Hear and Proclaim

But they will not ask his help unless they believe in him, and they will not believe in him unless they have heard of him, and they will not hear of him unless they get a preacher, and they will never have a preacher unless one is sent.
Rms.10:14,15

Saint Paul describes how faith is spread. A preacher is sent, they hear the Word preached. They believe. They ask for help to confess Jesus is Lord. Then they are saved.

Faith can come by two ways. Hearing the word preached by man, hearing the word preached by creation. Faith came both ways for me and continues to come both ways. I am encouraged by preaching.  I am inspired by creation, by the fingerprints of God. Either way it is a gift.

Today I can both hear God's word through creation and proclaim God's word through my mouth.

Lord Jesus, help me hear and proclaim your word today.
Saint Andrew, please pray for me.

Lift Your Head

'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 is prophesying the end of time. As unbelievers "die with fear" at the destruction of the world, those invited to the wedding feast will stand with eagerness, looking forward to their liberation.

The final judgement will be final. Some being left behind not a popular message.  Yes, God wants all to be saved but his word says some won't. This gives impetus to my need to make sure many will "be there" when it counts, starting with my own family.

Jesus my Lord, help me be a fervent witness to you today that more may come to know and love you.
Teresa of Avila, please pray for me.

Grapes of Wrath

Put your sickle in and cut all the bunches off the vine of the earth; all its grapes are ripe.’ So the angel set his sickle to work on the earth and harvested the whole vintage of the earth and put it into a huge wine-press, the wine-press of God’s anger.
Apoc.14:19

John describes his vision of the judgement to occur at the end of time. The grapes are subjected to the wrath of God.

A wines-press is a method of separating the desired juice from the unwanted flesh and skins of the grapes. God's anger is to apply the pressure. Blood will flow.

The Church is reminding me very clearly of the old message given at parish missions. I have only one life to live, one death to die, one destination to reach. Is it to be heaven or hell?

How I live out today will have eternal consequences on the destination  I reach. I vote for heaven...

Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Generous

"...but she from the little she had has put in all she had to live on." 
Lk.21:4

Jesus observes the wealthy and the poor contributing money to the temple treasury. He is impressed the most by the widow who gave the least.

There's a young mum at Mass whose husband is not Catholic. She brings her four young children by herself each Sunday. Being typical young children some Sundays they are models of behaviour, some Sundays they're not. But there she is every Sunday. In some ways the young mum is a widow and she's putting in all she has. She impresses me.

What I can "put in" depends on the circumstance. It changes daily. The thing that impresses Jesus is not the amount. It's the generosity of heart. Today there will be opportunities for me to be generous.

Lord Jesus, you know how tight-fisted I can be. Help me have a generous heart with those I meet today.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Favourable Time

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem and came in sight of the city he shed tears over it... 'all because you did not recognise your opportunity when God offered it!’
Lk.19:14,44

Jesus is approaching Jerusalem to the acclaim of the ordinary people. He weeps over Jerusalem, prophesying its destruction all because its leaders failed to recognise God's opportunity.

Opportunity... a favourable time. It appears there are favourable times to grasp what God is offering. Times can be missed, like missing a bus. The leaders of Jerusalem missed God in Jesus through pride, jealousy, ambition, fear. What blinds me to God's favourable times? Probably much the same.

The antidotes are virtues of humility, peacefulness, modesty and courage. These are door openers to God. Let me practice them today.

Lord Jesus, I do not want to miss God through my worldly obsessions. I open my door to you today.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Cast My Crown

‘You are our Lord and our God, you are worthy of glory and honour and power, because you made all the universe and it was only by your will that everything was made and exists.’
Apoc.4:11

John is describing his prophetic revelation of what is to happen at the end of time.  God's magnificence is shown by the twenty-four elders prostrating, casting their crowns before him and declaring who he is.

As I sit here I'm looking out on a glorious spring morning, the grass looking verdant in a fresh golden sunshine. God's will has created this moment for me. I cast my crown before him crying, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who has created all that exists".

Thank you Father in Heaven for this beauty before me. Your love is evident in what you have created. I bow before you.
Little Flower, please pray for me.

Come Down From Your Tree

When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully.
Lk.19:5,6

Zacchaeus was a wealthy man through extortion as a tax collector. Being short, he climbs a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus. Jesus wants to give Zacchaeus more than a glimpse. He wants to save him.

I love this story. It's so full of trivial detail that you know it's authentic. Jesus stopping and identifying with one sinful man amongst the crowd encourages me to believe that of all humanity Jesus wants to spend time with me, "stay at my house".

And Zacchaeus' response is authentic. He welcomes Jesus joyfully, not caring about the rebukes of the people. Jesus must have known his heart was ripe for conversion. Suddenly the hoarded gold is not important as he pledges restitution by giving it away. Beautiful!

Zacchaeus climbed the tree from his own effort. Jesus called him down, called him away from all his striving to be big and gave him a big heart instead. Oh, there's so much for me to learn from this...

Lord Jesus, you know what a tree-climber I am. I come down to you Lord, that you may stay with me. 
Little Flower, please pray for me.