Deuteronomy 31:6

 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. 

~ Deuteronomy 31:6

Kolbe -Truth

 "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

Hanging On

You got out of a bad relationship because it was bad, but you are still resentful and angry.

You’re hanging on!

You got out of financial debt, but you still can’t control the desire to spend on frivolous things.
You’re hanging on!

You said, I forgive you, but you can’t seem to forget and have peace with that person.
You’re hanging on!

You told your ex- that it was over, but you still continue to call.
You’re hanging on!

You got out of that horribly oppressive job, but you are still trying to sabotage the company after you’ve left.
You’re hanging on!

You cut off the affair with that married man/woman, but you still lust after him/her.
You’re hanging on!

You broke off your relationship with that hurtful, abusive person, but you are suspicious and distrusting of every new person you meet.
You’re hanging on!

You decided to let go of the past hurts from growing up in an unstable environment, yet you believe you are unworthy of love from others and you refuse to get attached to anyone.
You’re hanging on!

You got out of a bad habit or addiction, but you still long to try it just one more time.
You’re hanging on!

You’re praying to have God help you, but you still try to manage everything yourself.
You’re hanging on!

~ Adapted from Carol J. Fitzgerald

Pope

There were two Catholic boys, Timothy Murphy and Antonio Secola, whose lives parallel each other in amazing ways. In the same year Timothy was born in Ireland, Antonio was born in Italy. Faithfully they attended parochial school from kindergarten through their senior year in high school. They took their vows to enter the priesthood early in college, and upon Graduation, became priests.

Their careers had come to amaze the world, but it was generally acknowledged that Antonio Secola was just a cut above Timothy Murphy in all respects. Their rise through the ranks of Bishop, Archbishop and finally Cardinal was swift to say the least, and the Catholic world knew that when the present Pope died, it would be one of the two who would become the next Pope.

In time the Pope did die, and the College of Cardinals went to work. In less time than anyone had expected, white smoke rose from the chimney and the world waited to see whom they had chosen.

The world, Catholic, Protestant, and secular, was surprised to learn that Timothy Murphy had been elected Pope! Antonio Secola was beyond surprise. He was devastated, because even with all of Timothy’s gifts, Antonio knew he was the better qualified.

With gall that shocked the Cardinals, Antonio Secola asked for a private session with them in which he candidly asked, “Why Timothy?!” After a long silence, an old Cardinal took pity on the bewildered man and rose to reply. “We knew you were the better of the two, but we just could not bear the thought of the leader of the Roman Catholic Church being called Pope Secola.”

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday we read the final three parables about the Kingdom of Heaven found in Matthew 13. In these parables Jesus describes the Kingdom as a hidden treasure, a pearl of great price and a net full of fish. The parables are not really about treasures, jewels and fish. They are about what we are willing to sacrifice to enter the Kingdom.

There is a subtle difference between the parable of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. In the parable of the hidden treasure, the man who found the treasure was not looking for it. He found it by luck and, probably, some good plowing. On the other hand, the man who found the pearl of great price was seeking pearls. The outcome of both parables is that each man found his treasure and each was willing to sacrifice everything (joyfully) to possess that treasure. They understood what the rich young man Jesus encountered in Matthew 19: 21 - 22 could not comprehend: "’If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”

This brings us to the parable of the fishing net. Like the parable of the wheat and weeds, Jesus reminds us once again that sorting out good from evil is not our responsibility. It is our responsibility to gather as many fish as possible into our net. It is up to God and only God to determine who is in the Kingdom and who is not.

The good news is that God wants all of us to be in the Kingdom. As Jesus told his followers in Luke 12: 31 – 34, “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.”

God of eternal wisdom,

you alone impart the gift of discernment.

Grant us an understanding heart,

so we may value wisely the treasure of your kingdom,

gladly reject all lesser gifts,

and accept with gratitude the ones you alone can give.

We make our prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

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

God for ever and ever.

AMEN.

Faith Should be Strong

In our spiritual life, we should be attuned to the seasons and strive to get the most out of every breath we take and every prayer we speak. Stopping to look back on the year, not to relive, but to learn, we have an opportunity to assess: how has my relationship with Jesus grown, how has my prayer life deepened and how have I allowed the Holy Spirit to help me to live the beatitudes?

In the Gospel of Luke 21:34-36, we are called to be wary that our hearts do not become drowsy, that we will be vigilant at all times. Jesus calls us to be watchful and to pray for the strength to be what we need to be for God and for all the people of God.

In other words, our faith should be strong and have a firm foundation in Jesus our Lord, and guided by that, all our actions should be oriented to follow Jesus as closely as we can.

I-25

A cop pulls over a carload of nuns. The cop says, “Sister, this is a 55 MPH highway. Why are you going so slow?”

The Sister replies, “Sir, I saw a lot of signs that said 25, not 55.”

The cop answers, “Oh, Sister, that's not the speed limit, that's the name of the highway you are on!”

The Sister says, “Oh! Silly me! Thanks for letting me know. I'll be more careful.”

At this point, the cop looks in the backseat where the other nuns are shaking and trembling.

The cop asks, “Excuse me, Sister, what's wrong with your friends back there? They are shaking something terrible.”

The Sister answers, “Oh, we just got off Highway 101.”

 

I Am

I was regretting the past and fearing the future

Suddenly, God was speaking,

“My Name is I Am”

He paused. I waited. He Continued.

“When you live in the past, with all its mistakes and regrets,

It is hard. I am not there.

My name is not I was”

“When you live in the future with all its problems and fears,

It is hard. I am not there.

My name is not I will be”

“When you live in this moment,

It is not hard. I am here.

My Name is I Am.”

Hidden Gems

A man was exploring caves by the Seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could. He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!

Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!

It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it.

We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person. There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.

May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them.

A nun walks into Mother Superior’s office and plunks down into a chair. She lets out a sigh heavy with frustration.

“What troubles you, Sister?” asks the Mother Superior. “I thought this was the day you spent with your family.”

“It was,” sighed the Sister. “And I went to play golf with my brother. We try to play golf as often as we can. You know I was quite a talented golfer and was a full scholarship student at the university before I dedicated my life to Christ.”

“I seem to recall that,” the Mother Superior agreed. “So I take it your day of recreation was not relaxing?”

“Far from it,” snorted the Sister. “In fact, I even took the Lord’s name in vain today!”

“Goodness, Sister!” gasped the Mother Superior, astonished. “You must tell me all about it!”

“Well, we were on the fifth tee -- and this hole is a monster, Mother -- 540 yard Par 5, with a nasty dogleg left and a hidden green and I hit the drive of my life. I creamed it. The sweetest swing I ever made. And it’s flying straight and true, right along the line I wanted, and it hits a bird in mid-flight not 100 yards off the tee!”

“Oh my!” commiserated the Mother. “How unfortunate! But surely that didn’t make you blaspheme, Sister!”

“No, that wasn’t it,” admitted Sister. “While I was still trying to fathom what had happened, this squirrel runs out of the woods, grabs my ball and runs off down the fairway!”

“Oh, that would have made me blaspheme!” sympathized Mother.

“But I didn’t, Mother Superior!” sobbed the Sister. “And I was so proud of myself! And while I was pondering whether this was a sign from God, this hawk swoops out of the sky and grabs the squirrel and flies off, with my ball still clutched in his paws!”

“So that’s when you cursed,” said the Mother with a knowing smile.

“Nope, that wasn’t it either,” cried the Sister, anguished, “because as the hawk started to fly out of sight, the squirrel started struggling, and the hawk dropped him right there on the green, and the ball popped out of his paws and rolled to about 18 inches from the cup!”

Mother Superior sat back in her chair, folded her arms across her chest, fixed the Sister with a baleful stare and said “You missed the putt, didn’t you?”

Parachute

A small private plane was flying with three passengers on board: the Pope, a rich businessman, and a boy scout. 

Suddenly, the engine sputtered and stopped altogether. They all rushed to get their parachutes. They were horrified to realize that there were not enough parachutes for all of them. One of them will be left without one. 

The pilot took one, saying, “I have a wife and two kids. They need me.” And off he jumped. 

The businessman, seeing that the boy was holding a parachute, grabbed it away from him, saying, “I am a very important person in this world. I must not die!’ And putting the straps on his shoulders, he quickly jumped out of the plane. 

Only the Pope and the boy were left on the plane. The Pope told the boy, “Son, take the last parachute. I am old and I have no family. I’m ready to leave this world. You are still young and have a great future. Save your life.” 

The boy, with a naughty smile, said, “Don’t worry, Holy Father. There are still two parachutes left. The 'very important man in the world’ just jumped out wearing my knapsack!"

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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

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

So, what does this mean for us? All of us are invited to become citizens of the kingdom. The choice is ours. However, with heavenly citizenship comes responsibility. If yeast is stale, it provides no leavening and so we throw it away. If seeds don’t germinate, nothing grows. It’s the same for us. If we want to be active citizens of the kingdom of heaven, we must nurture the yeast, the seeds and our faith. Last week’s first reading from Isaiah 55:10-11 sums it up: “Thus says the Lord: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.”

The kingdom of heaven is fulfilling the word of God. This is something we pray for every time we repeat the Our Father, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:9-10). As we go about our daily lives here in Peachtree City, let’s all remember our responsibility to live up to the challenge.

With a love that is both powerful and patient, O God,

you sustain the growth of the good seed your Son has planted. 

 Let your word, like a mustard seed,

bear rich fruit within us,

and like a little yeast,

produce its effects throughout the whole church.

Thus may we dare to hope

that a new humanity will blossom and grow

to shine like the sun in your kingdom

when the Lord of the harvest returns

at the end of the age.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

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

God for ever and ever. 

 AMEN

 

Be Humble or You'll Stumble

Lincoln once got caught up in a situation where he wanted to please a politician, so he issued a command to transfer certain regiments. When the secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, received the order, he refused to carry it out. He said that the President was a fool.

Lincoln was told what Stanton had said, and he replied, "If Stanton said I'm a fool, then I must be, for he is nearly always right. I'll see for myself." He did, and when Stanton convinced him the order was in error, Lincoln quietly withdrew it.

Part of Lincoln’s greatness lay in his ability to rise above pettiness, ego, and sensitivity to other people’s opinions. He wasn’t easily offended. He welcomed criticism, and in doing so demonstrated one of the strengths of a truly great person: humility.

So, have you been criticized? Make it a time to learn, not lose.”

~ Patience Johnson

God's Will

God gives us choices – it's God’s will that we should have free choices. Maybe God doesn’t have the same control issues we do. God’s will for us is to make wise and healthy and loving choices. Abundant Grace accompanies the gift of free will. We call that “the power to carry it out”. God still leaves it up to us to accept the Grace and to accept God’s will. The consequence of not accepting the Grace is known as an "unmanageable life."

Loch Ness

An atheist was fishing on Loch Ness when suddenly his boat was attacked by the Loch Ness monster. With an easy flip, the beast tossed his boat high into the air and then opened its huge mouth to catch him. As he sailed into the sky, he cried, “Oh, God! Help me!” At once, the ferocious scene froze! As the atheist hung there in mid-air a booming voice came out of the clouds: “I thought you didn’t believe in Me!” “Come on, God. Give me a break!” pleaded the man. “A minute ago I didn’t believe in the Loch Ness monster either!”

Life

We may never get what we want,
We may never want what we get,
We may never have what we like.
We may never like what we have.

Still we Live and Love.

This is life.

Consider the Fish

When you think you control something, you’re wrong.

It’s amazing how often we think we’re in control of something when really we aren’t.

Control is an illusion, as I’ve said many times before.

We constantly make plans that never actually turn out the way we envisioned. ‘If you want to make God laugh, make a plan,’ an old saying goes….

Consider the fish. A fish swims in a chaotic sea that it cannot possibly control — much as we all do. The fish, unlike us, is under no illusion that it controls the sea, or other fish in the sea. The fish doesn’t even try to control where it ends up — it just swims, either going with the flow or dealing with the flow as it comes. It eats, and hides, and mates, but does not try to control a thing.

We are no better than that fish, yet our thinking creates the need for an illusion.

Let go of that thinking. Learn to be the fish.

- Leo Babauta

Lord,

Take my life and let me live serenely for today.

Open my mind to happy thoughts.

Take away my self-pity, I don’t want it.

Take away my ill will towards others.

Make it possible for me to feel joy, love, and compassion.

Help me to accept what is, to hold my tongue, 

to do my daily task, and to let go with love.

Take away my worry about the future.

Make me realize that in your hands everything will be provided.

Help me to understand that I have no control over anything but my own actions.

Make me know that today is precious and will soon be gone.

Help me to remember that all hatred and pain directed toward me 

are the hatred and pain the other person is feeling toward himself.

Thank you for your willingness to accept my burden and lighten my load.

~~ Unknown

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus used stories, parables, to explain the kingdom of heaven.  Beginning this Sunday and for the next two Sundays, we will hear Jesus tell several different parables describing the kingdom in common, everyday language using common, everyday images.  Today we have the Parable of the Sower.  Next Sunday we have the Parable of the Man Sowing Good Seed and the Parable of the Mustard Seed.  And on July 26^th we will hear Jesus presenting the Kingdom of Heaven as a treasure hidden in a field, a pearl of great price and a fisherman’s net.  

When the disciples asked Jesus why he spoke in parables, he answered, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.  ... they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand" (Matt. 13: 11, 13).   Jesus was not trying to repress or hide the truth.  He says, "Whoever has ears ought to hear" (Matt. 13: 9).  However, many who did look and hear, particularly the orthodox leaders of the day, chose not to see or understand.  They rejected Jesus and threw him out of the synagogues.  So, Jesus took his message to the people.  He preached wherever people gathered, in market places, town squares, by the sea, in the fields and in people's homes.  He brought a message of hope, telling stories in language he knew they would understand with concrete examples from their daily lives: farming, fishing, commerce, cooking and relationships.

No matter what imagery he used, Jesus' message was consistent, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 10: 7).  The kingdom is here, present, now and it is open to you.  Turn your lives around and follow me.  For the disciples, the devout followers and those of us who did and do open our eyes to see, our ears to hear and our hearts to understand, Jesus offers a blessing:  “blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.  Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it” (Matt.13: 16 -17).   When our eyes, ears and hearts are open to understand Jesus' message, when we accept the message and when we incorporate that message into the way we live, Jesus becomes a living presence in our world. 

God of the heavens,
God of the earth,
all creation awaits your gift of new life.
Prepare our hearts to receive the word of your Son,
that we may hear it, understand it,
and bear fruit a hundredfold.
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.

 

Miracles