#goodness like The Son or the Holy Spirit or even the prophets. but he is the extreme personification of servitude

[spiritofpassionfruit]

Scene idea running through my mind; Lucifer full of despair after having his last meeting with God because he has been told the events of the future and the role he is supposed to play, far far away from everything he has loved, just for their sake, everyone’s sake, maybe even his own— and as he slowly walks, dazed and terrified, the young prince appears from a corner with a gentle smile, coming closer to his aid, worried over his apparent fears. In that instant he finally understands, and asks the naive prince if he wishes to have a taste of the tree of knowledge. When the prince accepts, both flaming souls meet and part away just as quickly. The prince can only realize what the action was when he sees the human do it, their lips meeting, their bodies trying to become whole again before they had been separated.

[drchucktingle]

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #4

here we are again talkin on camp damascus and unwrapping every little secret and hidden layer of this book. think of this time together like an old time ENGLISH CLASS where the dang teacher says 'well by THIS SYMBOLISM the author was actually commenting on how good chocolate milk is' only this time we get to talk on TINGLERS and your teacher is the buckaroo himself, chuck tingle.

as man name of chuck i have a lot of easter eggs in my books, and this post is just ONE OF MANY where we pull apart every layer. if you have a reading club for this book it might be a fun companion to trot through once you are all finished. if that is the case you should start with the first deconstructing damascus post. i will leave links to them all here IN ORDER

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #1

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #2

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #3

HOWEVER these deconstructing damascus posts SHOULD NOT BE READ UNLESS YOU ARE DONE WITH THE BOOK. there are heckin spoilers EVERYWHERE in these posts so do not peek at them until you are ready.

alright below this line the dang spoilers begin. BIG TIME SPOILER WARNING. lets trot

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #4: BIBLICAL CAPITALISM

we have taken lots of time to discuss the various layers of symbolism in this book, but for FINAL POST of deconstructing damascus i would like to talk about the literal layer, specifically ONE BIG THEME that weaves throughout the story of rose, saul, willow and kingdom of the pine.

that theme is CAPITALISM.

kingdom of the pine, the church in this story, is intentionally NOT THAT STRANGE in their beliefs. it would be very easy for me to write a book where the christian sect are revealed as some twisted monsters performing all kinds of dark rituals in the name of evil itself, but when the big reveal comes it is something much more HORRIFIC and unexpected.

kindgom of the pine members are not snarling, oozing, otherworldly, creatures. the members are just people, and their beliefs are horrifically STANDARD. kingdom of the pine worships CAPITALISM.

these church members believe in the traditional tenants of CHRISTIANITY along with the traditional tenants of BUSINESS. what makes them scary is that they whole heartedly believe that 'the ends justify the means'

lets start with prophet cobel, the founder of the church. his visions came during THE INDUSTREAL REVOLUTION, occuring when he was injured by a manufacturing machine and lost his hand. the coma from prophet cobels accident is where he received his message from god. he realized that, for a church to succeed, it needed to act like a BUSINESS.

many buckaroos have asked 'WHY is the church called kingdom of the pine?' and this is EXACTLY WHY. many churches are named for spiritual aspects. this sect could have easily been 'kingdom of the holy word' 'kingdom of the spirit' 'kingdom of HIS name' EXCEPT prophet cobel knew the importance of MATERIAL and CURRENCY and GOODS. he is not just worshipping JESUS, he is worshipping THE CROSS ITSELF. so 'the pine' in kingdom of the pine is symbolic of worshipping through a PRODUCT, in this case the little wooden cross that you might sell during a fundraiser. not kingdom of the son, the father, or the holy spirit, but kingdom of the PINE. THE WOOD ITSELF. THE PRODUCT.

by combining christianity and capitalism, prophet cobel created a monster, but not one that creeps through a dark swamp with sharp teeth and red eyes. he created something much more existentially dangerous AND not all that unheard of in reality. this isnt an imaginary monster that lurks under your bed. IT IS A MONSTER THAT IS ALREADY HERE.

capitalism is the answer for ANOTHER big question regarding camp damascus: why are the demons wearing red polos?

demons in this story are dressed like minimum wave workers at a big box story because THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE. yes they spend their time torturing unfortunate folks in their dungeon, but NOBODY IS FREE FROM THE CAPITALISTIC SYSTEM NOT EVEN ON OTHER TIMELINES LIKE HECK ITSELF. the demons are AT WORK. some buckaroos do not notice that kingdom of the pine counselors are always in green and white (the pine material GREEN and the holy spirit WHITE, like we talked on earlier). meanwhile demons are in RED because they are contracted out. THEY HAVE BEEN HIRED IN THEIR OWN WAY and when you consider the collars around their necks, THEY ARE NOT TREATED FAIRLY BY THEIR EMPLOYERS. THEY ARE CONTROLLED IN A SYSTEM OF THEIR OWN AND COMPELLED TO WORK.

this is why they have name tags. THEY ARE AT WORK.

this is why they are constantly smiling until the collars come off. THEY HAVE CUSTOMER SERVICE SMILES.

okay buds. thank you for reading the deconstructing damascus series it was very fun for me to go deep on this book for anyone who enjoys this kind of analysis. i hope it puts a little more joy into your trot, and now if someone says 'this part of camp damascus didnt make sense to me' you can said 'LETS TALK BUD'. i am very much looking forward to doing this again when my next horror novel BURY YOUR GAYS comes out. keep a dang eye out for that one.

i will end with one more thing that did not really fit into the other catagories.

question of: is there any meaning behind willow being a big wu tang fan?

you mean besides her being the crocodile (which has ticking clock in mouth in peter pan) so rhythm itself is a very important part of her character? (as shown in her steady clicking camera shutter and the steady beat of her musical preferences?)

WHY YES CHUCK BESIDES THAT.

well now that we've discussed the theme of INFANTILIZATION in deconstructing damascus part one, and how all the young people in kingdom of the pine are kept childlike as long as possible as the FOREVER CHILDREN of never never land, i will point you towards this iconic quote from the wu tang clans ODB at the 1998 grammy awards:

LOVE IS REAL thank you for reading buckaroos - chuck

[tinyladofladdies]

what is the Gospel?

history . .

there is one God in 3 persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

God existed before anything else did; He created all things perfectly, including human beings, who He made in His image (Genesis 1:1, 26-28, John 1:1-3). God is the only holy, perfect Being in existence, and He created us to know Him forever.

God created humanity to partner with Him in ruling His perfect creation, however, humanity quickly fell into rebellion when adam & eve listened to temptation from satan, the serpent. the serpent twisted God's Word and adam & eve trusted in their own judgement rather than God's and listened to their selfish desire to define good and evil for themselves instead of letting God show them what was holy & good (Genesis 3).

adam & eve were cast out from God's perfect garden, severing ALL of humanity's relationship with God and separating us from His presence. because of this original sin (disobeying and distorting God's Word), all of humanity is born in a sinful state. the serpent, too, was cast from the garden and since the original sin, has been influencing the world into more and more evil, temptation, and distance from God. however, God promised that there would be a Descendant from eve Who would crush the serpent's head and defeat him (Genesis 3:14-15).

the sinful state of humanity causes all of us to be separated from God from birth and into eternity; sin cannot coexist with utter purity & holiness (Romans 6:23, 8:7-8).

God stayed faithful in taking care of humanity even despite our separation from Him; He made promises to abraham, isaac, and jacob, and their descendants (the jewish nation israel named after jacob), that they would be God's people and He would be their God (Genesis 22:17, Jeremiah 32: 38). He promised to multiply them, making them a countlessly large nation, to set them apart from the other nations to show the world what God is like (Deuteronomy 7:6), and to send them a Savior who would restore all things and bring justice (Isaiah 9:6). God gave them His Word and fulfilled every promise to them; He rescued His people many times from oppression and the downfall of their own mistakes, yet not even His holy people could stay obedient to God. God gave them His law (found in the 5 books of the Torah) to show His people how to be holy (set apart) and to show them who He is and what He values; in order to be worthy to enter God's presence, there would be animal sacrifices and sanctification rituals (Leviticus 16:21) in order to atone for the sins of Israel (God's people), yet none of His people were perfect and kept rebelling against Him.

God started sending prophets into the world, spoken to by His Holy Spirit who divinely inspired the Word of God (the entire Bible), to warn Israel of the gravity of their sins; soon, if God's people would keep participating in evil and turning away from God, they would be exiled from all of the peace and possessions God had promised them and fulfilled them with.

the prophets spoke of Jesus, who, centuries later, fulfilled every single prophecy spoken of Him . .

The Good News . .

Jesus is God, described as the Son of God and the Word of God become human; Jesus took on human flesh yet stayed completely sinless (Hebrews 4:15). He gave His life in the place of all of humanity, not just Israel, in order to extend God's grace, salvation, and presence, to anyone of any background who would repent and call upon Him (Hebrews 2:17, Galatians 3:8).

"The Gospel" means "the Good news."

to repent, means to completely turn around.

atone, means to make amends.

Jesus became the sacrificial lamb (symbolically) in order to fulfill the law of sacrifice that God's people used to participate in in order to enter God's presence (John 1:29, 1 Peter 1:19); because Jesus is God and was the only One holy enough to perfectly atone, this means that Jesus' sacrifice not only fulfilled every law and prophecy, but humanity finally had the chance to be in right-standing with God (1 Timothy 2:5). this means, that instead of being enemies of God, being estranged or distant from God, we now have the right to become God's children, His people, and His friends (Romans 5:10, John 1:12). to repent of our sins, means to pray to God our Father and confess our sinful nature, our rebellion, and the things we have done that have hurt our relationship with God as well as hurt ourselves & those around us. by confessing, we ask for God's forgiveness, we confess who Jesus is and what He did for us, and through this, we receive the Holy Spirit who testifies that we are God's children and Who seals our salvation in Heaven for eternity (Romans 8:16, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22).

Jesus came to earth as a human, yet also 100% God; He lived a perfect life, started His ministry at 30 years old, baptised, healed, drove out demons, and taught of God's character, Word, and Kingdom. Jesus was persecuted by the nation of Israel in order to fulfill the prophecies, He died on a cross, was tortured and killed in our place, and after 3 days He rose from the dead, to fulfill every prophecy (Mark 8:31). in Jesus' death and resurrection, He defeated our sins, He defeated the enemy (satan), and He defeated death. setting us free, giving us eternal life and forgiveness from the Father if we repent and believe that this is Who Jesus Is.

in Jesus, there is forgiveness, peace, healing, joy, & hope (Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Peter 1:3). God heals, God saves, God loves, His Spirit guides and reassures every believer and Jesus completely sets us free; no matter what you have said or done, no matter how much seems to hold you back, Jesus breaks every chain and meets us where we are, however, He loves us too much to leave us as we are. Jesus gives us the ability to live the life of righteousness (right-living) that God intended for us that we were not able to fruitfully & fully do without Jesus and without God's active help. for all time, God has kept His promises and His Word, He has kept His covenant with those He chose to be His people, and while those people always failed, Jesus never has and never will; Jesus fulfilled our side of the covenant, He paid the price that had to be paid for our sins, and in doing so, we can now have relationship with God for eternity, we can now partner with God in loving His people and doing the work of His Kingdom. God is always near, always present, and desires to help you, heal you, and save you.

there will be more Bible verses below that specifically address salvation & repentance; if you need more context or have more questions, this is a safe space to do so. <3

Acts 4:12 — Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

John 14:6 — Jesus answered, "I am the way, the Truth, and the life. no one comes to the Father except through Me."

Acts 2:38 — Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

John 3:16-17 — For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

Romans 8:38-39 — For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 10:9-10 — If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

Hebrews 7:25 — Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.

Luke 5:31-31 — Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Acts 3:19 — Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

Mark 16:16 — Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

Romans 10:13 — for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Romans 3:23 — for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Acts 22:16 — And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:23‬ ‭— For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 𓆝

◌🌊🐚Ꮚ°˳´ creds . .

dividers: roseraris

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

1 At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn and to eat.

2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

3 But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;

4 How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

5 Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

6 But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.

7 But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

9 And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:

10 And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

11 And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

12 How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

13 Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

14 Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

15 But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;

16 And charged them that they should not make him known:

17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.

20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.

39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

46 While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.

47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. — Matthew 12 | King James Version (KJV) The King James Version Bible is in the public domain Cross References: Leviticus 24:8-9; Leviticus 24:16; Deuteronomy 23:25; 1 Samuel 15:22; 1 Samuel 21:4; 1 Samuel 21:6; 1 Samuel 24:13; 1 Kings 10:1; 2 Kings 14:25; 2 Chronicles 6:18; Proverbs 10:20-21; Proverbs 11:24; Proverbs 18:21; Isaiah 42:1,2 and 3; Isaiah 66:1-2; Hosea 6:6; Matthew 3:17; Matthew 4:23; Matthew 8:3-4; Matthew 8:20; Matthew 9:30; Matthew 10:31; Matthew 11:7; Matthew 12:22; Matthew 12:32; Matthew 26:4; Mark 2:23-24; Mark 3:1; Mark 3:7; Mark 14:1; Luke 6:2; Luke 6:6; Luke 9:35; Luke 13:14; Luke 14:3; Luke 14:5; John 3:34; Acts 28:8; Romans 15:12; Hebrews 6:4; 2 Peter 2:20; 1 John 3:8

What does Matthew chapter 12 mean?

Key Events in Matthew 12

1. Jesus reproves the blindness of the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath, 3. by scripture, 9. by reason, 13. and by a miracle. 22. He heals a man possessed that was blind and mute; 24. and confronting the absurd charge of casting out demons by Beelzebub, 32. he shows that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall never be forgiven. 36. Account shall be made of idle words. 38. He rebukes the unfaithful, who seek after a sign, 46. and shows who is his brother, sister, and mother.

[scribeforchrist-blog]

Firm In God Through My Suffering 

MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK

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+ 1 Corinthians 13:3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

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VERSE OF THE DAY 

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+  1 Peter 5:9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world."

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** SAY THIS BEFORE YOU READ; HERE’S SOME CHRISTIAN TRUTHS **

I AM NOT AFRAID

I AM LISTENING

I AM MIGHTY

I AM STRONG

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READ TIME: 9 Minutes & 18 Seconds

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THOUGHTS:

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   When we are ill, it's hard to pray. I can remember I had got COVID, and I remember hearing from other people that it’s the worst feeling you ever want to feel and that you don’t want to do anything. I was like, no, that won’t happen to me. I will pray regardless of how I feel, and I remember waking up one morning. I went into my prayer closet, and all I could do was sit, and I said to the Holy Spirit I don’t know what's happening, but I feel so drained and tired, and he told me to go lay down, and I laid down got back up I felt even worst.

    I prayed in tongues, while laying down that’s all I could do was talk to God about my illness and how I was feeling slowly

started losing my ability to breathe, after a few days, I felt like I was dying, and I said to the Holy Spirit I don’t want to die; please help me, and I felt this warmth come over my body.

  I started feeling better immediately, which lasted about seven days. I felt terrible I was alone I couldn’t call my parents because they were  in the hospital, and my other siblings I didn't want them to come over because I didn’t want them to get this from me, so I stayed alone, but as I got through that, I realized I wasn't alone I had the Holy Spirit and that every moment I couldn’t breathe and every moment I felt alone I didn’t go through alone he went with me.

  The guy we will look at today his name is Hezekiah, and he was very ill 2 Kings 20:1 In those days, Hezekiah became ill. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, came to him and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Set your house in order, for you are going to die and not live.’” 

   God wanted him to know to get his house in order, and sometimes God will tell us this to help us prepare; sometimes we need to get our house in order not because we are going to die but because our lives are out of order and God wants to place it in order and a lot of us don’t have it in order because we feel we have time or we are think I’m in perfect health , we don’t think what’s in our daily life that we could be doing that he’s asking us to get in order , but the bible tell us we aren’t promised tomorrow. Our life is a vape. Those of us who keep playing around with getting and building a relationship with God are losing light daily. Every day, we must build with him to grow with him.

  Verse 2-3 Then he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, saying, “Please, Lord, just remember how I have walked before You wholeheartedly and in truth, and have done what is good in Your sight!” And Hezekiah wept profusely.

    Hezekiah wasn’t taking no for an answer. He was going to battle for his life, almost like Jacob. Jacob didn’t let go of the angel of God because he wanted a blessing, and Hezekiah wasn’t letting his life go that quickly. He was honest with God. He asked if God could remembered how faithful he was. “Do you remember me walking with you and being wholehearted and living in the truth”, and he said, I did everything well in your sight”. He cried, and he let all of it out in front of God, and that’s what we must do during our prayer time : pray the sincerest prayers. We don’t have to be sick or hurt to do this. We could want to express our feelings, and he will hear and help us through our pain. 

  Verse 4-6 And even before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, the word of the Lord came to him, saying,5 “Return and say to Hezekiah, the leader of My people, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your father David says: “I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; behold, I am going to heal you. On the third day, you shall go up to the house of the Lord. And I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will save you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will protect this city for My own sake and My servant David’s sake.”’

   See, God heard him and fixed his problem. God wants to fix our problems. He wants to hear us, but we must go to him with a contrite heart and say, father

I know this is your plan, but please allow me this. When we do this, he will grant us so much time, grace, and mercy. Still, everything doesn’t always happen like this, but when it does, we must be so grateful for everything the Holy Spirit wants us to know. Even in our trials, even in our pain, he's there, but he wants to hear us speak the words.

  We must learn to allow ourselves to come to him; we talked about being raw with our feelings and thoughts yesterday, but we must do this. In a respectful way, God is who made us every mark, every flaw we have comes from God, and he can take our flaws and show us who is he, how many of us are ready to let go during our time of pain and sorrow God wants us to know he loves us and that he sees our pain, even during our pain God wants us to know we don’t stand alone , that he’s standing with us.

   1 Peter 5:9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world."

  Other people are going through, and we aren’t alone in our problems. I thought I was alone when I had Covid, but God had to show me you were not alone. I am with you; it’s others going through these very things like you; we must stand firm in our faith, knowing that we serve a God that sees us, we serve a God that’s all-knowing, we serve a God that is willing to show us the way if we are willing to go down the right path with him. 

  Jeremiah 6:16 This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”

    Wherever we are in life, if it’s a crossroad or just a moment in our life happening God is there; sometimes he shows us the way, and we are too stubborn or stuck in our ways that we don’t want to walk in the way of the lord; we think our way is better but when we are scared, and we feel overwhelmed sometimes we allow fear to speak louder than God but we must silence fear with the word of God, don’t allow your fear to take you to a place that you don’t want to be , do exactly like Hezekiah and allow your fear to take the back seat and trust in God.

   ***Today, we learned that our fears and what we deal with can take us down the wrong road.  Fear is meant to do this; fear is of the devil, and a lot of times, we allow him to take the driver's seat because it’s easier this way, but God wants us to know that his way will always be easier when we don’t surrender to fear and to the enemy.

  Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

   He’s asking us in this to be strong and not be fearful because wherever we go, he’s there; we might not see him like we see family and friends, but if we sit still and focus on him, we will feel his presence, a lot of times we are so busy with day to day life that we don’t feel him because we are looking over him at all times, take the time today to focus on God. ©Seer~ Prophetess Lee

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PRAYER

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Heavenly Father, please help us not to fear; lord, help us to depend on you. Lord, we ask you to release us from the fear that has succumbed to our lives. Lord, we ask you to comfort us through everything; lord, help us also to have faith in you. Many of us are confused about what to do; please let us hear you and apply the word to our lives. Lord, let this word break yokes and chains in our lives today. In Jesus' Name Amen 

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REFERENCES 

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+ Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts the Lord is safe.

 

+ 2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

 

+ Psalm 34:4 I sought the Lord, who answered me and delivered me from all my fears.

========================

FURTHER READINGS 

=========================

Proverbs 2

Leviticus 2

Psalm 59

Isaiah 17

=========================

[hiswordsarekisses]

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18‬-‭20‬‬

““Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ Therefore he says also in another psalm, “‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about: “‘Look, you scoffers, be astounded and perish; for I am doing a work in your days, a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”” Acts‬ ‭13‬:‭26‬-‭41‬

“for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.” 1Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭24‬-‭25‬

[creativewaygrace]

Bible Verses on Guilt and Shame

1 Corinthians 10:13- No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able with the tempatation he will also provide a way out so that you may be able to bear it.

1 Corinthians 6:18- Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body.

1 John 1:9- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 2:1- My little children, I am writing these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advoacate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous one.

1 John 2:2- He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but for those of the whole world.

1 John 4:1- Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see if they are are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1 Timothy 2:4- No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life, he seeks to please the commanding officer.

2 Peter 3:9- The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting to perish, but all to come to repentance.

Acts 2:21- Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Acts 2:38- Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will recieve the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 3:19- Therefore repent and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped out.

Acts 8:22- Therefore prepent of this wickedness of yours and pray to the Lord that, if possible, your hearts intent may be forgiven.

Hebrews 12:2- Keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of God.

Hebrews 12:6- For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and punishes every son he recieives.

Isaiah 50:7- The Lord God will help me, therefore I have not been humiliated, therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know I will be put to shame.

Isaiah 54:4- Do not be afraid, for you will not be put to shame, don't be humilated, for you will not be disgraced. For you will forget the shame of your youth, and you will no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood.

John 3:16- For God love the world in this way. He gave his one and only son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:17- For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Micah 7:19- He will again have compassion on us, he will vanquish our iniquites. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Philippians 4:13- I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.

Psalm 22:5-They cried to you and were set free, they trusted in you and were not disgraced.

Psalm 34:5- Those who look to him are radiant with joy, their faces will never be ashamed.

Revelation 21:4- He will wipe way every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more, grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away.

Revelation 3:20- See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Romans 10:13- For everyone who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Romans 10:9- If you confess with your mouth, Jesus is lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 2:15- They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them.

Romans 3:23- For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of the God.

Romans 8:28- We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

[saras-devotionals]

Quiet Time 2/23

What am I feeling today?

I got to sleep in again today which I think was much needed. I feel as though I’ve got a calm day ahead of me and I feel quite peaceful. I am in some pain that started earlier in the morning but I assume it’ll go away soon. All in all, feeling pretty good.☺️

Luke 3 NIV

(v. 3-6) “[John the Baptist] went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all people will see God’s salvation.’ ””

I do wonder about those that John baptized because they were baptized before knowing/believing in Jesus because it was before his time of teaching. Is that why others later in the Bible had to be baptized again (for real)? Was what John was doing valid or not? I mean at the very least we do know that he was fulfilling his purpose in preparing the way for Jesus.

(v. 8-9) “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.””

Reminds me of John 15 where Jesus talks about the vine and the branches:

John 15: 1-8

““I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

This was a gut punch for me before I became a disciple because I feared being one of those branches that was cut off and thrown away to be burned. But I’ve come to remain in Jesus and the word of God and I can see the blessings that He’s brought into my life as a result.

(v. 16) “John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Just wanted to make the note that through baptism we receive the Holy Spirit and I think that’s a wonderful and comforting thing!

(v. 21-22) “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.””

One, taking as a sign to pray before baptism (or during) because it says Jesus was praying and the Holy Spirit descended. Two, confirmation of Jesus being the son of God.

(v. 31, 33-34, 36, 38)

“… the son of Nathan, the son of David, …the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, … the son of Shem, the son of Noah, … the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”

I wanted to take a look at the genealogy and take note of those that I found interesting. One, I had thought David’s only son was Solomon but I see a continued line through Nathan. Also, Jesus is from the line/tribe of Judah (a part of me knew this, but another part had also assumed Joseph for some time). Additionally, he comes from Noah but specifically his son Shem. And lastly, I didn’t realize that Adam had other sons besides Cain and Abel, so to see Seth was a shock to me.

[fr-martin-gospel-reflections]

21st July - ‘They were like sheep without a shepherd’, Reflection on the readings for Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mark 6:30-34)

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The last time I travelled to the city of Belfast was a few years. I took one of those city tour buses you find in most big cities nowadays. I hadn’t been to Belfast for a while and what struck me this time was the barriers or walls that divided the unionist and nationalist communities in certain parts of the city. It saddened me to see it. It is called the peace wall and, yet, the very existence of the wall suggests the absence of peace. Where there is peace and harmony there is no need for walls to separate people from each other.

I was reminded of that experience by today’s second reading. There the making of peace is associated with the breaking down of barriers that had kept people apart. The barrier in question there is the Jewish Law which had kept Jews apart from pagans. According to Saint Paul, Jesus broke down that barrier and brought together Jews and pagans into a single Body, the church. Jesus was now the way to God, not the Jewish Law, and he was inviting all people to come to God through him, regardless of their religious background. According to Paul in that reading, Jesus came to kill the hostility between peoples. Hostility between people, especially the kind that needs the erecting of walls, often leads to people killing each other, as we know only too well today. However, Jesus came to kill such hostility between people, by bringing them together under God the Father, in the one Holy Spirit. We are all called to share in this peace-making, reconciling, work of the Lord.

According to the first reading from the prophet Jeremiah, a good leader or shepherd is one who brings people together in unity. A poor leader or shepherd is one who divides people, allowing them to be scattered. God, speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, says to the political leaders of the day, ‘You have let my flock be scattered and go wandering and have not taken care of them’. Taking care of people is associated there with bringing them together in unity, rather than allowing them to be scattered and divided among themselves. In response to the failure of the leaders to gather people together, God himself promises to do what they have failed to do, ‘the remnant of the flock, I myself will gather… I will bring them back to their pastures’. It was above all Jesus, God’s beloved Son, who fulfilled that promise of God to gather those who have been scattered and to bring together in unity those who were divided. That was the core of Jesus’ work. He once declared that when he is lifted up from the earth, in death and in glory, he would draw all people to himself. His desire was that there would be one flock and one shepherd. He died and rose to new life to gather together the scattered children of God. He entrusted that unifying, peace-making, reconciling work to his followers, to all of us. The Lord wants to continue that work through each one of us. Whenever we bring together those who would normally be hostile to one another, we are doing God’s work, the risen Lord’s work. It remains a vitally important work today, because there are still so many creators of division among us, creating barriers and walls to keep people apart. Each of us has a role to play in doing the Lord’s work of overcoming the hostility between people, so that walls and barriers cease to be necessary.

Maybe the attitude we need most of all to engage in the Lord’s reconciling work is one of paying attention to people, especially to those who are different from us and may even seem strange to us. The gospels suggest that Jesus was good at paying attention to others, even when they were hostile to him. When his opponents, the experts in the Jewish Law, criticized him for eating with all sorts of people, including those they would have classified as sinners, Jesus didn’t turn on them or drive them away. He spoke parables to them, the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost sons, inviting them to rethink their hostility to him. He was calling on them to see God not so much as one who separates out, who divides and excludes, but as one who works to gather all people together at one table, including those who had taken wrong turns. Jesus was attentive to his opponents, not dismissive of them. In today’s gospel reading, he is attentive to his disciples. He notices how busy they have been and, so, he arranges to take them away to a lonely place. However, when they arrive there, the lonely place had become a crowded place. Jesus who had been attentive to his disciples is now equally attentive to the crowd standing unexpectedly before him. He recognizes that they are like sheep without a shepherd, scattered and lost, and, so, he sets himself to teach them at some length. The risen Lord is equally attentive to each one of us. If we open ourselves up to his attentiveness to us, he will work through us to attend to others in ways that break down barriers between them and bring them together in one Spirit.

[albertfinch]

SUPERCHARGING OUR HEAVENLY FOCUS

With the almost non-stop flow of information that is coming at us these days, it is more important than ever that we be intentional about what we focus on. Amidst this swirl of 24-hour-a-day input it can be a battle to keep our eyes and hearts focused in faith on the good news of who our God is, our identity in Christ, and understanding our authority and our Christ calling to advance His Kingdom in the earth.

In Matthew 16:13-19 Jesus and the disciples are discussing some of the many things the world has to say about who Jesus is. Some say He is a prophet. Some say He is John the Baptist. Some say He is Elijah. And others say He is Jeremiah. But when Jesus asks Simon, Simon is able to FOCUS in on the reality of the good news, even when it seems the most incredible and impossible of all the reports.

Simon answers that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Jesus erupts with praise for Simon, telling him that he is truly blessed because he was able to focus in on what his Father in Heaven was highlighting to him in the midst of the swirl of information. Simon's ability, in that moment, to focus on what Heaven was highlighting had a powerful and lasting impact – so much so, that Simon emerges from the moment transformed. He is given a new name, Peter, which means "rock."

FOCUSING ON BEING PROACTIVE IN ADVANCING OUR FAITH

Every born-again believer has a purpose destined by God that is connected to advancing and bearing fruit that remains for His Kingdom in the earth.

Much of the favor of God that we experience is tied to whether or not we are living our life pursuing that purpose.

Some of the steps ahead will be like walking on water.  Unfortunately, we do not get to pick the visibility of the water or the depth of the ocean that the Lord asks us to step out on. 

WE WILL BE PROACTIVE IN OUR FAITH AND DO THE FOLLOWING:

1. We will seek first the Kingdom of God (DISCOVERING AND ADVANCING GOD'S CALLING ON OUR LIFE). (Matthew 7:7)

2. We will not give heed to reports of  the world or listen to the distractions and discouragements of the enemy, but instead we will clearly hear what the Lord is highlighting to us and be encouraged (John 10:4-5).

3. We come to understand our authority and dominion in regard to our Christ identity so we will always be victorious in our Christian walk. Our goal is to be effective in bearing fruit that remains for His Kingdom. (John 15:16)

4. We will keep our focus on the ascended life of Heaven; we will bask in the love of Jesus; and we will dwell not on how temporary facts say things seem to be, but on how the eternal Word of God says they truly are (Colossians 3:1-12).

5. We will remain childlike in our faith, always trusting in our Heavenly Father to perform His Word and bring about His purposes regarding our Christ calling  (Matthew 18:3-4).

6. We will bask in the love of Jesus as we see it flow into our heart and into the lives of others; and cast our cares (concerns, fears, doubts, distractions, discouragements) upon Him, allowing Holy Spirit to comfort and strengthen us (1 Peter 5:7; John 14:26; Romans 8:37).

7. We will be pro-active in seeking to disciple others, equipping them in their Christ identity, right standing with God, and walking in the Spirit. (1 John 3:16, 2 Timothy 2:2, Hebrews 13:12)

8. We will praise the Lord in all things and at all times knowing that, no matter how things might look or seem at present, His Word never returns void but always accomplishes all it is sent to do (Isaiah 55:11).

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[psalmonesermons]

Loving One Another Part 2

Practical advice for dealing with rejection

There are 100+ scriptures in the New Testament that refer to ‘one another’, or to ‘each other’, or ‘together’. For example there are such references in the last 5 chapters of Romans.

So we are spoiled for choice in studying what the scriptures say about loving one another. Here is a selection of them.

Romans 15:7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Our basis for accepting each other as brothers and sisters in Christ is that the Lord himself has already accepted each one of us. There can be no higher recommendation than the approval of Jesus Christ. Most of our lives we can struggle to be accepted because many groups, teams and clubs, like you to be good at something e.g. golf, football, hockey, chess, bowling etc., but we accept each other in Christ.

We are now going on a slight detour to discuss what non-acceptance means.

Acceptance versus Rejection

Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone, which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ 12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Most of us at some time in life will experience some form of rejection.

Family or so-called friends might decide to terminate their relationship with us under various circumstances.

We might feel let-down, bewildered and angry that people can be as unkind, but it is a lesson unfortunately we need to learn in this world.

Even when we go for a job interview or some selection process for sports or team ventures, we might be rejected. In all these forms of rejection we must be humble, forgiving and fight any tendency towards bitterness.

This what Jesus Christ himself experienced. The one people in the world who should have known who and what the Son of God would be like, were the Jews. But when He came to them, most of them including their secular and religious leaders rejected and dismissed Him as an impostor. He was the precious stone which the builders rejected yet he was and still is the most important stone in the building known as the church, which is the cornerstone! The corner-stone or capstone is usually laid at a ceremony in honour of a new building.

All the other stones fit in around the cornerstone.

So, is there someone whose judgement that we can trust? When we look at people we can be so influenced by external things, such as their appearance, demeanour, dress sense, personality etc. But when God considers a person, He looks right into their heart. A clear example of this was when the Lord sent Samuel the prophet to anoint one of the sons of Jesse as King over Israel. Samuel considered each one of them from the natural point of view, how tall or handsome that they were. But God makes it quite clear in 1 Samuel 6:7 that He is interested in a person’s heart. The inner qualities not the external are much more important.

So, what does this mean in practice for us in our day to day lives?

Firstly, when we are rejected and put down, our loving heavenly Abba Father is always there to remind us of our true value, which is that you are valuable and precious to Him. So much so that He gave His only begotten Son…John 3:16.

The world’s value system is superficial and dangerous. Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light! Do not trust outward appearances, Jesus told the Pharisees that they were white-washed tombstones, white on the inside but inside dark and horrible, full of dead men’s bones!

Secondly, we must ask the Lord for discernment in all the appropriate areas of life. The wrong choice of a marriage or business partner can easily ruin someone’s life. Running with the wrong crowd of friends has also caused unnecessary suffering and grief in some lives.

We can take a good example from the disciples after the resurrection when they gathered to choose a replacement for the traitor Judas Iscariot. They prayed indicating that only God Himself truly knows what is in a man’s heart and therefore they asked the Lord to show who His choice for the vacant position was. The Lord then spoke to the hearts of the disciples, and they chose whom they believed that the Lord had already chosen.

In conclusion, no matter what people say or do to you, God will always love you and never let you down.

Since only God truly knows a person’s heart, we must ask Him to guide us in all our decisions involving people. We might not always get the answer we want or like, but we can console ourselves by the knowledge that the Lord’s choice will always be the right one!

Amen

Personal Prayer

In Part 3 we return to those wonderful ‘one another’ scriptures.

[catholicreading]

The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden

Book 1

The words of our Lord Jesus Christ to His chosen and dearly beloved bride, Saint Bridget, about the proclamation of His most holy Incarnation and the rejection, desecration and abandonment of our faith and baptism, and how He bids His beloved bride and all Christian people to love Him.

Chapter 1

“I am the Creator of the heavens and the earth, one in Divinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit. I am the one who spoke to the patriarchs and the prophets and the one whom they awaited. For the sake of their longing and in agreement with my promise, I assumed flesh without sin and concupiscence, by entering the womb of the Virgin like the sun shining through the clearest gem. For just as the sun does not damage the glass by entering it, likewise the virginity of the Virgin was not lost when I assumed Manhood. I assumed flesh in such a way that I did not have to forsake my Divinity, and I was no less God - with the Father and the Holy Spirit, governing and upholding all things - although I was in the womb of the Virgin in my human nature. Just as brightness is never separated from fire, so too, my Divinity was never separated from my Humanity, not even in death.

Thereafter I allowed my pure and sinless body to be wounded from the foot to the head, and to be crucified for all the sins of mankind. That same body is now offered each day on the altar so that mankind might love me more and remember my great deeds more often. But now I am totally forgotten, neglected, despised, and expelled as a king is from his own kingdom and in whose place the most wicked robber has been elected and honored.

I have indeed wanted my kingdom to be within man, and by right I should be King and Lord over him, for I made him and redeemed him. However, now he has broken and desecrated the faith which he promised me in his baptism, and he has broken and spurned my laws and commandments which I prescribed and revealed to him. He loves his own will and refuses to hear me. In addition, he exalts the most wicked robber, the devil, above me and has given him his faith. The devil really is a robber, since he steals for himself, by way of evil temptations, bad councils, and false promises, the human soul that I redeemed with my blood. But he does not do this because he is mightier than me; for I am so mighty that I can do all things with a word, and so just, that even if all the saints asked me, I would not do the least thing against justice.

But, since man, who has been given free will, willfully rejects my commandments and obeys the devil, it is only right that he also experiences his tyranny and malice. This devil was created good by me, but fell by his own wicked will, and has become, so to speak, my servant for inflicting vengeance on the workers of evil.

Yet, even though I am now so despised, I am still so merciful that whoever prays for my mercy and humbles himself in amendment shall be forgiven his sins, and I shall save him from the evil robber - the devil. But to those who continue despising me, I shall visit my justice upon them, so that those hearing it will tremble, and those who feel it will say: “Woe, that we were ever conceived or born! Woe, that we ever provoked the Lord of majesty to wrath!”

But you, my daughter, whom I have chosen for myself, and with whom I now speak in spirit: love me with all your heart - not as you love your son or daughter or parents, but more than anything in the world - since I, who created you, did not spare any of my limbs in suffering for your sake! Yet, I love your soul so dearly that, rather than losing you, I would let myself be crucified again, if it were possible. Imitate my humility; for I, the King of glory and of angels, was clothed in ugly, wretched rags and stood naked at the pillar and heard all kinds of insults and ridicule with my own ears. Always prefer my will before your own, because my Mother, your Lady, has, from the beginning to the end, never wanted anything but what I wanted.

If you do this, then your heart shall be with my heart, and it will be inflamed by my love in the same way that anything dry becomes rapidly inflamed by fire. Your soul shall be so inflamed and filled with me, and I will be in you, so that everything worldly becomes bitter to you and all fleshly lusts like poison. You will rest in the arms of my Divinity, where no fleshly desires exist, but only spiritual delight and joy which fill the delighted soul with happiness - inwardly and outwardly - so that it thinks of nothing and desires nothing but the joy which it possesses. So love me alone, and you will have all the things you want, and you will have them in abundance. Is it not written that the oil of the widow did not decrease until the day the rain was sent to earth by God according to the words of the prophet? I am the true prophet! If you believe my words and follow and fulfill them, the oil - joy and jubilation - shall never decrease for you for all eternity.”

Read Ahead

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2 during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3 He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. 5 Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. 6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”

7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”

15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.

The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus

21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,

the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat,

the son of Levi, the son of Melki,

the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,

25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos,

the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,

the son of Naggai,

26 the son of Maath,

the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein,

the son of Josek, the son of Joda,

27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa,

the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel,

the son of Neri,

28 the son of Melki,

the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,

the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,

29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer,

the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat,

the son of Levi,

30 the son of Simeon,

the son of Judah, the son of Joseph,

the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,

31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna,

the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,

the son of David,

32 the son of Jesse,

the son of Obed, the son of Boaz,

the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,

33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram,

the son of Hezron, the son of Perez,

the son of Judah,

34 the son of Jacob,

the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,

the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,

35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu,

the son of Peleg, the son of Eber,

the son of Shelah,

36 the son of Cainan,

the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem,

the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,

37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,

the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel,

the son of Kenan,

38 the son of Enosh,

the son of Seth, the son of Adam,

the son of God.

[hollers-and-holmes]

This might not be controversial in your circles, I don't know; it certainly has been in my life.

Your take on miracles seen as 'supernatural' still happening in this day and age? Such as healing someone 'stand up and walk' style or transforming substances? Adjacently, interacting with the unseen things - not only the demons we rebuke but the angels that are our allies?

Alright, this one could get proof-texty if I let it and that would be not so much a take as an essay, so I’m going to splatter up a handful of short bullets instead and you guys can poke me for further clarification or to object if you want.

👻 I’m a cessationist, which is a schmancy term to describe what I believe about the miraculous gifts of the Spirit we see in the New Testament accounts, namely healing, prophesy, and speaking in tongues.

👻 Definitions matter. We are talking here of the ways these gifts manifested themselves to members of the early church. I am not saying that God does not still heal people or that no one has ever miraculously understood a language not their own.

👻 I am saying that these gifts are no longer dispensed as gifts, that is, as abilities that the gifted person can wield at will. If you have the gift of teaching, you carry it around in your pocket and can apply it whenever you like all your life without a special zap from the Holy Spirit to kick it off. If there were still members of the Body who could do this with healing cancer or raising the dead, we would have records of it.

👻 But the main reason I believe this is not evidential, but theological. In Scritpure, miraculous abilities were given to men who were speaking with the authority of God Himself. Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Christ, the Apostles… “The God of Abraham has told me to tell you…” The fact that reality itself obeyed them was was meant as an evidence to the fact that God had chosen them to speak His word to the people.

👻 We no longer need men like this. Why? Because we have a perfect spoken Word. Hebrews 1 says:

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”

God has spoken to us with authority and finality in the revealing of Christ, and this speaking needs no improvement. The apostles were writing Holy Scripture and so the miraculous gifts they wielded (at will—Paul could heal anyone he pleased, but even this gift shows evidence of decline in his later writings as the completion of the written canon approaches) gave credence to their words, in a similar way to Moses who came before Pharaoh, spoke the words God had given him to speak, and then backed them up with real physics-breaking miracles.

👻 As for the question regarding the angelic realm, I’ll quote Jack regarding the dark side:

“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.”

And regarding the light side I’ll say that we have zero scriptural evidence of human people being the ones to initiate angelic contact (I mean this like—no one summoned a “good” angel at will, as far as I know—they arrive on the scene at God’s bidding and not man’s). We have no instructions from the authors on how to lawfully interact with angels besides being hospitable to strangers, because we might be unknowingly entertaining a messenger of God.

I grew up in charismatic circles and learned many unscriptural things regarding the supernatural and the ways Christians should interact with it, so it’s very possible I am overcautious now to compensate for that. God seems to wish for us to let Him worry about the heavenly hosts and their fallen counterparts, because there just isn’t a lot of solid teaching on our relationship with them. We’re to be obedient: this causes the devil to flee and causes the angels to rejoice. But still our orientation is toward Christ.

[hiswordsarekisses]

It was never His intention to leave us how He found us… “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience. All of us also lived among them at one time, fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life. Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He extinguished their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.” Ephesians chapter‬ ‭2‬

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

18th December >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Matthew 1:18-24 for the 18th December: ‘She will give birth to a son, and you must name him Jesus’.

18th December

Gospel (Except USA) Matthew 1:18-24 How Jesus Christ came to be born.

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel,

a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.

Gospel (USA) Matthew 1:18-25 Jesus was born of Mary, the betrothed of Joseph, a son of David.

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.

Reflections (9)

(i) 18th December

In today’s gospel reading we find Joseph in something of a moral dilemma. He discovered that his betrothed, Mary, was pregnant, even though they had not come to live together as husband and wife. Concluding that Mary had been unfaithful to him, he felt he had no option but to divorce her. Betrothal was more than our engagement; it was equivalent to being legally married. However, to protect Mary’s honour, he would divorce her informally, with as little publicity as possible. Joseph’s intentions were honourable. Yet, they were not in accordance with God’s will for him or for Mary. When God communicated to him through an angel in a dream, Joseph understood that Mary’s pregnancy was the work of the Holy Spirit. Joseph was instructed to take Mary to his home as his wife and to name Mary’s child Jesus. Joseph proceeded to do what God asked of him. It is often the way in our own lives that we struggle to discern what God is asking of us. Like Joseph, our initial sense of what God wants of us, what is the best thing to do, is not always correct. We sometimes have to reflect further on our initial decision, to sleep on it, as we say, before we come to fully understand what God is asking of us, what is the right direction to take in the complex situations in which we often find ourselves. Saint Paul in his letter to the church in Rome hopes that they ‘may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect’ (12:2). In our efforts to discern this, we are not left to our own devices. Jesus’ other name was Emmanuel, God with us. The risen Lord is always with us, especially in those moments when, like Joseph, we struggle to discern what might be the good, acceptable and perfect thing to do. The Lord will enlighten us through the Holy Spirit, if we invite the Lord into our decision making through prayer and, perhaps, through conversation with others. Joseph inspires us to be open to the Lord’s guidance so that we end up doing what the Lord wants.

And/Or

(ii) 18th December

When we hear the term the ‘Annunciation’ we probably think of the story of the angel Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary in the gospel of Luke. This is the scene that has captured the imagination of artists all through the centuries. In Matthew’s gospel, however, there is no annunciation to Mary, but there is an annunciation to Joseph. That is the gospel reading we have just heard. In Luke’s gospel, the angel Gabriel says to Mary, ‘Do not be afraid’. In Matthew, the nameless angel says to Joseph, ‘Do not be afraid’. God was doing something new, something extraordinary, in the life of Mary and of Joseph, indeed, in the life of the human race. The unprecedented nature of what God was doing led to understandable fear and anxiety in the lives of those most directly affected, Mary and Joseph. Both of them needed a word of reassurance, ‘Do not be afraid’ at the beginning of this new phase of what God was doing. In times of transition when disturbing events are occurring around us, we all need to hear those words, ‘Do not be afraid’. They are words which assure us of God’s presence, God-with-us, Emmanuel, at the heart of all that is happening, even at the heart of Calvary.

And/Or

(iii) 18th December

Joseph features very prominently in Matthew’s telling of the story of the birth and childhood of Jesus. In this morning’s gospel reading, Joseph finds himself in a dilemma. Although betrothed to Mary and, therefore, legally husband and wife, they had not yet lived as husband and wife together and, yet, Mary was pregnant with child. This was a less than ideal situation for Joseph and he tried to do the decent thing by intending to divorce Mary quietly and informally. It was only subsequently that it was revealed to Joseph that Mary’s pregnancy was miraculous, the work of the Holy Spirit. Her child would be legally his but would be God’s child in a unique way. We often find ourselves, like Joseph, in situations that are not ideal. Things turn out in a way that we had not intended and had not wanted. We can be thrown by the unexpected course of events and we wonder what we should be doing. Sometimes what is asked of us is to do the decent thing, the good thing, the generous and noble thing. In doing that much, we open ourselves up to the Lord’s presence and to his life-giving work. In time he can reveal to us the good in the situation that we did not originally see.

And/Or

(iv) 18th December

In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus it is Joseph who features prominently, rather than Mary as is the case in Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus. In the history of art, Joseph tends to be depicted as an older man. In reality, he must have been a young, vibrant man, not much older than his young betrothed, Mary. He is described in this morning’s gospel reading as a ‘man of honour’. A more literal translation would be a ‘just man’. However, his was a justice that was tempered by mercy. Having discovered that Mary, his legal wife at the time, was pregnant with child before they had come to live together, the justice of the Jewish Law would have permitted Joseph to expose Mary publicly, and the consequences for Mary would have been very serious. Instead, Joseph decided to divorce her informally and quietly. He showed that quality of mercy that would characterize Jesus’ interpretation of the Jewish Law. It was subsequently announced to Joseph, by an angel, that Mary had conceived her child through the Holy Spirit and that she had not been unfaithful to Joseph. In obedience to the word of the angel, Joseph immediately took Mary to his home as his wife. Joseph is someone we can identify with in many ways. We resonate with his struggle to do the right thing, the decent thing, the good thing in the complex circumstances that life often throws up. In this struggle he was clearly open to God’s guidance and that openness ensured that, in the end, he did what God wanted of him. We can all learn from this good and decent man

And/Or

(v) 18th December

Joseph features very prominently in the story of Jesus’ birth that we find in Matthew’s gospel. Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth places more of a focus on Mary. In this morning’s gospel reading from Matthew, Joseph is portrayed as finding himself in a very confusing and awkward situation. Although betrothed to Mary, they have not yet come to live together as husband and wife, and, yet, he discovers that Mary is with child. He can only conclude that Mary has broken the sixth commandment. In this situation his basic decency shows itself in his desire to divorce her in a way that protected Mary and spared her publicity. In those few verses, Matthew gives us a sense of Joseph as a decent man, a good man who seeks to do the very best in a difficult situation that was not of his making. A messenger from the Lord, that allowed Joseph to understand the real reason for Mary’s pregnancy. She conceived what was in her by the Holy Spirit. Once again, Joseph shows his decency, his fundamental goodness, his deep faith, in going on to do what the angel has instructed him to do, take Mary home as his wife. Reading that gospel story, we sense that Jesus was very fortunate to have such a special man for his father throughout his formative years. Joseph’s deeply rooted faith which shaped his character must have had a hugely formative impact on the child Jesus, enabling him to grow in wisdom and in favour before God and others. Joseph can be an inspiration to us all. He reminds us that we are all called to help the Lord to grow in each other. Our own goodness, decency and faith can be a very significant force for good in the lives of others. As we grow in our own relationship with the Lord, we are helping others to do the same, without us always realizing it.

And/Or

(vi) 18th December

In today’s gospel reading we find Joseph struggling to do the right thing, what he believed God wanted of him. Mary’s unexplained pregnancy left him in a very difficult situation. Presuming that her pregnancy indicated she had been unfaithful to him, Joseph found himself torn between what he understood God’s law required him to do, viz. divorce Mary, and his own affectionate feelings for her. In this confusing situation, the gospel reading tells us that Joseph received guidance from the Lord, which he promptly followed. The complex situation in which Joseph found himself is not unlike the kind of situations in which many of us find ourselves from time to time. In so many of life’s situations the best way forward is not always immediately clear. Like Joseph in the gospel reading, we can find ourselves torn between what our head is telling us and what our heart is saying to us. The gospel reading today invites us to have something of the openness of Joseph to the Lord’s guidance. Joseph received the Lord’s guidance through an angel. The Lord’s guidance will often come to us through more ordinary means, such as through those in whom we confide. Their perspective on the situation we are struggling with can often bring a new and a fresh light. We can also experience the Lord’s guidance through prayer. In prayer we allow the Lord to enlighten our minds and hearts so that we can move forward in the light that he provides.

And/Or

(vii) 18th December

As we are only a week away from the feast of Christmas, the gospel readings for this week focus on the events associated with the birth and childhood of Jesus. This morning’s gospel reading is Matthew’s account of the annunciation of the birth of Jesus. In Luke’s gospel, the annunciation of Jesus’ birth is made to Mary; in Matthew’s gospel, it is made to Joseph. Artists have tended to depict Luke’s version of the annunciation to Mary much more often than Matthew’s version of the annunciation to Joseph. In both accounts, the angel announces that Mary is to conceive her child through the Holy Spirit. In both accounts there is a rich description of the unique identity of the child. Matthew’s account of the annunciation highlights two aspects of the identity of Mary’s child. He is to be named Jesus, a name which means in Hebrew ‘the Lord saves’, because he is to save God’s people from their sins. He is also to be named Emmanuel, which is Hebrew means ‘God is with us’. Combining these names indicates that Jesus is the presence of the loving mercy of God. When we look upon this child, we are looking upon God with us, or as Saint Paul says, God for us, working to reconcile us to himself. Jesus was born, lived and died, to reconcile us to God, to lead us back to God. At the last meal Jesus had with his disciples before his death, the last supper, he said, ‘this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’. It is because Jesus is the face of God’s mercy that we celebrate his birth with such gladness and hope. He has shown us that nothing need come between us and the love of God.

(viii) 18th December

When we hear the term ‘annunciation’, we think of the annunciation of the birth of Jesus by the angel Gabriel to Mary, which is to be found in Luke’s gospel. There is another story of the annunciation of the birth of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel. Once again, an angel of the Lord announces the birth of Jesus, but, in Matthew’s version, the announcement is made to Joseph, not to Mary. Indeed, whereas it is Mary who is prominent in the various stories relating to the birth of Jesus in Luke’s gospel, in Matthew’s gospel, it is Joseph who is the more prominent one in the stories relating to the birth of Jesus. It is just one example of how the particular perspective of each gospel complements and enriches the perspectives of the other gospels. In our gospel reading, the angel announces the birth of Jesus to Joseph after he discovers that Mary is pregnant. Joseph was betrothed to Mary but they hadn’t come to live together as husband and wife. What was Joseph to think? His solution was to divorce her quietly, being sensitive to her situation, while being realistic about what had happened. The annunciation to Joseph was with a view to enlightening him as to what had really happened, ‘she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit’. Joseph was floundering until that moment. He speaks to our own experience as people of faith. We too can flounder when it comes to knowing what the best and decent thing to do is, what the Lord is asking of us. Our initial decision, well intentioned as it may be, is not always the best one. Like Joseph, we sometimes need the Lord’s guidance to take the path which is best for all. We can be sure of receiving it, if we ask for it in prayer.

And/Or

(ix) 18th December

On the 8th December, Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter called “With a Father’s Heart”, in which he recalls the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To mark the occasion of this Apostolic Letter, Pope Francis proclaimed a “Year of Saint Joseph” from 8th December 2020, to 8 December 2021. In his Apostolic Letter, the Pope describes Saint Joseph as a beloved father, a tender and loving father, an obedient father, an accepting father; a father who is creatively courageous, a working father, a father in the shadows. He wrote the letter against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, which, he says, has helped us see more clearly the importance of “ordinary” people who, although far from the limelight, exercise patience and offer hope every day. In this, the Pope says, they resemble Saint Joseph, whom he describes as “the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence,” and, yet, played “an incomparable role in the history of salvation.” In today’s gospel reading, Joseph consents to become the father of the child of his betrothed, Mary, a child conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. The gospel reading suggests that, when he first heard the news of Mary’s pregnancy, he decided to divorce her informally. He didn’t understand initially what God was asking of him. When he realized that what he had planned to do was not what God was asking him to do, he submitted completely to God’s will for his life, which was to immediately take Mary home as his wife. Like Joseph, we can all struggle to know and to do what God is asking of us. We can begin to go down a path which is not God’s desire for us, just as Joseph did. However, Joseph shows us that if we keep on seeking after what God is asking of us, God will somehow reveal his will to us. Joseph had to discern over time what God was asking of him, and that can be true of us all. In our efforts to discern God’s will, God’s desire, for our lives, Saint Joseph can be a good companion, someone we can turn to in prayer, for help with our discerning.

Fr. Martin Hogan.