IT IS GOD

WHO MAKES US WHOLE – In 2 Corinthians 12: 9 Paul shares that he is suffering and God has given him no relief, even though he has repeated his prayer. Instead God tells him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Grace is the element in us, that allows our true selves to emerge, and be useful to God. Grace brings out our purity of heart, and helps sweep away the obstacles that stand between us and God. Accepting God’s grace into our whole being is prayer and another way to come into the presence of God, to develop a full relationship. When we allow God to dwell in us knowingly, the character of our prayers becomes different. We will probably do less talking and more listening. It will lead us to look for the signs God gives us, in pointing the way to a closer life with God. Grace is what enables us to find God’s strength for the fight, and brings us through suffering, bathed in the precious unconditional love God has for us.

As we consider the suffering of Jesus during Holy Week, we watch as he endured the betrayal of those he loved, was held up to public ridicule, was played like a ping pong ball between the Jewish authorities and Pilate, had a crown of thorns smashed into his head and was mocked as “King of the Jews” and finally was humiliated by carrying his own cross through the streets, while the crowd jeered and spat on him, to at last die on a cross in the public garbage mound. Why did he have to suffer so much? It seems necessary to God’s plan that Jesus should suffer so that the victory of the resurrection could be an even greater triumph over the evil at work, that had caused the hearts of the people to turn against Jesus. Consider how many times God turned weakness into strength, and shattered souls made into ones that gain great triumphs for the kingdom. Whatever we may suffer, like others before us, we can know a different kind of strength only God gives to those who humble themselves for the sake of the kingdom. May we experience the peace that comes through God and the triumph over sin and suffering.      PEACE

BY GOD’S GRACE, JESUS DIED

FOR EVERYONE – yes all of us. “ God is the One who made all things, and all things are for his glory. He wanted to have many children share his glory, so he made the One, who leads people to salvation, perfect through suffering.” Hebrews 2: 10 When we consider this verse, we see part of God’s plan at work, that God loved us enough to plan his only son’s life with a purpose – to redeem our sin. There is nothing more considered and mindful than this. When God gave us free will, sin came into the picture, so God planned for a way to release the hold sin would have over those who ask for forgiveness.

As we approach the experience of Holy Week, we need to consider the suffering Jesus endured for each of us. In John 10 Jesus forewarns us that he is a “good shepherd” who gives his life for the sheep, who literally makes his body the door of the sheepfold, to protect the sheep from thieves and robbers who would not think twice about killing anyone who got in their way. We then hear that the authorities tried to take Jesus from the crowd, but he escaped. Later in John 15 he directs all who heard him, to love one another just as I have loved you, and describes the extent to which this love should go – the greatest love one can show is to lay down his life for a friend. You are my friends, he tells us. We are called by God to live as Jesus showed us how to live. We gain strength when we humble ourselves before God, and share a little of the suffering and sorrow endured for our sake. Consider and contemplate this and God will support us as we put ourselves into the place where Jesus showed us so much love as to lose his own life for our redemption.       PEACE

JESUS ENTERED JERUSALEM KNOWING HE WOULD BE KILLED

AND DID IT ANYWAY – with strength and courage, and to fulfill God’s goals. Near the end of chapter 11 in Luke, it says some Pharisees warned Jesus that the authorities were looking for him. Jesus did not waver, but continued on his journey of teaching the disciples, and preaching to the crowds that gathered, and those that were following him. We get two important messages from this: first that this ministry was too important to change the course he had set, and second, that he would not let fear get in the way of doing what God had set as his path to take.

It is all the more impressive, that we know how Jesus was determined to do God’s will, no matter what the risks or outcome. He entered Jerusalem as the next step in the great task of spreading the gospel, as God had shown him. He met the challenge with the strength and courage given him by God. Jesus modeled this for us, so we may do the same, relying on God as well, not in our own strength. The human side of Jesus felt pain and fear just as much as we do, but he opened himself to God, with the knowledge that God would support him in whatever he was asked to do. We, like Jesus, can know the ways God has ready for us, to follow our path, and persevere no matter what evil puts in our way. God’s love will reward our faithfulness. May we connect to God, and know the way to dispel evil, when it blocks our pathway. We can be thankful to God, for the unwavering love we are shown, and the infinite forgiveness available as we stumble along to God’s goal for us.      PEACE

JESUS DOES NOT SPEAK ABOUT HOMOSEXUALS

IN THE BIBLE – in a specific way, but he does say a lot about them in many ways. Look at how Jesus treated everyone who needed God’s mercy – with love and compassion. Everyone he met that was rejected by the world, and found “unacceptable” Jesus treated with respect and great love. Even more, Jesus never singled out anyone, and indicated they were unworthy of God’s love, or ours. So how should we do anything else? We are called to love, not hate.

Let’s face it, we don’t know why some of us are created differently than others, out of what is considered “normal”. Normal is not a concept that we find anywhere in the Bible. Fear drives us to think of the unusual as not normal, but God loves us all, every single one of us, and all creatures in creation. When we start from a point of seeing others through God’s eyes, the arguments around anyone who seems different become silly and not worth the time it wastes to indulge in them. Or looking at it another way, when we live as Jesus asks us, loving one another as we would have others love us, if we were born differently how would we want to be treated? How do we have the audacity to treat anyone with anything less than the love God gives each of us? Evil is the force behind it all. Let us be driven by your love, O God, not the demons that delight in turning us away from the path you call us to take. May your love give us strength and courage to take the path of love, no matter the obstacles. May we all feel accepted in your love and grace. Amen.      PEACE

LET US BE MINDFUL

AND COME TO KNOW GOD – through all the understanding God provides. Monica Furlong says in her book, about Thérèse of Lisieux, that she [Thérèse] saw that all we were asked to do was follow the will of God, whatever it might be, and to give ourselves unreservedly to that life and to no other. “I just keep concentrating on the present moment. I forget the past and preserve myself from worries about the future.” It is intentionally “being in touch with the God hidden in the moment,” says Ernest E. Larkin. [See the link to his article below.] Thomas Merton, in Learning to Love, said after a long illness, “I … am beginning once again to be what I am.” He is referring to what he is, as God has worked in him to become what he is. In contrast Merton also journaled about a day when he felt distracted, owing to having a lot of unconnected things to do that made him too busy, and he struggled to regain a connection to God through prayer and spiritual exercises, taking about 3 hours to regain a sense of mindfulness with God.

I practice mindfulness as a natural extension of my openness to God, or as Brother Lawrence of the Carmelite order, called it in his book, The Practice of the Presence of God. Letting my whole self, body, mind and spirit live without fear of God in my life has led to a place where I can let God inform and inspire all that I do, and I have a better life with God. It enables me to appreciate all the elements life has to offer. It has helped me eat better because I want to fully enjoy all that I eat. I want my food to do more than just fill my stomach, but it also informs my thankfulness to the farmer who grew it and the God who gave the growth. God informs my life in so many ways, and I am drawn to ponder things in my heart, inspired by Mary’s example. Through God’s grace, I am able to look for God, not only in me, but in other people and events in my life. I place myself in readiness and anticipation of being shown great and marvelous experiences, that inspire and strengthen my ability to do the work God has given me. As long as I am faithful, and in this God is the one who enables me to do so, God never fails to include me in the great and joyful things of life, surrounded by love. My prayer is that we all may be brought into this level of knowing God, and all the blessings that come with it.     PEACE
http://carmelnet.org/larkin/larkin017.pdf Christian Mindfulness

GOD WILL GIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

TO THOSE WHO ASK – just as Jesus promised. We see an account in Luke 11, of Jesus saying, “Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” This short passage comes shortly after Jesus teaches his disciples to pray. Now he goes on to teach them and us about the nature of God and how God responds to those seeking knowledge and understanding, and ultimately God.

Prayer is the avenue we use to seek God, but we need to think of this in the broadest terms. Seeking God can happen with a thought or a cry out loud, accompanied by real emotion. It may happen through music, or an encounter with a saint, an angel, or a person blessed by God to reach out to those who are seeking God. When we seek God, the Holy Spirit will reach out to us, in various ways, and in a way that may be most meaningful to us. We cannot know how God will come to us. It may be in something familiar or in an unexpected way. But know that God will always respond. May we all be blessed by God’s presence.       PEACE

GOD KNOWS WHAT WE NEED

EVEN BEFORE WE ASK – are the words Jesus used, just before he shared the great prayer our Savior taught us. It begins with praising God, acknowledging the name of God as sacred. Then continues with expressing the desire that God’s kingdom may come to earth, and God’s will being done, just as it is in heaven. Asking then for bread daily is not simply for food to do God’s will, but it reminds us of how God also provided for the Israelites in the wilderness when they were given the manna, enough for each day, just enough to meet their needs, and to develop their trust in God. Next we ask that our sins be forgiven, as we also forgive those who wrong us in any way. This compassion for others leads us to ask for compassion for ourselves, so that we are not led to temptation from evil, and asking that God will save us from evil control of our lives. We finish then we the proclamation that God’s kingdom, as it has already begun, with the power and glory of God will reign forever. So be it [amen].

When Jesus gave this prayer to the world, it was as a pattern, not only for how to pray, but a reminder of the important elements of our relationship with God. It set the tone for how we are to think of God in our lives, living and active in providing for us in all that we need, and we in turn extend it to others; that we consider how much a part of the kingdom we are, so we know how important it is to follow God’s plan for us; extending from that is the urging we have to gain strength against temptation, and to be delivered from the control of evil; finally we affirm God’s kingdom, here now and still coming even more in the future, along with God’s power and glory to remain with us forever. Amen.    PEACE

“WHAT ARE HUMANS

THAT YOU ARE MINDFUL OF THEM?” – Psalm 8 verse 4 presents this question that we all anguish over. Why oh God do you care for us, mere mortals? God is our creator, and loves us beyond measure, beyond a way that makes any sense, as we see it. It is evil that places the doubts of this love within us, in order to thwart God. Evil is present and around us all the time. Evil’s voice is telling us lies about us and God to prevent us from knowing God and this great love God makes available to us. Since God gave us free will, we have the right to choose what to let into our heads and hearts. Everything good and resulting in love is from God. Everything else is from evil.

We need not look very far in our world to find evil. When we have a bond with God, we know evil is there, but it does not have a hold on us. But consider the hold evil has on those that do not have a conscious relationship with God. Even with those who know God exists, they are subject to feeling bad about themselves, may quickly lash out in anger, and even use violence towards others. They see themselves at the center of their world, and do not react kindly to any disruption of that idea. Stay out of their way in traffic or in stores, lest you incur their anger and wrath. But pray for them, because their life is ruled by fear of losing all they have gathered in material possessions and a place in the culture. There is far too much out there that tells us we too should seek to acquire these things, that will only rot and fall away in the end. Our place is in the hollow of God’s hand, in an atmosphere of never-ending love, where our sins are forgiven, and strength is freely shared for our work. Thank you God, for your abundant care, that has no limits. Help us be mindful in how we live for you. Amen.      PEACE

KNOWING THE BIBLE STORIES

AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IS VITAL – to loving our God, and being able to respond to the call from God we have all been given. These two elements are important to a healthy and productive life of discipleship. We need a balance of knowing what the Bible has to tell us and our present, living connection to God in the Holy Spirit. It plays out in each of us differently as is God’s design. Some of us will come to know God in a personal sense, long before we have much familiarity with the stories in scripture. Others will know a lot about the Bible, before it becomes real for the them in the person of the Holy Spirit. There are as many ways to come into all this as there are people who love God. God is the designer and builder of these relationships, and we are the ones who respond or resist.

Knowing the stories of God’s people including the life of Jesus the Christ is a foundation we need in order to recognize when God is speaking or demons. Knowing how God communicated with others helps us to hear when God speaks to us. Knowing the love God has shown in the past, and especially giving us Jesus as our redeemer helps us understand how and why God’s care extends to all of us, and especially how God’s grace has worked in others and how it might work in our lives as well. Being able to discern what God wants us to do, our calling, and how we should live this gift of life we are given takes time and understanding of all these and more, something that happens because we let God enter our lives, and work through us to bring love, mercy and justice to this world. We cannot bring any of this about by our trying, but only when we allow God to bring it into fruition with us. Let us pray that all the walls we erect, and the fear that built them will crumble and fall away, so that we will see the love and glory waiting for us there. Amen.     PEACE

LIVING A MINDFUL LIFE

IS AN ACT OF OBEDIENCE – a sign of our love for God and God’s ways, and a willingness to look at life in new ways. In Romans 12: 2 Paul reminds us – “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Living this kind of life can help us see what our calling is, and can show us the gifts God has given us, if we have not previously discovered them.

There are many definitions of what living mindfully is. I am led to think of it as a connectedness to God, that helps us see everything in a new light, showing us new details in even the most mundane of objects or activities, so that we are convinced how much a part of all life God is. The result is an ever deepening relationship with God, a devotion to God, and the life God has given us.

As the earth renews the life given to it, from God, take time to appreciate the process through which God renews the world, and the results of beauty and peace inherent in it all. We know God is in nature and is the basis of all growth, but do we appreciate the power in this process, and transfer that understanding to what God is willing to do in our lives, when we work with God? Let us pray for God to take away our fear that holds us back from being involved in the transformation of the world God has in mind and that God wants us to be a part of it. Mighty God, thank you for inviting us to work with you in this awesome undertaking. Remove our fear, and guide us in your work of building your kingdom. Amen.     PEACE