Accusation

Ex 22:20-26
Thus says the LORD:
"You shall not molest or oppress an alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.
If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,
I will surely hear their cry.
My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.
"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,
you shall not act like an extortioner toward him
by demanding interest from him.
If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge,
you shall return it to him before sunset;
for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body.
What else has he to sleep in?
If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate."

Gospel Mt 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,

they gathered together, and one of them,

a scholar of the law tested him by asking,

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"

He said to him,

"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."

+

The brazen serpent was a source of redemption,
prefiring the crucifixion.

Jesus did not kill the Pharisees for their errors, neither did He annihilate the Sadducees for their errors. It is clear they committed errors, for He says they did. Their errors remained as long as they were held. They were virtuous in that they cherished what they believed as what God taught, but what they believed was not what God taught, and Jesus came to set the record straight.

To this point, it is plain, that errors in religious thinking are not cause or license to commit genocide, and those who do will be punished. The wrong committed by those who insist on thinking the way they do, if in error, will not be expunged, and the lives disrupted will not go into eternity without remedy. Therefore, in order to have peace in life, you must avoid these errors, and the killing conducted by those in error will be accounted.

By the same token, do not think that if you are in great pain or distress, that you have committed any sin, for Jesus was sinless, and died by crucifixion nonetheless, and those who love Him often are caught up, by virtue of their great love, in a fiery trial which will only benefit the sufferer.

In the fire of that trial, I know all too well that He nevertheless lifts me up out of myself so my suffering is crushing, and though there seem to be no reason to weep, I cannot help but weep, even within myself in darkness, silence and solitude, as Jesus experienced it. But by allowing myself to be immersed in suffering this way, His love all the sweeter for it, and I know He holds good things in store for those imitators of Himself who dare all for His love's sake.

In the room of suffering there is heard the lamentation of those in woe, but as well, the songs of angels who worship God and His love, so evident there.

In the garden, in the evening, the darkness settles gently over it, the Lord is suddenly present, and the fragrance of His holiness is everywhere to comfort those who love Him, and to immerse the beloved in love in which one learns to forget altogether. In this is my hope, for I have spent more than enough evenings in the throes of His love, even in spite of my sins and faults.

Trust the judgement of the Lord; though you may think you have sinned, and are accused of wrong, it is the Lord who chooses to believe in your innocence, so you may approach Him fearlessly and in bliss, redolent of His love. If you have wronged, He will speak to you so you may be forgiven and judgement never enter into the picture. Blessed the person who allows the Lord to believe in them. Blessed the Lord who desires us to be blameless and does not hold our errors against us. Bear the cross as it is, and believe that your time on it is measured, and when it it is appropriate, will end.

Can I be mistaken in what I perceive and feel in my hands and feet or in my heart? I feel His wounds and I feel His pain and I love Him as He is in all His endeavors. It comes when I am free to suffer for Him and do not have to deal with the world at the moment, and so I am at peace that enduring the pain is of value to the Lord as an occupation in itself since He is finished with the cross, and only allows Himself to be fixed to it again in order to be about the business of the salvation of His children.

I know there is evil in the world, and its intent is nothing laudable. But I also know the Lord is victorious and completes all His initiatives. The world will be freed of evil, and though demonic beings roam through the world lost forever, I think they are here for longer than three days of darkness, and we ought to enclose ourselves in His love to worship Him until we are free to roam about the world ourselves. Great damage and destruction may be done, but remember that He created the universe in its entirety, and can do it again as well. One day the lion will lay down with the lamb and not fear the terrible teeth of the beasts. Believe in His good deeds and look forward to all He does for us until the ending is upon us. Trust in Him that all things will be arranged as He likes.

Accusation

Ex 22:20-26
Thus says the LORD:
"You shall not molest or oppress an alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.
If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,
I will surely hear their cry.
My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.
"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,
you shall not act like an extortioner toward him
by demanding interest from him.
If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge,
you shall return it to him before sunset;
for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body.
What else has he to sleep in?
If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate."

Gospel Mt 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,

they gathered together, and one of them,

a scholar of the law tested him by asking,

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"

He said to him,

"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."

+

The brazen serpent was a source of redemption,
prefiring the crucifixion.

Jesus did not kill the Pharisees for their errors, neither did He annihilate the Sadducees for their errors. It is clear they committed errors, for He says they did. Their errors remained as long as they were held. They were virtuous in that they cherished what they believed as what God taught, but what they believed was not what God taught, and Jesus came to set the record straight.

To this point, it is plain, that errors in religious thinking are not cause or license to commit genocide, and those who do will be punished. The wrong committed by those who insist on thinking the way they do, if in error, will not be expunged, and the lives disrupted will not go into eternity without remedy. Therefore, in order to have peace in life, you must avoid these errors, and the killing conducted by those in error will be accounted.

By the same token, do not think that if you are in great pain or distress, that you have committed any sin, for Jesus was sinless, and died by crucifixion nonetheless, and those who love Him often are caught up, by virtue of their great love, in a fiery trial which will only benefit the sufferer.

In the fire of that trial, I know all too well that He nevertheless lifts me up out of myself so my suffering is crushing, and though there seem to be no reason to weep, I cannot help but weep, even within myself in darkness, silence and solitude, as Jesus experienced it. But by allowing myself to be immersed in suffering this way, His love all the sweeter for it, and I know He holds good things in store for those imitators of Himself who dare all for His love's sake.

In the room of suffering there is heard the lamentation of those in woe, but as well, the songs of angels who worship God and His love, so evident there.

In the garden, in the evening, the darkness settles gently over it, the Lord is suddenly present, and the fragrance of His holiness is everywhere to comfort those who love Him, and to immerse the beloved in love in which one learns to forget altogether. In this is my hope, for I have spent more than enough evenings in the throes of His love, even in spite of my sins and faults.

Trust the judgement of the Lord; though you may think you have sinned, and are accused of wrong, it is the Lord who chooses to believe in your innocence, so you may approach Him fearlessly and in bliss, redolent of His love. If you have wronged, He will speak to you so you may be forgiven and judgement never enter into the picture. Blessed the person who allows the Lord to believe in them. Blessed the Lord who desires us to be blameless and does not hold our errors against us. Bear the cross as it is, and believe that your time on it is measured, and when it it is appropriate, will end.

Can I be mistaken in what I perceive and feel in my hands and feet or in my heart? I feel His wounds and I feel His pain and I love Him as He is in all His endeavors. It comes when I am free to suffer for Him and do not have to deal with the world at the moment, and so I am at peace that enduring the pain is of value to the Lord as an occupation in itself since He is finished with the cross, and only allows Himself to be fixed to it again in order to be about the business of the salvation of His children.

I know there is evil in the world, and its intent is nothing laudable. But I also know the Lord is victorious and completes all His initiatives. The world will be freed of evil, and though demonic beings roam through the world lost forever, I think they are here for longer than three days of darkness, and we ought to enclose ourselves in His love to worship Him until we are free to roam about the world ourselves. Great damage and destruction may be done, but remember that He created the universe in its entirety, and can do it again as well. One day the lion will lay down with the lamb and not fear the terrible teeth of the beasts. Believe in His good deeds and look forward to all He does for us until the ending is upon us. Trust in Him that all things will be arranged as He likes.

Silence

Silence, except my mind is never silent. This apartment complex houses over 300 other people like me, and the freeway a short distance away, is never silent, never still, never quiet.

If you like silence or at least quiet, situations in which something is always running just below the threshold of conscious hearing is an annoyance. Yet for someone wishing to follow the call of the Master to seek Him in silence has a problem is he is afraid to be alone, especially in silence.

It may drive you mad, not that silence is so hard to handle, but because you would think  a God who called a man might say something more often, so he does not feel ill at ease or, even worse, as if he has offended the one whose call he is trying to answer.

You might wonder why a God would do such a thing, but He does have a sense of humor; all intelligent sentient beings do. But don't think His sense of humor is the same as yours - it's not. And what might tickle the Lord of Heaven above might not be taken the same by His creatures, because He is nothing like them, and at the same time universally the same, so that one can draw at least one conclusion; all who are called heard the call in the stillness, in the silence, and in many cases, endless darkness, dying for a ray of light and hope and a little genuine peace in which everything is resolved. There is nothing worse than when such things are not resolved.

Must we go to the grave and suffer all the changes of leaving earthly life behind, only to feel like we got off the train at the wrong stop and do not know where we are?

He will be along shortly, and you can take it up with Him. Undoubtedly the first thing you'll notice is the smile on His Face ....

Silence

Silence, except my mind is never silent. This apartment complex houses over 300 other people like me, and the freeway a short distance away, is never silent, never still, never quiet.

If you like silence or at least quiet, situations in which something is always running just below the threshold of conscious hearing is an annoyance. Yet for someone wishing to follow the call of the Master to seek Him in silence has a problem is he is afraid to be alone, especially in silence.

It may drive you mad, not that silence is so hard to handle, but because you would think  a God who called a man might say something more often, so he does not feel ill at ease or, even worse, as if he has offended the one whose call he is trying to answer.

You might wonder why a God would do such a thing, but He does have a sense of humor; all intelligent sentient beings do. But don't think His sense of humor is the same as yours - it's not. And what might tickle the Lord of Heaven above might not be taken the same by His creatures, because He is nothing like them, and at the same time universally the same, so that one can draw at least one conclusion; all who are called heard the call in the stillness, in the silence, and in many cases, endless darkness, dying for a ray of light and hope and a little genuine peace in which everything is resolved. There is nothing worse than when such things are not resolved.

Must we go to the grave and suffer all the changes of leaving earthly life behind, only to feel like we got off the train at the wrong stop and do not know where we are?

He will be along shortly, and you can take it up with Him. Undoubtedly the first thing you'll notice is the smile on His Face ....

Everything

See everything in the light of God, for
ir matters more than any earthly thing.

Their weapons made them strong, but they did not make them wise. God gives wisdom, and often, it is gained by constant struggle, and not without gratitude. Humility makes men wise, and humility is born of a great deal of pain.

The modern obsession with comfort and pleasure and having fun has gotten people universally into trouble, and sometimes they were lost.

Blessed is the man who sees the pain he endured and it's connection with salvation. If you recognize your mistakes, sometimes the knowledge gained can make a happy time, for joy comes out of great pains and sufferings borne with a strength just barely sufficient for the need.

The longing to be lifted up is the grace of God embracing you, giving you a reason to live, and a reason to endure. He reveals Himself when seeing Him will do the most good, and not go to waste or be squandered on trivialities.

Unless we are reduced to such straits, we will not sail where He needs us to go, for the waves break over the reef and you can clearly see the danger of being pounded on the coral, hard as rock and sharp as shark's teeth.

The way you went in, is the way you must go out if you want to venture on.

The most terrible sting is sometimes the man you loved the most, or whom you thought was a true friend. But there are times people like to play games, and the play causes a great hurt. They may not have intended so much pain, but there it is. What we do with it shows the Lord who we really are. To continue to be the gentle, loving creature who so captured Jesus' Heart is to triumph, and He doesn't mind lifting up someone who has suffered greatly, so he knows the love of God toward them without a doubt.

It is important to be true to one another, for God gives us our friends, and true friends invariably need us. Some people are willing to throw away friendship because the game of power is so compelling they can't say no to themselves, and instead, they are more than ready to destroy, invade and kill, even though having what they want means it will be totally laid waste. Woe to a man who casts away divine friendship for power and profit. It paints a man in the lousiest colors there are.

God is above the pettiness of politics and power, or empires and marketplaces. The little  people of the world suffer because they do not have the knowledge that brings power. Instead God gives them knowledge of Himself, and they would not trade it for anything.

When God is all we have, we should be grateful for what we have because it is no mean thing. What God gives, no man can take away, but he can give it away himself, and sob without comfort as he sits in the dirt of the floor pondering what he lost.

Everything

See everything in the light of God, for
ir matters more than any earthly thing.

Their weapons made them strong, but they did not make them wise. God gives wisdom, and often, it is gained by constant struggle, and not without gratitude. Humility makes men wise, and humility is born of a great deal of pain.

The modern obsession with comfort and pleasure and having fun has gotten people universally into trouble, and sometimes they were lost.

Blessed is the man who sees the pain he endured and it's connection with salvation. If you recognize your mistakes, sometimes the knowledge gained can make a happy time, for joy comes out of great pains and sufferings borne with a strength just barely sufficient for the need.

The longing to be lifted up is the grace of God embracing you, giving you a reason to live, and a reason to endure. He reveals Himself when seeing Him will do the most good, and not go to waste or be squandered on trivialities.

Unless we are reduced to such straits, we will not sail where He needs us to go, for the waves break over the reef and you can clearly see the danger of being pounded on the coral, hard as rock and sharp as shark's teeth.

The way you went in, is the way you must go out if you want to venture on.

The most terrible sting is sometimes the man you loved the most, or whom you thought was a true friend. But there are times people like to play games, and the play causes a great hurt. They may not have intended so much pain, but there it is. What we do with it shows the Lord who we really are. To continue to be the gentle, loving creature who so captured Jesus' Heart is to triumph, and He doesn't mind lifting up someone who has suffered greatly, so he knows the love of God toward them without a doubt.

It is important to be true to one another, for God gives us our friends, and true friends invariably need us. Some people are willing to throw away friendship because the game of power is so compelling they can't say no to themselves, and instead, they are more than ready to destroy, invade and kill, even though having what they want means it will be totally laid waste. Woe to a man who casts away divine friendship for power and profit. It paints a man in the lousiest colors there are.

God is above the pettiness of politics and power, or empires and marketplaces. The little  people of the world suffer because they do not have the knowledge that brings power. Instead God gives them knowledge of Himself, and they would not trade it for anything.

When God is all we have, we should be grateful for what we have because it is no mean thing. What God gives, no man can take away, but he can give it away himself, and sob without comfort as he sits in the dirt of the floor pondering what he lost.

Continue

The pain of His love is unbearable, yet He lifts me up in it all the more so I may feel it, and it combines bliss with suffering so ineffably that it cannot be expressed or understood. 

Live then as in the flow of that flaming love, and rise with God before your brothers so they will see God whom you love, and let nothing disappoint you except that you disappointed Him. Yet permit Him to forgive you, so you may penetrate the mystery of His love and existence.

Renew your penitential initiatives, and let it penetrate your heart so that His grace may flow in and be one with your heart's beating for His sake.

Remember that He let me participate in His passion, and stay here with you for a little while longer so you might not lose hope or give way to despair or disappointment.

You owe Him solidarity in His Spirit, and you owe Him your life, consecrated, set aside for service, and owe Him appreciation for His loving intervention in your life.

The pain of your suffering is as the iron in the nails that permitted Him to complete His mission for the sake of our redemption. It was His Blood with which He paid, His life, His Spirit which flowed so it may continue flowing throughout all our days.

Remember, keep holy the Sabbath, renew your penitient spirit on Tuesday and Friday. Never cease praying the Rosary.

 

Continue

The pain of His love is unbearable, yet He lifts me up in it all the more so I may feel it, and it combines bliss with suffering so ineffably that it cannot be expressed or understood. 

Live then as in the flow of that flaming love, and rise with God before your brothers so they will see God whom you love, and let nothing disappoint you except that you disappointed Him. Yet permit Him to forgive you, so you may penetrate the mystery of His love and existence.

Renew your penitential initiatives, and let it penetrate your heart so that His grace may flow in and be one with your heart's beating for His sake.

Remember that He let me participate in His passion, and stay here with you for a little while longer so you might not lose hope or give way to despair or disappointment.

You owe Him solidarity in His Spirit, and you owe Him your life, consecrated, set aside for service, and owe Him appreciation for His loving intervention in your life.

The pain of your suffering is as the iron in the nails that permitted Him to complete His mission for the sake of our redemption. It was His Blood with which He paid, His life, His Spirit which flowed so it may continue flowing throughout all our days.

Remember, keep holy the Sabbath, renew your penitient spirit on Tuesday and Friday. Never cease praying the Rosary.

 

Seeing

 Day's Saints

Julian the Hermit
Peter of Alcantara, Franciscan

Gospel Lk 10:1-9
The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter,
first say, 'Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'"

+

When will you realize the truth
behind what you see?

Jesus is impartial in judgement; if you sinned, you are a sinner and He will know what you did; if you are fortunate enough to be forgiven and to come to know Him, your time in paradise will have begun in time, but with Jesus, will end in eternity.

Let penance come easy to you, and if some suffering befalls you, be glad, and rejoice that day, for you will have participated  in Him and in union with Him, the highest reward there is.

Look not upon the world and its deeds; look upon the face of the Lord, crowned in thorns, beaten and marred, and recognize your bodily participation in His passion and resurrection in the pains of your body, which for you and others, who come to know you, will regard as salvation.

Of those who visit destruction and catastrophe on others as a form of amusement, know that that is behavior that abides in hell, and that the children of God are innocent and fragile, and so He guards you jealously in His loving affection.

Realize the power He has in embracing the passion and the cross, so that doing what He promised, we might come to share in His resurrection, and the new world promised us ages ago. Realize there is no power greater or stronger than His. Seek your refuge and fidelity in His power, and do not seek refuge in things that are not stronger than Him. Our strength rises from His fidelity to the Father, and so does ours, since we seek to be established in Him, and not in the things of the world.

Realize, that sin caters to ourselves and neglects God in whose vitality we strive to share. Therefore, cast aside sin, and all its tenacious allurements, casting them into a hole to be buried, for you have been chosen for a share in His resurrection, and you must be seen rising and not falling by the weak of the world who need His strength so much.

Seek no strength in human beings, for they turn on you and like rabid animals, tear up what God has built. The world of Jesus, however, is not like a sand castle that the waves of the tide and wind of storms wash away.

It is work to remain with Jesus, but what else is worth the time of day? The fruits of such labor are enjoyed by the children of God forever, and they may sleep in peace that is never broken.

Out of His brokenness, the crucifixion that so many fear, and His subjection to those in the world's power. What is power when you gaze on the universe and can plainly see, we are powerless? So the innocent and fragile remain loving beings whom God loves infinitely, and this is the testimony that glorifies Him as the Son of God. What testimony can evil give except that it does not know and is powerless when all is revealed. One day everything will be revealed, and our allegiance will belong to God and out of it will come eternal life.

There is one God, and He stands plainly un-touched and defended by His holiness, He need fear nothing. Evil must fear everything, and even those that might prosper evil will suffer at the hands of the terror that gnaws at evil. Jesus stands in calm and peace, surrounded by true light which renders all things under His power. How many strutting mad dictators have fallen, and how many empires have swept in like an evil tide, able to only carry off a few. Jesus conquers, and carries away all He wishes to fill with happiness and love.

Come Lord Jesus, so that I may give my heart and soul to you. You are my strength, and I wish to be only in your power, and none other. Even if wounds and broken bones assail me and I am tripped and flung to the earth, I still am His, belong to Him, and serve Him alone who is my existence.

Salvation has sanctified the children of God to enable them to love Jesus and serve God even in the midst of death. God has redeemed us and no other. Therefore honor His Name and praise Him.

Seeing

 Day's Saints

Julian the Hermit
Peter of Alcantara, Franciscan

Gospel Lk 10:1-9
The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter,
first say, 'Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'"

+

When will you realize the truth
behind what you see?

Jesus is impartial in judgement; if you sinned, you are a sinner and He will know what you did; if you are fortunate enough to be forgiven and to come to know Him, your time in paradise will have begun in time, but with Jesus, will end in eternity.

Let penance come easy to you, and if some suffering befalls you, be glad, and rejoice that day, for you will have participated  in Him and in union with Him, the highest reward there is.

Look not upon the world and its deeds; look upon the face of the Lord, crowned in thorns, beaten and marred, and recognize your bodily participation in His passion and resurrection in the pains of your body, which for you and others, who come to know you, will regard as salvation.

Of those who visit destruction and catastrophe on others as a form of amusement, know that that is behavior that abides in hell, and that the children of God are innocent and fragile, and so He guards you jealously in His loving affection.

Realize the power He has in embracing the passion and the cross, so that doing what He promised, we might come to share in His resurrection, and the new world promised us ages ago. Realize there is no power greater or stronger than His. Seek your refuge and fidelity in His power, and do not seek refuge in things that are not stronger than Him. Our strength rises from His fidelity to the Father, and so does ours, since we seek to be established in Him, and not in the things of the world.

Realize, that sin caters to ourselves and neglects God in whose vitality we strive to share. Therefore, cast aside sin, and all its tenacious allurements, casting them into a hole to be buried, for you have been chosen for a share in His resurrection, and you must be seen rising and not falling by the weak of the world who need His strength so much.

Seek no strength in human beings, for they turn on you and like rabid animals, tear up what God has built. The world of Jesus, however, is not like a sand castle that the waves of the tide and wind of storms wash away.

It is work to remain with Jesus, but what else is worth the time of day? The fruits of such labor are enjoyed by the children of God forever, and they may sleep in peace that is never broken.

Out of His brokenness, the crucifixion that so many fear, and His subjection to those in the world's power. What is power when you gaze on the universe and can plainly see, we are powerless? So the innocent and fragile remain loving beings whom God loves infinitely, and this is the testimony that glorifies Him as the Son of God. What testimony can evil give except that it does not know and is powerless when all is revealed. One day everything will be revealed, and our allegiance will belong to God and out of it will come eternal life.

There is one God, and He stands plainly un-touched and defended by His holiness, He need fear nothing. Evil must fear everything, and even those that might prosper evil will suffer at the hands of the terror that gnaws at evil. Jesus stands in calm and peace, surrounded by true light which renders all things under His power. How many strutting mad dictators have fallen, and how many empires have swept in like an evil tide, able to only carry off a few. Jesus conquers, and carries away all He wishes to fill with happiness and love.

Come Lord Jesus, so that I may give my heart and soul to you. You are my strength, and I wish to be only in your power, and none other. Even if wounds and broken bones assail me and I am tripped and flung to the earth, I still am His, belong to Him, and serve Him alone who is my existence.

Salvation has sanctified the children of God to enable them to love Jesus and serve God even in the midst of death. God has redeemed us and no other. Therefore honor His Name and praise Him.

Of Wedding Feasts

Day's Saints

Teresa of Avila, Carmelite Doctor of the Church
Odilo, Benedictine

Is 25:6-10a
On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
a feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from every face;
the reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
"Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

Gospel Mt 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people

in parables, saying,

"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king

who gave a wedding feast for his son.

He dispatched his servants

to summon the invited guests to the feast,

but they refused to come.

A second time he sent other servants, saying,

'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet,

my calves and fattened cattle are killed,

and everything is ready; come to the feast."'

Some ignored the invitation and went away,

one to his farm, another to his business.

The rest laid hold of his servants,

mistreated them, and killed them.

The king was enraged and sent his troops,

destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready,

but those who were invited were not worthy to come.

Go out, therefore, into the main roads

and invite to the feast whomever you find.'

The servants went out into the streets

and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,

and the hall was filled with guests.

But when the king came in to meet the guests,

he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.

The king said to him, 'My friend, how is it

that you came in here without a wedding garment?'

But he was reduced to silence.

Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet,

and cast him into the darkness outside,

where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'

Many are invited, but few are chosen."

+

The heavens take on the hues of the Lord
Our God and by the power of His light
we are saved.

Let us implore the Lord for the grace to be prepared to come ready for the wedding feast. He is our life, and we have no choice but the heaven of God, or the hell of our persecutors. They will be annihilated and all those who love them, with them.

Those who love the Lord will be treated as His children and they will be safe in Him; indeed more than safe but held in love forever enwrapped in His affection.

If He asks you a penance, do not begrudge Him a little of it for the sake of saving His children. The enemy acts as though there can be no other reality, but they deceive themselves, because the reality of Jesus IS reality, and woe betide those who despise the Lord or His children, for He is in no mood to suffer their contempt. The day of suffering is upon us in which we taste the chalice He drank from, which alone suffices for every spiritual need. Therefore, let us weep for our sins and ask His forgiveness, for we have sinned. 

Of Wedding Feasts

Day's Saints

Teresa of Avila, Carmelite Doctor of the Church
Odilo, Benedictine

Is 25:6-10a
On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
a feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from every face;
the reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
"Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

Gospel Mt 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people

in parables, saying,

"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king

who gave a wedding feast for his son.

He dispatched his servants

to summon the invited guests to the feast,

but they refused to come.

A second time he sent other servants, saying,

'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet,

my calves and fattened cattle are killed,

and everything is ready; come to the feast."'

Some ignored the invitation and went away,

one to his farm, another to his business.

The rest laid hold of his servants,

mistreated them, and killed them.

The king was enraged and sent his troops,

destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready,

but those who were invited were not worthy to come.

Go out, therefore, into the main roads

and invite to the feast whomever you find.'

The servants went out into the streets

and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,

and the hall was filled with guests.

But when the king came in to meet the guests,

he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.

The king said to him, 'My friend, how is it

that you came in here without a wedding garment?'

But he was reduced to silence.

Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet,

and cast him into the darkness outside,

where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'

Many are invited, but few are chosen."

+

The heavens take on the hues of the Lord
Our God and by the power of His light
we are saved.

Let us implore the Lord for the grace to be prepared to come ready for the wedding feast. He is our life, and we have no choice but the heaven of God, or the hell of our persecutors. They will be annihilated and all those who love them, with them.

Those who love the Lord will be treated as His children and they will be safe in Him; indeed more than safe but held in love forever enwrapped in His affection.

If He asks you a penance, do not begrudge Him a little of it for the sake of saving His children. The enemy acts as though there can be no other reality, but they deceive themselves, because the reality of Jesus IS reality, and woe betide those who despise the Lord or His children, for He is in no mood to suffer their contempt. The day of suffering is upon us in which we taste the chalice He drank from, which alone suffices for every spiritual need. Therefore, let us weep for our sins and ask His forgiveness, for we have sinned. 

Slices

A trip into downtown Seattle to go to a VA hospital appointment is always exhausting. It takes an hour to get downtown and then walk to the next stop. If you go through the south entrance, you get to explore the cavernous building and get lost. I got to my appointment and I was asked if I wanted a diabetic neuropathy check and I said no; when I said that the lady wanted to know why, and I said it is unnecessary, which it is. If I had neuropathy, I assure you I'd be aware. I also said I wanted the COVID vaccination today, but NOT the flu shot; last time I got both together on the same day, I regretted it. I was really sore and the shots made me sick and miserable. There is time before the end of the month, to get the flu shot.

My provider did a diabetic neuropathy test anyway, in spite of my saying it was unnecessary. I felt the touch of the needles everywhere it touched me. Why do they not listen?

When I questioned my provider why they recently told me to cut my Metformin tablets in half, she said didn't know. Then, thinking back on why they they said I should cut the tablets in half, she said that smaller pills were unavailable. That did not explain why I get less Metformin. I started taking a full dose and things were fine; I lost weight and had better control of my appetite.

I also explained how I injured my right foot recently, and she said the back spasms were not the result of the Allopurinol. It is designed to reduce uric acid levels in the blood and prevent gout attacks, which is certainly laudable. I have had lots of experience with gout, and have no desire to go through that again. Neither do I have any desire to get Shingles again, as the first two times were more than sufficient. I got the shingles vaccine - twice. It was no more fun than the COVID or flu.

If a patient has no say-so in his or her treatment, the medical care is flawed. If I had something really serious and decided against an arduous treatment course. that should be sufficient. Good intentions are insufficient; you have to deliver on the promise. 

I realized what date it was a little while ago; Friday the 13th !. My reaction was to ask, "Can I just go back to bed now?". The answer was, "yes", "but it will not change the date." I will sacrifice a virgin to the new moon; that should protect me LOL.

My provider insisted on listening to my breathing and my heart, but before she did, I asked, "Can you hear me now" to her stethoscope, as I had a sweat shirt on and I thought it would be necessary to remove the sweat shirt, but no, it was not.

I got back home, by the grace of God, but boy was I tired. I ate a little dinner and crashed. So now it is 01:22 on October 13, 2023 - "O dark thirty" for some of you civilians LOL.

Did you forget that humor is a necessary part of being a hermit? It is a central part of being a HUMAN BEING, so being a hermit is doubly necessary. The Lord has a sense of humor, but it is not always appreciated, as St. Theresa of Avila remarked once. And another time, she slipped in the mud upon getting out of a coach, and she said "No wonder You have so few friends."

Sometimes I cannot fathom why things happen. Yesterday I tried to pick up my cup of coffee, and my left palm felt as if a nail had been pounded through it. Just as quickly as it started hurting, I grabbed the cup with my other hand in order not to spill the coffee, and the sensation disappeared and did not return. The connections by which we hang together are subject to deterioration and we don't hold together as tightly as we should, so nerves get pinched and aggravated. There isn't much for it as the pain is gone almost immediately. Undoubtedly, it may return again because as soon as one kind of pain appears, it disappears and is replaced by another. Some days, especially Fridays, I seem to be in a sea of pain, and then I remember the Lord on the cross and don't complain, but offer it for the poor souls in purgatory.

If it is 1 am, it must be time for a fire truck to whizz down the avenue to another housing complex, and then an aid car or ambulance passes through with its mournful siren and disappears into the night. The poor beast cries out pitifully, and I ponder on someone's misery, another soul in distress, and pray for them.

Such is a slice of my life. Nothing momentous, but things happen and you don't know why and it does no good to wonder why. If it is not you being loaded into an aid car to go to the hospital, be grateful for the mercy of God, and try to be a part of His mercy is you can.

Slices

A trip into downtown Seattle to go to a VA hospital appointment is always exhausting. It takes an hour to get downtown and then walk to the next stop. If you go through the south entrance, you get to explore the cavernous building and get lost. I got to my appointment and I was asked if I wanted a diabetic neuropathy check and I said no; when I said that the lady wanted to know why, and I said it is unnecessary, which it is. If I had neuropathy, I assure you I'd be aware. I also said I wanted the COVID vaccination today, but NOT the flu shot; last time I got both together on the same day, I regretted it. I was really sore and the shots made me sick and miserable. There is time before the end of the month, to get the flu shot.

My provider did a diabetic neuropathy test anyway, in spite of my saying it was unnecessary. I felt the touch of the needles everywhere it touched me. Why do they not listen?

When I questioned my provider why they recently told me to cut my Metformin tablets in half, she said didn't know. Then, thinking back on why they they said I should cut the tablets in half, she said that smaller pills were unavailable. That did not explain why I get less Metformin. I started taking a full dose and things were fine; I lost weight and had better control of my appetite.

I also explained how I injured my right foot recently, and she said the back spasms were not the result of the Allopurinol. It is designed to reduce uric acid levels in the blood and prevent gout attacks, which is certainly laudable. I have had lots of experience with gout, and have no desire to go through that again. Neither do I have any desire to get Shingles again, as the first two times were more than sufficient. I got the shingles vaccine - twice. It was no more fun than the COVID or flu.

If a patient has no say-so in his or her treatment, the medical care is flawed. If I had something really serious and decided against an arduous treatment course. that should be sufficient. Good intentions are insufficient; you have to deliver on the promise. 

I realized what date it was a little while ago; Friday the 13th !. My reaction was to ask, "Can I just go back to bed now?". The answer was, "yes", "but it will not change the date." I will sacrifice a virgin to the new moon; that should protect me LOL.

My provider insisted on listening to my breathing and my heart, but before she did, I asked, "Can you hear me now" to her stethoscope, as I had a sweat shirt on and I thought it would be necessary to remove the sweat shirt, but no, it was not.

I got back home, by the grace of God, but boy was I tired. I ate a little dinner and crashed. So now it is 01:22 on October 13, 2023 - "O dark thirty" for some of you civilians LOL.

Did you forget that humor is a necessary part of being a hermit? It is a central part of being a HUMAN BEING, so being a hermit is doubly necessary. The Lord has a sense of humor, but it is not always appreciated, as St. Theresa of Avila remarked once. And another time, she slipped in the mud upon getting out of a coach, and she said "No wonder You have so few friends."

Sometimes I cannot fathom why things happen. Yesterday I tried to pick up my cup of coffee, and my left palm felt as if a nail had been pounded through it. Just as quickly as it started hurting, I grabbed the cup with my other hand in order not to spill the coffee, and the sensation disappeared and did not return. The connections by which we hang together are subject to deterioration and we don't hold together as tightly as we should, so nerves get pinched and aggravated. There isn't much for it as the pain is gone almost immediately. Undoubtedly, it may return again because as soon as one kind of pain appears, it disappears and is replaced by another. Some days, especially Fridays, I seem to be in a sea of pain, and then I remember the Lord on the cross and don't complain, but offer it for the poor souls in purgatory.

If it is 1 am, it must be time for a fire truck to whizz down the avenue to another housing complex, and then an aid car or ambulance passes through with its mournful siren and disappears into the night. The poor beast cries out pitifully, and I ponder on someone's misery, another soul in distress, and pray for them.

Such is a slice of my life. Nothing momentous, but things happen and you don't know why and it does no good to wonder why. If it is not you being loaded into an aid car to go to the hospital, be grateful for the mercy of God, and try to be a part of His mercy is you can.

Waiting

 Day's Saints
Blessed Angela Truszkowska, Franciscan
Blessed Demestrius of Albania, Hermit

Gospel Lk 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."

+

Wait on the Lord and He will give you
what you need.

The lives of so many are a montage of such contrasts. Some part of their life, they are sweet and adorable angels, and grow up somehow, to be beheaders of other people's children.

Happy the man whose children are intelligent and sweet, caring for the creatures in the world and other people, for the Lord smiles on them.

Regardless of what men do to one another, we are bound by our love of God to forgive and to love and to give both good example, and the things they need. If then, some embrace cruel violence and evil, they have made the choice of what they wish to be, but the children of God are not like them, and their love slakes the burning thirst for revenge of the evil of the world.God created them, but they became what they wanted, and will abide by their choice into eternity of sorrows.

Those whose lives were cut short are safe in God and He will not disappoint them.

Waiting

 Day's Saints
Blessed Angela Truszkowska, Franciscan
Blessed Demestrius of Albania, Hermit

Gospel Lk 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."

+

Wait on the Lord and He will give you
what you need.

The lives of so many are a montage of such contrasts. Some part of their life, they are sweet and adorable angels, and grow up somehow, to be beheaders of other people's children.

Happy the man whose children are intelligent and sweet, caring for the creatures in the world and other people, for the Lord smiles on them.

Regardless of what men do to one another, we are bound by our love of God to forgive and to love and to give both good example, and the things they need. If then, some embrace cruel violence and evil, they have made the choice of what they wish to be, but the children of God are not like them, and their love slakes the burning thirst for revenge of the evil of the world.God created them, but they became what they wanted, and will abide by their choice into eternity of sorrows.

Those whose lives were cut short are safe in God and He will not disappoint them.

What of the World

Day's Saints
Amor of Aquitane, Hermit
Benedicta of Origny-sur-Oise, Martyr

Gospel Mt 21:33-43
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:
"Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.
When vintage time drew near,
he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,
'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit."

+

What can love ask of us?

What of our world? I read Isaiah, and I am taken aback, when I compare his words with our reality, and wonder what will happen next. If I turn again to Scripture, I see the Lord telling us to cherish HIm within and we will live in His Kingdom until He changes everything, and the sword will become unknown, and the love of God be all our reality, forever.

You have never known what He plans to do because so few have persevered in penance and sacrifice to unleash the tide of grace to come.

In the lives of the saints, we come upon Saint Benedicta, killed by beheading by her own father.

How insensate and lacking wisdom was the father's mind, killing his own daughter. Yet what else had he done? Nothing is disclosed of what he did, but it must have been unimaginable. But the Kingdom of God will be equally unimaginable, the saints living in inexpressible joy, daring not speak His Name for fear of death, yet transcending mortality like Jesus Himself.

What God builds, He builds to succeed and to last, not like mere humans who one moment decree the death of God's children, and in the next breath proclaim gods that are only murderers.

What is false cannot last, and will fade away, but the blood of those murdered by madmen will cry out praise of God forever, while the evil is forgotten in its buried rage.