Treasuring Gifts Are Vital For Authentic Friendship

3 Minute Reflection - Psalm 102 "You (Lord) will arise and have mercy on Zion (substitute Church here): for this is the time to have mercy; yes, the time appointed has come for your servants (us) love her very stones, are moved with pity even for her dust." - Often when someone gives us a gift we are quick to give thanks but soon we forget the gift and the symbol of generosity and love behind the gift.  However, if we learn of the sacrifice behind the gift we then treasure both the gift and the person who gave us the gift...and the larger the sacrifice the more we treasure the very friendship.  We just celebrated Memorial weekend, a gift, a timeless treasure of soldiers who gave their life, killed on the battlefield and defense of freedom in our country and in the whole world. Let us therefore continue to honor with our lives the soldiers and their families who have suffered to bring us America's freedom.  Still, let us love the Church, the gift Christ sacrificed on the cross to give us, to sanctify us, to redeem us, and make us his own.  Not only are we to treasure her stones that are the sacraments and her teachings and the teaching of Christ himself, but even if the dust particles of the Church are shown before us being tossed away by the wind of darkness we are called to lament even this, to take pity on our Church and come to her aid to defend her and make sure she continues to shine in a world darkened by Satan and evil and sin. And when we love the gift of the Church that Christ has given us then we can all be assured that we love the person, Jesus Christ, behind the gift and that are friendship can be assured to be an authentic love; pure, holy, unblemished, and everlasting.

Short Daily Reflection - By Fr Kyle - From Mass Readings

Jan 14 - As he (Jesus) passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs post. Jesus said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed Jesus. Mark 2:13-17 - Levi, better known as Matthew, was a tax collector, collecting a "goods" tax just outside of Capernaum as people came in from the countryside to sell their goods. Like all tax collectors at these posts he was considered a trader against the Jews and thief and sinner who extorted illegal amounts over and above the standard rate for livelihood and personal self gain. 
In short, Matthew was seated, static, stagnate, not going anywhere with his life until he met Jesus who called him to follow and to serve rather than climbing the latter to success which required taking all he could from others, which in turn left him terrible dissatisfied and unhappy. We can only succeed in life by living a godly life, imitating Christ and following Him, and serving others as he has served us, calling others toward Christ as he has called us. Personally, following Christ has been been the best decision I could ever make. I love Him and I love the life, the graces, the mercy, the joys, the communion, the Bread of Life, the destruction of barriers, the freedom from sin, and the salvation that only comes by living in His Most Holy Name.

When Life's Got You Down, Whatcha Gonna Do?

First, let us set our eyes on Christ. God sends us hope in Psalm 27 "I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living ... and The LORD is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear."  When you are down then it's time to recommit yourself to Christ Jesus who has the power to help us overcome even Satan, the power of darkness...listen to today's passage from Luke 4:34 -  "I know who you are"the Holy One of God!" Jesus rebuked him and said, "Be quiet! Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down in front of them and came out of him without doing him any harm. They were all amazed ..." Let yourself be amazed by trusting in the power of Christ our Savior!

Second then, is to pray, pray as if it's the only good that you can do, pray for relief, pray for answers, pray for direction, pray for barriers to be knocked down, pray for grace, pray for forgiveness, pray for renewed strength to endure, pray that you may be renewed in your mind to conform to Christ and not fall into the seductions and temptations, sins and lies of this world, pray for others needs, pray that you may listen and follow the ways of the Lord and thus respect and defend the dignity of every person from the moment of conception to natural death, pray, pray, pray an hour a day.  Prayer is simply talking with God. Sometimes we talk and God listens, but since he is our Father then all the more we need to stop talking, mediate on God and listen to know what is on his mind, what is good, what is pleasing and what is perfect for us. Remember Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing." AND "Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me." John 15:5-4 Now there is the heart of your problem!  Reading a Chapter a day in the Bible, reading slowly, reflecting and meditating on the mean of the words or putting yourself in the position of the various people in each scene is a great way to pray, as well as medidating on the mysteries of Christ's life through the Roasay or Divine Mercy Chaplet. Make prayer a habit, not a happenstance or just when you are in need.

Jesus is here to lift us up time and again.  Yet, if I remain in Him then I won't be down so much to begin with!  Do I need to remain in Him? Am I faithful to Christ? Has he not been faithful to me? What problem do I have that Christ can not handle?  One step at a time and God will deliver us from our torment. And when he does deliver us are we going to be thankful? How so? Gratitude is demonstrated with our atitude and actions. No, we are usually quickly forget His Help and soon enough we fall into another pit. No, the real pit and pity is that we lack appreciation of God who is all good, all powerful, all charitable, and thus we return to the pit he just pulled us out of. Your cries then, will not be heard because you have chosen to separate yourself from the Vine, which leaves you dying helplessly and hopelessly. Return to the Lord this time, then, and learn from Him how to handle life's difficulties with Him as your strength, the Church as your visible guide, your pastor and parish leaders as your support group.  Then your yoke will be easy and your burden light.  Now that's what I call a great plan !!! Get to it!  Fr. Kyle

Who Inspires Us? In Who's Tracks Do We Follow?

Ruth 1:16 - But Ruth said (to Naomi), "Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God."

Ruth was a Moabite who had married one of the son's of Naomi, a faithful Jew unto God. Yes, how wonderful it is that good people can inspire others to change their ways and to follow a better path. In Today's world, however, we have millions of people inspired by people who themselves are not inspired by God, which leave the last condition of a society in worse condition than before. Its amazing to see how easily millions of people are fooled into believing this or that person from Hollywood, a sports icon, or a music celebrity has it all together, or how quickly people are to buy into this or that persons views about life which are far from godliness, fidelity, generosity, modesty, self-control, hope and charity. Soon enough people have no one that they can trust, they can be so hurt that the only way of self preservation seems to close out everyone which cause even more pain as God had created us to be in communion with others and himself. A few questions to ponder:

(1) Can you name some people in your life who have lived such godly lives that they truly are inspirational?

(2) Have you spoken with them and asked them why they have chosen to live an exceptional life in God?

(3) Which teachers were inspiring for you and why?

(4) Which sisters, brothers, or priests have inspired you and why?

(5) What do I need to change in my life to be more truly inspiring, that is, to be truly following the Lord of Divine Inspiration, Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

(6) Am I willing to encourage others (teens and young adults) to consider living inspirational lives in Christ by being a brother, sister, or priest, or for those marriage to live holier lives, or those single to follow Christ (the Way, the Truth, and the Life) and not the newest fade or celebrity?

Our Catholic Church is completely dependent on people giving their life to Christ. When we complain that our church does have much to offer, then I must beg the question; What are you doing to improve the church? St. Francis was 25 when he decided to re-inspire the church, but it was not him that was the inspiration but God himself who said to him, "Francis, rebuild my church which you see falling into ruin." And respire the church he did!!! All good things are possible in Christ who shall inspire mankind until the end of times.

God Is Calling Me! What Is My Mission?

Psalm 40 is rich with insight into our purpose in Life: "Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will." and "In the written scroll it is prescribed for me. To do your will, O my God, is my delight, and your law is within my heart!"

My mission and my delight, then, is to do the will of God. Well, Padre, how do I know the will of God? Or how can I trust that God has a will for me? First, we can be assured that God has a will for each of us. In the Old Testament we see that God not only wills Moses to be the person that He has chosen to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, God also had a will for each of the enslaved people in Egypt...TO BE FREE from enslavement...even more so, God wills that we BE FREE FROM ENSLAVEMENT TO SIN. In the Bible there are 1000's of examples of God's will for individuals and as a whole nation, and yet we should be able to cite 1000's of examples of God's will in our lives if we come together and share the Good News of God in our daily lives. Secondly, the will of God is not altogether unknown nor is it something only a few can reach while everyone else is left out. No, as this Psalm says..."your law is within my heart", that is, we can know the will of God by examining the good God has place in our heart, the knowledge of the Divine Law that He has placed in each heart that can not change, that always reveals the Truth about God, about Christ as the Son, about creation, about humanity, about sin, about grace, about love and the Holy Spirit. Yes, everyone has the equal opportunity to know the will of God, but few choose or even want to know the will of God because they are afraid of what God may ask of them, or they are afraid that God made them inferior to others and are afraid that it would shame them, and so many other reasons, but all such nonsense leaves us sitting in the dark while we strain to figure out the meaning of life on our own, without God's help. Ok, listen, God has the only flashlight, in fact its a Perpetual Beaming Light that yearns to Light up the world to bring us happiness and holiness, and bring all of humanity into One Body in Christ. Only God Himself and people who are striving to know God, those who have received free flashlights who's batteries are prayer and surrender unto God are servants of God who can help us in following the will of God. As they say, let go and let God! Be yourself, be the person God has created you to be. Yearn to do things God's way rather than your own way which leaves you crawling out of another pit in life. The will of God for your life certainly involves daily prayer and meditation, reading a chapter a day in the bible, spending time each day to speak with Jesus and to ask for his help and guidance, going to Church on Sunday and being an active member of the faith community to help others and to do things together to share in the ministry of Jesus Christ, and, I firmly believe, that we are all called to journey back home to our Mother Church, the one and only Church Jesus Christ founded, the Catholic Church (the Orthodox Church partially shares in this Apostolic faith though they have chosen to separate themselves (1056? AD) from being completely One, Holy, and Catholic.

How Can I Grow In My Faith?

"...great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." Matthew 15:21-28 - These are the words from Jesus to the Canaanite woman who's faith may very well have been greater than any of the apostles gathered around him. Jesus gives us a real insight into the blessings that are received for those who have faith and to those who's faith is great...a faith that is great enough for God to heal this woman's daughter from demonic possession. How strong is your faith? Does it waiver...is it good sometimes but often lacking trust, communion, and openness to the will of God? If God spoke to you at this very moment could he honestly say that your faith is GREAT? Me neither. I have great moments...even days and maybe a full week that my faith is strong, but then I struggle, the pressures of life seem too great and I begin to hesitate to do God's will, the burdens seem too great and I either begin to do things without consideration of God's will or I become lazy and excuses set in. Then the power of God I had experienced the previous week is gone...ughhh! I wonder why we are thrilled when we experience God's blessings in our lives (when we have great faith), but why we don't keep up our faith and communion with Christ in prayer to keep us joyful, holy, at peace, and following His will?

Certainly, many struggles we experience is for our benefit (read up on the trials and persecutions of Peter and Paul or the lives of the saints, now they had huge trails), they help us to persevere under trial of faith in Jesus and they help us to grow in faith, but I suspect the majority of most peoples struggles are due to lack of faith in God, a lack of allowing God to guide their life, a lack of trust in the Lord who created us from nothingness to be his good stewards in this world and to be a light to the world for nonbelievers and those indifferent to God. Let us listen to Jesus' words again and let us more completely comprehend God's love for us. Jesus said to the woman, "..great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish." WOW! When we have GREAT faith, a faith that draws us closer to Christ as trials and tests plague us, this type of unwaivering faith God will find sweet, pleasing, and acceptable so that what we ask for shall be "done for you as you wish". Notice, though, that which she desired to be done was not for herself but for her daughter, for another person. Her unwaivering love for God and for the good of her daughter (may have been many years of trials) opened the way for the love that God has for this mother to be transmitted and received to loving and healing her daughter without the daughter ever having loved God back. This is the Good News of Jesus Christ. God's love is unconditional in the sense that he loves us, cares about us to death, even if we have never even considered loving him, even if we hate God. Remember what Jesus said from the cross as he was being crucified and underwent the most agonizing pain he still thought of others out of love for them...."Father forgive them for they do not know what they do."

Therefore, let us be more faithful to God. Pray daily to God that you may have greater faith, a greater will to follow Him come what may. Certainly, we will experience God's power and blessings in our lives like never before. If what you have been doing with a lack of faith is not working then maybe a sure commitment or even a stronger commitment to follow Christ is the path that will lead you to the life you desire and the life God had planned from the beginning. May you strive in prayer to trust in God that your faith may be great and your life a blessings for your own sake and for the sake of others!

HOW DID JESUS FEED 5000 PLUS?

“Five loaves and two fish are all we have here.” Mt 14:17 - Yes, Jesus first challenged his disciples to feed the 5000 themselves, but they could not, they only brought supplies for themselves. Jesus is the Son of God made man, he came down from heaven for this very purpose, to feed 5000, even 5 billion, he came to feed the world his Divine Word, the Word that will quench the thirst of all who are in spiritual anguish, the Word that alone will satisfy the spiritual hunger of man. Several early saints point out that the 5 loaves and 2 fish (an amount so little, but like the mustard seed placed in the right hands, planted and cultivated, will bear more food, protection, and comfort than imaginable) represent the five first books of the old testament, the only books considered Sacred Scripture at the time of Jesus, and the two fish represent the first and last of the prophets, those men who were found faithful to God in the most trying of times and who gave their life in order to feed the people the Word of God for those who would listen. Jesus had spent the whole day teaching and sharing the Divine Life with the multitude and none of them wanted to leave...imagine us going to Mass and being so inspired by the Word of God, the presence of God, that we don't want to leave. (that is one reason I became a priest!) So, as Jesus performs the miracle of feeding 5000 men plus women and children he has already nourished their souls with his Word throughout the day opening up sacred scripture to them, and now he will provide for the nourishment of their bodies as well in the miracle of multiplying the loaves and the fish. The disciples will gather 12 wicker baskets of leftovers as if Jesus is saying to the 12 apostles, "See I give each of you and your successors, enough food to feed the world to the end of times in the Eucharistic Feast at Mass which is my Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." My friend, come and spend time with Jesus each day, open up His Divine Word which is Divine milk and the New Testament which is the honey that nourishes the mind, soothes the soul, and brings sight to the blind. Come to Mass on Sundays not out of obligation, but out of an overwhelming response of love for God who first loved us and calls us to share in the Divine life of his Son in the Holy Eucharist as a community that is seeking everlasting life.

Fear not! Stand your ground!

Exodus 14: But Moses answered the people, “Fear not! Stand your ground,
and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today." - We too can be like the Israelites: We may have struggled for years, we may feel that we have been enslaved to a situation of the past, maybe our past actions have caught up to us and now we are paying the price. But God wills to intervene. We make a step or two with Him, but then we quickly begin to see the difficulties of walking with God and we look back and think, "Hey, our past wasn't so bad. I don't want to change!". Ahhh, yes, this is the moment that Moses spoke up. "Fear not! Stand your ground! Remember, you were in misery, you cried to the Lord, so now, your Lord is with you, Christ is here! Stand your ground! Your Victory is nearer than you think! Do not look back at your misery and think it your glory, this is a deception from Satan to keep you enslaved. Come, walk with me a bit further, the glory of God is closer than when we first began. True freedom is freedom from sin, freedom from a troubling past, freedom from Satan, freedom from attachments to the new craze that is here today and gone tomorrow. In Jesus is our Life, our Way, and the only truth that brings lasting peace and justice to us, our community, our nation and our world." FEAR NOT, I AM WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES - JESUS

Pray for Rain!

Pray for favorable weather, please! Plead to the Lord of heaven and earth to provide our land with much need rain. I've heard that in the past six months many areas of Texas that would normally have had 12 to 15 inches of rain have had less than 2. This is devasting to our farmers and ranchers, our families and communities. Mt 6:33 "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you besides". Dare we compare our times to today's reading on Sodom and Gomorrah. Our society has locked God out of it's heart as it has no room or love for it's Creator, or for its Reedemer who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I wonder what is left when a society choses to remove its Creator from their mind or refuse to acknowledge Him...I think we are seeing the fruits of our wickedness. Pray too, we return wholeheartedly back to fidelity in Christ our Savior.