Our Kneeling Places

In Search of Our Kneeling Places
by Ann Weems

In each heart lies a Bethlehem,
an inn where we must ultimately answer
whether there is room or not.
When we are Bethlehem-bound
we experience our own advent in his.
When we are Bethlehem-bound
we can no longer look the other way
conveniently not seeing stars
not hearing angel voices.
We can no longer excuse ourselves by busily
tending our sheep or our kingdoms.

This Advent let's go to Bethlehem
and see this thing that the Lord has made known to us.
In the midst of shopping sprees
let's ponder in our hearts the Gift of Gifts.
Through the tinsel
let's look for the gold of the Christmas Star.
In the excitement and confusion, in the merry chaos,
let's listen for the brush of angels' wings.
This Advent, let's go to Bethlehem
and find our kneeling places.

Hidden by the Leaves

As I look out the window I see the trees. Their trunks, limbs and branches are bare. They look really beautiful against the clear sky, so different from when they are hidden by all the leaves. 

At the end of November, we remember our dead, particularly those who died in the past year. And I think that one day I will appear before the Lord with all my leaves gone, all those things that hide me from myself and from others. Just the bare me. I hope the Lord will see some beauty in me also. 

This thought reminds me to repent and prepare for that meeting. 

That's one of the things Advent is for. The Holy Season of Advent is very near and Advent ends with our commemoration of the birth of our beloved Savior. That's where my hope is, in his coming. I trust that's where your hope is also.​

Never Too Late

Katherine Hepburn once said, "Life is hard. After all, it kills you." And it can kill you early if you don't figure out how to change. Let me explain.

The expression "turning over a new leaf" refers to turning pages of a book. Just as the plot of a novel changes from page to page, people, too, can change their lives. Indeed they have to if they are  to live well.

I enjoy reading about ancient cultures. And it occurs to me that most of the old civilizations are gone. Some have left little behind except ruins and rubble. What happened? Where are the people, their music and ideas? Why are they nothing more today than a collection of stones visited by tourists and curious historians?

The answer, of course, is not the same the world over. But Arnold Toynbee, in his work The Study of History  (1987), says that the great lesson of history is this: civilizations that changed when confronted with challenges thrived. Those that did not change died.  In other words, when life got hard, it killed off those who didn't make needed changes. The key to survival is often about "change."

And what about us? What about you and me? It's good to accept ourselves as we are, but when an unhealthy attitude or a destructive behavior gets in the way, when we wish we could change something about ourselves, we had better change. People who embrace change thrive; those who resist it die.

If you have been waiting for a sign to make that needed change, this may be it. I am convinced that it is never too late to be the person you might have been. It's never too late to be happy. It's never too late to do something different or to do something better. It's never too late to change a habit. It's never too late to live.

Begin making that necessary change today. Then tomorrow, and every tomorrow thereafter, can truly be different.

First Sunday of Advent

Today is the First Sunday of Advent, the beginning of a new liturgical year. I suspect that for many of us, Advent 2020 will be very different. Having survived a tumultuous year with so many restrictions, emotional upheavals and confusion this Advent has the potential to be a real experience of expectant waiting. In my mind it is a call for us to push our spiritual reset buttons. By resetting our spiritual hard drives, we can erase everything in the past and begin with a clean spiritual slate.

Advent 2020 begins with an anguished plea from the Prophet Isaiah to God the Father, “Return for the sake of your servants” (Isaiah 63:17). Isaiah continues his cry for help, “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you, while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for, such as they had not heard of from of old” (Isaiah 63:19). The author of Psalm 144 made a similar plea,” LORD, incline your heavens and come down; touch the mountains and make them smoke.” God the Father did respond to the psalmist, Isaiah and the rest of the prophets. God did return for the sake of his servants. However, God came at an unexpected time, in an unexpected manner and in an unexpected form. The mountains did not quake or smoke. There were no awesome deeds. There was no fanfare. No one was prepared.

I wonder how the world would respond today if God came down to spend some time with us. Would we, like the Old Testament sages, expect something dramatic? Would we hear about it from all the major news outlets? How many PR people would it take to manage the event? Would we be ready? Are we ready today?

None of us knows when “the time will come” (Mark 13:33). But Jesus tells us that we must “Be Watchful! Be Alert!” Advent reminds us of our spiritual responsibility to be prepared. As St Paul tells us in the second reading today from 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, God has bestowed us with all the spiritual gifts we need to “wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” All we need to do is accept the gifts and act on them.

And so, on this First Sunday of Advent, have the courage to push your reset button and open yourself to the knowledge that “God is faithful” (1Cor 1: 9) and, “we are clay and [God] is the potter, we are all the work of [God’s] ds” (Isaiah 64: 7). Let’s give God the opportunity to mould us.

Open wide the heavens and come down, 

O God of all the ages! 

Rouse us from sleep, 

deliver us from our sinful ways,

and form us into a watchful people, 

that, at the advent of your Son, 

he may find us doing what is right. 

Grant this through him whose coming is certain, 

whose day draws near; your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, 

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 

God for ever and ever.

Amen

We Thank Thee

For flowers that bloom about our feet,

Father, we thank Thee.

For tender grass so fresh, so sweet,

Father, we thank Thee.

For the song of bird and hum of bee,

For all things fair we hear or see,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For blue of stream and blue of sky,

Father, we thank Thee.

For pleasant shade of branches high,

Father, we thank Thee.

For fragrant air and cooling breeze,

For beauty of the blooming trees,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For this new morning with its light,

Father, we thank Thee.

For rest and shelter of the night,

Father, we thank Thee

For health and food, for love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends,

Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

"In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God."

(1 Thessalonians 5:18)

May God Bless You on This Thanksgiving Day!

Bad Parrot

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. 

Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity.

John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to 'clean up' the bird's vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even more rude. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed.

Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.

Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude.

As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird spoke-up, very softly,

"May I ask what the turkey did?"

Thanking God

• I want to thank you, God, for what you have done for me. I’m not going to wait to see the results I want or to receive rewards I’d like. I’m thanking you right now.
• I’m not going to wait until I feel better or until things look better. I’m thanking you right now.
• I’m not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop doing what they’re doing. I’m thanking you right now.
• I’m not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears. I’m than...king you right now.
• I’m not waiting until my financial situation is better. I’m thanking you right now.
• I’m not going to wait until my world is quiet and peaceful. I’m thanking you right now.
• I’m not going to wait until I get the job I want or the promotion I’d like. I’m thanking you right now.
• I’m not going to wait until I understand every situation and experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief. I’m going to thank you right now.
• I’m not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed. I’m thanking you right now.
• I’m thanking you because I’m alive.
• I’m thanking you because I made it through another day.
• I’m thanking you because I have walked around difficult obstacles.
• I’m thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and to do better.
• I’m thanking you because you have not given up on me.
• God is so good – in so many ways – all the time.

Thank God

There's this guy who had been lost and walking in the desert for about 2 weeks. One hot day, he sees the home of a missionary. Tired and weak, he crawls up to the house and collapses on the doorstep. The missionary finds him and nurses him back to health. Feeling better, the man asks the missionary for directions to the nearest town. On his way out the backdoor, he sees this horse. He goes back into the house and asks the missionary, "Could I borrow your horse and give it back when I reach the town?"

The missionary says, "Sure but there is a special thing about this horse. You have to say 'Thank God' to make it go and 'Amen' to make it stop."

Not paying much attention, the man says, "Sure, ok."

So he gets on the horse and says, "Thank God" and the horse starts walking. Then he says, "Thank God, thank God," and the horse starts trotting. Feeling really brave, the man says, "Thank God, thank God, thank God, thank God, thank God" and the horse just takes off. Pretty soon he sees this cliff coming up and he's doing everything he can to make the horse stop.

"Whoa, stop, hold on!!!!"

Finally he remembers, "Amen!!"

The horse stops 4 inches from the cliff. Then the man leans back in the saddle and says, "Thank God." 

Best Sermons Never Preached

These obviously are quotes from different people but they present a wise commentary on what is important in life. 

Hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

The Best Sermons are Lived Not Preached

1. Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I'm working on for my Psychology class. When I asked her to define success in her own words, she said, "Success is when you look back at your life and the memories make you smile." 

2. Today, I asked my mentor - a very successful business man in his 70s- what his top 3 tips are for success. He smiled and said, "Read something no one else is reading, think something no one else is thinking, and do something no one else is doing." 

3. Today, after a 72 hour shift at the fire station, a woman ran up to me at the grocery store and gave me a hug. When I tensed up, she realized I didn't recognize her. She let go with tears of joy in her eyes and the most sincere smile and said, "On 9-11-2001, you carried me out of the World Trade Center." 

4. Today, after I watched my dog get run over by a car, I sat on the side of the road holding him and crying. And just before he died, he licked the tears off my face. 

5. Today at 7am, I woke up feeling ill, but decided I needed the money, so I went into work. At 3pm I got laid off. On my drive home I got a flat tire. When I went into the trunk for the spare, it was flat too. A man in a BMW pulled over, gave me a ride, we chatted, and then he offered me a job. I start tomorrow. 

6. Today, as my father, three brothers, and two sisters stood around my mother's hospital bed, my mother uttered her last coherent words before she died. She simply said, "I feel so loved right now. We  should have gotten together like this more often." 

7. Today, I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed. About 5 seconds after he passed, I realized it was the first time I had given him a kiss since I was a little boy. 

8. Today, in the cutest voice, my 8-year-old daughter asked me to start recycling. I chuckled and  asked, "Why?" She replied, "So you can help me save the planet." I chuckled again and asked, "And why do you want to save the planet?" Because that's where I keep all my stuff," she said. 

9. Today, when I witnessed a 27-year-old breast cancer patient laughing hysterically at her 2-year-old daughter's antics, I suddenly realized that I need to stop complaining about my life and start celebrating it again. 

10. Today, a boy in a wheelchair saw me desperately struggling on crutches with my broken leg and offered to carry my backpack and books for me. He helped me all the way across campus to my class and as he was leaving he said, "I hope you feel better soon." 

11. Today, I was feeling down because the results of a biopsy came back malignant. When I got home, I opened an e-mail that said, "Thinking of you today. If you need me, I'm a phone call away." It was from a high school friend I hadn't seen in 10 years. 

12. Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from Zimbabwe. He said he hadn't eaten anything in over 3 days and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy. Then my friend offered him the rest of the sandwich he was eating. The first thing the man said was, "We can share it. 

13. Today, I had the opportunity of sharing these with you. Did you get anything out of reading these. I learned that the best sermons are lived, not preached. 

 I am glad I have you to send these to​.

The 98-year-old Mother Superior from Ireland was dying. The nuns gathered around her bed trying to make her last journey comfortable. They gave her some warm milk to drink but she refused. 

Then one of the nuns took the glass back to the kitchen. Remembering a bottle of Irish whiskey received as a gift the previous Christmas, she opened and poured a generous amount into the warm milk. Back at Mother Superior`s bed, she held the glass to her lips. Mother drank a little, then a little more, and before they knew it, she had drunk the whole glass down to the last drop. 

"Mother," the nuns asked with earnest, "please give us some wisdom before you die." 

She raised herself up in bed and with a pious look on her face said, "Don`t sell that cow​!"

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Today we celebrate The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King. This great feast marks the end of our liturgical year and the completion of our journey with Jesus and His disciples through the Gospel of Matthew. All of our readings today from Ezekiel, the first Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians and St. Matthew present good news and bad news. The good news is God sent us a Good Shepherd who is faithful, diligent, and compassionate. This shepherd, Jesus, died for us, his sheep, so that through his resurrection we too “shall all be brought to life” (1 COR 15:22). And, Jesus our faithful, diligent, and compassionate shepherd reigns in Heaven. The bad news is, in his role as King, he is going to judge each one of us according to the standards and values of the kingdom of Heaven, “each one in proper order” (1 COR 15: 23). 

“Proper order” in the kingdom of Heaven is diametrically opposed to our earthly and very human values. Heavenly proper order is “the last will be first and the first will be last” (MT 20:16). Those who are first are those who are: poor in spirit, who morn, the meek, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who are merciful, who are clean of heart, peacemakers and who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness” (MT 5:3-10). Most importantly, the first are the people who recognized the presence of Jesus in people who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, ill, and in prison. Not only did they recognize the presence of Jesus in people who are suffering, they did something about it. 

The eternal prospects for those who do not recognize Jesus in the poverty and suffering of others are not very pretty. In Ezekiel and St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians, the Lord God threatens to destroy them because they are enemies of the Kingdom. St. Matthew is even more direct, “Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (MT 25:45-46). 

This is a very grim picture for those of us who are not perfect. There is, however, more good news. The really good news is that “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in mercy” (Psalm 145:8). In Ephesians 2:5–7, St, Paul tells us that God “even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved), raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” 

Eternal God, 

we are travelers in this world

searching for our true home in your kingdom.

It is not a kingdom of power and glory, 

but one of love and freedom, 

truth and justice, 

peace and holiness.

Help us to make this kingdom real, 

through service to our brothers and sisters, 

especially those who are most in need.

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. 

Dictionaries define "prodigal" as "wastefully extravagant and lavishly abundant." That certainly describes the God that Jesus incarnates and reveals.

If we look back on our lives with honesty, we have to admit that of all the invitations that God has sent us, we have probably accepted and acted on only a fraction of them.  There have been countless times we have turned away from an invitation. For every invitation to maturity we have accepted, we have probably turned down a hundred.  But that is the beauty and wonder of God's richness. God is prodigal, abundant, generous, and wasteful beyond our small fears and imaginations. And that invites us to be generous and generative.

If I Went Back

An Augustinian, a Franciscan, and a Jesuit all die and get to heaven. Jesus asks each one, "If you could go back, what would you change?"

The Augustinian ponders a while and says, "There's so much sin in the world. If I went back, I'd try and stop people from sinning so much." 

The Franciscan thinks a bit and says, "There's so much poverty in the world. If I went back, I'd try and get people to share more of their wealth with the poor." 

The Jesuit looks at Jesus and quickly replies, "If I went back, I'd change my doctor."

God Speaks

There are two ways, 

and both are hard to travel.

There is the way of the river, 

but there is also the way of the bridge 

that I have built to cross that river.

How strange it is 

that so many 

still prefer to walk through the water, 

even though I have built a bridge for them, 

a bridge that offers delight, 

where all that is bitter becomes sweet, 

and every burden light.

Those who cross the waters of life 

by taking the way of the bridge 

see light 

even though 

they are still in the darkness of their body.

Though mortal, 

they taste immortality, 

though weary, 

they receive the refreshment they need 

when they need it, in my name.

There are no words adequate 

to describe 

the delight experienced by those 

who choose the way of the bridge.

While still in this life 

they taste and participate 

in that good 

which has been prepared for them 

in the next.

You would be a fool, 

indeed, to reject such a great good 

and choose instead 

to walk by the lower road

with its great toil, 

and without refreshment or advantage.

All through the day

There are always two roads.

From: Set Aside Every Fear

love and trust in the Spirituality of Catherine of Siena.
By John Kirvan

Look to This Day

Look to this day.

For it is life,
The very life of life.
In its brief course lies all
The realities and verities of existence,
The bliss of growth,
The splendor of action,
The glory of power.

For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow is only a vision,
But today, well lived,
Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day.

Ancient Sanskrit poem

How Much Do We Notice as We Go Through a Day

Lisa Beamer on Good Morning America - If you remember, she's the wife of Todd Beamer who said 'Let's Roll!' and helped take down the plane over Pennsylvania that was heading for Washington, DC back on 9/11. She said it's the little things that she misses most about Todd, such as hearing the garage door open as he came home, and her children running to meet him.

Lisa recalled this story: "I had a very special teacher in high school many years ago whose husband died suddenly of a heart attack. About a week after his death, she shared some of her insight with a classroom of students. As the late afternoon sunlight came streaming in through the classroom windows and the class was nearly over, she moved a few things aside on the edge of her desk and sat down there. With a gentle look of reflection on her face, she paused and said, 'Class is over, I would like to share with all of you, a thought that is unrelated to class, but which I feel is very important. Each of us is put here on earth to learn, share, love, appreciate and give of ourselves. None of us knows when this fantastic experience will end. It can be taken away at any moment. Perhaps this is God's way of telling us that we must make the most out of every single day.

Her eyes, beginning to water, she went on, 'So I would like you all to make me a promise. From now on, on your way to school, or on your way home, find something beautiful to notice. It doesn't have to be something you see, it could be a scent, perhaps of freshly baked bread wafting out of someone's house, or it could be the sound of the breeze slightly rustling the leaves in the trees, or the way the morning light catches one autumn leaf as it falls gently to the ground. Please look for these things, and cherish them. For, although it may sound trite to some, these things are the "stuff" of life. The little things we are put here on earth to enjoy. The things we often take for granted.

The class was completely quiet. We all picked up our books and filed out of the room silently. That afternoon, I noticed more things on my way home from school than I had that whole semester. Every once in a while, I think of that teacher and remember what an impression she made on all of us, and I appreciate all of those things that sometimes we all overlook.

Take notice of something special you see today. Go barefoot. Or walk on the beach at sunset. Stop off on the way home tonight to get a double dip ice cream cone. For as we get older, it is not the things we did that we often regret, but the things we didn't do. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

HAVE A GREAT DAY! GOD Bless you every day of your life. The nicest place to be is in someone's thoughts. The safest place to be is in someone's prayers, And the very best place to be is....In the hands of God.

It's You!

Make the best use of what is in your power and take the rest as it happens. ~ Epictetus 

The one you’ve been waiting for to tell you what to do—it’s you. 

You’re the only one who knows what’s right for you in this moment. 

The one you’ve been waiting for to fix your problems—it’s you. 

You’re the only one who has the power to change what isn’t working. 

The one you’ve been waiting for to make the pain go away—it’s you. 

Whatever you’re holding onto, only you can let it go. 

The one you’ve been waiting for to give you permission—it’s you. 

You’re the only one who can decide whether you’ll try or hold yourself back. 

The one you’ve been waiting for to love you—it’s you. 

You’re the only one who can make you feel beautiful and worthy. 

The one you’ve been waiting for to provide something that’s missing—it’s you. 

You’re the only one who can create and recognize what’s enough for your happiness. 

The one who makes a difference in so many people’s lives—it’s you. 

Remember that even when you struggle with some of these things, the world is a better place for having you in it.​

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today, the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary time, is the next to last Sunday in our liturgical year. Next Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King and the following Sunday, November 29, we begin the season of Advent and a new liturgical year. Our readings for today and for next Sunday focus on the end of time, our accountability to God and God’s judgment of us. They challenge us to stop and reflect on where we are in our journey towards the Kingdom of Heaven. In his 1st Letter to the Thessalonians 5:1-6, our second reading today, St. Paul reminds us “the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night.” And, that we need to “stay alert and sober.” We do not know when the Lord is returning, but we had better be ready. 

The gospel today, Matthew 25:14-30, is the Parable of the Talents. It is tempting to over simplify this parable by emphasizing the Master’s expectation that we will invest his money wisely. This isn’t a parable about financial management; it is a parable about life management. It is about using our God given resources wisely but there is more. It is about trying. It is about the effort we make to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven. It is about courage and risk taking. Getting ourselves into the Kingdom of Heaven is not a contest. But God does expect us to use all the gifts we are given, to nurture them, to spread them around and ultimately, to share the Master’s joy. 

Most of us have heard the expression “use it or lose it.” The lazy servant lost everything because he was afraid. He buried his talent rather than risk losing it. He would have been better off giving it away. What Jesus was telling the disciples, the scribes and the Pharisees and what he is telling us is to be bold. He is telling us to take even the most meager gift and work with it. Consider this; In the course of its life one small acorn has the potential to produce thousands of oak trees. 

Creator God, 

At Baptism, we accepted the call to follow Jesus.

Be with us as we move along on our faith journey. 

Send us your Holy Spirit, 

So that we might have wisdom for the journey.

Help us to develop and share our gifts 

As good stewards, that we may use them

In love and service in your Kingdom. 

We ask this through Christ, our Lord. 

Amen.

Quiet Time

Well, here I am Lord
Waiting to hear your voice
Thank you for this quiet time
And helping me make this choice

There are so many things that need to be done
They cry out to be done, today!
Help me to realize the first thing to be done
Is to stop, and listen, and pray

What good is it all without your call?
Where does the activity end?
Calm me right now, calm my feverish brow
Your Holy spirit send

Thank you that you're always speaking out
So our quiet hearts may hear
Your healing word as you call us by name
May we hear it loud and clear​

-Rosalind Renshaw in "Conversations"

A Military Heart

A military heart is unique, it must be true,

The blood that pulses deep within is red, white, and blue

Its love is like a fire that grows when it is shared,
For complete and total strangers, they have truly cared.

All heroes past and present, at war and at peace,
My admiration for you all will never ever cease.

Veterans who went by choice or those who had been drafted,
I feel that God took extra care with certain hearts He crafted.

He had to make them strong and brave, but tender all the same,
He knit them in their mother’s womb and knew them each by name.

It would take a special heart to leave loved ones behind,
To kiss and hug good-bye with Old Glory on their mind.

The countless sacrifice they made for freedoms we enjoy,
For every man, every woman, every girl, and every boy.

For those who have such passion for our great U.S. of A,
Who’ll stand for life and liberty, so we can speak and pray.

If you see a warrior, please give them all our love,
For the heart that beats within them is a gift from God above.

We’re thankful, oh so thankful, for that heart we have admired,
For giving so unselfishly, although it may be tired.

We’d never know of its fatigue - it’s hidden way inside,
For that heart is full of love, as deep as it is wide.

On Veterans Day and all the days that come before and after,
We thank you for allowing us a life of hope and laughter.

To wake each day knowing what you must have seen and heard,
It’s hard to find the thoughts to share - there isn’t just one word.

What can we say? What should we say?
A debt we just cannot repay.

I think I’ll just say thank you from the bottom of my heart,
I’ll pray for you - thank God for you. That’s certainly a start.

I’ll do my best to wake each day full of gratitude,
I’ll make a daily effort with a thankful attitude.

I’ll live to nurture peace – I’ll try to do my part,
And I’ll thank the Lord everyday…for your military heart.

Heather Spears Kallus

 

Miracles

One of the mistakes people make is expecting God only in miracles, in flashes, and in instant gratification. The church looks for miracles in order to declare a saint. But life is full of miracles! For an alcoholic or addict to live one day sober is a miracle. To love a person after they make a big mistake is a miracle. To be able to love yourself after you make a big mistake is a miracle. To follow God’s call day after day is a miracle. To take up your cross daily is a miracle.

God is often found in the whisper of the wind, the beauty of a flower, snow covering the tiny branches of a tree, the voice of a friend.

To be looking and listening for God is enough! To find God in your sister or brother is a miracle.

Heaven and Hell

A very old man knew that he was going to die very soon. Before he died, he wanted to know what heaven and hell were like, so he visited the wise man in his village.

“Can you please tell me what heaven and hell are like?” he asked the wise man.

“Come with me and I will show you,” the wise man replied.

The two men walked down a long path until they came to a large house. The wise man took the old man inside, and there they found a large dining room with an enormous table covered with every kind of food imaginable. Around the table were many people all thin and hungry, who were holding 12-foot chopsticks. Every time they tried to feed themselves, the food fell off the chopsticks.

The old man said to the wise man, “Surely this must be hell. Will you now show me heaven?” The wise man said, “Yes, come with me.”

The two men left the house and walked further down the path until they reached another large house. Again they found a large dining room and in it a table filled with all kinds of delicious foods. The people there were happy and appeared well fed, but they also held 12-foot chopsticks.”

“How can this be? Said the old man. “These people have 12-foot chopsticks and yet they are happy and well fed.”

The wise man replied, “In heaven the people feed each other.”

Morris and His New Car

The story is told of Morris, a Russian man, who saved his rubles for twenty years to buy a new car. After choosing the model and options he wants, he's not the least bit surprised or even concerned to learn that it will take two years for the new car to be delivered. He thanks the salesman and starts to leave, but as he reaches the door he pauses and turns back to the salesman. "Do you know which week two years from now the new car will arrive?"

The salesman checks his notes and tells the man that it will be two years to the exact week. The man thanks the salesman and starts out again, but upon reaching the door, he turns back again.

"Could you possibly tell me what day of the week two years from now the car will arrive?"

The salesman, mildly annoyed, checks his notes again and says that it will be exactly two years from this week, on Thursday.

Morris thanks the salesman and once again starts to leave. Halfway through the door, he hesitates, turns back, and walks up to the salesman.

"I'm sorry to be so much trouble, but do you know if that will be two years from now on Thursday in the morning, or in the afternoon?"

Visibly irritated, the salesman flips through his papers yet another time and says sharply that it will be in the afternoon, two years from now on Thursday.

"That's a relief!" says Morris. "The plumber is coming that morning!"

We often have to make plans far in advance so as to avoid any conflicts. Before making any commitments -- you know the routine -- we have to pull out the date book (or the iPhone). "The kids have got a soccer game that night at 7:00, but the next night is free." Planning ahead isn't wrong; in fact, it's a scriptural principle. What makes it wrong, though, is planning ahead without any thought of God.

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit'; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.' " (James 4:13-15)

Go ahead! Make your plans! Fill in that date book!

Just make sure that God hasn't been left out.

Grow Great by Dreams

 

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

If gospel readings had punch lines, the punch line for today’s gospel from Matthew 25:1-13 is, “Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour" (vs. 13). Using a wedding as the frame for this Parable of the Ten Virgins, Jesus warns his disciples and us about the importance of being prepared. In this case we are preparing for the coming of Jesus. For any of you who have participated in pulling together a wedding, you know that meticulous planning is involved. Many people find weddings so daunting that they hire professional wedding planners to make sure everything gets done. Every facet of the day is coordinated with military precision. If we prepared ourselves for entry into the kingdom of heaven with the same diligence as a bride preparing for her wedding, I doubt any of us would have a problem getting in. 

In today’s first reading, Wisdom 6:12-16, the writer reminds us that “Whoever watches for her (wisdom) at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate.  For taking thought of wisdom is the perfection of prudence, and whoever for her sake keeps vigil shall quickly be free from care…”. This reading compliments The Parable of the Ten Virgins. Both readings focus on watching, waiting, planning and preparedness. Wisdom seeks out those who “are worthy of her.” The unfortunate people who reject the counsel of Wisdom are guaranteed much suffering both in this life and in the next. 

Just as weddings today require a lot of planning and preparation, our entry into the kingdom of heaven requires planning and preparation as well. We must be prepared to meet Jesus whenever he arrives. If we procrastinate we run the risk of confronting a locked door or being left in the dark. Each of us receives an invitation with an RSVP requesting a timely response. When and how we respond is up to each one of us. 

Lord God, our Father, 

you want us to encounter your Son

here on earth as our companion in life. 

 Help us pay attention to the word that warns us

to increase the 'oil for our lamps,'

that they may not flicker and go out

while we await the Bridegroom's return.

May we be always ready to greet Christ when he comes

and enter with him into the wedding feast 

for he is our Lord for ever and ever. 

AMEN. 

Essential Knowledge

An emperor summoned a man who was thought to be the wisest man in the world. He asked him to write a book of all essential knowledge.

The learned man set to work and twelve years later he offered the emperor a series of books. “It is too much.” said the emperor. “Assemble all essential knowledge into one book.”

The man obeyed and returned four years later with one book. “It is still too much,” said the emperor. “I need to run my empire and I am a very busy man. Write on several pages what you think is really important and then come back to me.’

Again the scholar set to work. After two years he had summarized the essence of his knowledge onto several pages. He gave them to the monarch, who was extremely busy that day and he gave the man a final request: all on one sheet of paper. 

The man needed several years to put what he regarded as essential knowledge onto one just sheet of paper. “It is still too much,” the emperor said. ‘I want to make you a proposal: stop writing. Try to concentrate the essence of your knowledge into one word and come and tell me that word. I will pay you well.’

The man retired to an isolated place and thought deeply. When he eventually found the word that represented the essence of all his knowledge, experience, and wisdom, he asked for an audience with the emperor, now an old man. “Have you got the word?” the emperor asked the scholar. “Yes, Majesty. I have found it.” “Come and whisper it into my ear.” said the emperor.

Do you know the secret?

Do you know the Word?