18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

For the past three Sunday’s we have heard Jesus describe the Kingdom of Heaven through various parables; the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, yeast, a treasure buried in a field, a magnificent pearl and a net full of fish.  In today’s gospel, we have something different.  Jesus presents us with the Kingdom of Heaven in action through the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes (Matt. 14:13-21).  When Jesus began his ministry the message he preached was “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17).  It is here, now, among us.  Working miracles was how Jesus demonstrated that the Kingdom of Heaven is here and how it works.

The thousands of people who followed Jesus were seeking more than a good meal.  They wanted healing physically and spiritually.  They wanted affirmation and they wanted a tangible sign that God loved them.  St. Matthew tells us that when Jesus saw them “his heart was moved with pity for them, and he cured their sick.”  After providing them with physical healing, he provided the people with the physical nourishment they needed.

In every interaction Jesus had, he affirmed people.  Today’s second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans 8:35, 37-39, is one of the most affirming passages in scripture.  St. Paul reminds us that nothing can “separate us from the love of Christ.”  None of the things we fear; anguish; distress; persecution; famine; nakedness (poverty); or sword (death) can break God’s fierce and abiding love for us through Christ.  Nor can the host of angels, anything happening today or tomorrow, people in power or distance come between the love of Christ and us.  Nothing in the universe can “separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  All the miracles of Jesus were accomplished out of this enduring love.

Jesus did not feed the multitudes by himself.  Jesus blessed the food, the disciples distributed it.  This miracle was for the disciples as much as it was for the hungry crowds.  And, this miracle is for us.  It reminds us that God’s goodness, generosity, spiritual and physical nourishment and love go far beyond that deserted place by the Sea of Galilee it extends across the whole world, it is here in Peachtree City, Georgia.

God our Father, 

Gifts without measure flow from your goodness 

to bring us your peace. 

Our life is your gift. 

Guide our life’s journey, 

for only your love makes us whole. 

Keep us strong in your love.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

That's God!

Have you ever been just sitting there and all of a sudden you feel like doing something nice for someone you care for?

THAT'S GOD! He speaks to you through the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever been down and out and nobody seems to be around for you to talk to?

THAT'S GOD! He wants you to speak to Him.

Have you ever been thinking about somebody that you haven't seen in a long time and then next thing you know you see them or receive a phone call from them?

THAT'S GOD! There's no such thing as coincidence.

Have you ever been in a situation and you had no clue how it is going to get better, but now you look back on it?

THAT'S GOD! He passes us through tribulation to see a brighter day.

Don't tell GOD how Big your storm is. 

Tell the storm how Big your GOD is!

Plato

Learning Along the Path

Life is like a path...and we all have to walk the path... As we walk... we'll find experiences like little scraps of paper in front of us along the way. We must pick up those pieces of scrap paper and put them in our pocket... Then, one day, we will have enough scraps of papers to put together and see what they say... Read the information and take it to heart. 

~ Uncle Frank Davis (quoting his mother), PAWNEE

The Creator designed us to learn by trial and error. The path of life we walk is very wide. Everything on the path is sacred - what we do right is sacred - but our mistakes are also sacred. This is the Creator's way of teaching spiritual people. To criticize ourselves when we make mistakes is not part of the spiritual path. To criticize mistakes is not our way. To learn from our mistakes is our way. The definition of a spiritual person is someone who makes 30-50 mistakes each day and talks to the Creator after each one to see what to do next time. This is the way of the Warrior.

Today let me see my mistakes as a positive process. Let me learn the aha's of life... Awaken my awareness so I can see the great learning that You, my Creator, have designed for my life.

~ Elder's Meditation of the Day​

The 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.”

Touch of the Master's Hand

The Touch of the Master's Hand

By Myra Brooks Welch

T’was battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

Thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,

But held it up with a smile.

"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,

"Who will start bidding for me?

A dollar, a dollar" --then, "Two!" "Only two?

Two dollars, and who'll make it three?

Three dollars, twice;

"Going for three --" But no,

From the room, far back, a gray-haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then wiping the dust from the old violin,

And tightening the loose strings.

He played a melody pure and sweet

As sweet as a caroling angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer

With a voice that was quiet and low,

Said what am I bidden for the old violin?

And he held it up with the bow.

A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?

Two thousand! And who'll make it three?

Three thousand, once; three thousand twice;

And going, and gone!" said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,

"We do not quite understand

what changed its worth?" Swift came the reply:

"The touch of the master's hand.

And many a man with life out of tune,

And battered and scattered with sin,

Is auctioned off cheap to the thoughtless crowd,

Much like the old violin.

A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine;

A game -- and he travels on.

He's "going" once, and "going" twice,

He's "going" and "almost gone."

But the Master comes and the foolish crowd

Never quite understands

the worth of a soul and the change that's wrought

by the touch of the Master's hand.​

Secrets to Happiness

All of us will live longer and more happily if we stop trying to arrange other peoples’ lives. Jesus challenged us not to judge but to live with the tension and let God and history make the judgments. So we need to live by our own convictions and let others do the same.

Be giving of yourself to others.

Happiness lies in giving ourselves away. We need to be open and generous because if we withdraw into ourselves we run the risk of becoming self-centered and no happiness will be found there since “stagnant water becomes putrid.”

Stop being negative.

Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self-esteem. Negative thoughts feed unhappiness and a bad self-image. Positive thoughts feed happiness and healthy self-esteem.

Don’t proselyte, respect others’ beliefs.

What we cherish and put our faith into grows “by attraction, not by proselytizing.” Beauty is the one thing that no one can argue with. Cherish your values, but always act towards others with graciousness, charity, and respect.

Work for peace​

Peace is more than the absence of war and working for peace means more than not causing disharmony.  Peace, like war, must be waged actively by working for justice, equality, and an ever-wider inclusivity in terms of what makes up our family. Waging peace is the perennial struggle to stretch hearts, our own and others, to accept that in God’s house there are many rooms and that all faiths, not least our own, are meant to be a house of prayer for all peoples.

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday we hear the final three parables about the Kingdom of Heaven found in Matthew 13.  In these parables, Jesus describes the Kingdom as a hidden treasure, a pearl of great price and a net full of fish.  While these are simple stories, they pose serious and complex challenges.  Jesus challenged the disciples and he challenges us to consider what value we place on the kingdom of heaven.  He also poses an unasked question; what (how much) are we willing to sacrifice to gain access to the kingdom?

But first, we have to find the kingdom.  Every time we pray The Lord's Prayer we ask “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).  We discover the kingdom when we fulfill the will of God for our lives.  I can hear many of you saying, “Oh, Father John, how can we know the will of God for our lives”?  King Solomon teaches us that lesson in our first reading from 1 Kings 3:7-12.  When God asked Solomon what he wanted, Solomon requested, “an understanding heart” and the capacity “to distinguish right from wrong.”  God responded by giving Solomon “a heart so wise and understanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you.”  None of us can ever hope to have the wisdom and understanding of King Solomon, but we can strive to “distinguish right from wrong” and by doing so, we can make faithful choices that will bring us into the proximity of the kingdom.

In Matthew 6:33 Jesus says, “seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness …” then everything will fall into place.  Both the person who found the buried treasure and the merchant who found the pearl of great price recognized the value of their discoveries and each was willing to sacrifice everything (joyfully) to possess that treasure.  Jesus is telling us that the Kingdom of Heaven is the greatest treasure we can possibly obtain. 

This brings us to the parable of the fishing net.  Like the parable of the wheat and weeds we heard last week, Jesus reminds us once again that sorting out good from evil is not our responsibility.  As followers of Christ, and as members of the Church, it is our responsibility to gather as many fish as possible into our nets.  It is up to God and only God to determine who is in the Kingdom and who is not.  The good news is that God wants all of us to be in the Kingdom.  As Jesus told his followers in Luke 12:32-34, “your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.  Sell your belongings and give alms.  Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.  For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”

God of eternal wisdom,
you alone impart the gift of discernment.
Grant us an understanding heart,
so we may value wisely the treasure of your kingdom,
gladly reject all lesser gifts,
and accept with gratitude the ones you alone can give.
We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.

AMEN

Acceptance

Acceptance is not approval, consent, permission, authorization, sanction, concurrence, agreement, compliance, sympathy, endorsement, confirmation, support, ratification, assistance, advocating, backing, maintaining, furthering, promoting, aiding, abetting or even liking what is.

Acceptance is saying, “It is what it is, and what is, is what is.”

All Philosophers have understood this, that a rose is a rose is a rose. And even Popeye says: "I am what I am.” All have understood that this is the way to acceptance.

Spiritual Longing

In everyone's heart stirs a great homesickness.

~ Rabbi Seymour Siegel

We ask ourselves what drove us to do some of the things we did? We went to extremes even when we knew our actions were not rational. Still today, we are drawn to extremes. At times we still long for things that we know will hurt us. Are we puzzled by these desires?  Wise men and prophets have searched their own deep truths to understand their desires and longings. Many say that our desires and hungers are, at the base of our being, a search for a spiritual home, a place where we know we are welcome, safe, and loved. Perhaps we are all born longing for that home. Maybe we first taste it when we first experience the warmth of loving and caring parents, even when it was only a taste, and only partially satisfied. Then we spend the rest of our lives in pursuit of that good feeling again.

The wisdom of our Faith in a God of love points us toward that spiritual home, a lifetime of growth and development follows in which we feel the spirit in our fellowship with other men and women, and we learn from others how they have found their way home.

Today the stirring in my heart will be a sign of my spiritual longing.

Time Is...

Look into My Heart

You don't know how an apple tastes until you taste it. You don't know what a fish tastes like until you eat it. You don't know how it is to be a woman unless you are one. You don't know what it means to have a baby until you have one. So it is with the natural laws. An example: the natural law of forgiveness says, if you hate someone, pray for the person to be blessed with happiness, joy and all the blessings of the Great Spirit. You will not know about this law unless you do it. The natural law says love others as you love yourself. If you hate yourself or feel guilt in some area of yourself, you will tend to judge and condemn your neighbor. You cannot give away what you don't have. You teach your children by your example, not by your words. The natural laws are written in our hearts.

Great Spirit, teach me how to look into my heart.

From - Elder's Meditation of the Day​

Perpetual Quietness

Perpetual quietness of heart. It is to have no trouble.
It is never to be fretted or vexed, irritable or sore;
to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me.
It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised,
it is to have a blessed home in myself where I can go in and shut the door
and kneel to my Father in secret and be at peace, as in a deep sea of calmness,
when all around and about is seeming trouble.

~ Attributed to Andrew Murray, South African Missionary, 1828-1917

Beauty of the Soul

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel, Matthew 13:24-43, we have a continuation of last week’s gospel in which we are presented with three new parables comparing the kingdom of heaven to a field planted with wheat and weeds, a mustard seed and yeast.  Wheat, weeds, seeds and yeast were common, everyday images for the people listening to Jesus.  As I have reflected on these images over the years it occurred to me that with the exception of weeds and yeast many people here in Peachtree City may never have seen a field of wheat or a mustard tree.  A number of years ago I tried to come up with a few more relevant images like popping corn or a tweet.  They didn’t work very well.  However, today as I reread the gospel an entirely new idea smacked me in the face.  The kingdom of heaven is like anything that grows and matures.  The message is that the kingdom is not static or stagnant.  The kingdom of heaven is in constant movement growing, expanding, adjusting just like we are. 

On a microcosmic level most of the cells in our bodies are growing and dividing all the time.  They don’t stop until we die.  We don’t feel or see our cells changing but we know it is happening.  And on the macrocosmic level the universe in which we live is constantly expanding.  Again, we don’t feel or see the expansion of the universe but we “know” it is happening thanks to Dr Edwin Hubble (and Buzz Lightyear).

OK, come back to earth, Fr Murphy, what does this mean for us?  All of us are invited to become citizens of the kingdom.  The choice is ours.  However, with heavenly citizenship comes responsibility.  If yeast is stale it provides no leavening and so we throw it away.  If seeds don’t germinate, nothing grows.  It’s the same for us.  If we want to be active citizens of the kingdom of heaven, we must nurture the yeast, the seeds and our faith.  Last week’s first reading from Isaiah 55:10-11 sums it up: “Thus says the Lord:  Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not   return there until they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.”  The kingdom of heaven is fulfilling the word of God.  This is something we pray for every time we repeat the Our Father, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:9-10).  As we go about our daily lives here in Peachtree City, let’s all remember our responsibility to live up to the challenge.

With a love that is both powerful and patient, O God,
you sustain the growth of the good seed your Son has planted.

Let your word, like a mustard seed,
bear rich fruit within us,
and like a little yeast,
produce its effects throughout the whole church.
Thus may we dare to hope
that a new humanity will blossom and grow
to shine like the sun in your kingdom
when the Lord of the harvest returns
at the end of the age.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

AMEN

Slow Me Down, Lord!

Slow me down, Lord!

Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting on my mind. Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time. Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.

Teach me the art of slowing down to look at a flower, to chat with a friend, to pet a dog, to read a few lines from a good book.  Remind me each day of the fable of the hare and the tortoise, that I may know that the race is not always to the swift,  that there is more to life than increasing its speed.

Slow me down, Lord,

and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life's enduring values that I may grow toward the stars of my greater destiny. That I may find you, my God.

Cardinal Cushing

Contemplative Prayer

We are meant to bring ourselves, with all our complexities and weaknesses, into God’s full light every day.  In the great prayer traditions, one particular form of prayer, contemplative prayer, is singled out as being most helpful in doing this.

We pray in this way by wordlessly bringing ourselves into God’s presence in a way that we hide nothing of ourselves. Perhaps a description of how this kind of prayer differs from other kinds of prayer might best serve us here.

Normal, meditative types of prayer essentially work this way: You set off to pray, find a quiet place, sit or kneel down, make a conscious act to center yourself in prayer, focus on an inspiring text or thought, begin to meditate on those words, try to hear what is being said inside you, articulate the challenge or insight that is making itself heard there, and then connect this all to your relationship to God, through gratitude, love, praise, or petition. In this kind of prayer, your focus is on an inspiring word or insight, the response this creates in you, and your own response to God in the light of that.

Contemplative prayer, by way of contrast, is prayer without words or images. It works this way: You set off to pray, find a quiet place, sit or kneel, and make a conscious act to simply place yourself before God. Then you simply stay there, naked and unprotected by any words, images, conversations, rationalizations, or even by any holy feelings about Jesus, his Mother, some saint, some icon, or inspirational idea.

Contemplative prayer brings you into God’s presence without protection, with no possibility of hiding anything. The silence and absence of prayerful conversation is what leaves you naked and exposed, like a plant sitting in the sun, silently drinking in its rays.

Each day, we should set aside some time to put ourselves into God’s presence without words and without images, where, naked, stripped of everything, silent, exposed, hiding nothing, completely vulnerable, we simply sit, full face, before God’s judgment and mercy.​

Contradictions of Life

Thirteenth Century priest Thomas Aquinas once said, “No one can live without joy.” But many people do live joyless lives. And the reason is often simply because they don’t know how to be happy. They are so intent on the three Ps – power, prosperity and prestige – that they miss out on simple joy.

French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson pioneered modern photography as an art form during the early decades of the 20th Century. He was a master of candid photography and something of a genius at spotting and photographing apparent contradictions: pictures that left mysteries unexplained.

One of his famous photographs was shot in a poor section of Seville, Spain in 1933. The picture depicts a run-down alley surrounded by decaying walls, strewn with rubble and riddled with bullet holes dotting gray walls. The setting alone evokes feelings of sadness and despair.

But then...the contradiction. Within the grim alley children are playing. They wear dirty and tattered clothes, as one might expect in such a setting, but like playing children everywhere, they laugh with carefree joy. In the foreground, a tiny boy on crutches hobbles away from two other boys, his face lit up with a broad grin. One boy is laughing so hard he has to hold his side. Others lean on the cracked walls, beaming with delight.

It is easy to spot the contrast – and the point. Joy amid the rubble of life. Laughter among life’s ruins.

We cannot avoid pain, however hard we try. But we can avoid joy. We cannot escape hardship and trouble, but we can miss out on much of life's peace and laughter.

If you feel as if you could use more joy, here are a few tips:

• Do something today just for the fun of it.

• Decide to fill your thoughts with less anxiety and more peace.

• Laugh a little more. A little more heartily and a little more often.

• Practice a hopeful attitude.

• Love as much as you can. Love people. Love experiences. Love ideas. Love beauty. In short -- love life.

You may occasionally find yourself amid life’s rubble. But strangely - even there you can discover joy.   It’s one of the beautiful contradictions of life​.

I Choose

It’s quiet. It’s early. My coffee is hot. The sky is still black. The world is still asleep. The day is coming.

In a few moments the day will arrive. It will roar down the track with the rising of the sun. The stillness of the dawn will be exchanged for the noise of the day. The calm of solitude will be replaced by the pounding pace of the human race. The refuge of the early morning will be invaded by decisions to be made and deadlines to be met. For the next twelve hours I will be exposed to the day’s demands. It is now that I must make a choice.

Because of Calvary, I’m free to choose. And so I choose.

I choose love.

No occasion justifies hatred; no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love. Today I will love God and what God loves.

I choose joy.

I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance. I will refuse the temptation to be cynical… the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings, created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I choose peace.

I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I choose patience.

I will overlook the inconveniences of the world. Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I’ll invite Him to do so. Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment to pray. Instead of clinching my fist at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I choose kindness.

I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone. Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I choose goodness.

I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked before I will boast. I will confess before I will accuse. I choose goodness.

I choose faithfulness.

Today I will keep my promises. My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates will not question my word. My wife will not question my love. And my children will never fear that their father will not come home.

I choose gentleness.

Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I choose self-control.

I am a spiritual being. After this body is dead, my spirit will soar. I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal. I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy. I will be impassioned only by my faith. I will be influenced only by God. I will be taught only by Christ. I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. To these I commit my day. If I succeed, I will give thanks. If I fail, I will seek His grace. And then, when this day is done, I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23​

Sharing the Experience

Three men are walking along and talking – The conversation is along the lines of “I’ll be happy when…”

Suddenly a wise man walks nearby and hears the conversation. He says, “Excuse me, friends, but I can show you how to be happy forever if you’ll follow me.”

The 3 men agree to go with him. After walking a while, they come to a wall about 10 feet tall. It has a ladder leading all the way to the top.

“Climb this ladder and go over the top of the wall. You can have whatever you want on the other side – money, jobs, fancy cars, large luxurious homes, and whatever you ask for. I promise you will be happy forever. The only condition is that once you go over the wall, you cannot return.”

The first man climbs the wall and looks over. He turns back and says, ‘This is fantastic.” and goes over the wall.

The second man climbs the ladder and also looks back to describe what he sees. Then he climbs to the top of the ladder and continues over the wall.

They both appeared to be immensely happy and eagerly exploring their new world.

The third man climbs the wall and looks over. He is also amazed by what he sees. Then he slowly climbs back down the ladder and begins to walk away.

The wise man stops him and says, “I’ve never seen anyone climb back down the ladder. Where are you going?”  The third man says, “I am going to bring my family and my friends.”

The moral of the story is found in Christ ... his greatest desire was to share this wonderful experience with others!