Teach us to Pray..

Jesus said to his disciples:
“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This is how you are to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

“If you forgive men their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”

 MT6:7-15

When the disciples broach the subject of prayer with Jesus, He tells them a few simple things. One, don’t babble, basically more words is not better. Two, Their prayers have pretty much already been heard before they have been prayed – the Father already knows. Then He teaches them the Our Father prayer. Fourth, He talks to them about forgiveness, that the forgiveness they give to others is  equal to the forgiveness they will receive from God.

Watering the Earth with God's Word

3/10

IS 55:10-11

Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
And do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.

This passage makes the point that just as the rain does not evaporate and return to the heavens until it has done its ‘duty’ here on earth of bringing us moisture – making it a place that we can grow food  and sustain ourselves. The water does not evaporate until this ‘duty’ is done.’ Just as the water, Jesus compares it to His word sent forth from His mouth – that it will not evaporate until it’s job is done and it has been heard by those who are meant to hear it. Aka. Achieving the end for which it was send.

Sanctus

The LORD said to Moses,
“Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.

“You shall not steal.
You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another.
You shall not swear falsely by my name,
thus profaning the name of your God.
I am the LORD.

“You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor.
You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer.
You shall not curse the deaf,
or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,
but you shall fear your God.
I am the LORD.

“You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment.
Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty,
but judge your fellow men justly.
You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin;
nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor’s life is at stake.
I am the LORD.

“You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove him,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD.”

LV 19:1-2,11-18

If one takes God’s words seriously, to be holy as He is holy – we’re sunk. How are we ever going to match up to Him? But then He continues on with some other things to help us (i.e. no stealing, judge fairly, do not bear hatred in one’s heart, do not take judgment /cherish no grudge. WE can see it this way. God calls us to be ‘perfect as He is perfect” but He is right there walking with us – we don’t have to do it alone. He will give us the grace to love, to be honest, and not to blaspheme. 

March 9

The disciples of John approached Jesus and said,
“Why do we and the Pharisees fast much,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests mourn
as long as the bridegroom is with them?
The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast.”

MT 9:14-15

Why then, do we as Christians fast on Fridays during lent? “the bridegroom is taken away from them and then they will fast.” In remembrance of Jesus’ death, we fast – the bridegroom has been momentarily taken from us.. but He will come back! On Easter. What wonders to look forward to. He is coming back – not just rising from the tomb, but back for us all.

Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,
and a large crowd of tax collectors
and others were at table with them.
The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying,
“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

5:27-32

I can only imagine the questions and feelings that rose up in Levi when the Lord asked him to leave his job, family, possessions, money,  the name he had built for himself in the community, But he did not let any of this stay his had, but just got up and first threw a party for Jesus. The party was attended not just by the apostles, but by the Pharisees, their scribes, tax collectors, and sinners. Jesus soon comes under great scrutiny for dining with those considered to be such sinners, so ‘unclean’.

`One point that stuck out to me, was that he first left everything behind, THEN threw this party for Jesus – having left behid everything – what did he have left to thow a party? He really gave his all, and did not seem afraid to follow Jesus, when following Him meant having nothing. 

            Ask yourself – if following Jesus means giving up your posessions of this world for the next..are you willing? We are the sick and He is calling. Will you follow his call>

At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted for forty days and forty nights,
and afterwards he was hungry.
The tempter approached and said to him, 
“If you are the Son of God, 
command that these stones become loaves of bread.”
He said in reply,
“It is written:
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God.”

Then the devil took him to the holy city, 
and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, 
and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.
For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you
and with their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus answered him,
“Again it is written, 
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, 
and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, 
if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”
At this, Jesus said to him,
“Get away, Satan!
It is written:
The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve.”

Then the devil left him and, behold,
angels came and ministered to him.

MT 4:1-11

Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights in the desert ( not the most comfortable place to fast). When He was finished with His fast, of course, He was hungry, and not willing to give in to the devil – this was the perfect temptation for Satian to try to wave in his face. Satan tempted him to turn the rocks into bread, showing him the lands of the earh that he could rule to jump off the temple and expect the angels to catch him. Jesus, however, would not stand for this kind of tempting. “You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test,” and later he tells Satan, ““Get away, Satan!
It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.”

Following Jesus

Jesus saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And leaving everything behind, he got up and followed him.
Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house,
and a large crowd of tax collectors
and others were at table with them.
The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying,
“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”

Luke 5:27-32

I can only imagine the questions and feelings that rose up in Levi when the Lord asked him to leave his job, family, possessions, money,  the name he had built for himself in the community, But he did not let any of this stay his had, but just got up and first threw a party for Jesus. The party was attended not just by the apostles, but by the Pharisees, their scribes, tax collectors, and sinners. Jesus soon comes under great scrutiny for dining with those considered to be such sinners, so ‘unclean’.

`One point that stuck out to me, was that he first left everything behind, THEN threw this party for Jesus – having left behid everything – what did he have left to thow a party? He really gave his all, and did not seem afraid to follow Jesus, when following Him meant having nothing. 

            Ask yourself – if following Jesus means giving up your posessions of this world for the next..are you willing? We are the sick and He is calling. Will you follow his call>