All or Nothing

So in the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless he gives up all...
Lk.14:33

Jesus turns on the hordes following him and speaks plainly. To follow him means all or nothing.

The crowd was becoming a mob, following Jesus for a variety of reasons. Some simply want to see the miracle worker do his next trick. 

There is a cost to following Jesus. He asks me to weigh it up and then make my choice. All or nothing.

Jesus, you are Lord of all or not at all. I give my all and place my trust in you. 

Break me, Melt me, Mould me, Fill me

And whenever the vessel he was making came out wrong, as happens with the clay handled by potters, he would start afresh and work it into another vessel, as potters do.
Jer.18:4

The potter doesn't toss away the wrong clay. He reshapes it into what he originally intended, into something beautiful.

This reminds me of Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery. The cracks are highlighted with gold, bringing out a remarkable fresh beauty from a destroyed vessel. It treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.

I am a work in progress. My sanctification is ongoing. I'm reworked clay. Sometimes I'm a smashed vessel, restored to greater glory.

Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me
Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me
Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me

Wheat Among the Weeds

The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; 
Mt.13:38,39

Jesus describes the state of the world. We are either subjects of the Kingdom or subjects of the evil one.

I like this image of the wheat among the weeds. That's how I see myself. I'm part of a secret army. I look the same as other people but my allegiance is to Jesus.  My motivation is to be life giving to the world. 

Wheat begets wheat. Yesterday while driving grandchildren to school they reminded me to say the morning prayers their mother (my daughter) usually prays with them. We prayed Angel of God, the Lord's Prayer, a Hail Mary and finished with the prayer to Saint Michael The Archangel. 

Lord Jesus, help me be wheat to nourish those I meet today.

Joy

But happy are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear! 
Mt.13:16

Jesus proclaims a blessing over all who "see and hear". See and hear what? See and hear him.

There is such joy in knowing Jesus. The world needs this joy, a joy only I can carry into my corner of the world today. 

Jesus, I am your cup bearer. Let my cup of joy overflow today.

He Calls My Name

Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ 
Jn.20:16

Jesus transforms Mary Magdalen from deepest sorry to highest joy with one word. Her name.

I am drawn to Mary Magdalen, one who "sought the one whom her heart loved" and found him. Christian faith is unique in that it presents a God who desires a first name basis relationship. He calls my name.

Jesus says to me, 'Mike'. What is my response? 

Jesus, walk along the road beside me today. Speak your love into my life. Let my heart burn for love of you. 

Saint Mary Magdalen, please pray for me.

Family of God

Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.
Mt.12:49,50

Jesus establishes the family of God. Anyone doing God's will is a member.

I can recall being outside of this family. I also remember the joy of being welcomed into it. Doing the will of the Father has been my motivation since that day. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not so. 

Jesus, today I roll up my sleeves and join the work of the family.

The Quiet, Persistent Hum of Christian Hope

He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not quench.
Mt.12:19,20

It's not loud and grand gestures that herald the Good News. It's the quiet, persistent hum of Christian hope in service. 

Bruised reeds and smouldering wicks abound in my corner of the world. If I call myself a follower of The Way I need to emulate his action. Strengthen the reed, fan the flame. 

Jesus, this is your work. Help me be a conduit of hope to those I meet today.

Mercy

I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.
Mt.12:7

Jesus shows what the highest sacrifice looks like. It looks like mercy.

Something in me thrilled when I heard Pope Francis say, "Who am I to judge?" Without going down the rabbit hole of what he was being asked to judge, I fell more in love with our Pope, the Pope history is already calling the Pope of Mercy.

The foundation of my Christian hope is mercy. Without mercy I'm a dead man walking. 

Was Jesus saying that sacrifice is of no value? I think not. Giving up something of value for the sake of another is a great virtue, something Jesus did for me on the Cross. But, like Jesus' death on the Cross, true sacrifice is first motivated by mercy.

Where does this leave me? Grateful for the mercy given me and motivated pass it on. 

To quote Pope Francis, "Mercy is the true power that can save humanity."

Less of Me More of Him

Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mt.11:28

Jesus invites me to surrender the exhausting burden of trying to control or earn my own salvation and instead walk through life in partnership with him.

Less of me and more of him gives most of rest.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, please pray for me.

The Cost

Peter said to Jesus, ‘See, we have left everything and followed you. What, then, will we have?’ 
Mt.19:27

Peter asks what's on everyone's mind. In following you, what's the cost?

Fear of the "cost" of being a follower held me back for years. In becoming Christian, I knew that my life would have to change and that thought was scary. In the end it wasn't that I hated the rubbish in my life that gave me the desire to change. It was realising that he first loved me, with all my rubbish. His perfect love casts out all fear. 

Oh the blessed change. It's not only the promise of a hundredfold return in eternal life, it's also the peace, hope, joy and love I have now.  I weighed it up and he was worth it. 

Saint Benedict, please pray for me.

Wisdom and Innocence

I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Mt.10:16

Jesus prepares the twelve for the hostility they will encounter. The virtues required? Wisdom and innocence.

This can be taken as advice for life today. As long as I'm on this mortal coil striving to live a Christian life, I am an alien in a hostile land, a sheep among wolves.

Serpents and doves seem unlikely allies. Yet Jesus insists they have the attributes, when combined, that will protect me. Wisdom will help me know how and when to act. Innocence ensures my heart, motivating my actions, remains pure. 

Today, may I be wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove. 

Holy Emptiness

Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey.
Mt.10:9,10

Jesus commissions the twelve by giving them... nothing. At least nothing material. Their mission is to rely on providence. 

I'm a "dot your i and cross your t" man. Spreadsheets? Love em. Jesus' approach to mission preparation is foreign to me. 

Maybe the sweet spot is somewhere between effort and commitment and that "holy emptiness". At the moment I'm all effort and commitment. I need to loosen my grip on self-sufficiency and work on expanding my God space, that space in which only he can provide. 

Jesus, I open my palm up to you, trusting in your provision. 

Authority

Jesus called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority...
Mat.10:1

Jesus' first act on forming the Church was to give it authority.

Recognising authority seems to invoke faith, faith in the one who gives that authority. The Centurion's great proclamation of faith started with, "I too am a man under authority." 

I believe authority is one of the primary differences between Protestant and Catholic churches. The Protestant Church invites me to have an opinion about doctrine. The Catholic Church invites me to believe... believe in the God given authority of the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. 

I don't trust my opinions. I do trust the Church's teaching authority of the Magisterium. This authority is a strong foundation from which to "Go and make disciples of all nations."

Jesus, I place my trust in you.

Compassion

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 
Mt.9:36

A harassed, helpless crowd would make me want to run. Not Jesus, whose response was compassion.

The Latin root for compassion means "to suffer together". I feel empathy from another person when they draw me in rather than push me away. I know I am important to them at that moment. 

To suffer together with another I need to recognise our shared humanity, something Jesus did constantly. Prince or pauper, they have the same red blood and beating heart as myself. This is a good starting point for developing compassion.

Jesus, break my heart with the things that break yours. 

Son of Encouragement

And they laughed at him. But when the people had been turned out he went inside and took the little girl by the hand; and she stood up. 
Mt.9:24,25

With the unbelief of the scoffers removed the miracle could happen.

Naysayers suck energy out of the room and I've been guilty of it. I recall my youngest daughter sharing her dream of a student exchange to France. Practical dad me laughed at the idea with a "you and whose money" comment. She wisely went to her mother and between the two of them came up with a plan that got her there.

I've learnt not to rain on my daughter's parade but to be a cheer leader for her. That's much more fun.

Jesus, help me be a Barnabas, a Son of Encouragement to those I met today.

Joy

And Jesus said to them, ‘Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?
Mt.9:15

The immediate effect of having Jesus with us? Joy.

I tell my adult children, four of whom are married, "Sorry kids, the best wedding I've been to is when I married your mum." When I think of our wedding day I see a joyful celebration. We had our reception in a marquee, pretty radical in 1979. There were coloured lights and bunting strung everywhere. People were happy for us and cheering us on. 

Here's a photo of me and my gorgeous bride that day...

Jesus relating to me in the Church as a groom to a bride can't help bring similar emotions.  No wonder being Christian brings with it joy and joy in abundance. 

Pope Francis said joy is the air Christians breathe, that it's a gift not a purchase and that it brings a deep peace that only God can provide.

I'm reminded to breathe deep of that joy today and share it with others. Yes, the joy of the Lord is my strength.

Questioning Thomas

Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’
Jn.20:28

Thomas' questioning doubts led him to make one of the great proclamations of faith, "My Lord and my God."

I always think of Thomas not as doubting but more as questioning. "Lord, how can we know the way?" Jn.14:5 

Questioning Thomas never gave up on Jesus when he missed seeing Jesus' resurrected presence the first time. Thomas was still with the Church one week later. 

This tells me it's not only OK to question faith, it's healthy. However, I need to remember there's two spiritual players influencing my questions. The devil wants me to believe my doubts and doubt my beliefs. Jesus invites me to believe my beliefs and doubt my doubts. 

Being a convert, wrestling with questions is no strange occupation for me. Like Thomas, I've found the best place to be when questioning faith is within the loving arms of Mother Church. She guides me to where I'm meant to be, always.

Saint Thomas the Apostle, please pray for me

Take Heart My Son

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.’ 
Mt.9:2

Faith of the friends carrying the paralytic resulted in his spiritual and physical restoration.

Faith is oxygen to Jesus. I am encouraged by this verse to keep up my intercessory prayers. My prayer list is on a spreadsheet currently with 309 rows. 246 of those rows flag prayers that have been answered. 63 prayers to go.

Some of these prayers have been waiting for an answer for sixteen years. These are the knotty ones I hand over to Mumma Mary, Undoer of Knots. Take heart my son...

Hail, Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.

Seek Good

Seek good and not evil so that you may live, and that the Lord, God of Hosts, may really be with you as you claim he is.
Am.5:14

Seeking the good brings an immediate benefit. Life!

I claim to have the God of Hosts with me. Really? Then what good am I doing?

It seems any act of good, large or small, draws God into my life. And when God is in my life I am fully alive.

This morning my daughter needed help getting children ready for school. I must confess to a begrudging yes to that. However, my small act of "goodness" did help. They have just trundled off to school fairly painlessly and are happy. God must be smiling.

Seeking good usually means putting someone else first and me second. I'm not a natural at this, so the more practice the better.

Holy Spirit, help me develop my "seeking good" muscle so the God of Hosts may really be with me.