Unless stated otherwise, meditations are provided and written by St. Mary's Faith Formation Director Cary Brown.
Wednesday, June 29
Peter and John were going up to the temple area
for the three o’clock hour of prayer.
And a man crippled from birth was carried
and placed at the gate of the temple called “the Beautiful Gate”
every day to beg for alms from the people who entered the temple.
When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple,
he asked for alms.
But Peter looked intently at him, as did John,
and said, “Look at us.”
He paid attention to them, expecting to receive something from them.
Peter said, “I have neither silver nor gold,
but what I do have I give you:
in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.”
Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up,
and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong.
He leaped up, stood, and walked around,
and went into the temple with them,
walking and jumping and praising God.
When all the people saw the man walking and praising God,
they recognized him as the one who used to sit begging
at the Beautiful Gate of the temple,
and they were filled with amazement and astonishment
at what had happened to him.
Acts 3:1-10
Let’s look at this Scripture today as if we were the crippled man from birth. You have never know what it’s like to get anywhere on your own power. You has been reliant on others to move your whole life. Even now you have to have someone carry you to the gate of the temple so you can beg. Then you sit on the ground all day long begging from people. Remember, in those days, any handicap was seen as a punishment from God for some big sin on your part or your parents – so there is also lots of judgment by others about you. Your mind is sharp, your spirit is willing – but the fact that your legs won’t work is stopping the whole process of having a family and supporting them – of being like other men. How would your mental and emotional state be in his place?
Then you see a pair of feet stop in front of you and you beg as usual, with eyes on the ground (it’s hard to look someone in the eye when you are begging…). It’s been a rough day and most of people have just passed you by. The two men tell you to look at them. Ah, maybe, they will give you some money! You raise your eyes and meet theirs. “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, rise and walk.” And you laugh. Who is this guy and who does he think he is? You have never walked! Just a couple of crackpots making fun of me again! This isn’t what you expected.
Then one of the men takes you by the hand and gets you to your feet and you brace yourself to crumple to the ground again – but you don’t! You feel your legs grow strong and what an odd feeling it is! Do you dare trust them? Do you dare trust that you can walk for the first time? You take a few tentative steps and then more with confidence and you realize what has just happened. You cannot contain yourself! You go with the two men into the temple – all you can think about is thanking God for what he has just done!
There is no just plain walking now! The joy inside you is so great you have to use those legs so you are dancing and jumping and laughing!
And all those in the temple who have passed by you sitting there begging day after day are dumbfounded. They aren’t even sure they recognize you – gone is the shame and the hanging head, gone are the downcast eyes. Now you are looking them in the eye and telling them, “Look what God did for me!”
And they are brought to a new place with God in their amazement at what you have told them God has done for you.
For Journaling…
I am ‘crippled’ by….
Others give me what they have when they….
When God works in my life, I tell….
I hear God saying to me…
Tuesday, June 28
As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him.
Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea,
so that the boat was being swamped by waves;
but he was asleep.
They came and woke him, saying,
“Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
He said to them, “Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?”
Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea,
and there was great calm.
The men were amazed and said, “What sort of man is this,
whom even the winds and the sea obey?”
Matthew 8:23-27
Translation to life today…..
God calls each one of us to our own particular place in life: mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, friend, co-worker, employer, employee, stay at home, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, etc. – wherever you find yourself in life at this moment.
Things seem to be going relatively well – a bright sunny day on the lake, so to speak. No big upheavals or shake ups, no big problems. We can usually deal with those little things that come up.
But then a storm hits – we/spouse loses their job, a life is threatened, a car accident, an illness, a tornado, - all of a sudden, there is a sudden big shift in what has been. We are thrown. We feel helpless and overwhelmed.
Where is the first place we think of to turn? God! Only it seems that he is asleep and not helping – so we call louder and even shake his shoulder – Help me!!!!
And God wakes with a little smile on his lips – God loves it when we need him and when we ask him for help. “Why are you terrified? Don’t you know I’m right here?” Maybe he doesn’t do much to calm the storm outside of our hearts but his presence will help to calm the storm inside when we realize that God gives me all I need to cope with the outside storm – most of all, his presence.
Together, we can face any storm. Remember, Jesus went often to chat with the Father about what was going on. Maybe even to wake the Father up at times????
For Journaling….
Lord, right now I need your help with the storm of…
When I think about God loving it when I ask for help, I feel….
I hear God saying to me….
Monday, June 27
When Jesus saw a crowd around him,
he gave orders to cross to the other shore.
A scribe approached and said to him,
“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
Another of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”
But Jesus answered him, “Follow me,
and let the dead bury their dead.”
Matthew 8:18-22
As the people in this passage, we can have the very best of intentions “I will follow you wherever you go”, but then life interrupts and our good intentions slip a little.
One commentary I read suggested that, in the second person’s request to “go first and bury my father”, the father was elderly and wasn’t dead yet. So he seemed to be talking about a chunk of time before following Jesus.
What excuses do you use to put off sitting down to pray or doing something for the Lord?
- I have to do dishes first. (I know I’m in trouble if that one pops up for me – I hate to do dishes!)
- I just need to run one errand. (We all know that always takes longer than we expect.)
- I want to know what the news on TV is first. (And then we are distracted by what we hear/see.)
- I want to take a walk first. (Is God along on that walk or is your mind full of have-to’s and should’s and/or worries?
- I really should __ (you fill in the blank).
There is nothing wrong with any of those things. So often our choices are between two good things – which makes it even harder. For me, I want the measuring stick to be: Is God first in my life or not? If so, my choices need to show that – even the little ones. I’m still working on it….
For Journaling…
If I look seriously and honestly at my days, God ranks …..
The choices I struggle with the most are between time with God and…..
I hear God saying to me….
Friday, June 24
I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
O LORD, you have probed me, 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.
I praise you for I am wonderfully made.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
My soul also you knew full well;
nor was my frame unknown to you
When I was made in secret,
when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.
I praise you, for I am wonderfully made.
Psalm 139
Bend your finger and think of that happens in that simple movement – bones bending, joints working, muscles stretching, nerves reacting, brain controlling. Every time you move any part of your body, it’s amazing! You are wonderfully made!
Solve a problem of any kind – emotional, physical, math – and your brain has sorted through all of the millions of things you know and put together the facts that are related so you can find a solution. You are wonderfully made!
Look at the differences in you – physically, mentally, emotionally – in the past year, the past 5 years, the past 10 years, from the day you were born. So many changes! You are wonderfully made!
Picture the people you care about. Only the human heart (other than God’s) can love, can give sacrificially of themselves for the sake of another. You are wonderfully made!
What an awesome Creator God we have!!!!
For Journaling…
When I think of who I am and what I can do, I am in awe at…
I want to tell God….
I hear God saying to me…
Thursday, June 23
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
Psalm 106
Today I invite you to actually physically list ways (10 things at least) that God is good to you. Not just in your head – write them down! Add to it every night. For a while I kept a gratitude journal and let that slip away – I need to get back to that – my attitude of gratitude is slipping!
Here’s my list for today:
The gift of taste buds – and all the different flavors I get to experience in my mouth.
The gift of hearing – the joy of laughter, the beauty of music, the voice of a loved one, the majestic of
thunder, and on and on!
The gift of breathing – life-giving air reaching every part of my body
The gift of sleep
The gift of communicating with others – whether it be talking, touching, writing, singing, e-mailing,
texting…..
The gift of my cell phone to keep me in touch with those I care about
The gift of clothes to keep me warm in the chill and wind yesterday
The gift of prayer to ground my day and keep me close to my Creator
The gift of time
The gift of the wheel – for transportation, for energy, for more things than I know!
For Journaling…
God, I am grateful for...
I rate my attitude of gratitude – on a scale of 0-10 – as a ….
I hear God saying to me…
Wednesday, June 22
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them.
Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit,
and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit,
nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down
and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.”
Matthew 7:15-20
What are the fruits of your relationships? Of the activities you are involved in?
If a person or a group or an activity leads you to do things you wouldn’t do in front of Jesus, maybe that isn’t the best relationship or activity for you.
If you find yourself drinking too much when you are with a certain group of people or in a certain situation, is that ‘good fruit’? If you find yourself gossiping when you are with certain individuals or groups, is that ‘good fruit’? If you find yourself neglecting important things because of people or situations, is that ‘good fruit’?
The hard part of this can be that those people/situations are often the ‘fun’ people! Yes, it may be ‘fun’ when we are with them, but what fruit is in our heart the next day? If we’ve been drinking the night before, are my spouse and children paying the price for my hangover? Is my performance at work less than good because of how I feel the next morning? Are there guilt feelings dragging me down and leaving me with a short temper? Do I find it hard to look someone in the eye because of what I’ve said or done?
“Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Are an hour or so of ‘fun’ worth that? Sometimes it takes more courage to walk away from that which leads us to bear ‘bad fruit’.
For Journaling…
I’m uncomfortable with this because…
I bear ‘good fruit’ when I….
I hear God saying to me….
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