Even A Cup Of Cold Water

 

Matthew 10:37-42

Priorities

³⁷ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. ³⁸ Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹ Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.

⁴⁰ “Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴² And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

Love of Jesus must come first; and in our dealings with others, we must learn to see Jesus in the other person.  Not an easy thing, by any means.  Not all personalities are compatible and it takes some "doing" to arrive at a harmonious relationship. Indeed sometimes our daily cross is this person. Perhaps one way to create peace is to offer that cup of water; small acts of kindness go a long way. What's holding us back?

Bro. Rene

Dear God , help me to realize and learn again that we are all different but that small acts of kindness can bridge the gap that seems impossible. Amen.

Jesus The Healer

 

 Matthew 8:5-17

The Faith of a Roman Officer

⁵ When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, ⁶ “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.”

⁷ Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.”

⁸ But the officer said, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! ¹¹ And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. ¹² But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

¹³ Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, “Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.” And the young servant was healed that same hour.

Jesus Heals Many People

¹⁴ When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. ¹⁵ But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him.

¹⁶ That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick. ¹⁷ This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said,

“He took our sicknesses
    and removed our diseases.”

Each time we attend Mass and receive Holy Communion, we repeat the words of this humble and devout centurion. Little did he know that his simple and humble words, based on his experience as a Roman officer, would still be in use 20 centuries later. Jesus was so impressed that he used the centurion as an example of what a man of faith is and granted his request. Yes, Jesus is a healer, and is there for all of us, as Isaiah pointed out: "He took our sicknesses/ and removed our diseases."  We all bear some physical burden, some ache or pain we would like to eliminate, but do we have the same faith as this centurion? We don't even know his name, but he stands as a model of simple, direct faith, which we all need. May he help us find it.

Bro. Rene

Dear God, when I reflect on the centurion's faith, I see the weakness in mine.  May his example and prayers deepen my faith.  Amen.

Be Clean

 Matthew 8:1-4

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

8 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. ² A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. ⁴ Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

Aren't we all in need of healing of some form of deficiency, physical or spiritual?  Don't we all call out to Jesus, as did this leper, but unlike this case, we are not healed...at least in the way we had hoped.  Our prayer is answered but not always the way we wanted it to be. Learning to accept our "infirmity", struggle with it, live with it often brings a "healing" on another level, a cleansing us from selfishness or self-pity, for example.  Leprosy may not just be  physical disease, but one of attitude or spiritual deficiency. Yes, let us call out courageously for healing, as did the leper, but let us be open to the healing that God sees as best for us.

Bro. Rene

Dear God, you know me and my needs better than I .Open my heart to receive the healing that you is is best for me. Amen. 

Two Greats

 Matthew 16: 13-19

Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Today we honor two great pillars of the Church, Saints Peter and Paul. When we look st these men before Jesus called them and turned their lives inside out, we would see not reason for choosing them to be leaders, apostles, heralds of 'the new way."  Their transformation is more than remarkable, it is "miraculous". We see them grow, from stubborn fisherman and fearless persecutor, to Bishop of  Rome and tireless missionary, preacher, writer and miracle worker. Can such a transformation happen today? Can it happen to me? Scary, but as we celebrate these men, let us open our hearts to allow God to do with us whatever he wants.  He never abandoned them, so also will he stick with us.

Bro. Rene

Dear God as we look at our world today, we see the need for more  Peters and Pauls. Help me to do whatever I can to continue their mission of preaching and teaching, however best I can. Amen.  

 

Be On The Alert

 

 Matthew 7: 15-20

True and False Prophets

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

 As Jesus observed so accurately 2,000 years ago, false prophets, false standards, false values surround us on all sides. We watch the daily decline in respect for one another, Christian values and morality, and just basic honesty reported in the newspapers and on television and feel like we are being drowned at the base of a waterfall. Our daily prayer, reading of the Scriptures and determination will help us resist and even take action against the daily indoctrination of 'THIS IS THE WAY IT IS".  But it doesn't have to be; it wasn't meant to be. Let us act, even in some small way, rather than let the false prophets prevail.

Bro, Rene

Dear God, with your help I will recognize the false prophets who cross my path today, and do what I can to silence them. Amen.  

Do To Others

 

 Matthew 7:6, 12-14

⁶ “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

¹² So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow and Wide Gates

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Jesus calls us to put ourselves in the shoes of "the other" and to enter through the narrow gate. Ours is not to take the "easy way", but the "hard way", the way of self-giving and sacrifice. We are not to be anonymous, or one of the lost in a crowd, but we are called to stand out above others by our kindness,and by our willingness to "go the extra mile" for the good of another. He calls us to a selfless life, putting others first, and ourselves in 'the back seat".  This is not easy to do, but it is the way to LIFE!

Bro. Rene

Dear God, when my 'laziness" kicks in, remind me of this short passage and get me going again on the way that leads to life. Amen.

The Plank in My Eye

 Matthew 7: 1-5

Judging Others

7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

How quick we are to see the plank, the fault, in others and yet so blind to see even worse in ourselves! It was true in the time of Jesus and remains true today. It's so easy to be critical of others and blind to our own shortcomings. Admitting this is the first step in eradicating it. Let's begin there, and then proceed to the next step of actually trying to correct or eliminate our own faults. We cannot do this alone, so let's make prayer a part of this process.

Bro. Rene

Dear God, I'm so quick to judge others while passing over my own faults.  Direct my attention to eliminating my faults first before addressing the faults in others. Amen.