Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God-New Years Day

For Catholics, today is a Feast Day and holy day of obligation to honor Mary the Mother of God:  who is the first example of courage.  Today is also the 8^th day of Christmas in The Twelve Days of Christmas.  Legend has it the song was a lesson for Catholic persecuted in protestant England.  The eight Maids a milking are a sign for the eight beatitudes.  Today would be a good day to reflect on them.

On my 2006 visit to Israel my wife and I visited and had Mass on the Mount of the Beatitudes.  I remember our Priests were a little miffed with the little sister who worked there.  She was upset with us because it was a warm day and some in our group had taken off their sweaters and their arms were exposed. She was focused on the rules, as Christ pointed out to the Pharisees who were focused on the outside of the cup being clean rather than the inside being clean.  Similarly the beatitudes of our Lord seek to not do away with the rules (10 commandments) but points at our inner dispositions.  I think Church of the Beatitudes which is a octagon (eight sided) best represents how me should seek to best conform our hearts and our dispositions to be more like that of Christ.  On the floor of the Church of the Beatitudes are eight mosaics with words in Latin.  They reflect the dispositions of our Lord which we are to emulate.

• Charitas (a heart that burns with love of God and benevolence toward others)
• Prvdentia (forethought or prudence. Those who are Prudent are far from indecisive, for their bold decisions bear no streaks of doubt. Prudence disposes us to have a true care and concern for the health and wellbeing of others)
• Lavs Tibi Christi (Praise God in all that we do)
• Temperantia (Temperance is a spirit of moderation and personal restraint; to keep ourselves in balance physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally)
• Fides (Faith in God; to trust Him; to give yourself as He gave Himself)
• Fortitvdo (fortitude and courage.  We must have the courage to allow Christ to increase in us)
• Spes (Hope.  We must hope in the good news of Christ and trust ourselves in the church as we would a ship upon the waters)
• Ivstitia (Justice.  Christ compels us to not ignore others, to understand others, not to rationalize and/or justify our questionable acts, do right even at risk of ourselves, and to pray for others. 

To start the New Year out right attend Mass and sing the Veni Creator Spiritus to gain a spiritual blessing for someone you know needs it most.

December 31, 2014

Psalm, Chapter 147, verse 10-11:

¹⁰ He takes no delight in the strength of horses, no pleasure in the runner’s stride. ¹¹ Rather the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, those who put their hope in his mercy.

This verse actually means that person full of hubris and pride of life has a hard time acknowledging their dependence upon God.  They may feel they have strength and speed however those who have Holy fear God delights in.  

December 30, 2014

Psalm, Chapter 145, verse 19:
¹⁹ He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.

I would like to focus on the word desire in the above verse.  I like to hike and pray.  One day I was hiking in the Fay Canyon area of Sedona, Arizona and I was reflecting on the seven deadly sins and the opposing virtues of our Lord sermon on the mount.  As I was hiking and musing over the words that are associated with the deadly sin of lust: such words as long for, hanker for, hunger for, yearn, crave, and desire.  

In my mind I repeated desire, desire, desire and I asked our Lord what do you want me to desire?  As I asked that question I looked up at the canyon and spied a rock formation in the shape of a chalice.  Yes Lord, I exclaimed.  I shall desire to receive you in the Holy Mass.

Today would be a good day to rest in the Lord and go to Mass and receive His body and blood.  As we receive realize that He has heard our cry’s and has saved us.  Such is the love of our God! 

 After Mass follow the Exhortation given from the 1896 edition of Goffines Divine Instructions.

Ponder with care on the truths and doctrines which the holy Church has laid before thee in the epistles and gospels; thank God with thy whole heart for the great favors and benefits which thou hast received in the incarnation and birth of Jesus Christ; examine thyself also whether thy faith is living and efficient, that thou mayest have the hope of being a child and heir of God ; ask thyself whether, during the past year, Christ has been thy fall or thy resurrection? hast thou confessed Him in heart and deed, or hast thou been a Christian only in name? With such exercises and examinations occupy thy mind until the New Year, that thou mayest be prepared to begin it worthily.

 Today is the 5^th day of Christmas the Five Golden Rings represent the five books of the "Pentateuch" [Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy].    

December 29, 2014

Psalm, Chapter 135, verse 20:

²⁰ House of Levi, bless the LORD! You who fear the LORD, bless the LORD!

This psalm begins and ends with a Hallelujah.  In it we see that those who love and have holy fear have it in their heart to praise God.  It would be a good practice to make a prayer of praise to our God when we get up and when we go to bed.

This is the prayer of praise as a pious Jew that Jesus said every morning: 

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord you God with all you heart, and with all your soul, and with all you mind, and with all your strength.

For the evening prayer might I suggest to sit quietly before bed reflecting on Psalm 40:11 “Be still and know I am God.”  Offer to our Lord your good works, and your failings, and praise Him for the graces He has given in regards to your concerns.

Today is the Feast of St. Thomas Becket and it is also the 4^th day of Christmas the Four Calling Birds represent the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  St. Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury who was killed by the king's men in 1170 on this day.  There is an excellent movie about his life “Becket” if you have time to watch tonight which stars Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole.

Feasts of the Holy Innocents and the Holy Family

Psalms, Chapter 128, verse 1:

⁹ Blessed are all who fear the LORD, and who walk in his ways.

Those who fear the Lord work to not react to their feelings but act from the principle of God’s unconditional love to empower others even at personal cost.  They practice the three cardinal virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity.  The act of blessing works both ways and bless’ all; both those who receive and those who give.

Today is traditionally the third day of Christmas and the Three French Hens from the song The 12 days of Christmas represent the three cardinal virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity.  Let us talk to the Lord today and ask Him how are we doing in these three virtues and how we may improve in them. 

Today is also the Feast of the Holy Innocents who were killed by Herod in his search to kill the baby King who was born in Bethlehem.

What persons are like Herod?  

According the 1896 edition of Goffine's Devout Instructions all those who destroy children, in body or in soul.  For example unmanly men who are cruel to their wives while with child, who strike them, incite them to anger, or terrify them; heedless parents who neglect their little ones, who do not take pains to keep them clean and healthy; those corrupt and godless women who destroy the fruit of their shame either before or after birth, and while yet unbaptized.  But more cruel than all these, and even than Herod himself, are they who scandalize little children by impure conversations, by indecent songs, by acts of impurity in their presence, or by inciting them to the like; for thereby they plunge the souls of the children into destruction.

Also, today is customarily a feast for the youngest member of the family and/or youth in general because on this day it was  the little ones which shed their blood for Christ.  In addition the church today rejoices and bless' choirboys and students.[1]

 Today is also the Feast of the Holy Family.  Let us reflect that the Holy family was holy because of how they interacted with each other and the world.  A good practice during the twelve nights of Christmas would be to turn off the TV and to rest and have joyful prayer with the family.  It is good to remember that Christ’s primary teachers in the faith were Joseph and Mary.  We also should remember to not rely on schools to bring up our children in Faith that we are the primary teachers of Faith, Hope and Love in our families.   During prayer time, pray for the holy innocents of our generation by praying for an end to abortion and for children who serve at Mass and for school children in general.

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[1] http://www.holytrinitygerman.org/xmascustoms.html#ecclesrank

Feast of St. John

John, Chapter 7, verse 13:

¹³ Still, no one spoke openly about him because they were afraid of the Jews.

Today is the feast of St. John so I chose a verse on fear from the gospel of John.  We see here that Jesus was a wanted man because he was fearless toward the Jews and they hated him for it.  People were afraid to even speak about Jesus or worst yet speak up in his behalf.  Often it is easier for us to not speak up when we hear gossip or worse yet to join in the gossip and relish in it.  We often love to hear the worse things about others or lack the courage to defend their good name.  It has been said it is better to say nothing then to say anything negative about another but Christ compels us to go even further with this verse; to be fearless in the defense of others.

Traditionally wine is blessed on the Feast of St. John.  Wine if used in moderation is a good thing.  Yet, sometimes it may cause an increase in our fears or make us fool hardy when speaking, giving us a false sense of courage.  So blessing our wine is a good idea to dedicate its use for our good and not our detriment.

St. Johns wine blessing[1]

 

Holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God! You willed that Your Son, equal to You in agelessness and substance should descend from heaven and in the fullness of time be born of the most holy Virgin Mary. Thus He could seek the lost and wayward sheep and carry it on His shoulders to the sheepfold, and could cure the man fallen among robbers of his wounds by pouring in oil and wine. Deign now to bless and sanctify this wine which You produced for man's drink. Whoever drinks of it on this holy feast, grant him life in body and soul. By Your goodness, let it be to him strength to prosper him on the way, that his journey may come to a blessed end. Through the same Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Today is also the second day of Christmas the two turtle doves in the 12 days of Christmas song are symbolic of the two bible testaments the old and the new.  For those who the Holy Spirit inspires perhaps it would be a good habit to start your day by reading the old testament in the morning and the new testament in the evening.

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[1] http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=46

Feast of St. Stephen

Luke, Chapter 2, verse 10:

¹⁰ The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Christmas

Luke, Chapter 2, verse 9:

⁹ The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.

In this verse the “them” were shepherds. The angels appeared and filled lowly shepherds with holy fear.  Shepherds were the gypsy’s of their time.  They were in the same social class as dung sweepers and tax collectors. 

As you open your “presents” today remember these scum bag shepherds needed to be in His “presence”.  To do that was not an easy task; they had to move with all of their sheep to the place of the Kings birth.  Can you imagine the scene with hundreds perhaps millions of sheep, bleating as they go and eating everything along the way.  It took great courage to do this to bring unlawfully out of the desert these sheep and to honor the King.  Imagine their surprise to see the messiah, the king of kings, in a nasty cave used to stable animals, lying in a manger.  (A manger is basically a feed troth for animals.)

The shepherds still worship Him today through their decedents who now make up the 1 percent of Christians in the Holy Land.  Their faith has lasted down through the ages.  In 2006 my wife and I visited a small Catholic community in Bethlehem which is in Palestinian held territory.  We were told the faith was passed down from father to son in face of many hardships. They endured 600 years with no priests and Muslim oppression.  They are oppressed to this day yet they endure.

While in Bethlehem, I was able to touch the spot where Christ was born and while in Jerusalem I was able to touch the spots where Christ was crucified and rose into heaven.  To have done this I thought was a very special experience but then the Lord touched my heart and whispered these are just the spots I touched come into my presence at Mass, receive my body, become a new creation in union with us (the trinity) physically, mentally, spiritually and communally.  

Christmas Eve

Luke, Chapter 1, verse 67-75:

⁶⁷ Then Zechariah his father, filled with the holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: ⁶⁸ “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.⁶⁹ He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant, ⁷⁰even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old:⁷¹salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, ⁷²to show mercy to our fathers and to be mindful of his holy covenant ⁷³and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father, and to grant us that,⁷⁴rescued from the hand of enemies, without fear we might worship him⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

My prayer is that the Lord our God will rescued the Christians in the Middle East so they might worship him in holiness and righteousness.  Indeed this prayer is needed in our own country where our government and the media have shown they hate us.

In America, we have until now had no fear in worshiping him in holiness and righteousness.  In fact the model in American since its founding has been one of “Many religions, but one covenant”. 

We are certainly a blessed people because we as a whole have not abandoned the covenant, nor shall we if the vision of the Virgin Mary to George Washington at Valley Forge is true.  In it he saw that American would remain true to our creator.

"Son of the Republic…Three great perils will come upon the Republic. The most fearful is the third, but in this greatest conflict the whole world united shall not prevail against her. Let every child of the Republic learn to live for his God, his land and the Union." With these words the vision vanished, and I started from my seat and felt that I had seen a vision wherein had been shown to me the birth, progress, and destiny of the United States.[1]

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[1] http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/washington/vision.html

December 22, 2014

Luke, Chapter 1, verse 50:

⁵⁰ His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.

Happiness is a choice; just as love is a choice.  We either decide to be happy or we do not.  No amount of money or material things will bring us joy, no amount of pleasure or power either.  Mary knew that true happiness comes from God’s mercy.  That is a choice too.  God’s mercy is given to those who fear Him and then in turn honor the gift of love.  We in order to accept the gift of mercy must be open to receive.  We make a choice.

It is funny Mary’s whose name means bitterness was just the opposite.  She emptied herself to be filled to the brim with God’s love and within three days she will have given birth to Christ our redeemer.  I imagine she pondered on this day ages ago as she felt His movement within her that his mercy is overpowering.

Let us empty ourselves of all our bitterness and resentments, asking Mary to pray for us as we do. 

Let us in these remaining days before Christmas, do all we can to prepare for our Lord Jesus.  Let us receive God’s mercy through the sacraments which He has established through His Apostle’s down through the ages to us today.  If you have not gone to confession-do.  Receive His mercy. Receive the Eucharist, be made whole and prepare for his birth. 

Give mercy in return to any you have offended, pray and do good works toward those who have offended you.  In this way we emulate our God whose power is perfected in mercy. 

Be at peace.  

December 21, 2014

Luke, Chapter 5, verse 9-10:

⁹ For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, ¹⁰ and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

The Lord says that to each of us.  We all play a role in the plan of God and are forevermore fishers of men.

Notice how our Lord took simple fishermen and using their raw natural talent he, even in their sinfulness, was able to mold them into legends.  To do this for them they had to have Faith.  Faith is the opposite of fear.  It is an expression of love.

Christ needs good men who hear the call of our Lord to be a fisher of men.  If today you hear His voice; harden not your heart.  Be not afraid.

December 18, 2014

Matthew, Chapter 1, verse 19-20:

¹⁹ Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. ²⁰ Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.

Even righteous people become afraid at times but Mark Shea a catholic writer points out that Joseph being a devote Jew may have had Holy fear as the basis of his being afraid.

”Modernity assumes it was because he thought her guilty of adultery, but the typical view in antiquity understood the text to mean he was afraid of her sanctity — as a pious Jew would be afraid to touch the Ark of the Covenant. After all, think of what Mary told him about the angel's words: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God."[1]

We should follow the example of Joseph and be not afraid to take Mary into our home!

I know one small way I have taken Mary in my home is to silently say a Hail Mary when I wash my hands to eat-thinking Mary help me not to wash your son’s blood from my hands as Pilot did.  Help me to have no innocent blood on my hands. Let me not wash off responsibility for others.

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[1] Mark Shea,  The Mother of the Son: The Case for Marian Devotion.

EMBER DAY December 17, 2014

Matthew, Chapter 25, verse 24-25:

²⁴ Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; ²⁵so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’

Christ is always trying to draw us away from fear to having a relationship of love and peace with the Trinity.  For if we live our faith in fear we will be like the person who buried his only talent. We must if filled with the love of Christ go forth bravely to build Christ's Kingdom in our own spheres of influence and in our way of being. 

The church recognizes that fear slowly creeps into our lives and makes changes in the liturgy to renew us and avoid sinfulness. One of the corrections that the church made in the liturgy change of 1969 was the obligation for Catholic’s to fast on Ember Days. 

Today, Friday and Saturday are Ember Days according to the old calendar.  Ember Days were observed in the old calendar to fast and pray for God’s guidance and grace for the new season and to pray for Priest’s.

We are a priestly people and as such we should also during these days reflect and pray asking our Lord on how he wants us to use our time, talent and treasure. 

Today ask our Lord how he wants you to spend your time during this season assisting our priests.

Today also marks the beginning of the O Antiphons, the seven jewels of our liturgy in the preparation of the birth of Christ. 

Christmas Novena December 16, 2014

Matthew, Chapter 21, verse 46:

⁴⁶ And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

They feared the crowds because of Jesus and John the Baptist.  Fear is a natural reaction: when we fear something we naturally do one of five things.   We either: fight, run away, do nothing, compromise or grow make things better.  The entire bible is filled with stories of people making good and bad choices.  Some of people’s choices were righteous and some were evil and through it all it was the spirit of God that urged men to make choices that promoted growth in humankind; to create a Kingdom of God on earth.

Both John the Baptist and Jesus were marked by the priests and elders for death because they threatened their power over the people which they feared.  Like savage beasts they killed anything that got in their way.

According to John Maxwell[1] leaders lose their right to selfishness and must take the lives of others into account before their own.  They must testify to the truth and tell people what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear.  They must tell people where they have to go to promote the Kingdom and not where they desire to go.

Christ came not only to restore the Israelite s but to bring all of mankind into His Kingdom.  Leaders in the Christ's Kingdom must fearlessly lead from principle rather than from reaction.

It is nine days before Christmas.  Today start a Christmas novena with your family or someone you love.

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[1] John Maxwell, The Maxwell Leadership Bible, p 1072-1073.

December 15, 2014

Matthew, Chapter 21, verse 26:

²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.”

The chief priests and the elders of the people were master politicians during Christ’s time.  Some of them were faithful in thought word and deed, but many were as Christ pointed out like marble sepulchers which are pretty on the outside but inside full of death and rottenness.  Many of them put on the airs of piety but in reality were agnostic in nature. 

Here we see the priest and elders were afraid of the people.  I think in our time a similar thing occurred with Saint John Paul II’s struggle with communism in Poland.  John Paul was a John the Baptist of his time.  The Poles, I assume like the Jews during  the Baptists time, were hungry for a chance to cleanse themselves of the compromises they had to make to live under the rule of the communist’s.

I believe John the Baptist's message to have been very similar to John Paul’s.  John Paul told the Poles to be good, not to compromise themselves, to stick by one another, to be fearless, and that God is the only source of goodness, the only standard of conduct. 'Be not afraid,' he said. Millions shouted in response, 'We want God! We want God! We want God!' The regime cowered. Had the Pope chosen to turn his soft power into the hard variety, the regime might have been drowned in blood. Instead, the Pope simply led the Polish people to desert their rulers by affirming solidarity with one another. The Communists managed to hold on as despots a decade longer. But as political leaders, they were finished. Visiting his native Poland in 1979, Pope John Paul II struck what turned out to be a mortal blow to its Communist regime, to the Soviet Empire, [and] ultimately to Communism.[1]

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[1] Angelo M. Codevilla, "Political Warfare: A Set of Means for Achieving Political Ends", in Waller, ed., Strategic Influence: Public Diplomacy, Counterpropaganda and Political Warfare (IWP Press, 2008.)

December 14, 2014

Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday

Luke, Chapter 1, verse 50:

⁵⁰ His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.

Today is also the third Sunday of Advent called Gaudete Sunday and we light the rose colored candle because we are rejoicing in that Christ is drawing near with his birth in ten days.  We are to rejoice just as Mary did in her Canticle of Praise when she entered the house of Zechariah.

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him. He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart. He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly. The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy, according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

I would like to focus on the words from “age to age”.  In physics, spacetime (also space–time, space time or space–time continuum) is any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single interwoven continuum.[1]  As I understand it what has been done in the past and in the future continues forever rippling through time and space from “age to age”.  If this is the case let us follow Mary’s example and develop in ourselves Holy fear through her virtues of: humility, generosity, chastity, patience, self-control and of course love.

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacetime

FEAST OF SAINT LUCY

December 13, 2014

Luke, Chapter 1, verse 10-12:

¹⁰ Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering, ¹¹the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense. ¹²Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.

Zechariah was troubled and he was afraid.  I do not think this was Holy fear for Zechariah’s faith did not equal his fear and he was filled with unbelief.  His intellect outweighed his heart and as a result he was left unable to speak until the birth of his son as the angel told him.  That son was John the Baptist. There are times when we must listen to our hearts and not our heads.

Today is also the feast of St. Lucy.  Lucy is an excellent example of a person whose heart is filled with faith.  She is one of the church’s incorruptibles.  That is her body is still intact long after death.  She had a great heart of great courage.

Father Kenelm Digby Best knew her example of fearlessness when he penned in his book “A Priest’s Poems”[1] on St. Lucy:

Flames might not harm her: Saint Lucy stood fearless, Still as a statue's the neck which they smote: Scarcely another save, Lucy, was tearless. When the sharp dagger was plunged in her throat.

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[1]https://books.google.com/books?id=BhsMAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA19&lpg=PA19&dq=St.+Lucy+and+fearlessness&source=bl&ots=Y_x4jQcTKQ&sig=yv0CWc4J8O9y_VAbz8R8FqM8hgE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=vqGIVNyhKcq3ogSDqoLACw&ved=0CDsQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=St.%20Lucy%20and%20fearlessness&f=true

FEAST OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

December 12, 2014

Luke, Chapter 1, verse 30:

³⁰ Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.

Mary had no fear of the world or man, yet, when the angel appeared she was immersed in holy fear.  Let us follow Mary’s example and bravely face the day saying YES to God.

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Listen to Mary’s words of encouragement as she appeared to Saint Juan Diego.

"Hear me and understand well, my son the least, that nothing should frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything."

One wonders if Mary thought of these same affirmations during the angel’s visit of God the Father.  Are you not happily within my fold!  Are you not under my protection!

Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego just 12 years after the defeat of the Aztec empire by Hernan Cortes.  Documents from that period indicate that the Aztec leadership was hatching a plot to reestablish themselves and renew the taking of human hearts as a sacrifice to their gods.  Our Lady stopped that with her appearance to Juan Diego.  In the space of 10 years after her appearance over 9 million Aztecs converted to the faith.[1]

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[1] Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of the civilization of love.  Carl Anderson & Msgr. Eduardo Chavez.  http://www.secretsoftheimage.org/en/index.html

December 11, 2014

Isaiah, Chapter 41, verse 13:

¹³ For I am the LORD, your God, who grasp your right hand; it is I who say to you, do not fear, I will help you.

I picture Christ saying this to Peter in the Sea of Galilee as He pulls Peter up after he walked on the water and feared the waves and began to drown.  We must not waiver when we feel covered over by the waters of fear for He will help us.  When in fear if we cry out for his help He will grab us by the hand and bring us back into the boat; which is His church.

Let us not be children of fear but children of faith.  In fact the opposite of Faith is fear.  Napoleon Hill author of the bestselling book THINK AND GROW RICH stated in his unpublished manuscript entitled “Outwitting the Devil” that the devil uses fear to manipulate and control us.  Hill uses an imaginary conversation with the devil where the devil states:  Once I capture the mind of a child, through fear, I weaken that child’s ability to reason and to think for himself, and that weakness goes with the child all through life.

According to Hill the secret to freedom and success is to break the chains of fear and realize that failure and defeat are only a temporary experience. 

Franklin D. Roosevelt in his first in inaugural address as President of the United States realizing this stating, “So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”  As a new President he realized the power of fear and he also realized the power of courage. 

Mindful of this let us go forth manfully to face our fears and change ourselves, our families and our nation realizing YES He IS and He grasps our hand—He will help us! 

December 10, 2014

Psalm, Chapter 2, verse 11-12:

¹¹ Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling ¹² kiss his feet, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled.

To fully understand this verse we must know who the prophet is referring to.  In verse 10 the prophet states “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.  Serve the Lord with fear.

Our God is a just God and to those who have been given much; much is required (Spiderman).  Kings (and the 1 percent’ers) to be wise must humble themselves.  It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle then for a rich man to get into heaven.  The "Eye of the Needle" has been claimed to be a gate in Jerusalem, which opened after the main gate was closed at night. A camel could only pass through this smaller gate if it was stooped and had its baggage removed.[1] 

I also picture with this verse  Mary Magdalene.  Mary who by many accounts was a very rich woman financed our Lord’s ministry.  We see in this verse the shadowing of her kissing of His feet and at the same time the hardening of Judas’ heart:  who in seeing her act of love and wanting riches refused to be humble himself and died in his pride.   

I wonder from this verse, is it Christ's desire for us to serve with Fear and trembling?  

I noticed the other day that my two dogs when I had come home are so excited about seeing me that they tremble with excitement.  I think our God wants our hearts and our desires.  I think we should have the humble fear that a loved child has for his or her parents, full of love and respect and we should be excited too.  

So let us approach each day with the kind of excitement that makes us tremble; ready to do the will of God? 

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_of_a_needle

December 9, 2014

Isaiah, Chapter 40, verse 9:

⁹ Go up onto a high mountain, Zion, herald of good news!  Cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news!  Cry out, do not fear!  Say to the cities of Judah:  Here is your God!

Today would be a good day to sing Christmas Carols and if you can go as a group onto a high mountain and sing your hearts out.  It has been said that singing is praying twice. 

The season of advent is all about recognizing that our God has come as a gentle child on Christmas day and his delight is in us.  One of my favorite representations of the Lords delight with us is a statue of Joseph and the baby Jesus.  Jesus and Joseph are playing.  Joseph is slightly bent with the baby Jesus giggling crawling over the back of Joseph and peeking over his shoulder looking at his face in peek a boo fashion and delight is all over both of their faces.  How can we fear when we have a God who loves us so! 

In times of tribulation when we feel courage being drained from our souls let us remember the courage of blessed Saint Joseph reflecting on his courage, strength and of course gentleness with our Lord Jesus.  In times of trouble let us call on the aid of St. Joseph reflecting on this portion of the litany of Saint Joseph[1]. 

”St. Joseph, Renowned offspring of David, Light of Patriarchs, Spouse of the Mother of God, Chaste guardian of the Virgin, Foster father of the Son of God, Diligent protector of Christ, Head of the Holy Family, Joseph most just, Joseph most chaste, Joseph most prudent, Joseph most strong, Joseph most obedient, Joseph most faithful, Mirror of patience, Lover of poverty, Model of artisans, Glory of home life, Guardian of virgins, Pillar of families, Solace of the wretched, Hope of the sick, Patron of the dying, Terror of demons, Protector of Holy Church.  Pray for Us!”

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[1] https://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/litanies/joseph.htm

December 8, 2014 Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Genesis, Chapter 3, verse 8-10:

 '⁸ The man and his wife heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.  ⁹ But Yahweh God called to the man. 'Where are you?' he asked. ¹⁰ 'I heard the sound of you in the garden,' he replied 'I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.'

Before the fall both Adam and Eve were unafraid of being exposed to God and they were innocent in that they knew not that they were naked.  Adam states I heard the sound of you in the garden.  We do not know what the sound of God is from the verse.  Was it the same sound as a man walking in the garden?  Or was it the sound of a rushing wind? We do not know; but Adam heard God and he was afraid because he was naked.

On the cross our Lord who always heard the Father was now utterly alone,…And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani?' which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' and he was also naked nailed to a tree. Tradition states that our Lord’s cross rested on the skull of Adam in payment for the fall.  Our Lord paid the ultimate price for our sins.

Christ on the cross reversed the taking of the fruit and the eating by Adam and Eve and became the fruit of life.  Christ on the cross reversed the nakedness of Adam and Eve by being naked himself.  Christ on the cross no longer heard the Father and He was afraid.

The greatest fear is a world without the Father.  Christ brought us at a great price to bring us back to the Father.  We need not fear for God is now in us through the accomplishment of the Holy Spirit.  We must listen to His voice and follow Him. 

Mary who was conceived without sin on this Feast day of the Immaculate Conception is our example of courage in the presence of God and His angels.  Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.  (Luke 1:30-31)