THE REAL ME… THE REAL JESUS… for Friday

* Humility……. you are what you are; “meek and humble of heart”; “true blue”…;  good simple person.

* Egocentric……..he/she/ ME who thinks the world  ”revolves around me” ! It doesn’t, but this is the impression I give;  that is how other people see me or how I see other people.

* god…..even wilder or more ridiculous is this attitude that I think that I am god… this moves towards blasphemy.

This is how the Jews perceived Jesus…..   “you are not humble”‘…… you are not only “egocentric”;….  but you claim to be God.      They  say in the scripture: “you, a man, are making yourself God.”     And you say it: ” I am the Son of God “

Take a good look at  ME!

Am I “humble”?

Am I “egocentric”?

Do I think I am god?

It is always very easy to check out “the other person”.

It is always very difficult to check out “me”.

1. Read Genesis 10.31-42

2. Stop for 5 Minutes and LISTEN

3. Who is the “real ME”???

4. Say something to Jesus

Fr. Larry

DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM for Thursday

God spoke to Abraham: “My covenant with you is this: you are to become the father of a host of nations.”       Genesis 17.  3-4

Jimmy Carter, a devout Christian, hosted a summit meeting at Camp David.  It brought together Egypt’s Anwar Sadat, a devout Muslim, and Israel’s Menachim Begin, a devout Jew.  Jews, Christians, and Muslims claim Abraham as their father in faith.  Jews and Christians trace their ancestry back to Isaac, while Muslims trace theirs to Ishmael.  If God’s covenant with Abraham is to bear fruit, Jews, Christians, and Muslims must begin to treat each other as brothers and sisters, not enemies.

In the world today, and in the news coverage everyday, we see the world with Jews, Muslims, and Christians trying to live together… and trying to kill one another.  Do we ever realize that all three: Jews, Muslims, and Christians are all sons and daughters of Abraham?  Each religion is not to do the other in; but all are called to live together in peace, love, and harmony.   God, Yahweh, Jesus loves us all.

Maybe we should meditate and pray our common past:

God calls Abraham, Isaac……. the Jews

God calls Ishmael …………..   the Muslims

God calls Christ and His followers….. the Christians

God calls us all to treat one another as true brothers and sisters, not ENEMIES.

1. Read Genesis 17.3-9

2. Stop for 5 Minutes and LISTEN

3. Who is my brother and who is my sister????

4. Say something to Jesus

“THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE”

This is one of my most favorite sentences in the N.T.    Over the years this statement and its meaning has changed drastically for me. In my childhood “freedom” meant being able to do whatever I wanted; at any time; and as much as I wanted.  Wouldn’t that be nice to “be free” and “sin all the time” !!  Sounds good even today, but Jesus says it is totally false.

FREEDOM:      is the ability to be all that I can be…             

                           is to become all that God has made me to be….

                           is to love the way God created me to be or to love..                   

Now if I go against or live against the way God made me,  I lose my freedom….. I sin… I become the “slave to sin”.

TRUTH:            is the conformity of a statement or action to ultimate reality. If I say it is raining outside and in fact it is raining… it is truth or truthful .  If Jesus says there is a heaven or there is eternal life.. and in reality there is….  that is truth.  Eternal life conforms to reality.

You and I are called to listen to the words of Jesus, and try to put them into practice everyday.  The more we do, the more free we are, and the closer to reality we become.  “If you remain in my word, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”  Jn. 8.31

1. Read  John 8.31-42

2. Stop for 5 Minutes and LISTEN

3. Where am I most free………?

    Where am I most unfree….”slave” ?

    Where am I most truthful…….?         

    Where am I most false, “phony” ?

4. Say something to Jesus

Fr. Larry

LOOK UP!!!! for Tuesday

“Make a saraph (serpent) and mount it on a pole, and whoever looks at it, after being bitten, will live.”  Numbers 21.8

Have you ever noticed a child, a friend, or “someone” who walked around with his/her head down low?   And you wonder immediately “what is wrong”? “Can I help?” “Hold your head up!”

I don’t know how it all worked out in the O.T in that desert, when the Jewish people were bitter ….. complaining … and being disgusted with this wretched food (mannah and quail). But when they “LOOKED UP” at the pole with the serpent attached they lived through it all … they made it!  Don’t know how all this worked out, but it did.

How often in life am I complaining; fed up; or disgusted with  (insert       your own…..!)?   Maybe it would be a good idea to look up …. look up to the cross ….     look up to Jesus and ask for some help, or just see what He went through.  Just maybe it would give us a better perspective or maybe He would give us a little help.

1. Read Numbers 21.4-9

2. Stop for 5 minutes and LISTEN

3. Insert   (one or two of your complaints or fed-ups..)

4. Say something to Jesus

Fr. Larry

AM I GUILTY OR INNOCENT?????? for Monday

Today’s readings are just too good and by just reading them, you will be led to prayer and meditaion. Both readings deal with “adultery” . The first you all know very well, but the second reading is not as well known:       John 8.1-11  & Daniel 13. 1-9; 15-17; 19-30 and 33–36

One woman is “guilty” and Jesus deals with her…..         The other woman is “innocent” and God deals with her……

YOU and I are often “guilty” and “innocent” and Jesus and God deals with us……

1.Read both scripture readings.

2. Stop for a few minutes after each reading…

3. Say something to Jesus…

Fr. Larry

JESUS… for me… more human or more divine????

We all know that during Lent we try to get closer to Jesus.    Jesus in my life: Is HE more HUMAN or more DIVINE?

Jesus…… is  GOD, through his many miracles.     Last Sunday Jesus cures the blind man.   This Sunday Jesus brings Lazarus back to life again.   The ultimate miracle is His own Resurrection!!!

Jesus……. is HUMAN in His  daily life:

1.  Friendship(s) :

 ——not only Peter, James, and John……

—— but a deep friendship with Mary, Martha and Lazarus…. “it was Mary’s brother who  was ill”… “Master, the one you love is ill”….  I often wonder what it would have been like when Jesus went there.   Was Jesus “spongeing a meal, like all priests?  !!!!  There must have been  a lot of good conversation (Martha and Mary story).  There must have been  some good eating (Martha and Mary quarrel).   There must have been some real deep friendships with these people.

2.  In the backround of Jesus’ life, and off to the side, life is filled with negativity.    It is bad enough that His friend Lazarus is ill/dying.  But in everyday human life: “You are damned if you do, and damned if you don’t”!    Some wise guy says: “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that his man would not have died?”  Everyday life is filled with such attitudes and comments…..

3.  What is more human than “Weeping”?   All little babies begin life outside the womb by crying!     “And Jesus wept”.        “See how much he loved him”.    Many seem to think Jesus is only God and that he just knows that Lazarus will be all right.  Why get so emotional?  Why cry?    Also, why did Jesus scream out on the cross:    “Father, why have you forsaken me”?

4.  Human and Divine….    Lazarus is dead.      D E A D !     Lazarus stinks…. dead 4 days !  And yet we see the divine in Jesus also: ” Lazarus  come out !”

 For me… Is Jesus more human or more divine?

1.  Read the whole gospel: John 11

2.  Stop for 5 Minutes and LISTEN

3.  Say something to Jesus.

Fr. Larry