Tag: grace

• Habakkuk 2:3-4: The Delay

  
  

  Habakkuk 2:3-4: The Delay

  First Sunday in Lent, March 6, 2022

  In this Lenten season, we witness to the presence of Christ in our daily routine. In this time of introspection, we welcome the Spirit into the temple of our hearts. In this time of healing and re-making, we thank God for the gifts of grace and mercy and patience. In this time of transformation, we come to understand the essence of our Lenten delay.

  If it delays, wait for it . . .

  Like small children, we want all our woes and anxieties resolved within seconds of their borning; like small children we must learn that waiting in joyful anticipation brings the gift of wisdom.

  It will surely come . . .

  Like energetic teenagers, we easily slip into the thinking that the multiverse holds us at its center; like energetic teenagers we reluctantly admit that our way is not always God’s way.

  It will not be late . . .

  Like impatient adults, we ask the world to move at our singular command; like impatient adults we come to see that the common good is more valuable in God’s eyes than our individual desire.

  The rash one has no integrity . . .

  In our Lenten journey we come to understand – if we are open – that God is present in misery just as in joy.

  But the just one, because of faith, will live . . .

  In our Lenten passage we come to know – if we are open – that God’s delay is part of God’s plan.

  As we move through this second full week of Lent, let us take all of our impatience and anxiety, all of our anger and frustration to the one who mends and heals all wounds. And let us – like Jesus – make a willing sacrifice of our waiting as we anticipate in joyful hope God’s fulfillment of our great delay.

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  Image from: http://vividlife.me/ultimate/6328/impatience-or-divine-anticipation/

  Enter the word Habakkuk into the blog search bar to explore other reflections on the wisdom brought to us through the words of this prophet.

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  March 6, 2022

  anger, anticipation, anxiety, frustration, fulfillment, God’s plan, grace, healing, joy, patience, suffering

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• Psalm 147:12-20: Praise

  
  

  Tuesday, March 1, 2022

  Psalm 147:12-20

  Praise

  Tomorrow we begin the season of Lent, a time when the earth shifts moods with the changing seasons. In the northern hemisphere the promise of spring and the Easter Passion hover amid the snow-covered trees while all of creation anticipates new burgeoning and promise. In the southern hemisphere autumn prepares us for winter as we gather harvests, snug in and burrow down, resting in the nurturing strength of the covenant promise. No matter our mood or circumstance, Lent offers us an opportunity to renew, re-touch, and re-encounter the risen Christ. Lent gives us a way to examine and re-define. Lent brings us a fresh wind and a new heart. Today we pray with Psalm 147 as we prepare for Lent, and look forward to the fulfillment of the Good News.

  Glorify the Lord and offer praise to your God . . .

  Today we give thanks for both our blessings and obstacles, realizing that grace arrives with our sufferings as well as our joys.

  Who has strengthened the bars of your gates and blessed your children within you . . . ?

  Today we give thanks for our progeny and our future, looking forward to the events that bring us into union with God.

  Who has brought peace to your borders, and filled you with finest wheat . . . ?

  Today we give thanks for all the harvests in our lives, for the opportunity to both give and receive God’s plenty that graces the earth.

  The Lord sends a command to earth; God’s word runs swiftly! Snow is spread like wool, frost is scattered like ash, hail is dispersed like crumbs; before such cold the waters freeze. Again the Lord sends God’s word and they melt; the wind is unleashed and the waters flow . . .

  

  And so, we pray,

  Today we give thanks for all that we receive, knowing that we are asked to share these gifts from the Lord. Today we give thanks for all that we experience, knowing that we are called to love one another. Today we give thanks for all that is to come, knowing that The Lord has peace and joy in great store for us. Today, with all of creation, we give thanks and praise to God. Amen.

  Tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent.

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  For everyday words of encouragement, click on the evergreen tree above or visit: http://everydayencouragement.org/2014/02/23/god-bends-down-to-hear-your-prayers/

  For more beautiful images from National Geographic, click on the image of the night sky in Patagonia, or visit: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-of-the-day/tree-stars-patagonia/

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  March 1, 2022

  grace, joy, thanksgiving

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• Ezekiel 3:17-27: The Prophet as Watchman – Loving our Stumbling Blocks

  
  

  Saturday, February 12, 2022

  Ezekiel 3:17-27

  The Prophet as Watchman: Loving our Stumbling Blocks

  As we study our stumbling blocks we hear the call to be prophets in the Messianic Age. We are asked to call others to kingdom work just as we have been called.

  Once we spend time with our stumbling blocks we begin to understand the important role they play in our lives, the vital function they perform. We are asked to demonstrate our comprehension by willingly taking on our responsibility as Sentinel People. We are asked to call out to others the message of the Word Among Us.

  Rather than walk around or away from our stumbling blocks we freely and even cheerfully go in search of a ladder that will allow us to climb atop our obstacle. We see the world and ourselves from a different angle, perhaps an angle that God the Creator might use. We are asked to bring this gift of insight to our Kingdom building.

  Once we begin to act in and through Christ we receive abundant grace, courage, fortitude, and mercy. Love grows out of our suffering. Sudden and inexplicable joy takes hold and in a moment of irreversible transformation we move into the life God has planned for us since our inception.

  And once we have run the arc from grief to joy, we give thanks for the great suffering we have endured.

  As Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M. points out in his February 10, 2015 Meditation, it is not so much that we are so chosen or so suddenly more greatly loved by God in our moment of fear and turmoil; rather, it is that we have listened, waited, and pruned ourselves for the reception of this enormous and endless love. As we consider the grace and peace and blessing of the Stumbling Block, let us give thanks to the one who abides, and heals and loves.

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  Richard Rohr: Adapted fromThe Great Themes of Scripture: Old Testament, pp. 1-5 (published by Franciscan Media); and Scripture as Liberation (MP3 download) 

  Image from: http://www.lebtahor.com/StumblingBlocks/stumblingblocks.htm

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  February 12, 2022

  courage, fortitude, God’s call, grace, gratitude, love, mercy, Richard Rohr, sentinel

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• Psalm 32: Time of Need

  
  

  Wednesday, September 15, 2021

  Psalm 32

  Time of Need

  I kept it secret and my frame was wasted.

  I groaned all the day long for night and day your hand was heavy upon me.

  Indeed my strength was dried up by the summer’s heat.

  We do not know but we can imagine that the prophet Jeremiah prayed the psalms from his prison cell or from the bottom of the miry cistern. Chains alone did not stop him from speaking. Scorn and mockery could not hold back the words he knew he must deliver and the actions he knew he must take. If he intoned Psalm 32 it may have been bitterly for he could not put an end to his punishment by acknowledging his sin or by recanting an evil act; or it may have been joyfully for he also knew that God was his only place of safety. Jeremiah, the innocent, bemoaned his reality as he suffered at the hands of corrupt and unjust leaders; but Jeremiah, the prophet, understood the message of hope in this prayer.

  So let every good man pray to you in the time of need.

  The floods of water may reach high but him they shall not reach.

  You are my hiding place, O Lord; you save me from distress.

  You surround me with cries of deliverance.

  In our moment of stress, God replies through the voice of the psalmist.

  I will instruct you and show you the way you should walk, give you counsel and watch over you.

  Do not be senseless like horses or mules; with bit and bridle their temper is curbed, else they will not come to you.

  In our time of need, God speaks to us today.

  Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.

  Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you just; exult all you upright of heart.

  When the weight of the world is too much to balance, let us give our burden of despair to God, and be glad in the hope, and grace and love of the Lord.

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  Visit the Overwhelmed By Grace post on this blog by entering the words in the search bar.

  Image from: http://loopyloo305.com/2012/12/16/psalm-32/

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  September 15, 2021

  deliverance, despair, distress, God’s love, grace, hope, innocent victims, Jeremiah, love, unjust leaders

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• Hebrews 4:14-16: High Priest

  
  

  Monday, May 3, 2021

  Hebrews 4:14-16

  High Priest

  In some religious structures it is customary to regard a particular member of the community as a singular mediator between the creator and the created. “As a prestigious, elite class the priests were also expected to preserve the holiness of the sanctuary and the uniqueness of the people of Israel.  Therefore they were subject to added restrictions not incumbent upon the average Israelite. A priest was forbidden to officiate if he had a physical defect (Lev. 21:17-24), was ritually impure, was under the influence of alcohol, or had married a woman forbidden to a priest”. (Achtemeier 882)

  Jesus comes to serve as high priest for all.  Jesus comes to us a priest who administers the Law of Love. Jesus comes to us as our brother and high priest to call each of us to unity in and through him.

  In this Eastertide, let us consider how we respond to this holy call to peace and grace and love.

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  For more on the Biblical role and the history of the high priest, click on the image above, or visit: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/265328/high-priest or http://www.gotquestions.org/high-priest.html or http://biblehub.com/dictionary/h/high.htm

  Achetemeier, Paul J. HARPERCOLLINS BIBLE DICTIONARY. 2nd edition. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1996. 882. Print.

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  May 3, 2021

  grace, Law of Love, love, peace

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• John 7:40-52: Never Before

  
  

  Wednesday, April 21, 2021

  John 7:40-52

  Never Before

  When Jesus enters Jerusalem, his presence creates division, particularly in regards to the origins of the Messiah. In these days of Lent and Eastertide we have reflected on how our encounter with Christ engenders questions and sparks discussion. Scripture has shown us how Jesus, followed by large crowds, is proclaimed the new king of a new kingdom. We have participated in the ancient liturgies of the Triduum and, along with countless generations of the faithful, we declare Christ the Messiah. Despite of, or perhaps because of, Jesus’ message of liberation and rescue, arguments separate us as we react to the call of the Gospel. Today we are reminded that: Never before has anyone spoken like this one.

  On this day, as we proclaim Christ risen from a world of death and darkness, we ask, what do we believe?

  On this day when we say Jesus has entered our lives in a particular way, how do we enact the Gospel call to love those who hate us?

  On this day when we celebrate the presence of God in our lives, how do we proclaim to the world that the one who stands before us has never been seen before?

  Wishing Easter peace and blessings to all in the Noontime Circle.

  Asking Easter joy and grace for all the faithful.

  Trusting in Easter transformation for all of God’s creation.

  Amen.

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  A re-post from Easter Sunday 2014.

  Images from: http://www.the-dock.org/blog/2011/easter-sunday/ 

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  April 21, 2021

  blessing, Easter, grace, Messiah, peace, Triduum

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• Matthew 13:1-11: So Many Paths – Part II

  
  

  Easter Wednesday, April 7, 2021

  Matthew 13:1-11

  So Many Paths – Part II

  How many ways are there to live a life? How many paths of wisdom lead to God? How many times are we called to modify, change or persevere in our chosen journey? Only a close and intimate conversation with God will bring us the answers we seek.

  Some journeys look impossible. They are full of traps, and barren of sustenance. We become exhausted just thinking of how we might prepare to travel such a pathway. The heights are dizzying. The precipices terrifying. We begin our journey with downcast eyes and laden heart. We are too frightened to think about the future. When this happens, let us consider that the stony way may be more difficult but that Christ will be all the more present for God knows the treacheries that lurk along the way. The Spirit knows full well that we will tire, that we will seek refuge in a hostile land. And let us consider that when we journey with God, there are always tools available – although we may not see them.

  Some seed fell on rocky ground where it had little soil . . . it withered for lack of roots.

  Some of us travel with blessings abundant. We have few fears, light hearts, and a song in our soul. Yet there is a danger hiding here that we begin to think that we alone are responsible for our good fortune. When this happens, let us be certain to spend time with God each day. Let us give thanks for the abundance of God’s grace. And let us celebrate and share the blessings God has bestowed on us.

  Some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.

  

  Sometimes our journey is a déjà vu of experiences. We know the subtle changes before they take place. We anticipate the loops and curls and we struggle to untangle a series of events that feel all too familiar. We fight to orient ourselves. We wonder how we might move forward rather than spend endless time moving back and forth. When this happens, let us remember to turn to Christ with our questions and fears. Let us consider that God always provides refuge in any storm. And let us celebrate the goodness and love of God.

  The disciples approached him and said, “Why do you speak to us in parables?”

   

  

  Some journeys are shrouded in mystery; we find it impossible to see ahead. Even when we plan well, when we spend time with God, when we do all that God asks of us . . . nothing seems to work until . . . we finally realize that trust is the only necessary commodity we need take on our journey. When this happens, we understand how and where to find peace. We begin to understand that serenity cannot be earned. We see the wisdom of allowing ourselves to fall into Christ’s arms rather than flail against our journey for a lifetime.

  Jesus said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted”.

  And so we pray: Good and gracious God, we trust you with all that we have and all that we are.

  Kind and gentle Jesus, we follow you when we cannot see and cannot hear.

  Abiding and faithful Spirit, we lean on you, we rely on you, we look to you for all that we need. Amen.

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  Tomorrow, So Many Paths – Part III

  Images from: https://www.joe-ks.com/2012/amazing-paths

   

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  April 7, 2021

  blessings, grace, journeys, mystery, parables, sower, wisdom

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• Wisdom 3:1-9: A Prayer for Fallen Sparks

  
  

  Sunday, February 7, 2021

  Wisdom 3:1-9

  A Prayer for Fallen Sparks

  They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead . . . but they are in peace . . . They shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble . . . they shall judge nations and rule over peoples . . . and the Lord shall be their King forever . . . because grace and mercy and care are with God’s holy ones.

  We near the end of our journey through Psalm 119, and today we pause to reflect and consider the insights and wisdom God reveals to us through the written word. We have come to understand that God is too great and too good to describe and therefore we dart about, looking for a time and place to ignite the smallest bit of kindling so that our small spark of life might not be extinguished. In the coming week, we move through the ending stanzas of this psalm and a certain simplicity and intelligence settles over us.  As we find new understanding, we pray.

  Knowing that we are always in God’s hands although we may not feel God’s presence we pray: Providential God, speak to us in a way that we might hear you.

  Knowing that God’s Word lives in and around us although we may not comprehend it, we pray: Consoling God, reveal yourself to us in a way that we might see you.

  Knowing that God’s fidelity saves us although we may not believe it, we pray: Faithful God, abide with us in a way that we might sense you.

  Knowing that God’s love redeems us although we may not trust it, we pray: Redemptive God, hold and rescue us in a way that we might feel you.

  Knowing that God’s grace and mercy are present to and in us although we may not believe it, we pray: Gracious God, continue to wrap us in your kindness and beauty although we may not thank you.

  Knowing that we are fallen sparks, little life forces that dart to and fro, seeking origin and end, looking for wisdom and security, we pray:  Loving God, although we may not believe that you sacrifice all in order to transform us, bring us insight and serenity so that we might rest eternally in you.  Amen.   

  Tomorrow, we near the end of Psalm 119 . . . Qoph.

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  Image from: http://www.torange.us/Fashion-and-beauty/fireworks/sparks-of-fire-25690.html

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  February 7, 2021

  clarity, erenity, fidelity, God’s providence, grace, mercy, Psalm 119, redemption

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• Psalm 32:11: Upright Hearts

  
  

  Thursday, October 22, 2020

  Psalm 32:11

  Upright Hearts

  Rejoice in Yahweh, exult, you virtuous, shout for joy, all upright hearts.

  In Jewish tradition, the heart is the center of human spirit, thought and emotion.  It is the heart that gives rise to action. (PSALMS 31)

  God says: When you live in me you will find yourself rejoicing no matter your circumstances for you will understand that I turn all harm to good, you will comprehend that the faithful need not fight because I fight for them, and you will know that I guide and protect you always. If you live in a world of denial, deceit and betrayal you will find it difficult to trust your loved ones. You will feel most comfortable inhabiting a world of forces that control and are controlled. You will seek others who prefer a lie to truth. The upright heart cannot bear the darkness. The honest heart seeks light and truth and good. Come to me, all you who shout continually for joy just knowing that I am with you. Come to me this day, no matter your circumstance. For we have much to do. We have much to celebrate.

  For a week of days we have explored Psalm 32; we have scanned its verses and parsed its words as we look for the deeper meaning that remains with us once we close the pages of the Bible. We have allowed the Word to seep into our sinews, to strengthen our bones, and to bring new life to a tired spirit. Let us return to the first verse, and read again these treasured words of instruction that bring us remission, grace and wisdom. Let us take in these words that renew the spirit, and then let us rise in action.

  Happy the one whose fault is forgiven . . .

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  THE PSALMS, NEW CATHOLIC VERSION. Saint Joseph Edition. New Jersey: Catholic Book Publishing Company, 2004. 31. Print.

  Image from: http://www.pbwu.org/w/p/daily-encouraging-word-a-new-heart-and-a-new-spirit/

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  October 22, 2020

  deception versus truth, God turns harm to good, grace, honesty, hope, instruction, joy, light versus dark, the faithful need not fight, wisdom

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