One Walk

Dear Lord God, why is it so hard to maintain an attitude reflective of the fruit of the Spirit? One that continually releases and gives what it receives from You? Why do I stumble so? How can I (we) so quickly react out of selfishness and pride? How do I (we) stop the vicious cycle? Why do we hurt the ones we love? This is not Your love. This is the love from under the sun, burdened with worries, anxieties, selfishness, pride, and sensitivity; all reflective of the confidence that I (we) are Your children and in You and only You we will have and find who we are and what we need. For as Solomon said all else is futile. Then why? How do we stay connected to You in all times, in all ways and in all situations. How can we walk under the sun without stumbling? We cannot! O Lord, then You must help me to hold my tongue, hide myself when I stumble – help me to deal with myself in the darkness with You, so no one is exposed to my weaknesses and help me to walk full of You, rested and able to release and give what I receive; and when there is nothing left to give, remind me to retreat to the darkness that is lit with Your presence, so that together You will renew me and give me rest to continue my walk for You. These things I ask in Jesus name, Amen.

One whose soul is in disorder, whose mind is wandering with vain, useless thoughts, cannot pray. To pray, we must unite the flesh and its feelings to the soul with its imagination, memory and will.

— St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

Ephesians 2:19-22

19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Bible Study: [1-22] The gospel of salvation (Eph 1:13) that God worked in Christ (Eph 1:20) is reiterated in terms of what God’s great love (Eph 2:4), expressed in Christ, means for us. The passage sometimes addresses you, Gentiles (Eph 2:1-2, 8, 11-13, 19, 22), but other times speaks of all of us who believe (Eph 2:3-7, 10, 14, 18). In urging people to remember their grim past when they were dead in sins (Eph 2:1-3, 11-12) and what they are now in Christ (Eph 2:4-10, 13), the author sees both Jew and Gentile reconciled with God, now one new person, a new humanity, one body, the household of God, a temple and dwelling place of God’s Spirit (Eph 2:15-16, 19-22). The presentation falls into two parts, the second stressing more the meaning for the church.

                 [11-22] The Gentiles lacked Israel’s messianic expectation, lacked the various covenants God made with Israel, lacked hope of salvation and knowledge of the true God (Eph 2:11-12); but through Christ all these religious barriers between Jew and Gentile have been transcended (Eph 2:13-14) by the abolition of the Mosaic covenant-law (Eph 2:15) for the sake of uniting Jew and Gentile into a single religious community (Eph 2:15-16), imbued with the same holy Spirit and worshiping the same Father (Eph 2:18). The Gentiles are now included in God’s household (Eph 2:19) as it arises upon the foundation of apostles assisted by those endowed with the prophetic gift (Eph 3:5), the preachers of Christ (Eph 2:20; cf 1 Cor 12:28). With Christ as the capstone (Eph 2:20; cf Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 21:42), they are being built into the holy temple of God’s people where the divine presence dwells (Eph 2:21-22).

Psalm 117:1-2

1 Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! 2 For great is his steadfast love toward us; and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!

Bible Study: [Psalm 117] This shortest of hymns calls on the nations to acknowledge God’s supremacy. The supremacy of Israel’s God has been demonstrated to them by the people’s secure existence, which is owed entirely to God’s gracious fidelity.

John 20:24-29

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

Bible Study: [1-31] The risen Jesus reveals his glory and confers the Spirit. This story fulfills the basic need for testimony to the resurrection. What we have here is not a record but a series of single stories. [28] My Lord and my God: this forms a literary inclusion with the first verse of the gospel: "and the Word was God."  [29] This verse is a beatitude on future generations; faith, not sight, matters.

Dear Lord God, thank You for this day, another day to love and server You, another day to give thanks, another day to love someone in Your name, another day to practice my faith, another day to hope for all I dream, another day to try, another day to walk with You. O Lord God today’s a day for me to choose where and what I will focus on; yesterday, tomorrow or now; regret, fear or hope. Help me to see and chose with Your eyes, eyes of faith.  Lord I come to You, I seek You, knowing that You are the source for all I need and through You all things are possible. So today a day I repeat the prayer of Jabez ‘ Oh that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me always to keep me from evil and from causing pain.’ This I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 The whole world is asleep, and God, so full of goodness, so great, so worthy of all praise, no one is thinking of Him! See nature praises Him, and man….who ought to praise Him, sleeps! Let us go and wake up the universe…. and sing praises! St. Mariam Baouardy

Genesis 18:16-33

16 Then the men set out from there, and they looked toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to set them on their way. 17 The LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by him? 19 No, for I have chosen him, that he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice; so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him." 20 Then the LORD said, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomor’rah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry which has come to me; and if not, I will know." 22 So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham still stood before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham drew near, and said, "Wilt thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt thou then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from thee to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from thee! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" 26 And the LORD said, "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake." 27 Abraham answered, "Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Wilt thou destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And he said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there." 29 Again he spoke to him, and said, "Suppose forty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it." 30 Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there." 31 He said, "Behold, I have taken upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it." 32 Then he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it." 33 And the LORD went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.

Bible Study: [20] Israelite tradition was unanimous in ascribing the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah to the wickedness of these cities, but tradition varied in regard to the nature of this wickedness. According to the present account of the Yahwist, the sin of Sodom was homosexuality (Genesis 19:4-5), which is therefore also known as sodomy; but according to Isaiah (Isaiah 1:9-10; 3:9), it was a lack of social justice; Ezekiel (Ezekiel 16:46-51) described it as a disregard for the poor, whereas Jeremiah (Jeremiah 23:14) saw it as general immorality.

Psalm 103:1-4, 8-11

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger for ever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor requite us according to our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

Bible Study: [Psalm 103] Of David – The speaker in this hymn begins by praising God for personal benefits (Psalm 103:1-5), then moves on to God’s mercy toward all the people (Psalm 103:6-18). Even sin cannot destroy that mercy (Psalm 103:11-13), for the eternal God is well aware of the people’s human fragility (Psalm 103:14-18). The psalmist invites the heavenly beings to join in praise (Psalm 103:19-22).

Matthew 8:18-22

18 Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." 20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." 21 Another of the disciples said to him, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

Bible Study: [18] The other side: i.e., of the Sea of Galilee. [19] Teacher: for Matthew, this designation of Jesus is true, for he has Jesus using it of himself (Matthew 10:24, 25; 23:8; 26:18), yet when it is used of him by others they are either his opponents (Matthew 9:11; 12:38; 17:24; 22:16, 24, 36) or, as here and in Matthew 19:16, well-disposed persons who cannot see more deeply. Thus it reveals an inadequate recognition of who Jesus is.  [20] Son of Man: see the note on Mark 8:31. This is the first occurrence in Matthew of a term that appears in the New Testament only in sayings of Jesus, except for Acts 7:56 and possibly Matthew 9:6 (Mark 2:10; Luke 5:24). In Matthew it refers to Jesus in his ministry (seven times, as here), in his passion and resurrection (nine times, e.g., Matthew 17:22), and in his glorious coming at the end of the age (thirteen times, e.g., Matthew 24:30).  [22] Let the dead bury their dead: the demand of Jesus overrides what both the Jewish and the Hellenistic world regarded as a filial obligation of the highest importance. See the note on Luke 9:60.

Dear Lord God, today I am still wrestling with myself; the old under the sun self vs. the visions of the one I seek to be with and in You. But can I? Can I satisfy anyone but You? Or am I just being weak seeking the easy broad well traveled road, not the narrow one which maybe meant for me.  Only You know and only in and with You will I find the answers. So with the awareness that I am still more of the old self than the one I seek, I must ask and lift up in prayer all those I love and depend on as well as all under the sun and within the universe of You Kingdom that I hurt, offend, effect or weaken through my inability to unite in pure feeling and love. For while I still see myself for what I am, it is the knowledge of how much I have fallen short of what I could be because I waited so long to seek You will, and now the change is harder and more painful for all I touch; especially when the old quick tempered, insensitive, outspoken and judgmental self surfaces. Help me by continuing to provide me with insight into Your wisdom keeping my hears, eyes, mind and heart open to the words of Your servants like Father Guy, all the Prophets and Saints, and the Holy Spirit that lives within me united with Jesus my Lord and Savior and You my God. In Jesus name I ask and pray, let me continue to dream of Your Kingdom, but fuel the fight within myself that must be fought under the sun with Your unconditional love,

Amen.

Ah! Many of us are more afraid of poverty than of humility or modesty or any other virtue. We must therefore take to poverty resolutely if we want to resemble our Lord. Let each one of us, according to his condition; aim at having fewer and less expensive things. Let everything that we buy or receive be a tribute to the holy poverty of our Master Jesus Christ. We shall want to depend on Him for everything: on His light for our mind, on His grace for our will, on His love for our heart, on His Cross for our body. Do not seek any other. He is always here in The Blessed Sacrament.

— St. Peter Emyard

1 Kings 19:16, 19-21

16  and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel; and Eli’sha the son of Shaphat of A’bel-meho’lah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. 

19  So he departed from there, and found Eli’sha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Eli’jah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him. 

20  And he left the oxen, and ran after Eli’jah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go back again; for what have I done to you?" 

21  And he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Eli’jah, and ministered to him. 

Bible Study: [15-17] Elijah himself carried out only the third of the commissions entrusted to him (1 Kings 19:19-21); Elisha was deputed to perform the first in person (2 Kings 8:7-19), and the second through one of his followers (2 Kings 9:1-10). [19-21] Elijah’s act of throwing his mantle over the shoulders of Elisha expressed the divine call to share the prophetic mission. Elisha’s prompt response through destruction of his plow and oxen is an example of total obedience and detachment from his former manner of living in order to promote the glory of God.

Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11

1  Preserve me, O God, for in thee I take refuge. 

2  I say to the LORD, "Thou art my Lord; I have no good apart from thee." 

5  The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; thou holdest my lot. 

7  I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. 

8  I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 

9  Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also dwells secure. 

10  For thou dost not give me up to Sheol, or let thy godly one see the Pit. 

11  Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Bible Study: [Psalm 16] A miktam of David. In the first section, the psalmist rejects the futile worship of false gods (Psalm 16:2-5), preferring Israel’s God (Psalm 16:1), the giver of the land (Psalm 16:6). The second section reflects on the wise and life-giving presence of God (Psalm 16:7-11). [1] Miktam: a term occurring six times in psalm superscriptions, always with "David." Its meaning is unknown. [4] Take their names: to use the gods’ names in oaths and hence to affirm them as one’s own gods. [6] Pleasant places were measured out for me: the psalmist is pleased with the plot of land measured out to the family, which was to be passed on to succeeding generations ("my inheritance").  [10] Nor let your faithful servant see the pit: Hebrew shahath means here the pit, a synonym for Sheol, the underworld. The Greek translation derives the word here and elsewhere from the verb shahath, "to be corrupt." On the basis of the Greek, Acts 2:25-32; 13:35-37 apply the verse to Christ’s resurrection, "Nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption."

Galatians 5:1, 13-18

1  For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. 

13  For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another. 

14  For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 

15  But if you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed by one another. 

16  But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. 

17  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would. 

18  But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law. 

Bible Study: [1-6] Paul begins the exhortations, continuing through Gal 6:10, with an appeal to the Galatians to side with freedom instead of slavery (Gal 5:1). He reiterates his message of justification or righteousness by faith instead of law and circumcision (Gal 5:2-5); cf Gal 2:16; 3:3. Faith, not circumcision, is what counts (Gal 5:6). [1] Freedom: Paul stresses as the conclusion from the allegory in Gal 4:21-31 this result of Christ’s work for us. It is a principle previously mentioned (Gal 2:4), the responsible use of which Gal 5:13 will emphasize. [13-26] In light of another reminder of the freedom of the gospel (Gal 5:13; cf Gal 5:1), Paul elaborates on what believers are called to do and be: they fulfill the law by love of neighbor (Gal 5:14-15), walking in the Spirit (Gal 5:16-26), as is illustrated by concrete fruit of the Spirit in their lives. [13] Serve . . . through love: cf Gal 5:6. [14] Lev 19:18, emphasized by Jesus (Matthew 22:39; Luke 10:27); cf Romans 13:8-10. [16-25] Spirit . . . flesh: cf Gal 3:3 and the note on Romans 8:1-13.

Luke 9:51-62

51  When the days drew near for him to be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. 

52  And he sent messengers ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him; 

53  but the people would not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 

54  And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?" 

55  But he turned and rebuked them. 

56  And they went on to another village. 

57  As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 

58  And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." 

59  To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." 

60  But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 

61  Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 

62  Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." 

Bible Study: [9:51-18:14] The Galilean ministry of Jesus finishes with the previous episode and a new section of Luke’s gospel begins, the journey to Jerusalem. This journey is based on Mark 10:1-52 but Luke uses his Marcan source only in Luke 18:15-19:27. Before that point he has inserted into his gospel a distinctive collection of sayings of Jesus and stories about him that he has drawn from Q, a collection of sayings of Jesus used also by Matthew, and from his own special traditions. All of the material collected in this section is loosely organized within the framework of a journey of Jesus to Jerusalem, the city of destiny, where his exodus (suffering, death, resurrection, ascension) is to take place (Luke 9:31), where salvation is accomplished, and from where the proclamation of God’s saving word is to go forth (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8). Much of the material in the Lucan travel narrative is teaching for the disciples. During the course of this journey Jesus is preparing his chosen Galilean witnesses for the role they will play after his exodus (Luke 9:31): they are to be his witnesses to the people (Acts 10:39; 13:31) and thereby provide certainty to the readers of Luke’s gospel that the teachings they have received are rooted in the teachings of Jesus (Luke 1:1-4).

 [51-55] Just as the Galilean ministry began with a rejection of Jesus in his hometown, so too the travel narrative begins with the rejection of him by Samaritans. In this episode Jesus disassociates himself from the attitude expressed by his disciples that those who reject him are to be punished severely. The story alludes to 2 Kings 1:10, 12 where the prophet Elijah takes the course of action Jesus rejects, and Jesus thereby rejects the identification of himself with Elijah.  [51] Days for his being taken up: like the reference to his exodus in Luke 9:31 this is probably a reference to all the events (suffering, death, resurrection, ascension) of his last days in Jerusalem. He resolutely determined: literally, "he set his face."  [52] Samaritan: Samaria was the territory between Judea and Galilee west of the Jordan river. For ethnic and religious reasons, the Samaritans and the Jews were bitterly opposed to one another (see John 4:9).  [57-62] In these sayings Jesus speaks of the severity and the unconditional nature of Christian discipleship. Even family ties and filial obligations, such as burying one’s parents, cannot distract one no matter how briefly from proclaiming the kingdom of God. The first two sayings are paralleled in Matthew 8:19-22; see also the notes there.  [60] Let the dead bury their dead: i.e., let the spiritually dead (those who do not follow) bury their physically dead. See also the note on Matthew 8:22.

Dear Lord God, humbly I come to You knowing that my weakness is that of the body and mind, and it is the body that holds back the growth of the spirit and the mind that must control the body. Renew You work in me even in this time of transition, help me bring harmony to my life, the balance that I preach let it be reflected in me and my walk. For as St John Vianney tells us; there is no doubt but that the person who lives without mortifying himself is someone who will never succeed in saving his soul. This is not the fate that I seek for me and my family, so in my shame and trials I continue to seek You and give myself to You with the humble knowledge that without You I can do nothing and I have done this way is waste and never was to be. So now I seek to enter by the narrow gate which Jesus spoke of, knowing the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few, but with You in my life I have a chance and through You I have peace and contentment which renews my spirit as I continue to die to myself to pursuit of Your image. So I again I ask and pray in the Holy name of Jesus that I will find the focus, strength, courage to finish what we have begun, Amen.

There is no doubt but that the person who lives without mortifying himself is someone who will never succeed in saving his soul.

— St. John Vianney

Genesis 13:2, 5-18

2 Now Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 5 And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, 6 so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, 7 and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle. At that time the Canaanites and the Per’izzites dwelt in the land. 8 Then Abram said to Lot, "Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen; for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left." 10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw that the Jordan valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zo’ar; this was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomor’rah. 11 So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan valley, and Lot journeyed east; thus they separated from each other. 12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, while Lot dwelt among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD. 14 The LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; 15 for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants for ever. 16 I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your descendants also can be counted. 17 Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you." 18 So Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron; and there he built an altar to the LORD.

Psalm 15:2-5

2 He who walks blamelessly, and does what is right, and speaks truth from his heart; 3 who does not slander with his tongue, and does no evil to his friend, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor; 4 in whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 who does not put out his money at interest, and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.

Bible Study: [Psalm 15] The psalm records a liturgical scrutiny at the entrance to the temple court (cf Psalm 24:3-6; Isaiah 33:14b-16). The Israelite wishing to be admitted had to ask the temple official what conduct was appropriate to God’s precincts. Note the emphasis on virtues relating to one’s neighbor.

Matthew 7:6, 12-14

6 "Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you. 12 So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets. 13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Bible Study: [12] See Luke 6:31. This saying, known since the eighteenth century as the "Golden Rule," is found in both positive and negative form in pagan and Jewish sources, both earlier and later than the gospel. This is the law and the prophets is an addition probably due to the evangelist. [13-28] The final section of the discourse is composed of a series of antitheses, contrasting two kinds of life within the Christian community, that of those who obey the words of Jesus and that of those who do not. Most of the sayings are from Q and are found also in Luke. [13-14] The metaphor of the "two ways" was common in pagan philosophy and in the Old Testament. In Christian literature it is found also in the Didache (1-6) and the Epistle of Barnabas (18-20).

Dear Lord God, I awake finding myself grasping to hang on, anxious – not really, fearful – not yet, more a calm stillness that is difficult to explain; it as if I know You are there watching over me but I do not feel Your presence inside and around me. Is it the eye of the storm? The stair well landing before the next climb? Or is it as simple as in today’s reading in Isaiah; The Servant was made ready and fit for the preaching of God’s word. This much I know I am weak and if I to do or accomplish anything it will be through Your grace inspite and because of my weakness. Show me the way Lord; In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

The glory of these forty days we celebrate with songs and praise. For Christ, by whom all things were made, Himself has fasted and prayed. Alone and fasting Moses saw the loving God who gave the law. And to Elijah, fasting, came the steeds and chariots of flame. So Daniel trained his mystic sight, delivered from the lions might. And John, the Bridegroom’s friend, became the herald of the Messiah’s name. Then grant us, Lord, like them to be full often in fast and prayer with Thee. Our spirits strengthen with Thy grace, and give joy to see Thy face.

— Pope St. Gregory the Great

Isaiah 49:1-6

1 Listen to me, O coastlands, and hearken, you peoples from afar. The LORD called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name. 2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. 3 And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified." 4 But I said, "I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my right is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God." 5 And now the LORD says, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength — 6 he says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

Bible Study: [1-7] The second of the four "Servant-of-the-Lord" oracles. [1] Gave me my name: designated me for a special office (cf Jeremiah 1:5), or perhaps, made me renowned (cf Psalm 45:18). [2] The Servant was made ready and fit for the preaching of God’s word. [3] Israel: the Servant is identified with the people of Israel as their ideal representative; however, since Isaiah 49:5, 6 seem to distinguish the Servant from Israel, some regard the word Israel here as a gloss. [6] The Servant’s vocation will be not only the restoration of Israel but the conversion of the world; cf Luke 2:32.

Psalm 139:1-3, 13-15

1 O LORD, thou hast searched me and known me! 2 Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up; thou discernest my thoughts from afar. 3 Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 13 For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise thee, for thou art fearful and wonderful. Wonderful are thy works! Thou knowest me right well; 15 my frame was not hidden from thee, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.

Bible Study: [Psalm 139] Of David – A hymnic meditation on God’s omnipresence and omniscience. The psalmist is keenly aware of God’s all-knowing gaze (Psalm 139:1-6), of God’s presence in every part of the universe (Psalm 139:7-12), and of God’s control over the psalmist’s very self (Psalm 139:13-16). Summing up Psalm 139:1-16, 17-18 express wonder. There is only one place hostile to God’s rule–wicked people. The psalmist prays to be removed from their company (Psalm 139:19-24).

Acts 13:22-26

22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king; of whom he testified and said, `I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming John had preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, `What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’ 26 "Brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.

Bible Study: [13:4-14:27] The key event in Luke’s account of the first missionary journey is the experience of Paul and Barnabas at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14-52). The Christian kerygma proclaimed by Paul in the synagogue was favorably received. Some Jews and "God-fearers" (see the note on Acts 8:26-40) became interested and invited the missionaries to speak again on the following sabbath (Acts 13:42). By that time, however, the appearance of a large number of Gentiles from the city had so disconcerted the Jews that they became hostile toward the apostles (Acts 13:44-50). This hostility of theirs appears in all three accounts of Paul’s missionary journeys in Acts, the Jews of Iconium (Acts 14:1-2) and Beroea (Acts 17:11) being notable exceptions.

Luke 1:57-66, 80

57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a son. 58 And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they would have named him Zechari’ah after his father, 60 but his mother said, "Not so; he shall be called John." 61 And they said to her, "None of your kindred is called by this name." 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, "His name is John." And they all marveled. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea; 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, "What then will this child be?" For the hand of the Lord was with him. 80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel.

Bible Study: [1:5-2:52] Like the Gospel according to Matthew, this gospel opens with an infancy narrative, a collection of stories about the birth and childhood of Jesus. The narrative uses early Christian traditions about the birth of Jesus, traditions about the birth and circumcision of John the Baptist, and canticles such as the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) and Benedictus (Luke 1:67-79), composed of phrases drawn from the Greek Old Testament. It is largely, however, the composition of Luke who writes in imitation of Old Testament birth stories, combining historical and legendary details, literary ornamentation and interpretation of scripture, to answer in advance the question, "Who is Jesus Christ?" The focus of the narrative, therefore, is primarily christological. In this section Luke announces many of the themes that will become prominent in the rest of the gospel: the centrality of Jerusalem and the temple, the journey motif, the universality of salvation, joy and peace, concern for the lowly, the importance of women, the presentation of Jesus as savior, Spirit-guided revelation and prophecy, and the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. The account presents parallel scenes (diptychs) of angelic announcements of the birth of John the Baptist and of Jesus, and of the birth, circumcision, and presentation of John and Jesus. In this parallelism, the ascendency of Jesus over John is stressed: John is prophet of the Most High (Luke 1:76); Jesus is Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32). John is great in the sight of the Lord (Luke 1:15); Jesus will be Great (a LXX attribute, used absolutely, of God) (Luke 1:32). John will go before the Lord (Luke 1:16-17); Jesus will be Lord (Luke 1:43; 2:11). [57-66] The birth and circumcision of John above all emphasize John’s incorporation into the people of Israel by the sign of the covenant (Genesis 17:1-12). The narrative of John’s circumcision also prepares the way for the subsequent description of the circumcision of Jesus in Luke 2:21. At the beginning of his two-volume work Luke shows those who play crucial roles in the inauguration of Christianity to be wholly a part of the people of Israel. At the end of the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 21:20; 22:3; 23:6-9; 24:14-16; 26:2-8, 22-23) he will argue that Christianity is the direct descendant of Pharisaic Judaism.