Joyful and Gentle

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

Ph.4:4,5

Feast Day of Saint John Bosco

Saint Paul writes to the Church in Philippi exhorting them to be always joyful and gentle because of the nearness to them of God.

Being joyful and gentile was Saint John Bosco's method of reaching and teaching delinquent street boys in 19th century Turin. His teaching method was based on love rather than punishment. 

Being gentle and joyful is uplifting to those exposed to it. It best presents the authentic Christian life. What a great way to live out my day!

Lord Jesus, help me be joyful and gentile to those I meet today.
Saint John Bosco, please pray for me.

He's in My Boat

‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.’

Mk.4:40,41

Jesus is wakened by his disciples who are terrified by a storm threatening their boat. After instantly calming the storm Jesus rebukes the disciples for their fear coming from lack of faith.

Storms are big and powerful. They make me feel small and vulnerable. In a small boat at sea that would be magnified. The disciples had one huge thing in their favour in the storm that they failed to recognise. They had Jesus with them. Yes he was asleep but he was WITH them. 

I am not promised to be exempt from storms in life. However, I am promised that Jesus will always be with me and will never forsake me. He will always be in my boat. The key to letting him calm my storms is faith. 

Thank you Jesus for your promise to never leave me. Your presence calms my storms. I step into today holding your hand.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Mercy

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offence. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.

Ps.50:1,2

After being convicted by Nathaniel the prophet of adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah, David turns to God, repents and begs for mercy.

Adultery and murder are heinous crimes in the secular world let alone against the laws of God. David had a choice to sink in despair under the weight of his sins or turn back to God and plead for mercy. That he chose the later I think distinguishes him as a man after God's heart (1 Sam. 13:14).

David's sad fall from grace through sexual sin is not new. It demonstrates a malady that inflicts both paupers and princes. That God did forgive David, although David still had to carry his actions consequences, shows the wonderful mercy of God. 

The Pharisee in me wants to see David burn for this. The sinner in me rejoices at the saving mercy of God. Perhaps I in turn can be more merciful to others.

Jesus, you know my weaknesses yet you love me still. Help me be a chanel of mercy and grace to those I encounter today.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me

Be a Giver

The amount you measure out is the amount you will be given – and more besides; for the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Mk.4:24,25

Jesus is teaching on the law of reciprocal generosity. Then he adds a twist. Generosity earns a bonus. Miserliness earns a penalty.

 Jesus holds generosity in high regard. In the parable of the sower he describes the rich soil as those people with a "noble and generous heart" (Lk.8:15).  I am blessed by having generous people among my own family. They are people who are uplifting and joyful. They are great to be around. 

The virtue of generosity is something for me to culture, starting today...

Jesus, help me to become a natural giver, not a taker. Cultivate in me a spirit of generosity.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Rich Soil

And there are those who have received the seed in rich soil: they hear the word and accept it and yield a harvest, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.

Mk.4:20

Jesus is explaining the parable of the sower to his disciples. Many hear the Word of God but it doesn't take root in them. However, some hear the Word and it transforms them into fruit bearers for God.

It depends on the soil. Is my soil shallow and rocky or a rich, fertile loam? As a non-believer my soil was rocky and full of weeds. Worries of the world and the lure of riches certainly bound my roots. My step of faith broke the rocks and loosened up the soil. Joining a church fertilised it. My morning prayer time waters it.

All this is to one end, to produce a harvest. The size of the harvest will be a measure of my soil's fertility. A hundredfold? Yes Lord, starting today.

Jesus, I want to be fertile soil. Break up the rocks. Pull out the weeds. Loosen the soil. Bring in a harvest.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

 

Fishing with a Cracked Pot

Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them: ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation.

Mk.16:15

The risen Jesus has shown himself to the eleven Apostles. After rebuking them for not believing reports of his resurrection, he commissions them to go and preach the Good News.

So, what is the Good News? We proclaim it at every Mass in the Mystery of Faith. One version says "Christ has died, Christ is Risen, Christ will come again." The Good News is based on Jesus' death and then his glorious resurrection.

Jesus is insistent the Good News is not just for a select few. It's for the whole world. Right from its beginning the Church has been commanded to go fishing. I can go fishing using the Alpha Course. I can also go fishing by the example of my life when interacting with people day to day... starting today.

Jesus, I have so many weaknesses. Sometimes I feel phoney when trying to proclaim your Good News. You used the cracked pots that were your disciples. Use me.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Gold from Clay

Jesus went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach, with power to cast out devils.

Mk.3:13-15

Jesus appoints the twelve Apostles who are to be his core team in ministry. They are made up of a cross section of broken humanity yet Jesus used them to change the world.

From Peter the sandpile through the hotheads James and John to Judas the betrayer, this is hardly an A-team but Jesus treats them as one. He sets high expectations and responsibilities, sending them out on their own mission trips. 

Barring Judas, each of the apostles become saints. Jesus didn't focus on their brokenness, he encouraged and drew forth their strengths, a great lesson in team building. It's also a model on how I should see myself. Satan wants me to stop at the stinking pile of my brokenness. Jesus wants me to step over that and move further up and further in to him. Starting today...

Thank you Jesus that you see past my failures and call me into the successes you see in me. Help me to see myself, and others, as you do.... a potential saint.

Saint Agnes, please pray for me.

 

 

Life

Alleluia, alleluia! 

Our Saviour Jesus Christ has done away with death 

and brought us life through his gospel. 

Alleluia!

Today's Gospel Acclamation quotes from 2Tim.1:10. Jesus has conquered death by bringing eternal life. How? Through the good news he has created.

People die. Where is this life Saint Paul raves about? Obviously it's not life in this world, it's life in the next. There's the rub. The Good News of Jesus is based on delayed gratification. Or is it...?

I've  been on both sides of the faith fence and I far prefer living the life of a believer. It makes me an optimist which is not a bad worldview to start your day. As an unbeliever my world was tiny. It circled around me and what I thought could make me happy. The Gospel has me placing others happiness before my own. Suddenly my world expands and has meaning and purpose. I am given a glimpse of what eternal life could be like. This is real living.

Jesus, your Gospel, your good news, is the very air I breathe today. Thank you for bringing me life.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for us. 

 

Law or Love

Is it against the law on the sabbath day to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to kill?

Mk.3:4

Jesus is challenging the Pharisees' heart motivation. Are they fixated on love or the law?

Jesus usually heals out of compassion. Today's Gospel has him healing a man with a withered hand out of anger. The Pharisees' blind adherence to the law grieves him. They would rather leave a man crippled than have him healed on the sabbath.

The law has a seductive appeal to me. It's so neat, so black and white, so easy to administer. Compassion gets messy. It often involves extending mercy to someone I judge doesn't deserve it. I have to roll up my sleeves and do something for someone else rather than for me. 

Am I fixated on love or the law? Today I choose to be intentional about loving.

Jesus, help me to love. It's not my natural state.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Heart Reader

Take no notice of his appearance or his height for I have rejected him; God does not see as man sees; man looks at appearances but the Lord looks at the heart.

1 Sam.16:7

Samuel has been called by God to find a new king among the sons of Jessie. The eldest son Eliab impresses Samuel by his looks but God rejects Eliab after judging his heart.

Important character is found on the inside. The world judges by beauty, brains and wealth. I am seduced by these same external attributes. God steps past the outside stuff and judges the heart. I am about to form an Alpha hosting team. I need to be a heart reader.

Jesus, you looked past the externals and read people's hearts. Help me be a heart reader so I am not mislead by external appearance.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

 

New Wine

And nobody puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins too. No! New wine, fresh skins!

Mk.2:22

Jesus has been questioned about why his disciples are not fasting like the Pharisees or even John's disciples. His reply infers he is doing something new that has with it new disciplines and new power.

This reading always makes me question, "What is the new wine God is pouring into my life at the moment?" Often I'm so busy savouring the old wine that I'm missing the new work God is calling me to. This can be at my work, in my family life or in my ministry. God is interested in all those areas. 

Lord, I can be distracted by the cares and worries of this world. The exciting place to be focussed is in the center of your will... today.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

 

Authority to Forgive

But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he turned to the paralytic – ‘I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’ And the man got up, picked up his stretcher at once and walked out in front of everyone.

Mk.2:10-12

Jesus has just forgiven the sins of a paralytic. To demonstrate to offended scribes his authority to forgive sins, he miraculously heals the paralytic.

To Jesus, the healing of the paralytic was secondary to the forgiving of his sins. When focussed on the paralytic, the best Jesus could give him was forgiveness. The healing was simply to demonstrate to unbelievers that he had authority to forgive. 

Forgiveness continues to be the best that Jesus can give. It brings freedom, peace and joy, all priceless gifts. We focus on the physical which is temporary at best. It all turns to dust. This is where Janis Joplin got it wrong when singing, "Lord, won't you give me a colour TV". My soul is eternal. Fix that and I'm fixed for ever. 

Time to visit the confessional...

Thank you Jesus that your greatest gift for me is forgiveness. Thank you that you have made forgiveness so readily available through your Church.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Compulsive Compassion

A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees: ‘If you want to’ he said ‘you can cure me.’ Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. ‘Of course I want to!’ he said. ‘Be cured!’ And the leprosy left him at once and he was cured. 
Mk.1:40,41

Jesus has started his public ministry and is gaining fame for healing. His compulsive compassion for the leper led Jesus to break Mosaic Law and touch him. The leper is instantly healed.

Jesus almost rebukes the leper for inferring his compassion was conditional. "If you want to..." Jesus' compassion isn't conditional. It's compulsive. He can't help but love us. He can't help but love me. 

Sometimes I doubt Jesus' love for me. How could he after what I have just done/thought/not done? This is from the devil who wants me to doubt my beliefs and believe my doubts. Jesus calls me to doubt my doubts and believe my beliefs, especially my belief in his love for me. I step into today knowing I am infinitely loveable and infinitely loved.

Jesus, I receive your love. Help me be compulsively compassionate to others I meet today.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Stick to the Plan

When they found him they said, ‘Everybody is looking for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go elsewhere, to the neighbouring country towns, so that I can preach there too, because that is why I came.’

Mk.1:37,38

The Apostles want Jesus to continue his work at the place they are at. Jesus sees a bigger picture and sets off for neighbouring towns.

The Apostles saw the healings and deliverance happening before them. Jesus saw the souls of the villagers in the next valley that had yet to hear the Good News. Preaching was his priority. He had a game plan and wasn't to be distracted from it. 

It's good to have a game plan and important to stick to it. Shifting the goalposts means the goal is never scored. This is true for big enterprises and also for the small stuff, like my day. 

Jesus, help me stay true to the vision you give me, starting with today. 

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

 

 

Being Real with God

'I was pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not take your maidservant for a worthless woman; all this time I have been speaking from the depth of my grief and my resentment.’ Then Eli answered her: ‘Go in peace,’ he said ‘and may the God of Israel grant what you have asked of him.’

1Sam.1:15-17

Hannah has been pouring out to God her grief over being barren. After first thinking her drunk, the High Priest Eli acknowledges her authentic prayer and gives her a blessing.

Even before becoming pregnant, Hannah left the temple no longer dejected but full of joyful expectation. She knew in her heart that her prayer had been heard. Hannah was granted her wish and Samuel the great prophet was born of her. 

Being real with God gets results. What can be birthed from my fervent prayer? This morning, starting an Alpha Course is on my heart. 

Lord God, sometimes I wonder if having an Alpha Course in 2022 is just my idea. I'm getting no support. I want to be in the center of your ideas Lord. Lead me and I will follow.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

In Season

‘The bride is only for the bridegroom; and yet the bridegroom’s friend, who stands there and listens, is glad when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. This same joy I feel, and now it is complete. He must grow greater, I must grow smaller.’

Jn.3:29,30

John the Baptist testifies again about Jesus. His joy is complete in seeing Jesus begin his work.

Humility brings with it a joy. A humble person knows his place and is at peace with it. There is no jealousy or striving. Work while in the right place, the right season, is a joy. 

My work for 2022? There's work work to provide provision for impending retirement. There's the work of husband/father/grandfather. There's the work of God's Kingdom here on earth (Alpha, Children's Liturgy, parish work). It's all in season and it's all good.

Jesus, give me wisdom to know what is in season and what is not. 

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

The Game Plan

The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour.

Lk.4:18,19

Jesus has just come out of the desert, full of the Holy Spirit. He now starts his public ministry in his hometown synagogue, outlining his game plan to bring good news, liberty, sight, freedom and God's favour.

This is still Jesus' business. His mission remains for the Church to complete. Everything that I do in the Church, in my parish, in the world should be in sync with Jesus' original game plan. Like him, my starting point is be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Come Holy Spirit, fill me so I can bring good news, liberty, sight, freedom and God's favour to the world.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me. 

No to Fear, Yes to Love.

In love there can be no fear, but fear is driven out by perfect love: because to fear is to expect punishment, and anyone who is afraid is still imperfect in love.

1Jn.4:18

John the Apostle explains who love is and what love does. The absence of love is from the absence of God and where God is absent fear takes hold.

John is on to something here. The times I'm afraid are generally times when I am primarily concerned about me. Love makes me more concerned about another. There is no place for fear when I am either loving or being loved. 

Jesus, soften my heart today. Help me love and so cast out fear.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Fruit of Faith

Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, raised his eyes to heaven and said the blessing; then he broke the loaves and handed them to his disciples to distribute among the people. He also shared out the two fish among them all. They all ate as much as they wanted.

Mk.6:41,42

Jesus performs the great miracle of feeding the five thousand. From an impossibly small resource he meets the needs of five thousand men plus women and children. 

There's a process Jesus followed here:

1. He identified the need; Over five thousand people required feeding.
2. He tallied available resources; Five loaves and two fish.  
3. He prepared in faith; The people were seated in large groups.
4. He acted in faith; God was thanked for his expected provision.
5. He met the need;  Over five thousand people were fed. 

Our next parish Alpha Course has just had its game plan identified.

Lord Jesus, I'm believing you are wanting another Alpha Course to be hosted by our parish. Lord, at the moment I have less than five loaves and two fish. Bring in the resources Lord. I place my trust in you.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for us.

Believe and Love

His commandments are these: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another as he told us to. Whoever keeps his commandments lives in God and God lives in him.
1Jn.3:23

John instructs on God's essential commandments, to believe in Jesus as the Son of God and to love one another.

This is a fairly simple game plan. The behaviour of a believer is to believe and love. Yet they change everything. I am no longer the center of the universe. Jesus is. Other people's happiness becomes more important than my own. My whole landscape is changed and changed for the better. Life is far more interesting and fulfilling. 

Today I will be intentional in behaving like a believer.

Lord Jesus, help me love those I meet today.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.