Whispers – Daily Mass Quotes begins after this Intro.
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Elijah’s Whisper – My Whisper
Then the LORD said (to Elijah), “Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD; the LORD will be passing by.” A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the LORD – but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake – but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was fire – but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak and went and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, “Elijah, why are you here?” 1 Kings 19:11-13
Why are YOU here, beloved?
Was it to discover magnificent colors? Was it to find colorful music or awesome videos? Was it just curiosity? Was it accidental? Were you really looking for God, for Hope, for true LOVE somewhere in this menagerie we call the web?
Or were you just hiding in a cave, waiting on the Lord to Whisper in your ear – a Word – LIFE! Life, it’s in You! And YOU are beautiful in the Eyes of God, no matter what the world may say or think.
You are Loved!!
Every day the Lord whispers in our ears – Words of HOPE, Words of LOVE, and maybe not even words – just His JOY in our hearts.
Let’s follow the Scriptures of our daily Mass and see if we can catch those Words – simple but beautiful – Whispers to the Wind . . .
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06-30-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 30, 2016
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.” Mt_9:1-8
With every oops, if we repent (say we won’t do it again), and believe, Jesus will forgive – that’s FAITH. Have faith beloved. And keep on getting stronger. Jesus loves you infinitely!
06-29-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 29, 2016
(Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles)
Then Peter recovered his senses and said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting.” Acts_12:1-11
I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. . . . The Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. 2_Tm_4:6-8,17-18
The Lord stands by me, rescues me, encourages me and sends me to tell the world – that He will do that for them too!
06-28-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 28, 2016
(St. Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr)
The disciples woke Jesus saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm. Mt_8:23-27
When the waves and sea seem to be overwhelming you, beloved, seek the Lord Jesus and have faith. This too will pass! And all will be calm again!
06-27-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 27, 2016
Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But Jesus answered him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.” Mt_8:18-22
Sometimes following Jesus means letting go of what drags us down, what holds us back. It means dropping off the dead wood and growing. Sometimes that dead wood may be events of the past, regrets, anger, hatred, disappointment. Sometimes it may be encumbering relationships. Follow me, Jesus says. And let the dead bury their dead! You, come and grow!
06-26-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 26, 2016
(13th Sunday Ordinary Time C)
Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” Lk_9:51-62
Always keep on moving forward, beloved. The past is gone. If we hadn’t learned anything from it, we will surely get another chance to learn it all over again. And if we have, we will surely get to see the rest of the world, chance after chance, never learn anything from it. But we WILL be one step closer to paradise ourselves. Keep on keeping on! And don’t look back! Amen!
06-25-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 25, 2016
The centurion said (to Jesus) in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. . . .” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.” Mt_8:5-17
So what was it that so impressed Jesus about this man’s faith? Well to begin with, he was not even a Jew, and yet he still believed Jesus had the power/ability to heal his servant. Next, he respected the Jewish rules of entry into non-Jewish, gentile homes. If Jesus entered the Centurion’s home he would have been made unclean and would have had to go through a lengthy process to be made clean again. And the Centurion respected that fact. Finally, the Centurion knew that the Word of Jesus would be as effective in following Jesus’ command as his soldiers were to following his commands. That’s faith!
Do we believe in Jesus like that, beloved? We repeat these words of the Centurion with every Eucharist we celebrate! “. . . ONLY SAY THE WORD!” Want healing, beloved?
BELIEVE!!!
06-24-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 24, 2016
(Nativity of St. John the Baptist)
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. . . .
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. Is_49:1-6
That was John. That is Jesus. And this is all of us, as well, beloved! God’s sword and God’s salvation! Jesus said, “Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations . . . “ Mt_28:19
We are called to be servants of God, but even more than that!
We are called to be “A LIGHT to the nations.”
Do we have troubles in our world today, beloved?
All the more, the world needs OUR Light!
The LIGHT of Christ!
Called from my mother’s womb!
For, “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.” Ps 139
Chosen, Called, and Sent . . .
That is – ALL of us!
Let’s bring His love back into our hungry world!
06-22-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 22, 2016
(St. Thomas More, Martyr)
. . . 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. 2_Kgs_22:8-13;23:1-3
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 thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?” Mt_7:15-20
There’s something very hopeful in our readings today, even though they may sound a little harsh and foreboding. To begin with, Jesus is warning His disciples to be very cautious of what we might call: ‘snake-oil salesmen.‘
De Piskijker
We all remember those door-to-door people who would offer you the world, and then after you’d spent your life savings, you’d come to find out, that all you got for your time and money was a little bottle of dirty water.
And it really IS no different today. As a matter of fact, it’s actually much worse. Because today’s snake-oil salesmen, come with deceiving titles like pro-choice, affordable healthcare, and presidential candidates, that affect – not only us, but the whole country.
So, just as in the days of Jesus, we need to be very careful with whose agenda we choose to follow.
I usually tell people who aren’t real familiar with the Scriptures, that we can easily distinguish between the works of Satan and the works of God.
– If it has anything to do with compassion, unity and life, it’s most likely from God.
– But if it has anything to do with hatred, separation and death, you can guarantee – it’s from the evil one.
And just like Jesus, we won’t point fingers, but, as the saying goes: “you can’t get grapes from a thorn bush, or figs from a thistle.” And our country has been undermined by thorns and thistles for quite some time now.
And yet, straight from the readings of the Old Testament, we can find Hope. You see, the nation of Israel, back in the days of God’s prophets and kings, had very much fallen away from believing in God. And it all stemmed from a lack of leadership coming from the kings who ruled their nation.
Looking at the descendants of King David, we would see some kings who worshiped idols, and some who would lead the people back to God. King Josiah, who was ruling Israel at the time of today’s reading, was one of those “good” kings who worked at bringing the people back to the Lord.
After generations of idol-worshiping kings before him, King Josiah showed – how it truly was possible to change a Culture – at least for the lifetime of a good king. King Josiah began by rebuilding God’s Temple that had fallen into ruin.
Then, by supporting the priests and the people, Josiah accepted the long forgotten – precepts and laws of God. And he made sure that the people followed those laws, not only for their own good, but for the good of the whole nation.
So today, instead of hopelessly picturing our whole country, and our whole world doomed, with bad leadership, the story of Josiah gives us the Hope, that it IS possible – to rebuild a world which seems to have lost all sense of morality and common sense. And that’s important for our children and our grandchildren, and even for ourselves.
So, we never give up hope.
We keep on praying and modeling
the love of Jesus to everyone.
And we always remember to cautiously discern the snake-oil salesmen from the true children of God,
. . . loving them all in the process!
06-21-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 21, 2016
Jesus said, “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.” Mt_7:6,12-14
The Golden Rule.
So when we move from the “don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you” to the “Do for others what you’d like for them to do for you,” you know what we’ll find, beloved? Sometimes they won’t do that good back to us. Sometimes they’ll even hurt us in return, instead.
That’s when we need to move on to: “Don’t do to others what they’ve provoked in you and deserve in return.” That’s the hard one. Because then we move from mother nature, from the laws of physics, to the Laws of God. And that’s “the narrow gate!”
And in order to ever get there, it takes a LOT of practice. Practice on the little things, like overcoming the driving ‘e-jots’, and the rudeness in the stores. Fasting and abstinence helps too. Then we can move on to the real hurts. The ones we’re supposed to forgive and love anyway.
Then, let’s all meet on the other side of that narrow gate – in the paradise where there is no more hurting and evil!!!
Amen? Amen!!!
06-20-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 20, 2016
Jesus said, “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?” Mt_7:1-5
Well, we probably could excuse it away, saying they didn’t have mirrors in those days. But on the other hand, they probably did. And that gives us absolutely no excuse today.
So why is it, that we really can see other people’s splinters so much easier than our own? You see, beloved, Jesus really is our mirror. If we can learn to look back at ourselves through the mirror of Jesus’ eyes, what would we see then? If there are splinters, (which I know, I myself have a regular wood chest full of), then let’s start working on those first. Jesus will surely help us. And then when we finally begin to see others through that lens of Jesus, instead of seeing the errors, we will see the beauty. And in His compassion we will love them until those errors just fade away!
06-19-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 19, 2016
(12th Sunday Ordinary Time C)
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water. Ps 63
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Today’s Responsorial Psalm.
Oh the love!
Link to today’s Homily: “Take Up Your Cross”
06-18-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 18, 2016
Jesus said to his disciples: “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. . . . Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” Mt_6:24-34
Spoiled! We’re living in a very spoiled culture. We have worked so very hard to be able to provide our families with the very best life has to offer. And in the process, we have grown children who have no respect for ‘the effort.’ No respect for responsibility. No respect for pretty much anything. Gimmee, Gimmee, Gimmee.
And then, when we have two presidential candidates saying “Here, Here,” our gimmee, gimmee kids are screaming yes, yes, without ever evaluating what it’s going to take, or who the “here, here” is going to hurt in the process. It’s just a sorry state of affairs. And I don’t know if there is any way that WE can turn it all around.
And that’s where we need God in the picture again.
You see, Jesus hit the nail on the head by saying that we can’t serve both God and ourselves. Only ONE can be king of our lives. So then we might ask, which one has the greater power? Which one has the greater love? Which one has the greater mercy? I know in my case, at least, there is no question as to the right answer! Bye, bye mammon!
BE in His love always, beloved!
And all this He will provide, besides!
06-17-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 17, 2016
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. Mt_6:19-23
In our world today, there are so many sources of darkness, that if we allow them to overcome us, our lives themselves will become filled with despair.
And we may not even realize that what’s being fed into our eyes, and our ears, and our hearts IS darkness. But it is there, whether we like it or not: from the obnoxious, pounding music coming from the car next to us at the traffic light, to the suggestive billboards on the highway; from the headlines in our newspapers and magazines to the sensationalized, and biased, and bigoted remarks on the radio and TV news. It’s all darkness that wounds our souls.
So, how do we avoid it all?
And what can we do to protect ourselves?
Jesus gives us the answer in our Gospel reading today. He says, “Where your treasure is, there also, will your heart be.”
If our Treasure is this beautiful, blue pearl of earth that we inhabit, we could get very discouraged when we see that same environment abused and misused. And that’s the darkness.
And yet, on the other hand, if we focus on all of the efforts we’ve employed to preserve nature; things like emissions controls, creative waste treatment, and our use of clean, natural energy resources, the picture becomes a lot brighter. It truly IS a wonderful Treasure.
But then again, should the Earth BE our primary Treasure? Will it offer to us, or to God, any kind of eternal reward?
So, OK, then what if our Treasure is Humanity, instead? We could still get very discouraged when we hear about wars and riots, about natural disasters and all of this erratic craziness we keep seeing.
And yet, on the other hand, IF we truly look, we will also find remarkable examples of caring, and volunteerism, and sacrifice to help one another; not only in times of trouble, but ALL the time, and All over the globe! It’s a beautiful Treasure.
But, should even humanity BE our primary Treasure? Will it offer to us, or to God, any kind of eternal reward?
You see, mankind has Treasured material existence since the very beginning of time, even to the extent of actually worshiping material gods. And mankind has worshiped other humans in the forms of god-like heroes, and kings, and warriors, as long as we can remember.
But Jesus is telling us today, that our Treasure needs to be greater than the material planet and even greater than our fellow human family.
Our Treasure actually needs to be
God Himself.
But then we might argue, that God is IN nature, and that God is IN our fellow humans. And if that’s our stance, then you see, brothers and sisters, we truly ARE well on our way to finding that Treasure and to understanding that IN God there really is NO darkness.
If we can keep our focus on God, on Jesus, and on the Sacred Scriptures that God uses to teach us about Himself and about ourselves, then that Treasure has penetrated our very hearts. And rather than allowing the darkness of everything else to overwhelm us, God’s Light instead, will be shining FROM our eyes into the darkness, to make that Nature and that Humanity – BE – the Kingdom we so desperately seek.
For where our treasure is, there also, will our hearts be!
06-16-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 16, 2016
St. Paul wrote, “You have received a spirit of adoption as sons through which we cry: Abba! Father!” Rom_8:15bc
Jesus said to his disciples: “This is how you are to pray:
‘Our Father who art in heaven,
1. hallowed be thy name,
2. thy Kingdom come,
3. thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
4. Give us this day our daily bread; and
5. forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and
6. lead us not into temptation,but
7. deliver us from evil.’ Mt_6:7-15
The Seven Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer:
The first series of petitions carries us toward Him, for His own sake: thy Name, thy Kingdom, thy Will! It is characteristic of love to think first of the one whom we love. CCC 2804
The second series of petitions unfolds with the same movement as certain Eucharistic epicleses: as an offering up of our expectations, that draws down upon itself the eyes of the Father of mercies. They go up from us and concern us from this very moment, in our present world: “give us . . . forgive us . . . lead us not … deliver us….” the fourth and fifth petitions concern our life as such – to be fed and to be healed of sin; the last two concern our battle for the victory of life – that battle of prayer. CCC 2805
Greater meaning for the words we pray so often.
(CCC = Catechism of the Catholic Church)
06-15-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 15, 2016
Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here; the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.” “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you,” Elisha replied. And so the two went on together. 2_Kgs_2:1,6-14
. . The unbreakable bond of fellowship . .
. . when the two stopped at the Jordan, . . . Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up and struck the water, which divided, and both crossed over on dry ground. ibid
Now, that sounds familiar (Moses at the Sea, Joshua at the Jordan River).
. . . As they walked on conversing, a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. ibid
That’s how I want to go too! And it doesn’t even have to be real flaming horses and a chariot. I’ll even be happy with an LED flashlight in a Ford Mustang. Just quick and painless!
After Elijah was gone, Elisha went back and stood at the bank of the Jordan. Wielding the mantle that had fallen from Elijah, Elisha struck the water in his turn and said, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” When Elisha struck the water it divided and he crossed over. ibid
Now, that’s pretty cool!
Jesus said to his disciples: “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. Mt_6:1-6,16-18
Ahhhhh, not for the show. Not for OUR glory, but ALL for the Glory of God! Use me Lord, however you like!
06-14-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 14, 2016
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. Mt_5:43-48
We’ve been hearing a lot lately about Mercy! And it’s been coming, not only from the Vatican, but from our Scriptures as well. We heard about David, Bathsheba and Uriah on Sunday. We heard about Ahab, Jezebel and Naboth on Monday. And today we hear Jesus telling us to love our enemies. It’s not easy, living this Christian life. It almost feels – against human nature not to lash out at those who hurt us. And our culture promotes it (revenge) to the extreme.
As Christians we have to ask ourselves – is it truly worth it to drag that enemy down into the fires of hell, knowing that in doing so, it will be our eternal home as well? I know, sometimes the hurt is so intense, that we don’t even care. But God DOES care. He really doesn’t want ANY one of us to have to suffer THAT! And that’s why, sometimes, His recommendations, His commandments, even seem to hurt themselves! But it’s well worth the listen, beloved! It’s well worth the following. God will repair it all in the end! Mercy is not necessarily forgiveness of an unrepentant sinner. It may just be our un-revenged acceptance of God’s justice – that’s mercy! Trust in God, beloved. Don’t let Satan drag us into the same evil that has befallen us. LOVE.
Love will conquer all!
06-13-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 13, 2016
(St. Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church)
Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said,
‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.” Mt_5:38-42
Just reminded me of another quote I read a couple days ago from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans:
If possible, on your part, live at peace with all. Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Rather, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink . . . ” Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good. Rom_12:18-21
Love Conquers!
06-12-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 12, 2016
(11th Sunday Ordinary Time C)
Three beautiful quotes today, too good to miss:
Having been confronted with the fact that God sees and knows everything, David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan answered David: “The LORD on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die.” 2_Sm_12:7-10,13
Oh the anguish of unrepented sin! Oh the joy of God’s mercy in our repentance! Help us, Lord, to find all those hidden errors we’ve made, that may be holding us back from loving you to the absolute fullest.
St. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me.” Gal_2:16,19-21
Jesus said to the sinful woman who risked her life to anoint His feet, “woman, Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Lk_7:36—8:3
He is our Light and our Salvation!
Love, repent and live in His Joy!
06-10-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 10, 2016
A voice said to Elijah, “Elijah, why are you here?” He replied, “I have been most zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. But the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to the sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.” 1_Kgs_19:9a,11-16
Why are you hiding in this cave, Elijah? They’re trying to kill me, God, and I don’t want to die yet!
But wait just a minute. Don’t you remember the Israelites chased by the Egyptians up to the Red Sea. Don’t you remember the giant, Goliath who was taunting the Israelites? Don’t you remember David and Absalom?
Yes Lord. But what about the Jews in the holocaust? What about the Christians in Rwanda and China? What about all the martyred Saints? Look what happened to them.
Oh, Elijah, they’re all right here with Me. Don’t you see, there’s nothing they can do to you that Jesus hasn’t gone through. There’s nothing they can do to you that can keep you away from me. So keep on proclaiming. And keep on loving. And keep on believing. And there will be nothing that can stop you. You are mine! Now and forever!
06-09-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 9, 2016
Jesus said, “. . . if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” Mt_5:20-26
God doesn’t want half-hearted love. If we can’t love our brothers, whom we may even be at odds with, then how can we love God? God wants all of us. So, give away any anger or animosity we have for others, beloved, and let God refresh our souls. Then, tell Him, how much we love Him – and our love will be true!
06-08-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 8, 2016
Elijah appealed to all the people and said, “How long will you straddle the issue? If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him.” Then after challenging the prophets of Baal to a holocaust duel, and Baal failed to come through, Elijah prepared his altar and triple doused it with water, after which: The LORD’s fire came down and consumed the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust, and it lapped up the water in the trench. Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said, “The LORD is God! The LORD is God!” 1_Kgs_18:20-39
Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law, until all things have taken place. Mt_5:17-19
In the Fifth Chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus had just described the characteristics of what it takes to be blessed or happy in His Kingdom. We call those characteristics or attributes – The Beatitudes. And in them, Jesus tells us that in order to be blessed, we need to be spiritually poor, meek, humble, righteous, merciful, compassionate, peacemakers, and maybe even end up persecuted for our belief in Him.
It was all, just the opposite of the way the Pharisees and Sadducees conducted themselves. And it probably made His listeners pretty confused as to who they were supposed to follow. They were walking that ‘fine line,‘ ‘straddling that fence,‘ between Belief in Jesus, or those Jewish leaders.
Today Jesus makes it pretty clear that He’s not changing anything that God, His Father, had already taught them. And He’s also making it obvious that they cannot ‘walk the fence’ between following God’s Commandments or not.
It’s all or nothing.
The Prophet Elijah makes the same statement to the early Israelites. Those people were pretty stressed after enduring a very long period of drought . . . And they were very confused and misguided by the most evil King and Queen their nation had ever experienced, Ahab and Jezabel.
You see, they were straddling the fence between still believing in the LORD who saved them from 400-years of slavery in Egypt, or putting their trust in a pagan statue called Baal.
So God used Elijah, just as He used Moses and all the Prophets, to wow and to woo His people back into belief.
It’s funny how fickle and short-memoried we can be. We love to be wowed by things we don’t understand: our July 4th fireworks, our tiny computers and phones, our self-driving cars, and our politicians, still promising freedom, when behind our backs they keep taking it away. And then, we’re woo’d into letting these be our gods.
And, in no time at all, we’ve forgotten all about: the Fire from heaven, the Splitting open of the sea, the Multiplication of the loaves and the Resurrection of the dead. And here we are – back into the human sacrifice of abortion and defending the immorality that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
You see, our world seems to have forgotten that: Only God can keep us safe; Only in God can we find true freedom and hope; And that only in keeping His Commandments of Love, will we ever attain the Peace of His Kingdom.
But praise be to God, brothers and sisters, that WE remember. otherwise we wouldn’t even be here. You see, we’re never too young, and we’re never too old to wow and to woo this world back to God with His Love.
And that’s exactly why we are here!
06-07-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 7, 2016
Jesus said, “your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” Mt_5:13-16
06-06-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 6, 2016
The LORD is your guardian; the LORD is your shade; he is beside you at your right hand. The sun shall not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will guard you from all evil; he will guard your life. The LORD will guard your coming and your going, both now and forever. Ps 121
Oh how that tempter is always right there, sitting on our left shoulder, trying to get us into trouble. He’s there in what we listen to. He’s there in what we watch. He’s there in what we think and say.
But we DO have a protector! The LORD is our guardian! And unlike the rest of the fable – the Lord is not sitting there on our right shoulder – He’s deep within our very hearts. We don’t need someone shouting in our right ears as someone else is shouting on our left. We KNOW, at that very moment, when we are being pointed in the wrong direction. And then we have the choice. God gave us free will because He loves us so very much! So we can choose to listen to our inner protector, or not. And OH, it is SO very freeing when we listen. What an awesome life obedience is, because God loves us and ALL He’s about – is our good. And for that we give Him thanks!
06-05-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 5, 2016
(10th Sunday Ordinary Time C)
When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Lk_7:11-17
Jesus will give us whatever we need, sometimes without even asking! The woman in this story would have been destitute, abandoned and helpless without her son. Jesus saw her agony. It was not only the loss of a son, but the loss of all her support. This is why we live in Christian community. We have a support system. And it’s all centered on the love of Jesus.
What would Jesus have done?
This afternoon, on my return home from an earlier diocese activity, I had to bop in and out of Church to drop off my vestments. As I arrived I noticed that there were many cars in the parking lot. (So my mind goes – “Oh no, looks like a wedding – it just may be that I cannot get to the vestry because that is where the bride dresses.” I really just wanted to get home after that long morning.)
So I tried anyway and of course the Lord allowed my entry. And in the process I got to bless a beautiful bride and her wedding party. Then, with all the hustle and bustle of activity just prior to a wedding, as I was leaving, I was stopped by the bride’s mother who was frantic about set-up of the altar area.
Funny how sometimes, our minds are just not exactly where they should be with the Lord. I just wanted to get home. I didn’t want to get involved in all the mess of someone else’s wedding (which I wasn’t invited to anyway). And yet, there I was, a resource. And instead of raising that dead boy myself, I just gave her the information she needed to “do it themselves,” and promptly continued on my own mission (to get home). Arggggh.
So it haunts me the rest of the day. Mom and dad shouldn’t have had to worry about those trivialities – in the midst of all their own anxiety at their daughter’s wedding. Maybe they got one of those strapping young guys to do it. Maybe they just had to do it themselves. All I can say is shame on the priest who promised to have set it up himself, or have it set up by someone other than the parents of the bride. Shame on me who could have, but didn’t help very much in a pinch. But praise the Lord, mom thought of it! And praise the Lord, all said and done, I’m sure it all came out just wonderfully! At least I pray it did!
Just a reminder, AGAIN, that we need to have these minds of ours open to all kinds of unexpected “opportunities” to help others, no matter what we may think our priorities may be, just as Jesus did with this hopeless mother of a dead son. Praise be to God for second, and third, and 70 x 7 more chances.
06-04-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 4, 2016
(Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
Finding their son after three days of searching, Mary said to Jesus, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. Lk_2:41-51
Funny, the incredible anxiety we have when we’ve lost someone we really care about. And then there’s the irony that the lost person was never really lost anyway (in their own minds). They knew where they were all along. They were in the toy aisle playing, they were in the temple chatting, they were in the field that all the other sheep had not yet grazed in. Jesus would later speak about the lost sheep (as we heard yesterday). Funny how things all come around in the end. When He was young, Jesus WAS the lost sheep – to His parents. And when he got older he spoke of how He himself would leave all the others to find that lost one. And we’ve all lived those same experiences. And we all, just like Mary, keep all those things in our hearts. That’s called growth!
06-03-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 3, 2016
(Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus)
The LORD spoke through the Prophet Ezekiel saying, “I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD. The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy, shepherding them rightly.” Ez_34:11-16
The Lord, Jesus, in telling the Pharisees a parable, said, “‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.” Lk_15:3-7
You know what, beloved? There is such an immense amount of love there by our God for us, that we can’t even imagine it. Messed up? God forgives. Lost? God finds. Hurt? God heals. All we need do is believe. Call out for His help, His mercy, His love! It’s always there!
And then, pass it on!
06-02-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 2, 2016
(Sts. Marcellinus and Peter)
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mk_12:28-34
Love God and love your neighbor. Could life really be that difficult that we can’t follow these two simple commandments. No “but what ifs.”
06-01-16 Catholic Daily Mass Quotes
June 1, 2016
(Saint Justin, Martyr)
God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, 2_Tm_1:1-3, 6-12
Power, Love and Self-control! And all we have to do is recognize it! What’s to be ashamed of.
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Happy June, beloved!
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