Monday, February 23, 2009

I received a belated birthday gift yesterday from Anna. Anna is very creative but this time she outdid herself. Like all crafters, she hordes things that may morph into wonderful things. In this case it was some old windows that she bought at a garage sale a few years ago. Everyone teased her about those windows and said that she would never find a use for them. Well, she did - at least for one of them.



I just got an email from Kelli. She just loved the pic that I posted of Sam. (didn't you, Kelli?) Here is a little peek at the parents to be in earlier years. Tee Hee.





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Word of the day:
Memorial of Saint Polycarp, bishop and martyr
Gospel
Mk 9:14-29

As Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, John
and approached the other disciples,
they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them.
Immediately on seeing him,
the whole crowd was utterly amazed.
They ran up to him and greeted him.
He asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?"
Someone from the crowd answered him,
"Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit.
Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down;
he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid.
I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so."
He said to them in reply,
"O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?
How long will I endure you? Bring him to me."
They brought the boy to him.
And when he saw him,
the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions.
As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around
and foam at the mouth.
Then he questioned his father,
"How long has this been happening to him?"
He replied, "Since childhood.
It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him.
But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."
Jesus said to him,
"'If you can!' Everything is possible to one who has faith."
Then the boy's father cried out, "I do believe, help my unbelief!"
Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering,
rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it,
"Mute and deaf spirit, I command you:
come out of him and never enter him again!"
Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out.
He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, "He is dead!"
But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up.
When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private,
"Why could we not drive the spirit out?"
He said to them, "This kind can only come out through prayer."

Thoughts from the cornfield:
I teach a class on prayer at RCIA and the very first thing I open with is, "Prayer is not meant to change God's mind. It is meant to change us to conform to and to accept God's will for us." This does not mean that praying is useless and that God will not answer us. It may not, however, be the answer we are expecting. I can look back over my life and see times when God said no to my request, and realize that my way was definitely not the best way. In Scripture, when Jesus heals someone, faith is always involved - on the part of the recipient or on the part of others on the recipient's behalf. Prayer is never wasted, never useless, and never unheard.


God bless our troops!


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