Live Simply

  "The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song....Streams will burst forth in the desert, and rivers in the steppe. The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water." Is 35, 1,6

The prophecy of Isaiah is wonderfully visual.  Reminding us that all creation "lives" in God, the prophet invites us to think of the desert drinking water gratefully and the mountains singing for joy.  God's love, Isaiah suggests, is so immediate and so full that one can taste it, smell it, hear and touch it. Working hard to help his sisters and brothers in exile not lose hope, Isaiah reminds them to focus on the simplest of God's gifts, their own senses, as a pathway to renewed life in the Spirit.

Some of us are in exile now, in our country, in the church. Remember Isaiah's vision and have hope.

Today, think simple.  Live simply.

Who has taught you the virtue of living simply so that all might simply live?

Ssabbath Challenges

   "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Lk 6:5

Sabbath and Sabbath law is complex, confusing, impossible and important. Unfortunately, in Jesus' day those who interpreted Sabbath observance lost sight of the purpose of Sabbath and attached so many proscriptions to it that the average person could never hope to know or observe them all.

The poor knew they could glean corn and other produce after the owners or tenant farmers had picked the field clean, and could do this on the Sabbath because gleaning was not considered work by most rabbis. The Pharisees, however, said that rubbing the grains of corn off the cob was a form of harvesting and preparing a meal, and this was forbidden on the Sabbath.

In truth, there were many rabbis who would have suggested that the poor be encouraged to glean on the Sabbath since doing deeds of mercy was not only permitted but required. Because Jesus knew this, he reminded his listeners that David took the bread of offering and gave it to his companions as an act of mercy.

Sabbath observances and rest have a very distinct purpose. Because we so often forget who we are and how much God loves us, we need to stop every seven days and remember the mercy of God. If God's mercy does not encourage us to act like God, especially on behalf of the poor, then the purpose of the Sabbath is lost, and we would be better off not observing it at all.

Today, look at the people around you, not with the eyes of the law, but with eyes of mercy.

Do you take Sabbath rest seriously?

All is Gift

 "What do you possess that you have not received?" 1Cor 4:7

The poet Mary Oliver once wrote: “Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” (Thirst, 2006) St Paul admonishes us about this same truth when he reminds the Corinthians that everything we have, we have received from God.

It is easy enough to accept Paul's teaching when life is moving along smoothly, but more difficult when we face hardship or numbing life questions. Too often, when faced with painful feelings, we run. Though natural, we need to find ways to counter this tendency.

Another poet,  Francis Thompson, puts it eloquently in The Hound of Heaven :

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; 

I fled Him, down the arches of the years; 

I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways 

Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears 

I hid from Him.

How do we stop running? Can we learn to sit still, even in the midst of turmoil, to let God's plan for us unfold in God's time? Learning some form of meditation is always good, and can be especially helpful when everything in us wants to rush past or through or around life's struggles. Next time you are tempted to deny or suppress a difficult feeling, pray to remember that all is from God and all is gift.

Today, be grateful for whatever the day brings.

Has someone given you a box of darkness that became a gift/

Fishing God's Way

 "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets." Lk 5:5

It is natural to wonder what it was that moved Peter to obey Jesus and lower his nets for a catch. Peter is the fisherman, not Jesus, and has been fishing all night with no success. Despite being tired, Peter listens to the Lord's command, and hauls in a large number fish, but this is not the point of the story. That the Apostle's will "catch" men and women is, and it is still the story.

Our task as Christians is to announce the Good News of Jesus Christ with passion and conviction, all the while knowing that it is not our eloquence or insight that will move our hearers but the power of God alive in us and in the Word. When we have the faith to listen, discern and obey God's command, even if it is counter intuitive or contradicts our experience, our success as evangelizers, like Peter's, will be assured.

Today, let go of your prejudices about how to be effective disciples and let God guide you.

Who or what has been most effective in your understanding and living of the Gospel?

Boasting is Always Inappropiate

 "Your boasting is not appropriate. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?" 1 Cor 5:6

It is easy for our to become slaves to the praise of others. Someone kindly offers an affirming word. Another says how much they like a homily we gave. A friend drops a note of gratitude for a kindness shown them. We walk around in the glow of appreciation, all of which is normal, natural and understandable, but when we fail to give God the credit for life, goodness and our own successes, we risk becoming full of ourselves.

Paul’s reminder that Christ sets us free from this kind of slavery is a good and important one. At the same time, while boasting is always inappropriate, we can be so defensive about our tendency to pride that we forget to be grateful for all God’s gifts. Each of us, Paul also reminds us, have a gift that does not belong to us but is given to us by God for the good of all. It is impossible, I think, to meditate too often on the image or metaphor of the Body of Christ.

Today ask God to show you again the gifts you have received for the building up of the Body of Christ.

Do you ever feel enslaved to your own reputation or the approval of others?

St Gregory the Great

  " I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living." (Ps 27)

St Gregory, like so many others saints, lived fully in the world in his early days, but after five years as prefect of Rome, lost confidence in the society to direct or discipline itself. Hoping the monastic life would give him some clarity about how to live the Gospel, he joined the Benedictines, but shortly thereafter the Pope sent him to Constantinople as his representative.

Straightforward and scrupulously honest, when he became Pope,  Gregory disciplined wayward priests, used monies from the papal treasury to care for Jews and the sick, and reformed the liturgy. but it was his instructions to bishops on how to conduct their office, read for a thousand years, that sealed his place among the Greats of the Christian community.

It is with profound sorrow we have to admit that though the harvest is great, the labourers are few, because, though the people are ready to hear the Word of God, there are few to preach it. Lo, the world is full of priests, yet in the harvest of the Lord a labourer is very rare, for we undertake, it is true, the office of the priest hood, but its duties we do not fulfill. Yet weigh well, dearly beloved, weigh well the words of the text: "Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that He send labourers into His harvest." Pray then for us that we may have strength to labour for you as we ought, that our tongue may not be slack to exhort, and that, having undertaken the office of preaching, our silence may not prove our condemnation at the tribunal of the just Judge. (Homily of St Gregory)

Today,  dare to be great in Christ.

What most keeps you from the living the Gospel with abandon?

Weakness as Power

 "I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God." 1 Cor 2:4-5

We rarely think of St Paul as full of fear and trembling. Because we know he was a respected rabbi and spoke his mind freely, our image of Paul more often makes us think of a CEO of a large company. It is surprising to hear him insist in his first letter to the Corinthians that any power he has is from God and that is the only reason anyone should listen to him.

It is important to ask ourselves what it is in others that causes us to listen to them with respect. Does their power or wealth frighten us? Are we unduly influenced by their position in the church or world? Or do we open our hearts to their message because we sense they are not speaking on their own but on behalf of God.

St Paul's honesty and humility are the qualities that strengthen him in his evangelizing efforts. Because he knows that the knowledge he had of the Torah prior to his conversion was a source of pride that made him arrogant and dismissive of others, Paul makes sure to rely totally of God's power in all his actions. When we learn to depend on God as well as use our God given gifts, we can be sure that God will guide and help us in everything we do.

Today, ask for God's strength to live the Gospel with joy.

Have you had experiences of your own weakness that taught you to rely more completely on God?