July 29, 2017

                R. The 10 Commandments were
                given to Moses  – they were the
                law God gave to His people.
                God made a Covenant with them.
                It was an agreement God wanted
                them to obey.

                    God gives us these laws to
                obey. God loves us. If we love
                God we will honor His law –
                be obedient and not rebel against
                God.

                    God spoke to Moses with
                authority. Authority is powerful.

                    One who has authority is not
                supposed to argue with the person
                who is under authority. A person
                under authority is to obey what
                was told them to do – the way
                and the timing they were told
                to do it.

                    Satan wants a person to
                disobey authority – to do something
                their own way and then report
                to the authority how he did it
                his own way. If a person is
                to learn obedience they must
                learn here on earth – they live so they
                are doing God's will and obey the
                authority over them in the way
                they know God wants them to
                obey.

                    We were put on this earth to
                prepare for heaven, to learn
                to serve God, to work in love
                with others. Because a person
                tries to willfully rationalize why they
                cannot trust anyone and
                they will rebel and do it
                their way – they are showing
                God they do not intend to learn
                obedience.

                    God calls us to be obedient to
                just authority over us. God sent
                His only begotten Son the second
                Person of the Blessed Trinity. Jesus
                taught us how He obeyed to His
                death on the cross. Jesus said
                not My will, but Thine be
                done.

                    When we obey God and live
                in love being obedient to God
                we are preparing for our
                eternal reward in heaven by showing
                how we followed Jesus' teachings,
                Jesus' example.

                    Jesus paid a big price to come
                and teach us about obeying the
                Father's will. We recognize we
                are sinners and Jesus paid the
                price for our sins. We don't
                give into pride to decide we
                are in charge over authority
                and do what we want.

                    We celebrate God's gift to
                us in asking for forgiveness
                of our sins. We tell the truth because
                Jesus is absolute truth.

                    We aren't prideful, but recognize
                growing supernaturally in God
                takes God's power working in
                us. We are baptized into the
                supernatural world and we
                CO-OPERATE with God.
                We obey those over us, directing
                us, we obey structure;
                structure, guidance, learning
                is why we are here. We
                treasure God's gifts of teaching,
                guiding us through just authority
                and thank Him as we are
                changed in our ways that
                need to change.

                    We always worship God
                in love – We don't put ourselves
                above God and our spiritual guides,
                authority.

                    We unite ourselves in deep
                oneness with God. God is
                absolute truth. A person
                living in denial, holding onto
                dysfunctional survival behavior, refusing
                to open doors to what God wants
                in their lives can block the
                work of God if they are a leader.

                    We recognize our sins and
                are ready to tell God and others
                we are sorry – we don't fill
                ourselves with anger and
                pride and block everything
                further to be right.

                    We are a work in progress.
                We are on a wonderful journey
                to change and let God run
                the show. We are willing to
                do so – not stubborn, obstinate,
                angry, prideful.

                    We are to be united to God,
                God is the source of love –
                God has all the power –
                God gave us the Laws to Live by.
                We follow God's laws. We love
                God first. We love our neighbor
                as ourselves. We respect authority.
                The Laws of God are Laws
                that help us live on our
                journey to prepare ourselves
                for eternal life.

                    We recognize Mary as the perfect
                handmaid of the Lord and we model
                our lives after her obedience to
                be a servant, a handmaid of
                God.

                    We celebrate life as a child
                under the heavenly Father – we
                are not mad and prideful,
                stubborn and isolated. We
                are working in harmony with
                others thanking God for the
                gifts He gives us in our
                vocation.

                    God is love and in Him is no
                darkness. We want His plan.
                A person can spend their whole
                life isolating and seeking
                attention because they refuse
                to cooperate with others and
                the Plan God has for them.
                They can refuse direction,
                and refuse growth. When
                God wants a plan to unfold
                it takes people like Mary
                who said "yes" constantly to
                God. Mary served God –
                Mary went out to others we see
                with Elizabeth, Mary told
                Joseph God's Plan – Mary
                did exactly as God wanted –
                Mary was a servant, a
                handmaid – she went where
                God wanted her – she served
                with others where she was
                to be. She was sinless –
                She is the Perfect handmaid
                of the Lord.

                    A person refusing to look
                at their woundedness, arguing,
                living negatively in darkness is
                not living.

                    God gives us a free will
                to open up and be healed –
                to listen through those He
                puts above us, with us
                in our lives.

                    God is so generous and
                loving to us. Being Kind
                brings joy – forgiving
                others in love – heals them
                and us. Keeping our focus
                on Jesus, His plan for us,
                why God created us.

                    The more a person gives into
                satan, the greater their darkness
                as they move away from God
                and listen and serve satan.

                    I look at the moon –
                did you see a dark moon
                ever. The more God is filling
                us the more we reflect His
                light. Jesus showed us – He
                obeyed His Father's will to
                His death on the cross –

                    Jesus said "yes" – Mary said
                "yes". We are to learn obedience
                to God's commands of us. We
                are to be growing in love –
                so we are loving in our
                being. Being loving is being
                like God.

                    God teaches us about
                Himself through His Son
                Jesus. God has given us the
                Commandments and the Word
                to live by –

                    We don't keep doing the same
                dysfunctional patterned behavior
                harder and harder because it
                is familiar. If it never brought
                us to the light of Jesus before
                why do we seek the answer
                in our unruly past and
                press forward harder on that
                path.

                    We see how Jesus treated
                the Apostles. Jesus gave
                authority to Peter. God
                works in structure –

                    The last 7 commandments
                teach us to love our neighbor
                as ourselves.

                    We learn to obey. God commands
                children to obey their parents –
                to respect authority, as children
                of the Father we are to live the
                Plan of our Heavenly Father.

                    We are to respect life, not
                use other people and abuse
                them with disrespect, for
                attention – we are to build
                up the Kingdom of God – bring joy
                to others – go out of ourselves in
                loving others, lift others up.
                We are forbidden in the 5th
                commandment to endanger
                and hurt others in hate and
                sin and anger. Life is a
                gift. People in our lives
                are gifts given from God.
                Life is a gift – We are
                to be kind and loving
                to others.

                    It is wrong for people to
                sexually abuse others and
                to disrespect the sacredness of
                another. When a person was
                a victim of abuse by others
                sexually or physically they
                need healing. It does not
                change God's gift of that
                person, their purpose in
                life because of the tragedy
                done to them. They are to
                be healed and focus on God's
                plan for them.

                    We have rights and people
                cannot steal from others –

                    God has given us many gifts –
                This Movement to spread His
                letters of love and prayers to the
                world. They are not to be used
                for people who want to act
                out anger for their own evil.
                This Movement is God's
                Movement.

                R. We are to be just in our
                dealings – we are to give
                to others what is their due.

                    We do not lie! God is
                faithful to us. We are given
                the commandment by God
                to not bear false witness.
                Jesus says let your "yes"
                be "yes" and your
                "no" be "no".

                The eighth commandment
                tells us we must tell the truth –

                    Jesus is the way, the truth
                and the life. Jesus came to this
                earth to tell us to tell the
                truth!

                    The 8th commandment is

8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

                R. God gave us the 10
                Commandments to live by –
                to help us to govern our
                lives – to not offend
                God and others –

                    The commandments help
                us to love God and others –

                These are God's Laws –

  1. I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.
  2. You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.
  3. Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.
  4. Honor your father and your mother.
  5. You shall not kill.
  6. You shall not commit adultery.
  7. You shall not steal.
  8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
  9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
  10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

                R. Jesus leads us to Happiness.
                We must follow Jesus.
                We must choose what is
                right and not what is
                wrong. We have a free
                will –

                    Do what is Right and
                        NOT WHAT IS
                        WRONG

                    We are not to be envious of
                other people's goods or what
                they are doing in trying
                to do God's will.

                    It is wrong to try to
                bring another down because
                we are angry and dark!!

                    We should be happy
                others are helping to build
                the Kingdom of God – not try to
                stop them for our darkness!

                    People should not pout because
                they want their own will and
                are trying to get a negative
                reaction out of someone
                doing God's will. Trying
                to manipulate others to
                hurt them and bring
                them down, when we
                are selfish and angry, it is wrong.

                    Do you show respect
                and love for others God
                has asked you to work and live
                with?

                    Are we showing others that
                we are Christians by our
                witness?

                    Being a Christian means
                we act like Christ!

                    God is all good! If
                we are good we are
                grateful; we thank
                God for what He gives
                us. We aren't always
                mad and dissatisfied –
                "Oh poor me"

                    How ungrateful!

                    Telling lies, showing
                deception, leading people
                to think something
                other than the truth –

                    Do you help to lift
                people up and make
                love grow –

                    Are you other
                focused?

                    Do unto others as you
                would have them do to you!!

                    Children can, many times, not see the
                consequences of their actions.

                    Adults must model before others
                that they are responsible for their
                actions and accountable for their actions.

                    People in any business, study and
                study what is working and what
                produces prosperity. If a person
                forces isolation in a community and
                manipulation forcing others to put
                up with their dysfunction and control
                growth is impossible as the person
                closes in more on themselves. If it
                never worked in a life-time why
                would a person resist growth –
                co-operation and unity with others
                unless they are seeped in more
                and more darkness –

                God has given us laws to live by –
                God has given us the scriptures –
                God has given us the Catholic Church
                    with rules and regulations –

                A family, a business, a parish,
                    a country, cannot operate where a
                    person of dysfunction and manipulation
                    and untruthfulness insists
                    on running things in their direction DOWN –

                    Structure, just authority is major to
                direct – to see to accountability and
                responsibility for actions –

                   Confusion, division, chaos will
                NOT BRING Growth and SUCCESS.
                Some people live their lives in
                dysfunctional families where abuse
                has been prevalent being addicted
                to drama, excitement, stubborn
                manipulation, holding out what is needed
                for growth and advancement to
                continue the dysfunction of constant
                excitement, power struggles,
                manipulation and willfulness.

                    A person on the path of following
                Christ is obedient to authority –
                living in truth, accountable and
                responsible for actions – so thus
                HONEST, TRUTHFUL, OBEDIENT,
                FAITHFUL, RESPECTFUL of Others,
                living in love – living according
                to God's will – living by the scriptures,
                the commandments, the structure
                in that particular family, group,
                etc. –

                    Work is done for the honor and
                glory of God, things are done
                to serve God – not get away with
                past dysfunction and fear and
                obstinacy of a leader manipulating
                things against the principles God wants
                established.

                    The commandments were given
                by God to lead us to eternal
                salvation. In treating others with
                respect and love we do not condone
                willfulness and selfishness,
                manipulation, a person may use
                to punish and force their plan
                of negativity opposed to God's plan
                of light, life, growth – living
                by the Law of love.

                    God gave us the Commandments
                to help us live with one another.
                We are not to lie and deceive,
                hold back and fail to communicate
                or present another picture because
                we want our way.

                    We have the greatest commandment
                that commands us to love God first
                and love our neighbor as ourselves.
                It is the rule of love. God is love –
                We are not like Christ when
                anger and pride permeate our attitude and
                we give into feuds for fun –   
                excitement and chaos. God
                wants truth not deception, Love
                and cooperation to dominate.
                God wants accountability and
                responsibility for actions.
                We must be committed to obey
                God's will, not just know the
                commandments – We are to
                want to obey God's laws for us
                and hold ourselves accountable
                and responsible for our actions under
                just authority –

                    We are members of the mystical
                body of Christ and what we do
                effects others. It is scandalous for
                a person of authority and of a religious
                order to show others bad and
                dark example or to tell lies or
                lead others off through deceptions
                of intent.

                Song: I Am a God of Justice

                R. When we obey God we live in
                happiness and light and love
                and bring happiness, light, love,
                unity to others. We are to strive to
                bring happiness, love, unity to
                others.

                God gives us His Laws of Love!!

                Jesus taught on the Mountain.

                Moses went to the Mountain to get the
                    commandments –

                We are to go up –
                We are to be lifted up –

                Not give into our wounded human
                    nature – give into pride,
                    anger, envy, slothfulness –
                    the deadly sins –

                Darkness, negativeness, manipulation,
                    deception, anger - is not of God!!

                Prayer is necessary –

                We need God to do this –

                God is joy –

                God is love –

                We love God's laws.

                We thank God for His directions.

                How is bread made –

                It must raise up –

                God wants us to love Him and others –
                    have we lived our lives like
                    this – focused on heaven
                    and leading others to heaven –

                Song helps lift our hearts.

                Song: A Song from Jesus

INTRODUCTION – (Isaiah 35,1-6a.10; James 5,7-10; Matthew 11,2-11) If you or I could change our world to make it better, what would we do to change it? Today Isaiah describes to God's people (most probably those who were still in exile) what God's plans were to make things better for them. God would start with the land, turning their desert, arid lands into gardens bursting with vegetation and beauty, comparable to the costal areas where the land was fertile and there was adequate rainfall, such as Lebanon, Carmel (which is today Haifa) and Sharon. Transforming the land was just a beginning. Those who were weak, sick, blind and lame would be freed of their affliction. It would be a return to the Garden of Eden where God's people would be crowned with everlasting joy. What a beautiful picture of salvation Isaiah presents. Matthew tells us in today's gospel that God's work of creating a new world begins with Jesus. St. James tells us in the second reading that as we hope for a new world, we must be patient and steadfast in our faith.

HOMILY – Christmas is near, the liturgy tells us to rejoice! Christmas is that time of the year when a person sits in front of a dead tree and eats candy out of his/her sock." Victor Borge had this to say about Christmas: "Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year." (The Joyful Noiseletter, Nov./Dec. 2013, pg 2) Well, we had to have a little humor today - after all, today is Gaudete Sunday. "Gaudete" means rejoice. It is true, the celebration of his birth is just a week and a half away, but the Lord himself is near as we gather together in faith to hear his word and to receive him in the Sacrament. That is always a cause for rejoicing. As we say in the Mass every day, "Lift up your hearts."

    It is our faith and hope in God's promises, promises yet to be fully realized, and it is our confidence in his love that are the source of our joy. In the first reading we hear the prophet, this prophet known as deutero-Isaiah or second Isaiah, a prophet who lived during the time of the Babylonian exile. The prophet promises God would restore his people to their homes and their world itself would be transformed. We know that we, too, are away from our true home now (which is heaven as St. Paul tells us - Philippians 2,20), but when we arrive there our world will be transformed also, transformed so wonderfully that we have no way to fully describe it. We do know we will be really fulfilled and happy - forever!

    As James tells us, until that day when God brings us to our heavenly dwelling, we have to wait in patience and faith. That's what John the Baptist was doing as he sat in prison - trying to be patient, and perhaps trying to hold on to his faith. No one knows how to interpret John's psychological state when he sent his disciples to ask Jesus: "Are you the one who is to come?" Was he beginning to develop faith in Jesus or was he beginning to lose what faith he had or was he interested only in introducing his disciples to Jesus? No one can say what he was feeling. My own suspicion is since Jesus proclaimed that he had come to "give release to the captives," (Lk. 4,18) John was confused about Jesus. Jesus was doing all these wonderful things that Isaiah talks about: healing the blind, the deaf, the lame, the mute, but here was John, still locked up in prison. Why, if Jesus was the "one who is to come," didn't he rescue John? I think that's what was behind John's question.

    The question John asks is one I am sure every one of us has asked at different times throughout our lives. Are you the "one who is to come," the promised one who will save us. On this we come back to our second reading: "Be patient, the coming of the Lord is very close." If I ever find out why bad things happen to good people, I'll write a book, but until then I'll keep believing in Jesus - there's no other answer to life's ups and downs as far as I'm concerned, and that is where I find my joy. Amen.