He Already Knows

A priest was teaching his weekly Bible class, and he asked the members how they'd introduce themselves to the Lord when they got to heaven. The first one said, “Lord, I'm Joan. I was married for 47 years, I raised three wonderful children, and I always baked the cupcakes for school. That's who I am.”

Another said, “Lord, I'm George. I was the biggest contractor in the county Almost all of my buildings were good and I tried to watch out for the little guys. That's who I am.”

And another said, “I'm Harry. I was the school janitor all my life. Kept the place real clean, and was never mean to the kids either. That's who I am, Lord.”

And so it went till finally it was the turn of the oldest man in the group. He spoke very softly: “I won't need to introduce myself,” he said . “The Lord already knows who I am."

Mistakes

A humorous story has it that a newly appointed young clergyman was contacted by a local funeral director to hold a graveside service at a small country cemetery in mid-western USA. There was to be no funeral, just a graveside service, because the deceased had no family and had outlived her friends.

The young pastor started early to the cemetery, but soon became lost. After making several wrong turns, he finally arrived a half-hour late. The hearse was nowhere in sight and cemetery workers were relaxing under a nearby tree, eating their lunch.

The pastor went to the open grave and found that the vault lid was already in place. He took out a prayer book and read a few paragraphs. As he returned to his car, he overheard one of the workers say, “Maybe we’d better tell him it’s a septic tank.”

Why is it we make our biggest mistakes in public? And some people can’t avoid it. Former hockey goalie Jacques Plante wonders, “How would you like a job where, if you made a mistake, a big, red light goes on and 18,000 people boo?”

But we should never give up our right to be wrong. Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from bad judgment. It is your right to be wrong. “No (one) ever became great or good except through many and great mistakes,” said William E. Gladstone. Great mistakes are opportunities for great learning. And great learning makes for great living.

Now, that’s something I can get into. I don’t need to be a great person, just one who believes that his life is worth living well. And if that means I need to make some magnificent mistakes along the way, I’ll take that on as part of the price to pay.

You and I have a right to be wrong. And if we are to move toward great living, we might even have a duty to make great mistakes. Sometimes we can laugh them off. Certainly we can learn from them. And always, let’s just make sure the next mistake is one we haven’t made before.

Thy Will

As the day goes on, we can pause where situations must be met and decisions made, and renew the simple request: Thy will, not mine, be done.

Just saying it over and over will often enable us to clear a channel choked up with anger, fear, frustration, or misunderstanding, and permit us to return to the surest help of all – our search for God’s will, not our own, in the moment of stress.​

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel, Matthew 4: 12 – 23, St Matthew describes the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. In these few verses, Matthew links Jesus’ ministry to Old Testament prophecy by stating that Jesus is the fulfilment of Isiah’s vision of a new king who drives away darkness and despair brining light, joy and rejoicing. Matthew reminds us that Jesus came to preach. And finally, the message Jesus proclaimed was "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Throughout his ministry, Jesus, called on the people of Israel to repent. St. Matthew used the Greek word, metanoia, defined in the Merriam Webster Dictionary as “a transformative change of heart; especially: a spiritual conversion.” Jesus challenged his listeners and he challenges us to change our way of thinking, to change our behavior, to change our hearts and to change our lives so that we can be good citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.

After he started preaching, Jesus began identifying his partners in ministry. In today’s gospel, he called Andrew and Simon and James and John. They all dropped whatever they were doing and followed him. St Matthew tells us in Chapter 5 of his gospel that we “are the light of the world” (14). Just as Jesus called Peter and Andrew and James and John, he calls us. The Good News is that we, the spiritual heirs of Saints Peter, Andrew, James, and John, can share this light with hundreds of people every day in so many ways. The even better news is that there is much, much more we can do to transform the world about us. It was, after all, Jesus who promised we will do greater works than he did; “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). We are all called to be apostles of light.

  

God our Father,

your Son invites us, gently but insistently,

to follow him as faithful disciples.

Open our minds to his light,

make us respond to his love

and entrust our whole being to him.

May his kingdom grow in each of us

and in the whole world, that he may lead us in hope

to the joy you have prepared for us in your home.

We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Parable of the Twins

Parable of the Twins

Once upon a time, twin babies were conceived.

Weeks passed and the twins developed. As their awareness grew, they laughed for joy: "Isn't it great that we were conceived? Isn't it great to be alive?"

Together the twins explored their worlds. When they found their mother's cord that gave them life, they sang for joy! "How great our mother's love is, that she shares her own life with us!"

As weeks stretched into months, the twins noticed how much each was changing. "What does it mean?" one asked." It means our stay in this world is drawing to an end." said the other.

"But I don't want to go," said one. "I want to stay here always."

"We have no choice," said the other. "But maybe there is life after birth."

"But how can there be?" responded one. "We will shed our life cord and how can life be possible without it? Besides, we have seen evidence that others were here before us, and none of them has returned to tell us there is life after birth. No, this is the end. Maybe there is no mother after all."

"But there has to be," protested the other. "How else did we get here? How do we remain alive?"

"Have you ever seen our mother?" asked one. "Maybe she only lives in our minds. Maybe we made her up because the idea made us feel good."

So the last days in the womb were filled with deep questioning and fear. Finally, the moment of birth arrived.

When the twins had passed from their world, they opened their eyes and cried for joy — for what they saw exceeded their fondest dreams.

“What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard,

and what has not entered the human heart,

what God has prepared for those who love him,”

1 Cor 2:9

It's No Secret

The chimes of time ring out the news,

Another day is through.

Someone slipped and fell.

Was that someone you?

You may have longed for added strength,

Your courage to renew.

Do not be disheartened,

For I have news for you.

It is no secret what God can do.

What He's done for others, He'll do for you.

With arms wide open, He'll pardon you.

It is no secret what God can do.

There is no night for in His light

You never walk alone.

Always feel at home,

Wherever you may go.

There is no power can conquer you

While God is on your side.

Take Him at His promise,

Don't run away and hide.

It is no secret what God can do.

What He's done for others, He'll do for you.

With arms wide open, He'll pardon you.

It is no secret what God can do.

Carl Stuart Hamblen 1950

Holy Shadow

There is an old story about a man who is so good that the angels ask God to give him the gift of miracles. God wisely tells them to ask him if that is what he would wish.

So the angels visit this good man and offer him first the gift of healing by hands, then the gift of conversion of souls, and lastly the gift of virtue. He refuses them all. They insist that he choose a gift or they will choose one for him. “Very well,” he replies. “I ask that I may do a great deal of good without ever knowing it.” The story ends this way:

The angels were perplexed. They took counsel and resolved upon the following plan: Every time the saint's shadow fell behind him it would have the power to cure disease, soothe pain, and comfort sorrow. As he walked, behind him the shadow made arid paths green, caused withered plants to bloom, gave clear water to dried up brooks, fresh color to pale children, and joy to unhappy men and women. The saint simply went about his daily life diffusing virtue as the stars diffuse light and the flowers scent, without ever being aware of it. The people respecting his humility followed him silently, never speaking to him about his miracles. Soon they even forgot his name and called him “the Holy Shadow.”