Lord of the Sabbath

Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him. "See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the sabbath." He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are not innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath. 

Lord, Jesus, you are the Lord of all things. The Father has handed over all things of heaven and earth to you. The sun is your lamplight; the stars, galaxies, and beyond are the masterpiece mosaic of the cosmos; each placed by the hand of God; and all was given to you by the Father. Grant us the grace of understanding to realize, the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath; and the Lord of mercy as well. Amen. 

Take My Yoke Upon you

Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." 

​Consideration: Do we labor and carry heavy burdens in this life? If so, we have a friend in Jesus. He tells us to yoke with him, and he will guide and direct us through this cumbersome time. Jesus loves us so much that he invites us to yoke with him, not to go it alone. He carried the cross for our sins, and the yoke for are difficulties. Amen.

Revealed

At that time Jesus exclaimed: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." 

Consideration: To be childlike at heart is truly a blessing. The pure at heart have not been influenced by this troubled world. And the Father reveals his desires and love to hearts conformed to his will. Amen.

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.