They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Fruit

June 27, 2018

Today’s gospel calls to mind that great and catchy anthem from the 70’s They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love. Jesus School continues and today we learn about false prophets, good fruit, and rotten fruit. Historically, a prophet is someone that God speaks with to communicate with His people, and on the flip side, a priest is someone that people speak with to communicate with God.  False prophets are all around us, unfortunately, and they surface most especially when things like politics and controversial issues infect our environments. Lines get drawn in the sand and sides must be chosen and each side claims to speak on behalf of something greater. The name of God is often used in vain in these types of “wars” and passions run deep and very hot. Let’s get one thing clear: true prophets speak only LOVE, and false prophets speak everything but LOVE. Sheep’s clothing can look like someone who claims to be pro-life, but supports rejecting refugees, or the death penalty, or avoids eye-contact with the homeless on the streets, or do does not take care of their elderly parents, or is not a good steward of the environment. I know this might be harsh, but we have to come face to face with Jesus and ask Him if He would to any of the above. If we think otherwise, we really need to go back and read the past several days of His gospel. “Beware of false prophets.” 

Jesus gives us a very basic way to identify false prophets, or those not acting in line with the Holy Spirit, and that is by their fruits. Let’s review what the fruits of the Holy Spirit are found in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the good fruits Jesus is talking about in today’s gospel, and the opposite of these are the rotten fruits. I invite each one of us to spend some time reflecting on these good fruits and if they are manifested in our lives. If our best friends were interviewed and asked to describe us using only five words, would any of these fruits be used? Or, if any of our co-workers, family members, and even our foes, were interviewed…would any of these fruits be used to describe us? Do the people we associate with, listen to, and support politically have these same fruits lived out in their actions and words? They’ll know we are Christians by our love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

I’m going to really pray with these fruits today and if I am in need of pruning any rotten fruit from my life, I am going to commit to cutting it out. I only want to be described by these good fruits in all circumstances, environments, and interactions. I don’t want to be a sheep in wolves clothing. I don’t want to be cut down and thrown into the fire. I want to be known by my love. Have a good fruits kind of day and it is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 2 KGS 22:8-13; 23:1-3

The high priest Hilkiah informed the scribe Shaphan,
"I have found the book of the law in the temple of the LORD."
Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read it.
Then the scribe Shaphan went to the king and reported,
"Your servants have smelted down the metals available in the temple
and have consigned them to the master workmen
in the temple of the LORD."
The scribe Shaphan also informed the king
that the priest Hilkiah had given him a book,
and then read it aloud to the king.
When the king heard the contents of the book of the law,
he tore his garments and issued this command to Hilkiah the priest,
Ahikam, son of Shaphan,
Achbor, son of Micaiah, the scribe Shaphan,
and the king's servant Asaiah:
"Go, consult the LORD for me, for the people, for all Judah,
about the stipulations of this book that has been found,
for the anger of the LORD has been set furiously ablaze against us,
because our fathers did not obey the stipulations of this book,
nor fulfill our written obligations."

The king then had all the elders of Judah
and of Jerusalem summoned together before him.
The king went up to the temple of the LORD with all the men of Judah
and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
priests, prophets, and all the people, small and great.
He had the entire contents of the book of the covenant
that had been found in the temple of the LORD, read out to them. 
Standing by the column, the king made a covenant before the LORD
that they would follow him
and observe his ordinances, statutes and decrees
with their whole hearts and souls,
thus reviving the terms of the covenant
which were written in this book.
And all the people stood as participants in the covenant.

Responsorial Psalm PS 119:33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 40

R. (33a) Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Instruct me, O LORD, in the way of your statutes,
that I may exactly observe them.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Give me discernment, that I may observe your law
and keep it with all my heart.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Lead me in the path of your commands,
for in it I delight. 
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Incline my heart to your decrees
and not to gain.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Turn away my eyes from seeing what is vain:
by your way give me life.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.
Behold, I long for your precepts;
in your justice give me life.
R. Teach me the way of your decrees, O Lord.

Alleluia JN 15:4A, 5B

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Remain in me, as I remain in you, says the Lord;
whoever remains in me will bear much fruit.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 7:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them."

Jesus Tweets

June 26, 2018

I feel like today’s gospel is an example of things Jesus would post on His twitter feed. They are bite-sized morsels of wisdom and practices for us to chew and live by. They are simple, but perhaps not easy, especially in our world today and in our American culture. My goal is to pray about each one of these “Jesus Tweets” and to truly attempt to apply them in my own life. Being a witness and follower for Christ comes with great responsibility to act in His name and to be leaders in His best practices such as mercy, forgiveness, kindness, and peacemaking. 

"Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.” #GuardTheTreasuresOfYourHeart #BeWiseAndPrudentWithYourGifts #ChooseYourGroupiesWisely #BeGoodStewardsOfYourGifts 

"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.This is the Law and the Prophets.”#TheGoldenRuleIsTheLaw #LoveFulfillsTheLaw #TheyDontHaveToLoveYouBack#LoveThemAnyway #BeKind #Mercy #Forgiveness #Peace

"Enter through the narrow gate;for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,and those who enter through it are many.How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.And those who find it are few."#ChooseTheRoadLessTraveled #BeAmongTheFew #ItsEasyToChooseTheWrongGate #ToMuchIsGivenMuchIsExpected #BeBold #BeBrave 

I know that some people use Twitter to bark and bite and infect, however, today we see some tweetable tweets that will make our lives sweeter, richer, more beautiful, and fulfilled. I encourage all of us to be among the few, to choose love over all, and to cherish and honor the gifts that God has given us. Have a narrow gate kind of day and it is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 2 KGS 19:9B-11, 14-21, 31-35A, 36

Sennacherib, king of Assyria, sent envoys to Hezekiah
with this message: 
"Thus shall you say to Hezekiah, king of Judah:
'Do not let your God on whom you rely deceive you
by saying that Jerusalem will not be handed over
to the king of Assyria.
You have heard what the kings of Assyria have done
to all other countries: they doomed them! 
Will you, then, be saved?'"

Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it;
then he went up to the temple of the LORD,
and spreading it out before him,
he prayed in the LORD's presence:
"O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned upon the cherubim!
You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.
You have made the heavens and the earth.
Incline your ear, O LORD, and listen!
Open your eyes, O LORD, and see!
Hear the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.
Truly, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations
and their lands, and cast their gods into the fire;
they destroyed them because they were not gods,
but the work of human hands, wood and stone.
Therefore, O LORD, our God, save us from the power of this man,
that all the kingdoms of the earth may know
that you alone, O LORD, are God."

Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent this message to Hezekiah:
"Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel,
in answer to your prayer for help against Sennacherib, king of Assyria:
I have listened!
This is the word the LORD has spoken concerning him:

"'She despises you, laughs you to scorn,
the virgin daughter Zion!
Behind you she wags her head,
daughter Jerusalem.

"'For out of Jerusalem shall come a remnant,
and from Mount Zion, survivors.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.'

"Therefore, thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria:
'He shall not reach this city, nor shoot an arrow at it,
nor come before it with a shield,
nor cast up siege-works against it.
He shall return by the same way he came,
without entering the city, says the LORD.
I will shield and save this city for my own sake,
and for the sake of my servant David.'"

That night the angel of the LORD went forth and struck down
one hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp.
So Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, broke camp,
and went back home to Nineveh.

Responsorial Psalm PS 48:2-3AB, 3CD-4, 10-11

R. (see 9d) God upholds his city for ever.
Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, fairest of heights,
is the joy of all the earth.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
Mount Zion, "the recesses of the North,"
is the city of the great King.
God is with her castles;
renowned is he as a stronghold.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
O God, we ponder your mercy
within your temple.
As your name, O God, so also your praise
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Of justice your right hand is full.
R. God upholds his city for ever.

Alleluia JN 8:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the light of the world, says the Lord;
whoever follows me will have the light of life.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 7:6, 12-14

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.

"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the Law and the Prophets.

"Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,
and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few."

Measure For Measure

June 25, 2018

I’m sure that we have all heard the saying, “You can’t give what you don’t have.” Every time I fly, I let the speech about the oxygen masks be my reminder of this truth. It feels unnatural, scary even to think of taking care of myself before I take care of others, but “I can’t give what I don’t have.” When those oxygen masks drop from the ceiling, I must first put mine on before I can begin assisting others. I need self-care in order to care for others. This same principle can be applied to today’s gospel. It is likely one of our favorites to quote most especially when others are actively judging us isn’t it? It says right there in the Bible, “Stop judging, that you may not be judged.For as you judge, so will you be judged,and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” I know for me, whenever I conveniently pull this scripture out, I really only pay close attention to the first two words, “stop judging”, and the rest of the sentence easily fades into my self-righteousness. I am adamant that I want people to stop judging, of course, and the part that says, “for as you (Jen) judge, so will you (Jen) be judged.” There’s that oxygen mask dropping and I need to first breath life and truth into my own soul, before I can breath life into others. Measure for measure will I be judged. 

This carries into the next scenario Jesus gives us to make His point, “Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,'while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearlyto remove the splinter from your brother's eye." I don’t know about you, but I’m really astute at seeing the planks in people’s eyes. It is a skill that I have been practicing for years and when you practice something you get really really good at it. I wish I was really really bad at this, however, today, Jesus reminds me to look in the mirror, not in a vain or self-centered way, but to face my own weakness and sin. Once I see my own need for mercy, then and only then can I give mercy to others. There’s that oxygen mask dropping and I need to first breath life and truth into my own soul, before I can breath life into others. Measure for measure will I be judged. 

My prayer is that today we will breath in truth so that we can breath out life into all things, and it is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 2 KGS 17:5-8, 13-15A, 18

Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, occupied the whole land
and attacked Samaria, which he besieged for three years.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, king of Israel
the king of Assyria took Samaria,
and deported the children of Israel to Assyria,
setting them in Halah, at the Habor, a river of Gozan,
and the cities of the Medes.

This came about because the children of Israel sinned against the LORD,
their God, who had brought them up from the land of Egypt,
from under the domination of Pharaoh, king of Egypt,
and because they venerated other gods.
They followed the rites of the nations
whom the LORD had cleared out of the way of the children of Israel
and the kings of Israel whom they set up.

And though the LORD warned Israel and Judah
by every prophet and seer,
"Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes,
in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers
and which I sent you by my servants the prophets,"
they did not listen, but were as stiff-necked as their fathers,
who had not believed in the LORD, their God.
They rejected his statutes,
the covenant which he had made with their fathers,
and the warnings which he had given them, till,
in his great anger against Israel,
the LORD put them away out of his sight.
Only the tribe of Judah was left.

Responsorial Psalm PS 60:3, 4-5, 12-13

R. (7b) Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
O God, you have rejected us and broken our defenses;
you have been angry; rally us!
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
You have rocked the country and split it open;
repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
You have made your people feel hardships;
you have given us stupefying wine.
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.
Have not you, O God, rejected us,
so that you go not forth, O God, with our armies?
Give us aid against the foe,
for worthless is the help of men.
R. Help us with your right hand, O Lord, and answer us.

Alleluia HEB 4:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 7:1-5

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,'
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother's eye."

A Special Kind Of Someone

June 24, 2018

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of John the Baptist. From the time he was conceived, John, was a special kind of someone. The Angel Gabriel appeared to his father, Zechariah, and told him that his prayers for a son had been answered and his name would be John. Zechariah’s response was filled with doubt and fear and so God silenced him until his faith was strengthened. Everyone in Zechariah and Elizabeth’s village were amazed at her pregnancy because she was well past childbearing years and they all rejoiced with them. When it was time to name the boy, everyone assumed he would be named after his dad, but Elizabeth chose the name given by Gabriel, John. They looked to Zechariah waiting for his understandable protest, but he concurred with Elizabeth, thus demonstrating his faith and obedience to God, and suddenly the silence was lifted. I know that in my own life, my times of disobedience to God’s will have left me silent and unable to speak for periods of time. I constantly need to work on my own trust in God’s plan.

Elizabeth and Zechariah consecrated John’s life in service to God and John essentially was the opening act for Jesus’ ministry. He basically got the crowd all riled up and ready to hear the good news and receive the Messiah. He was the very first to recognize Jesus (other than Mary and Joseph) as Messiah while still in the womb, and he was the very first to proclaim him as Lord to the masses. I’m not sure why he isn’t considered the first martyr as he was beheaded for the faith, but knowing John, he would not want to be put on that kind of pedestal. His motto was, “He must increase and I must decrease.” He was feisty and crude and bold and wild and passionate and determined and faithful and in my mind somewhat of a hot mess! He was on a mission, but he knew his time was limited, so he gave everything he had to that mission. John the Baptist was a special kind of someone from the time he was conceived.

Today I pray that we follow John’s lead and let Jesus increase as we decrease. More of Him and less of us will always lead us to freedom to be wild and determined like John the Baptist. Have a feisty, but faithful kind of day and it is well with my soul.

Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist - Mass during the Day
Lectionary: 587

Reading 1 IS 49:1-6

Hear me, O coastlands,
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother's womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
that Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Responsorial Psalm PS 139:1B-3, 13-14AB, 14C-15

R. (14) I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
O LORD, you have probed me, you know me:
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. I praise you for I am wonderfully made.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother's womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
My soul also you knew full well;
nor was my frame unknown to you
When I was made in secret,
when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.
R. I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.

Reading 2 ACTS 13:22-26

In those days, Paul said:
"God raised up David as king;
of him God testified,
I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart;
he will carry out my every wish.
From this man's descendants God, according to his promise,
has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus.
John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israel;
and as John was completing his course, he would say,
'What do you suppose that I am? I am not he.
Behold, one is coming after me;
I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.'

"My brothers, sons of the family of Abraham,
and those others among you who are God-fearing,
to us this word of salvation has been sent."

Alleluia SEE LK 1:76

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You, child, will be called prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelLK 1:57-66, 80

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child
she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard
that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her,
and they rejoiced with her.
When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child,
they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother said in reply,
"No. He will be called John."
But they answered her,
"There is no one among your relatives who has this name."
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name,"
and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed,
and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors,
and all these matters were discussed
throughout the hill country of Judea.
All who heard these things took them to heart, saying,
"What, then, will this child be?"
For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit,
and he was in the desert until the day
of his manifestation to Israel.

Whozits And Whatzits Galore

June 22, 2018

The Little Mermaid, Ariel, was obsessed with all things human. Against her father’s rules, she often swam to the surface to observe and collect human stuff. She stored her human treasures in a secret cave under the sea and almost daily, she would steal away to her hideaway to celebrate her treasures. “Look at this stuff. Isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete? Wouldn’t you think I’m the girl, the girl who has everything?......I’ve got gadgets and gizmos a plenty. I’ve got whozits and whatzits galore. You want thingamabobs? I’ve got twenty. But who cares? No big deal. I want more!” In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us where we should store our treasures and those treasures are not gadgets and gizmos, but collections of our heart. Our hideaway is heaven and just like the Little Mermaid, we too, can go their daily to celebrate our whozits and whatzits galore. It seems to me that Jesus is telling us that our treasure and our heart are one. Wherever our treasure goes, our heart goes and wherever our heart goes, our treasure goes. 

I imagine that in heaven, everyone has a beautiful and glorious cave with our name on it. If we are mindful and take Jesus’ message to heart today, our caves are filled with those small things we talked about a few days ago. Those daily blessings, thanksgivings, encounters, experiences, and surges of the soul that let us know “we want more.” We can visit our treasure trove any time we want to remind us and show us where our heart is. We can lose sight of those treasures as well, when we forget to celebrate them with gratitude. We can bury them and never give them names, or we can hold each one up to the light and say “what a beautiful thingamabob!” I don’t know much, but I do know that a rich prayer life will allow us to hold our treasures (heart) up to the light and wonder at the beauty. I know that through prayer, we can deposit those collections of the heart into our secret hideaway that is guarded by our angels and our departed loved ones. I know that daily visits to the surface of the ocean of grace that we swim in will reveal the things that we truly long for. 

Some of my thingamabobs, dingle hoppers, and whatzits galore are: 

• Heart to hearts with a soul friend
• Witnessing a teenager’s life transformed by Christ
• Stroking the face of a dying person
• Knowing that Jesus loves me
• Singing praise to God
• The song “It Is Well”
• Second chances
• Forgiveness, reconciliation, mercy
• Walking the Camino de Santiago
• Seeing my dad’s last breath
• Eucharist
• Writing this blog

What are some of the wonders in your treasure trove? Take a few moments to name them and in prayers of gratitude those treasures will be automatically deposited into your account in heaven. There it will wait, collecting value every day, and one day, you and your heart and your treasure will have the “more” that you’ve been wanting, and that “more” will be forever. Have a treasure finding kind of day and it is well with my soul. 

Reading 1 2 KGS 11:1-4, 9-18, 20

When Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah,
saw that her son was dead,
she began to kill off the whole royal family.
But Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah,
took Joash, his son, and spirited him away, along with his nurse,
from the bedroom where the princes were about to be slain.
She concealed him from Athaliah, and so he did not die.
For six years he remained hidden in the temple of the LORD,
while Athaliah ruled the land.

But in the seventh year,
Jehoiada summoned the captains of the Carians
and of the guards.
He had them come to him in the temple of the LORD,
exacted from them a sworn commitment,
and then showed them the king's son.

The captains did just as Jehoiada the priest commanded.
Each one with his men, both those going on duty for the sabbath
and those going off duty that week,
came to Jehoiada the priest.
He gave the captains King David's spears and shields,
which were in the temple of the LORD.
And the guards, with drawn weapons,
lined up from the southern to the northern limit of the enclosure,
surrounding the altar and the temple on the king's behalf.
Then Jehoiada led out the king's son
and put the crown and the insignia upon him.
They proclaimed him king and anointed him,
clapping their hands and shouting, "Long live the king!"

Athaliah heard the noise made by the people,
and appeared before them in the temple of the LORD.
When she saw the king standing by the pillar, as was the custom,
and the captains and trumpeters near him,
with all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets,
she tore her garments and cried out, "Treason, treason!"
Then Jehoiada the priest instructed the captains
in command of the force:
"Bring her outside through the ranks.
If anyone follows her," he added, "let him die by the sword."
He had given orders that she
should not be slain in the temple of the LORD.
She was led out forcibly to the horse gate of the royal palace,
where she was put to death.

Then Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD as one party
and the king and the people as the other,
by which they would be the LORD's people;
and another covenant, between the king and the people.
Thereupon all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal
and demolished it.
They shattered its altars and images completely,
and slew Mattan, the priest of Baal, before the altars.
Jehoiada appointed a detachment for the temple of the LORD.
All the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet,
now that Athaliah had been slain with the sword
at the royal palace.

Responsorial Psalm PS 132:11, 12, 13-14, 17-18

R. (13) The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
The LORD swore to David
a firm promise from which he will not withdraw:
"Your own offspring
I will set upon your throne."
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
"If your sons keep my covenant
and the decrees which I shall teach them,
Their sons, too, forever
shall sit upon your throne."
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he prefers her for his dwelling.
"Zion is my resting place forever;
in her will I dwell, for I prefer her."
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.
"In her will I make a horn to sprout forth for David;
I will place a lamp for my anointed.
His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but upon him my crown shall shine."
R. The Lord has chosen Zion for his dwelling.

Alleluia MT 5:3

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel MT 6:19-23

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.
But store up treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

"The lamp of the body is the eye.
If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness.
And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be."

If…Then….

June 21, 2018

I recently had a friend give me some wise advice. She said, “Say less in your prayer time. Just sit, lean against Jesus and say, ‘Jesus, you love me.’” Saying less is a difficult concept to understand especially when we think the whole point of prayer is to have a conversation with God; basically “I tell you what I need, God, and you give it to me!” Jesus reminds us today that God already knows what we need before we even ask, and the point of prayer is for the transformation of our own hearts, minds, and wills, not to “babble on like the pagans”. He gives us the “Our Father” as a template, if you will, for our prayer time.

This is how you are to pray…”Our Father…” right away and yet again, Jesus wants to establish that we are to be in communion with one another, hence the use of the word “Our” in regards to the Father. He invites us to be family with Him and with one another as the first order of business in our prayer life. One little word can hold the entire universe! This call to communion is followed by seven petitions that pretty much cover it all:

1. Hallowed Be Your Name | First, we acknowledge God as holy, honorable, beautiful, good. Praise, praise, praise. 
2. Your Kingdom Come | We ask God to be the sovereign of our hearts, minds, and wills so that the kingdom of love will reign. 
3. Your Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven | We want God’s will to direct our lives.
4. Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread | The Greek word for daily is translated “super substantial” and this petition asks God to give us all that we need to be fortified super substantially in body and spirit.
5. Forgive Us Our Trespasses As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us | We are asking God to only forgive us as much as we forgive others! Sit with that a minute. It just got real y’all.
6. Lead Us Not Into Temptation | Jesus knows that sin and temptation are very much a part of our daily lives and so he wants us to acknowledge that in our prayer so that we will allow grace to win over those tests.
7. Deliver Us From Evil | Deliverance from evil is probably one of God’s favorite things to do, but we have to ask Him for it. This deliverance is from all our sins, past, present, and future. 

How amazing is it that one prayer can cover all our needs and that one prayer has united all Christians for over two thousand years. The apostles and all the early Christians prayed it and so do we. Jesus is communion. 

In Confirmation Class I used these seven petitions as an outline and would have our candidates re-write their own version of the “Our Father.” I encourage you to do this same thing some time in the next week. It is a beautiful exercise. When we know something so well and by memory, we can often fall into the trap of not really praying it with meaning and the very soul of the prayer is lost in our rote recitation. Reworking the words, but keeping the petition in place, is a great way to revitalize this prayer that covers all. 

I titled this post “If…Then…” because of the very last line in today’s gospel: "If you forgive others their transgressions,(then) your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others,neither will your Father forgive your transgressions." If Jesus continually emphasizes forgiveness, reconciliation, and mercy, then I will also continue to emphasize it. Peace be with you. Have a super substantial day and it is well with my soul.

Memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious
Lectionary: 368

Reading 1 SIR 48:1-14

Like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah
whose words were as a flaming furnace.
Their staff of bread he shattered,
in his zeal he reduced them to straits;
By the Lord's word he shut up the heavens
and three times brought down fire.
How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!
Whose glory is equal to yours?
You brought a dead man back to life
from the nether world, by the will of the LORD.
You sent kings down to destruction,
and easily broke their power into pieces.
You brought down nobles, from their beds of sickness.
You heard threats at Sinai,
at Horeb avenging judgments.
You anointed kings who should inflict vengeance,
and a prophet as your successor.
You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses.
You were destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,
To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons,
and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.
Blessed is he who shall have seen you
And who falls asleep in your friendship.
For we live only in our life,
but after death our name will not be such.
O Elijah, enveloped in the whirlwind!

Then Elisha, filled with the twofold portion of his spirit,
wrought many marvels by his mere word.
During his lifetime he feared no one,
nor was any man able to intimidate his will.
Nothing was beyond his power;
beneath him flesh was brought back into life.
In life he performed wonders,
and after death, marvelous deeds.

Responsorial Psalm PS 97:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7

R. (12a) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him,
justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Fire goes before him
and consumes his foes round about.
His lightnings illumine the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
All who worship graven things are put to shame,
who glory in the things of nought;
all gods are prostrate before him.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

Alleluia ROM 8:15BC

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You have received a spirit of adoption as sons
through which we cry: Abba! Father!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMT 6:7-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
"In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

"This is how you are to pray:

'Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.'

"If you forgive others their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions."