Let It Shine

for the man who has will be given more; from the man who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Mk.4:25

The man who blesses will be blessed. The man who gives poorly will live in poverty.

Jesus measures possessions differently from the world which recognises only things. Jesus sees gifts and talents, virtues and strengths... all things which illuminate life. 

I find it interesting that the man that "has not" still has something which is taken from him. This tells me that everyone has something that can be used to light the world. None of us are virtueless, talentless, completely ungifted. We all have at least a widow's mite of a flicker to add to a flame. 

This little light o' mine, I'm goin' let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Ev'rywhere I go, I'm goin' let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

In my neighbor's home, I'm goin' let it shine
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Rich Soil People

And there are those who have received the seed in rich soil: they hear the word and accept it 
Mk.4:20

What constitutes a person of rich soil? One who hears and accepts.

The Parable of the Sower challenges me to ask myself what soil am I... barren, rocky, weedy or rich? If I'm honest I'd say, at times, all four. What is amazing and so encouraging is that the sower keeps on sowing into all four types of soil. God keeps on loving.

Of course, it's the rich soil I aim to be. Luke's Gospel adds a beautiful description of "rich soil people". Jesus calls them "people with a noble and generous heart" (Lk.8:15). I've met people like that. They tend to be people whose hearts are on fire for the Lord. Their zeal is contagious. They produce fruit.

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

Waiting with Joy and Hope

When he appears a second time, it will not be to deal with sin but to reward with salvation those who are waiting for him.
Heb.9:28

Jesus is coming back, at last giving salvation to waiting believers. 

"Are you saved brother?" The only answer I can give is, "Not yet, but I have every hope to be". The Christian life in this world is one of joyful hope, awaiting the return of Jesus. We remind ourselves of this at every Mass following the Lord's Prayer when the priest prays; 

"Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,  and grant us peace in our day.  In your mercy keep us free from sin  and protect us from all anxiety  as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ."

So, I enter today filled with joy and hope, waiting for the reward of salvation from Jesus.

Maranatha. Come Lord Jesus come!

Go Tell

Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned.
Mk.16:15,16

Jesus' final words to his Apostles before he ascended apply to us all, the Universal Church. Go and proclaim!

A man's final words are what he wants left ringing in the ears of his hearers. They are words of legacy to be acted upon. I don't think we the Church are very good at "going" or "proclaiming". Yes, Church history is full of courageous missionaries but, what about today? The Church has missionaries but she's not full of them. 

Brought closer to home, what's happening in my parish? Closer still, what am I doing? My going and telling can start with those around me; my family, friends, work colleagues, neighbours.

The world is aching for hope. Holy Spirit, give me zeal and joy to "go and tell". Saint Paul, please pray for us. 

Companions

He appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach, with power to cast out devils. 
Mk.3:14,15

Jesus builds his A-Team from the common clay of those following him. Their mission? To preach with power. When I encounter preaching with power, it's inspirational. I either feel compelled or convicted, or both. 

It's important that the Apostles missionary work started with companionship with one another, but most importantly, companionship with Jesus. Jesus never commissioned Lone Ranger Christians.

I'm currently building a team to host an Alpha Course in our parish. This scripture reminds me we are not a construction team doing a job, we are to be companions on a journey. I like journeys. They can be adventurous and fun. 

Saint Francis de Sales, please pray for us.

 

The Scribble of My Life

You do not ask for sacrifice and offerings, but an open ear. You do not ask for holocaust and victim. Instead, here am I.
Ps.39:6-8

God doesn't want offerings, he asks for everything.

There is always a temptation in me to give a beggar $2.00 and then think myself a saint. That's the problem with offerings. They are worldly and measured by worldly standards. This diminishes God, not exalts him. 

God is so infinitely majestic, any "thing" I offer is dust by comparison. The best I can do is offer my puny "here am I". As a parent delights in a toddlers scribble-art, I trust Love will delight in the scribble of my life.

Holy Spirit, take the scribble of my life and make it holy and acceptable to God the Father, in Jesus name. Amen.

Words of Love

May the spoken words of my mouth, the thoughts of my heart, win favour in your sight, O Lord, my rescuer, my rock!
Ps.18:15

Words come from thoughts. Both should win favour in God's sight.

Psalm 18 lists the wonder and power of God's Word. Then, it finishes with a plea for my words. What would make my words, and thoughts by association, pleasing to God? A safe guess would be when they are words conveying love, love of God and love of man. 

Lord, today may the words from my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing unto you.

Stretcher Bearer

Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’
Mk.2:5

The faith of the four friends who lowered the paralytic down through the roof brought him the greatest healing he required... the forgiveness of his sins.

This story from Mark's Gospel tells me two things; intercession can move God's hand and, in God's eyes,  spiritual ailments are more serious than physical ailments. 

I hope I could have four friends such as the paralytics, brothers who would carry me physically or in prayer to the feet of Jesus. I hope I can also be such a friend. 

As for the universal need for the forgiveness of sins, I guess this is where our parishes become "hospitals in the field of battle" that Pope Francis desires us to be. I can be a stretcher bearer in such a parish, when not being the patient on the stretcher. 

Cooperate with Love

Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. ‘Of course I want to!’ he said. ‘Be cured!’ 
Mk.1:41

The compassion of Jesus compels him to reach out to touch and heal the leper but this compassion had a cost. 

In a sense, Jesus exchanged places with the leper. The leper could now show himself to the priest and be accepted back into his community. However, Jesus now had to "stay outside in places where nobody lived".

Compassion has a cost. Any ministry I engage in requires sacrifice of some sort. Why do it? Firstly because he who I follow did it first. But also because the cost is worldly and being pared from worldly stuff is not a bad thing. 

Cooperating with love has its own rewards, joy being the foremost. 

Make Known His Deeds

Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. O sing to him, sing his praise; tell all his wonderful works!   Ps.104(105):1,2

The psalmist says don't just be grateful to God, tell the world why you're grateful and who it is you're grateful to.

This is an encouragement for me to pray in another Alpha Course hosted by our parish. It's not the only way to "make known his deeds" but it's a way that works. 

Saint Philip Neri, please pray for us.

Time to Go Fishing

As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net in the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you into fishers of men.’ And at once they left their nets and followed him.
Jn.1:16-18

Jesus starts his ministry by building a team. Who are these founding members? Fishermen.

Jesus could have formed the core of his team from shepherds. After all, it was to shepherds that his incarnation was first revealed. Jesus even called himself the Good Shepherd. But he didn't call shepherds. He called fishermen. Why?

His meeting on the shore of the lake Simon and Andrew, James and John almost sounds accidental. But, I don't think anything is accidental with Jesus. To help him spread the Good News, Jesus was after fishermen, not shepherds. He didn't want people shepherded. He wanted them caught. 

The Church spends a lot of effort and resources in shepherding, in stroking the wool of the sheep inside the pen. We're not too good at catching. We're all in the Barque of Peter but we haven't dropped any nets.

So, what's this all saying to me? Maybe it's time to start another Alpha Course. It's time to go fishing.

Saints Peter and Andrew, James and John please pray for us.

Be Good News

Anyone who has the Son has life, anyone who does not have the Son does not have life.

I have written all this to you so that you who believe in the name of the Son of God may be sure that you have eternal life.
1Jn.5:12,13

John's assurance to believers of their gaining eternal life also declares starkly to non-believers they can have no such assurance. 

There is a tendency in the Church to believe everyone is going to heaven. Scripture says the exact opposite. Accepting that only believers in Jesus as the Son of God can claim a hope for heaven places urgency in evangelisation. People need to hear the Good News in order to believe the Good News. 

Being Good News is a great way to preach. Saint John the Apostle, pray that I may be Good News to those I meet today.

Faith to Love

And his commandments are not difficult, because anyone who has been begotten by God has already overcome the world; this is the victory over the world – our faith.
1Jn.4:3,4

John has just written down the command to love. Loving can appear daunting at times but John assures us God's commands are not difficult. Why? Because we have victory over every obstacle in the world, through faith.

Faith is the key. Through faith in Jesus and everything he says, I have victory. Through faith I can love even the unlovely. 

I have a family member causing pain. He is difficult to love at times but I know it is love that will eventually heal him. Faith in the God of love, who not only loves me but also loves him, will help me to work in the opposite spirit, to help me love him. 

Saint John the Beloved, please pray for me.

Do Not Be Afraid

‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ 
Mk.6:50

Rather than giving the disciples peace, seeing Jesus walking amidst the stormy waters terrified them. Then Jesus' spoken word calmed the waters and quelled their terror. 

The last time I was terrified was on learning our daughter had anorexia. All I knew about the illness was it had a high mortality rate. I came to learn that it is also a mental illness that can have a 100% recovery. My wife and I sought professional help and then rolled up our sleeves for the toughest months of our lives as I took time off work to help our daughter recover.

What quelled my terror in this storm was God's word, especially Psalm 118:17, "Our daughter will not die but live and proclaim what the Lord has done". This became our mantra. Praise God she has recovered is again healthy and happy.

I've heard it said courage isn't the absence of fear. It's the ability to feel the fear but do the right thing anyway. Jesus says don't let fear hold the steering wheel, let me. 

Love and Live

My dear people, let us love one another since love comes from God and everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.
1Jn.4:7

How do I get to know God? By loving.

John's inference is that I have a choice to love or not. He entreats the former. When I choose to not love I'm always thinking of myself... my rights, my hurt, my injustice, my fears. My world becomes very small with a population of one. Me. 

Love wipes all this self absorption away. My world becomes bigger, more interesting, and more joyful. I become more fully alive!

Lord, let me love today.
Saint John the Apostle, please pray for me.

Repent

From that moment Jesus began his preaching with the message, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.’
Mt.4:17

On learning of John the Baptist's imprisonment, rather than taking a low profile Jesus steps up his ministry, amplifying John's message "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is close at hand".

In essence, the "Good News of the Kingdom" is Repent. What's so good about repentance? I recall being driven to my knees when I first acknowledged there is a God and that I was far from him. My repentance gave me a sense of freedom I had never previously experienced. It was unexpected and took me by surprise. It was definitely Good News!

I've heard it said good people won't necessarily get to heaven. Only the forgiven can have that hope. All the thief on the cross could do was repent and it gave him the assurance of paradise. 

Repent. Good News indeed to take into my day.

Who Are You?

What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord”.
Jn.1:22,23

John the Baptist is harangued with questions about his identity. Where does he get his authority to do what he is doing? The only answer John gives is to point to Jesus. Jesus defines who he is.

Who am I? What is my identity? Husband to Kate? Father of five? Grandfather of seventeen? Retired radio engineer? Catholic? Ah, that is getting closer. Maybe better answers are Catholic husband. Catholic Father. Catholic grandfather. Catholic retiree. 

Being Catholic not only affects how I see all the world but also how all the world sees me, or at least this should be the case. 

Who am I? A stumbling follower of Jesus, The Way, The Truth and The Life.

Saints Basil and Gregory, please pray for me.

Timing

When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons. 
Gal.4:4,5

Today, the first day of 2025, is a time to reflect on timing. Today only gets its significance when referenced to the date of our Saviour's birth. The year of our Lord 2025. 

God's timing is perfect. When I consider what Christendom has achieved in the last two thousand years (hospitals, education, science, philosophy, civilisation) I'm grateful for what has benefited me. 

But wait (as the kitchen knife advert. says), there's more! I'm adopted as a son of God and I'm the son of two thousand years of adopted sons. How wonderful. And, I have a role to play in raising the next generation of adopted sons (and daughters). 2025 is promising to be a full and fulfilling year. Happy New Year!

Mary, Mother of God, please pray for us.