In the resurrection and post-resurrection accounts it was important to name names because those were the people giving eyewitness testimony that Jesus had indeed risen and was alive. That someone who was publicly executed was now alive and visiting people was an incredible thing to try to believe. Even the disciples did not immediately believe Mary Magdalene's report that Jesus was alive. As Mark says, "She went and told those who had been mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it" (Mark 16:10-11). Luke (who has other women going to the tomb with Mary Magdalene) says, "They did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense" (Lk 24:11). There are two things in Christianity that are really hard to believe: Jesus is God and Jesus rose from the dead. The people who were there at the time initially did not believe either. Only after they saw for themselves did they come to believe that Jesus rose from the dead. For reflection: Do I believe that Jesus is God and he rose from the dead? If so, why? If not, why not? Let us pray. Jesus, reveal yourself to me today in a concrete way.
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I'm posting something different today. The YouTube video below is about Good Friday - but Sunday's Coming! I heard this used as the homily at a Good Friday service and thought it was worth sharing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YByT6wfdhJs "The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised" (Gen 21:1). After all the travail of having the initial promise of a son for Abraham, the waiting, the birth of Ishmael by Hagar, Hagar running away and coming back, more waiting, God speaking to Abraham again and sending the three visitors so that Sarah could hear the promise again, we have a simple sentence. God did as he said he would. Abraham and Sarah rejoiced as Abraham named their son Isaac (he laughs). Sarah exclaimed, "God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me. Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age." God did as he said he would. It is true for us too. All that God has promised us will happen in due time. This week we celebrate the fulfillment of another of the promises of God - that he would send a Savior who would set us free from the laws of sin and death. God did as he said he would. For reflection: How are we keeping the promises of God alive in our hearts? What promises has God already fulfilled in my life? Let us pray. Lord God, you are not only one who makes promises but one who keeps them. Thank you for the promises you have made to me, the promises already kept and the promises I know will be fulfilled because you made them. Holy is your name. Whereas God asked Adam and Eve, "Where are you?", his angel asks Hagar, "Where are you going?" When she tells him she is running away from Sarai, he tells her to go back. Go back into that abusive situation where Sarai is mean to her and Abram doesn't defend her. There is more bad news. Her son, whom she is to name Ishmael, will be a "wild ass of a man, with his hand against everyone, and everyone's hand against him; and he shall live at odds with his kin" (Gen 16:12). But there is good news too. The name Ishmael means "God hears", signifying that God heard her cries and knew her situation. Plus, she has the promise that God will multiply her descendants such that they cannot be counted. Then Hagar is so bold as to name God. She decided to call him "El-roi" which means both "the God I have seen" and "the God who sees me." I always thought Moses was brave to ask God his name, but Hagar out does Moses. She gives God a name. For reflection: What is my favorite name for God and how does it reflect my relationship with God? Let us pray. God, we thank you for hearing us, for knowing where we are coming from and where we are going. We thank you for seeing us and letting us see you. Help us to see you in all of life's situations and to hear your guidance as to what we should do. After yesterday's post about David in the desert, I started thinking about other people in the Scriptures who spent time in the desert and experienced temptation there. The Hebrew people with their 40 years in the Sinai came to mind, of course. They were tempted. Their response was to grumble and complain which led to them succumbing to the temptation. Grumbling and complaining typified that people's time in the desert. David, however, during his time in the desert, praised God and used that praise to overcome the temptation to question God's presence in his life. Praise typified David as much as grumbling and complaining typified the Hebrew people in the desert. Jesus spent time in the desert also. He too was tempted. He overcame Satan by citing Scripture. The Word of God quoted the word of God. From these examples, how do we best overcome temptation? Grumbling and complaining don't work. Let's praise God and learn the Scriptures. These are two proven methods for people who want to be overcomers and progress in the spiritual life. Recently I was talking with a woman who has a long-term illness. She was telling me she is tired of the illness, tired of being sick, and fed up with the medicine, the treatment and the limitations. I asked her, "Have you told God how you feel?" "Can I do that?" she asked. "You're already thinking it, aren't you?" She laughed. Why is it that we think (1) We can't talk to God about anything and everything and (2) He doesn't know what we're thinking? God wants to talk to us about whatever is on our minds - even if it is just the weather. Jesus will sit and have a chat with us or take a walk with us. He is always available. The Psalmist says: You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. What an awesome thing it is to have the Almighty know us that well. And there is nowhere we can run or hide to get away from him. You hem me in - behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. . . Where can I flee from your presence? He's not too busy. He's not far away. Call him. "Don't worry; be happy" has become a familiar refrain the last few years. Remember the Bob Marley tune, "Every Little Thing Gonna be Alright"? Strangely enough, St. Paul says the same thing to the Philippians: "Rejoice. Do not be anxious" (chapter 4:4-6). Paul wrote the letter as a thank you for the gift they had sent him. Paul himself was in prison in Rome. So, yes, Paul, while in prison, is writing to other people - Don't worry; be happy. It's all good.
i would guess that most people in prison are not able to write such upbeat, encouraging letters to people on the outside. But Paul knew that he had his Lord with him in all situations. And if God is with you, then you can still be happy. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil 2:6-7) If we have Jesus, we can bear anything that comes against us. Remember the story of Joseph in the Old Testament? Joseph's jealous brothers sold him to traders in a traveling caravan passing by. Those traders sold him to Potiphar in Egypt to work in his house. Potiphar's wife tries to seduce Joseph. When Joseph refuses her, she cries "rape" and Joseph is put in prison. In all these situations, Scripture says, "And God was with him." Joseph not only survived, he thrived. He became the most powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. You too can not only survive, but thrive. No matter your present situation make your requests to God. Draw on his strength; rest in his presence in your life. Don't be anxious about anything for God is with you. Rejoice! Moths are pretty insects. I enjoy watching them and butterflies flitting around my garden even this time of year when things are not blooming. Like most things, I suppose, moths have a good and bad side. There are silkworm moths and moths that eat fibers such as silk. Moths can be major pests for crops and the gypsy moth has devastated forests in the northeastern U.S. What do moths have to do with prayer, you might be wondering at this point. Like moths, several things can have both good and bad effects on our prayer life. My smart phone, for example, can provide me with an app for the Bible so that I can read it anywhere. But my smart phone can also distract me with email, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Spiritual books can be an aid to my prayer life. But they can also take up my time so that none is left for prayer. I can read commentaries on the Scriptures, and never get around to reading Scripture itself. Since I have started keeping my prayer journal exclusively on the computer, not in a notebook, I find distractions on my computer and around my desk. Distractions are also outside the window where I can watch the squirrels, the butterflies and the moths. Jesus, help me to focus on you and not the distractions. How big will the tent be? I don't know. But beginning September 25 and continuing through the election on November 6, a tent will be erected on the Ellipse. The purpose is to offer 24/7 praise and worship to our God leading up to the election. Continuous prayer will be offered for our nation for over 40 days. When the group sponsoring David's Tent sent in the application for a space to meet in DC, they expected to be placed at McPherson's Square, where the Occupy DC movement had been camped. Instead, they were offered the Ellipse. The Parks Department realized that something sacred was being done and placed them on the Ellipse. No one has been able to hold anything on the Ellipse since 9/11. So I think God is at work in getting this house of prayer right in the center of our national government. If you live in the DC area or you are visiting our nation's capitol, I hope you will drop by the tent for a time of prayer. There will be music for worship during the day, but at 9:00 each evening, the music and amplification will stop. For further information check out: http://www.davidstentdc.org/ Hope to see you there. "God did not make death." This quotation is from the Book of Wisdom (1:13). Genesis tells us that death came into the world through sin. God did not make sin nor did he make death. God made us to have life, to have a full life, complete in the knowledge that he is our creator. And everything he made is good. God made you. You are good.
It may be that some of the things you do are not good. It may be that you are not living the full life that God intended for you. But it's not too late. Turn to God. Ask him to show you where you are living the fullness of life he intends for you and where you are not living the fullness of life he intends for you. Be open to how he might speak to you. It may be in words or in pictures, in thoughts or in something someone else says to you. |
AliceI started this website and blog on May 1, 2012. I am a Catholic who has been in ministry for many years. I first developed what I would call a close relationship with Jesus in the early 1970s. Ever since then I have been praying with people for healing and other needs. It is because I have seen so many of these prayers answered that I am so bold as to offer to pray for you individually through this website and phone line. Archives
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