This week’s memory verse:Â But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen —2 Peter 3:18
Pray the week:Â Lord Jesus, grant me to grow each day; to learn from You. Forgive me any complaining and help me to be the new person You have made.
Growth
confusion.
I declare and testify in the Lord that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; that is not how you learned Christ, assuming that you have heard of him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus, that you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds
Today, we find ourselves caught among the complainers and those who refuse to grow.
The Israelites were barely across the sea – having complained there that God’s servant, Moses, had led them to their impending deaths. Now, they were complaining about being hungry. Not just complaining, but dramatically complaining. They didn’t think, or intellectualize all that God had done for them. They forgot what God had done faster than we forget many of life’s minor daily details.
It is said that the human mind forgets things because our focus is on understanding, not remembering. For instance, we may go to a baseball game, or picnic, or family event not so much to remember the brands of hotdogs and chips we ate there, but to grow in understanding of times together. We do remember aspects of those events, but only as a byproduct our understanding and growing.
Ah, there’s the problem. The people of Israel forgot, not only the details, but also failed to understand, comprehend, or integrate the things God had done in their journey to freedom. They missed real faith in God. They did not grow.
On the other end are the people following Jesus around. Sure, they thought, but only with their stomachs. They only remembered what Jesus had just done for their physical wellbeing. They did not move beyond that to an understanding, comprehension, or integration of the things Jesus was teaching. As the days progressed, following Jesus around, they missed the spirit – the reality of God’s truth and their call to faith in His truth. They went so far as to say to Jesus: “What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do?â€Â in spite of everything they had seen Jesus do. Their stomachs grew but otherwise they did not grow.
Paul confronts lack of growth and refusal to get what God does. Don’t live for today or get caught complaining. See what God is doing. We learned of Jesus and were taught in Him. Abandon the futile. Let us be renewed in not just remembering, but in understanding and growing.
Our ever growing, super fun, and free parish and community picnic is scheduled for Sunday, August 19th. There will be one Holy Mass that day at 10:30am and the picnic will immediately follow on the parish grounds. The tent, tables, and chairs have been ordered. We look forward to seeing everyone there along with your family and friends. The picnic is open to everyone. The parish will be providing hot dogs and hamburgers – and many are bringing a dish to share. Come join in!
This week’s memory verse: For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. — 1 Corinthians 3:11
Pray the week: Lord Jesus, grant me the power to pray, plan, and act for Your Kingdom each and every day.
Called to
greatness.
I urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call
Our Christian lives, as we have reflected on over the past few weeks, are not about the past. We can certainty take lessons from the past, but we cannot live there.
St. Paul clearly calls Christians out on living in the past. He writes: live in a manner worthy of the call you have received. That is important to us, to live and move forward.
The feeding of the multitude happens about right in the middle of Jesus’ thirty-second year. It is in fact, the pinnacle of His popularity with the crowd. He had been teaching them “many things†when He saw they were “sheep without a shepherd.â€
What He had been teaching them was the truth of His Father’s Kingdom plan. It was a new way of thinking, living, being, and acting. It was forward thinking – for today and tomorrow. It was in complete uniformity with all the prophets had been trying to get at – and as with the prophets, the people would not listen. The people could only look backward. They missed Jesus’ point. They missed tomorrow because they were stuck in yesterday.
Shortly after the multiplication of loaves the people would turn away, the majority left Jesus. He wouldn’t do today what He did yesterday – We see that they were stuck back there. They wanted a repeat performance.
For this past week the youth of the Church gathered new tools and new skills. They have set out on a mission to make the choice – to pray, plan, organize, gather people, and set to work to rebuild our Holy Church, our parishes, and our communities. So must it be with us.
We are called to greatness, but not to live in yesterday’s greatness. Our call is to a new greatness, a magnificent greatness. This greatness comes from carrying out the Father’s Kingdom plan as laid out for us by Jesus. So we must get into action.
Here’s the part where everyone says – well what do I do? The first step is pick up the Holy Bible and check out the kingdom blueprint. Then pray, ‘Lord, what would You have me do?’ Then listen. He will point out those we should invite. He will show us how to live and do in a manner worthy of our call.
This week’s memory verse: This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. — Psalm 118:24
Pray the week: Lord Jesus, grant that today will be made great by Your strengthening my witness and resolve.
Great green
today.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.
As you know, over the past two weeks we have been focusing on history. There was our reflection on historical errors that keep repeating themselves because of the world’s sinful lather, rinse, repeat lifestyle. We reflected on manifest destiny, not as a political or social call, but as a call from God – by which we overcome all obstacles in furtherance of our carrying out God’s kingdom plan.
Today we hear the most well known Psalm of all – The Lord is my Shepherd. Psalm 23.
The 23rd Psalm is very well known chiefly for one reason – we hear it as we reflect on the history of a person who has died. It is said at almost every funeral home service and funeral or Requiem Holy Mass. It is, of course, comforting – being led by peaceful waters, protected, free from fear, anointed, having plenty – all is green and beautiful – but is it right?
Reading the words of Psalm 23 over and over, we are struck by the fact that it is not a mere reflection of some past benefit from God. It is not a historical re-telling of what God has done, but an indication of what God has done, is doing, and will be doing in our lives. For those who love grammar, the verb tense in the 23rd Psalm is the “habitual present.†God’s action is dynamic, regular, and repeated.
God’s Son, Jesus, is in the great right now. He is not just the past, a historical reality – the Lord was our shepherd, nor is He something we are just waiting on, off in the future – the Lord will be our shepherd. No, He is in our now.
It is time for us to take the 23rd Psalm as the prayer, poetry, and hymn of our everyday lives. All of the promises of God and the reflections of David in singing out this great hymn are about our now. Jesus is shepherding us. He is protecting us – have no fear in witnessing faith and prayer daily and publicly. He is gifting us with refreshment – that reserved for His faithful. He is feeding us, giving us rest, and calling us to follow His right path. Our God is amazing and now.
Faithful, it is about today. Let not the Psalm be a hopeful reflection only after death, but our reality today.
This week’s memory verse: Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. — Proverbs 16:3
Pray the week: Lord Jesus, You have called me and destined me to accomplish Your work. Grant me strength and perseverance to accomplish all.
Manifest
destiny.
In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ.
Last week we began by focusing on history – the lessons of history which are soon forgotten. If we look at the trajectory of the worldly, they live a ‘lather, rinse, repeat’ lifestyle, never breaking free from the destructive patterns of behavior brought about by sin and selfishness.
Today, we have more historical lessons. The history buffs among us, and those like me who fondly remember their history teachers and professors, recall the term ‘manifest destiny.’
Manifest destiny was a popular term in the early to mid nineteenth century. Its philosophy taught that the expansion of the United States throughout the continent was both justified and inevitable. It focused on three themes: (1) The American people and their institutions contained within themselves special virtues; (2) The mission of the United States was to redeem and remake the continent; and (3) It was our irresistible destiny to accomplish these things.
Seems almost faith based, doesn’t it. In fact it was a kind of faith – a worldly faith.
In our first reading, the priest of Bethel confronted the prophet Amos and tried to drive him away. Amos responded in true faith. Amos replies: I am just a man who followed my herds and gathered the fruit from the sycamores until the Eternal spoke to me, as I was minding my flock. He said: Go and speak My words to the people of Israel!
Amos was given a true manifest destiny. He had God’s virtue to share, it was his mission to remind and remake Israel, and it was his destiny to accomplish this. No priest nor anyone would stop him.
Paul reminds the Church at Ephesus, and us, that they and we have a manifest destiny – a true one in Jesus. We have been granted Jesus virtues, we are chosen to remake the world in God’s image, in accord with His kingdom design, and it is our mission and destiny to not just work at it, but to accomplish it. We should never allow anyone or anything to stop us.
We are reminded that Jesus sends us as He sent the twelve. He gives a true manifest destiny: not political, not earthly, not self-serving or selfish. Let nothing stop us from manifesting God’s destiny each day.
This week’s memory verse: And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.†— Mark 16:15
Pray the week: Lord Jesus, grant that I may witness to truth before selfishness, to You over all.