What is unique about a moment that has the power to bless us and the potential to feed us is not so much in the power of the moment itself, but rather the quality of the presence we bring to that moment. Our presence can change an ordinary, unnoticed moment into a moment of beauty that can feed the soul.
Holiness comes wrapped in the ordinary.
- Macrina Wiederkehr (Quality of presence . . . Ask the Spirit to bless you
with a loving attitude this day.) |
Ti 1:1-5; Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 7-8a, 10 Mk 4:21-25 Jesus said to his disciples,
“Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket
or under a bed,
and not to be placed on a lampstand?
For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible;
nothing is secret except to come to light.
Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.”
He also told them, “Take care what you hear.
The
measure with which you measure will be measured out to you,
and still more will be given to you.
To the one who has, more will be given;
from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken
away.” Reflection on the Scriptures
I have always felt that the parables that Jesus used were excellent teaching
tools. We may not understand them at first or second reading, but they engage our minds, are memorable, and invite us to discern a meaning. They may speak to us, of personality, the senses, the nature of light, the perception of things and even interpersonal relations. Sometimes light is just light; sometimes it is”divine light,” the clarity, or better, the lucidity that is provided by the word of God. Did Jesus use parables in his ministry to clarify spiritual issues, or did he use them to
allow us to personally focus on and analyze his spiritual message? At any rate, they are more than just “sayings.” Mark includes several parables in today’s gospel reading. I can only respond with my impressions (reflections) for each parable. Certainly, many of you may have other, deeper meanings. If we are open to the words of Jesus, we will receive a true vision of the path that God has prepared for us. Share this with others and we will be even richer in our faith. “To one who has, more will be given.” If we have no faith and are not moved by the word of God, we will come away with nothing to give to others. Anyone may be poor in material things, but rich in faith. Our priorities clearly need to be aligned
with our ability to discern God’s will for us and our need or duty to share our grace with our brothers and sisters in Christ. by Tom Quinn
The Existence of God by Francois Fenelon SECTION XXXIV
- Of the bones and their jointing
Do you consider that excellent order and proportion of the limbs? The legs and thighs are great bones jointed one with another, and knit together by tendons. They are
two sorts of pillars, equal and regular, erected to support the whole fabric. But those pillars fold; and the rotula of the knee is a bone of a circular figure, which is placed on purpose on the joint, in order to fill it up, and preserve it, when the bones fold, for the bending of the knee. Each column or pillar has its pedestal, which is composed of various inlaid parts, so well jointed together, that they can either bend, or keep stiff, as occasion requires. The pedestal, I
mean the foot, turns, at a man's pleasure, under the pillar. In this foot we find nothing but nerves, tendons, and little bones closely knit, that this part may, at once, be either more supple or more firm, according to various occasions. Even the toes, with their articles and nails, serve to feel the ground a man walks on, to lean and stand with more dexterity and nimbleness, the better to preserve the equilibrium of the body, to rise, or to stoop. The two feet stretch forward, to
keep the body from falling that way, when it stoops or bends. The two pillars are jointed together at the top, to bear up the rest of the body, but are still divided there in such a manner, that that joint affords man the conveniency of resting himself, by sitting on the two biggest muscles of the body.
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