Clay on the Wheel

Readings for Thursday July 29, 2010

Memorial of Saint Martha

First Reading: Jeremiah 18:1-6
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146
Gospel: John 11:19-27 or Luke 10:38-42


This word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: Rise up, be off to the potter's house; there I will give you my message. I went down to the potter's house and there he was, working at the wheel. Whenever the object of clay which he was making turned out badly in his hand, he tried again, making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased. Then the word of the LORD came to me: Can I not do to you, house of Israel, as this potter has done? says the LORD. Indeed, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, house of Israel. (Jer. 18:1-6)

In today's first reading, we see that the Lord sends Jeremiah off to admire the artistry of the potter on his wheel. When the clay was not working out as planned, the potter would begin to rework the clay into something else. The Lord said to Jeremiah, "Can I no do yo you, house of Israel, as this potter has done?" The Lord is telling Jeremiah, as badly as the clay has turned out, it still has value and can still have a purpose if it is willing to let the Lord rework it.

And so too it is like our lives no matter what we have done or no matter how much we have messed up, the Lord still wants to rework us for a purpose. The Lord sees value in all His children, even if we do not. He has plans for each of us, but sometimes we go against His will and follow our own instead. That is when, like the potter, the Lord just keeps working with us and tries to guide us into what He has planned for us. It is funny that so many people resist the Lord, and what they are really resisting is the only thing that will bring them true peace and joy in their lives.

Today, we celebrate the memorial of Saint Martha, someone who allowed themselves to be reworked by the Lord. One of Martha's early encounters with Christ, she complained that her sister would not help with the labor. Jesus corrected her letting her know that Mary had chosen the better thing which is to be with the Lord. We see in the reading about Martha from the gospel of John, how far Martha had come. When with her guests, and upon hearing that Jesus was coming, she dropped everything and came to Him. Martha is a great example of a Saint who allowed God to reword them on the wheel.

So, what is it in your life that holds you back from God? What is the thing that needs reworked in you? I pray brothers and sisters that we can all be given the courage and strength to allow God to rework each of us and to bring us closer to holiness and closer to Him.

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, thank you for the many blessing and gifts in our lives. Lord, help us to be good stewards of all that you have entrusted to us, and help us never to take any gift for granted. Lord, humble and soften our hearts, so that we might be workable as the clay is on the potters wheel. Help us to be open to your will, increase our faith so that we might follow you no matter where it is that you lead. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Wheat or Weeds?

Readings for Tuesday July 27, 2010

First Reading: Jeremiah 14:17-22
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 79
Gospel: Matthew 13:36-43


Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear."(Mt 13:36-43)

Most of us remember in gym class the importance of being on the team that was most likely going to win. I remember when choosing teams, that I hoped that I would be on the team with the best athletes for that particular sport. Obviously, no one wanted to be on the team that would most likely lose, we wanted to be on the team that gave us the best chance for success.

Today's gospel, explains the parable of the weeds among the wheat. Jesus is telling His disciples how the one who sows good seed is the son of man, and the one who sows the weeds is the devil. At the end of the age, the harvesters (angels) will go through and collect the weeds, bind them up and throw them into the furnace. Those who bore good fruit in their life and lived for God will be welcomed into Heaven with open arms. One can think of this as being a parable among a winning team (wheat) and a losing team (weeds). Here is the only difference between our gym class example and the parable ... we get to choose which team we are on! When it comes to whether or not we are on God's team, and whether not we will be bound for heaven, the choice is ours. We have a choice, we can either say yes to God's plan and live our life totally for Him; or we can say no, and choose to live our life for ourselves. We get to choose whether we are the wheat or the weeds.

Like we said before, it is important to make sure that we are on the winning team. In this instance, we know that being with Christ is being on the winning team; and the devil is on the losing team. Those who choose Christ not only choose the winning team, but the eternal reward that comes from being on the winning team.

"Those who have ears ought to hear."

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, thank you for all that you give to us and for you great blessings in our lives. Help us to be good stewards of all that you entrust to us. May we never take this life, or any life for granted, and may we always seek your perfect will in all things. Lord, we belong to you, help us to never stray from your path. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Meant for Heaven

Readings for Monday July 26, 2010

Memorial of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

First Reading: Jeremiah 13:1-11
Responsorial Psalm: Deuteronomy 32:18-19
Gospel: Matthew 13:31-35


Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. "The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'"
He spoke to them another parable. "The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened."
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world. (Mt. 13:31-35)

Today we see Jesus address the crowds in parables; which would make one ask the question, why? Why did Jesus go to such great lengths to teach by parables? Why didn't He give the people all the theology about God, Heaven, salvation, angels, etc? Why did He give them all the detailed, technical information that He could have given to the people to really make the understand? So why parables? I think that He used parables to help paint a picture for them. He didn't go there to give them theology 101, He went there to help them see what it is that they are missing out on.

The parables, helped them to see what was previously unknown to them. The parables that He gave today were in regards to heaven. I am sure that many people wondered what heaven was like, and before Jesus, no one talked about it because no one had ever been there. But Jesus, being God, was able to talk about it, He was able to give them examples and images to help them get a basic understanding of what heaven was like and what He was offering them. The parable that I liked the best was that of the mustard seed. In our world, faith and even something like heaven may seem like nothing more than a small thing, something insignificant. But if allowed to flourish in ones life, it can become something great. Heaven is like the large bush described today, where the "birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches." Heaven is the place with no more suffering, no more pain, no more tears. Heaven is our destiny, we are meant for heaven. God has an invitation out to each of us, will we trust Him and accept or try our own way, which leads away from heaven?

These parables today show us that our place is with God, and that we are meant to be with Him in Heaven. That is a message that we should all take to heart.

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, thank you for all of your blessings in our life. Thank you for the many blessings and gifts that you have given us, help us to be good stewards of all that you give. Lord, you are our God and our salvation, help us to never stray from your loving arms. We pray for all those in need of conversion, may they find peace and rest in you. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Best Chance for Success

Readings for Friday July 23, 2010

First Reading: Jeremiah 3:14-17
Responsorial Psalm: Jeremiah 31:10
Gospel: Matthew 13:18-23


Jesus said to his disciples: "Hear the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom without understanding it, and the Evil One comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold." (Mt. 13:18-23)

In today's gospel, Jesus explains the parable of the sower. In the parable we have four different types of seeds, which can be likened to four different types of people. It is clear from this parable that a life with Christ is certainly no easy task, and that they can be many challenges and obstacles that we will face during this journey of "growth." This parable shows us that it is not simply enough just to hear the word of God, but we also must live it out and put ourselves in the right environment. Essentially what this parable is saying is that once we believe, we need to do things that are going to give us the best chance for success.

When we are talking about the best chance for success, what we are talking about is things that are going to give us the best opportunity to live out our faith. One of the reasons why the seeds that fell on rock sprang up fast and then died quickly, is because they did not have a firm foundation. We can liken this to not being grounded in God. He must be our foundation and the center of our lives if we are going to succeed in a strong faith life, and in reaching our goal of heaven. One of the other seeds fell to the ground and was choked up by the thorns. We can liken this to not surrounding ourselves with the right people or things. When we let the worldly people and things influence us, it leads us away from God, it leads us away from our true calling of love. Think about it, if one of our goals was to be an Olympic athlete, would it be a good idea to only hang around pessimistic couch potatoes all the time? Of course not, because that would not give us the best chance for success in our goal.

The seeds that fell on good soil were like the people who heard the word of God and understood it, their life went on to bear much fruit. The key to their success was that they were in good soil. They had strong roots and were grounded in God. They understood His word, meaning that most likely they spent time in prayer asking for guidance and wisdom. The soil they were in was good, meaning they most likely surrounded themselves with people and things that helped build them up, not tear them down.

In our faith life, it is all about giving ourselves the best chance for success. That means making sure that we are grounded in God, and that we surround ourselves with people and things that lead us to Holiness, not away from it.

Hail Mary, full of Grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end. Amen.

Stop Holding On

Readings for Thursday July 22, 2010

Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene

First Reading: Jeremiah 2:1-3,7-8,12-13
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 36
Gospel: John 20:1-2,11-18


Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and then reported what he told her. (Jn. 20:11-18)

In today's gospel, we read about how Mary Magdalene encounters the risen Lord. After recognizing that it is Jesus who is standing before her, Jesus says to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father." Now why would Jesus say this? Was Mary clinging to His clothes? Was she tugging at His tassels? Was she grabbing onto His legs like a little kid? Most likely she was not physically holding on to Him, so why would Jesus say this? I think it is because Mary was holding on to the past, of how she knew Jesus.

You see, Mary, like all of Jesus' followers only knew Him as God on earth; they did not know Him as God in heaven. They only knew Him from a limited perspective, they did not know Him in all His glory. They did not know His power over sin and death, and how there were still so many things that He came to do. They did not have the understanding of how He came to suffer and die for all of us, and to be risen in victory over sin and death. They were holding on to what they knew, and by doing this they were placing limits on God. They were bringing God down to their level and fitting Him into something that they could grasp. What they needed to do, and what we need to do in our lives, is let God be God. There are no limits on God, and we should not be trying to limit Him or reduce Him to anything. We all need to let go and let God be God.

He is in charge, we will never fully understand Him, and the reality is that God is a mystery, and will never be fully revealed to us while we are on earth. Our simple intellects cannot even begin to grasp all that is God. The sooner we realize that we are the ones who are limited, and Jesus is Lord, the better.

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Lord, we praise you for the gift of our lives and for the many blessings in our lives. Lord, you are our rock and our salvation, we praise you and thank you for all that we have and all that we are. Help us to never veer from you path and your ways. Lord, we are the ones who are limited, help us to never try to reduce you or limit you. We praise you for your many gifts in our lives, may we each be good stewards of all that you entrust to us. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Life is a Gift

Readings for Wednesday July 21, 2010

First Reading: Jeremiah 1:1,4-10
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 71
Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9


The word of the LORD came to me thus: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you. "Ah, Lord GOD!" I said, I know not how to speak; I am too young." But the LORD answered me, Say not, "I am too young." To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD. Then the LORD extended his hand and touched my mouth, saying, See, I place my words in your mouth! This day I set you over nations and over kingdoms, To root up and to tear down, to destroy and to demolish, to build and to plant. (Jer. 1:4-10)

I have a fifteen month old daughter, and there are so many times when I am just watching her that I realize what a great gift she is. I have had this thought many times, from the moment my wife and I first found out we were pregnant, to her first step, and even now; at each stage I recognize what a gift she is from God. Each day and at each stage I have truly learned so much from her, but I think that one of the greatest lessons I have learned is what a gift life is.

In today's first reading by the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord tells him; "before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you." We see here that God had a plan for Jeremiah even before he was born. God gave him the gift of his life for a purpose, and this purpose was to be a great prophet to the nations, and to help "build and plant" for the glory of God. Today's reading teaches us a great deal about our own lives. We were each created for a purpose, our life is a great gift that is meant to be used to do great things for the Lord. Now these things that we do may not seem like much to the world, or they may even go unnoticed, but they will not go unnoticed by God.

Our lives are a gift from God, that is one thing that we should always be sure of. He has a plan and a purpose for each of us. We are meant to help "build" up the Church and the kingdom of God; we are meant to help "plant" seeds of faith and hope in our families and in all those we come in contact with. We are also meant to fight for life and the dignity of each person, because we never know what great purpose God may be calling someone to.

Life is a precious and wonderful gift, however it is also a great responsibility. Let us each be good stewards of the life God has blessed us with and to never be afraid of God's purpose for our life.

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Thank you for the gift of our lives, and for all that you bless us with. Lord, we pray for all those you are pregnant and expecting, may they realize the precious life that is inside their womb. Lord, we pray for an end to abortion and euthanasia, may our world come to value life and to condemn any practices which seek the destruction of life. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Welcome to the Family

Readings for Tuesday July 20, 2010

First Reading: Micah 7:14-15,18-20
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 85
Gospel: Matthew 12:46-50


While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. Someone told him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you." But he said in reply to the one who told him, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother." (Mt 12:46-50)

One desire that we all share is the desire to be a part of something special. Each of us wants to know that we belong, that we have a place in this world. The truth is that God invites each of us into His family. He does not need us to be a part of this family, but He wants us to be a part of it. We are His children, and He wants everyone to loved and cherished as only He can. Sadly, many people reject this invitation, and they never realize all the joy and peace that they are missing out on all because they are rejecting being a part of God's family.

So if God wants us to each be a part of His family, then one of course must ask the question, "how does one become a part of God's family?" Jesus tells us simply in the gospel reading today. When told that His mother and brothers were outside wanting to talk to Him, Jesus uses this as a teachable moment. He asks, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" Then goes on to give us these words of wisdom; "whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother." So there is it, the answer to our question; how do we become a part of God's family ... by doing His will out of love for Him. There is no contract to sign, no lawyers needed; just a desire to do His will over our own. And what is God's will for us? While God's will for each person is different, we each share this basic purpose: to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength; and our neighbor as our self. This is God's will, if we can do this, then we will be welcomed into the family with open arms.

Father above, we thank you and praise you for the gift of this day. Thank you for the gift of our lives, and for all the blessings that you give to us. Lord, you are our rock and our salvation, help us to never veer from the path you have set for us. Lord, help us to have courage in this world, and to persevere until the end. Help us to run a good race and to seek out the prize of eternal life by following your will each day. Lord, we pray for all life, for pregnant mothers, and for an end to abortion. We ask this all through Christ our Lord. Amen.