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

Humility

Happy Monday, dear reader! Today we are taking another step into Holy Week. In our readings, we are reminded that we are in humble servitude to God, but we do this willingly because of His unending love for us.

The reading in Isaiah foretells that God is sending us a servant. But not just any servant. He will be someone who will save those who believe in God, who will glorify His name and that He will bring peace and unity to those who wait for Him. 

It also mentions the fact that before this happens, God will send a messenger to announce this arrival and that the things He has said will happen will be confirmed, "See, the earlier things have come to pass, new ones I now foretell" (Is 42:9, NAB). God is saying "look, I kept my word. Did these things not happen already? There are also new things to come." This instills in us our belief that we can trust in God's words and promises. It gives us a hope to hold on to as we move forward. It's sort of a cliffhanger! We need to hold on so we can see how this all ends. 

John's Gospel tells the story of the woman who comes to annoint the feet of Jesus. She uses an oil that is very expensive, and this angers Judas. This is the same man who will betray Jesus. So we already know what a lowlife he is. Judas wanted the money that the oil would bring, for himself. Jesus quietly and calmly explains that the oil is not wasted. This will be the same oil that will be used to annoint His body upon His death, "So Jesus said, 'Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, buy you do not always have Me.'" (Jn 12:7-8). Jesus saw that this act was important to Mary (not Mary, His mother). He also knew that the oil would be needed upon His death, as Jewish tradition called for the anointing of the dead. Again, He is prophesying His death. 

Our readings today are rather heavy. But, that's a good thing, as it gets us thinking. And Holy Week is a good time for that. We reflect on those things that we gave up for Lent, we reflect on our faith and the suffering that Jesus endured, we reflect on what's really imporant in this life. We see how far we've come, but also how much further we have yet to go. Let this week remind you that nothing comes easy, especially when it comes to our faith. The next time you grumble about how unfair life is, remember Jesus on that cross. An innocent Man killed because of the injustice of man. An innocent Man put to death so that you can be free. Kind of puts things in a different light, doesn't it?

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

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

Even though this is a more of a Christmas song, I thought it rather fitting for this post: https://youtu.be/ifCWN5pJGIE

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)

On Unity and The Greater Good

Good Morning dear reader! Today is our last Saturday of Lent. Tomorrow is Palm Sunday, and thus will begin our progression into Holy Week.

Well, our reading in Ezekiel is really something. God is saying that He wants unity among His people and His nations. I'm sure that present-day Israel is still praying for this. And I'm sure that God is saddened by what it still happening there. His idea of peace for this nation never really came to fruition. If you take a look at verse 22 where God says "Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms", yet Israel is still divided to this day. I often think that if the Palestinians and the Israelis sat down together and opened a Bible, it would be the end of any war. There is no disputing what God's intention was for these people. Oh, if only it were that easy. 

What is astounding, though, is that despite the constant attacks, the constant war, millions of people STILL make a pilgrimage to Israel every year to walk where Jesus once walked, to see the places where Jesus taught and travelled, to touch the waters that Jesus once touched. The Jews and Muslims seek the same things. To walk in the places where Abraham and Mohammad walked, to soak in that holiness of that place, to visit consecrated ground and to just experience the immense history that is Israel. We need to realise that we are all one people, Christians and Jews and Muslims all speak of God, just in their own way. I pray that one day peace will come to those areas. That the three major faiths can worship in peace and safety. 

On to our Gospel... to start with, the Sanhedrin, they were the Jewish Supreme Court. They were much as our Supreme Court is today. They had the final say in rulings, both political and religious. As word of Jesus began to spread, as testimony of His works took hold, the Jews started to worry. What would happen if all the people started believing in Jesus and stopped believing in Abraham and the teachings of the God of the Old Testament? They felt threatened. It was easier to get rid of this Jesus than try to fight the people. Sacrifice one for the good of all. 

Jesus knew His days were numbered. He knew what was coming. He also knew the significance of sacrificing The One for the good of all. This was His destiny. So,

Jesus left the city and went to some place quieter where He could prepare for what was to come. To spend time with those closest to Him. He also knew that He had to leave because if the Jews spotted Him, He would be arrested, but it was not His time, yet. He needed to follow His Father's plan. And His being arrested at that time was not part of the plan.

Do you know what God's plan is for you? Are you following it? For those of you who, like me, have absolutely no clue what God's plan is, are you being patient and waiting to see what His plan is? Are you talking to Him? Are you actively paying attention to any signs He may be trying to show you? Take some time this week as we take that final walk with Jesus. You just might find your own resurrection story. 

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

Father Bill's reflection on todays readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2Qs1M5mwLo

A New Creation

Good Morning, dear reader, and a blessed Sunday to you!! This morning we are looking at becoming a new creation in Christ. The two parables we read tell us about someone who has fallen away, but then repented and was received with great joy!

We see this same theme in Joshua, but in a slightly different manner. The Israelites have come through some awful trials. They are now on their way to a new, and better, life. They celebrate the feast of Passover joyfully. This is their new beginning. They remained faithful to God's word and followed His path. They are free to celebrate. They are free to worship God. 

In the Gospel readings this morning, Jesus uses parables, stories that teach a basic truth or moral about life, to demonstrate His point that even if it is one soul who departs from Him, it is still important to Him. He will seek out that one person and console them with His love and forgiveness.

In our first part, from the Gospel of Luke, we see the story of the lost sheep. The people who were assembled could not understand why Jesus would invite the sinners and the tax collectors to eat with Him and to pray with Him. Why would someone as Holy as Jesus choose to be with these kinds of people? Jesus uses the metaphore of the lost sheep to explain it. We should not ignore or foget the ones who fall away. We need to seek them out. We need to bring them back into the fold. We need to reassure them that Jesus loves them just like He loves the faithful and obedient ones. We need to celebrate the ones who choose to come back. We need to love the ones who voluntarily leave their sins behind so they can follow Jesus. 

In the second part of the parable, the prodigal son, we see how the son who stayed on to help his father, the one who remained faithful to his father, become indignant when the son who ran off to squander his fortunes, was welcomed back with a big celebration. Why would his father do that? This one did not stay to help. Rather, he went off to spend what was given him, to indulge in things that were sinful. What he didn't understand was that the son who wandered away was the one who CHOSE to come back and seek forgiveness. He was truly sorry for what he had done. It required him to humble himself to his father and beg forgiveness. It's a difficult thing to admit we were wrong, to admit our failings. It's quite the vulnerable place for most of us.

In our readings from 2 Corinthians, we are reminded that when we go to Jesus and admit our sins, when we admit our weakness, when we repent for our sins, we become new. We are given a second chance through Jesus's love for us. He will never turn away from one that willingly comes to Him. He reminds us that no matter how far we may have fallen, He will always be there to catch us. He will always forgive us if we are truly sorry for what we have done. It's not an easy task. And it shouldn't be. If it were easy, we would just keep doing what we were doing, and keep asking for forgiveness. But it doesn't work that way. We need to suffer, in a sense, for what we did. And we have to try and not do it again.

When Lent begins, it is a good time to reaffirm our choice to follow Jesus. We need to take the time to rekindle the flame of our excitement. It is also a time to celebrate with those who are newly born into God's family! It is our chance to help lead them along the path! 

Take some time today to be thankful for your faith. Take time to celebrate Christ and what He sacrificed for us. Remind yourself WHY you chose to follow Him. And, as always, dear reader, be a nice human. 😇

“A Prayer Of Affirmation Of Faith”**

Father, we are grateful to be Your children. It is not by our own goodness, behavior, or generosity that we purchase or earn this standing. It is because of Jesus, who came clothed in human flesh so that He might reach His own people and release them from their sins. Though many reject the Gospel message, we choose to believe and gratefully declare that we are the children of God. Nothing can compare with such privilege or power as we make our earthly journey below and anticipate eternity in heaven above. In the name of Jesus, we reaffirm and joyfully proclaim our decision to follow You all the days of our lives. Amen.

**Source: https://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2021/12/10/a-prayer-of-affirmation-of-faith/

Here is a wonderful song that reminds us we can never fall too far from Jesus's grace and mercy. https://youtu.be/Sa7PrjpE8dY 

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.

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.

Saturday after Lent

 

Read: Isaiah 58: 9-14; Luke 5: 27-32

Did you ever wonder why Jesus hung out with the lowliest of people? It was because He knew that those people needed Him more than those who followed His word and His expectations. As He remarked in Luke, "I have not come to call the righteous to repentance, but the sinners." (Luke 5:32, NAB). 

Think of it like this, when you are sick, you call a doctor. You are in need of some form of healing. Well, Jesus is that doctor. He heals your sins. But, you also see the doctor regularly to make sure you stay healthy. You want to prevent yourself from getting sick in the first place. Same deal with Jesus, except you see Him on a daily basis. You ask Him to keep you on the straight and narrow. However, try as we might to stay on this path, we are all human. We are all sinners. So, back we go to Dr. Jesus to once again heal us, to make us better. 

When you go to the doctor, at the end of your visit you are expected to pay for your visit. For some, this can be a costly venture. For others, not so much. Well, guess what?! Jesus doesn't heal us for free, either. He expects some sort of "payment". Only this payment comes from our heart and spirit. He wants us to work for that healing. He expects you to come to Him willingly and admit your wrong doings, admit your faults, ask forgiveness. This means giving of ourselves, whether it be in doing for others or through prayer and repentance or both. 

From the moment we are born, we are already in debt to Jesus. He had to die so that we could live through Him. He already knew we were sinners. He already knew what it was to suffer. So, for us to want to "give back", to pay down that debt, it is the least we can do for Him. This is precisely why we come to Him with humility and a grateful heart for His sacrifice. 

At the end of the day, when we look back on money we spent that day, when we balance out the checkbook, make sure you look back on what you did that day. Make sure you "make a payment" to Jesus. This way, you start tomorrow with a clean slate. 

God Bless and keep Jesus in your heart. 

First Friday of Lent

 Read: Isaiah 58: 1-9; Matthew 9: 14-15

As we begin today, we are reminded of why it is we fast. We make a sacrifice. Sacrifice. A word we see so much of during the Lenten season. It is because all that we deny ourselves brings us closer to Jesus, who made the ultimate sacrifice. It reminds us of that sacrifice. How small what we deny ourselves compared to what Jesus did. 

With that being said, Friday is also about redemption. We need to be reminded that we are sinners, and for that there must be a way for us to atone for our sins. We need to step out of ourselves and see the bigger picture. We need to walk in our faith. We need to humble ourselves at the foot of the cross. Isaiah 58:9 tells us "Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, you shall cry for help, and He will say: Here I Am!" It seems a lot to be asking of us. And it is. But that is precisely the point of the whole thing. We are saying that we are imperfect. We are saying that without Jesus to guide us, we become creatures of the flesh. 

When we bring our suffering to Jesus, when we call out for His help, He meets us where we are, and takes up our offering, combining it with His own. And with this we are redeemed and renewed in His love and forgiveness. We are redeemed through His blood that He shed for us. We rejoice in this, and we are reassured of His ever lasting love. 

Be humbled today. Remind yourself that what you are giving up is so much more than the physical. You will walk in His beauty and light. "Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday" (Isaiah 58:10)

March 3, 2022 Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Read: Deut 30: 15-20; PSALMS 1:1-4,6; LUKE 9:22-25.

Many people dream of winning the lottery. And oftentimes, the dream is for many millions of dollars. Imagine what you would do if you became an instant millionaire or an instant billionaire. Do you find yourself daydreaming about this?

If so, perhaps the question above is a good one to ponder. What good is it if you win the biggest lottery in history, become the wealthiest person on the face of the Earth, but lack the grace of God in your life and lack faith? Would you trade your faith for being exceptionally wealthy and gaining the whole world? Many people probably would or else Jesus would not have asked this question.

Very often in life we have the wrong priorities. We seek instant satisfaction and gratification over eternal fulfillment. It's hard for many people to live with an eternal perspective. Some may say "Well, I choose both! I want the whole world and the salvation of my soul!" But Jesus' question presupposes that we cannot have both. We must pick which one we choose to pursue. Choosing a life of faith and salvation of our souls requires that we let go of many things in this world. Even if God were to bless us with much in this world, we must strive to live in such a way that we are ready and willing to "give it up" if it were beneficial to our eternal salvation, or the salvation of others. This is hard to do and requires a very deep love of God. It requires that we are convinced, on the deepest level, that the pursuit of holiness is more important than anything else.

Reflect, today, upon this profound question from Jesus. Know that He poses it to you. How do you repsond? Do not hesitate to make God and His abundant mercy the centeral focus of your life. Lent is one of the best times of the year to seriously look at the most fundamental desire and goal of your heart. Choose Him above all else and you will be eternally grateful you did.

My eternal Lord, as we enter into this Lenten season, give me the grace that I need to look at my priorities. Help me to honestly discern that which is the most fundamental and central driving motivation of my life. Help me to choose You above all else so that You will help everything in my life become ordered in accord with Your Holy Will. Jesus I trust in You.

**Today's commentary comes courtesy of My Daily Bible Reflections on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/mydailybiblereflections