Mercy...Mercy...Mercy!

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at customs post. He said to him, "Follow me," And he got up and followed him. While he was at the table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" He heard this and said, "Those who are well do not need a physician but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

Lord Jesus, you came for all of humanity. We have all sinned and fallen short of your glory, but your mercy is endless and from generation to generation. Yes Lord, you came to call sinners...mercy, mercy, mercy, and forgiveness. Amen.

Two Roads

In the course of his teaching Jesus said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor I synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext, recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation." He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood."

Consideration: Two Roads: Pride, arrogance, wealth, and power. Humility, sincerity, meekness, and poverty. Which road will the Shepherd guide his sheep down?

Son of David

As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said, "How do the scribes claim that Christ is the son of David? David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said: The Lord said to my lord, 'Sit at my right hand until I place your enemies under your feet.' David himself calls him 'lord'; so how is he his son?" The great crowd heard this with delight. 

Lord Jesus, bless us with the grace to be able to understand the many things in life that are confusing, troublesome, and difficult to understand. Amen.

Love the Lord Your God

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?" Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." The scribe said to them, "Well said, teacher. You are right in saying, He is One and there is no other than he. And to love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding, he said to him, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." And no one dared ask him any more questions.

Consideration: Imagine, if the people in the world would follow these commandments in their lives. We would indeed be living a piece of heaven on earth. 

Lord Jesus, grant us the grace to follow your teachings on a daily basis. Loving God above all things with our entire being; is the reason for our existence. And loving our neighbor is what the Father expects of his children. Amen.

Glorifying His Holy Name

Some of the Sadducees who say there is no resurrection, came to Jesus and put a question to him, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, if someone's brother dies, leaving a wife and no child, his brother must take up the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first married a women and died, leaving no descendants. So the second brother married her and died leaving no descendants, and the third likewise. And the seven left no descendants. Last of all the woman also died. At the resurrection when they arise whose wife will she be? For all seven had been married to her." Jesus said to them, "Are you misled because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When they rise from the dead, they neither marry or are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven. As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead but of the living. You are greatly misled."

Consideration: One day, we will be freed from the bondage of this earthly tomb, and we shall possess all the promises that the Lord has prepared for us. One of those is, the knowledge of all things. And our earthly thoughts will be no more. God will make all things new, and we will spend all of eternity Glorifying His Holy Name. Amen.

"Repay to Caesar"

Some of the Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensure him in his speech. They came and said to him, "Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone's opinion. You do not regard a person's status but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?" Knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, "Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at." They brought one to him and he said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They replied to him, "Caesar's." So, Jesus said to them, "Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." They were utterly amazed at him. 

Consideration: Jesus, knowing that he was being put to the test gives the correct answer; and they were stunned. 

This is a good lesson for us as well. No matter where we are from and take root, we also must conform to the leaders that are in control. We do not need to agree with their dictates and mandates. God is our Father, and we are to conform and to obey the commandments that he has given to us. This has never been easy in the past, and the same holds true today. Love God, have faith, trust him always, and in doing so we have nothing to fear. Amen.

My Friend John...Fights On

I want to tell you about a friend of mine, in a fight for his life

Went to work as any other day, not knowing what was on the way

The day my friend John, and his friends, the best, became heroes

Racing across a clear blue sky, clear evil impacted a dual bullseye 

Mayhem, chaos, destruction, and murder of innocence on high

The day my friend John, and his friends, the best, became heroes

Panic ensued, a city in ruins, large mountains of rubble piled high

Clouds of debris overwhelmed the air, horror, panic, death...fear

There, before the smoke cleared, were bloodied battered heroes

The magnitude of this horrific event cannot be told viewed on TV

Only those who lived it in real time could describe such a tragedy

Only those who by a miracle lived, many now gone, many now sick

I want to tell you about a friend of mine, now in a fight for his life

Twenty-five years later this act of valor has taken a physical toll

He has always been a fighter, even now, in pain, suffering...misery

My Friend John...Fights On!