"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.

A Bold Proclamation

Jesus said to his Apostles: "As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you received; without cost you are to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter the house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words-go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for that town." 

Consideration: Jesus directs his Apostles on their mission. This mission was to be conducted without taking payment of any sort. The gift that they were blessed with was to be given freely; as it was given to them. They were to boldly proclaim: "The Kingdom of heaven is at hand." Leave their peace with the households that received them with love; and shake the dust from their feet from those who did not receive them and the message they were sent to deliver. Peace!