Holy Ground

"Yahweh said to him, 'Do not come near; take off your sandals because the place where you are standing is holy ground.' And God continued, 'I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.' Moses hid his face lest his eyes look on God." - Exodus 3:5-6

Respect is something we all want people to have for us. It is said that we have to give it in order to earn it. Unfortunately, we don't see much of it anymore. People cross so many lines and hardly anything is sacred nowadays. Imagine a neighbor you hardly know just barges into your house one day. They demand to be invited for dinner but give you very little courtesy while in your presence. After dinner, they leave and show no gratitude for your attention with them. This is how many of us are with the Lord and how we act when we enter His house, the church.

Some people walk in late. They talk to the people next to them during the homily, or gaze off at something, not paying attention. Many come in chewing gum or not properly dressed. Many of these are also the first to leave before the blessing is even given. Do you not know that the house of the Lord is a sacred place? A holy place? We have lost the meaning of what is sacred and holy. Before the presence of God, the Creator of the Universe, Moses had to take off his shoes because he was in the presence of the Most High! Open your eyes and see how what we experience during the Mass is the mystery of God the Almighty! What you see going on before you is what Jesus Christ Himself taught the apostles to do before the faithful. The priest who gives the Mass has taken the place of Peter, John, James, Andrew and the rest, and is breaking bread with you, just as Jesus did! And God has invited you to the feast! Pay attention! Involve yourself in the works of God!

And besides having respect for holy and sacred ground, have you fully removed your shoes? Moses was a shepherd, his shoes must have been so dirty. There's no way he could have entered holy ground with them on. Are you bringing filth into God's presence? Are you approaching Him with things you know are separating you from Him? He is holy and pure and deserves at least our respect before Him. When God identified Himself to Moses and Moses recognized he was before God, he hid his face from the Lord because immediately Moses knew how small he was and how infinite and holy God is. In the same way, all of us, since we are all sinners, should bow down before the presence of God out of respect for His Name with the reverence He deserves, especially when we enter His sacred house.

Today's Prayer:
My God, in my ignorance I follow my own will and neglect the fact that You are God, my Creator and rob You of the reverence and respect You deserve. Please give me the humility You gave to Moses before You so that I can honor Your Name. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

Miracles Take Unity

"They were faithful to the teaching of the apostles, the common life of sharing, the breaking of the bread and the prayers. A holy fear came upon all the people, for many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles." - Acts 2:42-43

Throughout the bible we read amazing stories and amazing miracles performed by the prophets. Today, many wonder why these things are not seen anymore. It says in Acts that when Paul and Peter walked by the sick, even their shadows falling upon people made them well. It's hard to believe because we seldom see these huge manifestations from God happen before our eyes. It wasn't that God cared about them more and abandoned us, it's that we don't live in the same way the apostles and the early believers did. We feel independent from everyone, even our own families. Nobody thinks they need anyone. Reread this verse and see that miracles and signs were abundant because the believers lived in community, they shared with one another, they prayed together constantly and they remained faithful and obedient to the Word of God. They encouraged one another letting the Holy Spirit thrive and work through them. That's hard to do on an individual level, how much more on a bigger level? If you want to see these miracles happen in your own life, you need to become one with God. If you want to see these miracles happen in your own community, you need to become one with God and your peers supporting unity, supporting the will of God.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, we moved away from the values of Your early church. Bring us together as a family so that we can be united in serving You and carrying out our faith. Let the Holy Spirit works through us so that all can see Your wonders. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Sinners In The Church

In Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus tells a parable about the Kingdom of Heaven. He teaches about a King who wanted to celebrate the wedding of his son. He invited the most prestigious guests, but they refused to attend after multiple invitations. Jesus says of the king, "then he said to his servants: 'The wedding banquet is prepared, but the invited guests were not worthy. Go, then, to the crossroads and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.' The servants went out at once into the streets and gathered everyone they found, good and bad alike, so that the hall was filled with guests."

I have a tough time when people tell me they don't go to church because they don't do anything bad and don't see why they need to go. It's always worse when they add "I see the people that go to church and they're all bad people! I know who they really are!" First of all, ALL of us are sinners and therefore there is not one among us that has the right to pass that kind of judgment upon anyone else. And second of all, if this is your attitude about why you don't go to church, then guess who the guest was that refused to attend the wedding banquet?

God has called each and every one of us to enjoy His banquet and many of us fail to attend but instead put those down that do attend. "Oh, so and so is doing this, I don't know what he's doing in a church," or "I'm not even half as bad as the people there, so why should I go?" This is just like when the pharisees got angry and they complained about Him eating with sinners - Jesus didn't come for the healthy. He came to heal the sick and if you feel that you're not a sinner and feel yourself more righteous than others, you better take a closer look at your life for I don't know a single person that does not need healing from Jesus Christ.

Everyone that attends church, whether good or bad, whether honest or a total hypocrite, is there because God invited ALL to attend. He knows what He's doing and He knows what He has planned for everyone in there, and I'll tell you one thing, you may feel like a better person than the people in there, but God is more likely to work in those that make the effort each Sunday than in those that don't. Don't worry about anyone else in there, only yourself and where you stand with God.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, please grant that I may not pass judgment upon anyone else, especially those that go to mass to find You. Forgive me for my shortcomings and help me see everyone as You see them. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Get Up and Go To Church

It's Sunday morning and I'm on my way to church. It's weird how if you really take the time to meditate on what happens in church, you would never take this gift for granted. At mass, you gather with a community of believers to give praise to the Lord Almighty and thank Him for all His goodness. And as a family we celebrate Christ's ultimate sacrifice for us - the giving up of His body. We need Jesus so much in our lives every day, but at mass, we actually receive His holy body and holy blood! That's amazing! Not only did He die for us, but each time we go to mass, He gives Himself up for us again so that we can have His living presence nourish us!

There are so many people that don't even go to church and the enemy just brainwashes them to think that they don't deserve to go or that they don't need it or that it's ok to miss church. So many people don't even realize the great blessing it is to be at mass at the moment when Christ becomes that bread and wine.

Today, let's pray for all of those that are blind to this gift and for those that do know its value, but are sick and have no one to bring them communion.

One Body

"God has arranged all the members, placing each part of the body as He pleased. If all were the same part where would the body be? But there are many members and one body." - 1st Corinthians 12:18-20

Each and everyone of you is special and has a very important role in God's overall plan. Just as your different body parts have their own functions, so do all of you have your own parts to play out for God's kingdom here on earth. There are some of you that are great with children and you are their positive role models as they grow up. There are others of you that are so hard working and constantly pick up the pieces for others, and there are also those that are always there to serve those around them, hardly thinking of yourselves. You are doing God's work. God has placed these gifts in you to answer the prayers of those around you. Being a part of the body of Christ not only means that we help the other body parts when they need it, but also, that inspired by God, those other parts are there to serve us as well when we're in need.

Think about how you fit into the body of Christ and how you can better serve the members around you.

Today's Prayer:
Thank You God because we all belong to Your family and You have formed us to help and support those around us. Please bless me and help me to function better as a member of Your holy body. In Your Name we pray, Amen.