Palm Sunday

Good Morning, dear reader!! A blessed Palm Sunday to you!! Today we begin our journey into Holy Week. It will be a week of mixed emotions, reflection and prayers. It is never easy watching Jesus during this time as we know what is to come. But, we also know of the joy that it will bring on Resurrection Sunday! 

We start our reading this morning with Jesus entering Jerusalem. I will share with you the footnote from my bible, as I think this gives us some good insight on this:

With the royal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, a new section of Luke's Gospel begins, the ministry of Jesus in Jerusalem before His death and resurrection. Luke suggests that this was a lengthy ministry there, which is  characterised by Jesus' daily teaching in the temple.*

Today is one of the few days we can feel joyous. He is heralded as King as He enters the city. But, the Romans ask Jesus to reprimand His apostles for calling Jesus King. They felt this was an insult to their king, who they saw as true ruler. Jesus told them that He would not do this because even if His apostles kept quiet, others would still recognise Him as King and would call out to Him as such. Jesus is the ultimate rabble rouser and rebel!! 

The reading from Isaiah is a prophetic one as Isaiah is referring to Jesus. Remember, Jesus's birth, death and resurrection are all foretold in the Old Testament. This reading laments the fact that the people will not heed Jesus's teachings. Rather, they are relying on the secular. Because of this, their sins will bring death and destruction to the land. 

As we move on to Philippians, we see the joy of Jesus, exalted by His Father, illustrating the fact that He is to be glorified and revered. Jesus did not act as a god, but as a servant TO God; He exemplified utmost meekness of character. This passage reminds us that we, too, should act like Jesus. Our actions should show our devotion to Him. 

Finally, we go back to the Gospel of Luke, where he tells us the story of The Last Supper. Jesus mentions that this is a Passover celebration. Passover is the Jewish holiday that commemorates the Israelites being freed from slavery in Egypt. However, Jesus wants it known that instead of making an animal sacrifice for the meal, He will be sacrificing Himself. This will begin a new tradition, as a way to "seal the deal" of the new covenant between man and God. When we partake in Holy Communion, we are recognizing the fact that our salvation was bought and paid for through the body and blood of Jesus Christ, acknowledging our belief in this. 

This is a good time to reflect on your own faith in Jesus. Are you willing to freely accept what He has given up for you? Are you willing to stand by your faith? This is also a good time to participate in the Sacrament of Reconcilliation. Speak of your sins and be willing to accept the consequences of them, thus clearing yourself to take part in communion. 

Be thoughtful and mindful this week, dear reader. And, as always.... be a nice human. 

**Senior, D., Collins, J. and Getty-Sullivan, M., n.d. The Catholic study Bible. (1995)

Fidelity to God

Good Morning beautiful reader!! It sure is a chilly one here this morning! I hope you had a chance to read my post on methods of bible study! It should be helpful to both you and me! This morning, I am going to use the questions from my study guide to help guide me in todays reflection.

• Point one-- An important lesson we learn from Hosea has to do with the theological method; that is, that the way to knowledge of God is through the observation of human experience. 

• How is God like a faithful spouse, a loving parent, a friend seeking an enduring relationship?

    We know that God is always with us. He is someone we can go to when we need some tender loving care. "In their affliction, they shall look for me: "Come, let us return to the Lord", For it is He who has rent, but He will heal us." (Hs 6:1, NAB). 

    In verse 4, God sounds very much like a weary parent, "What can I do to you, Ephraim? What can I do with you, Judah?" He has already doled out punishment, yet they still won't obey. Oh do I ever hear that one!! God will punish to get His point across, to let you know that you did something displeasing. But, much like any parent, He will not stop loving you just because you messed up. 

• What does infidelity do to human relationships? Would the same things apply to our relationship to God?

    Infidelity can kill a relationship. BUT... it can also signal that there is something missing in the relationship. There are repairs to be made. The question you need to ask yourself is if you are willing to work on the relationship to heal it or would you rather walk away? 

    I think the same can apply to our relationship with God, except we are the ones susceptible to infidelity. We can find ourselves straying from God's path. We become enmeshed in secular persuits. We forget to make time for God. Or, something drastic can happen in our lives that makes us question God's presence or feel that God is punishing us for something, only we don't know what that something is. 

    This is why we daily have to make an effort to evaluate where we stand in our faith. Is there something missing? Are you making an effort? Are you confessing your sins to God? A relationship doesn't work if both parties aren't making an effort. 

•  Point two-- In Luke's Gospel, it makes the point that Disciples participate in the mission of Jesus. Disciples become participants in Jesus' ministry. They embody the reversals and the counter-cultural values of the Kingdom. They abandon wealth or put it at the disposal of the needy. Disciples give without expecting in return. They don't seek security in the things of this world, but store up treasures in heaven. They seek greatness by being servants of all.

    We see this lesson throughout the Bible. We must not become slaves to material things. We must not be selfish with what we have. Part of being a Christian is giving back to others, to doing for others what we would want done for us.  Just because you may be financially secure, or wealthy for that matter, does not guarantee that you are a good person. It will not guarantee you a spot in heaven. 

    Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them."

    You are to stay humble when we do for others. When you boast about the things you have done, when you make a point to let people know how good you are for doing for others, then it is not doing it for the glory of God. You are doing it to bring attention to yourself. To assure yourself a place in heaven. But that's not how it works, folks! Do good for others, be humble when doing it, do not seek attention, do not boast about it. As Nike used to say "Just Do It!" 

   In the matter of fidelity (going back to Hosea) God has already prepared us the way in which to travel through life. If we remain faithful to Him, if we abide by Him, we will see our reward in heaven.  

Wow.. this one really got away from me. I do apologize. I pray your day is blessed. And, as always, be a nice human. 😇

For a shorter version, check out Father Bill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5w7WVECaNU

This is a great video by my favorite group, Casting Crowns. It speaks to what we learned today. Start Right Here

Annunciation of the Lord

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!! Today we celebrate the news given to Mary that she would conceive a child, through a miraculous conception, a child who would be the Saviour of the world. It is also the second part of the Holy Trinity, where Jesus is the incarnation of God. This also fulfills the Old Testament prophecy, "Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel" (Is 7:14, NAB).  

Mary was speechless when the angel Gabriel told this to her. This humble young girl wondered why God would choose her. Once the news sank in, Mary made the conscious choice to serve her God, to carry this blessed Child. She proclaimed "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to Your word." (Lk 1:38, NAB) We can interpret her statement "according to Your word" as the will of God. Remember, "thy WILL be done". Not only is this to be done to her, but it will be what God orders. And her free will to accept this. 

Mary was a homemaker. She cooked, cleaned, cared for the animals. And Joseph, her "betrothed", was a carpenter. He went to work every day to provide for his family.

Yet, he was also chosen, however indirectly. When he had trouble believing how Mary could be pregnant if she were still a virgin, an angel came down and spoke to him as well, "Behold, the virgin shall be with Child, and bear a Son, and they shall name Him Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us'." (Mt 1:23, NAB).

How many of us would do what God calls us to do without question? Actually, we do it daily. Think of it. Each day you get up you chose to follow Jesus, to do what He expects from us. Every prayer uttered, every mention of His name.. This is Him guiding you through your every day life, just like Mary. 

Let us always remember what Mary did. May we mimic her, serving our Lord with humility and grace just as Mary did. Be Blessed, dear reader. And as always.... be a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection for today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQycZRRP1Lk

Some more information on the annunciation: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/annunciation-of-the-lord

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

 

Third Sunday of Lent

Good Morning and Happy Sunday!! Today is the Vernal Equinox, the beginning of spring!! And it is fitting that our readings deal with growth! 🌳🏵

In Exodus, we read about Moses and the burning bush. Moses was indeed humbled when God asked him to go talk to the Pharaoh. "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Ex 3:11, NAB). God promised Moses He would be with him through it all. And that's God's promise to us. Whatever difficulty we face in life, God is always with us. He gives us the fire to keep going. 

However, He does remind us in 1 Corinthians that we are not to become overconfident. That would be our downfall. We must approach everything with humility. Also, we can't just sit back and wait for God to make things happen. We have to do our part. Which brings us to Luke and the parable of the fig tree. The man who owned the tree wanted to cut it down because it wasn't producing any fruit. He didn't want to waste precious land on something that just sat there and served no purpose. (Remember, at that time, food sources came from only things that people could grow. They couldn't just run to the store.) But, the gardener wanted to give the tree a second chance. He asked the man to allow him one more year to try and give the tree a chance to produce fruit. In order to do that, the gardener would cultivate the land around the tree, water it, fertilize it, make sure it got enough sun. With that kind of attention, the tree was sure to bare fruit.

We are like that fig tree. Without attention we wither and die. God may plant the roots, but without a firm foundation, the tree will wither and die. God's word is our fertilizer. It allows us to grow our faith. We must allow Him to cultivate the good in our lives. And when the weeds of sin set in, as they always do, we need Him to weed out the bad so that we can continue to grow. But we must also do our part. Daily prayer, living by His word, mercy and sacrifice, all these things keep the roots growing deep so that we may flourish. 

Today, seek out God, ask him to remove the weeds of sin from your life, allow His mercy to rain on your soul. And as always friends... be a nice human. 😇

Prayer:

My virtuous Lord, I invite You into my soul to cultivate it and fertilize it with Your grace.  Please prune my sins and help me to sink my roots deeply into the nourishment of Your mercy. I am sorry for the ways that I have failed to bear fruit in my life.  I now entrust myself to You so that Your care will remedy all my ills and weaknesses.  Jesus, I trust in You.

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

Spiritual Health Pt II

Today we are revisiting the topic of spiritual health, but in a slightly different way. Read on, lovely people......

I used to work as a medical assistant for a small practice. I was the one who would take you back to the exam room, get your vitals, get some information, and then pass it on to the doctor. When I would go in to brief the doctor, I would give her my impressions about the person she was about to see. Was the person acting sick? Did they seem depressed? Was there more going on than what they were telling me? The information I passed on to the doctor was helpful in that she knew what to expect when she would go in with the patient. 

People in health care are tasked with taking care of others WITHOUT passing judgement. We handle a lot of sensitive information. The patient has to know they can trust the person they are talking to so that they can get the best care possible. They have to reveal details that they normally wouldn't tell others. They trust in the fact that we will keep this information to ourselves, that we won't pass judgement on  them. We have to keep an open heart and mind, have a compassionate spirit. 

This is what today's readings are about. That we promise to follow God's rules and trust in the fact that He knows what He's doing. He's the ultimate physician, who holds our lives in His hands. He is the only one who can judge us.  He is the only one who can heal us when we have sinned. He is the only one who can breathe new life into us when we accept His covenant. 

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

Repentence and Change

 The overarching theme for this Lenten season is repentence. We see it over and over in the readings we have done so far. However, with Jonah, not only is this about repentence, but it is also about second chances. 

Jonah is often referred to as the reluctant prophet. Most of us are familiar with the story of Jonah and the whale. That was his first chance to do what it was God asked of him and he messed it up. 

So now, God comes to him a second time. He wants Jonah to go to Nineveh to deliver the message that the city will be wiped out in 40 days if they do not repent of their sins. When this message reaches the king, instead of brushing it off or not believing, he runs to the people and tells them what will happen. The people know the power of God and are quick to gather, to fast, to ask forgiveness for their sin. The king hopes that when God sees what they have done, He will spare them, which God ultimately does.

We see the reference to Jonah and Nineveh in Luke's Gospel. Jesus is speaking about change and repentence. He is what Jonah was to Nineveh. The One who will come to save all of us once we give up control to Him and to follow Him. He is the something more than Jonah. 

I found this video with a wonderful commentary on today's reading. Much better than what I have written. Take a moment to check it out. It's only a little over 6 minutes. (You may have to copy and paste the link into your browser..)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_1yTQVOqts&ab_channel=hsccwyo

First Sunday of Lent

 

So often in this world we are tempted by so many things, some good and some not so good. During Lent, we are called to give up something as a sacrifice for our faith, to remind us of the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus on the Cross.

We all know that when we give up something, it seems that we are presented, almost on a daily basis, with visual reminders of that which we have give up, thus making our sacrifice that much harder. But, we learn to persevere in our sacrifice, knowing it will result in something much greater at the end.

Sacrifice and temptation lies at the heart of our faith in Jesus. How many times was Jesus asked to prove He was the Son of God? We see in Luke's Gospel that the devil asked this same question of Jesus. Prove it. Prove who You say You are. But, Jesus did not give in. I'm sure He must have been tempted, if for no other reason than to shut the devil up once and for all.

How many times have we been in the same situation? Is it easier to give in or easier to walk away? Which would give us the most satisfaction? Is it worth the sacrifice to just walk away? I believe that the harder the decision, the greater the reward. Doing the right thing is hard. Saying no in the midst of being tempted is the hardest thing to do. But, the satisfaction that comes from doing right is always a good thing.

As we walk through this time of Lent, remember that your sacrifice is pleasing to God. It makes you stronger. And the end result is that much sweeter.

Prayer:

Dear God,

The battle feels intense some days. We get tired and weak, weary and worn. It's hard to keep going in the face of defeat. But, help us to remember that You will never leave us, that You're our Refuge and our Strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. We know that the enemy wouldn't be fighting so hard against us if we weren't making a difference for Your Kingdom. He wouldn't be trying so hard to stop us if he didn't think You had so much good still in store. Remind us that the battle belongs to You, and whatever we're up against can be taken down in one fell swoop by Your Mighty Hand.

Help us to trust You more, to never waste time spinning our wheels and wrestling or fighting our strength. Please forgive us, Lord, for the times we've failed to lift our hands to You, for the days we've forgotten to come to You first. Fill us with the Power of Your Holy Spirit this day. Fill us with Your joy, fill us with constant reminders that Your presence will go with us, and that You will give us rest.

Amen.