Point to Jesus

Even if you refuse to believe in me, at least believe in the work I do; then you will know for sure that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.
Jn.10:38

Jesus resolutely sticks to his scandalous claim that he is the Son of God. His works display the truth that the Father is in him.

There is a place for signs. Jesus confirmed the preaching of the disciples with signs and wonders. This is ok as long as the signs are used how they are intended. They are not to be an end in themselves.  Signs point the way, they point to Jesus.

My work is to do the same.

Jesus, may my work always point not to me but to you.

Saint Therese, please pray for me.

My Own Glory

If I were to seek my own glory that would be no glory at all; my glory is conferred by the Father.
Jn.8:54

In sensing his approaching passion and death, Jesus becomes more insistent in saying who he is, one sent and glorified by God the Father. 

Now here is a saying worth remembering. "If I were to seek my own glory, that would be no glory at all." How often do I seek my own glory? Often and it's no glory at all. There's pride within me that wants to be glorified. 

The antidote of course is humility. Let's try less of me and more of God, just for a day for starters. 

Saint Therese of Lisieux, please pray for me.

Set Free

If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.
Jn.8:31,32

Jesus unflinchingly defines to the Jews what it takes to be set free from slavery to sin. Follow his teaching, know the truth and the truth will set them free.

There are lots of people proclaiming their version of the truth. Social media is choked with it. On this point Jesus is uncompromising. The truth that sets people free can only be found by following him. Anything else, no matter how moral or good, is an empty promise. 

Following Jesus' word starts with allowing myself to be loved, loved by God no matter what I've done. When I let that truth soak into my inner being I am set free.

Thank you Jesus for loving me, for seeing gold in my miry clay. You have set me free.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Never Alone

And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.
Jn.8:29

Jesus is answering disputes over who he is. He is the one sent by the Father, not only sent but accompanied.

Here is a wonderful promise. When I am sent by Jesus I am never sent alone. He accompanies me. The Holy Spirit comforts and guides me. And not only that. All I have to do is lift Jesus up. He does the drawing of people's souls. 

Thank you Jesus for your companionship today. Come Holy Spirit, be my guide and comforter.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Timing

They would have arrested him then, but because his time had not yet come no one laid a hand on him.
Jn. 7:30

Jesus unflinchingly proclaims again he is sent by God the Father, infuriating the Jewish leaders. Jesus' inevitable trap looms larger on the horizon, waiting for the right time to snap. 

Timing is everything. From the charge of a cavalry brigade on the field of battle to the swing of the conductor's baton, timing determines its effectiveness. The Jewish leaders had Jesus' end all planned, just waiting for the right time. 

There's a right time for everything in my life, the trick is to sense the right time and then act. 

Lord Jesus, your timing was perfect. Give me the right sense of timing in my day, my year, my life.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Whose Approval Do I Seek

How can you believe, since you look to one another for approval and are not concerned with the approval that comes from the one God?
Jn.5:44

Jesus again rebukes the Pharisees for their self-serving hypocrisy. They have placed themselves as the arbitrators of what is good, ignoring the approval of God.

This is part of a long discourse from Jesus against the Pharisees where I want to shout out, "Sock it to 'em Jesus!"  But wait a minute, where do I seek approval? Not always from God alone.

Jesus says belief comes solely from seeking God's approval. I call myself a believer yet man's approval can sway me. 

God save me from seeking approval from the world. Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

 

He has Torn Us but will Heal Us

Come, let us return to the Lord.
He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us;
he has struck us down, but he will bandage our wounds;
Hs.6:1

God speaks through the prophet Hosea, pining for his chastised people to return to him with repentant hearts. 

This is so much like a loving father to his children. Yes, he has torn them but he will heal them. Yes, he has struck them but he will bandage them. The child, or in this instance me, is wiser and even more secure in the father's love. 

This is not very PC parenting in the world's eyes, but it works. I sin I suffer. The short, sharp, shock is followed by loving healing. The law of the harvest (I reap what I sow) is unavoidable like the law of gravity and it's a hard law to learn.

Father, help me always keep one eye firmly fixed on your unquenchable love for me.
Saint Therese the Little Flower, please pray for me.

A New Name

Yet do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you; rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven.
Lk.10:20

The seventy-two have returned rejoicing at the success of their mission trip, that devils submitted to them. Jesus says they have won a greater victory than they think, that their names are written in heaven awaiting  to be bestowed on them. 

I like to think there has been a "Simon the Sandpile" to "Peter the Rock" type of renaming here. It's like the receiving of a medal after heroism in battle. 

What name awaits me in heaven, "Mike the Magnificent" or "Mike the Mashup"? What I do on earth for the Kingdom will have a say in this.

Jesus, give me a boldness to witness for the Kingdom of God near at hand.
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Undivided

He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.
Lk.11:22

Jesus has delivered a man of the spirit of dumbness and is accused of using the devil for his power. Jesus points out a divided house cannot stand, including the devil's, and then focuses on his own house by asking are you with me or against me?

There's a tension in my Christian life. Of course I'm with Jesus, in the spirit. But what do my actions say? Quite often the opposite. I'm a divided house and what did Jesus say about divided houses? They fall. 

Lent is a good time to recommit to being with Jesus and to gathering for him, rebuilding a strong foundation on the rock. Then my house will not fall.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

To Whom Else Can I Turn?

Glory to you, Word of God, Lord Jesus Christ!
Your words, Lord, are spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life.
Glory to you, Word of God, Lord Jesus Christ!
Jn.6:63,68

Jesus has just placed firmly before the people his insistence that his body be eaten and his blood be drunk.  Many find this too hard and leave but not the twelve. Peter proclaims, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."

Sometimes following Jesus is hard. Sometimes travailing in prayer over a long period appears to achieve nothing. But it always comes down to this... "Lord, to whom else can we go? You alone have the words of everlasting life."

When everything else is shifting sand, Jesus remains the rock. 

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

Tear up The Book

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?
Mt.18:32,33

Jesus answers Peter's question about how many times he must forgive with the parable of the unforgiving servant. The parable says there is no end to forgiveness because I have been extravagantly forgiven.

My selfishness, lustfulness, greediness, covetousness and general dishonesty could fill a book. God has torn up the pages of that book and thrown it into the ocean. It's time I dropped the pen, stopped chronicling the faults of others, tore up the book and tossed it into the ocean of forgiveness where mine has been thrown.

I think this is called heart surgery and like all successful heart surgery, it will give me a new lease of life.

Lord, turn my judgmental heart of stone into a heart of flesh.
Saint Peter, please pray for me.

A Warrior

I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
Mt.21:43

Jesus has just told the parable of the rebellious tenants then focuses its message upon the Pharisees. God's kingdom will triumph and bear fruit but not through them. 

The kingdom of God is an unstoppable train. It will eventually triumph as sure as the sun does rise. The question is, am I part of the Church Militant that will become the Church Triumphant? Will it bear fruit through me?

I lose sight of the fact that the Church is in a battle and I need to be slugging it out in the fight. The wine from the vineyard becomes intoxicating and too often I'm just a cosy Catholic, not a warrior. 

Lord Jesus, I want to be a warrior for your kingdom. Holy Spirit, be my courage and strength. 
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Poverty at My Gate

Jesus said to the Pharisees: ‘There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day. And at his gate there lay a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. 
Lk.16:19-21

Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Lazarus in his poverty lies ignored right at the rich man's door. 

There are a number of salient points in this parable. The death of each man was not the end of his story, just the beginning. The rich man's fault was not his wealth, it was his withheld charity. The injustice of poverty was not far away from the rich man. It was right at his gate. 

In addressing this story to the Pharisees, Jesus was building on his condemnation of their hypocrisy. They spoke much on justice but acted little in charity. This story is addressed to the Pharisee in me and I squirm. 

Lord, open my eyes to the poverty at my door. Help me be generous in my charity. 
Saint Barnabas, please pray for me.

Lenten Hypocrite

The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses. You must therefore do what they tell you and listen to what they say; but do not be guided by what they do: since they do not practise what they preach.
Mt.23:2,3

Jesus warns his disciples about hypocrisy, pointing out the scribes and Pharisees has examples to avoid.

Saying must be backed up by doing, otherwise it's just more hot air and the world has enough of that already. 

There's a great song on the DC Talk album "Jesus Freak" called What if I Stumble. This song begins with a quote from Brennan Manning, author of The Ragamuffin Gospel:

"The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, then walk out the door and deny him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."

Lord, save me from being a Lenten hypocrite. 
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Generous Given is Generous Gets

Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’
Lk.6:38

Jesus lays out the law of the harvest. What I give determines what I get.

Jesus isn't a celestial Santa giving out gifts indiscriminately. There are laws in place that, like gravity, none can escape. This is one of them, the amount I measure out to give is the amount I will receive back.

This is to do with more than money. It includes time, abilities, attention... everything. How's my almsgiving going this Lent?

Lord Jesus, I am tight fisted. Help me gain a generous heart. 
Saint Barnabas, please pray for me.

Love My Enemies

But I say this to you: love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; in this way you will be sons of your Father in heaven.
Mt.5:44,45

Jesus' Sermon on the Mount never gets tougher than here. Not only am I to forgive my enemies, I'm to pray for them, I am to love them.

I have people who have hurt my loved ones badly. In a sense, they are my enemies. I have to love them? This is difficult. Jesus acknowledges this by saying, do this and you will be perfect. Can I do it? Can I love my enemies? No. Not by myself. 

Christian faith is not about doing good, it is not even about being good; it is all about being loved! Once I realize that I am loved "no matter what", once I let that truth soak into my heart, then something new is birthed in me. In a sense I am born again. My inner self turns noble and right actions simply flow from me. Like, loving my enemies. 

Thank you Jesus for loving me. Help me to love others today, especially my enemies.
Saint Stephen, please pray for me.

New Beginnings

When the sinner renounces sin to become law-abiding and honest, he deserves to live. He has chosen to renounce all his previous sins; he shall certainly live; he shall not die.
Ez.18:27,28

Through the prophet Ezekiel God states life or death is determined by what our attitude and actions are now. The slate recording past good or evil is wiped clean.

God is a God of new beginnings. This is good news. It means my new self can overcome the indebtedness of my old, sinful self. 

We all, all, have sinned and are in need of the mercy of God, in need of a new beginning. This is the message of hope that the world is aching to hear. It is the message of the Gospel. 

Thank you Jesus for the new life I have in you. Help me proclaim the mercy of God to those I meet today. 
Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.

Ask Seek Knock

Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him.
Mt.7:7-8

In his Sermon on the Mount Jesus instructs everyone to not be passive in their faith but to ask, seek, knock. 

This is dust of daily battle stuff. In the midst of my busy life, needs arise, injustice is encountered, failure is experienced. These are all things in which I can ask, seek, knock. Also, and perhaps more commonly, this is the path for those coming to know Jesus. 

Luke 11:13 records Jesus saying the same thing but with the addition, "How much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who keep asking him!" If I want more power of the Holy Spirit in my life I need only, ask, seek, knock.

Come Holy Spirit, fall afresh on me.
Only you can make me whole
Give me strength and make me grow
Come Holy Spirit, fall afresh on me.

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for me.