Today we hear Jesus tell us “You have faith in God; have faith also in me.” We are called to commit our whole self to God, yet He knows how we are swayed and side-tracked by our feelings. (Remember last week when we were warned not to follow other voices?) The Psalm today says: “Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.” We know that sometimes trusting is so very difficult, and so we may be comforted this Fifth Sunday of Easter by Jesus’ words: “Let not your hearts be troubled.” Easy to say, hard to do… He tells us, though, that He goes to prepare a place for us and he will come back and take us to himself. Focusing on that part of our faith may go a long way to still troubled hearts.
Faith takes us beyond our limited understanding. We are constrained by human logic and reason, and faith helps us to curb our mediocre impulses and our compromises with “The Way.” Jesus is clear today: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” If we live in His way, we will know the truth, and we will live our human and eternal lives with him. This is the challenge! This is our call as disciples of Christ.
So, let’s talk about the challenge of Gospel living. We are in the midst of a time of turmoil: sickness and sorrow, greed and joblessness, the best and the worst of human behavior expressed. These are things we have always had to face—just not on the scale that it is happening with this pandemic. These times in particular, are times of testing and grace.
We are armed for confronting these moments of despair and darkness, though. St. John Eudes expresses it this way: “All that is Christ’s is yours: his spirit, his heart, his body and soul, and all his faculties. You must make use of all these as of your own, to serve, praise, love, and glorify God. He longs for you to use all that is in you, as if it were his own, for the service and glory of the Father.” This is “The Way.” This is the way we are called to live—in love and respect.
St. Peter reminds us today that we “are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Wow! It is a great responsibility to live as a Christian! But remember: let not your hearts be troubled—as we have all that we need to cope with turmoil: our faith, hope and love and our support for and from our families, friends and Communities.
We know that if we live “The Way” we are living the truth; we are living the life that God wants for all his children; we are living up to our potential and God’s plan for us all. The reward is an untroubled heart and a heavenly dwelling place and communion with Christ, here and now, and always.
Keep singing!
Elizabeth Dyc
Just a Note: Happy Mother’s Day!
In thinking about Mothers today, (I miss mine and my Mom-in-law), I know we all understand the power of a mother’s love and the work and change that can be wrought by even a single woman and her influence in any situation. The Bible is full of stories about a woman whose actions changes the course of a situation—like the influence many of our mothers have on us. Women from the Old Testament: Moses' mother (as protector), Deborah (wisdom, leadership, and courage), Hannah (gives the gift of her son back to God), Ruth (faithfulness)—to name a few. In the New Testament in Jesus' life and ministry the power of one woman is demonstrated again and again through any number of different women. His mother, Mary (first and foremost), Martha and Mary, Mary Magdalene, Dorcas, Phoebe, and Priscilla (in the early Christian movement) to name some. These examples remind us of the power that any one godly and loving woman (like our Moms), may have to influence us and others about the things that matter to God. So celebrate—if you have been “Mother” to anyone in any way. You are living the Gospel we are called to live.
Some interesting quotes about mothers--
Harriet Beecher Stowe: “Most mothers are instinctive philosophers.”
Robert A. Heinlein: “Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation.”
George Eliot:” Life began with waking up and loving my mother’s face.”
Abraham Lincoln: “All that I am, or can be, I owe to my angel mother.”
Rumi: “We are born of love; love is our mother.”
John Gray: “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”
J.K. Rowling: “Love as powerful as a mother’s for you leaves it’s own mark…”
Napoleon Bonaparte: “Let France have good mothers, and she will have good sons.”
Rudyard Kipling: “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.”
Proverbs 31:28: “Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her.”
Two children ordered their mother to stay in bed one Mother's Day morning. As she lay there looking forward to being brought breakfast in bed, the smell of bacon floated up from the kitchen. Finally, the children called her to come downstairs. She found them both sitting at the table eating bacon and eggs. “As a surprise for Mother's Day,” one explained, “we decided to cook our own breakfast.”
Moms, have a great day!
Enjoy some lovely music from Julliard…
A Dramatic Performance by Juilliard Students Brings a Socially Distant Approach to Ravel's Boléro
Maurice Ravel's Boléro is a particularly collaborative composition in that it passes the melodic theme through a series of solos. The sequential performances highlight the distinct tones and sounds of each instrument, whether it be a flute, violin, or the anomalous saxophone.
www.thisiscolossal.com
Faith takes us beyond our limited understanding. We are constrained by human logic and reason, and faith helps us to curb our mediocre impulses and our compromises with “The Way.” Jesus is clear today: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” If we live in His way, we will know the truth, and we will live our human and eternal lives with him. This is the challenge! This is our call as disciples of Christ.
So, let’s talk about the challenge of Gospel living. We are in the midst of a time of turmoil: sickness and sorrow, greed and joblessness, the best and the worst of human behavior expressed. These are things we have always had to face—just not on the scale that it is happening with this pandemic. These times in particular, are times of testing and grace.
We are armed for confronting these moments of despair and darkness, though. St. John Eudes expresses it this way: “All that is Christ’s is yours: his spirit, his heart, his body and soul, and all his faculties. You must make use of all these as of your own, to serve, praise, love, and glorify God. He longs for you to use all that is in you, as if it were his own, for the service and glory of the Father.” This is “The Way.” This is the way we are called to live—in love and respect.
St. Peter reminds us today that we “are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Wow! It is a great responsibility to live as a Christian! But remember: let not your hearts be troubled—as we have all that we need to cope with turmoil: our faith, hope and love and our support for and from our families, friends and Communities.
We know that if we live “The Way” we are living the truth; we are living the life that God wants for all his children; we are living up to our potential and God’s plan for us all. The reward is an untroubled heart and a heavenly dwelling place and communion with Christ, here and now, and always.
Keep singing!
Elizabeth Dyc
Just a Note: Happy Mother’s Day!
In thinking about Mothers today, (I miss mine and my Mom-in-law), I know we all understand the power of a mother’s love and the work and change that can be wrought by even a single woman and her influence in any situation. The Bible is full of stories about a woman whose actions changes the course of a situation—like the influence many of our mothers have on us. Women from the Old Testament: Moses' mother (as protector), Deborah (wisdom, leadership, and courage), Hannah (gives the gift of her son back to God), Ruth (faithfulness)—to name a few. In the New Testament in Jesus' life and ministry the power of one woman is demonstrated again and again through any number of different women. His mother, Mary (first and foremost), Martha and Mary, Mary Magdalene, Dorcas, Phoebe, and Priscilla (in the early Christian movement) to name some. These examples remind us of the power that any one godly and loving woman (like our Moms), may have to influence us and others about the things that matter to God. So celebrate—if you have been “Mother” to anyone in any way. You are living the Gospel we are called to live.
Some interesting quotes about mothers--
Harriet Beecher Stowe: “Most mothers are instinctive philosophers.”
Robert A. Heinlein: “Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation.”
George Eliot:” Life began with waking up and loving my mother’s face.”
Abraham Lincoln: “All that I am, or can be, I owe to my angel mother.”
Rumi: “We are born of love; love is our mother.”
John Gray: “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.”
J.K. Rowling: “Love as powerful as a mother’s for you leaves it’s own mark…”
Napoleon Bonaparte: “Let France have good mothers, and she will have good sons.”
Rudyard Kipling: “God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.”
Proverbs 31:28: “Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her.”
Two children ordered their mother to stay in bed one Mother's Day morning. As she lay there looking forward to being brought breakfast in bed, the smell of bacon floated up from the kitchen. Finally, the children called her to come downstairs. She found them both sitting at the table eating bacon and eggs. “As a surprise for Mother's Day,” one explained, “we decided to cook our own breakfast.”
Moms, have a great day!
Enjoy some lovely music from Julliard…
A Dramatic Performance by Juilliard Students Brings a Socially Distant Approach to Ravel's Boléro
Maurice Ravel's Boléro is a particularly collaborative composition in that it passes the melodic theme through a series of solos. The sequential performances highlight the distinct tones and sounds of each instrument, whether it be a flute, violin, or the anomalous saxophone.
www.thisiscolossal.com
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