Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for May, 2022

John 15:18-20: Slaves and Masters

Posted in Mini-Noontime, tagged , on May 31, 2022| Leave a Comment »


John 15:18-20: Slaves and Masters

Tuesday, May 31, 2022

When we try to reconcile this world with the kingdom, we often find more misunderstanding than peace. Jesus gives us important information about how we might handle this difficulty.

Jesus says: If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, “A slave is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.

God says: Spend time with these confusing words today until they begin to clarify. Spend time with me today until you better see how to be in the world and not of it. Spend time with me until you see that the world’s persecution is a quiet blessing. Spend time with me until you believe that you are made in my image and are called to enact my love in a world that cries out for compassion. Spend time with me until you understand that the slaves of this world are always masters in the next. Then go into the world that wants to enslave you and carry my Spirit within. You will find that you are master of far more than you had imagined. 

Scripture is always showing us the inversions of the kingdom and Jesus speaks to us directly today in the hope that we understand how our witness in his name will generally bring us scorn rather than praise. Enter the word inversion into the blog search bar and look for other ways that the kingdom turns the world on its head.

 Image from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dougga_cup-bearers_mosa%C3%AFc.jpg

Read Full Post »

The Spirit

Posted in Comparing Scripture, tagged , on May 30, 2022| 2 Comments »


Acts 19:1-8: The SpiritGUWG-Heart-Bible-Pic

Monday, May 30, 2022

In the New American Bible Paul said to the Ephesians: Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?

They answered him: We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.

Today we take time to consider our own concept of the Spirit and our willingness to allow the Spirit’s impact on our lives. To do this we might use the scripture link above to explore other versions of these verses. We may or may not be baptized or confirmed in a Christian way of life. If we have, we might consider how vulnerable we have allowed ourselves to become. If we have not, we now have the opportunity to consider entering into this special relationship.

In the Message, Paul asks: Did you take God into your mind only, or did you also embrace him with your heart? Did he get inside you?

And the people answer: We’ve never even heard of that—a Holy Spirit? God within us?

How much does the Spirit influence our lives? Are we aware that God lives within? Do we welcome the Spirit? Do we share our Spirit experiences with others? Do we thank God for this faithful, hope-filled, healing presence?

what-is-the-holy-spirit2-740x405If Paul were to walk among us today and ask us his question, what do we answer? Have we heard of the Spirit? Do we recognize or understand this powerful force in our lives? Do we hold this message within or do we spread the good news?

Here is how Paul reacts to the questions that pepper him: He entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.

What is our response to those who question the presence and power of the Spirit? How do we enact the Spirit in our relationships with others? And what do we do with the good news we have received?

Enter the word Spirit into the blog search bar, explore, reflect, rejoice and share.

Images from: http://getupwithgod.com/bible/the-bible-in-5-words/

Read Full Post »

Matthew 10:1-15: Our Commission

Posted in Comparing Scripture, Easter, tagged , , , , , on May 29, 2022| Leave a Comment »


Matthew 10:1-15: Our Commission 

Tissot: Exhortation to the Disciples

James Tissot: Exhortation to the Disciples

Seventh Sunday of Easter, May 29, 2022

We are a week away from Pentecost Sunday and so we take time to review our Eastertide Noontimes to consider God’s wisdom in each of us as we look for the answer to these questions: What does Jesus have in mind for us this Eastertide? How does Jesus expect us to bring compassion to the world? And, where will we find the wisdom, courage and strength to do so?

A foundational theme in Jesus’ work and words is the importance of inclusion. We see him interact with women, tax collectors, Pharisees and lost souls. He walks among the clean and unclean alike; he ministers to the deaf and blind as well as the comfortable and well-off. Today and tomorrow we reflect on where and when we might step into the mission God extends to us. Do we move out and away from the community in which we are planted or do we remain and look for new windows of opportunity to enact our commission? As we prepare for our newest assignment in this important work, we do well to remember Jesus’ words.

Go to the lost sheep . . .

Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons . . .

Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give . . .

Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it and stay there . . .

As you enter a house, wish it peace . . .

If the house is worthy l let your peace come upon it . . .

If not, let your peace return to you . . .

Use the scripture link above to search other versions of these verses . . . and allow God to reveal to you the commission he has in mind for your work. Enter the word Pentecost into the blog search bar and explore.

Image from: 

Read Full Post »

Matthew 9:35-38: The Compassion of Jesus – A Reprise

Posted in Easter, tagged , , , , on May 28, 2022| Leave a Comment »


Matthew 9:35-38: The Compassion of Jesus – A Reprise harvest

Saturday, May 28, 2022

We have spent time with Jesus as he heals leprosy, paralysis and blindness, stills an intense and dangerous storm and enables the mute to speak. We have followed him as he casts out demons, admonishes corrupt leaders and heals an older woman’s hemorrhaging on his way to raise a young woman from the dead. We listen to Jesus when he reminds us to use shrunken cloth to mend our old cloaks and to put our new wine into new skins. Jesus is well aware of the suffering that surrounds him yet he does not shrink from the painful challenge; rather, he brings joy and healing and transformation.

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.

Let us imagine a world in which we all proclaim the good news, in which we all teach with our example of witness, in which we touch our enemies and friends alike with compassion.

At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.

Let us imagine a world in which we shepherd one another when our hearts are low and our spirits falter, in which we act in mercy rather than revenge, in which we look for union rather than separateness.

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send the laborers for his harvest.

Let us imagine a world in which masters and laborers work together to bring compassion to work places across the globe, in which parents and children act in love and peace in their homes, in which leaders and followers find common ground for the common good.

As we prepare for the Feast of Pentecost and the close of Eastertide, let us imagine a world such as this . . . and let us step into the role that Jesus has in mind for us as we bring Christ’s compassion to the world.

Visit the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Movement site at www.catholicworker.org or another site of your choice, and be open to the harvesting work to which God may be calling you. Share your experience in a blog comment and invite others to join in Jesus call of compassion for the world.

Image from: http://www.outreach2day.org/our_story_vision.html

Read Full Post »

Matthew 9:32-34: Healing our Muteness

Posted in Mini-Noontime, tagged , , on May 27, 2022| Leave a Comment »


Matthew 9:32-34: Healing our Muteness

Click on this image to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Click on this image to visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Friday, May 27, 2022

“Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) was a prominent Protestant pastor who emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps, despite his ardent nationalism. Niemöller is perhaps best remembered for the quotation: “First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out…” (Holocaust Encyclopedia www.ushmn.org) Read Niemöller’s sermon, and then consider . . .

God says: The Pharisees accused my son of using the power of the prince of demons to heal muteness in one of my sheep. Do not allow your ears to be closed to my word in you. Do not allow your fear to cripple my voice in you. Speak when I ask you to tell my good news. Be still when I ask you to wait for my word to flow through you. Take courage. When you live in me you will never die. When you offer your voice in my name you are one with me. 

Martin Niemöller

Martin Niemöller

Visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum site and reflect on the power of human silence and human speech. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007391 Remember that there are those in our world who deny the fact that this human carnage took place . . . and then consider how and where and when we want to lend our voices to God’s cause.

To learn more about Martin Niemöller, click on his image to the left or visit:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/414633/Martin-Niemoller

Read Full Post »

Matthew 9:27-31: Healing Blindness – A Reprise

Posted in Mini-Noontime, tagged , , , , on May 26, 2022| 1 Comment »


Matthew 9:27-31: Healing Blindness-A Reprise

Nicolas Columbel: Christ Healing the Blind

Thursday, May 26, 2022

Do you believe that I can do this?

We ask for help but too often doubt the hand that God offers.

Jesus says: Let it be done for you according to your faith.

God says: When my son says these words he is not threatening or punishing you for your waywardness; rather, he is calling you to union with him and with me. He is calling you to be one with us in the Spirit. He is saying that your blindness can involve more than your physical sight. Sometimes you are emotionally blind. You refuse to feel what others feel because it pains you too much. Sometimes you are mentally blind. You reject options and ideas that others offer because you are determined that your plan is better than any other. Allow my Spirit to live in you and your blindness will be healed. When you feel the pain and sorrow of others, you will also feel my joy in you when you help the least among you. When you panic because you may not be able to follow the plan that you have laid out for yourself, you will also celebrate the enormity of my love that comes to you when you make a way for others to join in your plans rather than dictating to them. Trust in me as I trust in you. Have faith in me even as I place my faith in you. Hope in my promise for it is true. I believe and know that you want to be one with me. Believe and know that I am in you this day and all days . . . healing your blindness.

Enter the word blindness into the blog search bar and examine the ways of human blindness.

Image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healing_the_man_blind_from_birth

Read Full Post »

Matthew 9:18-26: Two Women – A Reprise

Posted in Comparing Scripture, Easter, tagged , , on May 25, 2022| Leave a Comment »


Matthew 9:18-26: Two Women – A Repriseo-BIBLICAL-WOMEN-facebook

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

And the news of this spread throughout the land.

In a world that often discounts or neglects women, this story has much to tell us.

First, although in the ancient world – and in some parts of our modern world today – women count for little more than livestock or a good hunting dog, Jesus clearly values women.

We must consider how we respond to those who have little or no value to the world.

Second, reflecting on the juxtaposition of a vibrant young woman and a woman well along in years, we watch Jesus as he tends to both of them.

We must consider how we respond to those who are outside of our social loops and circles of acceptance.

Third, coming from two separate classes, these women both benefit from Jesus’ loving attention.

We must consider how we respond to those in power and those who live and move in our shadow.

Fourth, Jesus’ actions of loving acceptance are so unusual that the news of this spread throughout the land.

We must consider when and how and why we respond – or do not respond – to Christ’s call to care for one another, to accept one another and even to heal one another in his name.

As we reflect on the resurrection of an official’s daughter and the healing of the hemorrhaging woman, let us remember how quickly the good news of Jesus’ interactions spreads. And let us also reflect on our willingness – or unwillingness – to tell the story of the good news about these two women.

Use the scripture link above to compare versions of this story.

Enter the word tassel into the blog search bar and explore other posts.

Click on the image above for a Huffington Post article on biblical women and Easter, or visit: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lets-remember-the-biblical-women-at-easter_b_2839014

 

Read Full Post »

Matthew 9:14-17: Shrunken Cloth and New Wineskins

Posted in Comparing Scripture, tagged , , , , on May 24, 2022| Leave a Comment »


Matthew 9:14-17: Shrunken Cloth and New Wineskinswineskins

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Grown men sound like small children arguing over petty detail in today’s Noontime selection. We may want to consider Matthew’s warning to us in this quiet interlude between powerful miracles in Jesus’ story. Jesus reminds his followers – and he reminds us that while the cost of change is high, the reward of transformation is immense, even immeasurable.

When confronted with our pettiness, Jesus says: No one patches an old cloak with unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away and the tear worsens. We want to take shortcuts, fly through our work in order to get to the leisure. Jesus reminds us that there is no point in short-changing God . . . we only shortchange ourselves.

When observing our shortsightedness, Jesus says: People do not put new wine in old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. We want to do things our way, pay no attention to the long haul and focus on the present. Jesus urges us to observe that our generosity and mercy are more important than keeping score or earning a living.

When reminded of our self-centeredness, Jesus says: Pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved. We fear not getting ahead, not being comfortable and not having influence. Jesus calls us to a life in which we put others first . . . so that God can tend to us as we tend to the marginalized in our world.

When we look for the secret to happiness or the formula for success, we do well to remember that God sees with God’s eyes and not our own. When we are tempted to make a quick patch in a relationship rather than working through the depth of the problem, let us remember the old cloak mended with unshrunken cloth. When we want continue to move through the world with our unimproved self, let us remember the old skins with new wine. And when we complain that no one suffers as much as we do, let us remember that new skins and worked over cloth preserve the old while nurturing the new.

When we use the scripture link above to reflect on varying versions of these verses, we begin to see the unshrunken cloth and old wineskins in our lives.

Image from: https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/what-does-jesus-mean-by-new-wineskins/

For another perspective on this citation, enter the words Attitude and Perspective into the blog search bar and explore. 

Read Full Post »

Matthew 9:9-13: Loving God

Posted in Easter, tagged , , , on May 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »


Matthew 9:9-13: Loving God

love-godMonday, May 23, 2022

We have spent the last weeks journeying through the Gospel of Matthew, comparing different versions of holy verse, reflecting on beatitudes, teachings, explanations and hidden meanings and open miracles. Today we arrive at the poignant story of Matthew’s call. Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me”. And he got up and followed him. Jesus finds a stalwart follower among the least likely of candidates. He chooses a man closely linked with the corrupt structure of his day. He chooses a man avoided by adherents of his own religion. He chooses a man who is much like each of us.

Today we consider words written by Saint Caesarius of Arles, (c. 470-543) bishop, theologian, and preacher. His message about our relationship with, and love of God is as pertinent today as it was in the fifth century.

Begin to love God, and you will love man for his sake . . . When he are called to God’s work, we respond as we would to a dear and valued friend, and although this response may bring us turmoil it also brings us union with Christ himself.

If a man begins to love God, he will love nothing in man except in him . . . When we begin to regard God as a dear friend, we can do nothing but respond to God’s call, and although this call may at times confuse us it will ultimately bring us healing and transformation.

You should not possess or love a friend in order that he might give you something . . . A friend must be loved without recompense . . . When we begin to love without asking in return, we receive recompense far greater than any we might have imagined.

sermon_lovinggodThere is nothing finer, nothing sweeter than God . . . When we fully realize that there nothing in the world as valuable as our friendship with God, we begin to comprehend the meaning of loving God before anything or anyone else.

As we approach the miracle of the Pentecost, let us move forward in Easter resurrection celebration. And let us willingly, fully and openly step forward to follow our dearest friend, our loving God.

Images from: http://calltoawareness.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-importance-of-loving-god-special_7.html and http://rightfromtheheart.org/sermon-series/loving-god-means/

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

%d bloggers like this: