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Posts Tagged ‘God’s goodness’

Titus 3:4-7:In Partnership with God

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , on March 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »


Titus 3:4-7: In Partnership with God

Holy Saturday, March 30, 2024

Michelangelo: Creation of Eve

We have seen the Christ crucified and buried, now we await his return. Are we ready to receive him? Are we prepared to believe?

From the Letter of Paul to Titus: It wasn’t so long ago that we ourselves were stupid and stubborn, dupes of sin, ordered every which way by our glands, going around with a chip on our shoulder, hated and hating back. (MSG)

Father Alfred Delp, S.. was hanged for high treason against Hitler’s Nazi Reich just a few months before the end of WW II. Hitler hoped to erase Delp from history by ordering that his body be cremated and his ashes scattered; but despite this effort, Delp and his words are remembered today. We might take them in as part of our Lenten journey. From Prison Writings,

Toil, heat, and grief express fundamental conditions of human nature which always make themselves felt as long as one is on one’s journey through life. They are not always so abnormally prevalent as they are today but they are nevertheless an indispensable part of our existence. And only when we fail to go through life in partnership with God do these things get the upper hand, bursting all bounds and overwhelming us with trouble of all kinds.

Can we imagine ourselves in partnership with God? What is it like to have an intimate relationship with one who is capable of great authority and great love?

Paul to Titus: But when God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, God saved us from all that. It was all God’s doing; we had nothing to do with it. God gave us a good bath, and we came out of it new people, washed inside and out by the Holy Spirit.

How might we use these verses in our journey toward Easter peace?

Michelangelo: Creation of Adam – Detail

More from Delp: I am not concerned here with the material needs of humankind but with our own degeneration, our blunted faculties and spiritual poverty – all the burdens in fact which the kind of existence one leads have introduced into one’s life and which have now become characteristic of one’s nature. Just as there are virtues that can be acquired so also there are faults that result from repetition such as habitual unawareness of individuality, perpetual relinquishment of powers of decision, permanent weakening of the sense of reality, and so on. Faced with these shortcomings we find ourselves under a terrible strain and utterly helpless.

Do we see Delp’s description of his society reflected in our own? Are there any parallels to discern or lessons to learn? What do we do when we feel helpless or under great strain? Whose counsel do we seek? What transformation do we hope to experience?

Delp: One must accept responsibility for the misuse of one’s free will. Being prone to such errors of judgment the only thing one can do is to turn again and again to God praying earnestly that the Holy Spirit may take pity on one’s failings and let the healing current flow freely through one’s life.

Where do we turn when we are overwhelmed by our own shortcomings or those of others? What are the prayers we offer to God? How often do we allow the Spirit’s healing current to flow freely through our lives?

Both Delp and Paul remind us of the great partnership we are offered, and the consequences of this gift.

Paul to Titus: God’s gift has restored our relationship with him and given us back our lives. And there’s more life to come—an eternity of life! You can count on this.

Partnership with God is the eternal transformation we seek. It is the gift we already hold. We are even now beloved children in God’s kingdom of mercy, forgiveness, redemption and love. Let us move forward in our Lenten journey, and forward into the world, transformed in this belief. Let us behave as if we hold these truths in our hearts. And let us be eager to share with others the promise and goodness of God’s love.

Delp, Alfred. Prison Writings. Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY, 2004. To learn more about Delp, visit: http://www.americamagazine.org/issue/642/article/martyr-nazis  

For more on Michelangelo, the Italian Renaissance, and his paintings in the Sistine Chapel, click: http://www.italianrenaissance.org/a-closer-look-michelangelos-painting-of-the-sistine-chapel-ceiling/ 

Cameron, Peter John. “Meditation of the Day.” MAGNIFICAT. 17.3 (2017): 260-261. Print.  

Images from: http://www.michelangelo.org/creation-of-eve.jsp

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Revelation 19:5-10: Victory Song

Posted in Favorite, tagged , , , , , on November 3, 2023| Leave a Comment »


Revelation 19:5-10: Victory Song

Friday, November 3, 2023victory

Although we have spent time with this imagery in the past, certain verses made a strong impression on us regarding the two beasts that crawl out of the sea and the earth.  Fascinated, the whole world followed after the beast . . . It performed great signs . . . It deceived the inhabitants of the earth with the signs it was allowed to perform . . . It forced all the people, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave . . . so that no one could buy or sell except the one who had the stamped image of the beast’s name or the number that stood for the name.  (13:3; 13-14; 16-17)

What is it about the shadow world and evil that draws us in? Do we think we might overcome these forces like a superhero? What is it about membership in a secret society that lures us? Is it a feeling of belonging and protection through dark arts we think we might manipulate?

Are we really so susceptible to the siren song of the temptation Adam and Eve first heard: You can be like gods?  Why can we not see that the God who is Love and Goodness will never force us in any way, even if for our own good? What do we not understand about God that we insist on wanting things our way? Why can we not be faithful, true, honest, patient, and persevering? Is the reward of happiness not enough for us? What is it we truly seek?

We move through our weekend errands. Grocery shopping, haircut, Starbuck’s, bookstore and craft store. As we bump into friends, visit with children and grandchildren, our existential questions surface each time we pause to allow silence and prayer. Finally, sitting quietly with scripture to examine the book of Revelation, we find The Victory Song.

The wedding day of the Lord has come and the bride has made herself ready. 

And we might sing : The wedding day of the Lord has come and we have made ourselves ready. 

The angel tells us: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb.

When we fall down to worship, the angel replies: Don’t!  I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers who bear witness to Jesus.  Worship God.  Witness to Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

We are creatures fashioned to worship our maker. There is a universal gift to come to this wedding feast as bride, adorned by the white gown of our honest deeds.

Do we think this wedding covenant is impossible?  Is it too much to ask that we worship God only in the company of God’s creation?  Are we waiting to be forced into worship as the adorers of the beast are forced?

Our good and loving God who is rich in kindness forces no one. This merciful and just God calls each and all. This adoring and adored God of all Creation wants to rejoice with us in the Victory Song. This patient God, for whom all things are possible, invites us to the feast as bride to his bridegroom. All we need bring is our humble and imperfect selves. Our God, the God who heals and who makes imperfect creatures whole, awaits our answer to his invitation.  Let us sing out our own Amen, Alleluia!

Adapted from a Favorite from October 25, 2008.

Image from: https://www.pursuegod.org/warfare/

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Esther 10 and F: Thanksgiving – Part V

Posted in Favorite, Thanksgiving, Web site included, tagged , , , , , on October 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »


Esther 10 and F: Thanksgiving – Part V

Friday, October 6, 2023

Jean Francois de Troy: The Triumhp of Mordecai

Jean Francois de Troy: The Triumph of Mordecai

A Favorite from October 6, 2007.

Mordecai’s Dream Fulfilled

A Favorite from October 6, 2007. To read the epilogue (Esther F), consult the New American Bible (NABRE) using the scripture link above. 

When we explore Esther’s story, we discover God’s gift of goodness.

How many times has this kind of rescue happened in small ways in our lives that we have given momentary thanksgiving and moved on to our next petition in our list of dreams?  How many times have we quickly curtsied or bowed as we said a hasty “Thank you” before rushing on to out next request? We must always make the time to give full and abundant thanks to God. For has not God’s goodness been overflowing to us? We must pass along these stories to those who follow. For have not these stories been passed along to us? We must, like Mordecai who realizes that his highest hopes have been born out of God’s providence and mercy, gather together with joy and happiness before God that we may celebrate. We must rejoice in the goodness of God for only this gladness and joy will carry us forward to New Life in the fullest.

When we spend time with the story of Esther, Mordecai, Haman and Ahasuerus, we open our hearts to thanksgiving. We open ourselves to the Spirit. 

Image from: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437845

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Mark 7:31-37: The Deaf

Posted in Prayer, tagged , , , , , , on August 15, 2023| Leave a Comment »


Mark 7:31-37: The Deaf

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Ottheinrich Folio: Jesus Heals a Man who is Deaf and Mute

Ottheinrich Folio: Jesus Heals a Man who is Deaf and Mute

And it happened. The man’s hearing was clear and his speech plain—just like that.

We rise in the morning to greet another day . . . just like that.

We move through our communities without major mishap . . . just like that.

We have enough to eat and enough to drink . . . just like that.

We have health care, networks, access to information . . . just like that.

We interact with family, friends and colleagues . . . just like that.

We lay tired heads on plump pillows . . . just like that.

For those of us on the planet who have received the gift of so much, including the gift of hard work that allows us to enter into the marketplace to compete fairly with others, we must remember that despite all our thinking otherwise, all that we have is by the grace of God . . . just like that.

For those of us on the planet who are hampered and even imprisoned and murdered by unjust regimes, we must remember that despite all the solidarity God’s people might muster, all that they were promised has been taken away . . . just like that.

As we move through our day giving thanks for the words we hear, let us remember that despite all the rancor they may contain, we might allow God’s love to transform the world’s hatred into joy when we remember the Law of Love that Jesus shows us through the miracle of healing . . . just like that.

As we move into the evening giving thanks for the words we use, let us remember that despite all the wisdom they may contain, they may easily fall on deaf ears . . . just like that.

And so we pray.

Wise and gentle God, knowing that all that we have and all that we are comes from you, remind us to keep eyes, ears and hearts open in gratitude to you.

Strong and persistent God, understanding that words – whether spoken or unspoken – are powerful instruments of both fear and love, remind us to measure our words and be mindful of their effect.

Merciful and loving God, believing that truth endures beyond lies, integrity outlives deceit, and love is greater than any evil, remind us that our very existence relies on your compassion and fidelity.

We ask this through Christ our Lord, the healer of all that is wrong, the bearer of all that is praiseworthy. Amen.

For more on the Ottheinrich Folio, visit: http://www.facsimilefinder.com/facsimiles/ottheinrich-s-bible-facsimile

Image from: https://catholicexchange.com/

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Micah 3: Downfall of Present Leaders

Posted in Favorite, Prayer, tagged , , , , , , on June 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »


Micah 3: Downfall of Present Leaders

Thursday, June 22, 2023camels in needle eye

This Favorite from May 18, 2007 seems appropriate in our present social, spiritual and political times. So many themes in scripture are universal and eternal. Let us enter into conversation with others to look for best ways to come together. Let us enter into conversation with God to look for guidance, connection and peace that is lasting. As we reflect today, we remember Jesus’ words recorded in Matthew 19:23-24  about the ease of fitting a camel through the eye of a needle. 

From the NAB footnotes: “Here Micah accuses them [the false prophets] of prophesying for venal motives and determining the prophecy by the price that is paid them; he contrasts his own disinterested preaching of the word of God.” Micah calls us to evaluate our own motives.

I am reflecting on the “flip-flop” tendency of human beings to self-serve. So many of us say and do what results best for us in the short run while neglecting what is best for the greater good in the long run. So many of us close our eyes to the truth, to the obvious. We “strain out gnats and swallow camels” like the false leaders we hear about in Matthew (23:24). We even manage to twist God’s goodness to make it suit our own desires rather than his.

LORD above all, keep us close to you every day, in every way. Steer us away from venal motives. Guide us with your merciful hand. Touch our hearts and our lives. Call us to our greater good, our greater potential. Be the pillar of fire of smoke which both leads and protects. Abide with us. Comfort us. Heal us. Save us. Restore us.

Amen.

For more reflections on false leaders, enter the word Downfall into the blog search bar and explore. 

Images from: https://www.designboom.com/art/sculptures-so-small-they-fit-in-the-eye-of-a-needle-by-nikolai-aldunin/ and https://www.heartlight.org/wjd/matthew/0911-wjd.html

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Ezekiel 4: The Inevitability of God’s Love

Posted in Christmas, Prayer, tagged , , , , , , , on March 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »


Ezekiel 4: The Inevitability of God’s Love

Fifth Sunday of Lent: March 26, 2023

James Tissot: Simon the Cyrenian Compelled to Carry the Cross with Jesus

There is an inexorable force which drives our existence. Some of us identify its scientific origin, others of us focus on its spiritual origin. Some of believe that God drives this science; others of us believe that synchronicity and evolution direct our existence. But no matter the origin of our thinking, and no matter our circumstances, we all see the predictable: those of us born into human flesh will come to a very human end. This is an inevitability we cannot avoid. This is the greatest gift ever offered. This is a promise none will want to doubt. Ezekiel’s audience turned away from his prophecy because they could not bear to hear the truth which they saw as terrible but which was, indeed, wonderful. Today when we hear the good news that we are loved beyond measure and that all our worries and woes can be put into God’s hands we will want to choose to trust God and the inevitability of God’s love?

Yesterday we reflected on the certainty of Ezekiel’s prophecy and how history tells us that his predictions held true.  We also made a connection between the unavoidability of this prophecy and the persistent nature of God’s promises to us, the unrelenting presence of God’s love for us as shown by the birth of the Christ. The ancient oracle foreshadows the promise kept.

When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption.  As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his son into our hearts, crying out, Abba, Father!”  So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.  (Galatians 4:4-7)

Whether we want to admit this fact or not, we are in intimate relationship with God.  This is something we cannot change.

Whether we feel God’s presence or we do not, we are in constant union with God. This is a concept we cannot reject.

Whether we feel God’s love for us or we do not, we are the center of God’s focus at all times. This is the reality we cannot rebuff.

God is so good, so generous and so overpowering that we cannot avoid closeness with him. God is so patient, so forgiving and so compassionate that he waits with us as we struggle against the fears and anxieties of the world. God is so caring, so tender, and so loving that he allows us to behave as we like as he continues to offer this gift of self to us. God has known us from our origin and God knows our path. And God waits. God persists. God loves. Inevitably.

Jerusalem fell and God’s people were taken into exile. This was predicted. This came to pass. This was inevitable. This we now know.

Jesus is among us to deliver us from all that pains us. This was predicted. This has come to pass. This too, is inevitable. This too, we can know.

As we enter the last week before Palm Sunday and Holy Week, let us consider God’s inevitable gift and promise. 

As we anticipate the miracle of Easter resurrection, let us rejoice and be glad. 

And as we draw nearer to the Good News of the Easter Story, let us act as if we believe in these good tidings. Let us give thanks for this wondrous and profound gift of God’s inevitable love.

An adapted re-posting of a reflection written on December 25, 2011.

Image from: https://www.wikiart.org/en/james-tissot/simon-the-cyrenian-compelled-to-carry-the-cross-with-jesus-simon-de-cyre-ne-contraint-de-porter

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Matthew 20:17-28: The Chalice

Posted in Web site included, tagged , , , , , , on February 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »


Matthew 20:17-28: The Chalice

Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023

On this day when we acknowledge that we each return to the cosmic dust that God called into being, let us consider the story we read today.

Salome, the mother of James and John, the Zebedee brothers, asks Jesus to give her sons places of honor in the new kingdom; yet she does not fully understand . . . and so Jesus explains the terrible and beautiful importance of this special cup of blessing.

From Psalm 116 (verses 12-18)

What can I give back to God
    for the blessings the LORD poured out on me?

We are accustomed to asking God for favors. Do we think about giving thanks for our cup of salvation?

I’ll lift high the cup of salvation—a toast to God!

We are accustomed to thanking God quietly and privately. Do we think to join our voices with others in praise of God’s goodness?

I’ll pray in the name of God;
I’ll complete what I promised God I’d do,
    and I’ll do it together with God’s people.

We are accustomed to joining in Sabbath prayer and song. Do we think about giving testimony to a broader circle about God’s mercy?

When they arrive at the gates of death,
    God welcomes those who love the LORD.
Oh, God, here I am, your servant,
    your faithful servant: set me free for your service!

We are accustomed to approaching each day’s obstacles. Do we think about serving God by tending to the barriers we meet as Jesus does? Do we think about the cup we have asked to take as curse or blessing? Are we prepared to accept the cup that passes before us?

As we think about God’s beautiful and challenging cup of salvation, let us begin our Lenten practice. Rather than thinking: “Let us make three tents to contain the joy of God’s wisdom,” let us think instead, “Let us share the joy of God’s great gift of love”.

Tomorrow, the rich man and Lazarus.

Images from: http://mikeneglia.blogspot.com/2011_11_01_archive.html and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucharist

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Psalms 30, 34 & 125: God’s Yardstick – The Law of Love – Part III

Posted in Favorite, tagged , , , , on January 19, 2023| Leave a Comment »


Psalms 30, 34 and 126: God’s Yardstick – The Law of Love – Part III

Beyond the Poverty of Spiritpoor in spirit

Thursday, January 19, 2023

We continue to look for God’s yardstick in New Scripture.

As we learn how to enter into God’s humility we also acquire self-knowledge, and it is this deeper understanding that leads us to the second beatitude, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” This poverty of spirit shows us that sadness is not to be avoided for it is in the depths of grief that we encounter God most deeply. Through humility we arrive at understanding that our successes and failures come to us through no talent of our own . . . but through God’s deep, infinite and abiding goodness. When we refuse to understand this truth we find ourselves stalled on God’s ladder of beatitude. When we blame God for the disaster, sadness and darkness in the world, we demonstrate our own refusal to act with God to heal, bridge, console, and include. When we admit that we are not in charge, we are ready for the third rung on God’s Yardstick.

Those who wept as they went out carrying the seed
    will come back singing for joy,
    as they bring in the harvest. (Psalm 126:6)

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” We often understand the quality of meekness as sweetness and affability rather than strength, but the meekness that Jesus displays is a willingness to be taught. Those who are meek as Jesus is meek have submitted their strength to God for God’s use. They have no arrogance and so they become instruments of God’s authority – both here on earth and later. So it is through our poverty of spirit and sadness that we arrive at possessing authority. It is through the power of Christ that the paradox unfolds . . . and we move to the fourth beatitude.

Tomorrow, God’s righteousness.

Adapted from a favorite written on January 5, 2007.

Image from:  http://stevesbasics.blogspot.com/2013/11/blessed-are-poor-in-spirit.html

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1 Samuel 1 & 2: God’s Yardstick – Hannah

Posted in Comparing Scripture, tagged , on January 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »


1 Samuel 1 & 2: God’s Yardstick – Hannah

Loving Patience

Sunday, January 1, 2023

Tissot: The High Priest and Hannah

James Tissot: The High Priest and Hannah

In these opening days of a new year, we look for ways to better see God’s yardstick in our lives, and for ways to leave the world’s yardstick behind.

Who among us will so willingly give away the very gift we have sought for so long a time? Hannah shows us how we might measure our lives in this way. (1 Samuel 1:24-28)

Who among us exults in God’s goodness in the face of adversity so joyfully and without thought of revenge? Hannah models for us the words we might use in gratitude to God. (1 Samuel 2:1-10)

When we use the scripture links to explore these well-known words and the verses that surround them, God’s yardstick becomes more clear and our lives become more focused, peace-filled and joyful. Adversity brings us less anxiety to bring us instead an amazing sense of serenity. Ugliness falls away to give birth to quiet beauty.

When we spend time with Hannah’s story and her yardstick, power and status melt away to reveal the incalculable value of gentle persistence and hopeful love. Hannah, faced with the cruelties of life, allows perseverance, faith and hope to transform her grief. In this way, she offers us her life as a new measure of success . . . a measure that foreshadows the great love of Mary, mother of God.

Using this link, spend time with 1 Samuel 1 & 2 and look for Hannah’s yardstick. To learn more about her story, click on the image above, or visit: http://www.womeninthebible.net/Hannah.htm 

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