Random Act of Kindness

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

As I reflected on our gospel for this Sunday from Mark 7 and considered the Pharisees' observation that Jesus and his disciples ate "a meal with unclean hands" (Mark 7: 5), I was reminded of all the warnings public health officials give us about washing our hands especially during the flu and cold season.   They caution us to scrupulously wash our hands, cover our mouths when we cough or sneeze and thoughtfully remove ourselves from society at large if we think we have a cold or the flu.  I don't claim to be an expert on public health, but these simple precautions make a lot of sense to me.  Washing our hands and practicing basic preventive strategies keep us physically healthy and keep everyone around us physically healthy as well. 

The focus of today's readings is not on clean hands. Rather, the focus is on what makes us clean (pure, holy, virtuous and good) and what makes us unclean (impure, corrupted, immoral and bad) in the eyes of God. Moses gave the children of Israel the law to pull them together as a nation and to provide social order. Over the centuries people became obsessed with the law adding multiple layers of detail and complexity called traditional law that determined what was considered clean and unclean. Traditional law controlled every facet of life.  The Pharisees were the defenders of traditional law and they used the law to protect their elite status and oppress other people.

 Jesus presents a radically different law.  He challenges the Pharisees saying, "You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition" (Mark 7: 8). The law Jesus gives is the law of the New Covenant, a law of the heart. His law is designed to build the Kingdom of God. With one statement Jesus rejected many of the traditional Jewish laws including all the dietary laws, "Hear me, all of you, and understand.  Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile" (Mark 7:14-15).  If we eat without washing our hands we run the risk of catching the flu or a cold.  If we sneeze without covering our mouths we can infect others.  These are not evil or sinful acts - they are thoughtless acts, they don't make us "unclean." However, if we steal, murder, deceive, or blaspheme; if we are greedy, jealous, arrogant, malicious or unfaithful in our relationships, then we are unclean in God's eyes and are in a state of sin. 

In today's second reading St. James describes the new law that Jesus gave us, "All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change" (James 1: 17).   We can't change God's law.  What we can do is "Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in [us] ... to save [our] souls" (James 1:21).

Father, God of the ever-new covenant,
you have tied us to yourself
with leading strings of lasting love;
the words you speak to us
are spirit and life.
Open our hearts to your words,
that they may touch us
in the deepest of ourselves.
May they move us to serve you
not in a slavish way
but as your sons and daughters
who love you and whom you have set free
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

The 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.

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.

~ Elder's Meditation of the Day​

Sin

 According to Christian teachings, the normal collective state of humanity is one of “original sin.” Sin is a word that has been greatly misunderstood and misinterpreted. Literally, translated from the Greek in which the New Testament was written, to sin means to miss the mark, as an archer who misses the target, so to sin means to miss the point of human existence. It means to live unskillfully, blindly, and thus to suffer and cause suffering. Again the term, stripped of its cultural baggage and misinterpretation, points to the dysfunction inherent in the human condition.

~ Eckhart Tolle in “A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose” p. 19

Beauty of the Soul

Lord, Let Me See

You must see the invisible to do the impossible

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

The architect does not design a house that has already been built. That is called copying. To truly design something the architect must first see the completed project in his mind.

The teacher does not encourage a child who has reached old age. That is called remembering. To truly encourage the child the teacher must see the child’s potential before it comes to pass.

The preacher does not inspire others to set their sights on heaven if all he does is read from the Bible. To truly inspire the preacher must first see that city from afar.

Faith is a gift and a blessing. Faith can be strengthened and stretched. Faith can accomplish much.

Faith can accomplish the impossible.

Faith is nothing if it does not see what is invisible.

What we see in our own mind’s eye is called a dream.

What we see in God’s mind is faith.

Dreams may or may not come to pass.

Faith is an absolute—it will happen!

Lord, let me see what you see and let me keep my eyes focused on it until it comes to pass.

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

For the past four weeks, we have reflected on the sixth chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus’ discourse on the Bread of Life and the Eucharist. We began our reflection with the story of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes. We heard Jesus tell us that he has something better to offer us, the bread of life, “bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die” (John 6:50). Today we end the chapter with a reflection on personal faith and commitment.

Both the first reading from Joshua 24 and the gospel, John 6: 60 -69, pose a challenge, “decide today whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15). The tribes of Israel chose to “serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:18). They made this choice based on a lot of tangible evidence, “it was the LORD, our God, who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a state of slavery. He performed those great miracles before our very eyes and protected us along our entire journey and among the peoples through whom we passed” (Joshua 24:17).

For the disciples, choosing to follow Jesus required a huge act of faith. Although they had witnessed a number of miracles, they still did not understand everything Jesus said. His words of “Spirit and life” were elusive and mysterious. In addition, many found much of what Jesus said shocking, “hard” and verging on the unacceptable. And so, they left returning “to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him” (John 6. 66). The crowd of more than five thousand people at the beginning of this chapter now is reduced to twelve. It is up to Peter to answer Our Lord’s question, “Do you also want to leave?” His astounding answer is called the great confession, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68-69).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “The first announcement of the Eucharist divided the disciples, just as the announcement of the Passion scandalized them: "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" The Eucharist and the Cross are stumbling blocks. It is the same mystery and it never ceases to be an occasion of division. ‘Will you also go away?’: the Lord's question echoes through the ages, as a loving invitation to discover that only he has ‘the words of eternal life’ and that to receive in faith the gift of his Eucharist is to receive the Lord himself” (CCC 1336).

Faithful God of the covenant, 

in the daily choices we have to make

give us the courage to opt always for your Son and his ways

and to remain close to him.

Bless the difficult road we sometimes have to take

without seeing where it will lead us.

Keep us from making half-hearted decisions

where we have not enough faith, and

to accept all the consequences of our choice.

Keep us always faithful

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Cardinal Newman Prayer

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.

Break the tensions of my nerves

with the soothing music

of the singing streams

that live in my memory.

Help me to know

the magical power of sleep,

Teach me the art of taking minute vacations

of slowing down to look at a flower,

to chat with a friend,

or make a new one.

To pet a stray dog,

To watch a spider build a web,

To smile at a child,

or 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.

Let me look upward

into the branches of the towering oak

and know that it grew great and strong

because it grew slowly and well.

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.

- Wilferd A. Peterson

Psalm 115

Psalm 115

Not to us, O LORD, not to us

but to your name give glory

because of your kindness, 

because of your truth.

Why should the pagans say,

“Where is their God?’’

Our God is in heaven;

whatever he wills, he does.

Their idols are silver and gold,

the handiwork of men.

They have mouths but speak not;

they have eyes but see not;

they have ears but hear not;

they have noses but smell not.

Their makers shall be like them,

everyone who trusts in them.

The house of Israel trusts in the LORD;

he is their help and their shield.

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!

Prayer for Our Earth

Hold On

20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

A popular story is that Juan Ponce de Leon (?-1521) was searching for Bimini and a legendary fountain of youth, a spring that gave people eternal life and health, when he bumped into Florida in 1513. Although this is a good story, it probably isn’t true. The fountain of youth is not associated with Ponce de Leon until forty years after his death. In all likelihood, Ponce de Leon was looking for Bimini and searching for gold and land to enrich himself and Spain. He died one of the wealthiest people in the New World.

The notion of a fountain of youth did not originate with Ponce de Leon’s quest. People have been seeking an antidote for aging and death since ancient times. In Western Civilization the legend goes back to the ancient Greeks. In China a similar story goes back to about 220 BC. Even today people are searching for some sort of magical remedy for old age and death. Some people have their bodies cryonically frozen hoping to reverse their death in the future. Some view genetic engineering as a means to eliminate “undesirable and unnecessary aspects of the human condition, such as disease and aging.”

In today’s Gospel, John 6:51-58, Jesus gives us a totally different perspective on eternal life, an eternal life that is attainable to each of us through the mystery of the Eucharist. Jesus says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

Pope John Paul II wrote in his encyclical Ecclesia De Eucharistia, “Those who feed on Christ in the Eucharist need not wait until the hereafter to receive eternal life: they already possess it on earth, as the first-fruits of a future fullness which will embrace man in his totality. For in the Eucharist we also receive the pledge of our bodily resurrection at the end of the world: ‘He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day’” (John 6:54). Saint Ignatius of Antioch defined the Eucharist as “a medicine of immortality, an antidote to death.” We do not have to go on a quest to find the secret of eternal life. It is right here at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Peachtree City Georgia.

Our living God,

you let us taste and see how good you are

by giving us your Son Jesus Christ

as the bread and drink of life.

Give him to us today as our daily bread,

that with him we may pass from death to life.

Let his life flow in us and overflow

on our brothers and sisters,

that we may become his body to the world.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Two Dogs

There is a story they tell of two dogs. Both at separate times walk into the same room. One comes out wagging his tail while the other comes out growling. A women watching this goes into the room to see what could possibly make one dog so happy and the other so sad. To her surprise, she finds a room filled with mirrors. The happy dog found a thousand happy dogs looking back at him while the angry dog saw only angry dogs growling back to him. What you see in the world around you is a reflection of who you are.

Quotes of St. Maximilian Kolbe

"God dwells in our midst, in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar."

"He remains among us until the end of the world. He dwells on so many altars, though so often offended and profaned."

"The culmination of the Mass is not the consecration, but Communion."

"You come to me and unite Yourself intimately to me under the form of nourishment. Your Blood now runs in mine, Your Soul, Incarnate God, compenetrates mine, giving courage and support. What miracles! Who would have ever imagined such!"

"If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion."

"The most deadly poison of our time is indifference. And this happens, although the praise of God should know no limits. Let us strive, therefore, to praise him to the greatest extent of our powers."

"No one in the world can change Truth. What we can do and and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it. The real conflict is the inner conflict. Beyond armies of occupation and the hetacombs of extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we are ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?"

~ St. Maximilian Kolbe

LaGuardia

A story is told about Fiorello LaGuardia, who, when he was mayor of New York City during the worst days of the Depression and all of World War 2, was called by adoring New Yorkers, "the Little Flower" because he was only five foot four and always wore a carnation in his lapel. He was a colorful character who used to ride the NY City fire trucks, raid speakeasies with the police department, take entire orphanages to baseball games, and whenever the NY newspapers were on strike, he would go on the radio and read the Sunday funnies to the kids.

One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter's husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. "It's a bad neighborhood, your Honor," the man told the mayor. "She's got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson."

LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said, "I've got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions--ten dollars or ten days in jail." But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous sombrero saying: "Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant."

So the following day the NY City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren, fifty cents of that amount being contributed by the red-faced grocery store owner, while some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and NY City policemen, each of whom had just paid fifty cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.

What an extraordinary moment of grace for anyone present in that courtroom!​

Six Short Stories

{1} Once all villagers decided to pray for rain, on the day of prayer all the people gathered, but only one boy came with an umbrella.

That's FAITH

{2} When you throw a baby in the air, she laughs because she knows you will catch her.

That's TRUST

{3} Every night we go to bed, without any assurance of being alive the next morning but still we set the alarms to wake up.

That's HOPE

{4} We plan big things for tomorrow in spite of zero knowledge of the future.

That's CONFIDENCE

{5} We see the world suffering, but still we get married and have children.

That's LOVE

{6} On an old man's shirt was written a sentence “I am not 91 years old ... I am sweet 16 with 75 years’ experience.”

That's ATTITUDE

Have a great day and may you live your life like the six short stories! May our Lord watch over you and may you always have love to share, health to spare & friends who care!​

Stained Glass

People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out; but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within.

- Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross

Today's Meditation:

What kind of light shines from inside of me? Does any light shine at all? When a complete stranger sees me on the street, does that person notice anything different about me, or is the light that comes through me and from me just about the same as everyone else's?

I ask myself this often because I see people who seem to shine, who seem to have a brilliant internal light that shines through in their eyes and in their smiles, and I would love to be like that.

But is that something that we're born with or without? Or something that we can develop?

If I'm to have that glow that comes from inside, then I truly must love myself. I must treat myself well and believe truly in my worth. I must accept myself as I am and not subject myself to artificial expectations. I must be me, and only me, and proud to be me.

I do have plenty of beauty inside of me--every creature that has been created on this planet does, so why would I be any different? But does that beauty shine forth as a beacon for others, as an example of what we can be, or do I keep it hidden by refusing to acknowledge it?

We all will go through periods of darkness, but darkness outside doesn't mean that things have to be dark on the inside.

You have a beautiful light that shines inside of you, a unique light that is yours alone.

Can you make it grow so that it's visible to all who meet you?

- From Living Life Fully​

Paradox of Surrender

Perhaps the greatest paradox in the story of spirituality is the mystical insight that we are able to experience release only if we ourselves let go. This is the paradox of surrender. Surrender begins with the acceptance that we are not in control of the matter at hand—in fact, we are not in absolute control of anything. Thus the experience of surrender involves the “letting in” of reality that becomes possible when we are ready to let go of our illusions and pretensions.

If surrender is the act of “letting go,” the experience of conversion can be understood as the hinge on which that act swings—it is the turning point, the turning from “denial” as a way of seeing things to acceptance of the reality revealed in surrender.

The experiencing of release most frequently comes at the point of exhaustion, at the moment when we “give up” our efforts and thus permit ourselves to just be.

What blocks Release more than anything else is the refusal to “let go” that comes from the demand for security, for certainty, for assured results. Release, like spirituality itself, requires risk.

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

On Thursday we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. From the moment Mary spoke, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word,” when the Holy Spirit overshadowed her and she conceived the Savior of the world, she revealed herself to be the one chosen by God. She was the vessel of our salvation, the model of discipleship, and the first to enjoy the fruits of redemption through her assumption into heaven.

There is an image in the book of Revelation Chapter 12: 1 that is often applied to Mary: “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” This dynamic image of a woman reigning over the universe has become an icon of Mary as queen of heaven and earth. Artistic representations of Mary often depict her dressed as the woman in Revelation. They signify the belief that the scriptures symbolically verify Mary’s place in heaven.

On the Feast of the Assumption we celebrate the faith of a woman who accepted the challenge God put before her. She is an example of what human life is capable of achieving when touched by the grace of God. Like many mothers she gave a child to the world while remaining unaware of the details of God’s plan. We should not think that because Mary was free from sin her life was without struggles. She was subject to the same doubts and anguishes that we all face. Like her son, she shared all our problems and difficulties showing us the value of patience amidst our own trials, by turning sorrow and trouble into hope and joy.

Mary reminds us of the goodness of God which is the source and root of our life. What God wills for Mary God wills for all of us. In sending his Son into our world, God wanted to share the very best of Himself with us, by making us his adopted sons and daughters. God calls each of us like Mary to welcome Jesus and to make room for him in our lives. If we give him co-operation in living his word and sharing his cross, he will shape us into a worthy dwelling place for his Son. Mary teaches us what it means to abandon ourselves completely to God’s will and to be fully at his disposal. We are fortunate to call Mary our mother and to claim her as the model to imitate to the best of our ability, of all creatures, she is the closest in love to God, nearest to his heart and everything a human being should be.

Lord our God,

you took Mary up into heaven body and soul,

to share in the definitive triumph over death

of Jesus, your Son,

because on earth she humbly served your plans

as the first of those who believed. 

Grant us her attitude

of trusting openness to your will,

that you may overcome evil and death in us

and lead us safely with Mary

into your everlasting joy.

We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

God Seeds

The seed of God is in us. Pear seeds grow into pear trees, nut seeds into nut trees, and God seeds into God. ~Meister Eckhart

Often we may feel critical and judgmental about our maturity or personality. When we read we have God seeds within us, we may find that difficult to believe. How can we have the God seeds within us that other people have? It may seem everyone else has more good within them than we have.

Just as we admire certain qualities about other people, so can we admire qualities about ourselves. We need to remember a good critic looks at both the good and the bad. A good critic doesn't pass judgment, but merely assembles the facts to allow others to make judgments.

The seeds that grow pear trees don't yield perfect trees. Some of the fruit is ripe and juicy, some is hard and dry, some fruit never matures. Yet the pear tree will be a good tree if it's tended with care. So it is with us. Every part of us may not be perfect, but with care we can make the best person possible from the God seed that began us.

We can be a healthy, bountiful people if we give ourselves plenty of care. God will never give up on us.

A Friend

When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing, and face us with the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares.

~ Henri Nouwen

Guide My Path

The Smarter a man is, the more he needs God to protect him from thinking he know everything. 

~ George Webb, PIMA

A spiritual person needs to be careful. The more confident we are, the more likely our egos will get us into trouble. It's relatively easy to become self-righteous. We start to think we are teachers and others are students. We start to judge others. We start, very subtly at first, to play God. After a while we really get good at it. This is very dangerous. We need to remind ourselves, we are here to do God's will. We need to pray every morning. Each day we need to check in with God to see what He would have us do. At night we need to spend time with God and review our day. By doing these things, we will stay on track.

Lord Jesus, guide my path and show me how to correct my life.

~ Elder's Meditation of the Day

Thomas Merton: God is Everywhere

We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and God is shining through it all the time. This is not a fable or a nice story. It is true. If we abandon ourselves to God and forget ourselves, we see it sometimes and we see it maybe frequently. God shows God's self everywhere in everything. In people and in things and in nature and in events - it becomes very obvious that God is everywhere and in everything and we cannot be without God. It is impossible. The only thing is that we don't see it.

~ Thomas Merton

An Answer to Prayers

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island.

The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God.

However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first thing they prayed for was food.

The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island.

He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven booming, "Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered. "His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything."

"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings."

"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"

"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."

For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us.

"What you do for others is more important than what you do for yourself."​

Try Again Tomorrow

Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is that little voice at the end of the day that says: “I'll try again tomorrow.

~ Anne Hunninghake

A key quality that distinguishes a successful athlete, or a top-notch performer in any field, is the way he responds to his bad days. Everyone has good days and bad days, and the good ones are certainly easier to handle. But do we allow the bad ones to throw us off our course? Are we so shaken by our mistakes or troubles that we lose our focus on our goals?

Adult development is a process; it's never an end goal that we reach and hold. Our healing and recovery includes preparing ourselves to respond well to the bad days. We can do that by keeping our eye on the big picture, knowing that however bad things may seem at the moment, they will change. We learn to reach deep into our spiritual center for the courage to stay focused in the midst of our hardest days. We don't have to do it alone. We have the spiritual support of our Higher Power and the companionship of our friends to keep us on the path.

Today I will stay in touch with my spiritual center to find the courage for another day.

18th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Servant of God, Dorothy Day, an important 20th Century American Catholic social activist and writer once wrote, “Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul.” These two simple sentences sum up the message of today’s Gospel from John 6: 24 – 35. In last week’s Gospel, John 6: 1 – 15, we heard how Jesus and his disciples fed thousands of people with five barley loaves and two fish. And we heard how they wanted to make Jesus King. Today we hear how the crowd followed Jesus back to Capernaum where he confronted them about their motives. They wanted more food and a king. Jesus wanted to give them “the food that endures for eternal life.”

Bread is perishable. Two thousand years ago people only made enough bread for one day because it became inedible quickly. Even today with vast improvements in food technology bread does not stay fresh for very long. So, when Jesus told the people that he wanted to give them food that will last forever, they were incredulous. They understood that manna was “bread from heaven” but manna did not guarantee eternal life. It was simply food.

We understand with thousands of years of hindsight that Jesus wanted to nourish their souls. He wanted to give them spiritual bread. The crowd in Capernaum didn’t get it. He told them that all they had to do was “believe in the one [God] sent.” Their response was, prove it. Jesus’ answer to them and to us was “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

Those of us who are here in Holy Trinity Catholic Church today believe that Jesus was the one God sent. We believe that he offers us “food that endues for eternal life.” And we believe that the Eucharist is that food. We are here because we want spiritual nourishment. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that “There is no surer pledge or dearer sign of this great hope in the new heavens and new earth "in which righteousness dwells," than the Eucharist. Every time this mystery is celebrated, "the work of our redemption is carried on" and we "break the one bread that provides the medicine of immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live for ever in Jesus Christ." As we reflect on the significance of the Eucharist in our lives, let’s join with St Catherine of Siena who prayed, “Father, I am hungry; for the love of God give this soul her food, her Lord in the Eucharist,"

Our living God,

we hunger for lasting life and happiness

and the fulfilment of all our hopes.

Satisfy all our hungers

through your Son Jesus Christ,

our bread of life.

And when he has filled us with himself,

may he lead and strengthen us

to bring to a waiting world

the food of reconciliation and joy

which you alone can give to the full.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Humility is Freedom

Humility has nothing to do with depreciating ourselves and our gifts in ways we know to be untrue. Even humble attitudes can be masks for pride.

Humility is that freedom from our self which enables us to be in positions in which we have neither recognition nor importance, neither power nor validity, and even experience deprivation and yet have joy and delight.

It is the freedom of knowing that we are not at the center of our universe, not even in the center of our own private universe.