Category Archives: Bible Reflections

Be Magnanimous Like Mary

15 Friday Aug 2025

Posted by in Bible Reflections, Faith, Gratitude, Mary

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Peter Paul Rubens, cir. 1616-1618; Wikimedia commons

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, honoring the day our Blessed Mother was taken into heaven, body and soul, at the end of her earthly life.  The Gospel today, Luke 1:39-56 recounts Mary’s visit to Elizabeth (vv 39-45), and Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s greeting, her Magnificat (vv 46-55).  

As I listened to the gospel being read at Mass this morning, I found myself marveling at Mary’s magnanimity.  Here was a young woman, pregnant, who had just walked or rode a donkey nearly a hundred miles over several days, weary and probably hungry, and her humility still allowed her to express her joy and gratitude to God for the special gift she’d been given.  Hers was the greatest gift that God could possibly give, the honor, but tremendous responsibility, of bearing His only Son.  I wondered why we have difficulty recognizing and being grateful for the amazing gifts God gives to us, and being magnanimous in expressing that gratitude to others.

Mary begins her Canticle saying, “My soul magnifies the greatness of the Lord” (v46).  How often do we proclaim the greatness of the Lord?

She continues,“My spirit rejoices in God my savior.” (v47).  Would a casual observer say that our spirit is rejoicing in God our savior?

“He has looked upon His handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.” (v48).  Do we realize that we are blessed to be His beloved in spite of our brokenness?

“The Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name.” (v49)  Do we give credit to God for all the good things he has done for us in our lives?

“His mercy is from age to age to those who fear Him.”  (v50).  Do we love God enough to turn to Him in reconciliation and let His mercy flow over us, absolving us of our sins?

Because of her humility, God chose Mary to be the one to bring Jesus to us, you and me.  It’s her role, too, to bring us to Jesus.  Being the loving Mother that she is, she’s giving us an example of how we should live our lives, to be magnanimous like her.

Think about it and resolve to grow in this virtue. Not only will you grow in holiness, but it can be a simple and effective way to evangelize others by letting them experience your joy.

“Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, whom you gifted to us through Your beloved Mary.  Help us to emulate her humility by being grateful for all the wonderful gifts you give us each day even though we do not deserve them, especially the gift of the Holy Eucharist.  We are not worthy to have You enter under our roof, yet you give us Yourself in that Blessed Sacrament.  Mary, Cause of Our Joy, pray for us!  Amen.”

(Be Magnanimous Like Mary was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2025 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

The Lord’s Supper

18 Friday Apr 2025

Posted by in Bible Reflections

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

The Last Supper – Leonardo DaVinci

I attended our parish’s Mass of the Lord’s Supper tonight and, as always, it was especially beautiful and reverent.  During the reading of the Gospel (Jn 13:1-15), I envisioned myself in the scene, sitting around the supper table with Jesus and the Apostles.  Nobody seemed to notice a fourteenth person there.  When Jesus washed the feet of his Apostles, I recalled the first time I had my feet washed by our priest as he performed the Mandatum Rite, and what a humbling experience that was for me.

Then during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, as our pastor held aloft the Body of Christ, my mind drifted.  (I know that’s not supposed to happen, but it did).  My thoughts turned to a disagreement my wife and I often have.  We both like to read, and she frequently flips to the last chapter, spoiling the story by learning how it turns out.  Me, well, you couldn’t pay me ten bucks to cheat.  I delight in seeing the story unravel.  I want to be surprised, and I certainly don’t want her to spoil the story for me by telling me how it ends before I’ve read the book.

And then it dawned on me that I was the only one sitting at that supper table who knew what was to come in just a few hours.  I knew that Judas the Iscariot would soon leave to go bargain for his thirty pieces of silver in return for his betrayal of Jesus.  I knew Jesus would soon be arrested and tried, and of the pain he would endure being tortured and crucified, and I knew our beloved teacher would die.  I could see all these horrendous events.  

But, I also knew the happy ending: that Jesus would be lifted up after three days, that His resurrected self would join and encourage His friends in the upper room, and that at Pentecost, He would ascend into heaven.  

But I couldn’t tell any of this to the other twelve reclining at table there with me.  And I wondered if, through some twist of time and it was even possible for me to tell them, would they be like me and not care to know how it all plays out, or would they be like my wife and want to know what the future held in store?

I’ve been mulling this conundrum for the last couple hours.  I’ve decided this is one case in which I’m glad I know the story has a happy ending.  It gives me hope, takes away my fears, and makes me want to give a spoiler alert to the whole world!  

How about you?  Won’t you join me?

“My dear Jesus, You know and I know what You’re about to experience.  At every Mass, I am filled with both tears of joy and sadness as I reflect on Your Passion.  I know You gave it all for me…sinful me.  I am so deeply grateful for Your love.  Thank you!  Amen.”

(The Lord’s Supper, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2025 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

I AM

10 Thursday Apr 2025

Posted by in Bible Reflections

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

From 1968 to 1971 I spent my junior high and first year of high school in English grammar schools in the U.K.  My typical weekly class schedule was a far cry from what I’d received in American grade schools.  It included:  math, biology, chemistry, physics (not just one but all three), history, geography (not social studies), English, and one or more foreign languages.  I took French all three years, plus German as an 8th grader, and Latin in the 9th grade.  Unfortunately, none of it stuck with me.  One thing I do remember clearly, though, is conjugating verbs – first, second, and third person singular and plural, in past, present and future tenses.  In any language, we always began with the verb “To Be”, i.e., “I am” (first person singular present tense); “You were” (second person singular/plural past tense); and “They will” (third person plural future tense).  

I recalled this today while meditating on today’s Gospel from John 8:51-59, in which Jesus had an altercation with a group of Jews over the identity of their fathers:  God as the Father of Jesus, and Abraham as the father of the Jews.  Jesus states, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.”, effectively claiming that He was equal to God, (see Ex 3:14-15).  Because this was blasphemous to the Jews, they attempted to stone Him to death.

“I AM” – the first person singular present tense of the verb “To Be”.  Jesus speaks about Himself.  If we were talking to Jesus, we would say, “YOU ARE”.  If we were talking about Jesus to someone else, we would say, “HE IS”.  Jesus doesn’t say, “I WAS”, or “I WILL BE”, in the past or future tenses, and we can’t say about Him, “HE WAS”, or, “HE WILL BE”.  Jesus is simply, “I AM” day after day, moment after moment, with every tick of the second hand.  HE IS now, and HE IS again in the next moment.

We can’t think that Jesus was with us once, or that He will be with us one day to come.  No, He is with us only NOW, at this present moment, and every present moment to come. He is there with us in every present moment regardless if the circumstances of that moment are to our liking or not.

Don’t we often forget this, especially when times are tough?  When remembering events from the past that caused you grief, don’t you sometimes wonder, “Why was He not there when I needed Him?”  But, we forget that HE IS there, and if we had remembered this, we would have found comfort in His presence.  When we unite our crosses with His cross, He helps us carry ours.

Or, consider some dream you have of the future and how you will pat yourself on the back for thinking, “Wow, look what I accomplished!”  We forget that HE IS with us then, too, and that it is only through His grace that we will find that joy and satisfaction we now imagine.  

Whether it’s in good times or bad, when we lose the feeling of closeness with Jesus, we open a doorway allowing the Enemy to lead us down the wrong path.

How do we keep in mind that Jesus is with us at every moment, ready to answer our call?  The first and best way is through prayer.  Developing a habit of daily prayer keeps Him close to us. Prayers of praise, thanksgiving, and asking for His intercession are all ways to acknowledge His presence.  More effective yet is meditative prayer, when we take time to sit in silence and solitude, lovingly conversing with Him, telling Him what’s on our minds and hearts, and listening for His loving reassurance.  In this way, we readily remember all the times we’ve felt His presence, and reinforce our trust in Him in the present moment.  

Reading scripture, especially the Gospels, before entering into prayerful meditation is an excellent way to relate to Jesus and His love for us.  During this time of closeness, we receive the graces and mercy we need to persevere through our anxieties.  And when we act on these promptings of grace by adopting a resolution to change or accept our situation, we again grow in trust with Him.

When we receive the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, we immediately feel His presence. The Eucharist gives us supernatural strength to combat sin in our lives.  But then, when we fall and regret our actions, we can turn back to Him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, be restored and experience His merciful love.  

Remembering that our Lord works in us through our interpersonal relationships helps us feel His presence, also.  A network of faithful friends accompanying each other provides a source of encouragement and support when times get tough.  It can keep us grounded, reminding us to be grateful to God.

“Dear Jesus, I know deep in my heart that You are always by my side.  My faith can get clouded when the world challenges me, and even when everything is going my way.  Help me, Lord, to remember You, to meet You each and every day through prayer and frequent reception of the Sacraments.  I love You, Jesus, and I know You love me.  Amen.” 

(I AM was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2025 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Let Jesus Love You!

07 Tuesday Jan 2025

Posted by in Bible Reflections, Love

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

In today’s Gospel, Mark 6:34-44, we read St. Mark’s account of Jesus feeding the five thousand.  Jesus’ heart is moved with pity for the crowd of “lost sheep”, all those who are following Him, and His disciples are concerned about them going hungry.  The disciples ask Jesus to dismiss the people so they can find food for themselves.  Jesus responds by saying, “Give them some food yourselves”, which, of course, they see no way of doing with only five loaves and two fish between them.

In this passage we read about one of our Lord’s greatest miracles as he feeds thousands of people with so little food.  We get a sense of the extent of His pity, His compassion for all people.  Jesus knows they are hungry, that they need food.  But, He also knows they are hungry for spiritual nourishment, hungry for truth and hope, and hungry to be recognized as people with dignity and value – things they’re not getting from the Romans and their own religious leaders.

Normally when I read the accounts of feeding the five thousand (or the four thousand in Mt 15), my thoughts go directly to what I can do to reach out and show love and compassion of my own to those who are suffering in some physical or emotional way, whether that is my wife, a child, a friend, or a co-worker.  Nearly everyone struggles with life in some regard, and empathic compassion can bring comfort. Occasionally, though, I’m driven by feelings of remorse for being distant and realizing I haven’t loved as I should, or that I’ve ignored someone and haven’t made them feel valued.

It’s easy to place ourselves into the scene of this Gospel as one of Jesus’ disciples and wonder what we can do to better love someone else.  But, we too often forget that, like everyone else, we also suffer in many ways.  We fail to see ourselves as one of the five thousand and, while putting others ahead of ourselves is a good thing, we also need some love and compassion from time to time. 

In the first reading for today, 1 Jn 4:7-10, St. John reminds us that “God is love”, and, “He [God] loved us and sent His only Son as expiation for our sins.”  God loves me and He loves you.  He has loved us for all of eternity.  He loves us for who we are despite our sins.  He loves us the same no matter how different we are from each other because He made us in His image.  He wants nothing more than for us to be happy, and the happiest we can be is to be united to Him.  He loves us in our relationships with other people, in the tiny blessings He sends and for which we are too often ungrateful.  He loves us so much that He continues to give Himself to us in the Holy Eucharist!  His love surrounds us each and every moment of every day but we are too busy with life to realize it.  Consequently, it can be too easy to forget to put ourselves in His presence and actively receive His love.

So, today my post-meditation resolution was not to be intentional about finding a way to love someone else as they deserve to be loved.  No, today I resolved to simply spend time loving Jesus and letting Him love me.  My Holy hour of Adoration was at 4:00 p.m., and for an entire hour I gazed at Jesus in the tabernacle and let Him cast His loving gaze on me.  I shared with Him what was on my heart, what I am struggling with, my concerns and desires. And then I let him console me with His love.  It was a beautiful thing!

I’m sure you make time to love other people in some way.  And, I’m sure you make time to express your love for Jesus in some way, either through personal prayer or time in Adoration.  But do you ever intentionally make time to let Jesus love you, and all that is expected of you is to soak it up?  If not, give it a try!  You won’t regret it.

“Lord Jesus, You showed the extent of Your love for me by offering Yourself upon the cross to redeem me of my sins.  You love me enough to supernaturally give me Yourself in the Holy Eucharist.  Lord, You know that in my heart I love You.  But help me to more frequently acknowledge Your love for me by spending time with You, by placing myself in Your presence, and letting You love me. Amen.”

(Let Jesus Love You!, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2025 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Rehabilitating the Labor Force

07 Saturday Dec 2024

Posted by in Bible Reflections, Christian Life, Evangelization

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In today’s Gospel, Mt 9:35 – 10:1, 5-8, Jesus shows his compassion for the many people who’ve come to him to hear his teaching and to be cured.  As I imagine myself in that scene, I sense Jesus is overwhelmed because He knows there are so many more people who need to be cured, who need to be preached to, but He simply can’t get to them all.  He needs help and he tells His disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”  Then, rather than just wish for help, He commissions His twelve disciples, giving them authority to drive out unclean spirits and cure every disease and illness.

Whether you like it or not, Jesus is talking to us – to you and me.  He’s asking us to not only be productive laborers but to increase the labor force.  For most of us, that’s a scary thought, and a task that’s all too easy for us to turn from and walk away.  We feel either incompetent or it’s inconvenient for us and low on our to-do list.  But, it’s a condition of employment, so to speak.  In a way, the compensation we receive will depend on how well we accept and perform that job requirement.  

But Jesus is a fair and just employer.  He doesn’t expect everyone to aspire to be upper level management.  He just wants us to do the best job we can in the jobs we have – our particular vocations.  We don’t have to be priests, religious, or parish Directors of Evangelization.  He doesn’t expect us to quit our jobs as parents, siblings, friends and neighbors to be something we’re not.  He just asks us to help Him in the roles we’ve chosen and the environment in which we work.

Often we get so wrapped up in our jobs that we forget that the mission of the company is to provide a service or product that is needed by others.  It’s that way with our Christian faith, in which our mission is to serve others so that they will discover the saving grace of Jesus.  Jesus  trains us through Scripture and the Sacraments, through which He gives us the knowledge and tools to do our jobs well.

Where do we start?  Well, Jesus asked his disciples to begin by asking “the master to send out laborers.”  He’s telling us to pray, to pray to God for insight for whom we can reach out to join our labor force.  This may be a new hire to our faith, or someone already on the payroll who’s not quite pulling their weight.  If we pray, and if we pay attention, the Holy Spirit will put someone on our hearts.

But prayer is just the starting point.  We have to use the knowledge and skills we’ve been taught through our faith formation, from what we’ve learned at our weekly meetings (Mass), and how we’ve seen other top producers (the Saints), do their jobs.  By applying what we’ve learned, and with the support we will be given, we can add to our ranks and grow our business.

Many people, though, need some form of rehabilitation before they can become productive co-workers.  Jesus has conferred on us degrees in Occupational Therapy.  Like He gave His twelve disciples, He’s given us the authority and ability through the gift of charity and friendship to cure the sick– those who are spiritually ill, who are suffering from infectious diseases caught in the secular environment; and to raise the dead – those who were once alive but have succumbed to one of these fatal infectious diseases.

And, like the disciples, we can cleanse the lepers – by offering love and respecting the human dignity of those who aren’t exactly like us; who are rejected or who are outcasts from society because of decisions they’ve made or unfortunate circumstances that have occurred in their lives.  And, we can drive out demons –  by being good friends who, with compassion, help those who are controlled by vices such as pride, anger, envy, lust, gluttony, sloth, and greed, – all of the things the enemy uses to keep people from God; and help them through anxiety about worries and regrets over which they have no control.  

Our Lord needs more good and able people to expand His kingdom.  He’s depending on us to look within our own spheres of influence, to ask Him for guidance, and to employ all that he’s taught us to rehabilitate co-workers and new hires alike, so that the harvest will yield more fruit per acre.

“Lord Jesus, thank You for teaching me, for setting the example of how to grow Your kingdom.  I feel pretty incompetent at times, but I know You are here with me and I only have to call upon You when I need help.  Help me to never forget that I can’t do this alone, that You are always by my side.  Amen.”

(Rehabilitating the Labor Force, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2024 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Love God and Love Your Neighbor

03 Sunday Nov 2024

Posted by in Bible Reflections, Hope, Love

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Gospel was from Mark 12:28-34 in which we hear Jesus’ response to the scribe’s question about which is the first of all the commandments.  Jesus replied, “the first is this:  Hear; O Israel!  The Lord our God is Lord alone!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.  The second is this:  You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no other commandment greater than these.”  

Hearing this at Mass this morning, I thought about the examples I see every day from young mothers and fathers, and grandparents, who lovingly, selflessly and tirelessly give of themselves for the sake of their children and grandchildren.  I thought of social workers and those in the medical field who live the second commandment in their care for the physically and mentally ill.  And then I thought of all those who fail to live this commandment because of their selfish desires for what makes them feel good, or what fits their schedule, over the needs of others.  I think it’s a rare saint that can live this virtue one hundred percent of the time.  Even the best of us are a mixed bag of charity and selfishness.

As I meditated on how I might love God and neighbor better today, I recalled one morning a couple weeks ago.  After morning Mass, our priest exposed the Blessed Sacrament for that week’s day of Eucharistic Adoration.  I lingered in my pew for a bit but then decided to go up to the Adoration chapel to kneel before the tabernacle and Jesus in the monstrance.  As I approached the tabernacle, I found a young woman already there kneeling.  I knelt behind her and as I did I noticed the printing on the back of the sweatshirt she was wearing.  It said, “Dear person behind me, the world is a better place with you in it.  Love, the person in front of you.”

“Dear person behind me, the world is a better place with you in it.  Love, the person in front of you.”

I knew this young woman, or rather I know her parents better than I know her, and I knew that if her apple didn’t fall too far from the family tree, she meant the words that were on the back of her hoodie.  I also knew her love for our Lord was strong.  Did it make me feel loved?  Yes, to a certain extent, but mostly it gave me hope.  Hope from the affirmation that there is actually goodness in the world; hope that more people will respect the dignity of all humankind whether they are behind, in front, or on either side of them; and hope that I might grow in that respect, also.

Then, as I knelt there gazing at Jesus in the Eucharist, that in this particular instance, it was the Person in front of the person in front of me Who is the perfection of selfless love.  He is our model.  And it is by loving Him, and letting Him love us, that we can truly love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your endless love!  Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice of love on the cross to save my soul.  Help me Lord, give me the grace to love You and my neighbors as You love the Father and all the sinners for whom you were crucified.  Amen.”

(Love God and Love Your Neighbor, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2024 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

You’re the Best!

23 Monday Sep 2024

Posted by in Bible Reflections

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

In yesterday’s Gospel, Mark 9:30-37, we find Jesus journeying through Galilee with His disciples on their way to Capernaum.  Along the way the disciples are arguing about which of them is the greatest in the Kingdom.  As I reflected on this passage, I could imagine how that conversation went.  John tells Peter, “Hey, bro, you’re the best!”, and Peter replies, “No way, you are!”.  Then James looks at them both and says, “Hey, Philip is the greatest!”, and Philip replies, “Uh uh, Andrew is!

What?  You don’t think this is the way it went?  You think their egos were claiming that they personally were the greatest in the Kingdom?  Yeah, you’re probably right.  Most likely, they each thought their faith was stronger, their actions were more charitable, they worked harder than the other.  Not much has changed in two thousand years, has it?

Our pride does this to us.  We have the need for accomplishment, to feel relevant, to feel worthy, to feel validated by our friends and family, our co-workers.  And when we don’t get what we think we deserve, our egos self inflate as a defense mechanism.  We may not tell another that we’re better than they are, but we certainly feel that way much of the time.  We easily see their faults but neglect to see our own.  Jesus pointed this out when He told us to remove the beam from our own eye and then we will be able to remove the splinter from the eye of our brother (Matthew 7:5).

But what if it wasn’t that way?  What if we ditched our pride and put on a cloak of humility and actually recognized the positive attributes of others and praised them for their goodness?  I’m not talking about false patronizing praise, the kind that makes you want to throw up.  I’m talking about sincere, honest, heart-felt recognition for the dignity of the other, the kind of charity that values another over one’s self.  It’s not just possible, it actually happens.

This is the kind of loving relationship you find when a group of Christians spend time together growing in friendship, getting to know each other on a deep level.  Sure, they know each other’s faults but it’s because the person owning the fault has the self-knowledge and humility to share their weaknesses with their friends.  And those friends, rather than rub it in, help the other overcome and improve.  In a relationship like this, each knows their validation comes from the Lord, that they are a beloved son or daughter of God.  And because of this, they can love as Jesus loved, placing another ahead of themselves without any anxiety about their worth.

Friendship like this can be found in small Bible study groups; with friends who frequently share hospitality; and, especially, those who pray together.  It’s the kind of respect and love you find between members on a retreat team such as Christ Renews His Parish, Welcome, or Cursillo.  It’s the kind of love that brought me to an encounter with Jesus and has helped sustain me for the last twelve years.  It’s life-giving friendship that makes life worth living for everyone involved.  Your parish probably offers opportunities to become involved in ways in which you can experience love like this.  Get you some!

“Heavenly Father, thank You for the life to which You have brought me.  Thank You for the men and women You’ve placed in my life who have invested in me and accompanied me on my journey to You. I pray for the grace to help others do the same.  Amen.” 

(You’re the Best!, was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2024 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

“Do You Love Me More than These?”

17 Friday May 2024

Posted by in Bible Reflections

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

In today’s Gospel, John 21:15-19, Jesus has just appeared to the disciples for the third time and has helped them catch a boat load of fish.  He and Peter are sitting around a campfire on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias having a conversation.  Jesus asks Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”  Over the years I’ve read this passage dozens of times and today my attention was not drawn to Jesus asking Peter to feed and tend his lambs and sheep.  Today, I am pondering what Jesus means by “these”.

I imagine them sitting there together, and as Jesus asks the question, He is gesturing with His hands.  At what are they pointing?  Jesus could be pointing at the other disciples and asking if Peter loves Him more than the other disciples love Him.  Or, He could be pointing at the other disciples and asking if he loves them more than he loves Him.  Or, possibly, he’s pointing at the fish on the grill, the nets, or the boat and asking if Peter, the fisherman, loves those things more than Him.

I know that the Bible is God’s Word, and in it, especially the gospels, He is talking to us.  He could be asking Peter for any of those reasons, but what is He asking us today in those questions?  In the first possibility, it strikes me that one would have to be extremely judgmental and full of pride to think he/she loves Jesus more than other people love Him, especially one’s own friends.  It’s a no-win question, “yes” and “no” are both wrong answers.  Somehow I don’t think Jesus would put us in that predicament.

Answering the second option is also tricky.  Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as He has loved us.  Thus, to say we love one more than the other is, again, a Catch-22 situation, one that Jesus wouldn’t impose on us.

The third option, however, is certainly a possibility!  Peter’s worldly life revolved around his boat, nets and the fish he caught.  My life, and probably yours, too, is consumed with worldly things that too frequently eat up my time and draw my attention away from my Lord.  For the most part, they are good things:  work, family, relationships, food, rest, exercise, creating, admiring beauty, etc.  They are all good things, either created by God or created from the gifts given to us by God.  But, we get too attached to them in a disordered way.  We become workaholics and fail to give attention not only to God but to our loved ones; or we neglect our work which then fails to provide the necessities for our families.  Physically, we eat too much or too much of the wrong things, we exercise too much or too little.  We spend too much time looking at our screens for entertainment rather than admiring what is truly beautiful or creating beautiful things.

Can you imagine yourself in that scene, Jesus asking you that question?  Can you see His hands and arms spreading wide at all the stuff that draws your attention away from Him?  It’s all good stuff in its own way, but you know you’re way too attached to it.  And you know deep inside that it’s wrong, that it causes havoc in your life, that it’s the source of the imbalance and chaos that drives your anxiety and unhappiness.  There’s a hole in your life that these things are not filling.  It’s a God-sized hole that only God can fill.

How do you correct your course?  The answer is creating a personal Rule of Life, that is, identifying the most important things in life and putting them first, ahead of less important things, then determining how much time ought to be spent on each of those things.  I have a friend who considers a well ordered and productive life to be like following a recipe to bake a cake – you need the right ingredients (the things), the right amount or proportion of each ingredient, and incorporate them in the right order.  Of course, time for Jesus in the form of prayer, especially mental prayer meditating on His Word, needs to be one of those ingredients.  How much?  Try just 30 minutes a day, preferably first thing in the morning,  sitting with Him in silence and solitude, reflecting on His Word, loving Him and letting Him love you.  That 30 minutes will change your life.  

“Dear Jesus, we both know there are many things that draw me away from You, things that cannot bring the joy that You bring to life.  Thank You for helping me create a Rule of Life by which I generally keep all of “these” things in order, and first things first.  Yet, I know I often slip-slide.  Through my devoted prayer time with You, You give me the grace to correct my bearings when I drift off course.  Amen.”

(“Do You Love Me More than These?” was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2024 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

From the Archives: Thoughts on the Total Solar Eclipse

08 Monday Apr 2024

Posted by in Bible Reflections, Faith, Scripture

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

People in the U.S. are going crazy today, taking off work, traveling for hours to get in position to view the total solar eclipse that is passing over North America.  It truly will be a natural phenomenon to behold, and one more opportunity to marvel at the wonders displayed by the Creator of the universe.  Ask yourself, “From our vantage point on earth, the moon is the same diameter as the sun. Is it simply a coincidence that the sun is 390 times the diameter of the moon AND 390 times the distance from the earth as is the moon?” I don’t think so.

I’m fortunate that I don’t have to travel to be in the path of the eclipse.  It will be passing over my location in Lebanon, Ohio, between 1:53 p.m. and 4:25 p.m. with a maximum 99.8 percent coverage at 3:10 p.m.

The last total solar eclipse occurred on August 21, 2017.  As I was thinking about today’s event, I remembered writing a post on that day almost seven years ago.  Calling it up, I thought it was worth dusting off and posting again.

Thoughts on the Total Solar Eclipse

Today’s the day the scientific community and millions of regular folks across America have been waiting for:  the total solar eclipse.  The last one to occur was in 1979, and prior to that, the last to be visible from the contiguous 48 states was in 1918.    

From my perch here in southwest Ohio, the eclipse is supposed to begin at 1:02 p.m., peak at 2:28:41 p.m., and end at 3:52 p.m., almost three hours. The sky is clear and we should see a 90% eclipse.  

I don’t have any special dark glasses with which to look at the eclipse, nor did I make a pinhole viewer from a shoe box.  I’m just sitting here on my front porch waiting to see it get dark in the middle of the day. 

Waiting to see if anything special happens when the moon blocks out the sun.

I recall a story of an eclipse which happened about 2,000 years ago that also lasted about three hours.  

“It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun.  Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle” (Lk 23:44-45).

It occurred in Jerusalem as Jesus was dying on the cross – a death demanded by the self-righteous of the time, most notably the Jewish scholars and priests who were blinded by their man-made beliefs to which they were attached and who refused to accept that God had finally sent their Messiah, the Son of Man, as He promised.

Their beliefs blocked out the “Son”.

I recall this morning’s Scripture passages:

“The children of Israel offended the Lord by serving the Baals.  Abandoning the Lord, the God of their fathers, who led them out of the land of Egypt, they follow the other gods of the various nations around them, and by their worship of these gods provoked the Lord.” (Judges 2:11-12)

“They served their idols, which became a snare for them.  They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.”  (Psalms 106: 36-37)

“Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.’  When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.”  (Matthew19:21-22)

Each of these passages spoke to me about how our society often puts other things ahead of God and His Son, Jesus, making it easy to turn away from Them.  These other things, our “possessions”, are our attachments, the habits and “important” stuff we can’t turn loose of.  They’re those things that keep us from focusing on, and spending time with, our Lord.  

They, too, block out the “Son”.

One has to wonder if the Church picked these passages specially for today.  But, I know they didn’t.  I also know it’s not just coincidence.  This is the way God works.

Perhaps, then, today, the day the moon eclipsed the sun, would be a good day to think about what things we allow in our lives to eclipse the “Son”, and what it will take to turn loose of them.

“Heavenly Father, I give you thanks for Your great glory.  Thank You for this world in which we live with all its wonders – Your Wonders.  Thank You especially for the greatest Wonder of all, Your Son, Jesus.  Holy Spirit, help me to turn loose of my unnecessary worldly attachments so that I may grow closer to Christ.  Amen.”

(From the Archives: Thoughts on the Total Solar Eclipse was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2024 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.

Iris and the Botanical Hitchhikers

05 Thursday Oct 2023

Posted by in Bible Reflections

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , ,

It’s been a while since my friend Bob has provided me with one of his Random Musings. But, good things come to those who wait, and I’m happy to offer his latest reflection. I don’t think his James Joyce stream of consciousness literary style is intentional, it’s just the way his mind, and heart, works. I love him for that, and it makes for some good conversation when we get together.

Iris and the Botanical Hitchhikers – by Bob Magness

We went for a hike this weekend.  Well maybe ‘hike’ is a bit too ambitious of a term, let’s call it a nice walk through the forest of a local state park.  This fall season so far has been a continuation of summer – warm and dry.  The cottonwood trees are already dropping their dry brown leaves, but some of the maples are showing off their autumn colors.  This hike was on a bridle trail that we’ve been frequenting for the last 25 years.  In those years, we rarely come across other hikers and seldom see horses.  It’s a nice quiet trail. 

We take the opportunity to cut the dogs loose and let them burn some energy by running ahead.  We are back to having two dogs.  Tilly is a wire-haired pointer – I like to tell people she is my dog.   Iris is a pointing griffon; she is Robyne’s dog.  Iris is a good girl but sometimes she doesn’t hear me so well and other times she just flat out ignores me.  They’re both still pups – less than 18 months so they have plenty of energy and this hike gives them a chance to run and explore and to just be a dog.  It’s fun to watch.  

The inventor of Velcro is said to have made the discovery after walking through a field and was picking burrs off his wool sweater.  I would have guessed that he had a dog a like Iris.  She is a magnet for all varieties of these prickly seeds.   But she’s a thinking kind of dog – she thinks that rubbing up against the forest floor or patch of grass will free her of these botanical hitchhikers.  And before long her long hair is wrapped around these tiny seeds, and she is completely matted.  Our peaceful walk through the woods is now interrupted as we attempt to free her from this predicament.  She doesn’t seem to enjoy our efforts of pulling the seeds from her fur and before long a wrestling match breaks out.  For a thinking dog she doesn’t seem to realize that we are trying to help.  

Wrestling.  I wrestled in high school.  It is a tough and brutal sport with absolutely no shortcuts or hacks to success.  The sport teaches you about yourself – what you’re willing to sacrifice to be better, and what you can endure.  In wrestling there is only one person to blame if you lose a match.  I look back at those days fondly and mostly grateful that they are behind me.  I used to think I was pretty good but for some reason most everybody I wrestled was better.  It’s good to be humbled.  I found it more than interesting that one definition for “Israel” is “he who wrestles with God.”  I’ve thought about that for some time now.  It certainly feels appropriate for all my struggles with attempting to understand life and His creation.  Wrestling against all those times I thought I knew the better path.  Wrestling to understand why my sacrifice was not sufficient for what I thought I wanted.  And suddenly, I’m back in the Garden of Eden and there’s the Tree.   I’m a thinking dog too…  I know how.  I know what’s best…

Maybe the hardest thing about wrestling with God is that He doesn’t play fair.  Maybe He shows me how silly and futile my actions are while walking a dog through the woods.  He gives me a forest and pats me on the head with a resounding “Go get’em boy!”  And I come back to Him with all the burrs of life stuck on me while I thrash about trying to shake them loose – so much like Iris.  And as I cry out to Iris, “You silly dog just be still, I’m trying to help”,  it hits me and I can’t move.  I’m pinned as I hear Psalm 46: 10, “Be still and know that I am God.”

(Iris and the Botanical Hitchhikers was first published on the blog Reflections of a Lay Catholic)

©2013-2023 Reflections of a Lay Catholic. Reposting and sharing of material in its full and original content is permitted, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author(s) and Reflections of a Lay Catholic.