and they sent

Tuesday, May 5, 2009 Easter Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Acts 11:19-26 Psalm 87:1-7 John 10:22-30

 

Acts 11:22  News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch

 

It would appear that the church was centered in Jerusalem.  We know that Jesus said first Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria and then the outer parts of the earth.  When word came that people were being converted the church sent representatives to make sure that they were on the right track and to bless them.

Today we have lost the concept of a single church that reaches out to the outer parts of the earth.  Nobody wants to be blessed by the single central church.  We all want to be our own church.  But that doesn’t appear to be the way it was in the time of the Apostles.

 

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to respect the tradition and history of the church, the body of Christ.  Help me to put away my pride and obey the word that you have given us.

Amen

that man is a thief and a robber

Monday, May 4, 2009 Easter Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Acts 11:1-18 Ps 42:2-3; 43:3-4 John 10:1-10 or 10:11-18

 

John 10:1  "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber;

 

This has perhaps caused much debate over the centuries.  We must enter through the door, but what is the door?  Jesus says he is the door.  But what does that mean?

I think that it means that he is the one that gets to decide who goes in and out.  We like to think that we can be saved by our knowledge of Christ, but he doesn’t say that we are saved through knowledge, but through him.  We must then, be with him.  How do we get to be with him?  According to Jesus it is through obedience to his word.  That is what it comes down to.  The thief and robber would like to make their own rules rather than follow Jesus’.  They will tell us all sorts of things that contradict what Jesus has said.  We must be careful who we listen to, a charismatic speaker, or Jesus.

 

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to listen and to know that it is you speaking and then give me the strength to follow.

Amen

God blessed the seventh day

Friday, May 1, 2009 St. Joseph the Worker (Optional Memorial)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Genesis 1:26-31--2:1-3/Colossians 3:14-15, 17, 23-24 Psalm 90:2-4, 12-14, 16 Matthew 13:54-58

 

Genesis 2:3  So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all his work which he had done in creation.

 

God blessed the seventh day.  What do we do with that?  Play football?  Go to sporting events and other social activities?  Do we work?  Do we shop?  How do we recognize the seventh day that God himself blessed.  Maybe we just don’t stop to think about that.  God blessed the seventh day.  In fact one of the ten commandments is to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. What does it mean to keep it holy?

To keep something holy is to set it apart and keep it pure of other distractions.  Our culture has become almost totally secular.  Yes, even the church does not do a good job at this.  We complain if service is too long because we have places to go, people to see, things to do.  We have too many distractions to get to.  How can we spend time and energy keeping the Sabbath holy?

 

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to keep the Sabbath holy.  Help me to not put all the distractions of life before you and remembrance of what you have done.

Amen