Unless stated und
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:1-12
Max Lucado has written a wonderful book about the Beatitudes called The Applause of Heaven. Here’s an excerpt from the first chapter:
“Matthew 5 describes God’s radical reconstruction of the heart.\
Observe the sequence.
First, we recognize we are in need (we’re poor in spirit).
Next, we repent of our self-sufficiency (we mourn).
We quit calling the shots and surrender control to God (we’re meek).
So grateful are we for his presence that we yearn for more of him (we hunger and thirst). As we grow closer to him, we become more like him.
We forgive others (we’re merciful).
We change our outlook (we’re pure in heart).
We love others (we’re peacemakers).
We endure injustice (we’re persecuted).
It’s no casual shift of attitude. It is a demolition of the old structure and a creation of the new. The more radical the change, the greater the joy. And it’s worth every effort, for this is the joy of God.”
er the daily entry, assume that St. Mary's Faith Formation Director Cary Brown wrote the reflection.
Monday, June 9
Thursday, June 5
Beloved: Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my Gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen,
so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory.
This saying is trustworthy:
If we have died with him we shall also live with him;
if we persevere we shall also reign with him.
But if we deny him he will deny us.
If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
Remind people of these things and charge them before God to stop disputing about words.
This serves no useful purpose since it harms those who listen. Be eager to present yourself as acceptable to God, a workman who causes no disgrace, imparting the word of truth without deviation.
2 Timothy 2:8-15
If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.
What a consolation, comfort, source of hope that Scripture is!
God is love and he can’t be otherwise…
No matter what bad choices I make or how far away I slip and slide into the busyness of my life, God is there – faithful and loving.
Now, as a Christian, I am to become like Him.
How faithful am I to loving the people in my life? Even though they may not act the way I would like, am I faithful to loving them? Even though they may not make the choices I want them to make, am I faithful to loving them? Even though they may ignore me at times, am I faithful to loving them? Even though they may hurt me, am I faithful to loving them?
We are challenged to give the gifts we have been given – how freely do I give the gift of God’s faithfulness to me?
Tuesday, June 3
Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech. They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion. You do not regard a person’s status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.” They brought one to him and he said to them,
“Whose image and inscription is this?” They replied to him, “Caesar’s.” So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” They were utterly amazed at him.
Mark 12:13-17
“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” Now that’s a mouthful when you stop to think about it!!!
Repay to Caesar today means repay to the government, I think. We get roads to drive on, help in a fire or an accident, police protection, assistance in crises, a court system, etc. etc. etc. We repay those services by paying taxes. Many families these days are repaying that with our men going to war for a year or more at a time – some even repaying with their lives. That repayment makes sense.
But repaying God – now that’s a different story! God gives us life. God gives us our talents and gifts. God gives us a body that normally is a miracle in itself – all the bones and blood vessels and muscles and senses and nerves etc. working together to allow us to do all the wonderful things we can do! But even more important – God gives us salvation. He gave us his only son. And that son taught us how to live – really live! He gives us hope and faith and grace and love. And he gives us the promise of eternal life! – with Him!!!!
How do you repay all that ????!!!!!!!!
We pay our taxes, knowing we need to do that. We complain about it, but we know it needs to be done.
How about God? Do we think about how to repay him? Do we even realize it needs to be done?
Monday, May 5
The disciples said to Jesus, “Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.
Now we realize that you know everything and that you do not need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now? Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”
John 16:29-33
Do you believe now?
Do you believe that God watches over you every minute of every day and night?
Do you believe that God loves you more than you could ever imagine?
Do you believe that God has gifted you with gifts and talents for the good of the community?
Do you believe that God longs for you to be with him in heaven?
When we believe, when we trust God, there is peace.
When we believe, when we trust God, we have the courage to find our way through any trouble that may come our way.
Do you believe?
Friday, May 2
This was written by Sallie Culbreth as found on her website www.commitedtofreedom.org . While it is written for survivors of abuse, Sallie has a lot to say about prayer for all of us.
Prayer is a funny thing, especially for abuse survivors. You beg. You bargain. You praise. You worship. You stop talking. You can't stop talking. You repent. You rant. You rage. You rejoice. Sometimes your practice of prayer creates expectations that can leave you feeling devastated, abandoned, and confused. Perhaps that is because we don't have a good visual image of what prayer is like.
In the Hebrew Bible, when people offered sacrifices, the burning of incense accompanied the sacrifice. The smoke rising from that incense filled the air with its aroma, the idea being that it would ultimately reach the throne of God and please him. Later, in the New Testament, the burning of incense is plainly representative of prayer reaching God.
If you've ever burned incense, the way the smoke rises is quite hypnotic. Rarely does it go straight up. It twists and curls, traverses up and down on the invisible currents of air, and dissipates as it travels away from its source. The fragrance then fills each corner of the room and returns to you. When it returns, it no longer looks like smoke. It is sensed in another way. The room may be a bit hazy, but the beautiful scent comes at you from everywhere at once.
Your connection with God is like incense. It is ignited by your life circumstances, by your need to reach God, by your devotion and passion. Your prayer, the conduit of this connection, twists and curls around your spirit, it traverses up and down on the invisible currents as God's spirit escorts it, and it seems to become diffused as time, space, and situations pull at you. You may feel abandoned or even foolish until you notice something unusual. It has returned to you. Not because it has been rejected, but because God travels across your sorrows, your loneliness, your damage, to fill a space in your soul with comfort, beauty, strength, courage, and wonder.
The next time you pray, picture that incense smoke pulling your prayer beyond your spirit and filling God's heart with the essence of your heart. Then picture God's spirit enveloping your broken heart with his sweet love, his peace, his strength, and his love. That delicious fragrance of your prayer and God's spirit surrounding you has one more aspect. It overtakes the foul stench of shattered dreams and damaged hope.
"The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. " Revelation 8:4