Friday, March 17, 2017

Lent Day 17 - Respect

Last night Jay and I attended the Faith & Ale/Faith & Wine event with speaker Stephen Ray. Now that is one energetic man!


The depth in his understanding of biblical history ignites my desire even more to dig deeper as this is the history of my heavenly family. He is a storyteller extraordinaire, bringing to life the Truth of our Catholic faith. His comparison of pagan times in the Old Testament to our world today was an eye opener . . . associating the two realities hadn't crossed my mind. Everything associated with pagan behavior . . . instant gratification, whatever made them feel better at the time, was only temporary. Lying, sex, lust, drunkenness, and even killing was standard. Eventually, this way of living was not sustainable for many and only led to misery. The lack of respect for what was good and holy only motivated the early Christians to continue on to be even bolder. The joy with which Christians being martyred embodied at their death caused a curiosity among the pagans . . . what did the Christians know that they didn't? How could they be joyful when faced with a lion charging in the Colosseum? Hence, the growth of our Christian heritage.

Jay and I discussed Stephen's talk on the way home last night. What message stood out to me? It's time to be BOLD! It's time to turn the pagan ideology developing in our world again into a world of faith and decency. It begins with each one of us taking the first step! Spread the love of Jesus in your words and actions. Initiate it today!

In today's Gospel (Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46), Jesus uses the vineyard owner parable to teach us how selfishness and lack of respect will not lead to living life with Christ in eternity:

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures:

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?

Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

The following from Anne in her book Staying in Place flawlessly reveals we are responsible to choose how we respect others and ourselves:

"It is often through the negotiation of one’s wounds that God is discovered. It is in the decision to choose what is good, again and again, despite hurts that leads us to wellness. It is in the discovery that despite all of life’s confusion, we remain intact because God, the Source, never leaves us. Dignity cannot be bestowed upon us by others, even though we can discover and rediscover it through the compassion and respect of others. Our dignity has been bestowed upon us by our Creator.
Our dignity cannot be destroyed, diminished or obliterated. We are the only ones who can choose to reject our dignity. Let each person stand confidently and declare, 'God in me is good.'"

Lay apostles, do you recognize the state of our world today? The disrespect of everything good and holy is overwhelming at times, isn't it? The beauty of reading the Gospels and messages from all of heaven in the Volumes reminds us times have been difficult in the past and Christ overcame it all. He is still in control . . . always has been and always will be. Let's band together and live as Jesus specifically details in the Gospels. It's all there! We just need to dig in deeper and respect His directions.

Thank you, Lord, for leading me to Your incredibly talented servants who proclaim Your Words in a way I can understand clearly! You are so merciful!

God bless,
Bonnie

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