I Have Overcome The World

 John 16: 29-33

Do You Firmly Believe?

²⁹ Then his disciples said, “At last you are speaking plainly and not figuratively. ³⁰ Now we understand that you know everything, and there’s no need to question you. From this we believe that you came from God.”

³¹ Jesus asked, “Do you finally believe? ³² But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. ³³ I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

As the three year closely knit band of disciples prepares for the departure of its leader and moves toward spreading his teachings We hear Jesus assuring us no to fear; he will take care of us...the shootings of innocent children warn us that we need to change...Let us pray for the courage to do whatever we can to "turn the corner' on  violence.  Jesus assures us that such  CHANGE IS POSSIBLE.  LET US FIND OUR ROLE IN MAKING IT HAPPEN..

Bro. Rene

BRO. 

RENE

 

That We May Be One

 John 17: 20-26

Jesus Prays for All Believers

²⁰ “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

²⁴ “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. ²⁶ And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

Jesus expresses his love for us in this tender passage from his "Priestly Prayer in John 17. He desires unity of spirit, oneness with himself, a sharing of his glory a closeness cemented in love. It's not a master- servant relationship, but brother to brother, or Creator to created. How blessed are we to be called into this intimate relationship!  May we never do anything to weaken or destroy it.  The Holy Spirit makes it possible.  Come,, Holy Spirit!

Bro. Rene

Whatsoever You Ask

  ^{John 16: 23b-28}

²³ In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. ²⁴ Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

I Have Overcome the World

²⁵ “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; ²⁷ for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. ²⁸ I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”

Again, Jesus advises, urges us,  to ask, that is, ask in his name, and our request will be answered.  If we have not received what we asked for, it might be because we really did not believe that we would get it. To have a convincing, even blind faith, is not easy, so no wonder we fall into the world of disappointment so often.  What do we really need?  Then let's ask for it with the  confidence that if it be God's will, we will get it!

Bro. Rene

 

Not All Pain

 John 16: 20-23

²⁰ Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. ²¹ A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. ²² So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. ²³ In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

The days of weeping and mourning will not last forever,though at times it may seem as if they will never end. We are never "tested" beyond our strength, and when  it seems we have reached our limmit, God might ask us to go one step further and then, "whamo", a reversal of fortune".  He steps in, makes it all turn out right, and we find ourselves stronger for the test. It is as Jesus says like the pain of childbirth: gone when the little "tyke" cuddles up to mom.  We might even be honored to be asked to go that extra painful step, knowing that God wants us to see how strong we are with his help.

Bro. Rene

Blessed Assurance

 John 16: 12-15

The Spirit Guides

¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

This passage calls to mind the beloved hymn, "Blessed Assurance".  Jesus reminds us that in the face of disappointment, searching, , being adrift, or feeling abandoned, we are not alone. His Spirit is there to support, lead and guide us to what HE has in mind for us.  Ours it to keep the Faith and hold tight.  The answer will come.

Bro. Rene

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
O what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
I'm born of his Spirit and washed in his blood

This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long

Perfect submission, perfect delight
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy and whispers of love

This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long

Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blessed
You know I'm watching and waiting, I'm looking above
Filled with His goodness and I'm lost in his love

This is my, I know that this is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long
This is my story, this is my song
Praising my Savior all the day long

We Are His Witneses

 (note: 4 slices appeared the afternoon of May 24. Let's se when this one appears.).

Luke 24: 46-53

⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷ and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension

⁵⁰ And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. ⁵¹ While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and were continually in the temple blessing God.

Only a few Dioceses in the United States are observing the Ascension of the Lord on the tradional Thursday. Most will wait till next Sunday when more people might be present at Mass.For us, this is the Ascension of the Lord, his departure physicaly from us and the beginninf of the Era of the Holy Spirit which begins in ten days on Pentecost. We have a nine day, interim, a  novena, in the meanitime to prepare for Pentecost. Let us first use these nine days to ask for the Spirit to come into our lives and into the world at large. Tuesday's school shooting is another instance of a society gone crazy, a society without God , which breeds the thinking (or lack of it) that fosters such total disregard for others. Let us pray fervently betwen now and Pentecost for a strong and widespread outpouring of the Holy Spirit!

Bro. Rene

To Our Advantage

(Note: we may be on track for a regular posting at 10 am-ish, I hope!)

 John 16: 5-11

The Work of the Holy Spirit

⁵ “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. ⁸ And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: ⁹ of sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; ¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

We often wonder why we go through "hard times" or face strings of obstacles, one after another.  "Why me?, Lord?"   The Apostles wondered why Jesus had to leave them, so close had they come to him, not only as his disciples, but as his friends.  We can imagine their sadness, even dread or fear of a life without him.  We know this feeling when we move from one place to another or one phase of our life to another.  We experience a "heaviness" that's hard to explain.  Jesus knows this about our human nature, and assures us, and provides a "BUFFER"..., the BUFFER OF ALL BUFFERS, the Holy Spirit. Always he takes care of us...Let's remember that when we find ourselves in the "dark cloud."  As always, ALL SHALL BE WELL!

Bro.Rene

 

That We May not Fall Away

 John 15: 26-16: 4a

²⁶ “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. ²⁷ And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

16 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. ² They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. ³ And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. ⁴ But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you.

Knowing that challenges lay ahead for the disciples (and us) after his departure, Jesus continues to reassure us, that no matter how bad things get, there is nothing to fear for he is always with us through the Holy Spirit.  The headlines and news broadcasts inundate us daily with shootings, confrontations and uncontrolled  anger in some form or other; we need the Spirit of Peace to calm our world. and our own  minds and hearts,  "Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.  Enkindle in us the Fire of your  Love.".  .  

Bro.. Rene 

Peace I Leave With You

   ^{John 14: 23-29}

^{Preparing for His Departure}

²³ Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴ Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.

²⁵ “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. ²⁸ You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. ²⁹ And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.

This is the Sixth Sunday of Easter;  Thursday will be Ascension Thursday (In Some dioceses it will be next Sunday). These weeks since Easter have flown by, dominated by the horrific war in Ukraine, spiraling gas and food prices, a sinking stock market, mass shootings, to name a few "non-Easter" events.  However, "not to worry" as the saying goes, the Helper, the Holy Spirit will teach us all things and instruct us further on how to incorporate the teachings of Jesus into our lives.  With the current serious investigation of UFO's and Aliens, we need not look to them, evidently far advanced creatures of God, for the answers or for needed help in our muddle, but rather, we need a full embrace of Jesus, his teachings and the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. " Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful and enkindle is us the fire of thy love.". 

Bro. Rene 

 

What to Expect

 Note: Not sure what's going on or if any former readers will receive this "Everything is different, nowadays" --Jesse Crow

John 15: 18-21

The World Hates the Disciples

 18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.

Jesus warns us to be willing to accept what happened to him, to happen to us; rejection, suffering, even death in some cases.  Our success, or joy will cum when this chapter concludes. We want to be successful, to be accepted, to know that we have "made a difference". Jesus has set the pattern, suffering may or could be part of it, but in the end following him leads to "success". not always in the eyes of the world, as always, n HIS eyes.

Bro. Rene

Love One Another

  

John 12-17

¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

We continue with the "Last Supper Discourse" as Jesus elaborates on the theme of love.  "Love one another", not a suggestion, but a command, and "love one another AS I HAVE LOVED YOU"! The Son of God,the Son of Man loves us.  What greater incentive do we need, what greater "confidence builder" could there be than this? He calls us "friends" and shares everything he knows from the Father with us! He chose us, not vice versa and tasked us to bear fruit. This is why we were born, this is what we are called to do with our talents and "our day." Our day is no simply for us but so that we can love others. Many parts of our families, our communities and our world lack love, or better said, "need" our love." How best can we share it? However we choose, let it be natural, simple and genuine.  "Fakers Need Not  Apply"!  "They will know we are Christians by our love." Let's JUST DO IT!

Bro. Rene 

Complete Joy

^{John 15: 9-11}

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Complete Joy is not in things, talents, friends, travel nor money, but in loving and being loved by God. Jesus explains how this is done:: by keeping the commandments.  We have found, however, keeping the commandments is not easy; it is try,  try,, try again, before we succeed.  We grow stronger by living with and eventually overcoming our weaknesses and failures. and move toward clarity of vision:  who God is who we are and what God expects of us. It's a humbling but fulfilling journey but the important thing is to remember that God's love and God's joy are his GIFT TO US. May we not spoil things by thinking and acting as if we deserve it or can achieve it on our ow.n. "Come, O Holy Spirit,  en kindle in us the fire of  thy love."

Bro. Rene 

The Vine and Branches

 

 John 15: 1-8

The True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine dresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

As the vine produces and sustains  grapes, so does Jesus sustain us and help us produce the fruit for which we were created.  Our prayer and sacramental life, our service to others, all work together to allow that most magnificent of Gods' creation reach its total potential.in us.  If we allow the "Jesus juice"" to flow from him, the Vine, what great nourishment we can bring to others..We can be Christ for our day: daylight  for a world gone too dark. .  Let us fix ourselves more firmly on the vine and allow the grapes to fully develop and become the food and wine for others.

Bro. Rene

The Peace Of Christ

John 14: 27-31   

Peace I leave with you...

 ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. ²⁸ You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. ²⁹ And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. ³⁰ I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, ³¹ but I do as the .Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from her.

Knowing how upset the Apostles would be, Jesus goes out of his way to gift them with HIS peace.  He takes the time to explain why he must return to his Father where he rightfully belongs. He teaches them the value of obedience to the Father, and teaches us that same lesson.  We tend to want to cling to what we know and hesitate when facing the unknown.  How would we feel ":losing" Jesus after almost three years of close friendship with him?  We'd feel a pang of sorrow, as we do when we are separated from our best  fiend. However, we survive and are stronger after the separation...   So too with Jesus;  in "losing him" we gain strength and peace  to do the work he has called us to do.  And  the bonus is that he IS still with us..through the Holy Spirit!  We need to grow in faith and trust that there is nothing to fear, for Jesus knows best.

Bro.Rene.

The Advocate Wiil Teach

 John 14: 21-26

²¹ Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

²² Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”

²³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. ²⁴ Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

²⁵ “All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

 Verses 23 and 24 direct us to an ideal love relationship. We might long for it, hunger and thirst for it and at the same time wonder how it could be possible between the Creator of the universe, and me, a "lowly" two-legged creature.  Jesus answers:  through the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, this union of hearts becomes possible. Our readings, as we come to the end of the Easter season, are directing us toward Pentecost.  It's time to start preparing our hearts to receive the Spirit as the Apostles did. Amazing changes took  Come, Holy Spirit!

 Bro. Rene

Love One Another

 

³³ “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

John 13: 33-35 

No picture,  Not even sure when this will appear, but the impact is still strong  Jesus was preparing his disciples for his departure and left them with his essential message:  love one another, something that takes a lifetime to accomplish and has a "mixed record" as we loo back over the centuries. Yet, we don't give up, we keep trying to love one another, and even a minimum of success makes it worth the attempts.  It's the Sabbath,let's take time to ponder this command and implement it in some small way.

Bro. Rene

Remain In My Love

 

 

John 15: 9-17

Love and Joy Perfected

⁹ “As the Father loved Me, I also have ,loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

¹¹ “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. ¹² This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. ¹⁷ These things I command you, that you love one another.

Jesus makes no bones about it nor minces no words:  He Loves us! We ought to spend as much time as we can with this tender testimony, this clear, direct and unequivocal declaration, let it sink in, and allow it to stir up return expressions of the love we have for Jesus.  The coming of Jesus, all that he did, taught and suffered are all summarized here. May we allow this love to blossom and bear fruit in and transform our lives. 

Bro. Rene.

I am the Way...

 Note: Let's see if I've found the "magic time" to post.

 

John 14: 1-6

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Jesus the Way to the Father

⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

 Like Thomas, wouldn't we be asking the same questions as he?  We can imagine his wanting to hold on to this wonderful teacher miracle worker and friend?  Where us the door? Who has the key to let us in? It's even simpler than that:  Jesus himself is the Way, the truth and the life.  Learn from him, spend time with him, become as much like him as we can, then we;ll have what we long for. He is all that we want and need. Let's go to Jesus.

Bro. Rene           

No Servant Is Greater...

 

John 13: 16-20 

 ⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Jesus Predicts His Betrayal

¹⁸ “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill this passage of Scripture: ‘He who shared my bread has turned against me.’

¹⁹ “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am who I am. ²⁰ Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”

"No Servant is greater than his master." Jesus reminds us that humility is preferable to superiority both in our self-estimation or in our actions before others. We can easily slide into "self-importance" and even to thinking others are less effective than we, or that things will not function as they should unless "we are in charge".. Jesus is our master, we are his servants. Let us  pray that we keep this line-up before our eyes, lest we trip over our own pride.

Bro. Rene .

 

Not To Condemn But To Save

 (Note: no prediction when this slice will appear.)

  

 John 12: 44-50

 Jesus Speaks For The Father

⁴⁴ Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. ⁴⁵ The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. ⁴⁶ I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

⁴⁷ “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. ⁴⁸ There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. ⁴⁹ For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. ⁵⁰ I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

As always, Jesus is reaching out  to help, not to condemn, although it is clear it must be his way, not ours. He is the Light that illumines our darkness and helps us see clearly; we are free to choose light or darkness, that is the risk he is willing to take and throws many a ring buoy to help us even when we make the wrong choice. Without growing complacent or cavalier in our relationship with Jesus, we might take heart and relax in his never ending love and forgiveness.  It's only the hardest of hearts that lose.

Bro. Rene

Seeing Is Not Always Believing

 

 John 10: 22-30

Jesus Is Rejected by the Jews 

22 At that time the Festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered, “I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me, 26 but you do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, in regard to what he has given me, is greater than all,and no one can snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.” 

Reading  this passage, don't we want to believe and be part of the flock that follows Jesus, the sheep that hear his voice and who are known by him? There's comfort, security and the promise of eternal life for them, for us.  Why would we balk, ignore ore even actively fight against becoming part of the flock?   Our Fallen nature? The devil's grasp on us? Our  stupidity?  Whatever it is, it just isn't right. We place our own "intelligence" above God's.  As Jesus said, he had told them many times and worked wonders before their eyes, but still they refused to believe. We might have tendencies to be that way, but Jesus never ceases to invite us to change and to comply. It's time to respond and get on board with Jesus.  Just Do It!

Bro. Rene.

 

One Way In

 John 10: 1-10

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” ⁶ Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

There is only one gate, one gatekeeper, one shepherd, Jesus.  We waste our time trying to be part of the flock if we do not choose Jesus and follow him.  We might be misled by the proponents of an "easier way", but it is only by accepting Jesus, following him, being as much like him as possible, then we can enter the kingdom.   No cheating, no corner cutting, but total dedication of ourselves our gifts, our powers to  him...All for Jesus..  In him, through him, with him. Can we do it?  Do we want to? Let's come back to these questions often during the day, especially when things are not going our way.

Bro Rene

 

Listen to His Voice

 (Note:  a wonderful surprise to read today's post today! Trying for two in a row. )

 John  10: 27-30

²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

Again the sheep and the Shepherd, an image that spoke so clearly to the people of Palestine, all of whom could relate to the ever-present sheep and shepherds, as we would to cars and drivers. People knew how sheep would grow accustomed to their shepherd's voice and how the shepherd knew each one of his  sheep, even to calling them by the name he had given them. The sheep felt secure in the care of such a loving,shepherd who knew and protected them.   

As brief as these three verses are, they give a consoling image of God's tender love for us and his unfailing protection.. We need to work on building our confidence in God by listening more attentively to his voice speaking in our hearts.  We can do this by sitting silently with this passage and letting it sink in, uttering no words vocally or silently but simply LISTENING to God speak and even nudge us.  Be aware of his presence, then thank him as you conclude your prayer. 

"Be still and know that I am God." (Ps 46: 10)

Bro. Rene

To Whom Shall We Go?

 (Note: 3 slices if Daily Bread appeared today!   ???)

 

 John 6: 60-69 

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! ⁶³ The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. ⁶⁴ Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. ⁶⁵ He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

⁶⁶ From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

Peter's bold profession of faith in Jesus was later contradicted by his three-time denial of Jesus the night before the crucifixion. We ourselves are guilty of making bold statements about our faith publicly or in our private prayers, only to contradict them out of fear when in a  group by word  or action.  There's a good bit of the scared Peter in all of us. But what Peter does say is a model attitude and prayer for us.  Where else, if not with Jesus?  Let us put Peter's confession of faith in our heart and our feet in his shoes which evetually followed Jesus without reseerve.

Bro. Rene

 

 

 

 

Abiding in Jesus

 

⁵² The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” ⁵³ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread^[a] the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

Not only does the Eucharist serve as food for the journey, but it also gives us a foretaste of the union with God we hope to experience in heaven for all eternity.  We can be united  to him here and now as we digest the bread ad wine; in heaven, the union will continue for eternity.  Our minds struggle to grasp this concept and fall short; we go on  FAITH and trust that "the best is yet to come."  May we not take the Eircharist for granted or simply from routine.

Bro. Rene

 

The Living Bread

 

 

John 6: 44-50

⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— ⁴⁶ not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The "Living Bread", the "Bread of Life", nourishes us as we walk this planet and provides the nutrition that strengthens us and enables us to journey safely to our heavenly home. Through this bread we experience the presence of Jesus, not only in our tabernacles, but in our hearts when we receive Holy Communion. It's a difficult journey we are on, but this heavenly fuel keeps our cylinders firing and provides the power we need to pass through mud or or overcome every obstacle on the road.  May we take advantage of this gift as often as we can,  and never stop thanking Jesus for making such a close and fruitful union possible 

Bro. Rene 

Bro. Rene

Not My Will, but My Father's

 (Note:  Today's slice, although composed last night at this time appeared this morning, on the day for which it was intended.  Perhaps we've "cracked the code"!)

 John 6: 35-40

³⁵ And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. ³⁶ But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. ³⁷ All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. ³⁹ This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. ⁴⁰ And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

"The obedient man will speak of victory" (Prov 21: 28) , a dictum proven right over the centuries. Jesus came to do the will of his Father, and accomplished it perfectly.  He sets the bar for the rest of us.It's a high bar, for it takes trust, courage and strength that must be fortified by God's grace. We can't do it on  a purely human level.  He will give us that grace when he sees our desire for it, and hears our prayer for it. May God give each one of us the grace to do his will, not ours.

Bro. Rene

 

 

The Way, the Truth, The Life

 

 

John 14: 6-14 

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

⁸ Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

⁹ Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Jesus is the channel, the highway. the flight-path that leads to the Father; we cannot side track him. If we follow Mary's command at Cana, "Do whatever he tells you,"  we will find him and he will accompany, or even lead us to happiness in this life and eternal happiness in the next.  If we are not sure what it means to follow him, we simply need to ask, "Lord what do you want me to do?" and he will  tell us" " You may ask for anything in my name and I will do it." (Jn 14: 14)  Let us pray for one another that our faith may be as such that we can ask and be confident that he will grant our request.

Bro.. Rene

Work For The Food That Endures

 

John 6: 22-29

(Note:  I'm presuming that two "slices" will appear on Monday0]

I Am the Bread of Life

²² On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. ²³ Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴ So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” ²⁶ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. ²⁷ Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” ²⁸ Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Chapter six of  St, John moves gradually toward the the "blockbuster", the Bread of Life as Jesus builds on the miraculous feeding of the 5,000 to the "food that endures to eternal life." (Jn 6: 27.) It is a difficult concept to understand and accept, so Jesus had to go slowly.  Even with his careful explanation, some will not accept it and turn away. Unfortunately Sunday's  slice did not appear on Sunday, for it calls for time for pondering and reflecting...(perhaps a bit possible even today), for we too need time to absorb this unusual gift.  It is the food that endures and whoever eats of it will live forever.  We will hear more tomorrow.

Bro. Rene