Woe to You

Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of the mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. "Woe to you Chorazin! Woe to you Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgement than for you. And as for you, Capernaum: Will you be exalted to Heaven? Will you go down into the nether world. For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the lands of Sodom on the day of judgement than for you."

Consideration: We are all guilty of doing deeds not pleasing to God. But the love of God surpasses all human understanding; and his mercy is from generation to generation. We need to humble ourselves and call upon his holy name for forgiveness. If we do so, our loving Lord will never abandon us, and his mercy will flourish in our lives. Amen.  

"Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it"

Jesus said to his Apostles: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's enemies will be those of his household. "Whoever loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."  

When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

Consideration: The message of Jesus is clear; we are to sacrifice everything; all the lures, temptations, comforts, and relationships in this world; even family relationships, if we love him. We must endure all things; the pains, sufferings, and disappointments this world has prepared for us; to enter into the "Divine Love" of our Lord. Amen.

Within These Walls

There, the life-giving water flowed
Upon my head, it set me on fire
There, the Holy Spirit sowed
A lifetime of love filled with desire
 Within these walls 
Upon my knees
Within my soul 
You give me peace
And I'm aware…I’m aware…I’m aware
Lord, you are there
 There, in the arms of my loving mother
There, at my father's side passion grew
There I learned to love you as no other
There, my Lord, I fell in love with you
 Within these walls 
Upon my knees
Within my soul 
You give me peace
And I'm aware…I’m aware…I’m aware
Lord, you are there
 There, the Spirit’s presence felt 
There, mercy cleansed sin away
There, my heart began to melt
There, love took my breath away
 There, in the arms of my loving mother
There, at my father's side passion grew
There I learned to love you as no other
There, my Lord, I fell in love with you
 Within these walls 
Upon my knees
Within my soul 
You give me peace 
And I'm aware…I’m aware…I’m aware
How much I love you…My Lord, Jesus…I love you!

Seeds for the Kingdom of God

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into the boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: "A Sower went out to sow; And as he sowed; some seeds fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Ome fell on rocky ground where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear."

Consideration: The parable of the talents tells us that we are all blessed with gifts; and we are not to waste them, but to use them to bear fruit for God's Kingdom. We are to go forth into the places the Spirit of the Lord may choose to lead us; and to use the talents that the Lord has given us for his glory. Every one of us is able to go out and to sow the seeds of faith with trust in the Lord. Our efforts will not go unnoticed: and will bear fruit according to God's will. Amen.

Proclaim on Housetops

Jesus said to his disciples, "No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he should become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! "Therefore, do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on housetops. And do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father." 

Consideration: We are children of our heavenly Father. He knows that we are imperfect and flawed in many ways. But, if we heed his words, and trust in his will, then shall be made new. We will boldly proclaim his words without fear and acknowledge him before all people. Be not afraid, in the end all will be revealed; and because of our faith and trust, he will call us home to proclaim his glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Imagine

Imagine the stars without a sky
 
Or the air without birds to fly
 
Imagine the earth without trees to dwell
 
Or a book without a story to tell
 
Imagine being asleep and never having a dream
 
Or water not flowing through a beautiful stream
 
To think of time that does not pass
 
Or eternity that will never last
 
If we stopped to see the little things
 
As we passed along the way
 
We will see the truth in this life
 
Each and every passing day
 
Our lives are full of beauty
 
That we can touch, and all can see
 
The resting place within our hearts
 
Is where will always find this truth to be
 
Imagine the awesome presence of love
 
When we need someone special as a friend
 
Or a true lasting peace that will never ever end
 
All things are possible when faith is in control
 
The spirit will guide us in every direction we go
 
Lasting treasures in this world will always be free
 
If we place our faith in the great, I Am, of all eternity!

The Poverty Shrine

A child wondered while at play

Seeing the same people every day

On the same park benches all alone

Sad faces, crying moans and groans

 I did not understand it then

And still wonder why today

Why people waste life away

Morning to night, day after day

 Ragged clothes with dirty faces

No home or dwelling places

Cheap whiskey and bottles of wine

Welcome to the poverty shrine

 Mainline junkies all spaced-out

Street walking ladies all about

Talking trash, yelling; screaming

Some catching a serious beating

 Evil casting out a lifelong spell

Trapped inside this living hell

Stoned hippies giving the peace sign

Welcome to the poverty shrine

 Another world in living time

Begging for a nickel or a dime

A sad state for a person to be

A vision still living inside of me,

 The less fortunate down on their luck

Passing around another bottle of Duck

Lord, extend mercy one more time

Living hell at the poverty shrine.