neither will they be convinced

Thursday, February 28, 2013 Lenten Weekday

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Jeremiah 17:5-10 Psalm 1:1-4, 6 Luke 16:19-31

Luke 16:31  He said to him, `If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.'"

As time goes on I am more and more convinced that we are more and more unable to be convinced or persuaded by rational, logical discourse.  We seem to have formed our biases and opinions and there is no amount of logic or facts that can move us.  We hang on to our agendas and see only what we want to see.  This has become very frustrating.  But it apparently is nothing new.  Abraham was well aware of it and of course Jesus telling this story was obviously aware of it.  If we don't listen to the Moses and the prophets we will not even be persuaded if someone were to be raised from the dead.  And you know what?!  He is right.  Today, people reject the one that was raised from the dead.  We think the government is going to save us.  We put our faith in the lies of men and we neglect the facts of Christ.
It is commonly accepted that this generation is far smarter than past generations.  I would say that we are getting stupider and stupider.  We have thrown away logic.  The so called smartest among us have forgotten the basics they learned when they were children.  They have become so "smart" that they are just plain stupid.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to see and embrace the truth.  Help me to not fall  prey to the deception of human solutions to our neglect of your truth.
Amen

not by constraint

Friday, February 22, 2013 The Chair of St. Peter, Apostle (Feast)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: 1 Peter 5:1-4 Psalm 23:1-6 Matthew 16:13-19

1 Peter 5:2 Tend the flock of God that is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly,

If only this was our first instinct, and if only the politicians and "leaders" of our culture could get what is being said here.  We look to people we call leaders, but they often are not leaders, they are controllers.  A leader is someone who sets the example for the followers, not some one who prescribes something for others that they are not willing to accept themselves.  How much better the world might be if the way we got people to follow was to actually do it our selves and inspire them to follow.  But, our first instinct is always to make a law that forces others to do what we want them to do, yet we are not willing to do it unless everybody else has to do it.
A leader is some one who is out there on their own, vulnerable and visible and at risk.  Maybe people will follow, maybe they will not.  A coward is someone who makes a law that everybody else be put at risk so that the "leader" can make a profit or get re-elected.
Oh, and good leaders are also good followers by definition.  A leader who has not demonstrated a willingness to follow is just a person that is looking out for themselves.  Good leaders are led by God.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to know and to be what it takes to be a leader in the areas that you call me to lead.  Help me to not look for consensus and profit, or even success, but to follow your example in Christ Jesus.
Amen

I know my transgressions

Wednesday, February 13, 2013 Ash Wednesday

First Reading: Psalm: Second Reading: Gospel: Joel 2:12-18 Psalm 51:3-6, 12-14, 17 2 Corinthians 5:20 -- 6:2 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Psalms 51:3  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

WOW!  What a powerful set of readings today.  I don't even know where to start.  Return to the Lord! That is the call.  But to do that we need to acknowledge our sin, and I fear that is the hard thing to do, especially in today's culture where everything is being redefined as OK, and not even OK, we are redefining what is good as bad and what is bad as good.  It is a very deceptive and treacherous time.  I believe that it takes great reflection and honesty for us to see our own sin.  We have many convenient excuses and distractions today that hide our sin from us and in the end we end up putting God out of the equation.  We become a byword and the people say "Where is their God".  That is what happens when we become like the people that we are trying to call to follow Christ.  They say that we are no different or better than they are, and they are right, because we are not willing to acknowledge our own sin and repent.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to truly see my own sin and return to you with all my heart, especially this Lenten season, and help me to be a testimony to others of your amazing grace.
Amen

they ... preached that men should repent

Thursday, February 07, 2013 St. Colette of Corbie, Virgin (Memorial)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Hebrews 12:18-19, 21-24 Psalm 48:2-4, 9-11 Mark 6:7-13

Mark 6:12 So they went out and preached that men should repent.

Ah, the "r" word.  That is one that is certainly not politically correct today.  These days it seems that we can't tell someone what they are doing is wrong, unless of course we are in the majority.  But where does that leave the Body of Christ?  What is our mission then?  Jesus sent out his disciples to preach repentance and drive out demons.  Today we coddle the demons and condone the sins.  The message of the church has become dilute to the point of being almost worthless.  If we are to be disciples of Christ as the Apostles were, then we need to repent and we need to preach repentance.  Anything else that replaces that is not a Christian mission.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to truly repent from my sin, and to not back down from the opportunity to share that spirit of repentance with others..
Amen

your faith has made you well

Tuesday, February 05, 2013 St. Agatha, Virgin, Martyr (Memorial)

First Reading: Psalm: Gospel: Hebrews 12:1-4 Psalm 22:26-28, 30-32 Mark 5:21-43

Mark 5:28  For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well."

This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible.  I know I have mentioned this before. It is great because it stands boldly in the face of those who would prescribe a set formula to receive the grace of God.
The woman never asks Jesus if He will heal her.  She simply assumes that if she even touches His garment she will be healed.  Ja'irus' daughter is also healed because of his willingness to approach Jesus.  The girl didn't ask Jesus to be healed.  So we have someone being healed through the intersession of another and we have a person being healed because she touched a piece of clothing. 
What is in common is Jesus and the recognition that "somehow" Jesus can bring the healing.  It is the "somehow" that we get hung up on all the time but forget about the getting to Jesus part.  There are a lot of denominational rules and prohibitions dealing with the "somehow".  I think I will rest in the knowledge that Jesus can heal whether I ask Him correctly, or even if someone else asks for me.  In fact I believe that Jesus can heal me even if nobody asks.  He can do it if he wants to.  That may make people feel uncomfortable because they don't have control over who actually gets healed.  We all love to control things.

Father, help me by your Holy Spirit to trust in you and your grace and not to try to control the dissemination of your grace, but rather to seek you and be close to you.
Amen