SUGGESTED READING: WISDOM 1: 13-15 2:23-24

                            MARK 5: 21-43

It is good to remember that this world was created with perfection. God’s vision was that of beauty, goodness, and love. This has never changed. Instead, it is our clouded vision and broken relationship with God that brought about a distortion of God’s intention. Our Holy Father Pope Francis just recently finished an Encyclical focusing on the abuse of the Earth and its natural resources. He observed that we were given the responsibility of being stewards of this planet and that we have failed in the task. He then linked our treatment of God’s Creation to our treatment of each other and the decline of morality in society. Ultimately, these are not separate issues but reveal a pattern of behavior that develops when God is not put first in our lives or when God is removed from his creation by the actions and thoughts of society and its peoples.

We are broken. We are lost. We are hopeless without the mercy and love of God. For most of our existence we have struggled to become closer to God and understand him while, at the same time, cherished our individuality so much that we ran away from the very thing that created us and loves us so much. There is no sin that is greater than another. All lead to the same result which is a separation from God and an absence of his love. Even though this is the case, the sin of Pride has many consequences beyond the basic results of sin. Pride is actually a gateway to sin. It enables us to put our thoughts and emotions above God’s and drives us to pursue that which is not healthy for us in the first place. Pride allows us to self-justify our actions and take command of our destinies; enabling us to exercise our free will incorrectly. Instead of recognizing ourselves as Children of God, we then claim to be gods ourselves. The results of these actions are clear in the way we have abused this planet and each other continuously throughout our long and sordid history.

A continuous and fundamental change is what is needed to reverse this trend. Faith in Jesus Christ as our redeemer, lover, and friend must be embraced so as to deepen our understanding of God and his love for us. When we experience this love we will naturally be transformed by his presence. The darkness that we encounter, along with the pain and suffering that appears to engulf this world and us will dissipate. What will remain are the Light of Christ and a loving presence. What was incorrect will be corrected and a new understanding of God and what he wants for us will develop.

The capabilities and abilities of God in our lives are endless. Through faith and trust in God we can come to a realization of this. It is through this revelation that things can and will get better. A complete trust and love of God is necessary. This might not occur immediately. As in most relationships, things like this take time. Take a moment to contemplate how long we have taken God for granted in our lives. A reversal of this trend will take possibly just as long in many ways. But in other ways, there will be immediate results and it is through the discovery of these results that we may obtain a strengthening of our faith that will allow us to continue forward.

We all have an investment in the future of this creation. This includes all of us. We are God’s Children and he loves us all.

Deacon Tom

SUGGESTED READING: WISDOM 1: 13-15 2:23-24

                            MARK 5: 21-43

Es bueno recordar que este mundo fue creado con la perfección. La visión de Dios era el de la belleza, la bondad y el amor. Esto nunca ha cambiado. En cambio, es nuestra visión nublada y relación rota con Dios que provocó una distorsión de la intención de Dios. Nuestro Santo Padre Francis terminó recientemente una Encíclica centrándose en el abuso de la tierra y sus recursos naturales. Observó que nos dieron la responsabilidad de ser guardianes de este planeta y que hemos fracasado en la tarea. Luego vinculado nuestro tratamiento de la Creación de Dios para nuestro tratamiento de la otra y la decadencia de la moralidad en la sociedad. En última instancia, estas no son cuestiones separadas pero revelan un patrón de comportamiento que se desarrolla cuando Dios no se pone por primera vez en nuestras vidas o cuando Dios se retira de su creación por las acciones y pensamientos de la sociedad y de sus pueblos.

Estamos quebrados. Estamos perdidos. Estamos sin esperanza, sin la misericordia y el amor de Dios. Durante la mayor parte de nuestra existencia hemos luchado para estar más cerca de Dios y comprenderle mientras que, al mismo tiempo, acariciado nuestra individualidad tanto que nos quedamos lejos de la misma cosa que nos creó y nos ama tanto. No hay pecado que es mayor que otro. Todos llevan al mismo resultado que es una separación de Dios y la ausencia de su amor. A pesar de que este es el caso, el pecado de orgullo tiene muchas consecuencias más allá de los resultados básicos del pecado. El orgullo es en realidad una puerta de entrada al pecado. Nos permite poner nuestros pensamientos y emociones por encima de Dios y nos impulsa a perseguir lo que no es saludable para nosotros en el primer lugar. El orgullo nos permite auto-justificar nuestras acciones y tomar el mando de nuestro destino; lo que nos permite ejercer nuestro libre albedrío incorrectamente. En lugar de reconocer a nosotros mismos como hijos de Dios, entonces pretendemos ser dioses a nosotros mismos. Los resultados de estas acciones son claras en la forma en que hemos abusado de este planeta y entre sí de forma continua a lo largo de nuestra larga y sórdida historia.

Un cambio continuo y fundamental es lo que se necesita para revertir esta tendencia. La fe en Jesucristo como nuestro redentor, amante y amigo debe ser adoptada con el fin de profundizar en el conocimiento de Dios y de su amor por nosotros. Cuando experimentamos este amor naturalmente seremos transformados por su presencia. La oscuridad que nos encontramos, junto con el dolor y el sufrimiento que parece engullir este mundo y nos vamos a disiparse. Lo que quedará es la Luz de Cristo y una presencia amorosa. Lo que era incorrecta será corregida y una nueva comprensión de Dios y lo que él quiere para nosotros desarrollaremos.

Las capacidades y habilidades de Dios en nuestras vidas son infinitas. A través de la fe y la confianza en Dios, podemos llegar a una realización de este. Es a través de esta revelación de que las cosas pueden y van a mejorar. Un total confianza y el amor de Dios es necesario. Esto podría no ocurrir inmediatamente. Como en la mayoría de las relaciones, este tipo de cosas llevan su tiempo. Tómese un momento para contemplar el tiempo que hemos tomado a Dios por hecho en nuestras vidas. La reversión de esta tendencia tendrá posiblemente el mismo tiempo de muchas maneras. Pero en otros aspectos, no habrá resultados inmediatos y es a través del descubrimiento de estos resultados que podemos obtener un fortalecimiento de nuestra fe que nos permitirá seguir adelante.

Todos tenemos una inversión en el futuro de esta creación. Esto incluye a todos nosotros. Somos hijos de Dios y él nos ama a todos.

Diácono Tom

SUGGESTED READING: MARK 4: 35-41

As members of our Christian Community we must always remember to greet each other with love, admiration, and true friendship. We should never take our relationships for granted. Everyone is as important to the survival and continuation of our community and when one brother leaves, the whole body feels the loss. While here, all members should contribute their presence and make their presence known so as to experience fully Jesus Christ in their lives. At the same time, through individual members, others will be able to experience Christ. Faith can be a very personal thing but there is also a public aspect to it. All of us are constantly on display as we serve at witnesses to the Living Gospel and do Jesus’ work here on this earth.

All around us the world serves as evidence to God’s greatness. Being a part of His creation means that we are sharers in this. We too become great when we recognize and accept God into our lives. Being guided by His love will allow us to be transformed into a new creation where whatever we said and did previously is forgotten. It becomes more exhilarating when we understand that this is not a onetime event but something that occurs continuously when we actually listen to what God is telling us and allow him to show us the way. This can be difficult at first but becomes easier when we practice our faith and live it. This is what God wants for us. He wants us to live our lives with Him and for Him. How can we not do this when he is indeed our father and the one who loves us beyond any comprehension of love that we have ever had.

One of the things that constantly get in the way of our relationship with God is the way that we minimize Him. Almost everyone in the world will acknowledge that there is a God yet the majority of peoples still refuse to allow this testament to have the impact that it should have. If God is amongst us, should we not react to His presence? Should we not surrender to His will instead of struggling to dismiss Him? There is an irony here. Even the most devout Christian will ignore God and instead choose to exercise his or her own will above His. This is part of our fallen nature and something that must be overcome in order to deepen our understanding and love for Him. Then we can be truly free to experience our lives correctly.

The Gospel Reading today reflects just how foolish we can be. The disciples, who already had witnessed the many miracles and wonders with Jesus, were still lacking in their full understanding of who Jesus was and what he could do. In their humanness, they minimized him and their experiences with him. Being confronted with their impending doom, the disciples were overcome with great fear. They immediately lost all trust in Jesus and rebuked him. They brought him down to a most human level; judging him in their own terms for not sharing in their fears and accusing him of having no concern for their safety. Instead of turning to him, they turned away. Instead of running to him for safety they were baffled by his apparent indifference. Christ is not indifferent. Christ is always with us. When we recognize this, every obstacle and every fear can be dismissed as easily as when Christ calmed the sea. He is that great. It is up to us to recognize that greatness and love.

Deacon Tom

                                        Lectura recomendada: Marcos 4: 35-41


Como miembros de nuestra comunidad cristiana debemos recordar siempre a saludar a los demás con amor, la admiración y la amistad verdadera. Nunca debemos tomar nuestras relaciones por sentado. Todo el mundo es tan importante para la supervivencia y la continuación de nuestra comunidad y cuando un hermano se va, todo el cuerpo se siente la pérdida. Mientras que aquí, todos los miembros deben contribuir con su presencia y hacer conocer su presencia a fin de aprovechar en su totalidad a Jesucristo en sus vidas. Al mismo tiempo, a través de los miembros individuales, otros serán capaces de experimentar a Cristo. La fe puede ser una cosa muy personal, pero también hay un aspecto público a la misma. Todos nosotros estamos constantemente en la pantalla mientras servimos a testigos del Evangelio de Vida y hacemos la obra de Jesús aquí en la tierra.

A nuestro alrededor el mundo sirve como prueba de la grandeza de Dios. Ser parte de Su creación significa que somos partícipes de esto. Nosotros también hacemos grandes cuando reconocemos y aceptamos a Dios en nuestras vidas. Guiada por su amor nos va a permitir ser transformados en una nueva creación, donde todo lo que dijo e hizo previamente se olvida. Se hace más emocionante cuando entendemos que esto no es un evento de una sola vez, sino algo que se produce de forma continua cuando realmente escuchamos lo que Dios nos está diciendo y permitimos que él nos muestre el camino. Esto puede ser difícil al principio, pero se hace más fácil cuando practicamos nuestra fe y vivirla. Esto es lo que Dios quiere para nosotros. Él quiere que vivamos nuestras vidas con Él y para Él. ¿Cómo no hacemos esto cuando él es de hecho nuestro padre y el que nos ama más allá de cualquier comprensión del amor que hemos tenido.

Una de las cosas que constantemente se interponen en el camino de nuestra relación con Dios es la forma en que lo minimizamos. Casi todo el mundo en el mundo reconocerá que hay un Dios sin embargo, la mayoría de los pueblos todavía se niegan a permitir que este testimonio tiene el impacto que debería tener. Si Dios está entre nosotros, ¿no deberíamos reaccionar ante su presencia? ¿No deberíamos renunciar a su voluntad en vez de luchar para despedirlo? Hay una ironía aquí. Incluso el más devoto cristiano ignorar a Dios y en su lugar optar por ejercer su propia voluntad por encima de Su. Esto es parte de nuestra naturaleza caída y es algo que debe ser superado con el fin de profundizar en el conocimiento y amor por Él. Entonces podemos ser verdaderamente libres para experimentar nuestras vidas correctamente.

La Lectura Del Evangelio de hoy refleja cuán insensato que podemos ser. Los discípulos, que ya habían sido testigos de los muchos milagros y prodigios con Jesús, todavía carecían de su plena comprensión de quién era Jesús y lo que podía hacer. En su humanidad, que él y sus experiencias con él minimizados. Ser confrontado con su muerte inminente, los discípulos fueron superados con gran temor. Inmediatamente perdieron toda confianza en Jesús y le reprendieron. Lo llevaron a un nivel más humano; juzgarlo en sus propios términos por no compartir en sus temores y lo acusó de no tener ninguna preocupación por su seguridad. En lugar de recurrir a él, se dio la vuelta. En lugar de correr a él en busca de seguridad que estaban desconcertados por su aparente indiferencia. Cristo no es indiferente. Cristo está siempre con nosotros. Cuando reconocemos esto, todos los obstáculos y todos los miedos pueden ser despedidos con tanta facilidad como cuando Cristo calmó el mar. Él es tan grande. Nos corresponde a nosotros reconocer que la grandeza y el amor.

Diácono Tom

In comparison to God, we are small and so irrelevant. Why should any of us matter at all in relation to Him? If we view ourselves in perspective to the entire universe it is hard to imagine what impact any of us individually or even collectively can have on its existence. Yet, we are here and God loves us. He loves us so much that we are truly known and cherished beyond any human understand. This can be very difficult to understand since we are not used to this kind of relationship. Has any of us been involved in such an unselfish relationship that one is loved beyond all comprehension where one person would suffer and die the most horrific death just to give the other person an opportunity to receive a gift that is ultimately free? At the same time, this gift will be expected to be abused and not treated with the importance that it should be. God has given and continues to give so much while, because of who we are, we cannot possibly give anything in comparison in return. We are only expected to love. It is very simple but very powerful at the same time. God does love us. He loves us so much and with an extreme abandon.

We are all swept up and lost in this world. We missed God’s intent from the beginning and are being forced to play catch-up. In our arrogance we think that we know everything and want to pursue our lives in the way that we see that we should. We want to direct the movie and star in it at the same time. Yet we have no idea what to do. We threw away the instruction manual and fell asleep in class. Instead of listening we have chosen to ignore the obvious that is in front of us. We are loved, we are important, and we do matter.

Jesus described the Kingdom of God like a mustard seed. The smallest of all seeds. For all intents and purposes, it is easily dismissed. In the human perspective, bigger is always better. We are all easily led by the attraction of greatness through material wealth and pleasures. We want to enjoy things that stimulate us. And when we are stimulated, we then crave more to satisfy our appetites. But our appetites are never satisfied. We always want to indulge more and partake in those pleasures that distract us from the beauty of creation around us and the love of God. These pleasures overwhelm us and ultimately control our thoughts and motivations. We become prisoners to our own desires while not even realizing the consequences until we are drowning in sin. Even when our situation becomes hopeless we still fight to retain something that cannot be held onto forever. In comparison, the love of God and the attraction of a fulfilling relationship with him seem so small and valueless; like a mustard seed.

Reflect back to the times in our lives when we ignored God. We glorified sin and worshipped materialism around us. The visions of greatness that we all envisioned for ourselves always included stature, wealth, and pleasure. All of these were defined by what society told us what we had to do to be happy. This is a temporary victory for Satan.  As the mustard seed slowly sprouts and takes root within us, how important are these other things now? This small seed, which is planted within all of us and nurtured so gently by the presence of God, grows stronger as long as we tend to it and care for it. Just as a blade of grass can crack and destroy the most solid concrete foundation over time, so can this mustard seed overcome anything in its path to flourish and grow beyond expectation. This is a wonderful analogy. Regardless of the appeared strength of anything offered in society which was created by us and our ingenuity, it can always be overcome by even the smallest thing in God’s Creation.

This being true, then where does that leave us? This affords us so much hope and promise through a relationship with our Creator. The mustard seed is within us all. Nurture it. Foster it. And watch it grow.

Deacon Tom