Fierce Oppposition

 

 

Luke 11: 47-54 

No Easy Mission

⁴⁷ “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. ⁴⁸ So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ ⁵⁰ Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.

⁵² “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

⁵³ When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, ⁵⁴ waiting to catch him in something he might say.

Looking at today's ever growing secularization, loss of religious values and crumbling Christian foundation stones, we might think that Jesus is describing our time as well as his own.  Things haven't changed that much, so the challenge to accept and incorporate the teachings of Jesus remains on-going, if not even more relevant than ever. Our daily prayer, reflection on his teachings and efforts to incorporate them into our interactions with others can quell the opposition we face and help, step by step, little by little, bring to reality the values Jesus presented. There will be opposition as Jesus experienced, but he never let that stop him. May we follow fearlessly in his footsteps.

Bro. Rene

Dear Jesus, through prayer and meditation, may I become your ally in this world of crumbling values and morality. Amen.  

 

Practice What You Preach

Note: It's a blessing to be back at my laptop after a long hiatus at Holy Family Hospital.  I am slowly regaining my strength and routine.  Thank you for patiently bearing with my absence.

 

 Luke 11: 42-46 

Essentials First

⁴² “How terrible it will be for you Pharisees! You give God a tenth of your garden plants, such as mint and rue. But you have forgotten to be fair and to love God. You should have practiced the last things without failing to do the first.

⁴³ “How terrible for you Pharisees! You love the most important seats in the synagogues. You love having people greet you with respect in the market.

⁴⁴ “How terrible for you! You are like graves that are not marked. People walk over them without knowing it.”

⁴⁵ An authority on the law spoke to Jesus. He said, “Teacher, when you say things like that, you say bad things about us too.”

⁴⁶ Jesus replied, “How terrible for you authorities on the law! You put such heavy loads on people that they can hardly carry them. But you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

Jesus pulls no punches: preachers have no credibility unless they practice what they preach. Actions do speak louder than words as he graphically illustrates. We need a daily mirror to view ourselves before we even dare to tell others how to behave.  There is one called the "Examen" a brief look at our day before we sleep to look closely at our interactions with  one another and our fidelity to the teachings of Jesus. We give thanks for our successes and ask pardon for our failures along with a firm resolve to do better the next day.  It keeps us honest and helps us to become more like the Christ we hope to imitate and make known to others. It's worth a try.

Dear Jesus, help me to practice what I preach. Amen. 

 

 

Marriage Is Sacred

 

 Mk 10:2-12

 What  God Has Joined Together....

² Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”

³ “What did Moses command you?” he replied.

⁴ They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.”

⁵ “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. ⁶ “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ⁷ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, ⁸ and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

¹⁰ When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. ¹¹ He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. ¹² And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”

Even with a declining divorce rate in the USA these days, or so many couples (48%) simply living living together, this teaching on marriage seems totally irrelevant. But on the other hand it is more relevant than ever. The financial and social pressures couples face present huge challenges to the longevity of their commitment, and it seems to me that only with God's grace, a vibrant spiritual life and the support of a faith community can marriage not only survive, but thrive in today's world. The teaching of Jesus needs to be blasted from the rooftops and preached in our churches if marriage is to succeed.

Bro. Rene

Dear God bless and enhance married couples and their families with a deeper love of you and a more consistent practice of their faith. Amen.

Nothing Like Success

 

 

 

 

 Lk 10:17-24

 Rejoicing

¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

¹⁸ He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. ²⁰ However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

²¹ At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

²² “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

²³ Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. ²⁴ For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

There is nothing like the joy of succeeding on a mission or assignment. Exhilaration replaces apprehension, accomplishment surpasses anticipation. Our brief passage this morning is filled with the joy of success. We certainly need this kind of encouragement today with wars raging and election turmoil dominating the headlines. We have not formally been sent out two by two to preach and heal, but the mission is still ours and we can accomplish it in small ways in our families, workplaces and church communities by offering a helping hand or word of encouragement, or just a friendly smile or "hello."  Just acknowledging the presence of another can make the day for him or her. As Jesus sent out the seventy-two on their first mission, so he sends us as well. Let us be confident that the  Spirit who accompanied them, accompanies us and will be the cause of our rejoicing.

Bro. Rene

Dear Jesus, send me to others with your Spirit and WE shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.   

 

 

 

 

 

Rejecting Jesus

 

 Lk 10:13-16

 Blindness

¹³ “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴ But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. ¹⁵ And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.

¹⁶ “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

As we celebrate the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi we reflect on a man who was at one time blinded by the attractions of  the world, but  who gradually saw the futility of it all, turned from his worldly ways and 800 years later still has a profound influence on the way we treat creation.  He opens our eyes to see its beauty and its reflection of the loving care of God for us.  Above all, he opens our eyes to the Wonder of Wonders, Jesus Christ! Having been in Assisi again this past June, there's no mistaking his on-going presence and influence on people, Blessed Carlo Acutis, being one of them. Carlo, a 15 year old boy died quickly of an fast moving version of leukemia, but in his short life, practiced what St. Francis preached. If a teenager can  do it, so can we.

Bro. Rene

St. Francis and Blessed Carlo, pray for us that we may do all we can to follow Jesus and lead others to him. Amen

 

Lambs Among Wolves

 

  Luke 10: 1-12

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two

10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. ² He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ³ Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

⁵ “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

⁸ “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. ⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ ¹² I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

While we are not among the original 72, the commission to go out into the field like lambs among wolves is still in effect, and as challenging now as when Jesus originally gave it. Just look at the decline in the number of  people practicing their faith, the number of churches closing due to lack of members and priests, the decline in moral values such as honesty and truth. We are ripe for a new evangelization, and who is going to answer the call except you and me? We can begin with  the people with whom we have contact or rub shoulders, especially in our own families.  Tough when our own children have drifted and do not practice the faith we nurtured in them. Our prayers, our on-going love and good example, our words of encouragement, a direct nudge...whatever we can do to help them see the light and return to observing values and active practice instilled in them when they were young, these can work. Believe, Believe, Believe!

Bro. Rene

Dear God,help me to put into practice the commission you gave to the 72 with the assurance that you will guide my with your grace and inspiration. Amen.          

 

Become Like Little Children

 

 

 

 

 

 Mt 18:1-5, 10

The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

² He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

 

Jesus extols the lowliness, innocence, and simplicity of a little child when asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  One would think a brave, intelligent, articulate adult would have been the answer, but no, it's a child who gets the place of honor! Jesus's answer is a wake-up call to us to 'KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID!" as folks in AA love to remind us. We might benefit from observing and imitating children more often, asking ourselves, "What can I learn from this child that will make me a better adult?"

 Bro. Rene

 

Dear Jesus, help me to become a trusting, spontaneous child again. Amen.