Category Archives: Gospel

We are God’s Holy Family

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The Flight into Egypt
Attributed to Rembrandt, via Wikimedia Commons

Take care of your father when he is old;
grieve him not as long as he lives.
Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;
revile him not all the days of his life;
kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
firmly planted against the debt of your sins
—a house raised in justice to you. Sirach 3:12-14

He is so fragile, my father, and every day getting physically smaller as his Spirit outgrows his frail body.

He doesn’t know us any more, but his smile is as sweet as ever and lights up his eyes. “I love you,” he says over and over. He hasn’t lost the inner wisdom that still knows how to “put on love, the bond of perfection.”

The Word is Love

navid02In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. John 1:1

The Word who is Love, Compassion, and Peace has pitched his tent among us.

Merry Christmas!

God is with us

4_candlesAll this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” Matthew 1:22-23

Whether I’m having an easy day or a hard day, God is with me. Whether I’m feeling peaceful or angry, God is with me. Whether I believe or don’t believe, God is with me.

Let go

3_candlesWhen John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Matthew 11:2-3

I imagine John the Baptist had some moments of stress in prison, wondering what would happen to the work he’d begun. To know that Jesus was busy healing those who were blind, lame, deaf, lepers, or poor opened his eyes to recognize the Christ, and meant he could let go and surrender everything to Jesus.

My own worries – big and small, world-centered and self-centered – take up a lot of time and energy. Maybe this Advent I will have the courage to surrender everything to Jesus.

 

Finding the way

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Second Sunday of Advent

It was of [John the Baptist] that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths. Matthew 3:3

John the Baptist points the way to Jesus, the Compassion of God, the Prince of Peace. How have I pointed the way to compassion and peace today? Will I make the effort to point the way to compassion and peace tomorrow?

Surrender

sanfrancisco[Jesus] answered, “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified.” Luke 21:9a

I am terrified that I am a mistake, a bother, a nuisance. My inner wars have me doubting my self-worth and wishing I were perfect. I rebel against physical pain, mental fatigue, and getting older. I wage an ongoing battle between gratitude for my many blessings and wanting what I don’t have.

The only answer to war, insurrections, and terror that I have found is complete and unconditional surrender to God’s love. Moment by moment.

 

Do not lose heart

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Luke 18:1-8

…pray always without becoming weary. Luke 18:1b

God likes to hear from me. I am never a bother to God. Gratitude, grumbles, and pleas for help are all understood by God as my human attempts to communicate with the Mystery who loves me unconditionally and wants all good for me.

Can I trust today that God is near, listening, and ready to respond?

Thank you

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Luke 17:11-19

And one of [the lepers], realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. Luke 17: 15-16

When I express gratitude, I deepen my awareness of others – their gifts, talents, kindness, and humanity. My “thank you” acknowledges our interconnectedness, our interdependence, and our common heritage as precious children of God.

My “thank you” to God is an awareness of God’s love, compassion, and generosity. My “thank you” to God helps me remember to put God in the center of my life.

Thank you, God,  for the many kind people you have put in my path, and thank you for your gentle guidance and all the many gifts you shower on me.

Just a tiny bit of faith

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Luke 17:6

The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” Luke 17:6

Just a tiny bit of faith and I know that God can, God will, and God wants to.

Lord, grant me the grace to accept Thy divine will.

Noticing

[Jesus said to the Pharisees:] “And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.” Luke 16:20-21

How often do I notice the needs of others? How quick am I to call someone who is lonely, visit someone who is laid up, put off buying something for myself so that I can make a donation to the poor?

How often do I ignore someone who looks unkempt, drunk, ill, derelict? How often do I look the other way to avoid a difficult encounter? How often am I indifferent to the suffering of others?

It only takes a moment to notice the humanity of others, to remember we are all God’s family. One moment at a time, I am making a decision to be more noticing.