Tuesday ....

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Today is Tuesday, January 21, 2014.

Also the feast of St. Agnes.

Good Morning.

A thought for the day:
Stop trying; start trusting.

The Church’s 1st reading for today: 1 Samuel chapter 116 verses 1-13

The LORD said to Samuel:
“How long will you grieve for Saul,
whom I have rejected as king of Israel?
Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way.
I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem,
for I have chosen my king from among his sons.”
But Samuel replied:
“How can I go?
Saul will hear of it and kill me.”
To this the LORD answered:
“Take a heifer along and say,
‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I myself will tell you what to do;
you are to anoint for me the one I point out to you.”

Samuel did as the LORD had commanded him.
When he entered Bethlehem,
the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and inquired,
“Is your visit peaceful, O seer?”
He replied:
“Yes! I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.
So cleanse yourselves and join me today for the banquet.”
He also had Jesse and his sons cleanse themselves
and invited them to the sacrifice.
As they came, he looked at Eliab and thought,
“Surely the LORD’s anointed is here before him.”
But the LORD said to Samuel:
“Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature,
because I have rejected him.
Not as man sees does God see,
because he sees the appearance
but the LORD looks into the heart.”
Then Jesse called Abinadab and presented him before Samuel,
who said, “The LORD has not chosen him.”
Next Jesse presented Shammah, but Samuel said,
“The LORD has not chosen this one either.”
In the same way Jesse presented seven sons before Samuel,
but Samuel said to Jesse,
“The LORD has not chosen any one of these.”
Then Samuel asked Jesse,
“Are these all the sons you have?”
Jesse replied,
“There is still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse,
“Send for him;
we will not begin the sacrificial banquet until he arrives here.”
Jesse sent and had the young man brought to them.
He was ruddy, a youth handsome to behold
and making a splendid appearance.
The LORD said,
“There–anoint him, for this is he!”
Then Samuel, with the horn of oil in hand,
anointed him in the midst of his brothers;
and from that day on, the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David.
When Samuel took his leave, he went to Ramah.


* * *

When Samuel sat reviewing that parade of Jesse's sons, he was tempted to use all the old "Get Real" standards in order to pick a new king. But God reminded Samuel that the divine perception of reality differs significantly from our limited human view. When Samuel stopped using just his eyes and relied instead on the spirit of God, he immediately "saw" that the "ruddy," harp- playing, dancing shepherd-son of Jesse offered the spiritual strength and leadership that Israel would need from its next king.
It is time for us all to start using our "spiritual eyes". It is time to heed our kids' advice. It's time to Get Real about our faith, Get Real about life, Get Real about death. It's time to believe what we believe. The spiritual and social implications of Pentecost have yet to be explored for the age in which we live.
How many of us trust God enough with our lives to say "Take it all"? My finances, my relationships, my career, my children, my everything - "Take it all. I turn them over to You, trusting that Your plan and purpose for my life is so much greater than anything I can ask or think or even imagine."

God bless,
Father Pat



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