Hound of Heaven

One Sabbath, when Jesus went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully.
Lk.14:1

Jesus enters the home of an adversary, not to attack but to teach.

I am struck by how Jesus never gave up on the Pharisees. Knowing their deadly antagonism, he joins them for a meal and engages with them. He made small gains numerically from this sect. The few converts included Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea and, most famously, Saint Paul. Yet, Jesus still pursued them.

I am one who has benefited from Jesus' tenacious pursuit. It wasn't until my mid thirties that I finally put my hands in the air and surrendered. He never gave up on me. 

This outrageous, reckless love of God is staggering. He releases the hounds of heaven to chase us down, to bring us home, and he leads the hunt. 

Jesus your pursuit of me shows how much you love me. Make me a hound of heaven to chase down others and bring them home. Lord, you lead the hunt.

More than a Conqueror

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rms.8:38,39

Saint Paul underscores his claim that we are more the conquerors through the love of Jesus.

There is something incongruous in the claim that love fights for us. Isn't love the bearer of peace? Yet, I do have spiritual enemies who seek the ruin of my soul and today I am reminded that love has beaten them.

This victory isn't just for this time. It's for all time, for present things and things to come. 

Today I walk is one who is more than a conqueror, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

A Clown for God

And men from east and west, from north and south, will come to take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Yes, there are those now last who will be first, and those now first who will be last.
Lk.13:29,30

In answering the question, who will be saved, Jesus is clear that many will try and not succeed while many who are considered unworthy will enter the Kingdom of God.

I'm reminded of Flannery O'connor's short story 'Revelation' where the central character, Mrs Turpin, has a vision of end times. She sees a huge company of unlikely souls making their way to the next world. It’s not a ‘respectable’ sight, not a sedate procession, but a mass of people ‘rumbling toward heaven.’ The heaven-bound horde includes ‘battalions of freaks and lunatics shouting and clapping and leaping like frogs.’ 

At the rear of the procession are the 'respectable' people like herself. She could see by their shocked and altered faces that 'even their virtues were being burned away.'

Going by Flannery O'Connor's description, I want to be among the ‘battalions of freaks and lunatics shouting and clapping and leaping like frogs.’  If I remain 'respectable' I risk even my virtues being burnt away.

Jesus, strip away my respectable hypocrisy. I want to be a "Jongleur de Dieu", a clown for God.
Saint  Francis of Assisi, please pray for me.

Available

When day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named Apostles: 
Lk.6:13

Jesus didn't appoint the perfect, he chose from those who were available.

When I run over the names of the apostles I am both astounded and encouraged. They are such a ragtag collection of humanity, exhibiting all the sins and weaknesses that I possess. So what recommended them? Their availability.

I don't need to be perfect to serve Jesus. Just available. What a relief. 

Here I am Lord, I've come to do your will.
Saints Simon and Jude, please pray for me

 

Repent and Live

No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.
Lk.13:3

Jesus twice repeats a warning. Without repentance there is no eternal life.

It is said that good people don't necessarily get to heaven. Only forgiven people do. This was an obstacle to my atheistic pride for many years. Even then I knew that to seek forgiveness meant acknowledging someone greater than me who could forgive. 

Praise be to God I've met the one who can and does forgive. As Saint Paul writes in today's first reading, "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life." Rms.8:11  

Today my joy is in knowing I have sought forgiveness and been granted it. I have been given life.

Thank you Jesus that even from the Cross you prayed for my forgiveness. I place my trust in you.

Sin's Solution

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body doomed to death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Rms.7:25

Saint Paul shares his very human struggles and their very divine solution.

No one had to teach me how to sin. It comes naturally. But I did need to be taught about the solution to sin's pervasive, persistent problem. The solution to sin is a person. Jesus. He was Paul's go-to. He is mine as well.

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Let the Fire Burn

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!'
Lk.12:49

Jesus brings a fire that transforms lives. He desires the whole earth to be ablaze.

Faith is caught, not taught. The task of catching the earth ablaze is given to us, his body the Church. We are his Holy tinder, running amongst the stubble. 

This has me recalling when I was "baptised with the Holy Spirit and with fire". I was one of those new Christians some say should be locked up in a cupboard for six months. I wore "Jesus is Lord" t-shirts and badges shouting "Jesus Loves You". Workmates thought I had gone crazy, which in a sense I had.

Looking back I can see where this blaze of zeal first spread... to my children. I started reading the Bible to them. We initiated regular family prayer time. Christian music was playing when they got out of bed each morning. As a family we became involved in parish ministry.

It's a great joy to watch this blazing faith now being spread among my grandchildren. I fan the flame where and when I can. The fire of that first love doesn't go out.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. Kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth a your Spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth.

Much Grace Much Love

"When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.
Lk.12:48

Jesus makes it clear that the priceless gift of faith brings with it responsibility. 

G.K. Chesterton would agree. In The Everlasting Man, he argues that a Christian who sins is in a worse position than a pagan doing the same, because a Christian possesses greater spiritual knowledge and should therefore know better. 

Where does this leave me, a believer and a sinner? Convicted, repentant, absolved, restored and finally, leaping and dancing and praising God. One who has been forgiven much, shows much love.

Saint John Paul II, please pray for me.

Peace be With You

Let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” 
Lk.10:5

Jesus instructs the seventy-two in preparation for their first mission trip. The first message of the Gospel to be spoken over a household is "Peace!"

Two thousand years ago the world desperately needed to hear words of peace, as it does today. Pope Leo's first words as Pope, "Peace be with you." reverberated around the world, striking a chord with believers and non-believers alike. 

I am the 73rd disciple. Let my words today be words of peace. 

Peace be with you and with those you love.
Saint Luke, please pray for us.

My Refuge

Take refuge in God, all you people.
Trust him at all times.
Pour out your hearts before him
for God is our refuge.
Ps.61:7-8

David sings of his own experience. He has poured out his heart to God and found refuge in him.

Being vulnerable with people can be risky. Not so with God. It's a strange thing as God already knows what is in my heart. He wants me to risk myself with him.  The more of my heart that I pour out to him the more he wraps his arms about me and draws me to himself. It's the safest of all places, a perfect refuge.

What a wonderful transaction, a transaction I'm invited into today. 

Lord God, I pour out my heart to you now. Be my rock, my safe place, my refuge.

Lord Teach Us To Pray

Lord, teach us to pray
Lk.11:1

Jesus' disciples recognised the source of his power. Prayer.

I love the Our Father. It's the one prayer my mother knew on conversion from ninety years of atheism.

As a new convert I too had to be taught how to pray. My prayer life exploded on receiving baptism in the Holy Spirit. As today's Gospel Acclamation says, "...in that Spirit we call God our Father." Prayer moves God's hand. There's a wonderful mystery to this.

A friend once told me he happened to see my family and I sitting in our van at a petrol station. We were obviously about to embark on a holiday journey. He was mystified as to what what were doing, until we all gave the sign of the cross. 

Our children are adult now and teaching their own children how to pray. Prayer is not only the source of power for Jesus, it's the source of power for us.

Our Father who art in heaven...

Extravagant Lover

Alleluia, alleluia!
I give you a new commandment:
love one another as I have loved you.
Alleluia!

Today's Gospel Acclamation is a clarion call to the Church, heralding the preeminent characteristic of a follower of Jesus. Above all, I am to love others.

The parable of the Good Samaritan shows that I am called to love those who are hard to love, even my enemies. 

This I cannot do on my own. But it's not impossible. My help comes from Jesus himself. He doesn't set me up to fail. He wants me to succeed, especially as an extravagant lover, a pourer of wine and oil. 

Jesus, help me love the unlovely, extravagantly as you love me.

The Joy of the Lord is My Strength

Do not be sad: the joy of the Lord is your strength.
Neh.8:10

The Hebrew people, on hearing the Word of God read by Ezra, are convicted and lament. Ezra cries out for them not to weep but to rejoice for God's Word gives life, hope and joy.

God's Word convicts, the devil condemns. Conviction turns me around and stirs me on to confession, repentance and new life. Condemnation robs me of hope and buries me in despair and death.

Today I am an ambassador for joy, for the joy of the Lord is my strength.

Lord, your Word calls me a beloved son. I lift my head and rejoice as such.
My guardian angel, please protect me.