Gerhard's Blog

Let’s give God through our life

2012-02-02T20:24:00.004+02:00

One usually went to a temple to "find" God,
or a sacred place, like a church -
and through a "liturgical" experience one's faith would grow
like an olive tree...

The Incarnation brought God amongst us,
and God adopted us,
such that we experience God everywhere,
for God is not confined to place or space
no matter how "sacred" that place may be
(Hebrews 2:14-18).

Now it is our turn to give God to others -
not in a place, but through our very selves.
Hence today's Password:
Let’s give God through our life.

Firstly, we are those "messengers"
preparing the way for others to experience God
(Malachi 3:1-4).
Let’s give God through our life.

Secondly, it will cost us:
there will be a shared suffering with the Incarnate Word
(Hebrews 2:14-18);
and there will be a shared suffering
with the one who brought Him into the world, (Luke 2:22-40),
when we "bring Christ" into our world
each we time we live the Password:
Let’s give God through our life.

Who would count the price or value the suffering
when it is actually God-amongst-us we are bringing
into our world so in need of rescue?

Let’s give God through our life.

Stay blessed.

G

[pic: I took in Rome a few weeks ago before the snow arrived]
[ Let’s give God through our life.
Dare Dio con la nostra vita
Doar Deus com a nossa vida
Donner Dieu par notre vie
Dar Dios con nuestra vida
Durch unser Leben Gott erfahrbar machen
God geven door ons leven ]

Let’s listen to what God wants to tell us

2012-02-01T08:27:00.004+02:00

First, let's read the texts for today:

2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17
Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7
Mk 6:1-6

You can get them on line:
@ :
http://www.catholic.org/bible/daily_reading/?select_date=2012-02-01

Now read them again in the light of today's Password:
Let’s listen to what God wants to tell us.

And if you have a mo,
email me with what you "heard"...

gshattingh@hotmail.com

G

[pic: I took of a friend, Roberto Teodosio,
a few years before he was killed in a motor car accident.]
[ Let’s listen to what God wants to tell us.
Essere in ascolto di ciò che Dio vuole dirci
Escutar o que Deus quer nos dizer
Être à l’écoute de ce Dieu veut nous dire
Estar a la escucha de lo que Dios nos quiere decir
Hören auf das, was Gott uns sagen möchte
Steeds luisteren naar wat God ons wil zeggen ]

In living the Word we give glory to God

2012-01-31T08:06:00.004+02:00

I recall that as a teenager I encountered Edvard Munch's The Cry
with a sense of "I know that cry..."
At that time it was a mixture of street protests over Sharpville,
the horrors of alcohol addiction I witnessed in others,
and events of "desperation" around me.

King David senses the same in today's First Reading
(extracts 2 Sam 18).
Absolom is murdered. "Oh, my son, my son..." is David's cry.
And we all know of fathers who have cried over their sons.

But, for the Christian, all is never lost.
The Responsorial Psalm (86) takes us beyond the cry:
"Fill your servant's heart with joy, Lord,
for to you I raise up my heart.
Lord, you are kind and forgiving,
rich in faithful love for all who call upon you."

It is in and through that "cry" that we turn to God
and God's Love becomes manifest,
because every "cry" is a reflection of Jesus on the Cross,
and that Jesus, Forsaken and crucified,
is the pinacle of God's Love for us in Christ.
In His Cry we were loved into salvation,
hugged into redemption,
lifted above the disaster,
and the water of tears is turned into drops of wine
to celebrate that Love, so that
In living the Word we give glory to God.

The Gospel (Mk 5:21-43) confirms this!
"A woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years ...
came up through the crowd and touched Jesus' cloak from behind,
thinking, 'If I can just touch his clothes, I shall be saved.' "
She was! Her faith moved her beyond the cry, beyond the wound.
So can we: accept the Word, Live it, and you will discover
that, like this woman,
In living the Word we give glory to God.
It is because when we live the Word,
God works in and through us, to take us beyond the cry...

Jesus goes further: Jairus' daughter is raised from the dead.
The cries of the mourners are stifled.
so can ours be stifled.

The "Davids" of our world need not weep for their sons.
A new beginning awaits us when we realise that
In living the Word we (can) give glory to God.

I believe we know which Words need to be lived intensely,
now, today...
Why make of life a "cry"
when we are freed to give glory to our God,
not lament?

Depends on my conviction:
like the Gospel's
"woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years" or
"the president of the synagogue ... named Jairus."
Am I prepared to risk proving the Password, that
In living the Word we (can) give glory to God ?

Stay blessed.

G

[pic: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/munch/
Edvard Munch: Norwegian painter and printmaker whose intense, evocative treatment of psychological and emotional themes was a major influence on the development of German Expressionism in the early 20th century. His painting The Cry (1893) is regarded as an icon of existential anguish... typical in its anguished expression of isolation and fear." ]
[ In living the Word we give glory to God.
Vivendo la Parola diamo gloria a Dio
Vivendo a palavra, damos glória a Deus
En vivant la Parole, nous rendons gloire à Dieu
Viviendo la Palabra damos gloria a Dios
Wir verherrlichen Gott, indem wir sein Wort leben
Door het Woord te beleven geven we glorie aan God ]

Let’s have our life shine forth the Word

2012-01-30T19:53:00.006+02:00

The First Reading provides a further insight into a "holiness"
of King David (2 Sam 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13).
The king flees from a possible attack by his son, Absalom.
David flees Jerusalem, and making his way up the Mount of Olives,
he weeps, head covered and bare feet.

Then "as David was reaching Bahurim,
out came a man of the same clan as Saul's family.
His name was Shimei son of Gera and, as he came,
he uttered curse after curse:
'Off with you, off with you, man of blood, scoundrel!
Yahweh has paid you back
for all the spilt blood of the House of Saul
whose sovereignty you have usurped ...
Now your wickedness has overtaken you,
man of blood that you are.' "

While David's bodyguards are ready to kill the curser,
David is open to a divine retribution contained in his curses:
"If Yahweh has said to him, 'Curse David!'
what right has anyone to say, 'Why have you done so?' ...
Let him curse on, if Yahweh has told him to!"

If someone "curses" you for something you have done in the past,
when someone refuses to forgive you even though you have made
reparation, or when circumstances are beyond your control,
then the Word from the mouth of David gives courage, insight and
challenge, such that it has the potential to launch you
into a new "holiness" :
"If Yahweh has said to him, 'Curse David!'
what right has anyone to say, 'Why have you done so?' ...
Let him curse on, if Yahweh has told him to!"

David will not return violence for violence.
David has learned to be open to the Will of God,
even in the most "impossible" of situations.
He is living today's Password:
Let’s have our life shine forth the Word.

His hope?
"Perhaps Yahweh will look on my wretchedness
and will repay me with good for his curses today."
Let’s have our life shine forth the Word.

I identify this with many who seek justice,
with those who have wronged in the past and seek forgiveness,
and those who have been wronged and cannot forgive.
David tells us that no matter how many "tears"
it is never the end of the road.

We can climb the Mount of Olives,
because Jesus did, centuries after this event,
and became "tearful unto death" for us.

We can because of the power of Jesus
expelling a "Legion of demons" which possessed a man in
"the territory of the Gerasenes" (Mk 5:1-20).

Enough of darkness!
Enough of betrayal!
Enough of revenge!
Enough of reluctance to live the Word!
Instead,
Let’s have our life shine forth the Word.

Stay free
and blessed.

G

[pic: I took of a pensioner and her walker in a forest, outside a retirement home, Holland]
[ Let’s have our life shine forth the Word.
Facciamo risplendere con la nostra vita la Parola
Façamos resplandecer com a nossa vida a Palavra
Par notre vie, faisons resplendir la Parole
Hagamos resplandecer la Palabra con nuestra vida
Lassen wir durch unser Leben das Wort Gottes aufstrahlen
Door ons leven het Woord laten schitteren ]

Let’s welcome the Word without any reservations

2012-01-28T06:59:00.004+02:00

The Dutch "welcomed" the fact that they were below sea level,
reclaimed land (below sea level),
constructed canals (below sea level),
and built cities (below sea level),
like this street scene in Leiden.
They welcomed their challenge, without reservations.

Now it's today's Password:
Let’s welcome the Word without any reservations.
Life's experiences need not "flood" your life:
reclaim land, build canals around you,
construct your little "City of God" -
these are all metaphors for living the Word
and becoming what God wants you to become!

God sends Nathan to help David become what God wants of David.
(2 Sam 12) - the metaphor is a story about two men,
“one rich, the other poor”,
the one with “flocks and herds in great abundance”,
and the other “with nothing but an ewe lamb…”

David lives today's Password:
Let’s welcome the Word without any reservations.
He admits his guilt and pleads with the Lord ...
His repentance is complete.

Scripture is filled with those who knew how to repent:
acknowledging their sin,
and making reparation.

No matter how small, or how large, our sin,
there is always a time for repentance:
for acknowledging our sin, and for making reparation.

Sometimes those offended by what we have done
are oblivious to our reparation.
When I apply today's Password to the Gospel (Mk 4:35-41),
Let’s welcome the Word without any reservations,
then Jesus "rebukes the wind and the sea"
and reduces "a gale and huge waves" to calmness.

Let Jesus enter your boat with the words,
“Quiet now! Be calm!”

Through your prayers for others who need rescue,
others who need your forgiveness,
let Jesus enter with the words,
“Quiet now! Be calm!”
Through your acts of love to every neighbour
which translate God’s Love wherever you are
in each present moment and show that you
welcome the Word without any reservations
you will allow each "storm" to be rebuked
in God’s time.

And if you are the victim who stills question those
who have wronged you in the past,
count your “flocks and herds” ,
and do not wait to pounce on “the ewe lamb.”
God waits for your love for hundreds of others -
a love which will bring God's healing into your own life
and "calm the gale and gigantic waves" around you.

Your faith is the guarantee Jesus is in your boat.
Don’t sink with “little faith”!
Let's intensify our faith.
Let's deepen that faith by loving others…
Let's welcome the Word without any reservations

Stay blessed.

[pic: I took in Leiden two weeks' ago]
[ Let’s welcome the Word without any reservations.
Accogliamo la Parola senza riserve
Acolhamos a Palavra sem reservas
Accueillons sans réserves la Parole
Tomemos la Palabra sin reservas
Nehmen wir das Wort Gottes vorbehaltlos in uns auf
Het Woord zonder voorbehoud aannemen ]

Let’s allow ourselves to be guided by the Word of God

2012-01-27T06:37:00.004+02:00

King David commits adultery, and murder (2 Sam 11)...
It's smacks of a movie, albeit 1951.

Yet, the seriousness is that the Messiah will have the title
"Son of David."
Is this possible?

Get back to the text!
King David laments his sins (Ps 51)
and asks forgiveness from God.
And that is the key.
He was able to apply the Power of God's Forgiveness,
as repeatedly told in the Old Testament:
to live it, to be guided by it,
to know it is never "the end."
Let’s allow ourselves to be guided by the Word of God.

No sin is too big or too small that it is outside of God's forgiveness.
Why remain in guilt when Jesus has taken your sin away?
Why remain in your sin?
Why keep others in their sins of the past?
Expect to reap the fruit of God's kingdom of forgiveness (Mk 4:26-34)
with a full ear of grown seed
when you live in God's Kingdom!
You "live in God's kingdom" through today's Password:
Let’s allow ourselves to be guided by the Word of God.

Let the "birds of the air" nest in your wisdom, your love,
your being able to rise above your guilt
in God's forgiveness for you,
so as to help others in their guilt.
They are "the birds" needing your friendship,
your unconditional love, your forgiveness
because God has forgiven them.
Why perpetuate their guilt
because of your reluctance to forgive them?
Let them nest in your tolerance, your understanding,
your incarnating Christ's love in your love.
Let’s allow ourselves to be guided by the Word of God.

Live out David's plea,
"God, create in me a clean heart,
renew within me a resolute spirit,
do not thrust me away from your presence,
do not take away from me your spirit of holiness."

God did so for David,
and the Gospel reminds us repeatedly that
God has done so for you, and the one you cannot forgive.
Now we live it:
Let’s allow ourselves to be guided by the Word of God.

Stay blessed!

G

[pic: http://www.allposters.com/-sp/David-and-Bathsheba-Gregory-Peck-Susan-Hayward-1951-Posters_i5133270_.htm ]
[ Let’s allow ourselves to be guided by the Word of God.
Lasciamoci guidare dalla Parola di Dio
Deixemo-nos guiar pela Palavra de Deus
Laissons-nous guider par la Parole Dieu
Dejémonos guiar por la Palabra de Dios
Lassen wir uns vom Wort Gottes leiten
Onszelf laten leiden door het Woord van God ]

It is God who speaks to us in his Word

2012-01-18T12:02:00.004+02:00

Two hands appear in today's Readings:
a hand of young David,
with a sling and one of five stones, (1 Sam 17),

and the withered hand of a man in the synagogue,
to whom Jesus says, "Stretch out your hand"
and it is restored and healed (Mk 3:1-6).

There are times in life
when the only way to overcome temptation
is to believe in God's Love and Power in your life.
No Goliath is too big for God to handle.
By living God's Word we get courage to say "no"
to each temptation that must come our way.
So live this word with a sling in your hand, for
we know that to live the Gospel is to accept that
It is God who speaks to us in his Word.

There are time in my life when weaknesses are
more evident than my strengths, and all I have to
offer Jesus is a "withered hand."
Don't keep that hand to yourself-
offer it to Jesus, in his Word, in the Eucharist,
and be strengthened to continue living the Word, for
It is God who speaks to us in his Word.

Which hand do I offer to my neighbour right now?

Stay blessed.

G

[pic: David & Goliath -
http://www.biblebios.com/big/goliath.htm ]
[ It is God who speaks to us in his Word.
E’ Dio che ci parla nella sua Parola
É Deus que nos fala na sua Palavra
C’est Dieu qui nous parle dans sa Parole
Es Dios quien nos habla en su Palabra
Es ist Gott, der in seinem Wort zu uns spricht
Het is God die in zijn Woord spreekt ]

When we are weak, then we are strong

2012-01-17T11:59:00.004+02:00

David is chosen amongst the sons of Jesse
to be king of Israel...
the youngest, the "weakest," the mere shepherd is chosen.
Samuel anoints him and the Spirit of God fills him
with God's Presence... for
When we are weak, then we are strong
(1 Sam 16:1-13).

Jesus walks through the cornfields with his disciples
and plucks corn, nibbling along the way-
a sign of "weakness" to those who reduce the Sabbath to rules.
Jesus seizes the opportunity to proclaim who he really is:
the anticipated "Son of Man," and the "Lord of the Sabbath" for
When we are weak, then we are strong
(Mk 2:23-28).

In Alcoholics Anonymous, you eventually have to abandon yourself
in your weakness, to the Higher Power, so that
When we are weak, then we are strong.

What addiction needs my abandonment?
So many are addicted to themselves, their opinion,
their way of doing and seeing things...
Allow the Word to bring a strength out of that!
And when you encounter the weaknesses of others,
make them strong, like Samuel anointing young David,
and "anoint" them with words that come from the Gospel.
Don't remain in your weakness of prejudice and hate!
Reach out in God's Love to become God's rescue for
When we are weak, then we are strong.

Stay blessed!

G

[pic: http://www.isu.edu/anthro/ ]

When we are weak, then we are strong.
Quando siamo deboli, siamo forti
Quando somos fracos, é que somos fortes
Lorsque nous sommes faibles, nous sommes forts
Cuando somos débiles, somos fuertes
Wenn ich schwach bin, bin ich stark
Wanneer we zwak zijn, zijn we sterk ]

Have faith in the Word of God

2012-01-16T12:42:00.004+02:00

A wineskin!
New wine needs a new wineskin (Mk 2:18-22), Jesus says to the
Pharisees, as if to say "I have new wine for you. If I remain
'old' like you, how can we speak of new wine?"
Am I 'old' in my obstinacy, reluctance to forgive, and,
like the Pharisees, preventing others from receiving new wine?
Do I shun others who have shed their old wineskin
and become 'new' with a new enthusiasm to live the Word?

Saul, in the First Reading, (1 Sam 15:16-23), remains an
'old wineskin' and behaves like all the other kings of his time:
exploiting, grabbing, self-satisfying.
Hence Saul is rejected by God.
God's "new wine" is not for this 'old wineskin.'
The "new wine" of a new way of being a king for God
is to be left to his successor, David.

The Pharisees in the Gospel remain "old wineskins" too.

Do I?

One way is to be always "doing"
and not enough "loving", the way God wants me to love.
Take the risk to love,
and be reconciled the way Jesus died for reconciliation.
Then the Love of God as new wine will fill you
the new wineskin!
Take the risk and forgive, and hence be forgiven
because Jesus died for both you and the one
who awaits your forgiveness.
Then the Forgiveness of God is new wine to fill you
and those others as new wineskins!

When you "love" this way, you bear witness that you risk all
because
Have faith in the Word of God.

Stay blessed!

G

[pic: from someone else's Blog
http://jimmcdermott.blogspot.com/2011/04/whats-story-with-wine-skins.html]

[ Have faith in the Word of God.
Aver fede nella Parola di Dio
Ter fé na Palavra de Deus
Avoir foi en la Parole de Dieu
Tener fe en la Palabra de Dios
Glauben wir an das Wort Gottes
Geloven in het Woord van God ]

Draw from the source of Scriptures

2012-01-15T16:54:00.002+02:00

What did you remember from today's Eucharist?
Which "Word" struck you the most?

... write and share this with me

gshattingh@hotmail.com

G

Draw from the source of Scriptures.

[ Draw from the source of Scriptures.
Abbeverarsi alla fonte delle Scritture
Beber na fonte das Escrituras
Se désaltérer à la source des Écritures
Beber de la fuente de las Escrituras
Stillen wir unseren Durst an der Quelle der Schrift
Onze dorst lessen aan de bron van de Schriften ]

On Conference... Returning 23 January 2012

2012-01-09T13:13:00.002+02:00

Apologies for no posts!
Missing loading them myself..!
Away on Focolare Priests' Conference -
hope to return to Blog 23 January.

Any contact:
catch me at my email:
gshattingh@hotmail.com

Or
check my 2010/2011 posts for the same period
Just Google
"Gerhard's Blog January 2010" or
"Gerhard's Blog January 2011"

Stay blessed!

G

The Word lived-out makes us just

2012-01-04T05:37:00.004+02:00

4th January already!
Holidays ending for some... time for "good-byes"
and packing those memories away
so as to return to "normal life"!

But we have to take the richness of the Christmas Season
with us into this "return."
Jesus has been re-born in us! Keep Him there,
by living His Word. And today's Word begins with the reminder:
“to live a holy life
is to be holy just as God is holy…
Anybody not living a holy life
and not loving his brother and sister
is no child of God’s.”
(1 Jn 3:7-10).
Remain a "child of God"!
Strive to be "just" in God's sight!
The Word lived-out makes us just.

When I love someone,
I must want my love to bring that person closer to Christ.
Be honest, then, and live that!
Ask yourself, where do you need to purify a human love
so as to bring that other person closer to Christ?
When I do, I am living a core of today's Password:
The Word lived-out makes us just.

The Gospel provides the foundation for this "holy-love":
Can I claim with certainty, in the words of Andrew
in today’s Gospel (Jn 1:35-42), that
“We have found the Messiah”
and, like Andrew, does my behaviour, lead others to Him?
Am I a child of God's forgiveness?
Am I an ambassador for Christ's reconciliation?
Begin by accepting that that “Messiah” is in me
and was re-born in me at Christmas.
Then live it...
The Word lived-out makes us just.

Now return to "normal life"
filled with today's Word!

And stay blessed.

G

[pic: I took in Montmatre, in September 2011]
[ The Word lived-out makes us just
La Parola vissuta ci rende giusti
A Palavra vivida nos torna coerentes
La Parole vécue nous rend justes
La Palabra vivida nos hace justos
Das gelebte Wort Gottes macht uns gerecht
Het geleefde Woord maakt ons rechtvaardig ]

Communion with the Word generates us always new

2012-01-03T06:41:00.001+02:00

La comunione con la Parola ci genera sempre nuovi
A comunhão com a Palavra nos renova sempre
La communion avec la Parole nous renouvelle
La comunión con la Palabra nos genera siempre nuevos
Die Gemeinschaft mit dem Wort Gottes lässt uns ständig neu werden
Gemeenschap met het Woord maakt ons steeds weer nieuw

Let’s bear witness to God through our life

2012-01-02T08:02:00.003+02:00

The Response to the Psalm of today (Ps 97) breathes:
"All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God."

I am forced to think of the stroke of midnight
across the earth, when 2011 became 2012....
and all the ends of the earth lit up with fireworks.

Would that these fireworks were an acknowledement of the psalm
as a reality and an experience!

Let's turn the beauty of the fires into expressions
of your love as God's Love -
a smile, a gesture of friendship, a glance.
It's a way of living today's Password:
Let’s bear witness to God through our life.

People will remember that from you,
far longer than the pictures for New Year's Eve fireworks!

You can radiate that Love because you are reminded:
"the anointing you received from him remains in you"
(1 John 2:22-28).

Through your unique style of communicating,
like John the Baptist, you are
"A voice of one that cries in the desert:
Prepare a way for the Lord. Make his paths straight!' "
(Jn 1:19-28).
That's the Password!
Let’s bear witness to God through our life.

Time for each of us to bring fireworks back into people's lives
in a spiritual and human way!

Stay blessed!

G

[pic: skynews.]
[ Let’s bear witness to God through our life.
Testimoniamo Dio con la nostra vita
Testemunhemos Cristo com a nossa vida
Témoignons Dieu par notre vie
Testimoniemos a Dios con nuestra vida
Bezeugen wir Gott durch unser Leben
Van God getuigen met ons leven ]

Let’s guard the Word in us

2012-01-01T07:11:00.005+02:00

If you are reading this,
it means you have "crossed the bridge"
like Gino and Rosa here -
(not necessarily at Aswan! but...)
into 2012!
Congrats! Happy New Year!

The Church also wants us to celebrate
by providing a great Solemnity for each and every "January 1st":
Mary, Theotokos - Mary, the Mother of God, a title given to her
long ago before the Reformation, and those times
when families broke away from the Roman Catholic Church
to form their own communities:
The title “Theotokos” for Mary, was confirmed
as early as the year 431, during the Council of Ephesus...

"Many today get confused by the term "Mother of God"
and think that it means Catholics teach that Mary is
the mother of the Godhead - but that is not the case.
It is not the Godhead, but the Incarnate Logos,
of which Mary is mother. The term simply teaches that
the Word himself was born of Mary,
something most Christians - Catholic, Orthodox,
and Protestant - believe" (Stephen Korsman).

With Mary our Theotokos, the God-bearer,
we are the theotokoi!
"In a non-biological sense, every Christian is also
a theotokos, a God-bearer.
All Marian titles teach us something about Christ,
because Mary points us to Christ
("His mother said to the servants,
'Do whatever he tells you' ” Jn 2:5)
and Jesus Christ is the focus of our faith.

How can I enter 2012 as one of the "theotokoi"?
While Mary guarded the Word within her
and gave birth to that Word, so must we.
Just as she "treasured all these things
and pondered them in her heart," (Lk 2:16-21),
so must we.
It's in today's Password:
Let’s guard the Word in us.

And the Word we could use
is given in the First Reading (Numbers 6:22-27):
The Lord spoke to Moses and said…

“Say this to Aaron and his sons:
‘This is how you are to bless the sons of Israel.
You shall say to them:
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord let his face shine on you
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord uncover his face to you
and bring you peace.’

This is how they are to call down my name
on the sons of Israel,
and I will bless them.”

Let it be a prayer of blessing for all those who have
contributed to bringing us into 2012!

Let's live that blessing by what we say and do
and show gratitude to our God who as allowed us
to cross the bridge and enter 2012!

Stay blessed!

G

Stephen Korsman:
http://www.theotokos.co.za/theotokos.html ]
[pics:
top: I took of Gino and Rosa, July 2009;
lower: http://daylife.sky.com/imageserve/0gpl2OR83A0S4/626x.jpg ]
[ Let’s guard the Word in us.
Custodiamo in noi la Parola
Preservemos em nós a Palavra
Gardons en nous la Parole
Custodiemos la Palabra dentro de nosotros
Bewahren wir das Wort Gottes stets in uns
Het Woord in ons behoeden ]

2011-12-31T05:50:00.003+02:00

The last day of 2011...

and the promised birth of 2012...

Saint John reminds us (1 Jn 2:18-21)
"Children, these are the last days;
you were told that an Antichrist must come,
and now several Antichrists have already appeared."

Yes, "several Antichrists" are still around:
those who were against peace, or reconciliation, or forgiveness.

Don't be one of them!
The Prologue to Saint John's Gospel lifts us out of any
despair or following the "Antichrist"-route (Jn 1:1-18):
"The Word was made flesh."
He became one of us, teaches us how to forgive
and be reconciled...
now the choice is ours.

Let us continue to "enflesh" God's Word
through everything we say and do!
In so doing,
let's make fireworks for heaven!
Let's bring light into others who are experiencing darkness.

When there is a deliberateness to live with Gospel values,
one lights up a night sky with firecrackers!
Then God will send experiences, events, incidents,
all of which will unite us with God Himself,
and with each and every person God sends into our lives....
including those who have betrayed you,
those whom you have betrayed,
and those who are desperate in need of being freed
from the past.

So?
Welcome the will of God one instant at a time,
like one flash of fire at a time,
as you end 2011 and enter 2012!

G

[pic: Sydney at turn 01 Jan 2011]

Go against the current

2011-12-30T14:06:00.003+02:00

2011 Friday 30th December
Feast of the Holy Family

What a Gospel! (Lk 2:22-40 )
Jesus is presented in the Temple:
and so are we...
The Holy Family presents us in the Temple of God.
Allow them to!
Enjoy the privilege!
Accept the invitation to be presented!
Jesus, Mary and Joseph want you there today, with them!

Let the tinsel and chocolates, the turkey and chatter,
make way for a Presentation today!
Leave those "worldly" aspects behind and know you are special
to them on this day, along with all your family and friends.
When you "abandon" those worldly aspects, you live today's Password:
Go against the current.

Live the First Reading (Col 3:12-21) and you will
Go against the current:
"As the chosen of God, then, the holy people whom he loves,
you are to be clothed in heartfelt compassion,
in generosity and humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with one another;
forgive each other if one of you has a complaint against another.
The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same.
Over all these clothes, put on love, the perfect bond. "
After all, the "current" clamours for revenge, hate,
pride, revenge....

I am reminded of "The Presentation in the Temple"
in the 1977 Franco Zeffirelli film, Jesus of Nazareth.

Yes, Simeon will remind you of a "sword to pierce your heart"
- it is not easy to renounce Satan and his anger, hatred, and
unforgiving heart, and be clothed in Colossians' list!
It is painful to "turn the other cheek"....

But you can!
Go against the current
because you have been presented today
in the Temple of God's Kingdom
by the Holy Family!

Stay blessed!

G

[pic: http://www.excerptsofinri.com/jesus_of_nazareth_ii.html ]
Go against the current.
Andare contro corrente
Caminhar contracorrente
Aller à contre-courant
Ir contra corriente
Schwimmen wir gegen den Strom
Tegen de stroom ingaan ]

2011-12-29T06:03:00.004+02:00

St Thomas à Becket 1118-1170

Remember TS Eliot’s poetic drama,
Murder in the Cathedral ?
A play, a TV broadcast, and several movie versions
have appeared since 1935, its first performance.

Church and state enter into conflict:
the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas à Becket,
and the English King, Henry II.
Eventually, Thomas is murdered in his Canterbury cathedral
by four of Henry’s knights.

Time will provide similar assassinations: including

Martin Luther King “On the evening of April 4, 1968,
while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis,
Tennessee, where he was to lead a protest march
in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city,
he was assassinated”*;

and Archbishop Oscar Romero** (1917 – 1980)
in El Salvador on March 24 1980,
who shed his life for justice:
“When the church hears the cry of the oppressed
it cannot but denounce the social structures that give rise to
and perpetuate the misery from which the cry arises"***;

Christians need to respond at every level.

How can I to contribute to “justice and peace” in my family,
in my society, and in my world?
What is my role as a Christian in the Church?
What is my role as a citizen of the State?
The debate continues.

But I need to respond, to
“give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar,
and to God what belongs to God”
(Mt 22:21).

I am not a politician, but I suggest we begin with
“giving to God what belongs to God.”
And perhaps the Liturgy given to us today by the Church
can inspire a response when we read these words
in the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 33),
“Look towards him and be radiant;
let your faces not be abashed...”

The First Reading (2 Tim 2:8-13; 3:10-12)
implores a fidelity to Christ:
“If we have died with him, then we shall live with him”
and we can begin by “dying” to sin,
even the “smallest” sin in our lives…
Jesus has been reborn in us this Christmas
– keep Him alive this way!

The extract from this Letter ends:
“You are well aware, then, that anybody who tries to live
in devotion to Christ is certain to be attacked”
(the original Greek states:
“the ones wanting to live Godly in Christ Jesus
will be persecuted”).
Jesus prepared us for this in the Gospel –
so, remain “in Christ.”
The “attack” could emerge from a lack of understanding,
a jealousy, or even a revenge
for something that happened in the past.
Whatever the origin - remain "in Christ."

Then I apply this maxim from Jesus (Mt 16:24-27):
“For anyone who want to save his life will lose it;
but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it.”

I think of
# parents “losing it all” initially for their children,
# students of life losing it all for discovering
and giving back to Life the essence of God’s Love; and
# having to re-read the stories of St Thomas à Becket,
and the likes of Martin Luther King Martin Luther King
and Archbishop Oscar Romero,
so as to be faithful to the newborn Jesus in me.

Begin with God... and let that Christ in you inspire you
to then "give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar" ...

Stay blessed.

G

[pics:
top: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Murder_in_the_cathedral_poster_picture.jpg

* Martin Luther King:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html

** Archbishop Oscar Romero:
http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Heritage/Oscar%20Romero.htm

***
http://www.google.co.za/imgres?imgurl=http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Martyrs/Romero/romero.jpg&imgrefurl=http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Martyrs/Romero/index.html&h=337&w=300&sz=8&tbnid=MFAXN2xc2oeQvM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=106&prev=/images%3Fq%3DArchbishop%2BOscar%2BRomero&hl=en&usg=__6wEPq-M4qi7A2NV7n-NEwN-GXUk=&ei=C485S4WbJJCi4Qav4aGqCA&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=7&ct=image&ved=0CB4Q9QEwBg ]

Living the Word of life we die to ourselves

2011-12-28T07:19:00.003+02:00

Sunrises and sunsets speak to us!
They seem to speak of something awe-some, grand,
mightier than our little worlds!
No wonder Saint John writes (1 Jn 1:5-2:2):
"God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.
If we say that we share in God's life
while we are living in darkness, we are lying,
because we are not living the truth.
But if we live in light, as he is in light,
we have a share in another's life,
and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin."

He wants us to live in that Light which is God:
"My children, I am writing this to prevent you from sinning...."

I can only live in that Light when I die to any blindness,
or die to any obstinacy to live God's Word:
hatred, envy, fear, jealousy, regret, guilt ...
provide my darkness,
and that is certainly not my destiny!
Why remain in that space?
Why remain trapped?
The Responsorial Psalm reminds us :
"We escaped like a bird from the fowlers' net.
The net was broken and we escaped" (Ps 124).

King Herod was trapped (Mt 2:13-18)
and so he ordered the slaughtering
of all males below 2 years of age
(the time the Magi spent following the Star to Bethlehem
to worship the "King" of Israel).
How many more people must I "slaughter"
by not forgiving, or letting go,
or simply "dying" to what is not Light in me?

Instead, by
Living the Word of life we die to ourselves.
We are set free to be what Giod wants us to be,
and what God wants others to be.

May the recalling of the slaughtering of the Innocents
in Bethlehem remind us to let go of what haunts us,
or prevents us from living the Word of God
as the Word of Life.
May their sacrifice provide the grace to "die to ourselves"
and set others free to be what they were ordained to be.

Stay blessed!

G

[pic: I took south of Rio de Janeiro, 4pm one afternoon, Feb 2001]
[ Living the Word of life we die to ourselves.
Vivere la Parola di vita morendo a noi stessi)
Viver a Palavra de vida morrendo a nós mesmos
Vivre la Parole de vie en mourant à nous-mêmes
El Evangelio pide la muerte de nosotros mismos
Nach dem Wort Gottes zu leben bedeutet,
dass wir immer wieder uns selbst sterben müssen
Het Woord van leven beleven door te sterven aan onszelf ]

The Word lived-out makes us one

2011-12-27T06:35:00.005+02:00

Holidays bring families together for sure!
Here is a God-child, with her God-mother and her God-father.
What a happy re-union in Cape Town a few weeks ago!

We all need re-unions, to realise we are "one".
We are meant to be God's gift to each other,
teaching each other, challenging each other,
deepening that "oneness" so as to ultimately radiate
a divine "oneness."
Any human "oneness" prefigures a Divine Oneness.
Any broken "oneness" destroys a Divine Oneness.
We restore any brokenness by beginning again to live the Word:
The Word lived-out makes us one.

In the First Reading (1 Jn 1:1-4), a son of Zebedee,
the 'beloved' disciple, chosen to be present at three major
events, the Transfiguration, the Agony in the Garden
and the raising of the daughter of Jairus,
author and evangelist, has left fishing in Galilee
and desperately wants us to know
and to experience the fact that
The Word lived-out makes us one.
John wants us to be one with him in his knowledge
and experience of Jesus, that Person who is:
"something which has existed since the beginning,
that we have heard,
and we have seen with our own eyes;
that we have watched and touched with our hands:
the Word, who is life ..."
The Word lived-out makes us one.

Am I prepared to do the same?
Have I that same experience and intimacy with Jesus
so as to share Jesus with others?
Have I given Jesus a chance to be born in me again this
Christmas, but with with a greater vigour than last year?
Which "Word" of Jesus do I need to live out
with a greater intensity than ever before
so that a new unity and oneness is encountered by all
who know me, who are in my family,
and who are amongst my friends?
The Word lived-out makes us one.

The same John whose feast we celebrate today,
wrote a Gospel. In today's extract (Jn 20:2-8),
John runs ahead of Peter to an empty tomb.
Once Peter has entered, he enters, and sees
"the linen cloths on the ground,
and also the linen cloth that had been over his head ...
rolled up in a place by itself...
he saw and he believed."

If I want to contribute to that "oneness"
Jesus was born for and Jesus died for,
I cannot keep running into "a tomb" in my life:
refusing to forgive, denying any chance of reconciliation,
hoping a problem will suddenly go away,
defiant against giving up any addiction,
especially being addicted to myself and my opinion.

Stop running into that "tomb."

Roll up the "linen cloths" of the past.

Become a builder of unity
with Jesus once again born in me!
The Word lived-out makes us one.

What a feast for the "beloved disciple"
... which you are!

G

[ The Word lived-out makes us one.
La Parola vissuta ci fa uno
A Palavra vivida nos faz um
La Parole vécue nous fait être un
La Palabra vivida nos hace uno
Das Leben aus dem Wort Gottes lässt uns untereinander eins werden
Het geleefde Woord maakt ons één ]

Live the Word with perseverance

2011-12-26T20:45:00.005+02:00

26 December: The Feast of Saint Stephen, the first martyr.
26 December 2004: A fault 1200km long,
beneath the sea off Sumatra, produced a great earthquake
and generated one of the most powerful tsunamis
in the Indian Ocean the world has known.
230,000 died.

How did Saint Stephen "survive?
How can we survive?
Live the Word with perseverance.

What Word is given today?
The First Reading (Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59) tells of the wisdom
of Saint Stephen captured by the Holy Spirit,
facing being stoned to death.
The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 30)
includes the cry of Jesus before he died,
“Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.”
And the Gospel (Mt 10:17-22) pre-warns all Christians
of betrayal, suffering, hatred and death
when we witness to the Law of Love.
How do we triumph?
“... the one who endures to the end will be saved,”
assures Jesus; i.e.
Live the Word with perseverance.

Lets link the two, Stephen and the tsunami,
having been blessed by the newborn Jesus of Christmas Day,
and in this way ride the waves of the gift of life.

Firstly,
I think each one of us dies a martyr
in some way or another.
Prepare for those decisions
in the normal daily “dyings” of our life:
to hatred, to indifference, to relying on hearsay, to sin,
to always asserting my opinion when an alternative is more
in line with the Gospel.
Live the Word with perseverance.

Secondly,
tsunamis are inevitable.
But we can ride the waves!
Are we prepared to ride the waves,
rather than be drowned by them?
Stephen’s martyrdom was inevitable.
The Holy Spirit prepared him, and his wisdom gave him
the strength to “endure to the end.”
Am I aware of the power of the Holy Spirit in my life?
Has the Holy Spirit been “released”
in my day-to-day living of the Word of God?
Or am I still revengeful, obdurate, arrogant,
defiant, impatient…? Why not rather
Live the Word with perseverance,
and ride the waves?

Thirdly,
tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes,
and all “explosions” in nature,
tell us that we do not belong here.
Hence these words of Jesus become so relevant for us
about to enter 2012:
“Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out,
an unfailing treasure in heaven,
where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also”
(Lk 12:33-34).
Live the Word with perseverance.

Fourthly,
we are being taught that life is short!
How, then, do we ride that wave?
LIVE!
Live to live life to the full in the time you have now!
But also live to outlive the here and now!
How?
Live the Word with perseverance.

Ride the waves - don't be drowned by them!

and stay blessed!

G

[pics:
top: http://staff.aist.go.jp/kenji.satake/Sumatra-E.html
lower: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Surfers-In-Hawaii-Ride-Monster-Waves/Media-Gallery/200912215496677?lpos=World_News_First_World_News_Strap_Teaser_Region_0&lid=GALLERY_15496677_Surfers_In_Hawaii_Ride_Monster_Waves
[ Live the Word with perseverance.
Vivere la Parola con perseveranza
Viver a Palavra com perseverança
Vivre la Parole avec persévérance
Vivir la Palabra con perseverancia
Durchhalten im Leben des Wortes!
Het Woord beleven met volharding ]

Let’s allow Jesus to be born and re-born in us and in our midst

2011-12-25T07:48:00.004+02:00

We sing carols with gusto today!
Let them be of welcoming Jesus to be reborn in us
this Christmas!
Let’s allow Jesus to be born and re-born in us
and in our midst.
Welcome Him.
Welcome His Word.
Welcome the will of God of the present moment.
In that welcome be reborn.

The shepherds were reborn when they saw in Bethlehem
what the angels had told them in the fields.
Mary was reborn when she held that Infant in her arms.
Joseph was reborn when he saw it was all real and not a dream.

Now it is our turn.
Let’s allow Jesus to be born and re-born in us
and in our midst.

We need to be reborn,
both personally and together as families.
We need to learn to fly again the way God wants us to fly:

Once upon a time, there was a little boy called Johnny.
One day whilst playing in the backyard, he heard a noise
coming from the shed. As he drew closer to the noise,
he noticed it came from a swallow with a broken wing,
flapping furiously and trying to fly.
Johnny went up closer to the swallow,
because he knew it was about this time when all the swallow’s
family and friends would be flying to the other part of the world
where summer was arriving, while here it was getting cooler
for the winter. But the swallow became frightened of Johnny,
and flapped its wings even harder, trying to get away.
At this point Johnny’s mommy arrived.
“Be careful!” she said, “or his other wing will break too.”

Johnny stopped in his tracks, stared at the swallow,
and said to his mommy,
“But mommy, all I want to do is help the swallow!
I wish I could become a swallow
and tell this bird I want to help him fly again.”

We are the swallows with broken wings,
when we cling to our own opinions,
which do not bring peace and healing in others.

Jesus is that Johnny,
wanting to become like one of us
and to teach us how to fly again.

Jesus did! 2000 years ago.

So,
Let’s allow Jesus to be born and re-born in us
and in our midst.

This is what it means when we say
"Have a blessed Christmas!"

G

[ Let’s allow Jesus to be born and re-born in us
and in our midst.
Facciamo nascere e rinascere Gesù in noi e in mezzo a noi
Façamos nascer e renascer Jesus em nós e no nosso meio
Faisons naître et renaître Jésus en nous et au milieu de nous
Hagamos nacer y re-nacer a Jesús en nosotros y en medio de nosotros
Geben wir Jesus immer wieder Raum in uns und unter uns
Jezus in ons en in ons midden telkens weer geboren laten worden ]

The morning of Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T06:07:00.005+02:00

The Church provides a liturgy of Blessing for this 24th December:

Benedictus Deus!

Blessed be God for blessing King David,
who in the First Reading (2 Sam 7) is given the promise
“The Lord will make you great;
the Lord will make you a House …
Your throne will be established forever”
through the birth of his “offspring.”
He was "set free" from building a "house" for God!
The Word of God makes us free.

And Zechariah blesses God in the Gospel (Lk 1:67-79)
with the birth of his son, John the Baptist,
for he realises God intervenes in history,
and God fulfills promises.
We are freed from anxiety that destroys us:
The Word of God makes us free.

What “new birth” in your life are you asking today
of the newborn Jesus tomorrow,
with which you can bless God and be set "free"?
The Word of God makes us free.

We are all part of David’s blessing, by adoption through Christ.
His inheritance becomes ours.
“You will be made great.”
What new birth do I need to be “great” in the eyes of God?

We are the Zechariah’s of our time:
doubting, being struck dumb,
and then almost suddenly we understand
when a “new birth” of faith, intuition, grace,
and wisdom enters our life.
It is the entrance of God into our lives.
It is the arrival of the newborn Jesus into our souls.
May that Word be reborn in us because
The Word of God makes us free.

When a cold front passes over the country,
we expect clouds with heavy rain...

On the ground, we could have doubted. Then it arrives.
Were we prepared?

Be prepared for a celebration
of the arrival of Jesus tonight.
Speak out,
like God through the prophet Nathan in the First Reading,
and like Zechariah in the Gospel.

Ask for “a House.”
Ask for a capacity to speak again
such that God will be blessed through the events in your life
when you understand the Will of God in your own history.

Yes, what “new birth” in your life are you asking today
of the newborn Jesus of tomorrow,
with which you can bless God… and be free?

The Word of God makes us free.

Be prepared to be blessed again this Christmas?

Prepare for "peace"
- in your life, in your family, in your country?
I immediately think of Chiara Lubich, when she wrote:
"Peace is a fruit of the spirit.
But to obtain it we must do our part;
that is, we must turn our suffering, our anguish,
the heart –rending cries of the soul,
our times of aridity, of troubles and temptations,
into occasions to love God."

The Word of God makes us free.

G

[pic:
top: I took this pic in St. Peter’s whilst on a Conference in Rome, 2001'
lower: cropped:
http://www.die.net/earth/?zoom=2 ]

[ The Word of God makes us free.
La Parola di Dio ci rende liberi
A Palavra de Deus nos torna livres
La Parole de Dieu nous rend libres
La Palabra nos hace libres
Gottes Wort macht uns frei
Het Woord van God maakt ons vrij ]

Check in with the Word of life

2011-12-23T06:19:00.003+02:00

Let's "check-in" with the Word today!

The First Reading (Malachi 3:1-4.23-24) today tells us:
“I am going to send my messenger
to prepare a way before me.
And the Lord you are seeking
will suddenly enter his Temple ...
Know that I am going to send you Elijah the prophet
before my day comes.”
This is linked to today’s Gospel (Lk 1:57-66),
which narrates the birth of John the Baptist.

Scripture has taught us that it was John the Baptist who was
that promised “messenger”,
arriving with the spirit of “Elijah the prophet”,
and that the Lord did “suddenly enter his Temple”
with the sudden arrival of Jesus Christ in history.

Two things strike me
when wanting to apply these Scriptures to us today.

Firstly, God prepares us for an event.
God always seems to first “send a messenger.”
When we look back over our lives, we can often identify
incidents and episodes, which could be interpreted as a
preparation for a particular experience:
we met someone, we had an intuition, we read something
in the newspapers or saw something in TV,
someone passed a comment, or I suddenly experienced
an act of love and acceptance from someone low down on
my list! I notice this “preparation” especially with a death
of someone: he/she said something prior to death,
as if that person “knew”…;
or the build up to a relationship culminating in marriage;
or the onset of a serious illness or even a great joy.
Circumstances are hence described as “more than coincidence”
such that we can apply the text
“I am going to send my messenger
to prepare a way before me”
to our experience.

This understanding can impact in two ways:
(a) surely, then, this invites a new look at understanding
The Will of God of the Present Moment with new eyes?
I can hence accept many challenges in my life
as “God preparing me” – they are not tragedies at all;

(b) furthermore, perhaps God is sending me
as an “Elijah” into other people’s lives -
when we interact, chat on a phone, visit or are visited.
I must be the Elijah of God sent as a prophet into a situation,
to prepare the way for the Lord to enter that situation!
The Lord wants to heal, but I am needed to prepare the way.
The Lord wants to intensify joy,
but I am needed to open the door of the heart of that person.
The Lord wants to forgive,
but I have to become the “absolution”
for the Lord’s forgiveness.
The list is endless.

Secondly,
“the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple.”
While my Blog often refers to “the sudden arrival of the Lord”
in the liturgies concluding the previous liturgical year
(i.e. prior to the First Sunday of Advent four weeks ago),
today’s announcement suggests to me:
always anticipate the arrival of Jesus in your life
as something that will inevitably, but suddenly, happen.
The pre-condition?
Malachi describes it: “The Lord you are seeking.”
Ask yourself, "Am I 'seeking the Lord' in my life?"
I must be “busy with seeing the Will of God” in everything
that is happening around me.
I need to be pre-occupied with “seeking the Lord”
in every circumstance of my life.
God is Love. God would never allow something to happen
if there was no reason.
God is Love. God wants to enter the Temple of my heart
to bring me the promised fullness of life (Jn 10:10).
“I stand at the door and knock…”
I must ask myself:
(a) “how can what I am experiencing now
be the Will of God-who-is-Love for me now?”
How can I ensure that the Lord will suddenly enter
the Temple of my heart, mind and soul
through “this” experience
(no matter how “simple” or “grave” that experience may
appear to be)?
And (b) how can I be a catalyst for someone else to experience
the sudden arrival of Jesus in his/her life?
What must I say? What must I do?
What is required of me in a particular situation?

The Word of God will tell me…

What a way to prepare to be thoroughly blessed again this Christmas!

G

[pic: My friend, Stefano Battaglia, in Lucca.]
[ Check in with the Word of life
Confrontarsi con la Parola di vita
Confrontar-se com a Palavra de vida
Se mesurer avec la Parole de vie
Comparar nuestra vida con el Evangelio
Immer wieder Maß nehmen am Wort Gottes
Jezelf confronteren met het Woord van leven ]

Summer Solstice down here!

2011-12-22T08:02:00.004+02:00

Longest day? Shortest night?
22 December is that day/night for us in South Africa.
There is thus an abundance of daylight hours for us -
let's include time to prepare our celebration of the Birth of Jesus.
We can begin with today's Password:
The life of the Word brings abundant fruits.

22 December!
From tomorrow the sun will “move” back north
to the cold and snow of the UK, Europe, USA....
And the swallows will follow much later –
they’re too happy right now with our mid-thirties Celsius,
and hiding from late afternoon thunderstorms and lightning shows
of the temperate grasslands where I live.

Astronomers originally thought this happened on the equivalent of the 6th January, this great ball of fire “moving back north,” such that cultures initiated pagan rituals to guarantee the sun’s relocation… Visited Cairo? Beijing? They have stories to tell and temples to shout about. Christians arrived and addressed the sun as The Son. Christmas would “sanctify” those pagan celebrations, ensuring the celebration of the arrival of The Son for the north.

But they got it wrong, that 6th January, and so astronomers then proposed the 25th December instead. The Christians, however, kept the 6th to celebrate an Epiphany, the arrival, after a two years’ journey, of the Magi in Bethlehem with their gold, frankincense and myrrh.

They still got it wrong, coz it’s been the equivalent of the 22nd for a long time now. But the Christians decided to leave the celebrations for the 25th. And so we have Christmas Day in three days’ time.

Are there still, however, any pagan rituals on the planet today?
And if so, for which sun?

Which “pagan rituals” am I still attached to?
Which gods do I worship
to guarantee the “return of the sun” into my life?
Revenge? Hatred? Anger? An addiction, even to my own opinion?
Which darkness have I allowed to destroy my freedom
from running freely into life right now?

Let’s rather solemnise the arrival of The Son
(which happened when I was baptised)
with a continuing life of celebration of God’s love –
especially these last few days of preparation for Christmas!
Let’s divinise and sanctify
any cheap alternatives and convenient compromise
with a renewed commitment to preparing that “manger”…
We do that by living a life of the Word, for
The life of the Word brings abundant fruits.

Hannah does so (symbolically) in the First Reading (1 Sam 1:24-28),
and gives her most precious gift, her son Samuel, to Eli
in “the temple of the Lord at Shiloh” (to God, our Elohim?).
What is most precious to you that needs to be surrendered to your God?
A wound? A prejudice? An anger? A betrayal?
Even your opinion about something which destroys your peace of mind,
and could be the wrong opinion in the greater plan of things?
Risk presenting that to “the Lord”
so that your manger is “empty”
for the newborn Jesus about to arrive.
That's the "abundant fruit" waiting for you, when you believe
The life of the Word brings abundant fruits.

Mary prepares “that manger”
by renewing her soul filled with the Word of God
in her cry of the Magnificat (in today’s Gospel, Lk 1:46-56),
for she is living fully that Word
(1 Sam 2:1. 4-6, of the Responsorial Psalm).
The life of the Word brings abundant fruits.
Yes, Jesus is that "abundant fruit" !

Longest day? Shortest night? Snow or sunshine?
We’ve only got 3 days to prepare the manger
by intensely living God’s Word of Love.

Your heart is your manger.
Your soul is your temple.
Your lifestyle is your ritual.

Is it still all pagan at this late stage?
Guess the choice is yours.

G

The life of the Word brings abundant fruits.
La vita della Parola porta frutti abbondanti
A vida da Palavra produz frutos abundantes
La vie de la Parole porte des fruits abondants
La vida del Evangelio produce abundantes frutos
Das Leben nach dem Wort Gottes bringt reiche Frucht
Het beleven van het Woord brengt overvloedige vruchten voort ]

St. Padre Pio:
"Stay very close to the crib of this most beautiful Child,
especially during these days of his birth.
If you love riches,
here you will find the gold the Kings left Him.
If you love the smoke of honors,
here you will find that of incense.
And if you love the delicacy of the senses,
you will smell the perfumed myrrh
which perfumes the entire holy stable."

For a great "Magnificat" -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejo7AKBqr1U

Let ourselves be lived by the Word

2011-12-21T09:10:00.003+02:00

The example we have for our Password today is Mary,
the mother of Jesus.
Let ourselves be lived by the Word.

In today’s Gospel (Lk 1:39-45), Luke tells us that Mary is pronounced thrice blessed by her cousin Elizabeth: “Of all women you are the most blessed;” “blessed is the fruit of your womb”; and “blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

And the Church “links” this text with an extract from The Song of Songs, The Song of Solomon (2:8-14), which speaks of a groom: “I hear my Beloved. See how he comes leaping on the mountains, bounding over the hills. My Beloved is like a gazelle, like a young stag.” Then his voice speaks to his bride in poetry filled with utter passion for her.

The language of our readings betrays a love God has for us -
a love which is total, profound,
and as passionate as the love of a groom for his chosen bride.
Such passion will only want a living of the Password:
Let ourselves be lived by the Word.

Mary was chosen.
But so are you:
you are alive to live today, here on earth.
You have faith, or you would not be reading this Blog to help deepen that faith.
You have hope, or you would not gather the Word of God into your heart and soul to find solace, comfort, and strength for the journey of life.
You have love, no matter how wounded, or you would not want a newborn Jesus to enter your life afresh this Christmas: because Jesus is the Incarnation of Divine Love.

Let your gratitude be witnessed in your lifestyle and your relationships, especially to those who have betrayed you in the past and do not know how to show recompense. Let every relationship speak of gratitude that you are chosen, such that you respond to life’s experiences as God sculpturing you towards that masterpiece in God’s mind, knowing that God loves you with a passion that is as real as human love.
This is a way to
Let ourselves be lived by the Word.

Show in these last few days before Christmas that “you are the most blessed,” for you are the receptacle of God’s Love in the mystery of life and death, and joy and sorrow.

Show that the “fruit of your womb” is blessed when that “fruit” is the visible manifestation of the gifts of the Hoy Spirit translated by you into a reality so as to create a manger of your heart for Christmas night (“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, tolerance, forgiveness, self-control…”).

And show that you are blessed because you believe in fulfilled prophecy:
that prophecy which has happened in time with the birth of the Messiah;
that prophecy which has happened in your own life before today
(“I am with you always, till the end of time”);
and that prophecy which will carry you as the Bride of Christ into Paradise after you have persistently lived the Word, whose Incarnation you are preparing to celebrate this Christmas.

Thus prepare to be utterly blessed, and immensely loved this Christmas
when we Let ourselves be lived by the Word.

G

[pic: off Google search]
Let ourselves be lived by the Word.
Lasciarsi vivere dalla Parola
Deixar-se viver pela Palavra
Se laisser vivre par la Parole
Dejarse vivir por la Palabra
Lassen wir uns ganz vom Wort bestimmen
Jezelf laten leven door het Woord ]

Live the Word of Life with intensity

2011-12-20T06:40:00.002+02:00

Live the Word of Life with intensity.
The "Word of Life" is a Scripture phrase chosen for each month,
and then explained with a point of view of translating it
and living it in ordinary, everyday circumstances.
For December 2011, the Word of Life is:
“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths” (Lk 3:4)
[http://www.focolare.org/en/news/2011/12/01/dicembre-2011/]

Now we must live it "with intensity"
coz time is running out - only 5 days to Christmas!

I "prepare" by accepting that I, too, carry the name
"Emmanuel, God-is-with-us"
(Is 7:10-14).
So - show it, LIVE IT! Forgive, be reconciled, love, make peace,
be gentle, sincere, compassionate ... as the One who is "with you"!
Live the Word of Life with intensity.

I prepare with my "Yes!" to the Holy Spirit,
like Mary in the Gospel
(Lk 1:26-38).
Show that you are filled with the Holy Spirit!
Live the Word of Life with intensity.

What a way to prepare to celebrate the Birth of Jesus
on Sunday!

G

[ Live the Word of Life with intensity.
Vivere con intensità la Parola di vita
Viver a Palavra de vida com intensidade
Vivre avec intensité la Parole de vie
Vivir con intensidad La Palabra de vida
Suchen wir das Wort des Lebens ganz intensiv zu verwirklichen
Het Woord van leven intens beleven ]

Whoever puts the Word of God into practice obtains many graces

2011-12-19T06:33:00.005+02:00

When cancer returns to someone after much treatment,
I have been amazed how defiant that someone can become.
It's like a past winner of Survivor , Ethan Zohn,
whose cancer returned (2011). His defiance?
"I don't want fear or cancer to define me,
but it's always in the back of your mind."

Together with his girlfriend, their emotions ran riot:
"We're both filled with fear and anger
and anxiety and gratitude and frustration.
But there's so much love there."

In the build-up to Christmas, families link up,
or remain divided... "filled with fear and anger
and anxiety and gratitude and frustration ..."
Yet we can have the same resolve as Ethan:
"I don't want fear or cancer to define me."
I believe I need grace to imitate this Survivor.
Where do I tap Grace?

Begin with the Password and today's readings:
Whoever puts the Word of God into practice
obtains many graces.

There is a barren wife of “a man of Zorah of the tribe of Dan,
called Manoah” (Judges 13:2-7. 24-25).
There is a barren wife of a descendant of Aaron,
“a priest called Zechariah
who belonged to the Abijah section of the priesthood”
(Lk 1:5-25).

Several months after the appearance of an “angel of the Lord”
both to the wife of Zorah and the husband of Elizabeth,
centuries apart from each other,
the Israelite nation witnessed the births of
Samson and John the Baptist, respectively.
Faith sprung from putting God's Word into practice,
and grace answered their plea.
Whoever puts the Word of God into practice obtains many graces.

No “barrenness” escapes God -
when no matter how desperate one may be
we accept and experience that “barrenness” as part of God’s Will
for mankind’s rescue and salvation.
Whoever puts the Word of God into practice
obtains many graces.

How desperate are you?
How desperate are those closest to you?
How desperate are those around you?

Can it possibly be more desperate
than a God who wants your and their “rescue and salvation”?
No wonder we need to prepare for Jesus to be born again in us
this Christmas, and accept that
Whoever puts the Word of God into practice
obtains many graces.

I firmly believe that no “barrenness” escapes God
when no matter how desperate one may be,
that “barrenness” is experienced as part of God’s Will
for mankind’s rescue and salvation.
With that,
families can re-unite,
and forgiveness leads to reconciliation,
friends become friends again,
unity flows in a working environment,
tolerance in a traffic jam,
and we talk and listen to one another.

What a Christmas we can have!
Ethan Zohn is a witness to that in his particular way.

Let us begin with the belief that
Whoever puts the Word of God into practice
obtains many graces.

G

[pic: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20541727,00.html ]
[ Whoever puts the Word of God into practice obtains many graces.
Chi mette in pratica la Parola di Dio ottiene molte grazie
Quem coloca em prática a Palavra de Deus obtém muitas graças
Celui qui met en pratique la Parole de Dieu, obtient beaucoup de grâces
Quien pone en práctica el Evangelio obtiene muchas gracias
Wer das Wort Gottes in die Tat umsetzt, erhält viele Gnaden
Wie het Woord van God in praktijk brengt ontvangt vele genaden ]

The Word lived-out unites us to God

2011-12-18T07:48:00.004+02:00

When, "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary, He went in and said to her, 'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favour!
The Lord is with you'
you know Luke (in today's Gospel)is writing about something specific,
and something he is convinced about.

Firstly, the "House of David" is continuing
(promised in the First Reading, extracts from 2 Sm 7:1-5).
Notice the top of the El Greco painting:
heaven is about to burst open and the "line" of David
will cascade into a new present with Mary's "Yes!"

Secondly, a woman is identified as being so united with God
that she warrants being the Mother of the Incarnate God,
Jesus Christ, hence the greeting of the angel Gabriel:
'Rejoice, you who enjoy God's favour! The Lord is with you.'

Enjoy being part of that dynasty!
Live with integrity!
Become a person who incarnates the Word in everyday experiences,
that Word of forgiveness, reconciliation, love, peace, joy.
Then you are totally one with God, for
The Word lived-out unites us to God.

In that unity with God,
one's life becomes a song of praise like Saint Paul
in the Second Reading (Rom 16:25-27):
"And now to him who can make you strong
in accordance with the gospel that I preach
and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
in accordance with that mystery
which for endless ages was kept secret
but now (as the prophets wrote) is revealed ...
to him, the only wise God, give glory
through Jesus Christ for ever and ever. Amen."

It's the 4th Sunday of Advent,
a week before Christmas.
Make it so!
Live the Word.
Make it a special Sunday of unity with God.

The Word lived-out unites us to God.

Stay blessed.

G

[pic: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:El_Greco,_Annunciation.JPG ]
[ The Word lived-out unites us to God.
La Parola vissuta ci unisce a Dio
A Palavra vivida nos une a Deus
La parole vécue nous unit à Dieu
La Palabra vivida nos une a Cristo
Wir werden eins mit Gott, wenn wir sein Wort leben
Het geleefde Woord verenigt ons met God ]

The Word lived-out brings us peace

2011-12-17T08:02:00.004+02:00

The Church provides a special 7-day liturgical build-up for Christmas,
with a unique set of scripture texts. First Readings emphasize
the promise of what is to be fulfilled in time: from Genesis,
through Jeremiah, Judges, the Song of Songs, 1 Samuel, Malachi,
until Nathan the prophet speaks to David of a never-ending dynasty,
where a Son of David will establish “a throne forever.”
We are co-heirs to that, in Christ, the Messiah.

And what a way to begin this 7-day build-up with today's Password:
The Word lived-out brings us peace.

http://www.photographytips.com/images/8lion-cub-mara.jpg

Genesis 49:2.8-10 - “Judah is a lion cub,” waiting for maturity,
waiting “until he come to whom it (the sceptre, the mace) belongs,
to whom the peoples shall render obedience.”

For us that person is Jesus. The Gospel today from Matthew (1:1-17)
traces the genealogy of Jesus since the time of Abraham,
and divides all those generations into three sets of fourteen
(Abraham to David, David to the Babylonian deportation,
and from Babylon to Christ).

What is your genealogy?
How far back can you trace your families?
How many million people needed to have met
before you and I were born?
Each parent had two parents, who each had two parents,
who each had….

You are not a mistake.
You are a vital and integral part of a genealogy of time
for your life now, and those after you.
Your culture, your background, your language,
your faith-expression, your strengths, and your failures …
these are all needed to make you the person you are.
What do you want to become?
What do you want to leave after you?

Living the Word means that you can at least bequeath "peace"
to those after you:
The Word lived-out brings us peace.

Allow the newborn Jesus to make you an heir of His Kingdom,
and part of His Dynasty as an adopted daughter or son.

You have role to play.
Whatever mistakes or grave errors you have made in the past,
they do not have to continue!
After all, that will be the message of this newborn babe.

The choice is yours.

The lion cub has grown into a lion or a lioness.
That is you,
if you take on that responsibility in faith in Jesus Christ
and accept who Jesus is, in you.
Let that Word express itself through you,
and the "lion cub" will promise peace!

What a challenge!
What a “divine adventure” awaits you if you do.

Allow yourself to be blessed again in this Christmas.

G

[ The Word lived-out brings us peace.
La Parola vissuta ci dà pace
A Palavra vivida nos dá paz
La Parole vécue nous procure la paix
La Palabra vivida nos da paz
Leben aus dem Wort schenkt Frieden
Het geleefde Woord geeft ons innerlijke vrede ]

We find happiness through living the Word of life

2011-12-16T06:41:00.003+02:00

When everyone and anyone who enters your house
experiences a deep joy and happiness,
the flood gates of your own joy and happiness are opened!
I see this when I visit folk.
Now Isaiah takes it further
and gives us the "why this should be the norm":
he writes (Ch 56) that the Lord says
"my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples."

All people will find a joy and happiness in your home
when your house is "a house of prayer" ....
And our house becomes a house of prayer when
We find happiness through living the Word of life.

It's the same as those who encountered John the Baptist:
"John was a lamp lit and shining and for a time
you were content to enjoy the light that he gave"
(Jn 5:33-36).
Visitors saw you as a light, initially,
but they will return when they see more than your light.
When we We find happiness through living the Word of life
it is His Light that shines through us.

And this will deepen our happiness.
What an aspect of pre-Christmas preparation
we can begin to focus on,
as we prepare our houses to be homes of welcome
for this time of the year!

Stay blessed, knowing
We find happiness through living the Word of life.

G

[ We find happiness through living the Word of life.
Vivere la Parola di vita ci rende felici
Viver a Palavra de vida nos torna felizes
Vivre la Parole de vie nous rend heureux
En el vivir el Evangelio se encuentra la “verdadera” felicidad
Leben nach dem Wort Gottes macht uns glücklich
Het Woord beleven maakt ons gelukkig ]

Being the living Word

2011-12-08T07:09:00.004+02:00

Maud Sumner painted this picture of the Annunciation.
My friend, Monsignor Martin Kiloran, posed
for the Angel Gabriel. So he told me, before he died.

The Angel's message is encapsulated in silence,
while the Holy Spirit hovers like a dove,
and the hill country remains mysteriously dark in the distance.

Christians see this as the fulfillment of the "sign" given in
prophecy to Ahaz by the prophet Isaiah (Is 7: 10-14. 8:10).
This would begin the process of the final stage
when the serpent's head would finally be crushed
by the heel of the New Eve (Gn Gn 3:9-15, 20).
For us that New Eve is Mary, the Mother of Jesus:
she will give birth to the One who will destroy Satan,
and Genesis depicts the launching of this process
as the "crushing" or "bruising" of the serpent's head.

Mary does so because she gives birth to God Incarnate,
Jesus Christ.
Today part of the Christian world celebrates her title,
the "Immaculate Conception" -
that she was conceived without original sin before she was born,
so as to become the Mother of God Incarnate.
In becoming that Mother she showed that she not only
was filled with the Word as revealed in the Old Testament,
she also LIVED that Word so fully that she gave birth to the Word!

Internet references run into millions of posts on
what I have written so far,
with references to many Church Councils long before
the Reformation, as to why there is this acceptance
of Mary, the "Immaculate Conception."
Let me just leave us with a thought from the Gospel
chosen for today, the Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38).

The Angel Gabriel affirms that "nothing is impossible to God."

I have always treasured these two meanings for this line:
(i) God MUST do something,
it is impossible for God to do nothing.
Expect God to surprise you in your life,
and challenge you to use the Grace God gives freely through faith
(as small as you think your faith may be!).
All you have to do is concentrate on
Being the living Word.

(ii) God CAN do everything,
but don't resort to blackmail, emotional or spiritual!
God waits for trust, faith, and to see if I risk
Being the living Word.

Let's conclude with Maud Sumner's painting -

'The Angel's message is encapsulated in silence' :
spend some time in silence
to make the Annunciation your own by
Being the living Word.

'The Holy Spirit hovers like a dove' :
accept a renewal of that same Spirit in you today to enable you
to live the Password:
Being the living Word.

'The hill country remains mysteriously dark in the distance' :
who knows what the future may bring?
But you have today to offer your own "YES"
as Mary did at the Annunciation, when fully
Being the living Word.

What a way to continue preparing for Christmas!

G

[pic: I took of Maud Sumner's painting given to me as gift by Mons Kiloran]
[ Being the living Word.
Essere Parola viva
Ser Palavra viva
Être Parole vivante
Volver a vivir María siendo Palabra viva
Lebendiges Wort sein
Levend Woord zijn ]

The Word lived-out produces life

2011-12-07T07:14:00.002+02:00

Much encouragement today!
The Password wants us to live this wonderful life
and tells us how:
The Word lived-out produces life.

The First Reading provides a key:
"Youths grow tired and weary, the young stumble and fall, but those who hope in Yahweh will regain their strength, they will sprout wings like eagles, though they run they will not grow weary, though they walk they will never tire"
(Is 40:25-31).
We are being offered so much strength to realise that
The Word lived-out produces life.

The Gospel provides the port in any storm:
"Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light."
(Mt 11:28-30).

Now we have to live it...
Never tire of doing the good you know you are capable of doing,
especially when others want to prevent you from doing it!
You gotta stay blessed!

G

[ The Word lived-out produces life.
La Parola vissuta produce vita
A Palavra vivida produz vida
La Parole vécue produit la vie
La Palabra vivida produce vida
Das Wort Gottes verwirklichen bringt Leben hervor
Het geleefde Woord brengt leven voort ]

The Word lived-out makes our faith grow

2011-12-02T07:02:00.005+02:00

No two sunsets are ever the same!
Lion's Head in Cape Town provided the silhouette for two sunsets
at the beginning of the week, the one more awesome than the other!

We need to take time and LIVE the message from Isaiah:
"They will hallow the Holy One of Jacob,
stand in awe of the God of Israel"
(Is 29:17-24).
Take time to "stand in awe..."
Nature provides many such opportunities.

"Stand in awe" of God when you take time to LIVE His Word
and watch your faith grow!
The Word lived-out makes our faith grow.

Isaiah prophesies that "the deaf, that day, will hear ...
and, after shadow and darkness,
the eyes of the blind will see."
That Word is "lived-out" in the Gospel
when Jesus heals two blind men (Mt 9:27-31).
These men LIVED the Word
that Jesus was truly the "Son of David"
and that day became "that day" for them to see:
"Your faith deserves it, so let this be done for you."
The Word lived-out makes our faith grow.

Let's go into today expecting our faith to grow.
Let's LIVE the Word:
what does God want you to see more clearly?
His Will for you?
A new way of understanding how to forgive or be reconciled?
The acceptance of something out of your control?
Freedom from guilt or remorse of the past?
A new joy when you look at your children?

For when you "see" the way God wants you to see
in the miracle of today,
the Password increases the tempo of our preparation for
the celebration of the newborn Jesus in us this Christmas:
The Word lived-out makes our faith grow.

Stay blessed.

G

[pic: I took from our lounge window earlier this week]
[ The Word lived-out makes our faith grow.
La Parola vissuta accresce in noi la fede
A Palavra vivida aumenta em nós a fé
La Parole vécue fait grandir en nous la foi
La Palabra vivida acrecienta nuestra fe
Das Leben aus dem Wort stärkt unseren Glauben
Het geleefde Woord vergroot ons geloof ]

The Word of God makes us strong

2011-12-01T06:28:00.004+02:00

Isaiah prophesies that on
"that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah ..."
(Is 26:1-6).

"That day" could be then end of their exile in Babylon.
"That day" could be the re-establishment of Jerusalem
as God's city.
"That day" could be the end of the world.
"That day" for us Christians was the day Jesus was born,
and we are preparing to recall that,
and celebrate His birth in us afresh this Christmas.
Let's prepare by making "that day" this Thursday, today!
Hit the "refresh" button on the PC of life!
Let the Word begin to be lived afresh, and discover that
The Word of God makes us strong.

The Word first tells us that
"the Lord is the everlasting Rock" -
are you in an emotional or spiritual desert?
A rock-outcrop could be your only means of survival:
often it was associated with the entrance to a spring of water
at its base ...
and by climbing to its summit you would decide on direction,
or see anyone else approaching ...

We need to re-affirm who IS our "Rock" in life,
and when we choose "the Lord", by living His Word,
we can cope with any desert, because
The Word of God makes us strong.

Jesus is quite clear about living the Word,
and describes such a person as one who builds his house on rock
(Mt 7:21.24-27).
The Word of God makes us strong.

Choose your "Word" from the Readings for today,
and remain "strong"!

G

[pic: I took from a KLM day-flight over the Sahara 2001]
[ The Word of God makes us strong.
La Parola di Dio ci rende forti
A Palavra de Deus nos torna fortes
La parole de Dieu nous rend forts
La Palabra te hace fuerte
Gottes Wort macht uns stark
Het Woord van God maakt ons sterk ]

Today God repeats to us too: “Come to me!”

2011-11-30T07:24:00.004+02:00

30 Nov: Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle
An “apostle” is someone who “is sent” to uplift others, heal others,
encourage others, in the world of today,
in spite of any limitations he/she may claim…

Firstly, Jesus calls us to Himself,
so that once His Word is alive in us and He is thus alive in us,
He will send us.
Today God repeats to us too: “Come to me!”

The Gospel (Mt 4:18-22) narrates the call of Peter and Andrew,
James and John: "Come to me!"
They are busy fishing in the Sea of Galilee.

The message for us: Jesus meets us where we at!
He invites us to "come" to Him ... wherever we are today.
Then Jesus sends us back to where we are
to “divinise” and “sanctify” in His name
(i.e. to evangelise!)
all that needs healing, change, and challenge.
We fail to respond to the challenge when, firstly, we fail to accept
Today God repeats to us too: “Come to me!”

Today, you and I are celebrating the fact that we “are sent” by Jesus into our families, our place of work, and amongst our friends, to evangelise, i.e. by our words and our actions, to make the “good news present”: the good news that we have a Christ who has died for us, who is risen, and who remains with us until the end of time!

The First Reading (Rm 10:9-18) outlines three aspects
of being called, "Come to me!"

(a) You may feel that you are not worthy, or your past cancels any possibility of “being called" to Jesus. Then today is a day to LIVE this extract of Saint Paul writing to the Romans: “those who believe in him have no cause for shame.”
Deepen your faith, through prayer and living the Word,
that Christ has died for any shame in the past,
that Christ is risen to raise you out of any guilt or whatever reaction
to sin possesses you right now,
and that Christ promised to remain with us - His guarantee
of you being able to experience God as love…

(b) We know the Message of the Good News…. So what?
The question is: do I continue proclaiming that message?
“Faith comes from what is preached,
and what is preached comes from the words of Christ.”
I must live these Words, and deepen my faith.
I must put Christ’s law of love into practice
and thus preach the good news to deepen the faith of others…

Do we hear the message?
“Not everyone, of course, listens to the Good News”
writes Saint Paul to the Romans.
Listen with the ear, and hear with the heart…
and accept Jesus wants us to be His Apostles
wherever we are sent to today, because
Today God repeats to us too: “Come to me!”

The “heavens proclaim the glory of God”
without “speech” nor “word” – but merely as witness,
writes the psalmist in Psalm 18 in the liturgy for today.
May the "heaven" you create around you today
proclaim the same!
Make a heaven around you today
by proclaiming the same, because we believe
Today God repeats to us too: “Come to me!”

Be raised from any pain or guilt, fear or remorse,
because Today God repeats to us too: “Come to me!”
Then, like another Andrew, be God's instrument to raise others
from their pain or guilt, fear or remorse, because they too
need to live the Password:
Today God repeats to us too: “Come to me!”

Thus stay blessed on this Feastday of Saint Andrew
this Advent!

G

[pic: I took of my mother last Monday, Camps Bay, Cape Town.
[ Today God repeats to us too: “Come to me!”
Anche a noi oggi Dio ripete: “Venite”!
Também a nós hoje, Deus repete: “Venham!”
Aujourd'hui encore Dieu nous répète: «Venez!»
También hoy Dios nos repite: “¡Venid!”
Gott sagt heute auch zu uns: „Kommt!“
Ook tot ons zegt God vandaag: “Kom”! ]

Let ourselves be purified by the Word

2011-11-29T07:22:00.004+02:00

I remember playing with stamps since I was very young.
It was an indoor hobby we all enjoyed as a family,
spurred on by our mother who still collects
and pastes into albums.

This 1961 stamp of Groot Constantia arrived in droves,
and I was fascinated by its colour composition,
and historical significance.
Then 40 years later, I took this pic of my mother
in front of the facade used for the stamp!

Visiting "Groot Constantia" confirmed the
excitement of home 40 years ago, the closeness of family,
the hours spent in each other's company,
the sense of security, the love of a mother in that situation,
before we all went our separate ways...
to create the same in our "homes".

Something similar happens when we read the Word.
For example, today's Readings remind us of "Confirmation."
Yet, when we realise that "the Word became flesh"
and lived amongst us, we realise that the Incarnation
not only meant God was one of us,
but that God brought us into that very Word so as
to participate in what that Word really is.
Now I need to live out the Word (visit it as it really is)
and not just read it (see it as a replica, a postage stamp)!
Then a whole new world of "security" and "closeness"
emerges, and I must witness to what the Word proclaims,
namely that I, too, have been given
"the spirit of Yahweh, the spirit of wisdom and insight,
the spirit of counsel and power,
the spirit of knowledge and fear of Yahweh; [my]
inspiration will lie in fearing Yahweh.
[My] judgement will not be by appearances;
[my] verdict not given on hearsay..."
(Is 11:1-10 ).

When I apply that to today, I will live the Password:
Let ourselves be purified by the Word.

When I apply that to today,
the words of Jesus in the Gospel apply to me:
"Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father;
and no one knows who the Son is except the Father,
and who the Father is except the Son
and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him"
(Lk 10:21-24).

Don't remain a postage stamp in life!
Become the real thing!
We do that when we
Let ourselves be purified by the Word.

Stay blessed.

G

[pic:
top: 1961 RSA Postage Stamp
http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-79045414/stock-photo-south-africa-circa-a-stamp-printed-in-the-south-africa-depicts-groot-constantia-circa.html
lower: I took last Sunday at Groot Constantia]
Let ourselves be purified by the Word.
Lasciarsi purificare dalla Parola
Deixar-se purificar pela Palavra
Se laisser purifier par la Parole
Dejarse purificar por la Palabra
Sich vom Wort läutern lassen
Jezelf laten zuiveren door het Woord ]

Conform our thinking to that of God

2011-11-28T07:37:00.005+02:00

The New Liturgical Year has begun!
Advent has been launched and we must prepare ourselves
for celebrating the birth of Jesus:
our home and immediate environment must become a "Bethlehem",
and our souls the "manger" in which Jesus is placed
on Christmas morning.

It is as exciting as the (provisional) New7Wonders of Nature,
announced at the N7W headquarters in Zurich on 11/11/11,
and which includes Table Mountain!
[http://www.new7wonders.com/ ]

Today's Password provides a first step for such a preparation,
whilst living the Word on this Monday, the First week of Advent:
Conform our thinking to that of God.

The First Word in the First Reading provides us with
Isaiah who describes a vision "concerning Judah and Jerusalem"
(Is 2:1-5).

Let's make it our own!

When we live God's Word, we will see that the gift of today
will become a "mountain" which "shall tower above the mountains
and be lifted higher than the hills ...;
peoples will say,
Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord..."
because you and I will make of Monday
"the mountain of the Lord" for others!
Just as this "mountain" is of the Lord
because it is "the mountain of the Temple of the Lord" ,
so too does each of us contribute to this "Temple" -
Saint Paul tells us (1 Cor 6:19) each is a "temple"
("Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,
who is in you, whom you have received from God?" )
and Saint Peter confirms, (1 Pt 2:5), that we are "living stones
being built into a spiritual house."

Let's begin by seeing today as a "Monday Mountain" -
to be climbed and conquered by the time we go to sleep tonight.
And let's accept who we really are for others,
a "Temple of the Lord."

How can I ensure this?
How can I make this prophecy of Isaiah my own?
Simply live the Password through today's Readings:
Conform our thinking to that of God.

People need to be inspired by us today.
People will need to see God's Love in us today.
People will need to be encouraged by our faith today,
just as Jesus was encouraged by the faith of a pagan,
Roman centurion in the Gospel (Mt 8:5-11).
People need hope to climb their "Monday Mountain"
whatever "corner" of the mountain provides the best challenge!

Conform our thinking to that of God.

Stay blessed as you conquer your Monday Mountain!

G

[pics: top: http://www.new7wonders.com/archives/wonder/table-mountain
lower: my lounge-window view 30 minutes ago!]
[ Conform our thinking to that of God.
Conformare il nostro pensiero a quello di Dio
Adequar o nosso pensamento àquele de Deus
Conformer notre pensée à la pensée de Dieu
Conformar nuestro pensamiento al de Dios
Unser Denken dem Denken Gottes angleichen
Ons denken laten overeenstemmen met dat van God ]

Whoever lives the Word finds “real” joy

2011-11-27T07:28:00.004+02:00

First Sunday Advent Year B
Happy New Year!

The Church begins a whole new cycle of Scripture Readings,
and Advent launches us into new challenges!

This is our "New Year's Day".

What a better way to begin the season
than preparing for Jesus to be reborn in us again:
it is the season of "advent" -
"adventus" (Latin) - "coming / arrival" of Jesus the Messiah.

We recall his "arrival" in Bethlehem,
but we celebrate his "arrival" in us.

Jesus "arrives" through our faith, and in his Word,
in His Church, and in every neighbour.
Hence Jesus reminds us in the Gospel today:
"So stay awake, because you do not know
when the master of the house is coming,
evening, midnight, cockcrow or dawn;
if he comes unexpectedly, he must not find you asleep"
(Mk 13:33-37).

Whenever we anticipate a great event,
we prepare for it.
Step 1 to prepare for it: "Stay awake!"
Remember the words of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary
(nearly 9 months ago at the Annunciation):
"Nothing is impossible for God."
This means God can do everything,
but it also means God cant do nothing,
God will do something!
Anticipate that God will do something in your life,
and God does it with Jesus arriving afresh in you!
All you have to do is "Stay awake!"

We do exactly that when we LIVE God's Word.
We don't just read it, we LIVE it.
Then we discover a deep joy in life,
no matter how many doubts abound,
or sufferings, anxieties, betrayals, or disappointments...
We go beyond the wound into a joy God wants us to experience:
Whoever lives the Word finds “real” joy.

Saint Paul provides one such Word to live:
"Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ"
(1 Cor 1:3-9 ).
LIVE as one filled with spiritual energy (grace)
and a deep inner peace from the richness of the gifts
God gives us, as outlined in this text.

Isaiah provides another Word we could live!
He awakens us from any regret or guilt to realise
"And yet, Yahweh, you are our Father;
we the clay and you our potter,
all of us are the work of your hands"
(Is 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7).
He means "ALL OF US" - including those you cannot forgive!

Want to rise above regret, blame, hate, anger...?
Live these Words of God from Isaiah and experience that
Whoever lives the Word finds “real” joy.

Many ways to start a New Liturgical Year!
Many ways to "Stay awake!"
Many ways to live today's Password:
Whoever lives the Word finds “real” joy.

So now we go into the First Sunday of Advent, Year B!
Stay blessed!

G

[pic: Image 1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12100065 ]
[ Whoever lives the Word finds “real” joy.
Chi vive la Parola trova la “vera” gioia
Quem vive a Palavra encontra a “verdadeira” alegria
Celui qui vit la Parole trouve la ‘vraie’ joie
Quien vive la Palabra encuentra la “verdadera” alegría
Wer das Wort lebt, findet zur wahren Freude
Wie het Woord beleeft, vindt de “ware” vreugde ]

Living the Word makes us free

2011-11-26T08:12:00.004+02:00

We continue from yesterday's vision of four beasts:
initially Daniel is terrified -
"'I, Daniel, was deeply disturbed
and the visions that passed through my head alarmed me"
(Dn 7:15-27).
The interpretation he is given
allows him to live the Word,
and he is freed from his terror, his fear and his anxiety.
Living the Word makes us free.

Many theories abound about the end-days,
and we could be caught in "fear" ...
or even more relevantly,
we fear the "end" of events in our lives:
a son moves abroad, a daughter marries and leaves home,
a loved one dies,
or we fear the end of an illness, or a relationship,
or having to forgive someone as if that "forgiveness" means
he will "get away with it";
perhaps I have to "end" my addiction
to my own opinion, a substance or a sin...
The words of Jesus removes the fear:
"Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength
to survive all that is going to happen,
and to hold your ground before the Son of man"
(Lk 21:34-36).
Living the Word makes us free.

What must I "end" today
for God's Love to be more resplendent in my life?

Let the Word make it all possible, knowing that
Living the Word makes us free.

Stay blessed

G

[ Living the Word makes us free.
Vivere la Parola ci rende liberi
Viver a Palavra nos torna livres
Vivre la Parole nous rend libres
Vivir la Palabra nos hace libres
Das Leben nach dem Wort macht uns frei
Het beleven van het Woord maakt ons vrij ]

Welcome the Word

2011-11-25T20:13:00.003+02:00

"Daniel said, 'I have been seeing visions in the night. I saw that the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea; four great beasts emerged from the sea, each different from the others ...
I was gazing into the visions of the night, when I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven, as it were a son of man. He came to the One most venerable and was led into his presence. On him was conferred rule, honour and kingship, and all peoples, nations and languages became his servants. His rule is an everlasting rule which will never pass away, and his kingship will never come to an end"
(Dn 7:2-14).

Daniel "welcomed the word" through these apocalyptic visions.
No matter how you interpret the horror of the arrival
of the "four great beasts" at the time of Daniel,
or, more poignantly, what they could mean for us today
(e.g. four great "empires" of dominance in our lives,
such as HIV/AIDS, relativism, and secularism),
the text tells us that there is the ultimate triumph of Christ,
the Son of Man.
So, let's look into our own lives:
what "beast" dominates your life right now
and destroys any semblance of peace, forgiveness, and love?
Allow the "ultimate" triumph of Christ risen from the dead
to enter your life already today,
and not wait for the Son of Man to only arrive
in "the visions of the night", at the end of time!
Let Him in
by living the Password:
Welcome the Word.

Jesus uses the illustration of the fig tree ...
and as a sign for the "end" of everything, he cautions:
"Sky and earth will pass away,
but my words will never pass away"
(Lk 21:29-33).

Our words will fade away.
Will you let God's too?
Depends how we
Welcome the Word
and stay blessed!

G

Welcome the Word.
Accogliere la Parola
Acolher a Palavra
Accueillir la Parole
Acoger la Palabra
Das Wort in uns einlassen
Het Woord aannemen ]

Believe in the current value of the Word of life

2011-11-24T21:55:00.003+02:00

Sunset of yet another day: a Kalahari thornbush,
next to a giant granite batholith...
How the days race by!

Time is running out for the exile in the First Reading:
the king in power is Darius the Mede,
who shows great anguish when Daniel is thrown into
the lion's den ...
But Daniel lives today's Password with a passion:
Believe in the current value of the Word of life,
and God rescues him
(Dan 6:12-28).

Time is running out for the people of Jerusalem,
a destruction is imminent,
and there appears great anguish in the advice Jesus gives
on how to survive - but survive they will!
Those who take the Password to heart,
Believe in the current value of the Word of life,
will have these words of Jesus resonating in their hearts:
"hold your heads high,
because your liberation is near at hand"
(Lk 21:20-28).

The year is running past,
time is running out,
and some of us carry deep anguish: an illness,
a death of someone dear to us,
a betrayal unresolved, a son leaving for a new country,
anxiety....
Yet I have to realise that time never runs out for God,
and my rescue is to
Believe in the current value of the Word of life.

What a challenge
to stay blessed!

G

[pic: I took in Augrabies Falls National Park several years ago.]
[ Believe in the current value of the Word of life.
Credere all’attualità della Parola di vita
Acreditar na atualidade da Palavra de vida
Croire que la Parole est actuel
Creer en la actualidad de la Palabra de vida
An die Aktualität des Wortes des Lebens glauben
Geloven in de actualiteit van het Woord van leven ]

Let’s strive to live the Word without compromises

2011-11-23T08:20:00.003+02:00

Let’s strive to live the Word without compromises.

[ Let’s strive to live the Word without compromises.
Sforziamoci di vivere la Parola senza compromessi
Esforcemo-nos em viver a Palavra sem meias medidas
S’efforcer de vivre la Parole sans faire de compromis
Esforcémonos en vivir la Palabra sin compromisos
Bemühen wir uns, das Wort ohne Abstriche zu leben!
Er alles aan doen om het Woord compromisloos te beleven ]

Proclaim the truth of the Word of God without fear

2011-11-22T10:17:00.003+02:00

Artists "proclaim the truth" as they see it:
on a balcony overlooking the Seine River
at the Maison Fournaise restaurant in the town of Chatou,
Auguste Renoir captured the new Parisian society
emerging after the Prussian Wars in France in the mid-
to late 19th century - all classes now mixed,
"including businessmen, society women, artists, actresses,
writers, critics, seamstresses, and shop girls"
(http://www.phillipscollection.org/collection/boating/index.aspx).
So much has been written and can be written about
this painting by one of the leading French Impressionists.

Do I "proclaim the truth"
in the painting I compose for each day in my life?
What is "captured"?
What remains?

Daniel "proclaims the truth" of a great vision of
King Nebuchadnezzar (Dn 2:31-45):
"a statue, a great statue of extreme brightness ...
terrible to see. The head of this statue was of fine gold,
its chest and arms were of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,
its legs of iron, its feet part iron, part clay."
It tells of centuries of power, and then:
"While you were gazing, a stone broke away, untouched by any hand, and struck the statue, struck its feet of iron and clay and shattered them. Then, iron and clay, bronze, silver and gold, all broke into pieces as fine as chaff on the threshing-floor in summer. The wind blew them away, leaving not a trace behind. And the stone that had struck the statue grew into a great mountain, filling the whole world."

Read the Scripture text for Daniel's proclamation
of the truth about the vision!
Then realise that just as a foreign Hebrew in the court
of the Babylonian king proclaimed what God wanted Daniel
to say without fear, we are called to do the same.
Proclaim the truth of the Word of God without fear.

God wants you to love... proclaim it by loving
the way God wants you to love!
God wants you to forgive ...
proclaim it by setting the example!
God wants you to go out and
Proclaim the truth of the Word of God without fear ...
so do it!

Jesus did it - and the glory and splendour
of the Jerusalem Temple would be left only
with the remains of the retaining wall...
What am I "building" around me?
Will it outlast my time?
What will it be that outlasts my time?
Only a Renoir painting, stunning as it is?
What painting will I leave behind?

I believe it depends on how I live today's Password:
Proclaim the truth of the Word of God without fear.

Go paint,
and stay blessed!

G

Proclaim the truth of the Word of God without fear.

Proclaim the truth of the Word of God without fear
Annunciare la verità della Parola di Dio senza timore
Anunciar sem medo a verdade da Palavra de Deus
Annoncer sans crainte la vérité de la Parole de Dieu
Anunciar sin temor la verdad de la Palabra de Dios
Die Wahrheit des Wortes Gottes furchtlos verkünden
Zonder vrees de waarheid van het Woord van God te verkondigen]

Bear witness to God through our coherence in life

2011-11-21T08:53:00.004+02:00

A sunset in a South African Kalahari National Park
around Augrabies was blessed with a bird flying into
the picture, just at that moment I pressed the button!
God arrives in surprises,
just at that moment when you "press the button"!
You can be driving in heavy traffic,
and just at that moment of "impatience"
God will have something to say: "Talk to Me ...
I am slowing you down to think of Me ...
What is important in life? ...
Look around you - there is so much more to be blessed by!"

In life, I must be careful not to get so caught up
in a "here and now" that I forget the bigger picture.
Hence today's Password:
Bear witness to God through our coherence in life.

Daniel and his companions avoided forgetting the
bigger picture - and read how it benefitted them!
(Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20).
Jesus always had the bigger picture in mind -
forgiveness, our salvation, the coming of God's Kingdom
amongst us ... (Lk 21:1-4)
- only Jesus would recognise a widow giving all she had ...
In fact,
Jesus is that Password!

Bear witness to God through our coherence in life.

Where am I going?
What have I set out to accomplish today?
Whom will I contact?
Are my answers to these questions part of my
"coeherence in life"...?
Now's the time to ensure they are!

Bear witness to God through our coherence in life.

Stay blessed.

G

[ Bear witness to God through our coherence in life.
Testimoniare Dio con la coerenza della nostra vita
Testemunhar Deus com a coerência da nossa vida
Témoigner Dieu par la cohérence de notre vie
Testimoniar Dios con la coherencia de nuestra vida
Durch unser konsequentes Leben Gott bezeugen
Van God getuigen door een consequent leven ]

CHRIST THE KING

2011-11-20T19:38:00.006+02:00

Christ the King has the whole world in his hands...
according to a mosaic above a main entrance to the Duomo in
Florence, the 'Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore'
(Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower),
the cathedral church of Florence, Italy.

And when he comes to judge us all,
having shepherd-ed us our king (Ezekiel 34),
promised an end to death (1 Cor 15)
and separated us as one would sheep from goats (Mt 25:31-46)
then there is only one criteria:
"What you did to the least, you did to me."

Hence the Password for today:
Have a limitless love.

Do you really want to be part of His Kingdom at the end of time?
Begin now:
Have a limitless love.

Happy Sunday!

G

[pic: I took in Florence, 2001]
See the full facade:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Florence_Duomo_Facade_Panorama.jpg
[ Have a limitless love
Avere un amore che non conosce misura
Ter um amor que não conhece medidas
Avoir un amour sans mesure
Tener un amor que no conoce medida
Unsere Liebe soll grenzenlos sein
Een liefde hebben die geen maat kent ]

The Word lived-out gives meaning to our lives

2011-11-19T07:43:00.003+02:00

Night and day, we can be relentless about achieving something!
I have to question my motives, of course,
but often I am so "driven" about something,
nothing and no one will stop me:
even my own opinion, simply based on hearsay.
It's like the Copacabana waterfront in Rio de Janeiro-
day or night, there's no stopping anyone:
music, walking, laughing, entertaining, crying, talking...
throughout the day, no matter the heat,

and throughout the night, no matter the time.

Antiochus Epiphanes lives to regret his "relentless pursuit"
of power, control, and self-opinionated importance.
He is responsible for the deaths of thousands upon thousands
of people who refused to dance to his tune...
and by the end of his life, he realises his folly
(1 Mac 6:1-13).

The Saduccees in the Gospel are relentless, too,
in their attack on Jesus, trying to catch him out
(Lk 20:27-40).
Are we the same? Do we "attack" Jesus by refusing
to live his Word which speaks of peace, reconciliation,
forgiveness, and responsibility?
If I refuse to live the Word, I am no different to
Antiochus Epiphanes. But why wait for death to repent?

Back to living the Word, I guess.
Start again!
The Word lived-out gives meaning to our lives.

Make the Password your own,
day or night,
relentlessly living out what God wants
and what will give meaning to our lives.

The Word lived-out gives meaning to our lives.

Stay blessed!

[pic: I took from my hotel window,
looking north along the Copacabana, Feb 2001]
[ The Word lived-out gives meaning to our lives
La Parola vissuta dà senso alla vita
A Palavra vivida dá sentido à vida
La Parole vécue donne du sens à la vie
La Palabra vivida da sentido a la vida
Das gelebte Wort gibt unserem Leben Sinn
Het geleefde Woord geeft zin aan het leven ]

Whoever lives the Word bears much fruit

2011-11-16T17:26:00.000+02:00

Whoever lives the Word bears much fruit.

2011-11-14T21:52:00.002+02:00

Let’s live the Gospel in a radical way

2011-11-13T18:04:00.009+02:00

The extract from the Book of Proverbs reminded me of a painting
by Vermeer: Girl with a Pearl Earring.
However we may differ from the portrait of the woman
described in Proverbs, we cannot deny the closing two
sentences as a fundamental truth for everyone,
especially women:
"Give her a share in what her hands have worked for,
and let her works tell her praises at the city gates"
(Prov 31:30-31).
Her "works" I believe are children, ideas, projects, hopes,
sacrifices, joys, plans, intuitions, loving, forgiving,
caring, fostering, generating, creating...
Each and every woman somehow expresses something
totally unique to her, and when united to God,
sharing in God as Love, surely those "praises"
ring out continuously....?
Acknowledge what those great women have done in our lives!
"Give her a share in what her hands have worked for..."
Tell others about them for surely they illustrate the Password:
Let’s live the Gospel in a radical way.

Saint Paul invites a 'living of the Gospel in a radical way'-
it's the way of facing the end of the world,
"the Day of the Lord" :
i.e. with no fear!
"It is not as if you live in the dark ...
for that Day to overtake you like a thief.
No, you are all children of light and children of the day ...
so we should not go on sleeping, as everyone else does,
but stay awake and sober"
(1 Thes 5:1-6).
You may have done things in your life which you now regret,
or are plagued by a guilt, or anxiety, or even an addiction
or someone you cannot forgive for a betrayal.
When I accept my responsibility (not blame) for any of
the above, I immediately abandon myself to the fact that
I am "a child of the light and the day";
I am not "sleeping" but "stay awake be beginning again
to live God's Word in the here and now.
I cannot remain in the past by either repeating the past
or wallowing in it - it's gone!
I cannot become so preoccupied with the future
that has not arrived as yet.
I have to preoccupy myself with the present - so
Let’s live the Gospel in a radical way.

Why try the patience of Jesus?
(Mt 25:14-30)
You have been given talents, don't bury them!
Multiply them by living the Word! Hence
Let’s live the Gospel in a radical way.

Treat each Word like a pearl earring
adorning the person you are.
Treasure that "pearl" of great price.
"Wear" the Word for the world to see how blessed you are.
Unafraid, witness to the God of Love
who has chosen you in your particular circumstance,
in your family, amongst your friends,
to show that it is possible and beneficial to
... live the Gospel in a radical way.

Stay blessed!

G

http://www.leninimports.com/johannes_vermeer_girl_with_a_pearl_earring_greetings_card_shop_a_postcard.html

[ Let’s live the Gospel in a radical way.
Viviamo il Vangelo con radicalità
Vivamos o Evangelho com radicalismo
Vivons l’Évangile de façon radicale
Vivamos el Evangelio con radicalidad
Leben wir das Evangelium ohne Abstriche!
Laten we het evangelie radicaal beleven ]

###########################

Saturday 12th November 2011

Keep the lamp of the Word lit.
"When peaceful silence lay over all,
and night had run half of her swift course,
down from the heavens, the royal throne,
leapt your all-powerful Word..."
(Wisdom, extracts from Chapter 18).
It was the night which began the Exodus,
and what a night! - for Egyptians and Hebrews alike.
God's Word had to be fulfilled...
And so it was.

God's Word still has to be fulfilled.
Allow that Word to take root in you,
and express itself in each circumstance,
each situation of life, so that you
Keep the lamp of the Word lit.

Is it an "Exodus" God is leading you through?
A Grace-filled launch into a freedom only God can provide,
from a slavery: to the past, to someone, to some thing?
Walk with God before your "night" is over,
and experience the freedom God promised you
in God's Word when you listened, when you made it your own,
when you apply to it to each present moment...
Keep the lamp of the Word lit
and the darkness is gone, your "night" is over.

In your faith, if necessary
cry out to God in that darkness, (Lk 18:1-8) -
but let it be a cry filled with faith
in a God who is Love.
And that God who is Love, will,
in God's time, give you God's freedom,
to be what God wants you to be
as an expression of God's Love.

They key?
It's today's Password:
Keep the lamp of the Word lit.

Be blessed.

G

See Jesus in every neighbour

2011-11-11T07:41:00.004+02:00

In 2009 I had the privilege of accompanying a group
of professors and students of Master's College, California,
in the footsteps of Saint Paul in Asia Minor, Turkey.
What impressed me about these students and teachers,
is their passion for Christ and commitment to the Word.
Their zest for life, pursuit of an honesty before God,
and a responsibility to treasure God's Wisdom,
all meant that Jesus could shine out through each of them.
It's today's Password:
See Jesus in every neighbour.

This Password is based on several texts in Scripture-
"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me..." (Acts 26:14);
"What you do to the least, you do to me..." (Mt 25:31-46).
God considers done to Himself
what we do or neglect to do to one another.
So, pre-empt every word and action today
by applying the Pasword:
See Jesus in every neighbour!

The Son of Man will come at the end of time
to destroy evil once and for all,
and establish God's Justice amongst us, says Jesus
(Lk 17:26-37) -
just as "the Flood" came at the time of Noah,
"fire and brimstone" descended over Sodom,
and as sure as vultures gather "where the body is."

Why be plucked out life by a vulture?
Why have your peace of mind destroyed
by an event, a person, an episode, a regret over the past,
an habitual sin, or a refusal to be reconciled?
Why lie passively in a field
and wait for a bird of prey to carry you off
when it is Jesus who arrives today as One Risen, Glorified,
enthusing you with His Holy Spirit
to race into this new day with a renewed confidence -
for you are not only called, but you are chosen,
like the "ones" in the Gospel
to participate in a divine rapture of now, for today...
How do I get up and run?
Begin by living the Password:
See Jesus in every neighbour.

The Book of Wisdom reminds us there are times we are
"blinded" by what we see, we are "charmed"
and replace our Creator with His creatures.
There's no time to behave like
"naturally stupid" people "who have not known God
and who, from the good things that are seen,
have not been able to discover Him-who-is,
or, by studying the works,
have failed to recognise the Artificer"
(wis 13:1-9).
Live the Password, and don't allow your emotions
or circumstances to pluck you away from the Divine Reality
of who everyone should be, including yourself:
a facet of the diamond that is Jesus amongst us,
a Kingdom of God amongst us,
whether you are touring Turkey, dining with your wife,
or gathering courage to forgive someone...

See Jesus in every neighbour.

and stay blessed!

G

[pic: taken of us at Didyma, south of Miletus]
See Jesus in every neighbour.
In ogni prossimo vedere Gesù
Ver Jesus em cada próximo
Voir Jésus en chaque prochain
Ver a Jesús en cada prójimo
In jedem Nächsten Jesus sehen
In iedere medemens Jezus zien ]

Let’s try and always speak as if it were our last words

2011-11-10T07:28:00.010+02:00

First (or last?) attempt at a wedding invitation
someone recently posted on Facebook:

Phew!
Now let's get serious, and look at today's Readings
to illumine today's Password:
Let’s try and always speak as if it were our last words.

"Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was to come,
Jesus gave them this answer,
'The coming of the kingdom of God
does not admit of observation
and there will be no one to say, 'Look here! Look there!'
For, you must know, the kingdom of God is among you' "
(Lk 17:20-25).

Is it among us?
What am I saying and doing
to witness to the fact that Jesus is risen,
that Jesus who is the Kingdom of God in human form,
is alive and living among us,
in my life, in my family, even amongst my enemies?
One way to begin is to live the Password:
Let’s try and always speak as if it were our last words.

With the Wisdom of God within us
I can begin again:
"Within Wisdom is a spirit intelligent, holy,
unique, manifold, subtle,
active, incisive, unsullied,
lucid, invulnerable, benevolent, sharp,
irresistible, beneficent, loving to man,
steadfast, dependable, unperturbed,
almighty, all-surveying ...
Wisdom is quicker to move than any motion;
she is so pure, she pervades and permeates all things"
(Wis 7:22-8:1).
Do I allow these attributes of the gift of Wisdom
(which I received through the Holy Spirit in me),
to manifest themselves when I open my mouth and speak?
I would if I believed
"the kingdom of God is amongst us."

Let’s try and always speak as if it were our last words.

Speak wisely,
and stay blessed!

G

Let’s try and always speak as if it were our last words.
Cerchiamo di parlare sempre come fosse l’ultima parola
Procuremos falar sempre como se fosse a última palavra
Essayons toujours de parler, comme si c’était notre dernière parole
Tratemos de hablar siempre como si fuese la última palabra
Immer reden, als wäre es das letzte Wort, das ich spre-chen kann
Laten we altijd spreken alsof het onze laatste woorden zijn ]

Build on rock

2011-11-09T07:23:00.006+02:00

November 9th:
The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica -
Rome's first "church,"
the cathedral of the bishop of Rome, the Pope,
and known as the "Cathedral of Rome and the World" -
Omnium urbis et orbis Ecclesiarum Mater et Caput.
The original was built by Constantine the Great in the 4th century
and dedicated to the Saviour on November 9, 318.

[In the 10th century, Pope Sergius III (904-911)
added John the Baptist to the basilica's dedication,
and in the 12th century, Pope Lucius II (1144- 1145)
added John the Evangelist.
The Basilica is situated on the original site of the "Lateran family."
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-san-giovanni-laterano ]

Several times in the Gospel we are told to
Build on rock.
Jesus preached that a house built on rock
does not fall when rain and wind lash against it,
and Saint Peter was informed he is the rock on which Christ
would build his Church, for his name, Peter, Petros, means
"rock."

Today's Password has, therefore many meanings
and many applications!
On what "rock" have you chosen to build your life today?
Your own opinion, even if guided by hearsay?
Gospel values, when living the Word of God?
Teachings of great Masters, like the leaders of our Church?
Intuitions and advice, like whispers of God to you today?
Build on rock.

Saint Paul reminds us in the Second Reading:
(1 Cor 3:9-11, 16-17), that
“You are God’s building… Jesus Christ is the foundation…
Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple
and that the Spirit of God was living among you?
If anybody should destroy the temple of God,
God will destroy him,
because the temple of God is sacred;
and you are that temple.”

These words are so encouraging -
it means you are the rock
on which others around you can build their lives...
But which "rock" have you chosen for yourself for today
so that others can build on what you say or do?
If you are unforgiving, bitter, hard,
relentless in pursuit of your own ideas so as control everyone
in your family, amongst your friends and acquaintances,
then expect them also to become unforgiving, bitter, hard...

Saint Paul is saying here that none of us is alone.
We belong to one another.
We need one another to complete and "enflesh" on earth
the sacred temple of God.
Today awaits your contribution - so
Build on rock.

I must be a catalyst for each one to become part of God’s temple
here on earth,
and an instrument of God’s rescue of those who are not.
I must become part of Ezekiel’s vision for the church:
a channel of the Holy Spirit, described as water,
flowing eastwards into the desert (the Arabah),
i.e. into the desolation in other people’s lives,
or on to the sea (making the sea’s “waters wholesome”).
What a flow of sweet waters God expects of us today!
What a "living stone" or "branch" of the One Vine!
Depends whether I
Build on rock.

Stay enthused!

G

Build on rock.
Costruire sulla roccia
Construir sobre a rocha
Construire sur le roc
Construir sobre la roca
Auf Felsen bauen
Bouwen op de rots ]

>>>>>>>>>

Wednesday 32nd Week Ordinary Time Year I

The Book of Wisdom speaks to those who have responsibility -
and don't we all have some form of responsibility,
parents, rulers of households, educators to those around us?
"Kings ... rulers ... administrators ... the high and mighty ...
despots..."
(Wis 6:1-11).
What were my "last words" to the people looking to me for advice,
or comfort, strength or encouragement?
Did I play the "despot"?

Instead, "Learn what wisdom is ...
they who observe holy things will be adjudged holy,
and, accepting instruction from them,
will find their defence in them."

This last phrase is a powerful reminder of the Word in our lives:
"accepting instruction from them [holy things],
Let’s try and always speak as if it were our last words.
What "instruction" from God's Word sits on your heart right now?
What "holy thing" do you have to do today?
let's focus on what we say to everyone whom
God sends into our lives today.

Jesus did.
After healing the ten lepers and only the Samaritan returns
to thank Jesus, he says to the man,
"Stand up and go on your way.
Your faith has saved you"
(Lk 17:11-19).
More than physical healing here!
There's spiritual salvation for "the foreigner" ...
Let's go do the same.
Have we made a "foreigner" of anyone?
Time for healing through our words.
Am I a "foreigner" to anyone?
Time to heal that relationship through my words.

What a way to stay blessed!

G

Live the Word of God with faithfulness

2011-11-08T06:52:00.004+02:00

One very cold lunchtime on the banks of this River Gave,
Thursday 11 February 1858, before Ash Wednesday in fact,
Bernadette Soubirous experienced a vision of a Lady
in the grotto of Massabielle.
Bernadette described the Lady in these words:
"She has the appearance of a young girl of sixteen or seventeen. She is dressed in a white robe, girdled at the waist with a blue ribbon which flows down all along Her robe. She wears upon Her head a veil which is also white; this veil gives just a glimpse of Her hair and then falls down at the back below Her waist. Her feet are bare but covered by the last folds of Her robe except at the point where a yellow rose shines upon each of them. She holds on Her right arm a Rosary of white beads with a chain of gold shining like the two roses on Her feet." *

One of the instructions given by the Lady to Bernadette
was to have a chapel built on the site of the vision.
Well, by 2011, there are many "chapels," "basilica's"
and "churches" -
all with the same aim as the messages in the 18 visions
Bernadette had of the Lady:
Get back to Jesus.
Get back to being a Christian.
Get back to living the Word fully and faithfully.
It is if the "Lady" is a door to getting back to Jesus.

The Password for today sums up how we achieve that:
Live the Word of God with faithfulness.

And what a Word we have in the readings for today!

The First Reading reminds us:
"God made man imperishable,
he made him in the image of his own nature"
(Wis 2:23-3:9).
We gonna live forever!
Live as if you are going to live for ever!
Change where you need to change,
so you witness to others you are definitely going to live forever!
No matter how terminally ill you may be,
or desperate for a solution,
panic-struck coz you cant be in control, whatever ...
God made you imperishable...
this period in this life is only one stage
in the Divine Journey of Imperishability for you!
Don't get stuck in this chapter!
Live it!
But live it in the light of living forever!

And when the deaths of others hit you,
and you doubt, and grieve, and mourn their loss,
go back to this First Reading to
Live the Word of God with faithfulness.
"In the eyes of the unwise they did appear to die...
but they are in peace...
God has put them through the test
and proved them worthy to be with him ...
they will shine out ..."

Now we have time to live, with faith,
in the power of these words,
coz they are the Word of God,
not just some rambling scribe trying to cope with sadness.

And when I
Live the Word of God with faithfulness,
in the end, it's quite simple really -
well Jesus thinks so:
"When you have done all you have been told to do, say
'We are merely servants;
we have done no more than our duty.' "
(Lk 17:7-10).

What have we been "told to do"?
"carry you cross daily and follow me ...
forgive 70 x 7 ... be reconciled ...
love one another as I have loved you ...
be the first to love ...
love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you..."
... the list is as long as the Scriptures themselves, yes?
You know which "one" is a definite "must" for you for today!
So go live it!

Live the Word of God with faithfulness
coz you gonna live forever!

Start living forever, today!

Stay blessed.

G

[pic: I took looking back at that Grotto, several weeks ago]
Live the Word of God with faithfulness.
Vivere con fedeltà la Parola
Viver a Palavra com fidelidade
Vivir con fidelidad la Palabra
Das Wort konsequent leben
Het Woord in grote trouw beleven

* http://www.catholic.org/clife/mary/app.php?id=1 ]

Ask ourselves every so often: “Am I evangelizing?”

2011-11-07T06:30:00.005+02:00

"Were your faith the size of a mustard seed
you could say to this mulberry tree,
'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,'
and it would obey you,"
says Jesus in today's Gospel
(Lk 17:1-6).
A double miracle here!
1. to uproot a mulberry tree; and
3. to plant the tree in the sea,
a most unlikely place for a tree to be planted and grow!
All we need is "faith the size of a mustard seed."

Most of us know someone who needs a miracle in his/her life.
My faith, as small as it is,
needs to provide the catalyst for Jesus to perform that miracle.
And I will reveal my faith, as small as it is,
through my lifestyle. Hence today's Password:
Ask ourselves every so often: “Am I evangelizing?”
Am I revealing to others how much faith I really have
in a God of miracles?

Jesus, in the Gospel, warns us
that "obstacles are sure to come."
One such obstacle is our inability to forgive someone
and be reconciled:
"If your brother does something wrong, reprove him,
and if he is sorry, forgive him.
And if he wrongs you seven times a day
and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I'm sorry,'
you must forgive him."

Let's go into this Monday applying this Word, and
Ask ourselves every so often: “Am I evangelizing?”

Stay blessed.

G

Ask ourselves every so often: “Am I evangelizing?”
Chiedersi di tanto in tanto: “Sto evangelizzando?”
De vez em quando perguntar-se: “Estou evangelizando?”
Se demander de temps en temps: «Suis-je en train d’évangéliser?»
Preguntarse de vez en cuando: “¿Estoy evangelizando?”
Fragen wir uns ab und zu: „Evangelisiere ich in diesem Moment?”
Jezelf af en toe afvragen: “Ben ik aan het evangeliseren?”

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sunday November 6th 2011
All Saints Day in South Africa

Let’s bear witness to Christ through our life.

We are all called to be "saints."
The Gospel Beatitudes from Matthew sum up the path for
passion towards that sanctity (Mt 5:1-12).
On the one side of the equation is us identifying
with that Saviour on His Cross, Jesus Forsaken.
The flip side of the coin is becoming one with Jesus Risen.
Hence, each Beatitude begins with an aspect of Jesus Forsaken,
and then concludes with a corresponding Blessing.
What a motive for us to "carry our cross"
and see beyond any tragedy.
It becomes a way of living a new password for today:
Let’s bear witness to Christ through our life.

* To be "Poor in spirit" (detached)
launches "the kingdom of heaven;"
* to be "gentle"
opens the door to inheriting creation itself;
* to "mourn" is to allow grief to release comfort,
but then any "dying" is really a dying to an "attachment;"
* to "hunger and thirst for what is right" Jesus promises
"they shall be satisfied" ;
* to be "merciful" unlocks mercy in return,
"what you sow, you reap" (Galatians 6:7);
* to be "pure in heart" is to see God in everyone, in everything,
yes, to Be alive to the will of God of the present ;
* to be a "peacemaker" is to be a child of God who is peace;
* to be "persecuted in the cause of right"
(and perhaps it is because others have made you the victim
of their inability to forgive you, or be reconciled to you),
once again launches "the kingdom of heaven" itself;
* and to be "persecuted" for a lived faith in Christ,
when not following the dictates of the world,
promises heaven itself, because living these Beatitudes
opened door to live the Password:
Let’s bear witness to Christ through our life.

Each of the Beatitudes is a "detachment" from something earthly
so as to be free to be "attached" to the Divine.
Deepak Chopra has much to say to enlighten us
on this Law of Detachment!
"In detachment lies the wisdom of uncertainty ….
In the wisdom of uncertainty lies the freedom:
from our past, from the known,
(which is the prison of past conditioning).
And in our willingness to step into the unknown,
the field of all possibilities,
we surrender ourselves to the creative mind
that orchestrates the dance of the universe."

Go dance!
Go dance bearing witness to Christ
in every aspect of your life today!

Let’s bear witness to Christ through our life.

Stay blessed.

G

Let’s measure our actions with the Gospel

2011-11-05T06:35:00.003+02:00

Take one person in the Gospels...
read how she "lived" the Word of God,
apply the logic to each Scriptural episode
and be inspired!
There's the visit of Gabriel ... Lk 1:26-38
And her visit to her cousin ... Lk 1:39-56
There is the Birth of Love ... (Lk 2:1-20)
... and the cost of love with a sword piercing a heart (Lk 2:21-38)
There is a time to draw strength from one another (Mt 2:13f)
... and a time to lose so as to find (Lk 2:41-50)
There is a time for silent growth (Lk 2:51-53)
... and a time to be seen to be growing (Jn 2, Mk 3:31-35...)
There's a time when something in us has to die (Jn 19:26-27)
and a time of new fire to be reborn in the Spirit (Acts 1).

There's a time to wait,
and there's a time, like today, to make a choice.
So,
Let’s measure our actions with the Gospel.

Stay blessed!

G

[pic: Lourdes reminder of Rev 12]

Let’s measure our actions with the Gospel.
Confrontare le nostre azioni con il Vangelo
Confrontar as nossas ações com o Evangelho
Confronter nos actions avec l’Évangile
Comparar nuestras acciones con el Evangelio
Unser Handeln am Evangelium ausrichten
Onze handelingen toetsen aan het evangelie
لِنقارن أعمالنا مع الإنجيل

Aim at Gospel-based perfection

2011-11-04T05:50:00.004+02:00

What inspires folk to pray at a Grotto at 5am?
A sense of thanksgiving? A panic? An anxiety?
A prayer for someone with an acute suffering at the moment?
Several weeks ago I found myself here, at the Grotto in Lourdes,
with those similar intentions...
Perhaps we can all allocate more time to prayer today,
with the same intentions...
After all, the Word of God often exhorts us to pray,
and today's Password is:
Aim at Gospel-based perfection.

Saint Paul reminded the Romans:
"I am quite certain that you are full of good intentions,
perfectly well instructed and able to advise each other.
The reason why I have written to you ...
is to refresh your memories ..."(Rom 15:14-21).

The Gospel arrives to do just that,
to "refresh our memories" (Lk 16:1-8).
Today's extract contains a parable about a steward,
who was "full of good intentions."
However, his earthly pursuits meant
he was “wasteful of his master’s property.”

Am I wasteful of what God has given me?
Talents? Life? Grace? Personality? Skills?
Time to take stock, and
Aim at Gospel-based perfection.

The steward is exposed by others to his master, “a rich man.”
Do I only expose others to feel good about myself?
What am I doing to help others repent,
to show reparation, to start again?
Or, along with the betrayers,
do I dismiss the steward without a chance to repair the damage?
Time to begin again, and rather
Aim at Gospel-based perfection.

The response of the steward is a challenge for our resourcefulness.
Jesus does not praise the steward for his dishonesty!
He refers, rather, to his “astuteness,” his resourcefulness.
When someone is "astute" we expect that someone to possess
the qualities of discernment, cleverness, and be ingenious,
at times even shrewd.

“If a scoundrel can be that resourceful in ‘feathering his own nest’,
can’t you be equally resourceful in the service of the kingdom?
Can’t you be that imaginative, that daring, that ingenious?” *
You can when, in the words of Saint Paul,
"you are full of good intentions,
perfectly well instructed and able to advise each other."

Aim at Gospel-based perfection.

Stay blessed.

G

[pic: I took at 5am, Mon 26 Sept 2011, at Lourdes Grotto]

[ * http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Sermons/Crisis%20of%20the%20Kingdom.htm

Aim at Gospel-based perfection.
Tendere alla perfezione evangelica
Tender à perfeição evangélica
Tendre à la perfection évangélique
Tender a la perfección evangélica
Nach Vollkommenheit streben, wie es das Evangelium verlangt
De evangelische volmaaktheid nastreven ]

Just like children, let’s live the Word of God with simplicity

2011-11-03T05:24:00.005+02:00

Anyone walked these desert-broken granite bolders atop the Orange River Canyon downstream Augrabies Falls?
It's a must - at least once in a lifetime!
And anyone walked these Drakensberg Peaks with their green-covered basalt spiky spurs inviting you to reach the top and be "Wow-ed!"

I always find natural landscapes "perfect."
They are as God evolved them to be.
More than that, they are always in a state of becoming
what God continuously wants them to be -
for no landscape is static.

Our lives are like a landscape, sometimes desert,
sometimes lush, but always "becoming."

Begin again to "become" what God wants you to be,
whether you feel life is a desert or a lush paradise!
Begin again, like a child, and simply live the Word of God
in each circumstance.
No time for complications today -
Just like children,
let’s live the Word of God with simplicity.

I cannot afford to become "lost" in the past,
or even "lost" in the future.
Children are terrified of becoming lost.
I must remain in a state of "being found" in the present,
for my experiences of now
are expressions of the Will of God for me now,
in God's choice of how I embrace my
"becoming what God wants me to be," for now.
What a joy!
It is like living with an increase in joy
through each successive 'present moment'
when I realise and embrace the Will of God
in each 'present moment.'

That "knowing" is on-going,
always re-discovering and always a new discovery!
We are on a "divine adventure."

So when we are feeling "lost" on this adventure,
through an illness, a betrayal, a hurt, or even an addiction,
the Gospel (Lk 15:1-10) reminds us
that we have already been "found" by Christ:
He is like the "man with a hundred sheep" who loses one,
leaves the 99 in the desert to search and find the lost one;
or like the "woman with ten drachmas" who loses one,
"lights a lamp ... sweeps the house ... searches thoroughly"
until she finds it.
The sheer rejoicing "together with her friends and neighbours"
becomes the image of God and heaven
rejoicing over "finding you" back on the road
of "becoming what God wants you to be"
and not feeling lost or abandoned.
After all, the Pharisees noticed that Jesus
"welcomes sinners and eats with them..." !

Just like children,
let’s live the Word of God with simplicity.

What a joy - never to remain lost!
After all, Saint Paul reminds us,
"alive or dead we belong to the Lord"
(Rom 14:7-12).

Have I forced someone into being "lost" ?
In my eyes am I so "perfect" and the other so "imperfect"
that I force them into a wilderness to stay lost?
Recall Saint Paul today:
"you should never pass judgement on another,
or treat him with contempt..."
Perhaps that "other" has repented
and the whole of heaven is rejoicing,
while I remain in my stubborness, my hurt, my hatred?
"There will be more rejoicing in heaven
over one repentant sinner
than over ninety-nine virtuous men
who have no need of repentance...
I tell you,
there is rejoicing among the angels of God
over one repentant sinner."

Allow the Word of God to help you continuously "become."
Remain in a state of continuous discovery,
and never allow a sense of being "lost" to overwhelm you.
You are too precious to be "lost."
Others are too precious to be "lost."
Respond to God finding you, long before you find God,
for that is your joy!

Just like children,
let’s live the Word of God with simplicity.

And stay blessed.

G

[pics: I took them both, at opposite ends of this great country of ours!]

[ Just like children,
let’s live the Word of God with simplicity
Come i piccoli, vivere la Parola di Dio con semplicità
Viver a Palavra de Deus com simplicidade, como as crianças
Comme les petits, vivre la Parole de Dieu avec simplicité
Como los pequeños, vivir la Palabra de Dios con sencillez
Leben wir das Wort Gottes mit der Einfachheit der Kin-der!
Het Woord van God beleven met de eenvoud van kinderen ]

Let ourselves be guided by the light and truth of the Gospel

2011-11-02T06:31:00.002+02:00

Password for today:

Let ourselves be guided by the light and truth of the Gospel

Lasciarci guidare dalla luce e dalla verità del Vangelo
Deixar-se guiar pela luz e pela verdade do Evangelho
Nous laisser guider par la lumière et la vérité de l’Evangile
Dejarse guiar por la luz y por la verdad del Evangelio.
Lassen wir uns vom Licht und von der Wahrheit des E-vangeliums leiten!
Je laten leiden door het licht en de waarheid van het evangelie

The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed

2011-11-02T05:13:00.004+02:00

"At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them."

All Souls Day is like an early Armistice Day.

Traditionally, Armistice Day stems from the First World War:
"The term "armistice" means a cessation of hostilities
as a prelude to peace negotiations.
In the context of the First World War 'the armistice' is generally
referred to in context of the agreement between the Germans and
the Allies to end the war on November 11, 1918.
It was signed at 5 a.m. on the morning of 11 November 1918,
and came into effect six hours later at 11 a.m.
(hence the oft-quoted
'eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month')."
[ http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/armistice.htm ]

Laurence Binyon (1869-1943), composed a poem in 1914,
For the Fallen, which included the words:

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam."
[ http://www.firstworldwar.com/poetsandprose/binyon.htm ]

Long before "Armistice Day",
the Jews remembered their dead,
in fact, they prayed for their soldiers who had died in battle:
"Thus he [Judas Maccabaeas] made atonement for the dead
that they [the dead soldiers] might be freed from sin."
(2 Maccabees 12:46).
This event of "making atonement" for the sins of those who
had died (sins of compromise with their faith during their lives)
is regarded by many as the first indication
of the notion of "Purgatory" in the Scriptures.

(Interesting that along with "Purgatory," the following actual words
do not occur in the Bible: "Trinity," "Incarnation" and "Bible."
It does not mean that if a word is not in the Bible it is not believed in!)

From the time of the early Christian Church,
the practice of "praying for the dead" was widespread
and accepted (e.g. 1 Corinthians 15:29),
even though the Books of Maccabees were later
excluded by some groups from the Canon of Scripture.
Today is set aside in our tradition to commemorate
the faithful departed.
“At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.”

We remember them, pray for them, and thank God for them,
especially those who have played a role in our lives.
Just as " 'armistice' means a cessation of hostilities
as a prelude to peace negotiations"
so I want the same in my heart, mind and soul
with those who have left us, with my God, and also
with all those still alive around me today.
It's time to cease being "hostile" and to rather
make "peace" and remain "reconciled"!!
"The Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed"
is a desire for everyone to be totally one in God.
I lift their souls up to God's mercy and infinite,
unconditional Love in Christ!

I hope to be united with them after the world's "sunset",
when we are told in Is 25:6-9 that on "the mountain of the Lord,
the Lord of hosts will prepare for all peoples
a banquet of rich food…
On this mountain … he will destroy Death forever…"

In the interim, I desperately seek and pray for reconciliation
amongst my family and friends, in fact all families and friends,
and between nations at war right now,
while we are still here on earth.
No wonder the Second Reading's short text from Romans
(5:5-11)
contains four references to "reconciliation" !
There is always hope for reconciliation long before death:
"Hope is not deceptive,
because the love of God has been poured into our hearts
by the Holy Spirit which has been given us."

The Gospel* (Lk 7:11-17) reminds us who is God's reconciliation
for now
and for the "end" :
"Near the gate of the town (Nain) a dead man
was being carried out for a burial,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow…
'Young man, I tell you, get up.'
And the dead man sat up and began to talk,
and Jesus gave him to his mother."
It is Jesus.
Let's keep him present in our lives today, and so prepare
for that Day when we will all be one on that "mountain."

While neither the mother nor the son in the Gospel
are alive today,
(just as none of us were here 100 years ago,
and none of us will be here in 100 years' time),
this "raising of the dead" shows me Jesus is God,
and confirms the promise that we will all be ultimately "raised"
to live forever... as one ...

... including all souls, waiting ...

But now, we remember them,
and I am happy to pray for them...

Be blessed!

G

[pic: a sunset at Canakkale, Turkey, whilst on pilgrimage with Fr. Harry Wilkinson
http://www.aboutcatholics.com/life_in_christ/where_purgatory_bible/
http://purgatoryisreal.blogspot.com/ ]

[ * PS: Gospel for today:
Some folk will use Matthew 11:25-30 (for "Year A")
others will select from "The Common".
I chose this Gospel: Lk 7:11-17]

Always tend towards holiness

2011-11-01T06:23:00.006+02:00

The Starter, with mushrooms ...

The Main, with fish ...

The Dessert, with a touch of lemon and love ...

And that's only one meal I experienced in the south of France...
The French know how to enoy their food!
You don't have to eat a lot,
but what is available is presented as if it were
the only banquet, the special banquet, the final banquet
before you go back to 'stuiwe pap' and 'borewors!'
(But then the latter is quite a speciality,
when prepared in true South Êfrikin style!)

The food must have been so good at the banquet
referred to in today's Gospel, (Lk 14:15-24), because
"One of those gathered round the table said to Jesus,
'Happy the man who will be at the feast in the kingdom of God.' "
If ours is so good, imagine the banquet in heaven!
All this and heaven too!

Jesus seizes the opportunity to warn those who choose to miss,
avoid and ignore the banquet of life of today
that they will also lose out on that final 'eschatological' banquet
in heaven.

What's your excuse to avoid God's Banquet for you today?
What keeps you from living God's Word to the full?
What obstacle have I placed in my path to ignore today's Password:
Always tend towards holiness ?

Saint Paul provides the recipe for the Banquet of today
(Rom 12:5-16).
The text is rich in guidelines, suggestions, poster-headlines,
Gospel laws of freedom to live fully today in God's Love
and make of today God's Banquet
for you and for others.
It's Paul advice not only to the passionate Romans,
but to us!
He tells us how to
Always tend towards holiness .

Stay blessed!

G

[pics: yes, that was my lunch a few weeks ago!]
Always tend towards holiness
Tendere sempre alla santità
Tender sempre à santidade
Toujours tendre à la sainteté
Tender siempre a la santidad
Immer nach Heiligkeit streben
Steeds gericht zijn op de heiligheid ]

In His will we find God

2011-10-31T06:31:00.005+02:00

This impressive landscape below the Augrabies Falls
on the Orange River in the Northern Cape
has much to teach us about our God.
Each exposure of granite was cut, and is being cut,
to become its most perfect shape and form.
Each blade of grass and clinging root
in its quest for survival, helps break the rock
to ultimately widen the canyon and produce a new picture
for us, day after day, year after year.
Each drop of water flows and swirls according
to Nature's laws, and fulfills its purpose.
Each aspect of the landscape is simply
following God's Will for itself,
and produces a landscape fit for God!
Now that says so much to me,
so I share it today with you.
It's the Password:
In His will we find God.

No resistance, no rebellion,
only participation in God's Will for us today, then
In His will we find God.

In the first place, the Liturgy of the Word begins
with a repetition of the closing text of yesterday:
"God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice"
(Rom 11:29-36). Apply this to yourself.
With that as God's will for you,
list your "gifts," and identify where God has chosen you to be
in each present moment of the day.
You will have such grace and energy to face anything
and everything during today!
Why? Because
In his will we find God.

When you question that promise from God,
or doubt if the text applies to you
while you try to cope with a physical pain,
or an emotional turmoil, or even a spiritual dryness,
Saint Paul raises our minds to God who is God:
"How rich are the depths of God
- how deep his wisdom and knowledge -
and how impossible to penetrate his motives
or understand his methods.
Who could ever know the mind of the Lord?
Who could ever be his counsellor?"
If God allows something or wants something,
who am I to rebel?
Instead I can discover, in that very physical pain,
that emotional turmoil, or spiritual dryness, that
In his will we find God.

Then continue to carry out "His Will"
by applying the words of Scripture to your everyday life!
Incarnate in your everyday experiences
the "new commandment" of Jesus
in its trillion manifestations of concrete love:
forgive, love one another as I have loved you,
love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
be the first to love, love everyone....
Continue in this way throughout today and you will see that
In his will we find God.

Then you won't have a problem,
like "one of the leading Pharisees" in today's Gospel,
when it comes to celebrating life!
(Lk 14:12-14).

In his will we find God.

Be blessed with this today!

G

[pic: I took on retreat at Augrabies Falls several years ago]
[In His will we find God
Nella sua volontà troviamo Dio
Na Sua Vontade encontramos Deus
Nous trouvons Dieu dans sa volonté
En Su voluntad encontramos a Dios
Im Willen Gottes begegnen wir ihm selbst
In Zijn wil vinden we God zelf ]

What counts is to do the will of God of the present moment

2011-10-30T06:47:00.007+02:00

The west façade of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
spans the time period 1200's to the 1800's,
a time of construction, a time of devotion,
a time of destruction, and a time of restoration.
Is that not the story of many of our own lives?

Above the three main entrances is a row of twenty-eight statues
representing twenty-eight generations of the kings of Judah,
the ancestors of Jesus.
In the 13th century they were painted to represent 28 kings of
France. The Revolution thus had them mutilated and destroyed,
but a century later they were restored.

Above this impressive row, crowned by a giant rose window,
stands Mary, flanked by two angels,
presenting Jesus to the world.
On the pillars of the windows on either side
stand Adam and Eve:
their bringing sin into the world being the reason
for the presentation of the new-born Saviour into our world.

But the context is a Cathedral, a church.
This small part of the story within the architecture
is a message for all of us, for we are all "church,"
and especially for church leaders of every generation:
learn from the past and know what not to repeat!
Rather live the present fully, while preparing for the future.
We may get stuck on the wheel of life
and remain in the past. Why? Rather begin anew
to accept God's gift of the Present and live today's Password:
What counts is to do the will of God
of the present moment.

Yes, we know that down the centuries there are
priests and church leaders who have failed the church
in its mission of continuing "the work of Mary",
i.e. to bring the Saviour into our world.
Perhaps they have opted for the Forbidden Fruit,
like Adam and Eve: something similar in the First Reading
when the prophet Malachi,
(his name means 'my messenger,' 'my angel'),
laments the betrayal of priests in Israel of 536 BC:
"you have strayed from the way;
you have caused many to stumble"
(Malachi, extracts from chapter 1).

Perhaps some priests and church leaders
have pursued ambition for ambition-sake,
represented by the twenty-eight statues in the façade,
and ignored the Gospel.
Jesus laments this kind of betrayal in today's Gospel
(Mt 23:1-12).

But we are all the church.
We have the Good News of forgiveness, reconciliation,
redemption, a Saviour who has died and is risen.
We cannot remain stuck in the past.
We cannot categorise the entire church on the behaviour
of those who have betrayed the church...
Like Mary in the rose-window,
we are flanked by angels, not by Adam and Eve,
and we have a task: take Jesus into the world
today, now, in the 21st century.
Repent where necessary,
but begin again to live as God wants us to live.
I am not condemned to repeat any sinful past continuously.
What counts is to do the will of God
of the present moment.

And so Saint Paul comes to our rescue
(1 Thes 2:7-9.13).
We have the opportunity of a new Sunday to hear the Word,
through the Church,
represented by Paul and his companions in the Reading.
We have a new day to welcome this Word as
"God's message; not some human thinking"
so that this Word can still be
"a living power among you who believe it."
We have the Password to apply this message:
What counts is to do the will of God
of the present moment.

Enjoy going to your church today
and receiving God's Message to help you realise that
What counts is to do the will of God
of the present moment.

Stay blessed.

G

[pics: I took last month of the façade of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris]
[ What counts is to do the will of God
of the present moment
Ciò che conta è fare la volontà di Dio dell'attimo presente
Aquilo que vale é fazer a Vontade de Deus do momento presente
Ce qui compte c’est de faire la volonté de Dieu
Lo que vale es hacer la voluntad de Dios del momento presente
Was zählt: im jeweiligen Augenblick den Willen Gottes erfüllen
Wat telt is hier en nu de wil van God doen ]

Notre Dame Cathedral: see
http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/spip.php?article383

Live with humility there where God places us

2011-10-29T08:14:00.004+02:00

Chatting to folk in a restaurant
is one way of living today's Password -
when they are open to have a chat, of course!
Three tourists thrown together in a restuarant -
a lady from Chicago, another from UK, and a South Afrian
originally from Mauritius all friends by the end of the meal
in a sidewalk cafe, Montmarte, Paris.
Live with humility there where God places us.

Saint Paul remained "friends" of the Chosen Race
"God never takes back his gifts
or revokes his choice"
(extracts from Rom 11).
Live with humility there where God places us.

Jesus wants to befriend, and encourages us to accept:
"Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted"
(Lk 14:1.7-11).
Live with humility there where God places us.

Now it's our turn!
Live with humility there where God places us.

Stay blessed.

G

[pic: I took in Montmarte last month]
Live with humility there where God places us.
Vivere con umiltà lì dove Dio ci mette)
Viver com humildade ali onde Deus nos coloca
Vivre avec humilité là où Dieu nous met
Vivir con humildad allí donde Dios nos pone
Mit Demut leben - da, wo Gott uns hinstellt
In nederigheid leven waar God ons plaatst ]

Saints Simon and Jude Feast 28th October

2011-10-28T05:29:00.006+02:00

A visit to the twelfth century Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris
evokes a sense of grandeur about how we can worship God,
a-la-Gothic style! We soar heavenward, through the architecture
and the stained-glass windows...
It was begun in 1163, and completed in the 1240's.
Just wallow in the stained-glass: imagine the time and effort,
piece by piece to create the masterpiece of each window.
Reminds me of today's Password:
Fulfil God’s plan moment by moment.

Become that masterpiece,
sent to create awe in the lives of others:
you are unique, with your own "number" and DNA.
No one will duplicate or replace you on this planet, ever.
This is the place and time given to you on a platter,
piece by piece, day by day, moment by moment.
Fulfil God’s plan moment by moment.

The Apostles, like Simon and Jude, knew that!
Each apostle was unique, different, but as "one"
they fulfilled God's Plan to bring Good News
wherever they were sent.
You and I are being "sent" into today
(the word "apostle" means, "the one who is sent").
God wants you to use your uniqueness
to bring "Good News" to the people around you,
so that they will be held in "awe" about God ...
through your words, your actions, and your thoughts.
Fulfil God’s plan moment by moment.

A Facebook post has this apt message for our Password:
"The pessimist complains about the wind;
the optimist expects it to change;
the realist adjusts the sails"
(William Arthur Ward).
You can
Fulfil God’s plan moment by moment.

You must contribute, piece by piece,
to a "stained-glass window" of God's house in this world:
"You are part of a building
that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations,
and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone.
As every structure is aligned on him,
all grow into one holy temple in the Lord;
and you too, in him, are being built into a house
where God lives, in the spirit"
writes Saint Paul (Eph 2:19-22).

Allow youself to be "sent" into day
to help build that "temple", that "house where God lives" :
Fulfil God’s plan moment by moment.

Jesus in us continues, through us, to
"cure ...
diseases ... and people tormented by unclean spirits"
(Lk 6:12-19).
Only you will react the way you react
with the people God will send into your life today.
So, make of today God's stained-glass window.
Allow youself to be a piece, creating God's masterpiece
of each window in God's House
in which you find yourself moment by moment today.

Fulfil God’s plan moment by moment.

Stay blessed.

G

[pic: I took last month in Notre Dame]
[ Fulfil God’s plan moment by moment
Realizzare momento per momento il progetto di Dio
Realizar momento por momento o projeto de Deus
Réaliser, instant après instant, le projet de Dieu
Realizar momento tras momento el proyecto de Dios
Augenblick für Augenblick den Plan Gottes verwirklichen
Het plan dat God heeft ieder moment verwezenlijken ]

Do what God wants today

2011-10-27T06:41:00.004+02:00

The chant in Latin during the incensing of the altar
in the underground Basilica of Pius X in Lourdes, reads
"Praise the Lord, Jerusalem, Sion praise your God!"
What a way to begin today!
For who knows what today will bring for each of us?
We can, however, be sure that we are able to face anything
by living the Password:
Do what God wants today.

When we encounter a difficulty or an exceptional
challenge, Saint Paul reminds us (Rom 8:31-39):
"With God on our side, who can be against us? ...
Nothing can come between us and the love of Christ ...
neither death, nor life, no angel, no prince,
nothing that exists, nothing still to come,
not any power, or height, or depth,
nor any created thing,
can ever come between us and the love of God
made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord."

When I live this, I can unhesitatingly
Do what God wants today.

While the psalmist cries "Praise the Lord Jerusalem,"
Jesus weeps over Jerusalem (Lk 13:31-35):
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets
and stone those who are sent to you!
How often have I longed to gather your children,
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
and you refused!"

Jesus must weep no more!
No time to "kill" with my tongue, my thoughts, my actions.
No time to "stone" others with my prejudice, my hate,
my anger and my hurt after being betrayed.
Jesus died so that His Wounds removed our wounds.
Jesus is risen.
Jesus rises in us, so our chant must create a New Jerusalem
out of today, one that cries out
"Praise the Lord, Jerusalem, Sion praise your God!"
because we live the Password in faith and
Do what God wants today.

Stay blessed.

G

gshattingh@hotmail.com

[PS: note the Blog statistics at the end of yesterday's post]

[pic: I took in Lourdes last month]
[ Do what God wants today.
Compiere ciò che Dio vuole oggi
Cumprir aquilo que Deus quer hoje
Accomplir ce que Dieu veut aujourd’hui
Cumplir lo que Dios quiere hoy
Tun, was Gott heute von mir will
Doen wat God vandaag wil ]

Go through the narrow door in the present moment

2011-10-26T06:07:00.008+02:00

An example of Roman engineering during the First Century AD:
a 1.4 km channel to direct raging river waters from flooding
the coastal city of Seleucia, the port city for Antioch-on-the-
Orontes, Asia Minor, present-day south-east Turkey.
This pic I took inside the tunnel-section ends with
a narrow doorway/outlet, reminding us of today's Password:
Go through the narrow door in the present moment.

Interesting to note that floodwaters from the Chao Phraya
River threaten the city of Bankok in Thailand these days,
and such a channel-diversion is desperately needed.

[ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15326738 ]

There are times in life when "floodwaters" threaten us,
and we suspect that all will be lost,
or even all has been lost.
However, perhaps those very circumstances are God's way
of providing us with "a narrow door."
All is not lost, as Saint Paul reminds us:
"We know that by turning everything to their good
God co-operates with all those who love him ..."
(Rom 8:26-30)
... "everything", including those "floodwaters" in life.
Go through the narrow door in the present moment.

The Password is from today's Gospel (Lk 13:22-30).
The extract ends with an application of this advice from Jesus:
"There are those now last who will be first,
and those now first who will be last."
The context refers to the audience of Jesus:
many of them were amongst the fist to receive the revelation
that God is Love. But they rejected that and opted for
an institutionalised religion. They will be amongst the last
to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Then there are the new ones, the so-called "last," to hear
the Good News of Jesus, and understand God is Love in Him -
forgiving, reconciling, loving, healing, encouraging ....
These will be the first to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Which group receives your support?
Depends on directing those floodwaters in your life
by continuing through the narrow door God prepared for you
long before anything "went wrong" ...
What a challenge!
Go through the narrow door in the present moment.

Stay blessed.

G

[pic: I took walking through the Titus Tunnel east of Antioch-on-Orontes]
[ Go through the narrow door in the present moment
Passare per la porta stretta dell'attimo presente)
Passar pela porta estreita do momento presente
Passer par la porte étroite de l’instant présent
Pasar por la puerta estrecha en el momento presente
Durch die enge Tür des gegenwärtigen Augenblicks gehen
Door de nauwe poort gaan van het moment van nu ]

########

A few folk have asked to comment on this Blog:
please send all comments to my email address:
gshattingh@hotmail.com

Stats for this week from Blogger list the following hits
(pageviews) for this Blog by 9pm 26th October:
United States 324
South Africa 179
United Kingdom 56
Canada 42
Australia 33
India 27
Philippines 25
Germany 9
Ireland 7
Netherlands 7

(Total hits since May 2009: 46,775
with 21st April 2011 having nearly 4000 hits for the one post-
The Last Supper.)

Thanks for the support, folks!
God bless!
G

Every moment is great if lived in the will of God

2011-10-25T06:21:00.004+02:00

These grandfather-clocks on sale on a beach in the UK
must have great stories to tell of times in the past!
Where are those households now in which those clocks
stood proud and defiant against all time?
And now they are waiting to enter new homes
and continue their role in setting the time and place
for more episodes in the lives of new households,
as if ticking out moment after moment for them and for us.
That's where today's Password can enter
to give meaning to those moments:
Every moment is great if lived in the will of God.

There are times when "every moment" is filled with pain.
Saint Paul provides a link:
"I think that what we suffer in this life
can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed,
which is waiting for us" (Rom 8:18-25).
He says more, placing our suffering in the context of
universal suffering: it is as if "from the beginning
till now the entire creation, as we know it,
has been groaning in one great act of giving birth;
and not only creation,
but all of us who possess the first fruits of the Spirit."

Allow the time of suffering to pass in its time.
Consider it as an expresion of God's Time for us now.
And thus let our "groaning" contribute to this Kingdom
unfolding in time, so as to provide the crossing over
from an experience of Jesus Forsaken to Jesus Risen. Then
Every moment is great if lived in the will of God.

The Gospel speaks of His Kingdom (Lk 13:18-21)
in terms of a mustard seed or yeast.
When I, like Jesus, realise that
Every moment is great if lived in the will of God
then I participate in making God's Kingdom
more visible and real in my life and the lives
of those around me, especially when I forgive,
and love the way Jesus loves.

Often, however, Jesus is ignored,
and the pendulum swings to our own time,
our own rhythm of understanding situations,
even when based purely on hearsay.
Instead, just like the Gospel’s mustard seed is simply
“thrown into the garden,”
let me “throw” the words of Jesus into my life today.
Every moment is great if lived in the will of God.
Let me live that Word, so that by the end of today's time,
I will notice that “the seed grew and became a tree,
and the birds of the air sheltered in its branches”
i.e. others benefitted from my pain-offered,
my peace-embraced, and my forgiveness-lived.

Chiara Lubich said,
"Only charity matters. If our brothers are in need, if they are troubled by moral, intellectual, or family problems, we have to try to make ourselves one with them. They will find their way again and ultimately love us back. They will find light again since they have been loved. Light leads to hope and discouragement disappears."

The clock is ticking.
I have the gift of the time allocated to today.
Now I must begin to live fully the fact that
Every moment is great if lived in the will of God

Stay blessed.

G

[pic: Image 10 by Les Simpson
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-14786190 ]
[ Every moment is great if lived in the will of God.
Ogni momento è grande se vissuto nella volontà di Dio)
Cada momento é grande se vivido na Vontade de Deus
Chaque instant est grand s’il est vécu dans la volonté de Dieu
Cada momento es grande si se vive en la voluntad de Dios
Wenn wir im Willen Gottes leben, hat jeder Augenblick seine Größe
Ieder moment dat je leeft in Gods wil, is groot ]

Do not let yourselves be distracted by what is not the will of God

2011-10-24T06:48:00.004+02:00

Does the grass always have to be greener on the other side?
Often guided by hearsay,
we envy others, are greedy for what others have,
or even pursue a lifelong anxiety over others
who seem to be 'getting away with it' ...
Instead,
God's Will is different to that kind of thinking and behaviour.
Hence today's Password:
Do not let yourselves be distracted
by what is not the will of God.

Saint Paul tells us in the First Reading why we can be free
from those "distractions":
"there is no necessity for us to obey our unspiritual selves
or to live unspiritual lives.
If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die;
but if by the Spirit
you put an end to the misdeeds of the body
you will live"
(Rom 8:12-17).
Do not let yourselves be distracted
by what is not the will of God.
Instead,
be moved by the Spirit, and live!

Just as Jesus, in today's Gospel, lays his hands on a woman
"who for eighteen years had been possessed by a spirit
that left her enfeebled" (Lk 13:10-17),
so Jesus "lays his hands" on you today.
The grass is not greener on the other side!
Don't remain "enfeebled" by hearsay about others,
and what they have in their food-dish!
Do not let yourselves be distracted
by what is not the will of God.
Instead,
be moved by the Spirit, and live!

Stay blessed.

G

[ Do not let yourselves be distracted
by what is not the will of God
Non lasciarsi distrarre da ciò che non è volontà di Dio
Não deixar-se distrais daquilo que não é Vontade de Deus
Ne pas nous laisser distraire
par ce qui n’est pas volonté de Dieu
No dejarnos distraer por lo que no es voluntad de Dios
Lassen wir uns nicht ablenken von Dingen,
die nicht Wille Gottes sind!
Je niet laten afleiden door wat niet de wil van God is ]

What counts is to love in the present moment

2011-10-23T06:47:00.005+02:00

Arriving early at Charles de Gaulle Airport, Paris,
means you can view the A 380 double-decker bird being invited
by the sky
to fly ...
those whisps of cirrus and strato-cumulus seem to
beckon the Air France Airbus to join them in the heavens!
What an aircraft!

A friend sent me an email with this quote:
"How does one become a butterfly?" she asked pensively.
"You must want to fly so much
that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar."
~Trina Paulus~

Don't "stay on the ground as a caterpillar" today!
Become an A380-double-decker-special
and fly like a butterfly
with God
into the true heavens offered by this Sunday.

Letting go of a "caterpillar"-existence is so simple:
just live the Password:
What counts is to love in the present moment.

Jesus spells out that love of we want to fly with Him:
"You must 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 resembles it:
you must love your neighbour as yourself"
(Mt 22;34-40).

What counts is to love in the present moment.

Moses will give a few examples in today's First Reading
of how "to love in the present moment"
(Ex 22:20-26).
Saint Paul will provide the motivation and reason
"to love in the present moment"
(1 Thes 1:5-10).
What counts is to love in the present moment.

Find that extra time for God today,
and fly ....
carying others with you into God's Heaven,
by knowing that
What counts is to love in the present moment.

Stay blessed!

G

[pic: I took the night I flew home after a spiritual feast, having prayed for miracles in my family and amongst my friends, Paris and Lourdes, September 2011]
[ What counts is to love in the present moment.
Ciò che importa è amare nell’attimo presente
O que importa é amar no momento presente
L’important est d’aimer dans le moment présent
Lo que importa es amar en el momento presente
Was zählt: lieben – im Jetzt
Wat telt is liefhebben in het moment van nu ]

Live the will of God with totality

2011-10-22T08:23:00.003+02:00

A sculpture in the underground Basilica in Lourdes hosts a
modern-day sculpture of Calvary:
Jesus on the cross, John, the beloved, and Mary, his mother,
while they wait... and Live the will of God with totality
in their particular circumstance.

In each circumstance of my life I need to do the same:
Live the will of God with totality.

I can because of the new life given to me by God:
"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead
is living in you,
then he who raised Jesus from the dead
will give life to your own mortal bodies
through his Spirit living in you"
(Rom 8: 1-11)
- and that is for NOW, TODAY, so you can
Live the will of God with totality.
Accept the fact that through your faith
"the Spirit of God has made his home in you."

And I don't have much time!
Begin today!
The parable of Jesus speaks of the vineyard owner
wanting to cut down the fig tree producing no fruit -
"Sir," says the one looking after the vineyard,
"leave it one more year
and give me time to dig round it and manure it:
it may bear fruit next year;
if not, then you can cut it down"
(Lk 13:1-9).
The Father is the owner, Jesus is the one looking after
the vineyard, I am the tree....
Live the will of God with totality
and there is hope.

What a Saturday to LIVE
before yet another sunset this evening....

Stay blessed while you
Live the will of God with totality.

G

[pics: I took in Lourdes last month]
[ Live the will of God with totality.
Vivere con radicalità la volontà di Dio
Viver com radicalismo a Vontade de Deus
Vivre de façon radicale la volonté de Dieu
Vivir con radicalidad la voluntad de Dios
Den Willen Gottes ganz konsequent verwirklichen
Radicaal de wil van God beleven]

Ask ourselves if our actions are in the will of God

2011-10-21T05:34:00.006+02:00

This is a composite satellite photo of right now,
05h34 SAST, while I am writing up today's Blog.
In RSA it is early morning, a cold front is moving
off the coast (north Natal into Mozambique)
and another cold front is approaching Cape Town -
most unusual for this time of the year because
the pressure belts are moving south and those cold fronts
should be missing us at the southern tip of Africa!
Amazing how they move from west to east around the globe,
both for us and for the northern hemisphere,
waxing and waning like the phases of the moon.

Mother Nature's actions can be predicted:
when a cold front approaches from the west,
we anticipate cloud, cold, and possible rain,
depending on the steepness of pressure gradients,
moisture content....
Mother Nature's actions are simply "in the Will of God."

If only all our actions were "in the will of God"
so that we could "condition" our reponse to situations.
When things happen outside of our control,
perhaps God's Will is unfolding in a way quite foreign
to our expectations or will.
God's Will is that we are fully who we are,
whether we find ourselves on the dark side of the world,
or in bright sunshine, whacked by a cold front, or
basking in the sun.
That "fullness" is to respond as someone created
in the image and likeness of God: i.e. I can say
'I have all the spiritual power of God's Holy Spirit
to accommodate the "cold front" passing over me right now.'

With this insight, we can live today's Password with conviction:
Ask ourselves if our actions are in the will of God.

Jesus also talks about "rain from clouds coming in from the west"
(Lk 12:54-59) and takes it further:
"You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky.
How is it you do not know how to interpret these times?"

The Messiah had arrived, and people still did not believe.
Jesus has died and is risen, and we often behave as if we
still do not believe. If I did, if I believed I have the
same Holy Spirit in me that raised Jesus from the dead,
then I could embrace the trials and difficulties of life
and live as a child of the Resurrection,
... not as a lost child of Good Friday.
We would have clear answers when we
Ask ourselves if our actions are in the will of God.
Good Friday was 3 hours!
Resurrection is forever!
Look at the world around around us:
tsunami's, earthquakes, lava flows and tranquil bays -
Mother Nature's actions are simply in accordance with
the will of God. So when I realise this wonderful planet
is violent for us, because it is not a permanent home,
I experience life here as a preparation, an anticipation,
a passing through like a tourist or pilgrim!
"You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky.
How is it you do not know how to interpret these times?"

The Password becomes something to live today!
Ask ourselves if our actions are in the will of God.
Saint Paul was similarly challenged! He bemoans his actions
with something many of us land up doing as well:
"Instead of doing the good things I want to do,
I carry out the sinful things I do not want"
(Rom 7:18-25).
Pre-empt those actions with the Password:
Ask ourselves if our actions are in the will of God.

Acknowledge where you are on this planet,
where you are in life.
Believe in the Holy Spirit to embrace each situation,
and race into today empowered by the Love of God.
Go live!

And remember to take stock!
Ask ourselves if our actions are in the will of God.

What a way to stay blessed!

G

[pic: http://www.die.net/earth/?zoom=2 ]
[ Ask ourselves if our actions are in the will of God
Chiederci se il nostro agire è nella volontà di Dio
Perguntar-nos se o nosso agir é na Vontade de Deus
Nous demander si ce que nous faisons est dans la volonté de Dieu
Preguntarnos si nuestro actuar está en la voluntad de Dios
Fragen wir uns, ob unser Handeln dem Willen Gottes entspricht!
Jezelf afvragen of wat je doet overeenkomt met Gods wil ]

##

For my ex-geography students!
Remember that Synoptic Weather Chart?
It's now around 11h00.
Today's 06h00 Synoptic Weather Chart shows those fronts
amidst isobars forming troughs and ridges:

[http://www.koolasun.co.za/weather/sa-weather-chart.html]

5 hours later, here is the corresponding satellite picture
showing the cold fronts and High Pressure Systems perfectly:

[ http://www.die.net/earth/?zoom=2 ]
What a life we had in the 70's!!!!

Revive the fire of love moment by moment

2011-10-20T05:32:00.003+02:00

In Paris, near the Metro station Abbesses ("bees") is a
'Garden of Remembrance': a reminder to
Revive the fire of love moment by moment!
"I love you" is written out in every language of the world!

Saint Paul directs that love to God:
"put your bodies at the service of righteousness
for you sanctification ..."
(Rom 6:19-23).
So,
Revive the fire of love moment by moment!

Jesus wants to rekindle a "fire" within us,
a challenge to face opposition in life when we want to love
the way God wants us to love (Lk 12:49-53). Hence
Jesus wants to bring a fire on earth to purify our motives,
or thoughts and actions, which begin at the “heart.”
Yes, to purify even our hearts. We need purifying
when there is division in a family.
How does Jesus purify that division?
Through forgiveness and reconciliation.
So,
Revive the fire of love moment by moment
and let Jesus burn away what divides us,
and what separates us from God.

What will you have written on the Wall of Life
by the end of today?
Will we read "I love you" because you went out to
Revive the fire of love moment by moment ?

Be blessed!

G

[pic: I took in this Garden in Paris in September 2011]
[ Revive the fire of love moment by moment.
Ravvivare il fuoco dell'amore momento per momento
Reavivar o fogo do amor momento por momento
Raviver le feu de l’amour, instant après instant
Reavivar el fuego del amor momento tras momento
Das Feuer der Liebe immer neu entfachen - im jeweiligen Augenblick
Het vuur van de liefde moment voor moment laten oplaaien ]

Walk in the ray of God’s will

2011-10-19T06:05:00.003+02:00

This is one of my favourite pics I took by lying down
on the ground and trying to capture the sun's rays at sunset,
with the roar of Augrabies Falls in the background,
and a corner of the Kalahari Desert all around me.
(I was on retreat prior to Bishop Risi's ordination
in October, 2000).
The tension was to continuing lying down and take pictures,
or get up and run into the sun along one specific ray
of light, not wanting the sun to disappear completely.

In life, we often have the same tension:
lying down, or running into the arms of the Son of God.
Saint Paul wants us to run into that Light:
"sin will no longer dominte your life
since you are living by grace, [Light],
and not by law"
(Rom 6:12-18).
Grace comes to us like one single ray of the sun,
an embrace of the Son of God.
So, let's live the Password for today:
Walk in the ray of God’s will.

Jesus expresses that will more acutely:
"You must stand ready, because the Son of Man
is coming at an hour you do not expect"
(Lk 12:39-48).
God's will is to always be prepared for Christ's arrival
in our lives: Jesus in a neighbour passing you,
or an enemy coming to mind, even a person in need,
and ultimately the day Jesus calls us to that "room"
prepared in for us in His Father's House (Jn 14:1-6).
I prepare by living the Password:
Walk in the ray of God’s will.

I continue to prepare by looking at my talents,
and using them to bring others into their "Ray of God's Light"
so that they keep walking into the sun...
"When someone has a great deal given him,
a great deal will be demanded of him;
when someone has a great deal given him on trust,
even more will be expected of him," says Jesus.

Failed in the past?
The past is gone - don't keep living in it.
You have the present, it is God's Present.
Begin again to
Walk in the ray of God’s will.

Stay blessed.

G

[ Walk in the ray of God’s will
Camminare nel raggio della volontà di Dio)
Caminhar no raio da Vontade de Deus
Avancer sur le rayon de la volonté de Dieu
Caminar en el rayo de la voluntad de Dios
Auf dem Strahl des Willens Gottes vorangehen
Voortgaan langs de straal van de wil van God ]

In doing the will of God we contribute to bringing about His Kingdom

2011-10-18T06:00:00.004+02:00

18 October Saint Luke Evangelist

The man:
Author of the Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, a gentile convert to Christianity, a doctor, who accompanied Paul on his second and third missionary journeys, and stayed in Rome with him while he was in captivity. As a "man", he lived today's Password:
In doing the will of God
we contribute to bringing about His Kingdom

The writer:
The great story teller, checking his facts, using his sources as a ‘minister of the word’ (Lk 1:2), he composes a theological (not biographical) account of Jesus to proclaim that salvation is realised progressively: in history we see this progression from the time of preparation (the Old Testament), to the fulfilment of salvation in Christ, and now, its movement towards universal salvation. He thus contributed to bringing about God's Kingdom... by doing God's Will,
the Password for today:
In doing the will of God
we contribute to bringing about His Kingdom.

Hence we are lead through his unique perspective on Jesus, e.g. in the six miracles and eighteen parables not found in the other gospels. Luke's is the gospel of the poor and of social justice. Forgiveness and God's mercy to sinners is also of first importance to Luke. Only in Luke do we hear the story of the Prodigal Son welcomed back by the overjoyed father. Only in Luke do we hear the story of the forgiven woman disrupting the feast by washing Jesus' feet with her tears. Throughout Luke's gospel, Jesus takes the side of the sinner who wants to return to God's mercy.

Forgiveness could be an entry into the realised salvation that Luke is proclaiming, a salvation won by the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. This salvation is so strong throughout Luke’s Gospel that it is not surprising that works of art depict him with an ox or a calf, the symbols of sacrifice.

Luke writes after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple (70AD), when Christianity has broken with Judaism, and his readers face the challenges of a post-apostolic age: persecution during a hidden return of Christ (known as the Parousia). He teaches that Christ, the source of our salvation, is a present reality, present in the risen Lord, and as such has already come. Christ, the source of salvation, is in the Christian community. The present moment is the time of fulfilment, says Harrington, because God’s Kingdom has arrived.

No wonder the church quotes this extract from his Gospel (Lk 10:1-9) for his feast today:
“The Lord appointed seventy- two others
and sent them out ahead of him in pairs..”
(because) “the harvest is rich and the labourers are few …
Cure those in it [a town] who are sick,
and say, ‘The kingdom of God is very near to you.’ ”
Am I prepared to be one of the "seventy-two others"
in order to live the Password:
In doing the will of God
we contribute to bringing about His Kingdom ?

The saint on a journey:
faithful to the Word and companion to Saint Paul
(Saint Paul makes three references to Luke accompanying them:
Today’s First Reading, 2 Tim 4:10-17:
“… only Luke is with me”;
and again in The Letter to Philemon verse 23f.,
and in Colossians 4:14).
[http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=76 ]:
Luke first joined Paul's company at Troas at about the year 51 and accompanied him into Macedonia where they travelled first to Samothrace, Neapolis, and finally Philippi. Luke then switches back to the third person which seems to indicate he was not thrown into prison with Paul and that when Paul left Philippi Luke stayed behind to encourage the Church there. Seven years passed before Paul returned to the area on his third missionary journey. In Acts 20:5, the switch to "we" tells us that Luke has left Philippi to rejoin Paul in Troas in 58 where they first met up. They travelled together through Miletus, Tyre, Caesarea, to Jerusalem.

Luke remains loyal to Paul when he is imprisoned in Rome about the year 61: "Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers" (Philemon 24). And after everyone else deserts Paul in his final imprisonment and sufferings, it is Luke who remains with Paul to the end: "Only Luke is with me" (2 Timothy 4:11).

Your journey? Who are your companions?
With whom are you companion?
What contribution are you and I making to “curing the sick”
and proclaiming through our words and actions that
“The kingdom of God is very near to you” ?
Chiara Lubich once wrote,
"We have to see one another the way God sees us,
not out to criticize and condemn,
but filled with mercy and ready to help one another."
Am I convinced of the Password:
In doing the will of God
we contribute to bringing about His Kingdom ?

What a feast today's celebration of "Saint Luke" can become!

Be blessed.

G

[pic: Saint Luke icon
http://www.lexic.us/definition-of/Saint_Luke ]
references I paroused:
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=76 ;
Harrington, W.J. 1975. Key to the Bible. Vol III: New Testament.
Ohio: Alba Books. 48-57 ]

[ In doing the will of God
we contribute to bringing about His Kingdom
Facendo la volontà di Dio contribuiamo alla realizzazione del suo regno
Fazendo a Vontade de Deus contribuímos para a realização do Seu Reino
En faisant la volonté de Dieu nous contribuons à réaliser son règne
Haciendo la voluntad de Dios contribuimos a la realización de su reino
Indem wir den Willen Gottes erfüllen,
tragen wir bei zur Verwirklichung seines Reiches
Door Gods wil te doen dragen we bij aan de verwezenlijking van Zijn rijk ]

Doing His will matures us

2011-10-17T06:01:00.003+02:00

I encountered a singer, "Troubadour de Paris," round the corner of the Basilica of Sacre Coeur. Is he famous? His CD's said he is. Unperturbed, he sat there singing Parisian lovesongs to the tourists walking towards the Artists' Square of Montmartre. In the night he would perform in some famous club, but now, his talent rang out across the cobbled stones for us all. Mr. Hugues Bouchindomme was simply giving vent to his talents, and catering for the needs of passersby who were looking to participate in the life of Paris as a song ...

We all have talents.
Place them at the needs of those around us,
and we experience a purpose in life.
This is one way of doing God's Will:
using our God-given talents as a way to give to others.
Then we grow, and we live today's Password:
Doing His will matures us.

Abraham matured in faith, using his talents as father,
provider, leader, ancestor, to give us the example
that Doing His will matures us
(Rom 4:20-25):
"Since God had made him a promise,
Abraham refused either to deny it or even to doubt it,
but drew strength from faith
and gave glory to God."

God promises us the hundredfold in life,
but it is God's hundredfold!
Sometimes we want to prescribe that "hundredfold"
like "the man in the crowd" demanding justice
concerning an inheritance
(Lk 12:13-21).
Jesus warns us, "be on your guard against avarice of any kind"
and he illustrates this in a parable, repeatedly using
"I", "I", "I", and "my", "my", "my" ...
We, too, are convinced we are right, at times when basing
our judgements purely on hearsay.
And from that we demand our "justice"
which is not justice in God's eyes at all.
Consumed in our "avarice" we neglect to hear the warning
"Fool! This very night the demand will be made for your soul… "

Instead, let's grow stronger in faith today
by pursuing God's will in each present moment
when we apply and live God's Word.
Today's Word is about Abraham's faith
and claiming what is our right...
Doing His will matures us.

Then we make of today a new song for a new Monday,
our own song that illustrates
Doing His will matures us.

Stay blessed.

G

[ Doing His will matures us.
Fare la sua volontà ci matura)
Fazer a Sua Vontade nos amadurece
Accomplir la volonté de Dieu nous fait mûrir
Hacer Su voluntad nos madura
Die Erfüllung seines Willens lässt uns reifen
Door Zijn wil te doen groeien we ]

Give the first place to God

2011-10-16T06:41:00.005+02:00

Yet another Sunday!
As with any day, the Password invites us to
Give the first place to God.

It's not just a once-for-all decision -
rather, the choice should permeate all decisions.
If I do this or that, if I say this or that,
will it manifest that I
Give the first place to God ?

Cyrus is chosen by God to free the Israelites -
a Persian king, a pagan ruler, 600 BC,
rescues the plight of a punished nation.
Whom has God chosen for you to rescue?
When God is in the first place,
you will want to "rescue", or be part of another's
joy and freedom to live God's Word.

Or, are you so caught up in your "exile" that
you are blind to a "Cyrus" in your midst?
God does send people into our lives for a reason ...
a lesson, or a deepening of our relationship with God.
Don't remain in "exile," even to your inner self
created in the image and likeness of God.
Begin anew and Give the first place to God.
Then anticipate God's response!

It is a way to live the Gospel axiom from Jesus today:
"Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar,
- and to God what belongs to God"
(Mt 22:15-21).
When I Give the first place to God
it will be possible to hold things in perspective.

Be renewed in a "Cathedral" for God today -
your church, your mind, your soul, your will in wanting
to live the Password,
and stay blessed.

G

[pic: Rio de Janeiro Cathedral, First Sunday Lent 2001]
[ Give the first place to God.
Dare a Dio il primo posto
Dar a Deus o primeiro lugar
Donner la première place à Dieu
Dar a Dios el primer lugar
Gott an erster Stelle!
Aan God de eerste plaats geven ]

Let ourselves be guided by God moment by moment

2011-10-15T06:24:00.003+02:00

Let ourselves be guided by God moment by moment.

Abraham was "guided by God moment by moment"
(Rom 4:13. 16-18).

The people were "guided by God moment by moment" :
"He brought out his people with joy,
his chosen ones with shouts of rejoicing"
(Ps 104).

Those who witness to Jesus in each circumstance were also
guided ... and lived the Password:
Let ourselves be guided by God moment by moment.
For example, even when needing to defend themselves,
Jesus says, "do not worry ... when the time comes,
the Holy Spirit will teach you what you must say"
(Lk 12:9-12).

Saint Teresa of Avila lived the Password ...
Let ourselves be guided by God moment by moment;
It's her feast today (see below).
Make this Saturday a feastday for you too!
Let ourselves be guided by God moment by moment;

G

Let ourselves be guided by God moment by moment
Lasciarsi guidare da Dio momento per momento
Deixar-se guiar por Deus momento por momento
Nous laisser conduire par Dieu, instant par instants
Dejarse guiar por Dios momento tras momento
Lassen wir uns von Gott führen – Augenblick für Augenblick!
Jezelf moment voor moment laten leiden door God ]

St Teresa of Avila October 15

2011-10-15T06:14:00.005+02:00

Teresa of Avila /Teresa de Ahumada /Teresa de Jesus
was born in Avila, Spain, March 28, 1515.
She died in Alba, October 4, 1582.

Amongst her writings, her autobiography, the Way of Perfection,
and The Interior Castle span her spiritual life and provide us
with her experience of God and her insight in prayer.

The autobiography, for example, uses the metaphor of obtaining
water for a garden to explain progress in prayer:
the "first water" takes effort, lifting it from a well and carrying it in
a bucket to the garden; this applies to the beginner
who has to free himself/herself from sin and sincerely devote time
to prayer and meditation, despite fatigue and aridity
from time to time. Progress will lead to contemplation,
culminating in the "second water" where the gardener has access
to water by mechanical means (like a horizontal cylinder turned by
a crank or a motor) filling buckets for the garden.
This is, for Teresa, the “prayer of quiet, a gift of God through which
the individual begins to have a passive experience of prayer.”
The “third water” arrives by irrigation from a stream or river,
and is hence an intensification of the “prayer of quiet,”
also referred to as the “sleep of the faculties.”
The “fourth water” is given by God: the rain,
a metaphor describing prayerful union with God
while the soul remains passive.

Her Way of Perfection Teresa addressed to her nuns,
demanding solitude, intense practice of prayer,
yet including aspects such as outreach (the apostolate).

The Interior Castle is the soul,
in the center of which dwells the Trinity.
Growth in prayer enables the individual to enter into deeper
intimacy with God--signified by a progressive journey
through the apartments (or mansions) of the castle
from the outermost to the luminous center.
When someone has attained union with God
in the degree permitted to him in this world,
he is "at the center" of himself;
in other words, he has integrity as a child of God
and as a human being.
Each of the apartments of the castle is distinguished by a different
stage in the evolution of prayer, with its consequent effects
upon every other phase of the life of the individual.
[ http://www.karmel.at/eng/teresa.htm ]

The concept of “progress” in these books seems to underlie
the choice of the Church for Proper Readings
for St Teresa of Avila:
“From the beginning till now the entire creation, as we know,
has been groaning in one great act of giving birth;
and not only creation, but all of us
who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit…”
(Rom8:22-27).

“I am the true vine, my Father is the vinedresser
… every branch that does bear fruit he prunes
to make it bear even more … you are the branches …"
(Jn 15:1-8).

St Teresa wrote:
“The important thing is not to think much
but to love much
and so do that which best stirs you to love.
Love is not great delight
but desire to please God in everything."

“Let nothing upset you,
let nothing startle you.
All things pass;
God does not change.
Patience wins
all it seeks.
Whoever has God
lacks nothing:
God alone is enough.”
[http://www.biographyonline.net/spiritual/st_teresa_avila.html]

Be inspired, to stay blessed!

G

[pic: http://www.karmel.at/eng/teresa.htm

Do not be afraid of what God asks of us today

2011-10-14T20:36:00.004+02:00

A relevant Password for today!
Do not be afraid of what God asks of us today.
We all have fears of some sorts...
a disease and where it's going,
an anxiety and how things will work out,
a regret and the ripples of consequences,
a preoccupation about someone or some situation out of control.

Perhaps God has something greater in store for us
than our own fears, so
Do not be afraid of what God asks of us today.

Abraham was not afraid... he believed God had a Plan
(Rom 4:1-8).

The Psalmist is not afraid ...
he believed in a Forgiving God:
"I will confess my offence to the Lord.
You, Lord, have forgiven the guilt of my sin"
(Ps 31).

The people listening to Jesus were not afraid:
"The people had gathered in their thousands
so that they were treading on one another"
(Lk 12:1-7).

Jesus was not afraid:
"To you my friends I say:
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body
and after that can do no more."
We know he meant it...

Do not be afraid of what God asks of us today.

Jesus repeats in today's Gospel:
"... not one sparrow is forgotten in God's sight ...
There is no need to be afraid:
you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows."

Do not be afraid of what God asks of us today.

What a way to stay blessed.

G

[pic: Jesus is nailed to the Cross, Stations of the Cross, Lourdes,
September 2011]
[ Do not be afraid of what God asks of us today.
Non avere paura di quanto Dio ci chiede oggi
Não ter medo de quanto Deus nos pede hoje
Ne pas avoir peur de ce que Dieu nous demande aujourd’hui
No tener miedo de cuanto hoy nos pide Dios
Fürchten wir uns nicht vor dem, was Gott heute von uns verlangt!
Niet bang zijn voor wat God vandaag van ons vraagt ]

Try to get to know the will of God of the present moment

2011-10-13T06:48:00.004+02:00

Amazing what one finds on Facebook, Twitter, etc...!
We can only do what we are able to do!
And today's Password is yet another invite:
Try to get to know the will of God
of the present moment.

The Readings are direct:
"Both Jew and pagan sinned and forfeited God's glory,
and both are justified through the free gift of his grace
by being redeemed in Christ Jesus
who was appointd by God to sacrifice his life
so as to win reconciliation through faith"
(Rom 3:21-30).
Am I part of that "reconciliation" ?
Do I participate in that "reconciliation" ?
Do I free others to be part of that "reconciliation" ?
Do I want to live the Password as a way of applying
the Word of God to my every day experiences?
Try to get to know the will of God
of the present moment.

Jesus is blunt with his listeners (Lk 11:47-54).
He is blunt with me today.
Do I seal the mouth of someone whom God wishes to use?
Does my behaviour, so similar to the enemies of Jesus,
prevent others from fulfilling God's plan for them?
Do I free those with whom I deny the possibility of reconciliation
to continue doing the work they were commissioned to do?
Try to get to know the will of God
of the present moment.

If you want to be blessed,
live the Word with a passion,
get back into those "spiritual exercises" and
Try to get to know the will of God
of the present moment.

G

[pic: off someone's status on FB]
[ Try to get to know the will of God of the present moment
Cercare di conoscere la volontà di Dio dell'attimo presente
Procurar saber a Vontade de Deus do momento presente
Tacher de reconnaître la volonté de Dieu de l’instant présent
Tratar de descubrir la voluntad de Dios en el momento presente
Den Willen Gottes im jeweiligen Augenblick zu erkennen suchen
De wil van God in het heden proberen te ontdekken ]

Love God in His will

2011-10-12T07:37:00.004+02:00

Atop the hill of the Mountain of Martyrs in Paris,
this Basilica beckons one to prayer once inside.

The mosaic in the cupola is dominated by the Sacred Heart
of Jesus reaching out to embrace the whole world,
for in his Heart the whole world is consumed out of love.

When I am convinced God is Love, enfleshed in the Sacred Heart
of Jesus, then the Password for today becomes an obvious
response in everything I do or say:
Love God in His will.

A preoccupation preventing us living the Password
is when we judge others (Rom 2:1-11).
"No matter who you are, if you pass judgement
you have no excuse."
When I refuse to be reconciled with someone
it is because I have judged that person unworthy
of my reconciliation.
When I refuse to live the Gospel to the point of the Cross
it is because I have a judged a situation unworthy
of my co-operation.
I have even judged God as having no "Goodness,"
for if God possessed that value
God would not have allowed x,y,z, to happen...
and I would not be challenged to love, to forgive,
or to become God's reconciliation in the life of someone.
Am I not simply "abusing God's abundant goodness, patience
and tolerance, not realising that this goodness of God
is meant to lead you to repentance" ?
Why spend your life as "an unmarked tomb
that men walk on without knowing it"
as Jesus explains in today's Gospel (LK 11:42-46) ?

"In judging others you condemn yourself,
since you behave no differently from those you judge."
Thank-you Saint Paul!
You are writing to us, not just the Romans!!!

Climb the Mountain of Martyrs in life and
Love God in His will.
Face the reality of the Sacred Heart and begin again to
Love God in His will
while His Heart beats out of Love in you and for you.

Hear Jesus' cry for "justice and the love of God"
in the Gospel, and
Love God in His will.

What a way to stay blessed today!

G

[pics I took of the Sacre Couer Basilica:
top: outside facade before one climbs the hill;
lower: just after a meaningful celebration of the Eucharist,
with my camera in my lap,
I secretly took this flash-less pic of the cupola.
More info on the Basilica: visit
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/paris-sacre-coeur ]

[ Love God in His will.
Amare Dio nella sua volontà
Amar a Deus na Sua Vontade
Aimer Dieu dans sa volonté
Amar a Dios en su voluntad
Im Willen Gottes ihn selbst lieben
God liefhebben in Zijn wil ]

Annul our will in that of God’s

2011-10-11T21:29:00.004+02:00

A walk from the railway station, Rueil-Malmeison, west of Paris,
and over the River Seine, via the road bridge, Pont de Chatou,
takes you along Rue du Bac to the Maison Fournaise, a corner
of paradise and escape route of 19th century Impressionists.
Today, boxes of flower-seeds punctuate the bridge,
and in a late summer, they smile a thousand smiles
of colours and petal-shakes for the one seeking refreshment
from the impressions of Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir,
Alfred Sisley, Frédéric Bazille, Édouard Manet, Camille Pissarro,
Paul Cézanne, and Armand Guillaumin...

Yes, we have all witnessed majestic scenes in our lives!
But take simple flowers in a flower box,
and listen to Saint Paul remind us:
"Ever since God created the world
his everlasting power and deity
- however invisible -
have been there for the mind to see
in the things he has made"
(Rom 1:16-25).
What's your impression of "the things God has made" ?

When I plummet that, I can let go and live today's Password:
Annul our will in that of God’s.

Not only pretty flowers
but also the pain some people carry in life:
they are reflections of Jesus on the Cross
saving the world through them.
Don't give up, don't shy away, don't confuse:
each one is a reflection of the greatest action of God's Love
where in his Cry,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
lies the wisdom of redemption, the key to being "saved."
When I fail to understand, get back to the Password:
Annul our will in that of God’s.
When I struggle to accept,
Annul our will in that of God’s.

Reluctance to live this Password places us amongst those who
"have given up divine truth for a lie
and have worshipped and served creatures
instead of the creator,
who is blessed for ever. Amen!"

What lie? What "creature"?
The most obvious "creature" we worship and serve
is ourselves: our ego, own opinion, our wants and demands,
our judgement (even when it is only based on hearsay),
and our understanding of things.
What a lie that is sometimes!
Where is the "Creator" who in Christ brings love,
reconciliation, forgiveness, perseverance, courage,
and the grace to carry one's cross,
or rather, His Cross in us?
Life is too short for lies!
Life is too precious to deny "divine truth" in God's Word!
So?
Live the Password:
Annul our will in that of God’s.
Look at your cross and say:
"Jesus this is YOUR Cross in me.
I carry it ... for you ... and for those you still want
to save through your Cross in me.
I carry it for you.
May others see your Cross in me and be saved through you."

Some busy themselves with pretending,
or saying "if God exists, then ...."
But God does exist and therefore we see what we see!
I cant keep cleaning "the outside of cup and plate"
and neglect the "inside" !
(Lk 11:37-41)
God sees the inside.
Let the flowers of the Pont de Chatou help you radiate
a beauty from within when you live God's Word,
in joy or in pain.
Jesus tells us to give to those in need,
and in that way you will clean both inside and out,
just as those flowers give of their inner and outer beauty
to the passerby.
That's my impression! So -
give forgiveness to those who need to be forgiven;
radiate reconciliation to those needing to be reconciled;
become God's healing like "punctuation" across a bridge in life -
a reminder God is for real, God is Love, God is there!
And when our own faith doubts or questions,
Annul our will in that of God’s.

What a way to stay blessed!

G

[pic: I took on that bridge
en route to the "Luncheon of the Boat Party..."]
[ Annul our will in that of God’s
Azzerare la propria volontà in quella di Dio
Anular a própria vontade naquela de Deus
Remettre à zéro sa propre volonté et faire celle de Dieu
Anular la propia voluntad en la de Dios
Unseren Willen ganz im Willen Gottes aufgehen lassen
Onze eigen wil laten opgaan in die van God ]

The will of God in the present moment is the most important thing

2011-10-10T06:18:00.004+02:00

I took this early morning pic walking back to my hotel in Lourdes
two weeks ago after a closing meditation at the Grotto,
before breakfast, airports, and my journey back to JHB.
Several items struck me deeply.
(Double-click on the pic and it will open in a single window,
much larger than this post.)

Firstly, in the sky of a new dawn, there is a long tail
behind the jet racing into the rising sun.
It dawned on me that this is a symbol for all of us:
keep aiming for the "Son" (symbolised by the "sun")
and leave a trail behind you which will be important
for each present moment of each person's life
whom you encounter, including your own.
The First Reading (Rom 1:1-7) and the Gospel (Lk 11:29-32)
give two titles to this "Son"
"proclaimed Son God in all his power
through his resurrection from the dead"
and "Son of Man."

Am I focussed on the Son of God
who shares his power with me?
That's "God's Power" to carry each cross,
and to go beyond each wound.
With this "power of God" alive in me, I will realise
The will of God in the present moment
is the most important thing.

How can I deepen my relationship with this Son of God
today, just as those passengers in that jet high above
the Pyrenees are experiencing their own encounters
of a new day en route to some destination east of France?
That's the will of God for them 10,000 metres in the air,
and The will of God in the present moment
is the most important thing.
What experiences will God share with me today
so I can deepen my relationship with the Son of God?
Anticipate them ... God will send them.

The other title is "Son of Man."
The essence of the "Son of Man" was to serve us.
Having being served when I read the Word for today
as well as when I meditate on the works of Jesus,
am I convinced that, in Jesus,
"there is something greater here" ?
There is someone who paid the ultimate price
to teach us how to forgive, to love one another,
to embrace my suffering
and to race on into the sunrise of a new day.

Secondly, the scene includes a castle.
(http://www.pariswoman.com/paris/letter_from_editor/lourdes_castle.htm)
For me, it symbolised the past.
As much as certain things of the past in our lives
loom greater than the present, and seem to be imprisoned
in our consciousness like a giant castle atop a hill,
my focus in life cannot be on re-opening the garrisons
and doorways of that castle.
Rather, one needs to plunge the corridors
of a new interior castle where you have chosen to follow
a Christ who has "called you" (says Saint Paul) to
"the obedience of faith."
Fear not the castle outside;
be excited by the new castle being built inside!

Thirdly, those lamposts with character!
Now that the sun is rising, they will await the next darkness
to fulfill their role. But I am not a lampost!
I don't have to only wait for a "darkness" to fulfill my role!
Give light to others, always...
I prayed for my many friends who have various stages of
cancer at this time. Amazing how many of them are "light"
to those who are not burdened with their cross.

Fourthly, the three words concerning the hotel:
"Astoria ***" ; "Vatican" ; "Garage."
If I was needing to park, there is a garage.
If I want to stop on the journey in life,
I can turn off the road and park in an underground garage.
There are times we pause, but we cannot "park."
There is too much living to do,
to many "present moments" being replaced by others,
waiting for our participation and our contribution,
in whatever way.
Not to ignore the Church down the centuries ("Vatican") !
But I must continue walking,
and leave my history ("Astoria") behind:
it is the tail behind the jet in the open sky,
the footprints on the pebbled road before me.

There's lots more to the photo.
Take these few ideas and let the pic become a catalyst
to face the challenges of today
when I apply the Readings by living the Password:
The will of God in the present moment
is the most important thing.

Stay blessed.

G

[pic: Lourdes, early morning Mon 26th Sept 2011]
[ The will of God in the present moment
is the most important thing
La volontà di Dio nell’attimo presente è la cosa più importante
O mais importante é a Vontade de Deus no momento presente
Dans l’instant présent la volonté de Dieu est la chose la plus importante
Lo más importante de la voluntad de Dios en el momento presente
Das Wichtigste: der Wille Gottes im gegenwärtigen Augenblick
Gods wil in het heden is het allerbelangrijkste ]

Respond with love to what God wants today

2011-10-09T07:56:00.004+02:00

Some people will be shopping in Paris today,
Galery Lafayette and shopping malls wait for you....
Some will have gone to Church first, of course...

Keep today's Password in mind:
Respond with love to what God wants today.

Some will be invited to a celestial banquet today
(First Reading from Isaiah)
- no need for fear!
Respond with love to what God wants today.

Some will be tested to see if "The Lord IS my shepherd,
there is nothing I shall want" (Responsorial Psalm) -
- no need for fear!
Respond with love to what God wants today.

Some will find they forgot to put on their wedding garment
to the wedding feast of life today, (Gospel extract),
- refusing to be clothed with the Word
which asks for reconciliation, forgiveness, courage,
trusting in God, forgetting self and reaching out in love
to others, especially those who need it most ...
- no need to wait to be caught out!
Respond with love to what God wants today.

You CAN Respond with love to what God wants today:
Saint Paul reminds us in the Second Reading
(Phil 4:12-14. 19-20)
“There is nothing I cannot master
with the help of the One who gives me strength” ;
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
It's Step 2 of the AA
- we come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves
can restore us to sanity.
Respond with love to what God wants today.

The man in the Gospel without "a wedding garment" is trapped.
"And the man was silent" (Mt 22:1-14).
Break out of your silence, live today's Word and
Respond with love to what God wants today.

Stay blessed.

G

[pic: I took peering down the centre of Galerie Lafayette last month...]

[ Respond with love to what God wants today.
Rispondere con amore a ciò che Dio vuole oggi
Responder com amor àquilo que Deus quer hoje
Répondre avec amour à ce que Dieu veut aujourd’hui
Mit Liebe auf das eingehen, was Gott heute von uns möchte
Met liefde antwoorden op wat God vandaag wil ]

What kind of Sunday waits to challenge you?
Buz me, when the day is over, and share a few experiences:
gshattingh@hotmail.com

In the will of God we find peace

2011-10-08T07:04:00.011+02:00

Many artists have depicted "The Pietá" - Mary Desolate.
What inspiration can I get from her today?

One inspiration is
that part of life is letting go, and that involves suffering.
Or, that no one will ever suffer as much as this mother:
watching her son die, watching the Messiah die,
and watching her motherhood die
when she is given "the beloved" as her son?

I think it is letting go to a present moment of fear,
of pain, of anxiety, of doubt ...
whilst you cannot see a Greater Plan unfolding.
It's as if a great mosaic is being created,
and we often get caught in a trap of one small chip,
unable to see the Great Picture.

Along comes today's First Reading (Joel 4:12-21)
warning us, waking us up, encouraging us with a promise
"the mountains will run with new wine"
if only.... if only we learn from a Mother on Calvary
and discover that
In the will of God we find peace.

The real message of this Woman is applauded in the short
Gospel extract for today (Lk 11:27-28):
"Happy the womb that bore you and the breasts you sucked" -
but Jesus replied, "Still happier those who hear the word of God
and keep it," live it, translate it always into a here-and-now
no matter what the suffering...
for things out of our control are essentially part of a Divine Will
unfolding, even when we stare at one chip only in the Greater Mosaic.

Sometimes, when focussing on one chip only,
we get caught on blaming someone
for every disaster in our family.
A famous man once wrote:
All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you. The only thing blame does is to keep the focus off you when you are looking for external reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration. You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won't succeed in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy.
- Dr. Wayne Dyer..
(from Dina Coutinho's status on Facebook)

That Mother at the foot of the Cross blames no one.
She had discovered that
In the will of God we find peace.

May we be blessed with the same wisdom today.

G

[pics: top two I took in Lourdes last month,
lower: I took in Rome, 2001]
In the will of God we find peace.
Nella volontà di Dio troviamo la tranquillità
Na Vontade de Deus encontramos a tranqüilidade
Nous trouvons la tranquillité en faisant la volonté de Dieu
En la voluntad de Dios encontramos serenidad
Im Willen Gottes kommen wir zur Ruhe
In de wil van God vinden we innerlijke rust ]

"God is a father. It is illogical to be afraid of what he wants for us. He desires only the fulfillment of our real self and our happiness. He knows us better than we know ourselves. We can fully trust him without reservation." Chiara Lubich

Do only the good that God wants

2011-10-07T07:20:00.006+02:00

Two weeks ago I had the joy of the company of two married
couples take time off over a weekend to be blessed in Lourdes
on the banks of the River Garve, in southern France.
Each couple drew strength from each other in this 'sacred place",
a strength which deepened their love as husband and wife,
despite the all-consuming cancer which one of them is fighting.
Both couples are on one path: to
Do only the good that God wants
in their lives, no matter what.

Ten years ago I encountered another couple above
the Iguassu Falls, near where Brazil and Argentina
meet Paraguay, and it struck me they, too, wanted to
Do only the good that God wants
in their lives.

The Readings for the Ordinary 27th Week Friday Year I
invite the same, as does the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

But first, the "Ordinary."

When husband and wife take time off from busy schedules and
the "reality" of life
so as to spend time together and be re-energised
in a "new" environment,
they experience a new release of the Holy Spirit to re-unite them
"for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in
health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part."
It's a way to
Do only the good that God wants

"A household divided against itself collapses,"
confirms Jesus in today's Gospel (Lk 11:15-26).
When there is division in a family there will be collapse,
but I can pre-empt any such collapse
by rebuilding unity
- create time to be healed by the Creator in His Creation,
- enflesh His Word by translating His Wisdom
into my life situation, through, with and in His Spirit.

"He who is not with me is against me,
and he who does not gather with me scatters."
Am I "with Jesus" in forgiving, reconciling and being
reconciled - just as Jesus forgives and forgave,
and died for reconciliation,
forgiving even his executioners in His last cry
of teaching us how to
Do only the good that God wants ?

Every marriage blessed by God flows like a River Garve
and cascades like the Iguassu Fallls with the Holy Spirit,
and each friendship focussing on God becomes yet another
channel of His Love, always refreshing, always rejuvenating.
What a source to remain united in His Name!
What fountains of Grace to re-discover love for one another,
a love as vibrant as the wedding day.
God is feeding you in that love in God's Love, when you
Do only the good that God wants.

After a River Garve or Iguassu Falls encounter,
there will be a time to return home, again.
Remember, too, that the catalysts for division will also return
"home" :
"When an unclean spirit goes out of a man
it wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest,
and not finding one it says, 'I will go back to the home
I came from.' But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied,
it then goes off and brings seven other spirits
more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house..."
But with a renewed spirit in His Spirit,
through faith in Christ translated into little actions of love,
"the finger of God" casts out the "devils" and
"the kingdom of God" overtakes us,
inviting us to stay united in His Name.
So?
Do only the good that God wants.

Let your relationships be renewed today
with a re-commitment to faith in Christ
by living God's Word ... passionately...
love one another ... be the first to love ... love your enemies ...
Do only the good that God wants

Let your friendships be enriched in His Spirit,
as you draw strength from one another,
when faith in Christ renews that friendship
and provides the fountains for God's Love to bless you.
Do only the good that God wants.

If you have any doubt,
look to today's Feast: Our Lady of the Rosary.
In her apparitions, she appears praying the Rosary.
She wants us to pray through the Mysteries of God's Love
from the Annunciation to our ultimate destiny at the end
of time...
So, in the meantime?
Do only the good that God wants

And when there is suffering, hardship, desperation,
recall the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit:
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow"
(Lk 1:26-38).

This mosaic in the church of the Miraculous Medal in Paris
encourages us to accept that "covering" of the Holy Spirit.
Notice how it lifts the crown of thorns off our heads,
to free us to be able to
Do only the good that God wants .

Stay blessed in the gift of God's Word today,
summarised in the Password!

G

[pics: what joy I had in taking these photos!
top: two couples in Lourdes last month,
middle: a couple at Iguassu Falls, 2001,
lower: mosaic in Miraculous Medal Church, Rue de Bac, last month]
[ Do only the good that God wants.
Fare solo il bene che Dio vuole
Fazer somente o bem que Deus quer
Ne faire que le bien que Dieu veut
Hacer solo el bien que Dios quiere
Nur das Gute tun, das Gott will
Alleen dat goede doen dat God wil ]

Let ourselves be guided by the Spirit

2011-10-06T20:27:00.004+02:00

How was Jesus "raised" at the resurrection?
The Holy Spirit consumed his spirit,
and death transformed into life, body, soul, mind, spirit.
This is our destiny if we respond to his "Follow me!"
When I believe, I have no alternative but to want to
Let ourselves be guided by the Spirit.

I can participate in the life of resurrection already now,
so God does not have time for arrogance,
says Malachi in today's First Reading.

I can participate in the life of resurrection already now,
with the risen Christ alive in me through faith. Hence
Jesus encourages patience; he
instructs us to "ask ... knock ... seek"
because we will be given the Holy Spirit to carry each cross,
and thereby triumph in this life.
The cross may remain, but you will have the grace to persevere
through the gift of the Holy Spirit,
the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.
Hence today's Password:
Let ourselves be guided by the Spirit.

Will we let ourselves?

G

[ pic: I took of the "Resurrection" in Lourdes last month]
[Let ourselves be guided by the Spirit.
Lasciarsi guidare dallo Spirito
Deixar-se guiar pelo Espírito
Se laisser conduire par l’Esprit
Dejarse guiar por el Espíritu
Lassen wir uns vom Heiligen Geist leiten!
Je laten leiden door de Geest]

Entrust ourselves to the Father moment by moment

2011-10-05T08:17:00.003+02:00

One of the most moving Stations of the Cross in Lourdes
is the depiction of Jesus being laid to rest in the tomb
of Joseph of Arimathea.
"Into your hand I commend my spirit" included the hands
of someone else... even until the resurrection.
We now know that a Greater Plan was unfolding,
not only a lesson for each of us.
But those around Jesus in this sculpture:
his mother, John the beloved, Mary Magdalene,
Clopas and other women, the Roman soldiers,
Joseph of Arimathea (and a friend?) were trapped in the
moment of laying Jesus to rest...
and they represent each of us...
What do we need to "lay to rest"
so as to be free to
Entrust ourselves to the Father moment by moment?

Jonah's preaching brings about the conversion of an entire
pagan city of Nineveh, the capital of a violent nation:
he should rejoice that at last Israel is becoming the
"light for all nations," even an enemy.
But watch the prophet in today's extract (Jonah 4:1-11)!
The great Assyrian enemy's capital has turned to God
and Jonah is furious: how could such an evil nation's
repentance be accepted by God?
But God sends a message to Jonah.
He, however, cant see any meaning in "a castor-oil plant" being
made to grow, and then a worm attacks it and it withers.
The message is simply that God can do what God wants.
And because God is full of compassion, God forgives.
Jonah cant forgive.
He is part of a nation that suffered under the Assyrians
who murdered, plundered, disembowled, raped, and annihilated
a section of the Chosen Race.

Sometimes I am so hurt,
that I do not wish to forgive, I cant forgive, I remain suspicious,
I dont want to be told to forgive, I want to be left alone.
I am another Jonah refusing to accept that God wants forgiveness,
or that God could have possibly forgiven the one who betrayed me
the most. I refuse, or don't have the energy or the will to
Entrust ourselves to the Father moment by moment.

Jesus, the prophet, calls for the same message from God.
He teaches his disciples to include this clause in their prayer:
"forgive us our sins,
as we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us"
(Lk 11:1-4).

When we live today's Password,
guided by today's Readings before a forgiving God,
we can
Entrust ourselves to the Father moment by moment
and begin to forgive others...
to let go "the debt" when we have been betrayed.

Depends on how I understand and believe in this Father.
Is God, for me, really full of "tenderness and compassion,
slow to anger, rich in graciousness,
relenting from evil," refusing to destroy anyone,
even a city of 120,000?

Depends when and if I am able to "lay to rest"
what prevents me from abandoning myself to the will of
the Father and cry out with Jesus,
"Into your hand I commend my spirit"
when we
Entrust ourselves to the Father moment by moment.

Tough way to stay blessed today.

G

[pic: I took in Lourdes last month of the original 14th Station of the Cross.]
[Entrust ourselves to the Father moment by moment
Affidarsi al Padre momento per momento
Confiar no Pai momento por momento
Se confier au Père, un instant après l’autre
Confiar en el Padre en el momento presente
Sich Augenblick für Augenblick dem Vater anvertrauen
Jezelf moment voor moment aan de Vader toevertrouwen ]

Everything which God wants has value

2011-10-04T07:27:00.003+02:00

4th October: Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi!

And today's Password is
Everything which God wants has value.

Reach out your hand to others.
God wants that!
Jonah does that in today's First Reading (Jonah 3:1-10)
and the people of Nineveh repent.
In the home of Martha and Mary, they both reach out their
hands to Jesus, but whose is most accepted? (Lk 10:38-42)

Everything which God wants has value.
Reach out your hand to others.
A hand of peace attracts even the wild birds of the air.

Saint Francis reached out to the purity of the Gospel
as something to be lived.
He reached out to the Church, which was in need of “repair.”
He reaches out to each of us to continue his work
- all we need to do is to remove the “clutter”
and strip ourselves of what is contrary to the Gospel.

This will cost us something
– for it is not easy to denounce worldly values of hatred, anger,
revenge and refusal to be reconciled.
But Jesus reminds us (Mt 11:25-30),
“Come to me, all who labour and are overburdened..
my yoke is easy, my burden light” …
you can be reconciled!

The “poverty” of the Gospel needing to be embraced
comes from the life of Saint Francis,
when he put the Word of God into practice.
He knew in that Word rested the Will of God, and
Everything which God wants has value.
So he gave up everything to be full of God's Will.

Become a Francis for others: reach out your hand.
Become a Jonah for others: through you may they be rescued.
Become a Mary for others: find some time to sit at the feet
of Jesus and pray for others.
Become a Jesus for others: reach out your hand to do His Will
because Everything which God wants has value.

Stay blessed.

G

[pic: Rio de Janeiro Cathedral, side entrance I took
whilst on holiday with Dino And Gaby Areias 2001]
[Everything which God wants has value.
Tutto ha valore ciò che Dio vuole
Tudo o que Deus quer tem valor
Tout ce que Dieu veut est de grande valeur
Todo lo que Dios quiere tiene valor
Alles, was Gott will, hat Wert
Alles wat God wil is waardevol ]

Take on our neighbour’s difficulties as our own

2011-10-03T08:09:00.004+02:00

When Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus carry his cross,
he set an example for mankind: let's
Take on our neighbour’s difficulties as our own.

When I refuse to do so, I am like a Jonah who runs away,
causing havoc on the ocean of life;
my family and friends "throw me overboard";
I am alone and isolated as someone in the belly of a large fish,
and I wait to be "vomited on to the shore..."
and be given a chance to begin again
(Jonah 1:1-2:1.11). Why? When I could simply
Take on our neighbour’s difficulties as our own.

The Good Samaritan does just that (Lk 10:25-37):
Take on our neighbour’s difficulties as our own.
Interesting that the context of this parable
is when Jesus is asked "by a lawyer to disconcert Jesus ...
'What must I do to inherit eternal life?' "
It is the lawyer who ends up disconcerted
by being challenged by the actions of a despised Samaritan!

If I want to inherit eternal life I, too, need to read
what is in the Law, and live it:
"You must love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your strength,
and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself."
The one is linked to the other in Jesus' understanding, so let's
Take on our neighbour’s difficulties as our own
and like Simon of Cyrene, help carry the cross of Jesus
in the people God sends into our lives today.

Be blessed.

G

[pic: I recently took of the new Stations of the Cross in Lourdes]

[ Take on our neighbour’s difficulties as our own.
Fare nostre le difficoltà del fratello
Assumir as dificuldades do irmão ou
Que deviennent nôtres les difficultés de nos frères
Hacer nuestras las dificultades del hermano
Uns die Schwierigkeiten der Mitmenschen zu Eigen machen
De problemen van je broeder tot de jouwe maken ]

Live the day in the will of God

2011-10-02T06:58:00.011+02:00

Sunday luncheon of a boating party?
This 1880-1881 painting by Renoir has delighted me for decades.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir is known as one of the Impressionists,
a new movemement in art, towards the end of the 19th century,
when new life sprung after the Prussian War, economic depression,
and pretty pretentions [ http://www.svreeland.com/lbp-background.html ].

You can visit the same venue today.

You can lunch beneath an orange-white striped awning
on the same balcony, today.
And you can "boat" off the same island in the River Seine,
near the village of Chatou...

The Impressionist's approach to depicting reality
exposed by light, was to paint an impression
simply of what is there: boats in the background,
grapes and empty glasses and plates, faces and gestures.

Our approach to the Word of God,
like the authors of the books of the Bible,
can sometimes be like an Impressionist:
we observe, and we state our impressions,
in the "light" of God as Love:
"Let me sing to my friend
the song of his love for his vineyard"
(Is 5:1-7)
because
"He expected it to yield grapes,
but sour grapes were all that it gave."
The vineyard was Israel just before the Exile,
when the vineyard would be torn down and trampled upon.

Jesus applies Isaiah's impression to the audience
of his day (Mt 21:33-43),
and in the words of "the chief priests and the elders of the people"
we are warned that "the owner of the vineyard ...
will lease the vineyard to other tenants,"
because, as Jesus says,
"the kingdom of God will be taken from you
and given to a people who will produce its fruits."

The impression is given to us today to feast upon
as at a luncheon.
I have been given talents. Do I produce fruit for God's kingdom
by applying those talents? That's God's Will.
Live the day in the will of God.

I have been given faith. Do I produce its fruits of
forgiveness, reconciliation, peace, love, joy, tolerance,
for God's Kingdom here around me? That's God's Will.
Live the day in the will of God.

Lunch out on the Word today.

What impression will remain on your balcony
above the river of life for you today?
Depends how we live today's Password:
Live the day in the will of God.

Stay blessed.

G

[pics:
top and bottom:
http://www.renoirgallery.com/painting.asp?id=165
remainder: last week at Chatou on the River Seine,
outsie Paris]
Live the day in the will of God.
Vivere la giornata nella volontà di Dio
Viver o dia na Vontade de Deus
Vivre la journée dans la volonté de Dieu
Vivir la jornada en la voluntad de Dios
Den ganzen Tag über im Willen Gottes leben
Je dag beleven in de wil van God ]

Do the will of God with joy

2011-10-01T21:27:00.004+02:00

The hill of Montmartre in Paris owes its name to the martyrdom
of Saint Denis, who was decapitated on the hill around 250 AD.
Saint Denis was the Bishop of Paris and is the patron saint
of France. Now Montmarte is a place of painters, both previous,
such as Salvador Dalí, Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet,
Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh,
and today, such as this man painting personal portraits
set in a bygone history.

A martyr is one who has fulfilled the will of God completely -
using your talents, your uniqueness, and your faith in God,
to remain faithful to Christ, even in the face of death.
One is a martyr today by dying to self,
to prejudice, hatred, indifference, and anger,
and remaining faithful to the will of God as expressed
in the word of Jesus: love everyone, forgive 70x7,
love one another, love your enemies...
to the point of death.

When I expereince God as Love, I will
Do the will of God with joy.
No death is as fearful as not dying to self
and living for God by translating God's Will into my life.

Do the will of God with joy
and, in terms of the Gospel,
"watch Satan fall like lightning from heaven"
(Lk 10:17-24).

Do the will of God with joy
and, in terms of the First Reading,
"as by your will you first strayed away from God,
so turn back and search for him ten times as hard"
(Bar 4:27-29).

Do the will of God with joy
and go paint your own self-portrait today,
a painting you want the world to see.

Stay blessed!

G

[pic: I took in Montmarte last week].
[ Do the will of God with joy.
Fare la volontà di Dio con gioia
Fazer a Vontade de Deus com alegria
Faire avec joie la volonté de Dieu
Hacer la voluntad de Dios con alegría
Den Willen Gottes freudig erfüllen
Met vreugde de wil van God vervullen ]

Convert to the will of God

2011-09-30T06:27:00.003+02:00

The "inside" walls of an apartment building in Paris
were too bleak for the locals, so they painted a memoire
of what must have been there prior to the steel bridge:
the remains of a Roman aqueduct!
And is that the artist seated high on the 6th floor?

We know what happened to the great Roman Empire,
how decadence replaced integrity, greed replaced order,
revenge replaced reconciliation, and indifference
replaced tolerance... the walls of the Empire crumbled,
and we are only left with artists' records
to remind us of what it once was.

Baruch in the Fist Reading wants the people to return
to their "glory" as the Lord's Chosen,
by calling for a new obedience to what God wants,
i.e. the Will of God (Baruch 1:15-22).
Hence today's Password:
Convert to the will of God.

Will I only leave ruins of a distant past
when I leave my world to others?
Will my aqueducts only carry forgotten tears
to the city of my life I once knew?
Why allow that to be so?
I have the power to change that destiny,
to paint a new picture
across the walls of buildings I am contructing now in my life.
That power is released when I replace my will with God's Will,
as given to us in His Word.
Convert to the will of God.

Jesus makes the same plea to the people of Chorazin,
Bethsaida and Capernaum, cities which witnessed great miracles
and wonders of Jesus:
he was creating aqueducts to carry them into a New Testament,
and they rejected His Will
(Lk 10:13-16).
Do we?

Convert to the will of God
and stay blessed!

G

[pics: I took in Paris last week]
[Convert to the will of God.
Convertirsi alla volontà di Dio
Converter-se à Vontade de Deus
Se convertir à la volonté de Dieu
Convertirse a la voluntad de Dios
Sich zum Willen Gottes bekehren
Jezelf bekeren tot de wil van God ]