Thoughts Along the Journey

Today's reading is from Isaiah 43:1-7 .  Again, it is a lengthy passage, so I won't copy/paste the whole thing here. I have a lot of thoughts on this segment, but would encourage you to read it for yourself.  Read it through once, and become familiar with it.  Read through again, slowly.  Read it again very slowly.  Now spend some time praying with it, and allow God to speak to you from His Word.  You have just experienced Lectio Divina ! The theme of this entire passage is FEAR NOT!  Why? He has redeemed you. He will be with you. He is the Lord your God. He is the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. You are precious in His eyes. He loves you. Rest in these promises this evening, as you prepare to worship Him tomorrow.  May His grace and peace be with you.

Today's passage is the entire chapter of Isaiah 55 .  It's a lengthy passage, even though it's only 13 verses.  Click the link above, and you will be able to read the entire chapter. Just a few thoughts from this amazing portion of Scripture: If we come to Him, listen to Him, call upon Him, forsake our sins, and return to Him... Our souls will live (v. 3). We will be partakers of His everlasting covenant (v. 3). We will experience His mercy (v. 7). His word will accomplish its work in us (v. 11). He will give us His everlasting sign (v. 13)--the unending Kingdom of God. We will know His abundant pardon (v. 7). There is a theme in the readings from yesterday and today:  Come to Him, and rest.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.   Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.    For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 Key words we see: - Come ..to Jesus    - Who?  "All who labor and are heavy laden."  We all feel that way at times,       don't we?  Yet Jesus calls every one of us to Himself. - Take ...His yoke upon you    -  A yoke?  Sounds like a burden.  But a yoke helps a team of horses or oxen       pull together.  Picture Jesus coming alongside and helping bear the burden. - Learn ...from Him    - We all want to learn from the best in our particular field of interest.  This       is our invitation to learn from the VERY best! - Find ...rest for your soul    - A place of refuge from the clamor of t...

Today's Psalm response is from Psalm 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19.  The psalm is beautiful, and full of great depth of meaning: I sought the  Lord , and he answered me, a nd delivered me from all my fears. 5  Look to him, and be radiant;  so your faces shall never be ashamed. 6  This poor man cried, and the  Lord  heard him,  and saved him out of all his troubles. 7  The angel of the  Lord  encamps  around those who fear him, and delivers them. The face of the  Lord   is against evildoers,    to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the  Lord  hears,   and delivers them out of all their troubles. The  Lord  is near to the brokenhearted,    and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous,  b ut the  Lord  delivers him out of them all. I have to say, though, the little preface at ...

‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did  for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25:40 This is only a short portion from yesterday's Gospel reading.  But it says so much to us.   Last night, I had the privilege of working with our parish St. Vincent de Paul Society .  Twice a week, our food pantry is open.  There are individuals available to help those who may have need with their rent or utility bills, and also helping with other resources (job search, community outreaches, etc.). The temperatures in our area were subzero last night.  We still have several inches of snow on the ground, with many sidewalks not very clear.  One sweet lady had walked about two and a half blocks, and was going to carry four or five heavy bags of food, plus a sack of potatoes, all that way back--on foot, through the snow, in the cold.  I offered to transport her.  She was very reluctant, as we had "already done so much for her....

"The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert,  and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. After John had been arrested,  Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: 'This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.' ”  Mark 1:12-15 Today's Gospel reading is the same theme as every first Sunday in Lent:  Jesus in the desert, being tempted by Satan.  For most Christians, this is familiar territory.  For those who observe the Lenten fast, it is our example.  Christ spent those 40 days in preparation for ministry.  As we know from the other Gospel accounts (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13), Jesus spent that time fasting.  Mark's account says the Spirit "drove" Jesus into the desert.  He compelled Jesus to go.  Matthew and Luke use the word "led."  The concept is of One who is surrounded by the ...

This is my short take on today's Gospel acclamation. Our joy should come when someone comes to knowledge of Christ and enters into a relationship with Him.  We should not be overjoyed when a wicked person dies. Because God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Last night, my husband and I experienced a sort of "deja vu" moment.  We were visiting Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Garfield Heights, Ohio.  I am pretty sure the majority of Catholics in the United States see the face of Catholicism as white or Hispanic.  I am also pretty sure they are wrong.  Last night was a beautiful time of prayer and worship with our African American brothers and sisters.  It was, to me, a coming together of the best of all I've known as a Christian--the amazing wonder of the liturgy and the worship of a community of many colors. For the first years of our marriage, most of them were spent in Highland Park, Michigan.  The congregation there was a beautiful palette of races.  Our times of singing and worship were heartfelt, full of passion, and a musical style that touched something deep within my soul.  Though I grew up in mostly-white southwest Kansas farm country, I have often felt there was a bit of the land of Africa ...

I was planning to focus on one of today's Mass readings, but they all flow together so beautifully.  The readings are from Isaiah 58:1-9a, Psalm 59, and Matthew 19:14-15 .  Each of them talks about how we are to fast and repent.  It's not about giving up "things" so much as having a heart that is contrite (remorseful, penitent) and a humble attitude. Artwork by Ronald Barba But the thing that just popped out to me is the verse before the Gospel, from Amos 5:14: "Seek good and not evil so that you may live,  and the Lord will be with you." That pretty much sums up the whole Christian life, doesn't it?

I open with an apology for not posting yesterday.  I have some good excuses!  The Oremus study instructed us to reflect on the passage that most spoke to us (from the previous days' readings).  It was Ash Wednesday, so a busy day for me.  And...I just didn't get to it.  :o) For the next several days' reflections, I will choose one of the daily Mass readings.  We have a reading from the Old Testament (usually--sometimes a New Testament reading), a Psalm, and a reading from one of the Gospels every day. Today's Old Testament reading is from Deuteronomy 30:15-20: "Moses said to the people: 'Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. If you obey the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy. If, however, you turn...

What a beautiful psalm to meditate upon, as we begin Lent tomorrow!  It seems as if this could have been the song in Jesus' heart as He entered the wilderness.  He was in a dry and thirsty land, yet found His refreshment in His Father's presence. We all have those "dry" times in our lives.  It seems we are walking in a spiritual desert.  All around us appears as a wasteland. Oh, but let us gaze upon Him in the sanctuary.  There, we will find a fountain to replenish our souls. For His steadfast love is great!

Today's reading is from Romans 8:31-39 .  Rather than re-post the entire passage, you can read it at the link provided. Key thoughts on this passage today: - God is for us.  He's on our side! - He gave Jesus up for us.  He provided the means of our salvation. - He loved us that much. - He is the only one who could judge us, yet is the one who provides justification for us. - Jesus intercedes for us.  I don't know about you, but that really amazes me.  The only one who could    condemn is the one who prays for us.  No condemnation. - NOTHING can separate us from His love.  Nothing.  Zilch.  Nada.  Wow. This is not a 50 Shades kind of love, friends.  This is the real deal.

Today, I read our local newspaper's "Valentine edition" for the weekend.  Though I usually enjoy reading it, this time I was so disheartened. One large headline read, " Being true to who she really is:  A transgender woman shares her journey . I won't go into great detail.  The summary is that a local man, who has a wife and two small children, has recently begun therapy to become the woman "God made him to be."  He has full support of his wife, several family members, and his local church. This article ran right below the usual "Street Talk" column, in which the editor asks local people a question.  When they answer, each individual gets their picture in the paper, along with a short quote of the answer offered.  This week's question:  What is your ideal Valentine gift? Another note of interest: Local clergy member offering Ashes2go Lisa O’Rear-Lassen, the pastor at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, will be offering Ashes2go on ...

Today's Scripture portion is John 15:1-17.  This is the "Vine and the branches" passage. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.    Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.    You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you.    Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.    I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.    If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned.    If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.    By this my Father is glorified, that ...

I received an e-mail a couple of days ago.  I knew the answer to the questions (I was being asked) would be found in old blog posts.  As I scrolled along, I realized I have been blogging for over 8 years now!  My first post was in August, 2006.  A lot has changed in that time.  My sons have grown into young men.  We have been settled in our community over 9 years now.  Life has had its ups and downs, but here we are! One of the new(er) things I've done over the past few years is join a women's Bible study group in our parish.  I had wanted to participate long before I had the availability.  Once able to become part of the group, though, I have never looked back.  The group is filled with women of all ages, from early 20's, to much older.  :o)  We have single women, married women, moms of little ones, moms of teens, moms of adults, grandparents...well, we pretty much have it covered!  The beautiful reality of it, though, is...

Imagine this:  you are hiking up a long, winding trail on a beautiful mountainside.  The flowers are wafting their early summer scents through the warm air.  The hummingbirds are darting to and fro, seemingly effortless in their flight.  The path is not smooth, but the rocks do not hinder your progress.  Occasionally, a tree limb or root cause a short detour.  But always, always the path is there, winding its way to the peak. Suddenly, as you place one sure foot in front of the other, there is a drop off--sheer rock below you for hundreds of feet.  A loose pebble finds its way down into the apparently bottomless span before you.  One foot slips, and down you tumble. Scary thought, isn't it?  It makes my heart pound just to ponder it! Our faith journey can be similar to this.  We find small detours, yet always wind our way back to the truth.  We traverse the course before us, this odyssey we call "life," and push forward. ...