scarce but satisfying

1 kings 17:7-16; Psalm 4 Lord, let your face shine on us; Matthew 5:13-16

We continue to read the narrative on ELijah in the first reading.

Yesterday, we encountered Elijah on the run and in hiding. He was told to drink from the stream and he was to served his meals via the ravens. The life of a prophet isn't always glamorous.

Imagine eating meat brought by ravens. It was probably not gourmet. And the stream since is was in the middle of the drought was probably not you standard water cooler refreshment.


But none the less, he was provided for. It was scarce but satisfying for it was from the Lord.

Today, we encounter ELijah being led by God to a widow at Zarephath where he was too be taken care of. Again, Elijah finds himself in a predicament. The widow only had a handful of flour and a little oil and she was as they say a bit bitter but faithful.

Elijah and the widow and the widow's son ate a morsel of bread a day.
Again this as not your HEB pantry bread aisle where every imaginable loaf with every imaginable flavor, style, cut was at your finger tips. It was a little bit of flour and little bit of oil and a lot of nasty, but it was sufficient.

It was scarce but satisfying.

It both instances and throughout the prophets life we discover that God's will takes care of those who are faithful; he provides, he sustains, he stretches forth to bring alive in time of famine, but often it is beyond our expectations.

Elijah had to surrender his expectation in order to take God at his word and trust the word he heard.

Scarce but satisfying.

Look around at your life today. How often have our expectations thwarted the bounty of God and interfered with true gratitude in learning to live on what God provides. Surrender your expectations and learn to recognize the bounty of God in the provisions he has provided.

Scarce but satisfying for those who are faithfulness.

don't worry be happy

1 Kings 17:1-6; Psalm 121 Our help is from the Lord who made heaven and earth; Matthew 5:1-12

We all search for happiness. We long to experience happiness in our life. But seldom do we stop to ask the question, what is happiness? what does happiness consist of? What will make me happy?

Most of the time we equate happiness with feeling "good" as they say, as if emotional contentment is all there is in this life we live.

So what is happiness? What is this elusive reality that seems to haunt us, beckon at us, and drive us mad? Perhaps insanity is the answer to the question.

Every time we gather at the mass, around the altar just before we receive communion the consecrated host is elevated for all to see and the words of the priest echo forth, "Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, happy are those who are called to his supper."


There is that word, elusive yet within our grasp, "Happy are those who are called to his supper."

It seems not only do we want to be happy but God also desires our happiness. In fact he goes out of his way to make the path of happiness known. This happiness is about a relationship with Jesus, whom we seek to have communion with.

The beatitudes we encounter today from the mouth of Jesus speak of happiness, "blessed" in greek means happy.

When you look at those who are blessed, it should strike us as unusual; blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, merciful, clean of heart, peacemakers, those persecuted, those insulted...rejoice and be glad.

But in reality the Beatitudes simply paint the face of Christ himself. JEsus is the one who embodies the beatitudes in his life; he is poor in spirit, merciful, clean of heart, persecuted and insulted and all the rest. When we live out the beatitudes we see the face of Christ.

Sounds like a pathway to happiness. It certainly is unorthodox when compared to secular society who tells us to be selfishly driven. The secular society who promises the world with creative and sexual ingenuity, where the pleasure principle seems to dominate, yet why are so many people depressed and on pills, why aren't they happy.

The wrong path can never be made right.

"Happy are those who are called to his supper." The pathway of happiness goes through Christ, it isn't contentment but much deeper and longer lasting.

Rethink the beatitudes, spend time with them today and see if you can begin to piece together a pathway to happiness, a pathway to the beatitude itself, life on high in Christ.

noon prayer on solemnity of Corpus Christi

Here are three readings from sacred scripture on this celebration of the Body and Blood of Christ

"You nourished your people with food of angels and furnished them bread from heaven, ready to hand, untoiled-for, endowed with all delights and conforming to every taste." Wisdom 16:20

"Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven columns; she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table." Proverbs 9:1-2

"The brethren devoted themselves to the apostles' teachings and the communal life, to the breaking of bread and prayers, praising God and winning the approval of all people." Acts 2:42, 47


Let them roll around in you head as you seek a deeper insight into the gift of the Eucharist.

solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ

Today in the church we celebrate the gift of the Eucharist, the body and blood of Christ come to us in the appearance of bread and wine transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. The bread and wine offered on the altar receive the word of God and become real food and real drink that bring forth the very presence of Jesus, body, blood, soul, and divinity.

What does the Catechism of the Catholic Church say about this Reality:

*The mode of Christ's presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as "the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend...the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained..by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present." (ccc1374)

Can the church be any more clear in its teaching on the presence of Jesus come to us in the Eucharist. It is not a symbol or sign but rather it is what Jesus says it is, "my body, my blood." Jesus comes to us. What an encounter! this is no ordinary bread from you momma's kitchen. This is bread from the pantry of heaven.

*It has always been the conviction of the Church of God...that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation. (ccc1376)

It has always been the conviction of the Church of God. The church has never wavered on this fundamental truth. The protestants have protested the sacraments but we Catholics have been fed and nourished by them. Other sects have been led into error but the Catholic Church has maintained its identity in the gift of the Eucharist.

*the Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of Consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. (ccc1377-1380)

Jesus comes to stay. He is not here one moment and gone the next. Every time you come into a Catholic Church, this place of worship, you discover it is never empty. It is not just a place of worship it truly is the house of God. The little red light flickering upon entering reminds us to stop and pause, fall upon our knees, and acknowledge a presence greater than ourselves. We see his strength and glory in his sanctuary. The words of Jesus to the apostles ring true, "I will be with you always until the end of the age." The ever abiding presence of Jesus is the Eucharist.

*"the mass is at the same time, and inseparable, the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of communion with the Lord's body and blood." (ccc1382)

When we celebrate mass the reality of the cross and calvary is made present. The same sacrifice makes itself present. The death of the Lord we proclaim. It is this death of the Lord upon the cross that makes communion possible. The redemption of Christ offered to the world on the cross now comes to be made actualized in our hearts as we receive communion. In communion we apply Christ's redemption personally to us in our lives. We up root the cross from the soil of calvary and we plant it in the center of our hearts every time we say Amen to the words, "the body of Christ."

It is one and the same sacrifice that knows no boundaries of time and space. Its unlimited merit is unlimited by time and space.

*we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience: whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord...for anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. Anyone conscious of grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion." (ccc 1384-1387)

We must tread lightly. We must never rush through the act of reception but be mindful of the gift we are receiving. We must prepare ourselves mind, heart, and soul. We tremble when we extend our hands to receive trusting in the mercy of God to strengthen us with his presence and transform us with every reception.

If we are guilty of grave offense then we should not receive. How often have we ate and drank judgment upon ourselves. When we receive communion we are saying we seek to follow Christ fully and faithfully. Yet if we are living contrary to the gospel as realized in the teachings of the Church then we bear false witness against ourselves and destroy the integrity of our lives.

*"Holy Communion augments our union with christ. The principle fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus." (ccc1391)

Intimate union with JEsus. The foretaste of future glory comes to be in our hands and on our lips. He is near to us; he is within us.

*Communion with the flesh of the risen Christ...preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism." (ccc1392)

Wow! Preserves, increases, and renews. Every time we come to communion we enter into a time and space of retreat, a spiritual awakening and renewal. A simple gesture of stretching forth and a simple word of 'Amen" begins the spiritual renewal, this encounter for the ages. Truly, communion is a life changing experience each and every time.

*The eucharist cleanses us from past sins and preserves us from future sins...the bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this wipes away venial sins." (ccc139-1395)

We are washing in the waters of forgiveness and we are strengthen to avoid the sins that lie in waiting. Our wills are fortified and prepared for the spiritual battle. Our desire is rehabilitated and disordered attachments are slowly broken. The fuel for charity in our life is found in this Holy Communion. Christ the perfect love of the Father comes to enkindle in us that same love.

*"those who receive the Eucharist are united more closely to Christ. Through it Christ unites them to all the faithful in one body-the church. Communion renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already achieved by Baptism." (ccc1396)

We become church more fully by the communion we share. We all eat from the one table and thus we realize our one family by which we all belong. We truly become brothers and sisters united in Christ and fed by him. We must learn to live in a community and allow the communion we share move us from our individual lives into lives that seek solidarity and fellowship, with deep concern and compassion for all. We are not in this alone. We go together or we do not go at all.

Corpus Christ, this solemnity is so much more than we could ever imagine. What a gift from God in Christ by THe Holy Spirit. May we always be thankful of this ever abiding presence of Jesus who not only calls us to heaven but journeys with us until we arrive, "The Lord is my shepherd...with his rod and staff he gives me courage" and he gives me life for he is the "living bread come down from heaven."

remember JEsus Christ

2 Timothy 2:8-15; Psalm 25 Teach me your ways, O Lord; Mark 12:28-34

As we continue to read the 2nd letter of Paul to Timothy, we can not be but inspired by Paul's words of encouragement. He is writing to Timothy to spur him on in his ministry. He seeks to build him up and to aid him in moving forward with the task at hand, proclaiming the good news.

Today's segment begins with these words, "Remember Jesus Christ..."

think about that for a moment, "Remember Jesus Christ."

IT is sort of like the battle cry, "Remember the ALamo."

It is a charge that is meant to invoke courage. "Remember JEsus Christ."

As we go out into the world today and face all the temptations that await us, tackle all the problems lingering from yesterday, encounter new irritations and old weakness, uncover more short comings in ourselves or those we work with or live with, meet new barriers or seek to create more bridges just "remember JEsus Christ."

Here in this simple little phrase we are filled with courage and strength to put one foot in front of the other and carry that cross or crosses with a great joy in our heart, for we have Him on our side, he who is stronger than death, "Remember JEsus Christ."

This is the phrase that gave strength to the martyrs, like Charles Lwanga and his companions whose feast we celebrate today.

As Charles was being tied to the pyre and the fire was lit, on his lips you can still hear echoing forth, "Remember JEsus Christ."

The martyrs were able to resist and stand firm because they were not forgetful, rather they remembered the one good memory and there they found a place of rest, a place of hope, a place of encouragement, an encounter that led them forward in choosing life for Him in accepting death to the world.

"Remember JEsus Christ," and onward we go marching through this time and space longing for union as we "Remember JEsus Christ" who on the cross remembered us.

action of grace

2 Timothy 1:1-3,6-12; Psalm 123 To you, O Lord, I lift up my eyes; Mark 12:18-27

On Sunday during the Angelus, Pope Benedict speaking about the Most HOly Trinity reminded us as faithful followers of Christ to be "open daily to the action of grace in our life, progressing forward in love of God and love of neighbor."


We must be open to the action of grace. Grace is not something that is stagnant but it is a power that moves us, transforms us, challenges us, directs us, guides us. It is a power that is active and animating throughout our daily living.

It is not limited to our experience of Mass or prayer but is in and through the daily grind of life.

The action of grace is the power of God that JEsus speaks of in the gospel. The power of God that brings forth the resurrection of the body. The action of grace wants to renew and restore our life.

If we keep one eye on the resurrection as we move through life then the other shall be able to recognize the action of grace and the power of God in our life. If we know what the end of grace is, the resurrection and restoration of our body where the spirt of God animates completely our bodies, then we shall also be able to recognize its movement on earth.

The action of grace is that which leads us home, perfected in the image and likeness of God.

One thing to be sure, the action of grace is always that which points to truth and thus recognizes error.

As JEsus responds to the Sadducees in the gospel today, "You are wrong because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God" He points out the reality of the action of grace working in our midst.

JEsus was not afraid to tell people they were wrong. HE did not buy in to the relativistic view of things. We too must follow his lead and not be afraid to point out the error of those around us, trusting that the action of grace is leading us in truth.

In fact when we take a stand against error and for truth we become a living vessel of the action of grace for others.

This is what makes the martyrs such a beautiful witness. They were willing to take a stand and tell their captives that they were wrong.
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In today's gospel Jesus shows himself to be the the leading expert of scripture and its interpretation. This is important. Because it is the same JEsus who gave the Keys of the Kingdom to Peter and his successors, "what you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven."

Thus, the same authority of christ who claims hold of the seat of expertise is also passed on to Peter and his successors in their infallibility of faith and morals. The Power of God remains with us in the church.

May we heed it and allow the action of grace to flow forth in our world leading us to the resurrection.

Quote from Pope John Paul II on the action of grace in our life

"Participation in the divine nature, participation in the inner life of God himself, penetration and permeation of what is essentially human by what is essentially divine...so that the life of the human spirit will reach a fullness that was absolutely inaccessible to it before. This new spiritualization will be the fruit of grace, of God's self communication in his very divinity, not only to the soul but to the whole of man's psychosomatic subjectivity...a new formation of man' s entire personal subjectivity to the measure of union with God in his trinitarian mystery and of intimacy with him in the perfect communion of persons...this will not absorb man's personal subjectivity, but, quite on the contrary, will make it emerge in an incomparably greater and fuller measure. "

In other words, Grace rocks our world!

justin Martyr

Today in the church we celebrate the feast of St, Justin Martyr. Justin Martyr was, as his name suggest, martyred for the faith.

He lived between the year 100 and 165 (date of martyrdom). He was a philosopher, a thinker, the one who knew the badge of courage necessary to think a thought through. He never gave up on reason and understand faith as a necessary reality of allowing reason to become perfected in this life.

He was killed because he chose to stand firm in his profession of faith in Christ, in Christianity as the true and only way to God.

Here are few words of wisdom from St. Justin Martyr who speaks of the Christian faith and what it means to be Christian, to bear such a name:

"Reason requires that those who are truly pious and philosophers honor and cherish the truth alone, scorning merely to follow the opinions of the ancients, if they are worthless."

"the lover of truth ought to choose in every way, even at the cost of his own life to speak and do what is right."


"Unless both rulers and those that they rule become lovers of wisdom cities cannot prosper."


"Rulers of respect reputation rather than truth have as much power as brigands in a desert."


"That we may avoid all injustice and impiety, we have been taught to expose the newly born is the work of wicked men."

"But to begin with, we do not marry except in order to bring up children, or else, renouncing marriage, we live in perfect continence. To show you that promiscuous intercourse is not among our mysteries."


"And on the day called SUnday there is a meeting in one place who live in cities or country, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read as long as time permits. when the reader has finished, the president in a discourse urges and invites us to imitation of these noble things. then we all stand up together and offer prayers. And bread is brought forth, and wine and water, and the presider similarly sends up prayers and thanksgivings to the best of his ability, and the congregation assents, saying Amen; the distribution and reception of the consecrated elements by each one takes place."

"This food we call Eucharist, in which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing of forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ handed down to us."

"We have been taught that the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus."

Amazing that in the beginning of the second century the Mass as we celebrate today was already in full bloom for the faithful. Somethings never change and we are thankful for such continuity and dedication of faith of those who have gone before us preserving the faith with their life, shedding their blood so we may receive the very body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ himself in the Eucharist.

We are all Eucharistified, as St. Justin tells us. Could we be anything else?