Happy Eyes

The wolf lives with the lamb, the panther lies down with the kid, calf and lion feed together, with a little boy to lead them.
Is.11:6

Isaiah's prophecy reveals the root of Jessie coming to rule all creation, heralding a time of absolute peace.

Jesus brings peace. Enemies become friends with animosity forgotten. The most unlikely people, wolves and lambs, embrace. I have seen this happen and it is a glimpse of the wonderful world to come when Jesus reigns supreme. 

Jesus says in today's gospel, "Happy the eyes that see what you have seen". (Lk.10:23). I walk into today with happy eyes.

Thank you Jesus for revealing to me what prophets and kings have wanted to see. This vision is my hope and joy today.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

 

The Bride

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, and the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed for her husband.
Ap.21:1,2

John's final vision starts with all things made new, both heaven and earth. The new Jerusalem is as beautiful as a bride.

In attempting to describe the indescribable, John compares the new heavenly city to a bride dressed for her husband. I grasp what John is trying to convey here as I recall gasping at the sight of my darling bride being led down the aisle by her father. She looked like a Greek goddess. I suddenly felt shy before such beauty. 

The new Jerusalem is my real home that I yearn to reach. No more tears. No more pain. Indescribable beauty and joy. Meeting my Lord face to face. This puts everything of my life in perspective, the highs and lows, the good the bad, the beautiful the ugly. All swept away and replaced with the perfect new.

Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Stand Up

And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.
Lk.21:27,28

Jesus prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem before his return in glory to judge the earth. This is the time for all believers to stand strong and receive their promised freedom.

Here it is again. Agony, death and destruction before the joy of liberation. The Christian attitude is to always keep one eye firmly on the promised joy of liberation. Yes, deal with the trials of the day but don't let them overwhelm. Standing up with a lifted head gives a clearer view, a better perspective on what to do in a time of trial.

Jesus, I can be overwhelmed by trials. Help me keep my eye firmly on you so that I can stand up and lift my head and have a better view.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

 

Retirement Plan

Men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and governors because of my name – and that will be your opportunity to bear witness.
Lk.21:12,13

Jesus has just described to his disciples what the end of time will be like. As a postscript he adds that persecution will be a precursor to that event.

Jesus never said being a follower would be a cakewalk. Quite the opposite. But he always adds, be strong, stand firm, stand up and lift your head because eternal life will be yours. 

Life has its troubles with or without Jesus. It's just that with Jesus the troubles are never the end of the story. They are just an opportunity to bear witness. As the saying goes, being a Christian doesn't promise high pay, but the retirement plan is out of this world.

Jesus, I invite you again into my day, the good times and the not so good times. You always place them in the perspective of eternal life. Thank you Lord.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

The Beginning of the Story

Alleluia, alleluia!
Be faithful until death, says the Lord,
and I will give you the crown of life.
Alleluia!
Rv.2:10

In God's time the world will come to an end and he will judge the earth and all people. We, his people, are not to be afraid but are to be faithful to the promise of eternal life.

Here is the great promise of our faith. Be faithful until death and you will have life. Jesus was unequivocal about the resurrection. This is a nonsense to unbelievers until they are staring down the barrel of death when suddenly it has a certain appeal. 

What does this mean for me today? Yes, one day I will die. No, that will not be the end of my story but just the end of the title page, with my real story about to begin. Is this Good News worth sharing? Absolutely!

Jesus, you are the first born to the resurrection. Thank you for the promise of eternal life. You are the source of my joy.
Saint John the Revelator, please pray for me.

Generosity

I tell you truly, this poor widow has put in more than any of them; for these have all contributed money they had over, but she from the little she had has put in all she had to live on.
Lk.21:3,4

Jesus observes a widow gifting to the temple treasury. Her paltry few coins are lifted up as the highest example of generosity.

The widow blows my ten percent offerings to smithereens as she redefines generosity. She shows how it's not the amount that matters, it's the measure of generosity. Jesus loves a generous and cheerful giver. The people of rich soil are those with "noble and generous hearts".

My heart is not often generous, in fact it's usually parsimonious. It seems miserliness brings with it miserableness while generosity brings with it joy. 

Lord, show me where and how I can be a generous giver today.
Generous Widow, please pray for me.

 

Resurrection

Jesus replied, ‘The children of this world take wives and husbands, but those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels.
Lk.20:34-36

Jesus is replying to the Sadducees who try to confound him with a question about the resurrection. His answer confirms there is a resurrection but also underscores the primary purpose of marriage, for the procreation of children. In heaven we live forever, removing the need for marriage and children. 

With the end of the Church's calendar approaching, our focus is on end times. For us believers, it's a time to stand up and lift our heads for our redemption draws near.

Thank you Jesus for leading the way into heaven and allowing us to follow. I place my trust in you.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me. 

The Lord's House

Jesus went into the Temple and began driving out those who were selling. ‘According to scripture,’ he said ‘my house will be a house of prayer. But you have turned it into a robbers’ den.’
Lk.19:45,46

Jesus drives out the mercenaries and traders from the temple, declaring what the temple is intended to be... a house of prayer.

Jesus always used the temple to teach and pray, modeling what our places of worship, our churches are to be. The word ‘church’ by which we designate the place of divine worship, is derived from the Greek kuriakon (‘the Lord's house’), implying that it is God's house in the first place.

An extrapolation can be made here as well. My body is a temple, a temple of the Holy Spirit, a "Lord's House". How I use my body needs to reflect that.

Jesus, I dedicate my body to you. Holy Spirit, fill my body so it may become a house of the Lord.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

God Wept

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it.
Lk.19:41

Jesus stops in sight of the city of Jerusalem and weeps while prophesying its impending destruction. Why had this come about? Because Jerusalem did not recognise its opportunity when God offered it. 

How staggering that God weeps! What opportunities offered by God have I missed? When have I caused Jesus to weep? Every time I choose to sin, and yes, sin is always a choice. 

Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner. Today I want to make you rejoice not weep.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

What Do I Want?

Jesus stopped and ordered them to bring the man to him, and when he came up, asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ ‘Sir,’ he replied ‘let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.’ And instantly his sight returned and he followed him praising God,
Lk.18:40-43

The persistence of the blind beggar overcame the obstacles of the surrounding people trying to shut him down. His faith resulted in his healing.

"What is it that you want?". At first this seems the most ridiculous question to ask a blind man. Of course he wants his sight. But Jesus wanted to engage with the blind man's faith. What he was asking for was a miracle healing from blindness. That takes faith and truck loads of it. 

The blind man was not only given his faith but also an increased love for God as evidenced by the loud praise he gave while following Jesus.

What miracle am I asking of Jesus? Do I have the faith to place it before him? 

Jesus, I place my trust in you.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for us.

The Flag of Love

To love is to live according to his commandments: this is the commandment which you have heard since the beginning, to live a life of love.
2Jn.4:6

John reiterates the fundamental commandment of Jesus, the commandment to love.

I recall my first great love affair. Suddenly someone else's happiness became more important than my own. Love does that. This takes a new meaning when I recall scripture saying God is love. This means when I love, God is in me in his most pure form. 

As a Christian I am to have the attitude of love, remembering that I am loved by God. This is our hallmark, the flag we march under. See how they love one another. 

Thank you Jesus that I am not called to do good, or even be good. I am called to be loved. Then love will flow from me. 
Saint John the Evangelist, please pray for me.

An Ambassador

The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look here! Look there!” For, you must know, the kingdom of God is among you.
Lk.17:20,21

Jesus replies to a Pharisee's question about the arrival of the kingdom of God, saying God's kingdom has already arrived.

Jesus is referring to himself, standing among the Pharisees, but also to his Church which is him incarnate. We, the Church, are his body and we represent the kingdom of God. We are the wheat among the weeds, the salt, the yeast, the mustard seed, the secret army at work in the world. 

I sometimes forget I'm an ambassador for Christ, an emissary for the kingdom of God. Today is a good day to remember that and live accordingly.

Jesus, you have placed me in the world. Help me be not of the world but yeast, salt, light for your kingdom. 
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me. 

A Drop in the River

 

Wherever the river flows, all living creatures teeming in it will live. Fish will be very plentiful, for wherever the water goes it brings health, and life teems wherever the river flows.
Ez.47:9

In Ezekiel's vision he sees water flowing from the temple of God becoming a river of life and health.

Today is the feast of Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. The dedication of a church is a feast for all its parishioners. In a sense, St. John Lateran is the parish church of all Catholics, because it is the pope’s cathedral. This church is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church.

We, the people of the Church, are the river of life flowing from God. What is our purpose? To bring life and health to the world. 

Thank you Jesus for the gift of the Church. Let me be a drop in the river of life today.
Saint John, please pray for me.

Merely a Servant

Must he be grateful to the servant for doing what he was told? So with you: when you have done all you have been told to do, say, “We are merely servants: we have done no more than our duty.
Lk.17:9,10

Jesus instructs on the attitude of a disciple. It is to be the attitude of a faithful servant.

Servanthood is demeaned by the world as an inferior position. Jesus lifts servanthood up as the pinnacle of Christian life. It places the other ahead of oneself in humility, always the attitude of a Christian. When there is less of me and I'm focussed more on the other, somehow there is more of Jesus within me. 

Jesus, you know it is more natural for me to want to be served than to serve. Give me a servant's heart that is joyful in serving others. 
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Hearts Soaked and Strengthened in Love

May the Lord turn your hearts towards the love of God and the fortitude of Christ.
2Thes.3:5

Paul speaks a blessing over all believers that our hearts may be soaked in God's love and strengthened by Jesus.

Hearts soaked and strengthened in love.  What a great benediction. That can be my mantra for today over all I meet. 

Thank you Jesus for your heart soaking and strengthening love. Let me be a conduit of that love today.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Open Handed

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I tell you this: use money, tainted as it is, to win you friends, and thus make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into the tents of eternity. 
Lk.16:9

Jesus has just told the parable of the shrewd servant. He highlights that money does have influence but it is limited to this world. Eternal influence comes from how we use money now.

Twenty dollars looks huge on the collection plate but very small when I had it over at Burger Fuel. My natural inclination is to be tight fisted. Jesus is calling me to be open handed. When I unclasp my fingers from that twenty dollar note it has less power over me.

Jesus, you know, Lord, that I am grasping by nature. Help me become open handed with a generous heart that I may be welcomed into heaven.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Shrewd Mercy

The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness. For the children of this world are more astute in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light.
Lk.16:8

Jesus tells the parable of the shrewd servant. The servant's astuteness in time of trouble is to show mercy.

Showing mercy to debtors was going to stand the servant in good stead in the troubled times that were coming to him. Jesus holds this up as an example for "children of the light", for me. Calling mercy shrewd does not lessen the power of what mercy does, both for the giver and the receiver. 

It's my acts of mercy that will hold in me in good stead on the day of judgement. Is this just self-serving? Jesus doesn't think so. Mercy insists on being self-giving. The other is deemed more important than any rights I think I may have. Today is a day for dispensing mercy, shrewdly.

Jesus, you lift up mercy as a great virtue that opens the door to grace. Help me be a merciful servant today.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Seek the Lost

“Rejoice with me,” he would say “I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.
Lk.15:6,7

Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep to Pharisees complaining that he spends time with tax collectors and sinners. It is those Jesus came for.

My favorite quote from Pope Francis: “The thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle." Jesus would agree.

Today is a day to recognise the lost, the alone, the wounded and help heal them, in Jesus' mighty name.

Jesus, it can be overwhelming when faced with a person's desperate need. Help me be you to them in whatever form that takes.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.