Stepping Out in Faith

 Good Afternoon, dear reader. We are half way through yet another week. The promise of things to come keep us moving forward. 

Today we revisit the tale of the three men who refused to worship the golden idol that King Nebuchadnezzar had created. However, we come in at a later part of the story. The men were in the furnace. The fire grew hotter and larger, yet nothing happened to these men! The person in charge of making sure the fire burned hot and that the men did not escape told the king that there were FOUR men in the furnace, one of whom looked like the Son of God. How could this be? This was way before the time of Jesus's birth. It is explained that the king saw this as an angel who was sent down from God to protect the men. After this, the king realized that these men were so sure in their faith that God protected them. He then said that anyone who talked bad about these men would be "cut to pieces and his house destroyed, for there is no other God who can rescue like this" (Dn 3:96, NAB). 

Sometimes it really does take a miracle, an act so surreal that there is no doubt that it was God's doing. And it takes a great deal of courage to stick by your faith, especially when your life is in the balance. The ones past who had given their lives for their belief in God were true martyrs, most of whom went on the become saints. Their defiance and their beliefs spoke of great faith, even if it didn't save their lives. I don't know a great many people who would do that. This is why our behavior, our actions, our lives should reflect our comittment to God. We need to walk the walk and not just talk the talk, as the saying goes. 

We see a similar theme in today's Gospel. Jesus tells the Jews that whoever listens to His word will be His disciples. But the Jews only believe in one God and follow the
prophet Abraham. Much of Jewish law is based in the Old Testament. So for them to believe in Jesus, they were going against God's law set forth in the Ten Commandments (Dt 5:7). Jesus tried explaining that by believing in Him, they also believed in God. No matter how much Jesus tried explaining, they wouldn't believe, they wouldn't listen. 

Have you ever experienced the frustration of trying to explain something to someone but no matter which way you said it, they still wouldn't believe you? It is truly mind numbing. I've often thought I'd have an easier time explaining things to my dog!! lol I imagine Jesus must've felt a similar way. He was trying to say that it was ok for the Jews to believe in Him because He was sent here by His Father, God. After a while, He just sort of gave up. Just go on being sinful. You're not going to listen. Continue to be a slave to what is not of God. As the Jews began to throw stones at Him, He must've thrown up His hands and basically said "I'm outta here." There is nothing more you can do. You can't force people to listen or understand. And, as hard as it might be, sometimes you do need to just walk away. You know what's right and what's true, and as long as you are following what Jesus taught us. And that's all that matters.

So, dear reader, be assured in your faith, stand firm in that belief. Let your actions follow that of your words. Be the example of Jesus. And as always, be a nice human.😇

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

"The Words I Would Say" by Sidewalk Prophets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t9u-LOa3OI

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

Signs

Water. It's important. Something we need for survival. In the Bible, we see water as cleansing. It is used to baptise the believers, it is used to heal, to bless, to wash. Matter of fact, water is so important that it is mentioned in the Bible 722 times! In the story of the leper, he is told to bathe in the river Jordan seven times and he would be healed. Naaman got angry with this. He thought that God would come down and lay healing hands on him in order to be cured. He was expecting some sort of grand miracle. Instead, he is basically told to take a bath in dirty water. (At that time, the Jordan was a muddy river.) You'd think that was the last thing you should be doing!! 

Apparently Naaman's servants knew something he didn't. I guess Naaman figured he had nothing to lose if he tried this. At the very worst, he would still be a leper. So he did as Elisha had said. And voila! That did the trick! He was absolutely thrilled!! He then went back to Elisha and offered to give him gifts for this magnificent healing. But Elisha refused. He wasn't looking for anything other than helping this man as God had wanted.

When we pray for healing, don't we expect some great thing to happen like we see in the movies? Something that is an undeniable sign that God hears us? We always seem to be looking for the grand gesture, the big bright sign. We want tangible, unmistakable signs that God is moving in our lives. We tend to overlook the simple, the every day. There is a beautiful song by Laura Story called "Blessings" which reminds us that sometimes God's work shows up in ways we wouldn't expect. "What if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know Your here? What if trials of this life are Your mercies in diguise?" Sometimes the best things are the simplest things. And that's what God wants us to understand. Don't look for the big answer. Don't look for glam and glitz. Remember this acronym, KISS-- Keep It Simple, Stupid! lol 

Today's Gospel reading involves our first reading. I've often found that in order to understand the New Testament, you need to understand the Old Testament. Much of what we see in the New Testament harkens back to the Old Testament. It's a reaffirmation of the coming of Jesus, the birth of a Savior. We are reassured that these things will happen and that they were preordained by God, delivered through prophets, signs and symbols. 

Our story opens with Jesus being back in His hometown of Nazareth. He attends  temple on the Sabbath day (Yes, Jesus was a Jew.) He spoke eloquently and the people were impressed. But when He told the story of Naaman the Syrian, this story really made the crowd angry. The people of Nazareth want a glorious sign that Jesus is, indeed, the Man who will save them. Why should the people outside of this city, outside of this country be the benefactors of Jesus's healing? Why are the lowest of the lowley being helped? Why include the poor? Do they think these people aren't worthy of what God is giving because they are looked down upon? 

All of this enrages those at the temple and they throw Jesus out and try to kill Him. This will be a common thread as we work our way through the New Testament. It is the foreshadowing of Jesus's eventual death upon the cross. He is constantly rejected, His life threatened. How could this Man, son of a carpenter, be the promised Savior? Why does he include the ones who aren't a part of "mainstream" society? Why doesn't Jesus perform grand miracles to prove who He is? Surely this Man must not be who He claims He is. We see this doubt throughout the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts. 

When we pray, don't look for immediate answers. Don't look for the bright neon billboard saying that God heard you and will be with you shortly. It doesn't work that way. It's all in the timing, God's timing and not our own. Keep plodding on, waiting, and praying. You'll eventually get your sign, it just may not be in the way you expected.

Today, look inward. What kind of signs are you hoping for? What are your expectations? Take that inner reflection to Jesus and ask Him to help you have patience, hope and faith. Ask Him to remind you that it's in the little things. Keep an open mind and an open heart. It will come to you eventually.

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

"Blessings" by Laura Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xRNrnh__SE

Today's reflection from Father Bill Hill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fatr7Y_Rp4A