Hope, Hold, Take Heart

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Hope in him, hold firm and take heart. Hope in the Lord!

Ps.26:14

David writes a psalm of hope and unshakable faith in God, a faith that rises above circumstances.

Our faith is an optimistic faith. It encourages me to always be looking forward and up, not back and down. Yes, setbacks happen, effort is criticised, evil is inflicted. But faith calls me to see beyond. It promises something wonderful.

Today as a man of faith I hope, I hold, I take heart.

Jesus, you received criticism and attack but you always looked forward and up. Help me always accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative. 

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Fill the Flask

The other bridesmaids arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said “open the door for us.” But he replied, “I tell you solemnly, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.’

Mt.25:11,12,13

To describe the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven Jesus tells the parable of the ten bridesmaids. Five are wise and have extra lamp oil, five are foolish and do not and so miss entering the wedding banquet. 

Jesus emphasises that entering heaven is not a given. On judgement day everyone is not simply going to drift up to the pearly gates. Some will be ready and welcomed in, some will not be ready and will be denied entry even though they plead. 

Mercy and grace are involved here so I wouldn't presume to judge others by this rule. However, I can judge myself. Is my oil flask full? Does my light continue to shine? Drawing on the sacraments of the Church, my morning and evening prayer all help keep my lamp burning. 

Oil gets consumed by the burning of the light so filling the flask is not a one-off thing. I can't bask in past flask-filling glories. Burning the lamp is a constant thing so filling the flask needs to be also.

Jesus, I sometimes fall asleep at the wheel. I'm not always awake and ready with a full flask and shining light. On the day of your return may your mercy triumph over judgement.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

 

Waiting means Working

What sort of servant, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment.

Mt.24:45,46

Jesus is warning his disciples to be ready for the day of judgement that can occur at any day or any hour. He highlights the best attitude in which to wait, diligently working on that which you have been assigned.

Work is the result of faith and wisdom, faith that Jesus will return as he said he would, wisdom to see value in the work assigned. The work Jesus describes is looking after a household, meeting their daily needs.

I have retirement approaching, a time to put my feet up and rest while waiting for God, right? No! According to Jesus, waiting doesn't mean resting, it means working. I have a household of one wife, five children, fourteen (last count) grandchildren, four hangers-on (sons and daughter-in-law). That makes twenty-four souls. My work has been cut out...

Jesus, your greatest work was achieved in the last moments of your life, on the Cross. Help me never have a lazy sense of entitlement. Let me be found working in the vineyard you have placed me.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Fatherhood

You can remember how we treated every one of you as a father treats his children, teaching you what was right, encouraging you and appealing to you to live a life worthy of God,

1Th.2:11,12

Paul writes to the Church in Thessalonica to encourage them in their Christian faith. He likens his treatment of them to a loving father teaching his children what is right, good and true. 

Here is a worthy definition of fatherhood. One who out of love, teaches his children what is right, good and true, to live a life worthy of God. Two powerful tools I used when raising my children to be Godly, were stories and example. This applies equally to raising Godly grandchildren.

There are great stories for children that depict the fight between good and evil, the Chronicles of Narnia and Adventures in Odyssey for example. These fired my children's imaginations and helped them see the effect that good and evil can have. The stories were also a great trigger for conversation about God.

Example was and is trickier, only because my example wasn't and isn't consistently good. It's one of those areas where I rely on God to fill the gaps. As long as the tune is somewhere near what my song should be, Jesus will add the grace notes. 

Thank you Jesus for my children and grandchildren. Help me be a worthy teacher to them today.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Spend Time

‘How do you know me?’ said Nathanael. ‘Before Philip came to call you,’ said Jesus ‘I saw you under the fig tree.’ Nathanael answered, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel.’

Jn.1:48,49

Philip has just led Nathanael to Jesus with the invitation to "Come and see". Jesus demonstrates his knowledge of Nathanael who responds with a great declaration of faith.

Nathanael was a devout Jew, of a sect that spent time in prayer with God alone in the desert. That Jesus knew where he had been proved to Nathanael that Jesus was the one he had spending time with. He knew that Jesus knew.

When you spend time with someone you get to know them. I want to be like Nathanael, spending so much time with Jesus that I recognise him in my day. 

Jesus, you are the Son of God, the King of all creation. Fill me with your Spirit so I recognise you in my day.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

 

 

First into Battle

The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.

Mt.23:11,12

Jesus has just warned his disciples not to practice what the Pharisees do, whose sole intent is to exalt themselves. A true disciple of God is one who is humble.

In the Chronicles of Narnia Aslan crowns Peter as High King with the words, "You must be first into battle and last in retreat".  The High King was to lead by service to those of whom he was in command. This is true of any Christian leadership, especially for fathers in the home.

My role at home is changing with grandchildren. I'm finding myself reading children's stories again, playing board games I haven't in years, praying over and blessing. All of this is "first into battle" stuff that I used to do with my own children. When I struggle with giving the time I need to put it back into this right perspective. True leadership serves.

Jesus, you are the Servant King. Help me follow your example with joy.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Dress Code

“How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?” And the man was silent. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’

Mt.22:12-14

Jesus is telling a parable to explain the kingdom of  heaven, using  a wedding banquet as an example. After specific guests refuse to attend, the door is opened to alcomers, good and bad alike. However, even among the casual attendees a certain standard of dress is required. 

I remember attending my older sister's wedding in the late 1960's. A classic hippie affair with loads of long hair and kaftans, and that was just the guys. As "casual" as the dress was, there was an expected standard, a dress code that reflected the specialness of the occasion. 

What I'm reading from the parable is that God's kingdom is a banquet and while all are invited a certain standard, a specific response acknowledging where we are and what is going on is required. The King will choose some and expel others. 

I guess what I do with my days prior to entering the kingdom is like spinning the cloth by which I will be clothed. It needs to be a garment worthy of the banquet.

Jesus, help me make the best cloth out of my day today that I may be worthily dressed before you.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Wish to be Perfect

‘If you wish to be perfect, go and sell what you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But when the young man heard these words he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.

Mt.19:20,21

A pious young man asks Jesus what more is needed for him to possess eternal life. Jesus zeros in on the one thing in the man's life he has yet to surrender, his wealth.

Wealth is hard to let go of but I think this scripture is less about the rich entering the Kingdom than it is about surrender. I have many areas I haven't let Jesus be Lord of. 

The $20 note looks huge on the collection plate but tiny at the cafe I'm currently sitting in. Another "possession" I cling to is time. Grandchildren put the spotlight on this area. Their demand for attention is insatiable. 

What stops my surrender? Lack of trust that God will meet all my needs, which essentially is lack of faith. The invitation from Jesus to "Come, follow me" is before me again today. This means walking away from my feeble, grasping and towards Jesus' generous, open-handed generosity. 

Jesus, yes I believe. Help me in my unbelief. I place my trust in you.
Saint Philip Neri, pray for me.

Recall and Rejoice

Choose today whom you wish to serve, whether the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are now living. As for me and my House, we will serve the Lord.

Js.24:15

Joshua addresses the people before his death. His parting words are, "I have made my choice, now you make yours".

Whom I serve is always a choice and the choice is constantly before me. False gods or the one true God. Why do the false gods even have an appeal? Because Satan makes them appear alluring. Even getting out of my warm bed for this time of prayer required a determined choice. What made me make it? Remembering the blessings I get from this time convinced.

Joshua spends much of his address reminding the people of what God has done for them... freedom from slavery, victory in battle, food in the desert. I need to spend more time to recall and rejoice in what God has done in my life, the many blessings I have received. Then the choice is seen for what it is. A no-brainer.

Jesus, you have rescued me, you have blessed me. I thank you Lord. As for me and my house, we will serve you.
Saint Maximillian Kolbe, please pray for us.

Blessed and Married

The disciples said to him, ‘If that is how things are between husband and wife, it is not advisable to marry.’ But he replied, ‘It is not everyone who can accept what I have said, but only those to whom it is granted.

Mt.19:10,11

Some Pharisees have tried to entrap Jesus with a question on marriage and divorce. Jesus emphasises that God is behind every marriage, that man is not to act contrary to the will of God by divorcing and that celibacy is only for those to whom it has been granted. 

If we followed the disciples' plan the human race would be gone in a generation. Jesus clearly identifies celibacy as a gift for some. For others, myself included, marriage is a gift. Neither state is superior, both are God given. It's probably time I reaffirmed to my wife that she is a gift to me for which I am so very grateful.

Jesus you were celibate and yet so pro-marriage. I thank you again for the gift of Kate, for joining us in marriage. I am a blessed, married  man. 
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for us.

Forgive and Forgive Again

“You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’

Mt.18:32-35

In answer to Peter's question "How often must I forgive?", Jesus tells one of his longest parables. Forgiveness, according to Jesus, is not optional, it's essential. 

The parables Jesus told were stories with a point. The point of the story about the unforgiving servant is to forgive and forgive from your heart or you will be tortured. I've met people with unforgiveness in their heart and "tortured" is an accurate description of them. Choosing not to forgive is like drinking poison in the hope the other person will die. 

Grace, mercy and forgiveness are the hallmarks of our God. They are the outworkings of his love. They are meant to be the hallmarks of a true believer, the hallmarks of me. Are they easy? No. Are they possible? Yes, with Jesus' help, today I can be a channel of forgiveness.

Jesus, you modeled forgiveness even up onto the cross, praying for your torturers. I find heartfelt forgiveness hard. Help me soften my heart like yours and be a channel of grace, mercy and forgiveness.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for us.

At Home with the Oddballs

I tell you solemnly once again, if two of you on earth agree to ask anything at all, it will be granted to you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them.

Mt.18:20

Jesus is instructing on how to deal with sin in the Church. While highlighting the authority that is held by the community of believers he adds he has a special presence when two or more gather in his name.

Does this mean Jesus isn't present when I pray alone, like now? Of course not. It's just that there is an anointing from him, a special power when believers gather. It's called Church and it is what Jesus spent his time on earth building. We are not meant to be lone ranger Christians. 

My home parish is the smallest in the city. But, it's my home. I love it, despite the oddballs. Perhaps it's because of the oddballs that I feel so at home there. Whatever the reason, there's a special anointing on me when I join my parish community. I meet Jesus there, everytime.

Thank you Jesus for Church, for your faithfulness in "being there" each time we gather in your name.

Saint Philip Neri, encourager of parishes, please pray for us.

Death, Where is Your Sting?

I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.

Jn.12:24

Jesus has just entered Jerusalem in triumph with the people celebrating him as king. He knows his passion and death are just around the corner and so tells his disciples death is not to be feared. It is part of the plan. 

Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Lawrence, one of the martyrs of the early Church in Rome. He famously presents the poor and lame as the treasures of the Church being demanded by the Roman Prefect. It cost him his life but his example of courage and charity have lived on through the millenia. He showed that for a Christian, death is not something to be avoided at all costs. His hope lay in the eternal promises of Jesus. 

When death, dieing to self, is seen as part of the plan, it loses its sting. Today I celebrate my gift of life but I hold it loosely. This is not easy but it's essential if I am to be a true believer.

Jesus, you died for me. Help me live my life for you even when it means dieing for you.

Saint Lawrence, please pray for us.

Fear Follow Serve Obey

Moses said to the people: ‘Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you? Only this: to fear the Lord your God, to follow all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul, to keep the commandments and laws of the Lord that for your good I lay down for you today.

Dt.10:12,13

Moses is summarising what God is asking from his people. He's not asking for much, just everything.

Moses' lead-in to answering his rhetorical question is deceiving. Only this, not much, just a trifling... It reminds me of C.S Lewis's title to his life changing book, Mere Christianity. It's such an understatement as to become an oxymoron. 

So, what is God asking of me? Only to fear, follow, serve and obey. That covers just about everything I could do with my life. There's no space for anything else, which is as it should be. God is an all-or-nothing type of God. Lukewarm gets spat from his mouth. 

There's also a little understated promise at the end of the verse. For your good. God's asking for all of me not for himself. It's for my own good. Today it's all-or-nothing for God from me. Let's make it all, for my own good if for no other reason.

Jesus, you gave your all for me. Now, I give my all for you.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for us.

Move Mountains

Then the disciples came privately to Jesus. ‘Why were we unable to cast it out?’ they asked. He answered, ‘Because you have little faith. I tell you solemnly, if your faith were the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it would move; nothing would be impossible for you.’

Mt.17:19,20

Jesus has just cast out a demon from a boy. He rebukes the disciples for being unable to do so. It's their lack of faith that limited the power of their prayer.

Once again Jesus highlights the importance of faith. Without faith not much can happen. With it mountains are moved. My faith is a gift not just for me. It's a muscle to flex when interceding for others.

Thank you Jesus for my gift of faith. I yoke it to hope and love in the service of your Kingdom.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for us.

Joy

As they came down from the mountain he warned them to tell no one what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what ‘rising from the dead’ could mean.

Mt.9:9,10

Peter, James and John have just witnessed Jesus' transfiguration. They are sworn to secrecy about the event by Jesus until after he has "risen from the dead". This expression is new to the apostles.

Jesus is starting to reveal God's plan of redemption. It's so outrageous that even the first hints are unbelievable to the apostles. Rising from the dead? What could this mean? 

It's significant that Jesus first reveals that he will die after exposing his unfathomable, eternal glory. His death was not to be the end of his story. Our death is not the end of ours. In fact it is just the start of our story, our lives here on earth simply being the title page. No wonder we believers have an unquenchable joy that even death cannot smother. This joy is mine today and mine to share. Hallelujah!

Jesus, your transfigured glory is just a hint of what awaits me. I strain to join you my Lord, to stand around and talk with you like Moses and Elijah.

Saint Philip Neri at home in glory, please pray for us.

 

What's in a Name

But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’

Mt. 16:23

Peter has just remonstrated with Jesus, begging that Jesus not experience the passion and death he has just prophesied. Jesus rebukes Peter and confirms the redeeming plan of God that will save mankind at Jesus' own cost.

Peter has received from Jesus the highest praise and now the strongest rebuke. At first a happy man with a Godly vision of who Jesus is and then an agent of Satan attempting to foil God's plan of redemption. The wild swings of Peter shows his frail humanity. 

Yet, Peter becomes a rock. This encourages me to get back up when I'm knocked down by my weak humanity, when my ways are not God's ways. Like Saint Paul, I can be struck down but not destroyed. 

Jesus, you renamed Saint Peter and he became who you said he was, the Rock. Rename me so I may be who you say I am.
Saint Peter, please pray for me.

Take Courage

‘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

The disciples are battling a heavy sea at night when Jesus walks on the lake towards them. They fear he is a ghost until Jesus calls out to have courage and be not afraid.

Being in a small boat in a storm at night would be frightening, even for experienced boatmen. Life has frightening storms when everything is dark and the future uncertain. 

The message of this scripture is clear. It is at those times, the times of darkness and storm, that Jesus is actually closest. He calls me to step out in faith, take courage and not be afraid. Peter did this and even if only for a few steps, ended up walking on water. 

Jesus, circumstances can overwhelm me and make me fearful. Help me see you in the midst of these dark times, take courage from you and not be afraid. 

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for us.