What has been prophesied has been fulfilled.
The Good News is at hand.
Jesus preached the Gospel of redemption and salvation.
The Kingdom is close for all. Repent and believe.
Are you ready?
The Prophet Samuel listened.
The disciples also listened to the Lord Jesus.
We begin a new liturgical year with the stories of our origin.
We will hear the teaching of Jesus and see the example of the disciples and can respond as Samuel did.
Are we listening?
The Lord rules the earth yet He comes to us through the least among us.
He shows us that His kingdom is a reality; not just an idea.
We are offered entrance to the realm through our care of those in need: the hungry, the sick, the naked, the impoverished, the imprisoned, and the unborn.
Such care and outreach is work toward the gift of paradise.
Is your focus aligned with the Lord’s?
Can you recognize His brothers among you?
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/112220.cfm
The Lord God has created us to do His will in this life and to join Him in eternal life.
We have been given a rich faith and it affords us spiritual wealth.
We are expected to live that faith and to bear fruit by sharing it with others.
Our riches will be beyond imagination if we do this.
If we do nothing, neither we nor our world will be enriched.
Are you up to the task? Will you fulfill the mission Jesus asks of you?
Our future depends upon our present attitude and actions.
Jesus’ teachings turn traditional thinking upside down.
We are to choose paths of lowliness, not self-aggrandizement.
Choose paths of mercy, peace, and righteousness.
Rejoice and be glad!
“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102520.cfm
We may have to make difficult choices.
Turning to God, seeking His will can help us.
His laws are written on our hearts.
The Holy Spirit is His voice within us.
Can we find the key to settle our inner unrest?
Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101820.cfm
We are invited to be in God’s kingdom.
The invitation requires a response.
Rejection has consequences.
Even when we come into our faith by tradition or family inheritance we are expected to adhere to the guidance of the faith!
How did we come into our faith and how prepared are we for full participation?
The Vineyard is the life we have been entrusted with.
Jesus came to teach us how to live that life and to save us from the sin that can destroy it.
Many have rejected Jesus’ teaching and his gift of life to them.
The Gospel challenges us to rethink the life we have been given.
What does this mean for you?
The Vineyard is our life lived in fidelity to the will of God.
It is also attention to our specific mission in life, be it family, work, or worship.
Some say yes, but really don’t live it according to what they are supposed to do.
Yet others, after initial resistance, come around to doing as they should.
Did you go and work in the vineyard today?
God’s generosity is infinite.
When we open ourselves to him we are always welcome….. no matter when.
He asked us to be diligent in doing his will no matter how long it takes. Keep working in the vineyard.
Our reward in heaven is based on the goodness toward us, not on our work.
Listen and ask if he is calling you to participate in a new way.
Are you ready?
The message is clear. God’s mercy is infinite.
As followers of Jesus, our forgiveness of others must also be near infinite.
And our repentance must also be honest.
We do not have a God who treats measure for measure. He is not transactional.
Our common way of thinking about forgiveness must sometimes change.
Who do we need to forgive?
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/091320.cfm
Prayer is not a meaningless exercise.
Jesus promises His presence among us and His awareness of our prayers.
He asks us to be a community of believers who bring our decisions about life to Him.
The authority of the community, the church, is significant.
Are we connected to that community?
Are our prayers joined with others and offered up in expectant faith?
Jesus offered His life for our salvation.
We must similarly live our lives according to God’s will for us. It will require sacrifice.
It may not always be what we want but it is what we must do.
It will bring peace to us in this world because we know we are doing what is right.
It will bring peace in the next world because of Jesus’ promise.
Peter replied:
“You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
For Peter and for us it is only through the Father that we can know this. It is through faith.
Peter was commissioned to lead Jesus’ mission and to form His Church. We are now heirs to the mission and the Church.
Think about it: “Who do you say who I am?”
Our leader, now, is our Holy Father, Pope Francis. He invites us to experience a renewed encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ by praying this prayer:
“Lord, I have let myself be deceived; in a thousand ways I have shunned your love, yet here I am once more, to renew my covenant with You.”
Much of Jesus’ ministry was the healing of bodies and souls.
He dealt with all He encountered with compassion and mercy.
Even those estranged from Him in some way were included.
The suffering of the entire world throughout history lay at His feet.
His purpose is always to heal, to free, and to save. Are not our needs also before Him?
Ask Him to heal us and to free us.
Jesus always cared for God’s people by feeding body and soul.
He healed and blessed.
The feeding of the five thousand prefigured the institution of the Eucharist; His continuing care of our bodies and our souls.
Our bodies to be His disciples in action; our souls to provide strength for our mission.
Do you thank God for your sustenance?
What else do you need? Ask Him.
Calls us to an awareness of the reign of God in all things.
It is more important to our lives than anything else. It is like a pearl of great worth.
Calls us to an awareness of the reign of God in all things.
It is more important to our lives than anything else. It is like a pearl of great worth.
What are we searching for in our lives?
Is seeking the kingdom foremost in our plans?
… is not a faraway place. It is here when man accepts God’s rule over His affairs.
… is apparent when God’s word inspires the right conduct.
… Is apparent when faith in God grows and spreads even from simple beginnings.
… is apparent and grows when the faith is nourished and lived.
Do you have a part in bringing about the kingdom?
Jesus speaks about the parable of the sower and the seed that falls on rocks, thorns, and good soil.
How does God’s word, the seed, affect listeners?
Can they focus long enough to let the word influence their lives and behavior?
Or, are they so distracted that the word is choked or dried up by life’s cares?
The reward of following Jesus is a great harvest in the next life. Are we listening and absorbing?
Jesus’ mission was and is all-powerful.
He came and comes to save the world.
He asks us to learn from Him so that we, too, can engage in His mission.
We will find peace in our lives as we turn them over to Jesus.
Our burden will be light because it will be clear and fitted to our abilities.
Are we ready to shoulder our burden?
Nothing should be in the way of our relationship with Jesus.
Relationships with all others should not interfere with our relationship with him.
And those who help other disciples will be rewarded.
The Father will reward both those who work at building the kingdom and those who help them.
Do you have a role in building the kingdom?
How do you see that role?
Jesus tells us of our importance to the Father.
He knows everything about us to the smallest detail.
We are encouraged to hold fast to the truth about our God and to fully live out our faith.
Even if we are persecuted for our beliefs and even harmed bodily, we must still stay with the truth. Our souls will then not be harmed.
There are many challenges to adhering to the truth of our faith. Are we prepared to hold to that truth?
The commandments are meant to help us survive.
Yet, Jesus sets an additional higher standard based on love.
We must be clear in our commitments to what he taught.
Will we say yes?
Do not hide your light.
Let your good deeds give glory to your Heavenly Father.
You can be the light and salt that encourages others.
Simeon, filled with the Holy Spirit, recognized Jesus as our Savior.
The Holy Spirit can help us recognize Jesus in our life too.
Will we attend to the Spirit’s promptings?
The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light.
Jesus is the light of the world… The light of forgiveness, healing and salvation.
Will we seek the tremendous power of the light?
Jesus is our Savior.
Through Baptism, He brings the Holy Spirit to guide us in a special personal way.
Are we prepared to live our lives in accordance with what he has taught us?
We will all experience an end of time in our lives.
Faithfulness to a life with Jesus as our focus will help us all to overcome all distractions.
We must keep our eyes and ears on Jesus’ example and message.
Strive to be worthy of the coming age,
and trust that God will help us,
to join Him in a life of eternal happiness.