Followers of Christ

 Good Afternoon, dear reader. A blessed Monday to you! Rejoice for the sun is shining and the weather is warming!! ☀️☀️

As I learn about the different things in the Bible, you are learning right along with me! So, this morning I wanted to clarify the difference between a Jew, a Gentile and a Christian. Basically, being Jewish is a matter of birth. A Christian is anyone who is reborn into the belief in Jesus Christ. A Gentile is pretty much everyone else. 

It would seem in Biblical times people were hung up on staying within one's own religious community. Their beliefs were so strong that they would view others not of their faith as "unclean". This doesn't mean they didn't shower or wear clean clothes. They were considered morally impure. It is much like when we see Jesus sitting with those who were lepers, prostitutes, and unbelievers. Why would He lower Himself like that? So, when Peter was confronted by the Jews, they were not very happy with him. This was an affront to Jewish law.

How could he dine with immoral people? Such barbarians! Peter then explained to them how he had had a vision and in that vision, he was told that any creature created by God was not unclean or unworthy. This was an irrefutable argument. Chalk one up for Peter!

The sheep and the shepherd are back again, but this time Jesus compares Himself to the gate of the pasture. He is the one who keeps the sheep in place. It's much like when we first come to Jesus. We open the gate of our soul to Him. We allow Him to come into our lives. We know that He will not harm or deceive us. We come to Him willingly. Think of it this way, the beginning of the 23rd Psalm.. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." The Psalm is all about the peace of God, of knowing we will be fulfilled by Him. He will give us rest, nourishment and everlasting life.

Sorry, this is so brief. I'm still feeling under the weather and a little fuzzy-headed. Hopefully, I will be feeling better soon. Remember to always remain a nice human. 😇

Father Bill gives us a deeper understanding of today's readings:

https://youtu.be/sBsW7T242lk

The Voice of Truth

Good Morning, dear reader. Well, we have come to the end of another week. Isn't it lovely, learning all about the wonders of Jesus's works among the people?! It gives us such hope. 

Speaking of hope, the stories of Tabitha and Aeneas are miraculous! We have a man who has been paralysed and a woman who spent her days serving the Lord, both miraculously given new life! We don't know why these two people were specifically chosen by Jesus, especially since we know that there were so many more people who were just as deserving. 

This is a question so many of us ask when we are faced with tragedy in our lives. Why us? Why them? What did we do to deserve this? These questions can fester so deep that it drives us from our faith. We feel God has abandoned us. And, sometimes, it can feel that way. With all my problems of late, I would have every reason to ask why God is letting this happen. I've been good. I'm trying to spread His word. So why is all this still happening? The answer is I don't know. Life happens. Bad things happen to good people. It's what we do with that knowledge that makes the difference. I chose to remain faithful to God. It's all I have left. I have to trust in the fact that things will eventually work themselves out. It has to. And, I know, regardless of the outcome, God will be right there helping me through it. 

In John's Gospel, we see what happens when we don't want to take what is given to us. We go back to our old ways. Jesus watches as those who once believed in His word decide it is too tough to stay the course. He lets them walk away. He doesn't beg them or cajole them or make them feel guilty. That is because we are given a choice. We were given free will. Jesus isn't standing there with a gun to our heads saying we'd better believe in Him or else. I think this did sow a little doubt in Jesus because He turns to His apostles and wants to know if any of them wish to walk away. He doesn't want them to feel pressured to stay. He wants them to be there of their own accord. But Simon Peter makes the point, "to whom shall we go?". Exactly. Where else CAN you go? 

Now that I look at it, our reading in Acts goes hand-in-hand with our reading in John. Again we are being given a choice. Do we want to stick it out with Jesus and hope for the best? Is our faith strong enough to withstand doubt? I think that's a really good summary for all of it. Is our faith strong enough? Can we stay the course? Are we willing to stay? Think about that today. Really think. If everything in your life were to go kerflooey right now, would you still believe in Jesus? Would you still put your trust in God that it will all work out? 

I'm just gonna leave that there.... while you ponder that... remember, be a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://youtu.be/dXQ5ZLZZHj0

This is "my song".. it reminds me that I need to listen to the voice of God, the voice of truth... "The Voice of Truth" by Casting Crowns, from the movie "Facing The Giants". https://youtu.be/_YgfiaLk0kE

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

John 3:16

Good Morning, dear reader! This morning's readings remind us of the glory of the risen Son! Our second reading contains one of the most well-known Bible verses. So that is where I shall start this morning.

This whole passage is basically self-explanatory. It is a gift from God that was freely given to us. It is a promise of life everlasting. In this world that is full of darkness and uncertainty, it is something that gives us hope and comfort. It is something we know is for sure. To me, this is the one thing that gives my life any meaning. 

The reading in Acts shows us what the Apostles suffered through as they tried spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. It wasn't JUST Jesus that the Sanhedrin was after, but the entire "Jesus Movement". Was it because Jesus was more popular than the kings? Was it because what Jesus brought to the people was greater than what a king and pagan gods could do for them? It could be all of this and more. We don't know exactly what their thought process was. But, whatever it was it wasn't good news for Jesus's disciples. 

Here is how my Bible explains it:

A second action against the community is taken by the Sanhedrin in the arrest and trial of the Twelve (apostles). The motive is jealousy of the religious authorities over the popularity of the apostles, who are now charged with the defiance of the Sanhedrin's previous order to them to abandon their prophetic role. In this crisis, the apostles are favoured by a miraculous release from prison. The real significance of such an event, however, would be manifest only to people of faith not to the unbelievers; since the Sanhedrin already judged the Twelve to be inauthentic prophets, it could disregard reports of their miracles.**

Our world seems upside down and nothing seems to make sense. It is my hope that this has brought you some comfort and reassurance. Keep believing, keep spreading His word, and, as always.... be a nice human.😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUXkosLJDX0

"Praise You In This Storm" by Casting Crowns (my favorite Christian band): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ype1xE0wzsg

**Hiesberger, J. M., Breen, C., Lucinio, J., Marcheschi, G., & Mazza, B. (1995). The Catholic Bible: Personal study edition. Oxford University.

Divine Mercy Sunday

Good Evening, dear reader! I hope your day has been blessed. I do apologise for the lateness of this post. We have a lot to work through, so let's get started!! 

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. Here is a little bit about how Devine Mercy Sunday came about:

"In a series of revelations to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s, our Lord called for a special feast day to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. Today, we know that feast as Divine Mercy Sunday, named by Pope St. John Paul II at the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000. The Lord expressed His will with regard to this feast in His very first revelation to St. Faustina. Divine Mercy Sunday

is NOT a feast based solely on St. Faustina's revelations. Indeed, it is not primarily about St. Faustina — nor is it altogether a new feast. The Second Sunday of Easter was already a solemnity as the Octave Day of Easter. The title "Divine Mercy Sunday" does, however, highlight the meaning of the day." (1) 

In Acts, we see people from all over coming forward to be healed. People are laid in the street, awaiting the arrival of Peter. Word had spread of his healing of the disabled man and now these folks are hoping that even if a shadow of Peter falls on them, they will be healed. And this exactly what happens. But, this is not of Peter's doing. He is the vessel of Christ, granted the power through the Holy Spirit, to be able to heal all those who have come. This was truly an extraordinary day! So many of Jesus's faithful followers were blessed, converted and healed just by being near Peter. 

I will admit that when it comes to disecting the book of Revelation, I find it a bit tricky to understand. One has to know that pretty much everything written in the book cannot be taken literally. The work is entirely symbolic. According to the study guide in my Bible, verse 9 "suggests that John is on the Greek island of Patmos as a punishment for his witness to Jesus.", John is recounting a vision he had. It is this vision that brings him comfort during his punishment. It also is also seen as an encouragement to all who are opressed at this time. 

In this first vision, John is commanded to write what he sees, to the seven churches. He sees Christ in glory, whom he depicts in great imagery, John hears Jesus describing Himself in terms meant to encourage Christians by emphasising His victory over death. (2)

In John's Gospel, we once again see Jesus making an appearance to His followers. It is assumed that they were in Jerusalem at the time. The fact that they were in a locked room when Jesus appeared illustrates the fact that He was not in human form, but neither was He an apparition or a ghost. But His disciples understand that this is the risen Christ who stands before them. In verse 22, it states "He breathed on them and said to them 'Receive the Holy Spirit'" This refers to when God breathed on man and gave him life and now the disciples are given new spiritual life through Jesus Christ. 

"Thomas", this passage is how the phrase "Don't be a doubting Thomas" came to be. It literally means that unless you see something for yourself, you won't believe it. So, again, Jesus appears in a locked room, this time Thomas is present. Jesus allows Thomas to poke around Him so that he will believe that this is Jesus, that He has risen as He promised, and He was here with him now. But, you can see that Jesus is a bit put off by Thomas's doubts. He tells Thomas that the only reason he believed that Jesus was here was because he had seen Jesus, touched His wounds. If it weren't for that, Thomas would still be doubtful, 

This is the whole foundation of our faith. We do not need physical proof for us to believe. That is why it is called faith. Yes, on ocassion we may receive signs or symbols of Jesus in our lives, but we don't need those to believe in Him. We KNOW He lives. We know He is with us always. 

Let us pray for those who do not know the wonder of Jesus Christ. Pray for those whose very lives have become uprooted due to war. Pray that our world can find peace. And, remember, dear reader... be a nice human.😇 

The Road

Good Morning, dear reader! We're halfway through the week! Today we are continue our study of the Easter message. The reading in Acts will enlighten us as to the apostles journey as they seek to preach the good news of Jesus Christ and bring more believers to Him.  And in Luke, we will see that Jesus is working on revealing Himself to his followers. 

This morning, in Acts, we see Peter and John on their way to temple where they meet up with a man who was handicapped. They stop to talk to him and figure while they're at it, they can heal the man through the power of Jesus Christ. And so they do. This man was overjoyed to be able to walk again! It is with these signs and deeds that the apostles were able to convert so many more to believe in Jesus! What more powerful message could one need than to see a man who couldn't walk, suddenly able to stand up and enter into the temple on his own two legs! You've got me sold! In this case, seeing is definitely believing!! It is stories like this that encourages us to stay the course and keep walking with Jesus! 

As we move into our reading in Luke, the story begins on the same day that the empty tomb was discovered. Two of Jesus's disciples are walking along discussing what just happened. They are still in a sort of daze. They're trying to process the whole thing. As they're walking along, they meet up with a "man" and the "man" asks them what they are talking about. The two must've been quite puzzled that this "man" had no clue as to recent events. Has he been living under a rock!??! However, once he had been brought up to speed, it would seem that he had a good grasp on what it all meant. He goes on to explain that Moses and the prophets were right in saying that the suffering of Jesus was necessary as a part of God's plan. He wanted them to understand that this wasn't just some random persecution. This HAD to happen. As the men are listening, something inside them tells them that this is not just any man. There was something about him, something that excited them...but they just couldn't figure out what it was. It was that "gut feeling" you get when you meet someone.  It is not until later, after Jesus revealed HImself to them at the supper, that they realize that their heart recognized Jesus, even if they didn't physically know who He was at the time.

What all this amounts to is that we have to have continual faith in Christ even if we can't feel Him or see Him. We know that He is there and will never leave us. You need to rely on faith. Your heart still knows even if your brain doesn't. When you are mired in the dark and struggling for understanding, let your heart be your guide. Let your faith be the path that leads you to peace. You will eventually get to a place where everything will make sense. You will see God's plan and know that you are stronger for having come through it. "If God brings you to it, He will see you through it". Remember that. And as you are walking the path, also remember to be a nice human. 😇 

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi1kii4hieE

A familiar hymn, but with a little more "oommph": https://vimeo.com/700496586

Alive!!!

Good Morning, dear reader. Once again, we are seeing the story of the empty tomb in John's Gospel. But, this time, the focus is solely on Mary Magdalene. We can see she is heartbroken over the death of Jesus, and now she comes to anoint His body but He's not there. She is bewildered. Who would take a body? Suddenly, someone appears. Maybe now she can get some answers. In her grief, she wasn't really paying attention to whom she was speaking. But, when her name is called, she looks at the person speaking and realises it is Jesus! How joyous she was to see her beloved Jesus standing there! He has one simple request for her, to go and tell the apostles that she had seen Him, and soon He will be going to His Father in heaven. The way Jesus phrases it, He acknowledges that His Father is also OUR Father, God in heaven. And God is the Father to us all. What happy news!! We can take such comfort in this. Regardless of what earthly family we may or may not have, we are assured that we are not alone in this life! I, for one, am so grateful for this! No matter what happens, God will always be looking out for me. 

Building on the reading from John, we see in Acts 2 the rest of Peter's speech to the people. He is telling them that God sent Jesus to be Lord and Saviour, through His death and resurrection. We only need to confess our sins and be baptised, then we will have eternal life with God. 

In verse 40, what really jumps out at me is when Peter says, "save yourselves from this corrupt generation". The society of that time is not much different from our society now. We see corruption and the destruction of faith everywhere we turn. We are becoming a Godless society. Wealth and power is valued more than a humble heart and a desire to serve. Kindness has all but disappeared. Those who live on the fringes of society, the poor, the homeless, the sick, those who are just keeping their heads above water, they are all but ignored. These are the people that Jesus wants! These are the people He spent His life ministering to. These people often have the deepest of faith because they have nothing else to hold on to. 

I can tell you, dear reader, that this is true because I, and my husband, fall into this category. It is my faith that is getting us through this struggle. It is keeping me from all but giving up. I HAVE to believe that God has a plan. There IS a reason for this, even if I can't see it right now. And that's what I'm trying to convey to you, dear reader. Even if things seem hopeless, if things are out of control, if life seems to smack you in the face, you NEED to hold on to the promises given to us from God! I know how it feels when you're struggling. Like God has all but abandoned you, start doubting your faith. I'm right there with you. But, if I give up, if I doubt my faith, what's left? Not much of anything. And that's not a place I want to be. I've been there. It's not pretty. 

So, if you are struggling, if you feel God has put your pleas on mute, or has just left you hanging, don't give up! Keep reaching out for Him! He hears you! I promise!! You can always leave me a comment, even if it's just to ask for prayer. We hold each other up and God holds us up! So keep moving forward.. and, as always, regardless of the struggle... be a nice human! 😇

Father Bill's reflection on today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSouhz4F-ZY 

This video... such a living illustration of today's readings!! Please share it with others! It is "Alive (Mary Magdalene)" by Natalie Grant, from the movie "The Story": https://youtu.be/Om3mm2dv--k

Tested Faith

 

Good Morning, dear reader. It would seem that spring has finally sprung here in my corner of the world. It's about time!! 

We shall SPRING 😊 into our first reading!! We hear much about a servant in the book of Isaiah. God is once again foretelling that He will send Someone who will be His "ambassador", who will carry out His will. It describes all the things that Jesus will suffer through while on this earth. We can see this as an example of how our own behavior should be. We are Jesus's "ambassadors", following in His ways. The things we say and do should speak clearly of our faith. When it becomes a challenge to be Christ-like, that is when it is most important to rely on Jesus to help us. It's not going to be easy, times will come when our faith is tested. Can we survive these difficulties by just relying on our faith? Think about it.... 

In Matthews Gospel we are again reading of the Passover and Jesus's betrayal by Judas Iscariot. Jesus knows His days are numbered and that someone closest to Him will be disloyal to Him. I was looking for a synonym for the word betrayal. A few of the choices mentions Judas; there was "play Judas", "give someone a Judas kiss" and "be a Judas to". It's interesting how Judas is equated with being deceitful. It is similar to Janus, who was a Roman god of beginnings and endings. He became associated with being "two-faced". Perhaps this is how Judas got his name. It's almost prophetic! 

I found it quite sad that, for a mere fifty pieces of silver, Judas would sell out the one Person who trusted him. When someone has that kind of faith in you, you don't turn your back on them. If we pair this with our first reading, though, we can see faith being tested. And this is one test that Judas failed. He allowed his greed to overshadow his faithfulness to Jesus. We need to set our priorities according to our faith. We can't allow "worldly goods" to obscure our vision. If we continually allow Jesus to guide our steps, it will become easier to walk in our faith.

These next few days will test Jesus's faith. And, there will come a point when He will question His Father's motives, just as we all do in times of struggle. As hard as it is, if we remain firmly with Jesus, He will get you through. That's where I am at today. The struggle, the uncertainty. There has to be a reason for all this. But, my faith, my belief in God's plan is what's getting me through. 

Try to see God's plan for you. If you can't, ask Him! He will tell you. You just have to be patient. While you are waiting, make sure that you remain a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FOYcWc8Pdg

Be Like Jesus

Good Morning, dear reader. We are another step closer to the end of our story. It's been a pleasure for me to bring you along. 

This morning, we once again learn about being a humble servant to God. He has carefully crafted each and every one of us according to His purpose. We are reminded that the work we do for His glory is not in vain. My husband said basically this same thing to me when I complained that no one was following my blog. He said that God knew what I was doing and that is all that mattered, which is very true. This has been a labour of love and learning. 

As we move on to our Gospel reading, we see that Jesus makes it known that He knows who the one is that will betray Him and also deny Him. I imagine this must've been quite heart breaking to Him. He had hand-picked these twelve men because of what He saw in them. These were His faithful ones. Once Judas was identified, he beat a hasty retreat rather than face Jesus. 

Betrayal and denial are hard things to fathom. What would move a person to do that? In Judas's case, it was greed. With Simon Peter, it was just a case of him wanting to save his own skin (by denying the fact that he was a follower of Jesus). Actions such as these say a lot about our character. It says we are not to be trusted and that we are not loyal to those who are important to us. It says that you think of yourself first. This is not how someone who revers and treasures their relationship with Jesus should act or have a reputation such as this. I imagine, though, that this must've been a poignant moment, as Jesus had been nothing but kind and loving to everyone, and yet His closest ones still turned on Him. However, Jesus being the kind and loving Person He was, He did not lash out at these two. He did not get angry. I think, because of this, Jesus decided to remind his disciples that we should treat others as He has treated us. We are to show mercy and forgiveness. It is in this way that we can be known as followers of Jesus. 

When we are faced with troubling and difficult people, rather than acting in a similar manner, take a deep breath and think for a moment. You need to chose your battles carefully. Most are not worth getting upset over. Sometimes it's easier to not say anything and just walk away. And, as I always remind you... be a nice human. 😇

Have a listen to Father Bill and his wise words to us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQTg31Zrxc

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)