Subtle Messages

It is interesting to reflect on the Scripture readings which follow after Easter. In these readings, it is noted that those closest to Jesus while he was alive were not able to easily recognize him after the Resurrection. Surely those who knew and walked and talked and ate with Jesus should be able to see him more clearly.

I wonder what this says about the rest of us who sometimes struggle to see God in our daily lives. Perhaps we have to look with different eyes if we are to see God’s hand working in our lives. Perhaps the messages are more subtle than a Hollywood production of Seas parting and trumpets blaring.

Maybe there’s hope for us!!

The Sign

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."

Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have.

When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1,000 reasons to smile. The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling; and even more beautiful is knowing that you are the reason behind it!

What Goes Around, Comes Around

One day a man was driving in his car when he saw an old lady stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you.

He said, “I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.”

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough.

Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, “And think of me.”

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small café. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger.  Then she remembered Bryan.

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: “You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.”  Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it. With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard. She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, “Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.”

I Know

I know God is the beginning, so why do I worry about the end?  

I know God is the creator, so why do I wonder who will destroy?
I know God has forgiven me, so why can't I forgive myself?
I know God is a healer, so why do I speak of sickness?
I know God can do all things, so why do I say I can't?
I know God will protect me, so why do I fear?
I know God will supply all my needs, so why can't I wait?
I know God is my strength and my salvation, so why do I feel weak?
I know that everything and everyone has a season, so why when someone's season is over do I weep instead of rejoicing?
I know God is the right way, so why do I go the wrong way?
I know God is the light, so why do I choose to walk in darkness?
I know that whatever I ask of GOD, GOD will give me, so why am I scared to ask?
I know tomorrow is not promised, so why do I put off for tomorrow what I can do today?
I know that the truth shall make me free, so why do I continue to lie?
I know God gives us revelation, knowledge and understanding, so why do I lean on my own understanding?
I know I should live in the spirit as well as walk in the spirit, so why do I choose to live in the spirit but walk in the flesh?
I know that when praises go up, blessings come down, so why do I refuse to praise God?
I know I am being healed, so why do I refuse the Word He has given me?
I know He has a plan for me, so why am I rushing it because I am eager to do His will, when it is His time not my time?

"The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor.
The one who kneels to God can stand up to anything."

Temptation

“Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life.”
James 1:12

The old word for addiction was temptation.
“My temptation is quiet.” (William Butler Yeats)
“I can resist everything except temptation.” (Oscar Wilde)

“Lead us not into temptation.” (Jesus)

Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord

Today is the first day of Holy Week.  We begin Holy Week with Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem and we end Holy Week with Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Heaven.  But what we focus on in between these two triumphant events is the horrific reality of the cross.  All of us have heard the expression “no pain, no gain.”  There would be no Christ the King without Christ crucified.  There would be no resurrection without death.

Jesus entered Jerusalem as people laid their cloaks and leafy branches down in front of him crying out “Hosanna!  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!  Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9-10).  A few days later he left Jerusalem on the Way of the Cross beaten and bruised, alone, abandoned by the adoring crowds and his disciples.  At Golgotha he was crucified.  The adoring crowd became a jeering crowd reviling, abusing and mocking him saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe” (Mark 15:31-32).  And there he died.

St Paul ties all the events of Holy Week together in his Epistle to the Philippians that we hear today. “Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:6-8). And St Paul exhorts us to “Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2: 5).

And so, as we enter into this holiest week of the year, may this this our prayer,

Lord God,

as we enter this Holy Week,

let the same mind be in us that was in Christ Jesus.

Empty us of our pride and selfishness;

draw us close to his cross,

so that as we celebrate his passion and resurrection,

our lives may become models of self-sacrificing love.

We ask this through Christ, our liberator from sin,

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

God for ever and ever.

AMEN

Who Will You Be Tomorrow?

One man sat at a stop light. The woman in front of him was going through papers on the seat of her car, and when the light changed to green she didn't go. A green light is not a suggestion, you know, it is more of a commandment. But she didn't notice.

When the light turned red again, she still had not moved. The man in the car behind her now started screaming epithets and beating on his steering wheel.

A policeman tapped on his windshield. "You can't arrest me for hollering in my car," the man said. The cop asked for his license and registration, returned to his car, talked on the radio for awhile, and finally handed the papers back. The driver protested, "I knew you couldn't cite me for yelling in my own car!"

The officer replied, "I didn't want to cite you for shouting in your car. But I was directly behind you at the light. I saw you screaming and beating your steering wheel, and I said to myself, 'That man is out of control. He's going to hurt someone!' Then I noticed the cross hanging from your rear view mirror, the bright yellow 'Love Is a Choice' license tag, the 'Give Peace a Chance' and 'Prayer Changes Things' bumper stickers, and I was sure you must have stolen the car."

His behavior did not reflect his bumper stickers. But let's not be too critical. Are we always the people we want to be?

We make changes by stretching. Personal transformation can happen when the person we presently are does not yet resemble the person we hope to be. Better to set high ideals and occasionally fall short than to settle for mediocrity and succeed.

The important question is not, "Who are you today?" It is better to ask, "Who will you be tomorrow?"

Remember: if nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.

No Room in the Bank

Is your life full and busy? If you're like me, maybe it is TOO busy.

Sometimes I fill my life so full doing things I think I SHOULD do, I don't have time for the things I WANT to do, even if some of those things are important. It seems that I have a thousand deadlines to meet, and too often I can't find enough time to write, I skip my exercise routine, or I neglect uninterrupted time spent solitude and meditation.

But it helps to remember a story about a young girl and her bank. The little girl's father had just given her a silver dollar to put into her bank. She excitedly ran off to her room to "deposit" the coin. However, within a few minutes she returned and handed the silver coin back to her father.

"Daddy," she said sadly, "here's your dollar back. I can't get it into my bank."

"Why not?" her concerned father asked.

"It's too full," she said, obviously disappointed.

Her father accompanied her back to her room and, sure enough, her bank was too full to accept even one more coin. It was stuffed with pennies.

If your life ever like that bank? So full of errands, obligations and activities of no lasting value, that there simply is no room left for what is truly important - the silver dollars?

Author Grenville Kleiser once said, "To live at this time is an inestimable privilege, and a sacred obligation devolves upon you to make right use of your opportunities. Today is the day in which to attempt and achieve something worthwhile."

Have you made room for a few large coins in your bank; for something you believe to be worthwhile? If not, you may have to take out a few pennies, but I suspect you will never know they are gon​e.

~ Steve Goodier

There is More in You than You Know

Not many people realize that President Calvin Coolidge did not always live in the White House. As Vice-President, he became President upon the death of Warren G. Harding. Mrs. Harding continued to live in the White House for a time, so the Coolidges remained where they had been living - in the third-floor suite of the nearby Willard Hotel.

Once in the middle of the night, the new President awoke to see an intruder going through his clothes. He watched as the thief first removed a wallet, then unhooked a watch chain. Coolidge calmly spoke up from the darkness: "About that watch, I wish you wouldn't take that."

The startled man, gaining his voice, asked, "Why?"

Coolidge answered, "I don't mean the watch and chain, only the charm. I'm very fond of that charm. It means a great deal to me. Take it near the window and read what is engraved on the back of it."

The burglar read: "Presented to Calvin Coolidge, Speaker of the House, by the Massachusetts General Court." And now he was more surprised!

"Are you President Coolidge?" he asked. He evidently did not think he'd find the President sleeping in a hotel!

"Yes, I am, and I don't want you to take that charm," he said. Then he asked, "Why, Son, are you doing this?"

The young man explained that he and a friend traveled to Washington during their college break. They spent all of their money and had no money to pay the hotel bill or pay for train passage back to school. "If you don't mind," he said, "I'll just take the wallet."

Coolidge did mind. He knew he had about $80 in his wallet. So he said, "How much will it take to pay your hotel bill and get you and your friend back to the campus? Sit down and let's talk this over."

Coolidge added up the room rate and two rail tickets. It came to $32. That may not sound like much now, but it was a considerable sum then. "I'll give you the $32 as a loan," the President said, "and I expect you to pay me back."

The youth thanked him. Coolidge then advised him to leave by the same window he used to enter the room, as secret service agents were sure to be patrolling the hallway. As the young man climbed out, Coolidge left him with this admonition: "Son, you're a nice boy. You are better than you are acting. You are starting down the wrong road. Just remember who you are."

It wasn't until after the death of Mrs. Coolidge in 1957 that this story was allowed to come out. It was first published in the "Los Angeles Times." And most interesting of all is that the President's notes show that the young man was indeed better than he was acting. He repaid the $32 loan in full.

Kurt Hahn, the founder of Outward Bound, said this: "There is more in us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps, for the rest of our lives, we will be unwilling to settle for less."

And God Said ...

 

The Road

Sometimes when life seems so unfair,
I feel I don't belong...
I even doubt few strengths I have,
And wonder what is wrong.

I must accept there is no way,
For me to change all things...
So I seek the quiet of a special place
The peace it always brings.

Just a country road that serves me well,
Where I leave my hurt and pain…
Replace it with the strength I need,
A faith to help sustain.

There's a gentle breeze that reaches out,
Dries tears upon my face…
I thin that God walks here himself,
To share his love and grace.

Time and trials go hand in hand/
No use to run away …
Each sunset is a chapter closed,
Each dawn, a brand new day.

~Loree (Mason) O'Neil

St. Joseph

Anything done out of love is important, however small it might appear. God has come to us, even though we are miserable creatures, and he has told us that he loves us: ‘My delight is to be among the sons of men.’ Our Lord tells us that everything is valuable — those actions which from a human point of view we regard as extraordinary and those which seem unimportant. Nothing is wasted. No man is worthless to God. All of us are called to share the kingdom of heaven — each with his own vocation: in his home, his work, his civic duties and the exercise of his rights.

St Joseph's life is a good example of this: it was simple, ordinary and normal, made up of years of the same work, of days — just one day after another — which were monotonous from a human point of view. I have often thought about this, meditating on St Joseph's life; it is one of the reasons for having a special devotion to him.

St. Josemaria Escriva

5th Sunday in Lent

Today’s first reading from Jeremiah is one of the most important passages in the Old Testament. The prophetic voice of Jeremiah announces a new covenant. This new covenant is different because it is not tied to old covenant institutions. Jeremiah witnessed the destruction of most of the institutions linked to the old covenants: the leveling of Jerusalem, the demolition of the Temple, the destruction of Judah and the exile of the people of Israel to Babylon.

In the new covenant God is revealed to us just as God was revealed to Noah, Abraham, Moses and all the prophets. God, speaking through Jeremiah says, “I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the LORD. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more” (Jer 31: 33-34). After 2,600 years this message is not particularly astounding. However, for the people living around 605 BC it was radically different from anything they had ever heard. It was an invitation to have a “personal” relationship with God. This new covenant was not written on stone tablets, it is written on each of our hearts so all of us can know God. This is a covenant of personal conviction.

Jesus, through his obedience to His Father, crucifixion, death and Resurrection, fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah. And Jesus, through his obedience, crucifixion, death and resurrection gave us another covenant. This covenant like that foreseen by Jeremiah is all inclusive as we read in today’s 2nd reading from Hebrews 5:9: Jesus “became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.”

In today’s Gospel, John 12:20-33, we see Jesus glorified before Gentiles. Even the Pharisees observed in verse 19, “Look, the whole world has gone after him.” Jesus told all those who witnessed his glorification,” When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself “(John 12:32). Our Holy Father, Pope Francis reminds us in Evangelii Gaudium that “The salvation which God offers us is the work of his mercy. No human efforts, however good they may be, can enable us to merit so great a gift. God, by his sheer grace, draws us to himself and makes us one with him. He sends his Spirit into our hearts to make us his children, transforming us and enabling us to respond to his love by our lives” (112). And so we pray,

In our hearts, O God,

you have written a covenant of grace,

sealed by the obedience of Jesus your Son.

Raise us up with Christ -

the grain fallen to earth

that yields a harvest of everlasting life.

Bring us to glorify your name

by following faithfully the path that leads to you.

We ask this through Christ, our deliverance and hope,

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

holy and mighty God for ever and ever.

AMEN

 

Failure

Failure doesn't mean - "You are a failure,"

It means - You have not succeeded yet.

Failure doesn't mean - "You accomplished nothing,"

It means - You have learned something.

Failure doesn't mean - "You have been a fool,"

It means - You had a lot of faith.

Failure doesn't mean - "You don't have it,"

It means - You were willing to try.

Failure doesn't mean - "You are inferior,"

It means - You are not perfect.

Failure doesn't mean - "You've wasted your life,"

It means - You have a reason to start afresh.

Failure doesn't mean - "You should give up,"

It means - "You must try harder.

Failure doesn't mean - "You'll never make it,"

It means - It will take a little longer.

Failure doesn't mean - "God has abandoned you,"

It means - God has a better way for you.

R Whitby

St. Patrick's Day

Patrick’s Loricum or Breastplate has the famous Celtic prayer, centered on Christ:

Christ be with me, Christ surround me,
Christ be in my speaking, Christ be in my thinking,
Christ be in my sleeping, Christ be in my waking,
Christ be in my watching, Christ be in my hoping,
Christ be in my life, Christ be on my lips,
Christ be in my soul, Christ be in my heart,
Christ be in my sufficing, Christ be in my slumber,
Christ be in my ever-living soul,
Christ be my eternity.

Patrick prayed for the Irish people on the mountain in Mayo which bears his name (Cruach Padraig). Here’s a prayer for you on his feast day.

May you recognize in your life the presence,
power and light of Christ in your soul.

May you realize that you are never alone,
for He is always with you;
that your soul, in its brightness,
connects you with the Lord and with the rhythm of the universe.

May you always realize that the shape of your personality is unique,
that you have a special destiny behind the facade of your ordinary daily life.

May you be able to see yourself with the same delight and expectation
with which God sees you in every moment.

And may the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and the rain fall soft upon your fields.

And, until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand

St Patrick

Commandments for Contentment

He Ain't Heavy

The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows when
But I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

So on we go
His welfare is of my concern
No burden is he to bear
We'll get there
For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one another

It's a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we're on the way to there
Why not share
And the load
Doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

He's my brother
He ain't heavy, he's my brother.

Footprints

One night I dreamed a dream.

I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.

When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.

"Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I'm aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don't understand why, when I need You most, You leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, It was then that I carried you."

Margaret Fishback Powers, 1964

Shipwreck

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, and soon there was nothing left. The worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. "God, how could you do this to me?" he cried.

Early the next day he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers.

"We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain, and suffering.

Remember this the next time your "hut" seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

4th Sunday in Lent

Did you know that there is an International Day of Happiness? I didn’t either until I began thinking about what I would write this week. The International Day of Happiness for 2021 Is March 20. Thinking about international happiness has been on the agenda since 2012 when the UN General Assembly “adopted a resolution that made it a ‘fundamental human goal ‘to give happiness as much priority as economic opportunity’.” Then, a year later all the member countries of the UN celebrated the first International Day of Happiness. I don’t think it makes much news in the USA. What we pay attention to is the Consumer Confidence Index® which measures “consumer attitude, buying intentions, vacation plans and consumer expectation for inflation, stock prices and interest rates.” Or, if you are really interested in socio-economic issues, you might check out the Misery Index which measures “how the average citizen is doing economically and it is calculated by simply adding the Annual inflation rate to the Seasonally Adjusted unemployment rate.” Oh, one more thing, “the theme for this year's International Day of Happiness is 'Keep Calm. Stay Wise. Be Kind' and is, of course, in response to the COVID pandemic.”

So, while we have a Consumer Confidence Index®, a Misery Index and a World Happiness Report, what do citizens of the Kingdom of God have to measure their spiritual success? This is a great question to ask on the 4th Sunday of Lent which is sometimes called Laetare Sunday. Laetare is a Latin word that means “rejoice.” Traditionally, Sundays are named after the first word of the liturgy's opening antiphon. On this Sunday, the antiphon is taken from the book of the prophet Isaiah, “Rejoice with Jerusalem, be glad for her, all you who love her! Rejoice, rejoice with her, all you who mourned for her” (Is 66: 10).

Our Holy Father, Pope Francis tells us in Evangelii Gaudium that one of our “success” indicators is joy. He says, “Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved” (6). We all know the children’s song “Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.” Yes, Jesus loves us and in today’s Gospel Jesus tells us about the vastness of God’s love for us in what is the most quoted verse in the New Testament, John 3: 16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

William Barclay writes that this text contains the “very essence of the gospel.” God loves us. God loves not just you and me, God loves the world. St. Augustine said: “God loves each one of us as if there was only one of us to love.” Our problem is accepting the enormity of this love. God loves us unconditionally, understanding our inadequacies, limitations and sinfulness. God does not condemn us; God forgives us out of love.

And so, on this 4th Sunday of Lent let’s not worry about the Consumer Confidence Index®, the Misery Index or the World Happiness Report. Rather, let’s focus on God’s love of the world. Pope Francis writes that “We have a treasure of life and love which cannot deceive, and a message which cannot mislead or disappoint. It penetrates to the depths of our hearts, sustaining and ennobling us. It is a truth which is never out of date because it reaches that part of us which nothing else can reach. Our infinite sadness can only be cured by an infinite love” (Evangelii Gaudium, 265).

Loving and gracious Father,

you still love the world so much

that you keep giving it Jesus your Son.

May his cross be the sign

that you are with us

in days of misery and pain.

May we look up to him and learn from him

to open our hands and hearts to one another

and to give ourselves with our talents.

May this help the world to see your light

and to accept the Son you have given us,

Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever.

Amen.

Diamonds

A century ago, Russell Conwell traveled the United States with a speech he called, "Acres of Diamonds." He told of a young man who stud­ied at Yale to become a mining engineer. Upon gradua­tion, "gold fever" struck him and he set off to California to seek his fortune.

Yale had offered him a position as an in­structor, which he turned down. He persuaded his mother to sell their Massachu­setts farm and ac­com­pany him. But the trip was futile as he found no gold and eventually accepted a job in Minnesota working for a mining company -- at a lower salary than he would have received at Yale.

More interesting is that the man who bought the family farm from the widowed mother was har­vesting potatoes one day. As he slid a heavy bushel through an opening in the stone wall, he noticed a shiny stone. He had it assayed and learned it was native silver. The farm was sitting on a fortune in silver!

Why had the mining engineer, who had undoubt­edly passed by that same rock and others like it hundreds of times, not discovered the ore? Could it be that he never dreamed a treasure could be found so easily? Was it because he believed that one must go elsewhere to fulfill a dream?

What we are seeking may be found right where we are! There are certainly times to make life changes, but sometimes we must simply change our thinking. What you seek (happiness, security, fulfillment, challenge) may be at your fingertips, though yet unseen.

There may be hidden potential in your pre­sent job, your current relationships or the location in which you live. The answers to your dreams may be found at your fingertips if you only believe it is possible. Before making that big life change, look carefully around. You may be sitting on acres of diamonds!

My Creator,

You are before me … and behind me.
You are above me … and beneath me.
You are to my right … and to my left.
You all around me … and You fill me with Your Presence.

I surrender myself to You today.
Lead me where You want me to go.
Show me what You want me to see.
Let me meet whom You want me to meet.
Give me the words You want me to speak.
Strengthen me to do what You want me to do.
Please grant me the Gift of Peace today.
Help me to love You, to love others,
and to experience Your Love and Your Grace this day.

Whisper

1 Kings 19:9a. 11-13

“At the mountain of God, Horeb, Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter. Then the Lord said to him, “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord; The Lord will be passing by. A strong and heavy wind was rending mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance to the cave.”

When did you hear the whisper?

Listen

Most of us are better talkers than listeners. When someone is talking we often aren't listening; we're thinking of what we're going to say in reply. Or maybe we have nothing to say in reply, but we just aren't interested in what is being said. Our eyes glaze over. It is the highest compliment to give someone our full attention. So it is with God.

We give God our deepest respect by listening attentively. And when we still our mind and truly listen, we are apt to get surprising results. We may not hear a thing. But if we devote ample time to God, in silence, we become open to a more peaceful, productive day. And we may see something on a billboard, or pick up something in the lyrics of a song. That supplies an unexpected solution for a problem. Then we'll know we've heard.

Today I will take time to give God my full attention.

Dear God

Dear God:

I need your help.

Please help me to…
Always cherish those who love me,

Please help me to…
Love People and not things,

Please help me to…
Remember that love means forgiveness,

Please help me to…
Accept the things I cannot change,

Please help me to…
Know your will for me,

Please help me to…
Meet anger with understanding,

Please help me to…
Let go of yesterday,

Please help me to…
Rejoice in today,

Please help me to…
Expect a miracle,

Please help me to…
Learn to love myself as I love others,

Please help me to…
Freely give away the gifts You give me,

Please help me to…
Wrap myself in Faith!

Amen.

Modern Proverbs

1. The best way to get even is to forget.
2. Feed your faith and your doubts will starve to death.
3. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.
4. Some folks wear their halos much too tight.
5. Some marriages are made in Heaven; but they all have to be maintained on Earth.
6. Unless you can create the whole universe in five days, then perhaps giving advice to God isn't such a good idea.
7. Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up.
8. Standing in the middle of the road is dangerous. You will be knocked down by the traffic from both ways.
9. Words are windows to the heart.
10. A skeptic is a person who when he sees the handwriting on the wall, claims it's a forgery.
11. It isn't difficult to make a mountain out of a molehill, just add a little dirt.
12. A successful marriage isn't finding the right person; it's being the right person.
13. The mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held it's ground.
14. Too many people offer God prayers with claw marks all over them.
15. The tongue must be heavy indeed; because so few people can hold it.
16. To forgive is to set the prisoner free, and then discover the prisoner was you.
17. You have to wonder about humans; they think God is dead and Elvis is alive.
18. It's alright to sit on your pity pot every now and again; just be sure to flush when you are done.
19. You'll notice that a turtle only makes progress when it sticks out it's neck.
20.  If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, you can bet the water bill is higher.​

3rd Sunday in Lent

Most of us have heard the saying “the love of money is the root of all evil.” As I reflected on today’s Gospel, John 2:13-25, St John’s version of the cleansing of the Temple, that is the first thing that popped into my head. We all know this story. Jesus goes to the temple where he finds money changers and people selling animals for sacrifice. He becomes very angry and drives out the animal sellers and their animals and then overturns the tables of the money changers and spills their coins. He is confronted by the Jews who ask, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” And he answers them with an allusion to his death and resurrection, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”

This seems to be a fairly straight forward story. But it is more than a story about the desecration of the temple. It is a story about greed, corruption, injustice and exploitation. What was going on in the temple was a scandalous rort. The money changers, the animal sellers and the temple officials were ripping people off at every opportunity. The temple charged every Jewish person over the age of nineteen a temple tax of one half-shekel (two days wages). The temple tax could be paid only in temple currency. The money changers charged exorbitant commissions equal to the temple tax e.g. a 100% commission and then they would charge on every half-shekel of change they had to give. The animal sellers, in cahoots with the temple officials, had a monopoly. The temple officials would accept for sacrifice only those animals purchased within the temple. The temple animal sellers changed 15 to 20 times the market rate. All of this reprehensible activity made fulfilling one’s religious obligations an onerous exercise.

So Jesus had every right to be angry. This brings me back to the adage about love of money being the root of all evil. The actual quotation is from St Paul’s 1st Letter to Timothy, “Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. For, the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains. But you, man of God, avoid all this. Instead, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness” (1 Timothy 6:9-11).

Sadly for our world, human nature has not changed much in the last 2000 years. Greed, corruption, injustice and exploitation still run rampant. And we struggle to “pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness,” because our society does not value these virtues. In Evangelii Gaudium our Holy Father, Pope Francis tells us that “We have created new idols. The worship of the ancient golden calf has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose. The worldwide crisis affecting finance and the economy lays bare their imbalances and, above all, their lack of real concern for human beings; man is reduced to one of his needs alone: consumption” (55).

And so, on this Third Sunday of Lent; let’s join with Pope Francis who suggests that we make this Lent a time of “asking where our hearts are directed. Let us ask: where is my life’s navigation system taking me – towards God or towards myself? Do I live to please the Lord, or to be noticed, praised, put at the head of the line…? Do I have a ‘wobbly’ heart, which takes a step forward and then one backwards? Do I love the Lord a bit and the world a bit, or is my heart steadfast in God? AM I content with my hypocrisies, or do I work to free my heart from the duplicity and falsehood that tie it down?” (Pope Francis’ Homily for Ash Wednesday 2021).

Compassionate God,

we often turn our hearts 

into houses of pride and greed

rather than into homes of love and goodness

where you can feel at home.

Destroy the temple of sin in us,

drive away all sin from our hearts,

and make us living stones of a community

in which Your Son Jesus Christ,

our Lord, can live and reign

for ever and ever.

Amen.

 

I am a Christian

 

May You ...

•  May you fall into Christ's arms.

•  May you speak the words you need to hear.
•  May you have gratitude with each breath.
•  May you build dreams with faith.
•  May you embrace your soul with kindness.
•  May you bring wisdom from your past.
•  May you choose peace instead of anger
•  May you see the light in your darkest night.
•  Stumble upon yourself when lost.
•  May you uncover courage beneath these fears.
•  May you accept mistakes with humility.
•  May you practice forgiveness to heal wounds.
•  May you see the beauty of your imperfections.
•  May you find love within your own heart.

Begin Again

There’d be times when you’d mess up big
times you’d fail
times you’d trip so hard
you’d get knocked down bad
Times like that you’d want to quit
but BEGIN AGAIN.

There’d be times when you’d say
“Enough is enough,
I’ve really had it now,
why bother trying?”
Yeah, there’d be times you’d get so tired
but still, BEGIN AGAIN.

There’d be times you’d think
you’ve just lost everything
times you’ve risked it all
and got back nothin’
Times like that you’d feel
everything you’ve worked so hard for
were in vain, but BEGIN AGAIN.

Begin again,
try again,
believe again,
love again.

There’d be a second wind,
there’d be another star,
there’d be another hand,
to help you rise again.

Don’t start quitting,
never stop dreaming.
A new tomorrow waits
for those who dare –
to BEGIN AGAIN.

Five More Minutes

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground. "That's my son over there," she said, pointing to a little boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.

"He's a fine looking boy," the man said. "That's my son on the swing in the blue sweater." Then, looking at his watch, he called to his son. "What do you say we go, Todd?"

Todd pleaded, "Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes." The man nodded and Todd continued to swing to his heart's content.

Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his son. "Time to go now?"

Again Todd pleaded, "Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes." The man smiled and said, "O.K."

"My, you certainly are a patient father," the woman responded.

The man smiled and then said, "My older son Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I 'd give anything for just five more minutes with him. I've vowed not to make the same mistake with Todd. He thinks he has five more minutes to swing. The truth is, I get five more minutes to watch him play."