Blessedness of Labour

O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! By the labour of your hands you shall eat. You will be happy and prosper.
Ps.127.1,2

God is calling work a blessing given to a God fearing man. Happiness and prosperity come from work. In today's first reading Saint Paul is more direct. If a man refuses to work, don't feed him.

I've been working for forty five years. It has supported my wife and five children, truly I have been blessed.  I'm starting to yearn for an end to this work, to look forward to retirement, an exit plan. That is a natural thing in due season. Meanwhile, my work continues to be a blessing and I will regard it as such.

Lord, you know how some days at work are hard to be excited about. Help me finish the race well.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Come and See

‘He is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.’ ‘From Nazareth?’ said Nathanael ‘Can anything good come from that place?’ ‘Come and see’ replied Philip.
Jn1:45,46

Philip has met Jesus and is moved to find his friend Nathanael and invite him to meet Jesus as well. He challenges Nathanael’s initial scepticism with the ultimate invitation, “Come and see”.

Come and see. It’s gentle yet insistent. Come and see. It promises accompaniment, I won’t be going alone. Come and see has confidence in what is about to be revealed and confidence in the one invited to make their own right choice.

My invitation to people who have yet to meet Jesus, even the sceptics, is... Come and see.

Jesus, you are always ready to receive the unbeliever. Give me courage and perception to know the times to make the invitation, “Come and see”.
Saints Philip and Bartholomew, pray for me.

The Joy of Perspective

Then Peter spoke. ‘What about us?’ he said to him ‘We have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you solemnly, when all is made new and the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, you will yourselves sit on twelve thrones...'
Mt.19:27,28

The rich young man has just turned away from Jesus' challenge to give up his wealth. Jesus observes how difficult it is for the rich to enter the kingdom. The disciples are astonished at this. Peter remonstrates, "What are we to have then?" Jesus puts it all in perspective. "At the end of time..."

I get bedazzled by the now. What if we don't have enough? What then? This anxiety keeps me tight fisted or at best, a miserable giver, hardly cheerful. Jesus puts everything in perspective by reminding of what is promised at the end of time. Thrones, kingship...

I need to maintain an eschatological worldview, keeping one eye firmly on the promises of things to come at the end of time. Every tear dried, thrones bestowed, joy in abundance.

Lord Jesus, help me maintain your perspective on the clamour of now and keep the joy, the foretaste of heaven.
Little Flower please pray for me.

Forgiveness Business

His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him.
Mt.18:31

Peter asks how many times he must forgive. Jesus answers with the parable of the unmerciful servant. In the parable fellow servants are distressed at the lack of mercy shown and report it to their master.

It seems forgiveness is a non-negotiable. Peter's boast of forgiveness offered seven times is eclipsed by Jesus raising the bar to seventy times seven, in other words an infinite amount. He then places it in context. We are forgiven a huge debt. How can we not forgive others?

Not only is the onus on me to always forgive but also there are witnesses who report back on my actions. And above all is a God of justice.

Today forgiveness is to be my first response.

Lord Jesus, sometimes forgiveness is hard. I want justice my way and in my time. Help me remember  that justice is your business and forgiveness is mine.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

A Great Child

It is never the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.
Mt.18:14

Jesus answers the question, who is the greatest. He uses a child to show the perfect state of one in God's Kingdom. He then elevates children saying they have a special place in the heart of God.

I led a group of fifteen children in Children's Liturgy last Sunday. There was once when I did the same for one child. Fifteen million, fifteen thousand, fifteen or one. God's will is the same. They must not be lost.

My family, my little church, has nine and a half grandchildren. My mission is to ensure not one is lost.

Lord Jesus, inflame my heart for love of the little ones in my family. Help me be childlike in my ministry to them that I may be great in your sight.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Cock-a-hoop Christian

Do not forget: thin sowing means thin reaping; the more you sow, the more you reap. Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2Cor.9:6,7

Saint Paul is writing to the fledgling Church in Corinth. He encourages them to be generous in all they do.

Synonyms for cheerful:
happy, jolly, merry, bright, glad, sunny, joyful, joyous, light-hearted, in good spirits, in high spirits, sparkling, bubbly, exuberant, ebullient, cock-a-hoop, elated, gleeful, breezy, airy, cheery, sprightly, jaunty, animated, radiant, smiling, grinning, laughing, mirthful, frolicsome.

Place any of those adjectives before giving and you are describing a Christian giver. And God loves him. Cheerful giving is a hallmark of the Christian. Stingy, begrudging giving has no place in the Church, no place in my life.

Lord Jesus, you are the greatest example of giving generously and cheerfully. Help me become more like you.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Courage!

When the disciples saw him walking on the lake they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost’ they said, and cried out in fear. But at once Jesus called out to them, saying, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’
Mt.14:26,27

Jesus is on shore in prayer when he sees the disciples boat in trouble out on the lake in heavy sea. He walks out to them on water, terrifying them. Jesus identifies himself and calls them to believe.

‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ This is the great call of Jesus. Fear shackles. Jesus sets free. The first fruit of faith in Jesus is courage. Courage lifts me up, calls me beyond myself, feeds my creativity. It gives the fullness of life promised by Jesus.

I face my day today in faith and courage.

Thank you Lord for your call for me to take courage, for you are with me and I never need be afraid.
Lttle Flower please pray for me.

A Better Version

And whenever the vessel he was making came out wrong, as happens with the clay handled by potters, he would start afresh and work it into another vessel, as potters do.
Jer.18:4

Jeremiah describes his vision of the potter's house. The potter reworks the clay, again and again, until he has the pot he intended.

This is a strong analogy of how God works on me. He accepts me as I am but loves me so much he doesn't leave me this way. He "reworks" me. The starting afresh can be just a slight re-smoothing or it can involve punching the clay back into ball and completely restarting.

This reworking of my clay happens through what and who God places in my day. WHen things don't go smoothly, God is at work.

Lord Jesus, help me accept the rough times in my day as moments when you are making me into a better version of myself.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Great Treasure

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls; when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.’
Mt.13:46

Jesus is teaching about the Kingdom of God, describing in parables. In the parables of the treasure in the field and the pearl of great price he has the discoverer selling everything to gain the newly discovered and true treasure.

In both these parables the discoverer immediately knows the value of what he has found. Without a second thought they discard what they had previously valued, everything they owned, in order to gain the higher treasure.

I can be complacent about God's Kingdom. Yes, it's there but just put on the shelf for a while. The trouble is, the things I "own" can crowd God's Kingdom out. This is a good reminder of where my true treasure lies, where rust or moth cannot destroy. It also reminds me of the great cost Jesus paid that I may gain this treasure.

Thank you Jesus for the great value you place on me by gaining me access to God's Kingdom. You think I'm worth it.
Little Flower, please pray for me.