"But the wise virgins replied, 'No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'"
Matthew 25:9
I will freely admit that I struggle with this reading every time it pops up. The ten virgins all are waiting for the bridegroom. Five have extra oil for their lamps and five do not. The bridegroom is delayed and the five who do not have extra oil ask the five who do to share, so they can all go out to meet the bridegroom. I guess I just can't see the moral of the story being to share what we have so all can come to the party. But, that isn't today's lesson. The lesson today is to be prepared! It continues yesterday's cry to stay awake and keep watch. Good lessons, of course, but maybe I am just more comfortable with a "sharing" lesson. Maybe the lesson is that we must take care of ourselves before we can really help someone else--that is a valuable lesson. Remember how, in an airplane, we are supposed to affix our own oxygen mask before assisting others? If we ourselves are not in good shape we cannot help others efficiently. That is a good lesson to keep in mind this Friday. But, I guess I just feel badly for the five virgins who missed the party! Blessings on you and your weekend! Be prepared! Love, heidi
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Stay awake!
"Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come."
Matthew 24:42
There are so many ways to look at this scripture! We need to stay awake to see Jesus in our midst...the person in line ahead of us...the person beside us on the bus...the person needing an invitation to our dinner table. Another way of looking at it is that we just don't know on what day Jesus will come to take us Home. I think of my cousin Steve, who went to mass one Sunday morning and collapsed on his front porch after he got home. He probably didn't know Jesus would come for him that day in particular. But Jesus did. Our Lord comes to us in many ways, in many disguises. Our Lord will ultimately come for us to take us Home. We don't know when, but that is OK. Not knowing when keeps us on our toes--on the lookout for Jesus in our day. We don't know the day or the hour, but it could be any day, any hour. Let's live today expecting to see Jesus around every corner! Love, heidi
Matthew 24:42
There are so many ways to look at this scripture! We need to stay awake to see Jesus in our midst...the person in line ahead of us...the person beside us on the bus...the person needing an invitation to our dinner table. Another way of looking at it is that we just don't know on what day Jesus will come to take us Home. I think of my cousin Steve, who went to mass one Sunday morning and collapsed on his front porch after he got home. He probably didn't know Jesus would come for him that day in particular. But Jesus did. Our Lord comes to us in many ways, in many disguises. Our Lord will ultimately come for us to take us Home. We don't know when, but that is OK. Not knowing when keeps us on our toes--on the lookout for Jesus in our day. We don't know the day or the hour, but it could be any day, any hour. Let's live today expecting to see Jesus around every corner! Love, heidi
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Healing and health
"The Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."
Psalm 147:3
So, I whined pretty much all day yesterday about how I had to mow the lawn last night. Clearly, my zeal for the lawn this time of year can be measured in negative numbers. I'm sick of it. But, as I mowed, I thought of the Middletons. I bet they would give anything to be doing something as mundane as mowing the lawn. You see, their nineteen year old son is having scary open heart surgery today in San Diego. Yes, I bet they would trade me any day of the week. And isn't that just the way it is? We take so much for granted in our lives. I've raised three teenagers and the last thing I worried about was them getting some horrible illness requiring open heart surgery! That wasn't even on my radar and yet, here it happens. So, today, as we go about our mundane daily lives, think and pray for those who would give anything for an ordinary day. And let's lift up Dominic and his family to the care of the Divine Healer. Amen. Love, heidi
Psalm 147:3
So, I whined pretty much all day yesterday about how I had to mow the lawn last night. Clearly, my zeal for the lawn this time of year can be measured in negative numbers. I'm sick of it. But, as I mowed, I thought of the Middletons. I bet they would give anything to be doing something as mundane as mowing the lawn. You see, their nineteen year old son is having scary open heart surgery today in San Diego. Yes, I bet they would trade me any day of the week. And isn't that just the way it is? We take so much for granted in our lives. I've raised three teenagers and the last thing I worried about was them getting some horrible illness requiring open heart surgery! That wasn't even on my radar and yet, here it happens. So, today, as we go about our mundane daily lives, think and pray for those who would give anything for an ordinary day. And let's lift up Dominic and his family to the care of the Divine Healer. Amen. Love, heidi
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
God loves us anyway...
"O Lord, you have probed me and you know me; you know when I sit and when I stand; you understand my thoughts from afar, my journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways you are familiar."
Psalm 139
And the most astounding part is, "you love me anyway..." The deepest part of ourselves that we work so hard to keep hidden never separates us from God. God knows it, sees it, and loves us anyway. The deepest part of ourselves, the part we never let company see, God knows and still loves. That, to me, is incredible! That certainly doesn't mean we aren't to try to do better. That knowledge of God's mercy and love for us should make us want to do better. But, as we feel the frustration of seeming to make the same mistakes, again and again, we know there is a tender arm around our shoulder. God sees and appreciates our efforts to improve. God loves us with the tenderness of a mother to her child, only more so. Today, let's throw the doors to our deepest selves wide open and let God in, as Oswald Chambers suggest in "My Utmost for His Highest." With God dwelling in our deepest selves, we cannot lose. Love, heidi
Psalm 139
And the most astounding part is, "you love me anyway..." The deepest part of ourselves that we work so hard to keep hidden never separates us from God. God knows it, sees it, and loves us anyway. The deepest part of ourselves, the part we never let company see, God knows and still loves. That, to me, is incredible! That certainly doesn't mean we aren't to try to do better. That knowledge of God's mercy and love for us should make us want to do better. But, as we feel the frustration of seeming to make the same mistakes, again and again, we know there is a tender arm around our shoulder. God sees and appreciates our efforts to improve. God loves us with the tenderness of a mother to her child, only more so. Today, let's throw the doors to our deepest selves wide open and let God in, as Oswald Chambers suggest in "My Utmost for His Highest." With God dwelling in our deepest selves, we cannot lose. Love, heidi
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