided to drop by and read about the good news of Jesus Christ!! I hope you will continue on in your journey of faith! 

The verse I chose for today goes with our reading in John. It shows that we need more than just physical sustenance. We need both the word of God to nourish our soul and physical food to nourish our body. However, in this context, bread is symbolic of faith; faith in God and in Jesus, which is our very source of life. When we accept the Eucharist at Mass, we are saying that we accept Jesus into our body; a life-giving force that is the heart of every Christian. Jesus IS life! "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (Rev 22:13, nab).

As we move into the reading in Acts, we see Peter and John are once again in front of the Sanhedrin. It is becoming most obvious that the high priests cannot silence the crowd in their exaltations for Jesus. The signs and wonders had spread far and wide and the people were amazed. However, this did not bode well for the members of the Sanhedrin. If they didn't do something to stop this, it would make them look weak. The priests had to demonstrate that they were still in charge; somehow they had to get a handle on this movement. One of the high priests, Gamaliel, wanted to have Peter and John set free. The way he figured it, if these men are some sort of fraud, they will soon disappear and the people will lose interest. However, if these two men are who they say they are, then the Sanhedrin would suffer the wrath of God. They decided a flogging would be strong enough to send a message. But even this backfired because this just further brought strength to Peter and John. They would suffer for their faith in Jesus. After all, Jesus died for them. A flogging seemed a mere pittance in comparison.

What does your everyday faith look like? Do God's words sustain you? Is your soul at peace because of your faith? Or is it just something you haul out on Sunday morning? That's the thing with being a believer, you're either all in or you're all out. There is no in-between, as much as we'd like to believe it's possible. It's like being pregnant, you either are or you're not. There is no sort of. It's easier to be "more holy" when you're in church. You're surrounded by people who believe the same as you. You are led by someone, you receive the Eucharist, you sing, you pray. Sometimes just being in church can bring you peace. I get it. I'm the same way. I'm great when I'm in church. But, once I leave and get back to "real life", it's not as easy. 

This is why God's word is so important. It gives us a way to keep our body and soul connected. Our lives are busy and sometimes we forget this. This is where technology is a plus! There are tons of bible apps so we can access God's word. Take two minutes, maybe on a bathroom break. Find one line of scripture and read it. Let it bolster you as you go through your daily routine. Before you go to sleep at night, maybe write down the verse and reflect on it. Write down how it made you feel when you read it. Write down how it impacted your day and/or your thoughts. Did it help your day go better? Did it give you a moment's peace? Before you know it, you will have filled a whole notebook! If you'd like, share your verse and your thoughts here. Tell me what you chose and why you chose it (even if it was just the first one that came up when you opened your bible app). Let's start a whole conversation!! And, as always, dear reader.... be a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef3P2Le6iHM

Obedience to God's Word

 Good Morning, dear reader. I pray that you are well and that your day is blessed. Let us hop right into our readings for today. 

We see our brave disciples, Peter and John, are still in front of the Sanhedrin, where they are being tried for speaking of Jesus Christ. The men of the Sanhedrin reiterate that they had warned Peter and John about continuing to teach and preach about Jesus and what would happen to them if this continued. Since these warnings were disregarded, Peter and John are precariously perched for harsh punishment from the Sanhedrin. This, however, does not strike fear in the two. They know it is better to follow God's commands rather than man's. They remind the council of the fact that they put Jesus to death, "The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had Him killed by hanging Him on a tree" (v. 30). This did not sit well with the Sanhedrin and only served to anger them further and inch them closer to being put to death. Peter and John were so devoted to Jesus that they were willing to put their lives on the line for Him. They would rather suffer the wrath of man than betray their faith. How brave these two men were! And how steadfast they remained in their faith!! 

John's Gospel, basically reiterates what we just read in Acts. Jesus's disciples tried to teach of the goodness of the Lord, but some would not listen. Those who do not listen and believe will not receive their glory in heaven and will not be cleared of their sin. Those that DO believe will find hope and life everlasting through Jesus Christ.

These are some pretty powerful words. It makes our own faith feel pretty flimsy. There are not many who would put their lives on the line defending their spiritual beliefs (well, maybe radical extremists, but that's a horse of a whole other colour. lol). We can strive to be better disciples of Christ. We can deepen our beliefs and understanding of God's word. We just have to make that commitment. You have taken that first step when you decided to come here today, to learn more of what the Bible says about our faith, to grasp a better understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ. That's really awesome!  I'm following right along with you. Hence the reason I started this blog. I needed to get back to my faith. I need to be reminded that Jesus is right here with me as I struggle. Jesus is with you, too, dear reader, through all your struggles, triumphs, moments of doubt and moments of clarity. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other each day. Every little step is a step of progress. And remember.... be a nice human. 😇

I just found this website. It follows the Bible and in the lower right-hand corner, it tells where in the Bible it is. I couldn't find a small clip that matched today's reading, so if you fast-forward to 29 min into the film, that's where it begins. It ends at 31 min. The entire film for the book of Acts is a little over 3 hours if you want to watch the whole thing. https://www.jesusfilm.org/watch/book-of-acts.html/english.html

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho8vqliCGyQ

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 Bigger Picture

Happy Thursday, dear reader!! It is going to be a warm, albeit, wet Thursday here, but I'll take rain over snow any day!! It has been a long and cold winter and I'm more than ready for a glorious Spring!

Our first reading today takes us to the book of Exodus. The Israelites have been on a journey to find a place of peace. Moses had gone to the mount to speak with God. The people had become worried that he hasn't come back. So, they turn to Aaron to do something. They are looking for someone or something to worship. They are in need of a new leader. They do not have the patience to wait for Moses to return. This was not a good choice. When God gets wind of what the people are doing, He tells Moses that he best hurry back and put these people straight, "Go down at once to your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved." (Ex 32:7, NAB). 

Worshipping a golden calf may not seem so immoral to us today. We've all seen a lot worse. But back in the time of Moses, God saw this a real affront. This was sinful and scandalous behavior. Here He was, trying to liberate these people, finding them a place of peace where they could live out their days, and as soon as their leader disappears for a bit, they go all haywire. God is so insensed that He tells Moses to leave Him alone so He can think about how He wants to teach these people a lesson, "Let Me alone, then, that My wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation." (Ex 32:10, NAB). But Moses wants to give these people a second chance. God decides to listen to Moses and spares them. However, Moses is now armed with the Ten Commandments. Now there are rules, given straight from God, on how they should conduct themselves from here on out.

We all make mistakes. We all wander off the path that God has chosen for us. We all want to fit in with the rest of society. That's what Moses tries to tell God. These were His people. God chose them to settle a new land where they would be free to worship Him without fear of condemnation. They've been wandering in this desert, they are in need of direction, of hope. And God realized this. He gave His rules for the people to follow so that they wouldn't lose sight of the bigger picture. 

Which brings us to John's Gospel. It's a bit confusing as it refers to giving witness to God, needing people to confirm things, who is fit to be the witnesses. So, in Father Bill's video, he asks us a simple question to ponder. What has brought you here? Why now? Is God trying to lead you out of your own desert? What does that desert look like? Where are you trying to go and why? 

As you try and answer those questions, go back and reread todays passages. How does your life mimic them? Have you asked the Lord to spare you from your sins? Search your heart today. Find the places where you need some encouragment. Pray on that. Meditate on it. Then ask God to guide you to where you need to be. And, as always, dear reader.. be a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXEwxkRUj0M

Following in a Father's Footsteps

Good Morning, dear reader. We're half way through another week, and getting closer to celebrating the resurrection of Jesus!! 

This morning's readings show us that God is the giver of life, and as such, has chosen to share that power with His son, Jesus Christ. We also Jesus as the obedient Son, carrying out the will of God, His Father.

In Isaiah, God is reminding His people that He will never forget them, much like how a mother can not forget her child. It is in this promise that we are assured that, no matter what, we are never far from God and He is never far from us. "See, upon the palms of my hands I have written your name" (Is 49:16, NAB). Although this is meant to say that God will continuously remember each one of us, I also think that it can relate to how, when Jesus went to the Cross, our names were taken with Him, so that we would also have eternal life with Him. That as the nails were driven into His hands, our sins were driven out. 

Sometimes we can feel that God has forgotten us. We feel that our words are not reaching Him. Our pleas for help go unanswered. But, He reassures us, that just as a mother can not forget her child, as such, He will never forget us. He hears our cries, He sees our pain. And just as a mother gives comfort to her child, so God will comfort us. 

As we move into the Gospel of John, we take up where we left off yesterday, with Jesus healing the man in Bethesda. The Jews are angry that this Man, this Jesus, should dare to say that God is His Father! Jesus tells them that just as a son will follow in his fathers' way, so He does follow God, His Father. And those that follow Jesus, those that hear His word and obey, will be given life. Jesus goes on to explain that it's not all on Him, He is doing what His Father has willed. Don't forget.. "THY will be done".. God's Will, God's chosing. Jesus can listen, He can advise His Father, Jesus can, in a way, act as proxy for God. Verse 27 explains this in just one sentence "And He (God) gave Him (Jesus) power to exercise judgement, because He (Jesus) is the Son of Man." Jesus goes on to emphasise this point at the end of our reading "I cannot do anything on My own; I judge as I hear, and My judgement is just, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the One who sent Me (God)." (Jn 5:30, NAB) Think of it this way... "Wait till your father gets home!!" Yup, now you've really done it! lol

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

Father Bill's reflection for today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQAj0543vIE

Video for the song "Thy Will Be Done": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp4WC_YZAuw