Decisions for death

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary reflect on the consequences experienced when the realization is made that the relationship with the Divine has been damaged by neglect and choosing to follow our own desires. Baruch surveys the state of his people exiled in Babylon after following a path which relied on human power and politics to determine the decisions of the Hebrew people. He laments the loss of contact that Moses maintained with God and the time when the prophets guided the people by hearing the voice of the Lord. The psalmist pleas for mercy from God for Jerusalem which  defiled and destroyed by the foreign invaders. The psalm petitions God to demonstrate Divine compassion and deliver the people for the sake of God's Name which is mercy and forgiveness. The Gospel of Luke expresses the destruction of life which comes to the people who reject the "Good News" of Jesus which has been made known to them through deeds which confirm the relationship of Jesus to God. The knowledge and experience of Divine gracious mercy, compassion and love makes the rejection of such gifts a very serious decision.

The words of deceit and not

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary bring to mind the continuous battle between good and evil and between deceit and truth. The award winning movie "Of Gods and Men" (English title) portrays the decision of a group of Christian monks to remain in service of the Muslim village near their monastery in spite of acts from terrorists who claim to know the Koran yet practice none of the principles of love, peace and truth which are identified with those in relationship with the Divine. In the Gospel of John, Jesus calls Nathanael, who is pronounced as being without deceit. This gift to someone must certainly bring both peace and torment to his being. The ability to lie to self about what we experience does provide some false relief from the need to stand up and be counted. The text of Revelation today and the praise of the psalmist proclaim the power of the Truth in the Word of God against evil. The strength to persist in living the Truth, as witnessed by the French monks, and proclaimed in the psalm come when "On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul. " (Psalms 138).

Passion for self or the mission

Where do we stand when we bring our passion to action? Are we exclusively concerned for our own needs and plans? The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today bring these thoughts to mind. Nehemiah is concerned about the fate of Jerusalem. Does he petition the Persian ruler to satisfy his own needs in political influence or is he acting on the prompting of the Spirit of God or is it a combination wherein God's will happens to coincide with ours? Divine influence can be brought to bear through many means, even reluctant servants. The psalmist echoes the depression of the Hebrew exiles in Babylon as they cannot bring themselves to sing of Zion. Ironically the process of returning to Zion and the desired reunion with culture and closeness to God may begin with songs of praise recalling the goodness of the Lord and reestablishing our trust in His Ways. Luke is presenting in Jesus words the challenge of discipleship. We are attracted to moving deeper in modeling Jesus in our lives. This deepened relationship requires deeper commitment to doing and living the Will of the Father. The trust of the saints, Mary and Abraham are guiding us to maintain the course and be open to Divine transcendent power to keep our hands on the plough.

The Chosen place

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present Jerusalem and the heritage of the Jewish people to be those who are chosen to live a Covenant that is to be a people with God living among them. The blessings joy and attractiveness of this life are proclaimed by Zechariah and the psalmist. The Gospel of Luke shows a difficulty that results when our arrogance over blessings we perceive or status we assume because of those blessings causes us to decide others are less and deserve our contempt. The "chosen" are blessed in their awareness of the gifts they experience from the Divine. We are often blind to the gifts that other denominations and faiths have received from God who is infinitely gracious to all Creation. We may be "special" in our eyes but all are special in Divine vision.

Promises will be kept

The text today from the Prophet Zechariah in the Roman Catholic Lectionary reassures the Hebrews who have returned to Jerusalem after the exile of the promise of God that the relationship with the Divine would be the source of the return to a good  and long life in Jerusalem. The question of the actions of those who live in an experience of Divine Presence and how those actions can be means to attract others to seek similar communion is presented in the Gospel from Luke. The marginalized and least considered in society are those who will deepen the lived experience of the Body of Christ as they are welcomed into communion. The love and mercy of the Divine does not rest and is not controlled by understanding of dogma and religious practice. The Spirit will move humans in accord with the will of God and linking of the in dwelling Spirit with the Divine. These movements may not be approved by the religious authorities. The promise to the remnant, the lost and the marginalized will be honored and the majority, those aware of the journey, and the privileged will witness Divine love and mercy through their stories.

An attitude for growth

The psalmist exhorts God to teach him to know the ways and the paths of the Divine. This is the universal cry of humanity expressed today in the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary The meaning of life is intertwined with the knowledge and experience of God. Paul proposes that the Philippians and we draw from our relationship with Christ, through the resonance of our Spirit with the indwelling Spirit, a unity of mind and love being in full accord with one another. Our experience and the texts from Ezekiel and the Gospel of Matthew indicate that we often choose our will and our plan over the direction and will of God. The audience for Matthew's Gospel was the Jewish community in Jerusalem. The stubborn refusal of his Pharisee and learned people to see what the marginalized tax collectors and prostitutes saw points us to consider the example in faith of those people in our society who live emptied of the attention of most people yet are living a relationship with God which sustains them and brings joy. Paul cites the words of a popular hymn about Jesus as he explains that humility and emptying ourself of our societal status and our self pride and interest is the path modeled by Jesus to allow us to reconsider the direction of God, abandon action of self satisfaction, change our mind and go to the vineyard of our Father.

They could not perceive it

The text from the Gospel of Luke today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary reveals the difficulty of the followers of Jesus hearing that He would be betrayed into human hands. The texts from Zechariah and Jeremiah outline the understanding of the fulfillment which is promised the people of God from the return of the exiles from Babylon and the reconstruction of the Temple. Jesus is identified by Peter as the Messiah. The gathering of the faithful in Jerusalem will now be marked by the ecstasy of the prophesy of God living with them being fulfilled. Can betrayal and death be part of this scenario? The many people who are declared by Zechariah to be part of the new Jerusalem are invited through the will of the Father and the action of Jesus to know that any walls which previously separated them from being in communion with God through the Covenant which came through Israel but now is clearly for all people have been destroyed. The mercy and forgiveness of Jesus for Israel is the mercy and forgiveness for all. The depths of the love of Creator for creature is difficult to perceive.

Restored and better than before

The text from the Roman Catholic Lectionary from the Book of Haggai promises the returned exiles that the rebuilding of the Temple will result in greater splendor than the formerly known among them. This splendor will be experienced in the renewal of the relationship of their indwelling Spirit with the Spirit of God. The psalmist echoes this hunger and yearning of people for intimacy with God as he petitions God to send out His light and bring him in exceeding joy to the house of the Lord. Int the Gospel of Luke, Peter is stirred by the resonance of his indwelling Spirit with the Spirit of Jesus to proclaim Jesus as the "Messiah of God". This breakthrough in Peter's experience of the Divine is truly both joyful and radically counter cultural. The joy of proclaiming truth trumps fears of not conforming to the cultural expectations.

Loss of the Link

The psalmist in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today presents the experience of Israel in relationship to God. The children of Zion rejoice as they put praise thanksgiving and humility at the forefront of their relationship with the Divine. This song of exultation and lived experience is in contrast to the confusion and disruption of Herod in the Gospel of Luke, as he is made aware of someone who is awakening the people with great prophesy. It also stands out compared to the desolation and disaster presented by the Prophet Haggai as the situation of the returnees from exile who had yet to prioritize the focus of their lives and to turn to the communal worship of God. The Temple was needed to refocus the returnees on the center of their lives together as a people with a Covenant with God.

A view of the plan

The Roman Catholic Lectionary today chooses texts to mark the feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist. A view of part of the plan for evangelism is revealed in the readings. Paul exhorts the Ephesians and us to lead lives worthy of calling to which we have been called.The motion to be active in evangelism is a call to our indwelling Spirit in resonance with the Spirit of God. The gifts to be nurtured and presented to others are lowliness, meekness, forbearing, and patience. The call is to be inservice of the Body of Christ as apostle, prophet,evangelist,pastor and teacher. The goal is the unity of faith, knowledge of the Son of God, and maturity in relationship with the Divine. The psalmist declares the continuous proclamation of the glory of God in the universe observable all around. The passage from the Gospel of Matthew raises the question about the calling of people to be evangelists. Is that not the tax collector? Those who respond to the call are very often not the ones human logic would choose. Great impact has been made in building up the Body of Christ over time by those who we would least expect to lead us to a deeper relationship with God. How wonderful a plan!

Where we rejoice as family

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present the question of where do we go to rejoice in our kinship as people in relationship with God? The Prophet Ezra relates the delays in the restoration of the Temple in Jerusalem. The completion of the return from exile is celebrated and the psalmist echoes the praise and joy which results from going to the "House of the Lord". A recent presentation on the CBC Tapestry program proposed that people are conscious of and react to the "Sacred Places". This is certainly a Celtic understanding and "thin places" are where the finite world and the infinite world come very close together. The text from the Gospel of Luke presents Jesus response to the idea of family. Human societies often address this in clannish ways with lineage or tradition determining family. Luke writes that Jesus declares all those who hear and act on the Word of God as brothers and sisters. We rejoice in the unity of all through the relationship of our indwelling Spirit to the Spirit of God.

The Light will shine

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today provide guidance to reassure that the fire and light inspired in the hearts of believers through relationship with the Divine will not be extinguished. The Book of Ezra tells of the proclamation of the ruler of persia to end the exile of the Hebrews in Babylon. Those of the the families who had kept the observance of the ties to their faith were now in a position to lead the people back to the visible Covenant relationship with God in Jerusalem. The psalmist echoes the joy of the people praising the good things the Lord has done for them. Luke, in the passage from his Gospel, advises, reassures and exhorts those who have experienced the light and fire of an intimate relationship with Jesus, in his time and ours to know that this light is to be broadcast for all to see. The Evangelist Luke sets the stage for all evangelism. We are drawn to the light.

What ways!

The Text from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today announces a challenge to our way of thinking. Divine thoughts and Divine ways are not the thoughts and ways of people we are told. The escape clause for us often is that we acknowledge this and take ourselves off the hook. Paul reminds us that the model he has lived is our mission too. He proclaims "Christ will be exalted now as always in my body" and exhorts us to live our lives in a manner worthy of the Gospel. The Gospel of Matthew today will leave us with questions. Who are we in the parable of the laborers in the Vineyard? We can begin as one of the workers. When did we arrive to work? Perhaps our whole life has been involved with working in the Church. Perhaps we are attending seriously to the call of the Landowner today. The fair day's wage is for both of us. Where to from here? The long serving servant of Christ has worked in that relationship of life, trust, security and patience for a long time. The new worker may wonder and praise God for the goodness shown his long serving colleague by God. When we think of ourselves as the landowner, we understand another challenge to value people and their efforts in ways which is not necessarily linear and confined in time. The inspiration of an instant may impact the life of others as powerfully as the the years of faithful friendship. We are tools of the Landowner. We need to be thankful when we are put to use in the Vineyard in whatever manner.

Soil that is less fertile

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today include the Parable of the Sower from the Gospel of Luke. The seed of the Word in this presentation fails to deliver fruit in those who do not attend to or realize the value of the message. Other recipients find the path to fruition too challenging. Some have the attention to the Presence of the Word diverted by the cares and concerns of living. Finally the opportunity taken to nurture, reflect and be thankful for the message produces the fruits of joy, patience and peace which are lasting and embedded in our experience. This embedding in our being of the Life in the Presence of the Word is retrievable when we loose focus or attention. It empowers when we are challenged by the requests to grow in holiness. It is the counter point to being overcome by the cares and concerns of life. The seed which is accepted is able to grow as we move through the seasons of our life. We are all the characters in Jesus parable and Sower continues to present the food of life to us.

Still unexpected as a way of life

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary present a plan for living which is quite counter cultural. We may not be surprised to hear the call to shun the pursuit of wealth or to include the marginalized in our journey but the challenge is to live in this way. Vows and proclamations of intent are the start. The letter to Timothy directs the young disciple to "pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness". The pressure of the culture to amass wealth, even suggesting in the "gospel of abundance" that God rewards righteousness with wealth seems to ignore the warnings to Timothy and the questioning of the psalmist about the ransom appropriate for life. Luke details some names of women who followed Jesus through the cities and villages as He brought the good news of the Kingdom of God to people. The intimate relationship with the Divine is being shown as a gift offered to both men and women. The separation in worship of men and women in the culture of Jesus time is challenged. We need to be the counter cultural disciples in action today for the example modeled by Jesus and His followers to be seen as part of our spiritual journey.

One Crow Sorrow

The traditional rhyme "one crow sorrow" is a way to acknowledge how the sorrow impacts our life. The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today are chosen to observe "Our Lady of Sorrows". The Letter to the Hebrews refers to the prayer dialogue between Father and Son concerning Jesus suffering. The perfect obedience of Jesus, fully human, to the will of the Father to be love and reconciliation to the world brought suffering. The suffering of His mother Mary is recalled as model to people who share with her the role of standing by loved ones who suffer. The psalmist commits his spirit to the hands of God. This is a reminder of Jesus action on the cross and is also the movement of those who, like Mary, are participating in suffering through compassion and empathy for loved ones. The Gospel of John is set at the foot of the cross of Calvary, where Jesus, at one level, as human son is seeing to the care of his mother at the hands of his beloved disciple. At another level, Jesus is entrusting Mary His Mother of Incarnation to the Church as an intimate Mother and Child relationship within the Living Body of Christ. The "Lady of Sorrows" brings the faith, trust, compassion, mercy and love to those in communion with the Spirit of Christ through His Body, the Church.

Meanings for the Symbols used in the calendar

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary celebrate the Triumph of the Cross. The tradition tells us that the feast was initiated to celebrate the return of the Calvary cross to Jerusalem by Emperor Heralius in 629. The invitation to believers today is to be open to the paths of obedience and humility on our spiritual journey. The Israelites in the episode from the Book of Numbers required obedient observance of Moses humiliating instructions to be saved from the poison of the serpent. The psalmist advises repentance and searching for God as the antidote to pride and ingratitude. This change of attitude will make the mercy and compassion of God visible once again. Paul presents a hymn of his time which makes clear the path of Jesus is to be humble and obedient to the will of the Father. The passage from the Gospel of John enriches the well known John 3:16 passage with the earlier verses and following verses that invite those "so loved" to enter into Jesus role as humble and obedient to the Father as so to participate in communion with Him in the salvation of the world.

Expectations have effect

The text from the Gospel of Luke in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today tells of Jesus encounter with the widow of Nain who was in procession to bury her son. Luke records Jesus compassion for her and His command to the son to rise and return to life. The young man sat up and spoke and the people were seized with fear. Scholars note that the site of the compassionate action by Jesus is very close to the where Prophet Elisha had raised the son of a woman who had offered him hospitality. The sign presented at Nain places Jesus as successor to the Prophets. The text from the Letter to Timothy sets the expectations in the Christian community for the behavior of bishops and deacons. The understanding and meeting the expectations of others gives a strong message for attraction and attention. Once the attention is captured, the relationship must proceed with the quality cited by the psalmist as "I will walk with integrity of heart". Change is difficult for all. The attention to expectations offers a beginning of a journey which will ultimately "exceed expectations" and transform hearts.

Grace for all

The Letter of Paul to Timothy, in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, indicates that the grace of the intimate relationship which the followers of Jesus experience with the Divine is to be extended to all. To facilitate the spread of this relationship, the disciples are instructed to pray for all. The psalmist proclaims the source of the strength which would empower believers to pray and wish peace and wellness even to those who persecute them. "The Lord is the strength of his people". The Gospel of Luke recounts the encounter of Jesus and his followers with the Roman Centurion. This soldier represented the oppression of Jesus nation and yet his faith, in spite of and perhaps because of a sense of unworthiness is the model for our own approach to Communion with Jesus in Eucharist. The healing with which the Centurion was blessed is offered to all by Jesus and this presentation of healing and communion is the task of the disciples today.

Forgiving as the forgiven

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today stress forgiveness. The point is strongly made that forgiving those who "trespass against us" is essential for our own spiritual life. The wisdom passages from the Book of Sirach are clear. Forgiveness and mercy for ourself is tied to our forgiveness of others. Fr Larry Gillick SJ suggests that we have not come to know ourselves well enough when we see the other as being sinful different or separate from our life. He suggests that the dialogue of Peter with Jesus in the Gospel from Matthew indicates that Peter has not yet entered into the community of followers of Jesus but stands outside seeking from God a mechanical procedure to deal with they who sin. Paul reminds the Romans that our life and death is not an individual event. Our relationship with the Divine is experienced with and through our relationship with others. We grow in the appreciation that the life and failings of others are images and reflections of our own failings. Our pride and self centered behavior is brought to mind as we are impacted by the actions of others. The movement to forgive others is the necessary hope that our transgressions can be similarly attended to by the God who the psalmist proclaims 'redeems your life from the pit'.

Comes, hears and acts

The text from the Gospel of Luke in the Roman Catholic Lectionary presents a truth and a guide for assessment of our spiritual growth in our life journey. The depth of our being is  in need of transformation from the self serving acts which produce "bad fruit". The decision to move toward deeper intimacy of our indwelling Spirit with the Divine Spirit requires us to hear the will of God for our life and act on that understanding. Paul's letter to Timothy proclaims the mercy he experienced in becoming an intimate partner with Jesus and the Spirit in the evangelism of the Gentiles from a former position of persecution of all those following the Way. The letter to Timothy expresses gratitude for the patience of Jesus with Paul in this transformation. Paul is the example which makes the praise of the psalmist that "He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap" a prayer that we too can proclaim as we progress and experience the mercy and patience in our lives!

Examine Our Choices

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today suggest an examination of our choices both for the life they have created and the opportunities for life which they may have blocked. Paul write to Timothy about the transformation he has experienced as a result of his intimate encounter with both the mercy and revelation of truth through Jesus. The choice made by Paul brings life to many daily. The psalmist declares his choice   of the Lord as "portion and cup". The Lord has shown the psalmist the path to life and fullness of joy. The joy of the choice of life is the fruit that believers bring to society. The discussion of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke shows a decision to be judgmental in our relationships with people. This decision is hypocritical and does not bring transformation, joy and love to others. It does not affirm our inner change as believers.

The Common Ground of two viewpoints

The texts today in the Roman Catholic Lectionary celebrate the birthday of the Blessed Virgin, Mary. It may be difficult to imagine a more "Catholic" feast. However the text from The letter to the Romans is one of the first texts of "Protestant" Christianity. The "blessedness" of Mary in Catholic theology is a reflection on the timelessness of the Divine. The Eternal is not bound by the temporal and the mystical understanding of the preparation of Mary for her "Yes" (i.e. Immaculate Conception) prior to the historical event without diminishing the freedom of all creatures to respond to God with "No" is a kind of transcendent mirror of the assurance of Paul to the Romans that the intimate relationship or "Yes" to Jesus is assurance of associated with "8-28 ing it" and trusting, as Mary does, that "all things work together for good". The Gospel of Matthew links, for the Jewish converts to whom it was written, the birth of Jesus to the line from Father Abraham. The additional point here is that Father Abraham (Ibrahim by Muslims) is the "father" both of Arab people and Jewish people. The "trust" of Abraham in God is the virtue modeled again by Mary and the virtue whereby Western Christians can put the events of their lives in the hands of God in the spirit of Romans 8:28. What is all the disputing among believers about?

Tension to tell everyone

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today contain the tension between the difficult choices for evangelists and believers. The Gospel of Luke presents the Beatitudes. In Luke the "woes" are included. We suffer from complacency. We are hesitant about full commitment. Luke advises that love of our comfort, emotional peace and excellent reputation may be obstacles to facing the changes we are invited or need to make to "put to death... whatever in you is earthy" as Paul exhorts the Colossians. Paul evangelizes from a position of a deep experience of intimacy with God through Jesus which has opened to him the great gap between the life in earthy values and the life in Christ where the great yearning of the human soul for the time when there is no longer "Greek and Jew... slave and free but Christ is all in all." This blessed or happy state is obviously yet to reach fruition. Early Christians believed this "New Jerusalem" was imminent. The blockage in our lives which keeps us from celebration of our poverty of pride and position and our hunger for transcendent community of people and God which can help to close the gap in our personal choices. The tension of doing this in a timely fashion brings us, like the psalmist, to the realization that the power for these changes is Divine power and our entrance to that realm begins in praise and thanksgiving. 

The apostolic mission

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary present the announcement to the Jews and Gentiles of the twelve who would be apostles with special missions to bring Jesus to the world. The "Apostle to the Gentles", Paul, who was missing from the group in Luke's Gospel because he came to a personal relationship with Jesus after the Resurrection, is the inspiration of the Letter to the Colossians which outlines, in today's passage, the reality and the direction of life in intimate relationship with Jesus. This life will be abounding in thanksgiving for knowledge of the whole fullness of Deity that dwells bodily in Christ. The promise of this relationship is that we were buried with him in baptism,  and we are also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. The message to those who would follow Jesus is that the new healed life is life in Jesus. The apostolic mission is to live life as demonstration of this healing communion to which all are invited and from which the disciples draw life.

Compelled to heal

The confident assertion of the psalmist in the texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today that "on God rests my deliverance...honor... refuge" is the truth that compels Paul to continue to struggle and suffer as he proclaims to the Colossians the commission he has to make the word of God fully known. The Gospel from Luke presents Jesus decision to make the will of the Father fully known in the synagogue where the more politically correct choice may have been to avoid demonstration of the transcendent Presence which would contradict the authority of the Pharisees. The disciple who hears and incorporates the good news is compelled to proclaim through the actions of daily life the relationship with the Divine to which all are invited. The value of this relationship is greater than human concerns about "place" or power as Paul asserts he is bringing knowledge of God's mystery, Christ, in whom is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In the words of a popular hymn "How can I keep from singing?"

Love does no wrong to a neighbor

The brief passage from the letter of Paul to the Romans in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today states the summary of our obligation to one another as love. "Love is the fulfilling of the Law". (Romans 13:14). The Prophet Ezekiel hears from God the instruction to be a sentinel for the community and to warn the wicked to turn from their ways. Fr Larry Gillick SJ reminds us of the quilt we can experience when we do not act the warn the wicked as Ezekiel is directed to do.  Our reluctance to correct others is the opportunity to pause and prepare to do so in love. Just as the mission of physical healing acts through human physicians, the ministry of correcting our brothers and sisters can act through an understanding of human sensitivity. We are required to support the community through correction of error and at the same time put love as the primary action we have with one another. Correction in love is a blessing to both parties. The tension between the warning of the psalmist to "listen to his voice" and "harden not your heart" and the requirement to be Eucharist, compassion and mercy to the errant one is real and needs prayerful attention. Father Larry warns us that the error we might see in others may be a reflection of how that person trips our own sense of "how things should be done". Our personal sense can be influenced by our own errant ways. The one who is endangering the community with his or her error will be seen by others in the community as needing correction too. The Gospel of Matthew provides a formula for the approach to the one who has sinned. The importance of bringing Jesus with you and the other is paramount for love to be the heart of the message. It is His promise and our experience that He is Present as the indwelling Spirit of people commune with the Spirit of God through Him. 

Where to look for guidance

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today present some options for those seeking holiness to consider. The path to deeper intimacy in relationship with the Divine is a journey where we can see ourselves as Paul, in the passage from the letter to the Colossians, sees those who were once estranged and hostile in mind. Relationship with Jesus has provided the power to continue "securely established and steadfast in the faith". This is a choice. Turning away from the relationship is an option when the self centered directions dominate our journey. The praise of the psalmist for God helper and upholder of our life points to the guidance we seek to remain faithful. The Gospel of Luke identifies Jesus as the Guide to the practices which lead to greater holiness.

The old is good

The text from the Gospel of Luke in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today concludes with the phrase "The old is good". The context of this message, with which those "of a certain age" are likely to agree, is a dialogue with the Pharisees in which the lack of observance of the fasting and praying rituals among Jesus disciples is noted. Jesus makes reference in this text to the time when he will no longer be with His disciples. The Presence of Jesus is celebrated by Paul in his address to the Colossians. He has come to Jesus as the person in whom "the fullness of God was pleased to dwell ". This understanding came to Paul in a process of the "new wine" of the conversion encounter on the road to Damascus becoming an intimate constant relationship with the Divine through Jesus and the resonance of the indwelling Spirit with the Spirit of God as the wine matures. The new patch of overwhelming awe in the deep intimate relationship with Presence becomes the old patch of being the apostle to the Gentiles and showing in human existence the possibility of communion with God praised by the psalmist as steadfast love that endures forever and faithfulness to all generations.

Fishers bring in the catch

The prayer and greeting of Paul to the Colossians in the text today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary outlines some of the aspects of discipleship taught by Jesus to the fishermen at the "lake of Gennesaret" in the passage from the Gospel of Luke. Paul describes lives worthy of the Lord as  bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, strength that comes from his glorious power, prepared to endure everything with patience and joyfully giving thanks to the Father. The fishermen who give their boat and their lives to Jesus are truly transformed. Some of the lifestyle of fishermen seems suited to the task of "fishing people". The strategic, patient repetition of the pattern of success bring the fruit of the catch ashore is a good fit. Practical, no nonsense and skeptical seem to be stereotypes which might suggest that these men would be the least likely to be instruments for drawing people closer in an intimate transcendent relationship with the Divine. The person seen in the eyes of God is not the person that human senses understand. Thank God!