eWord

[eword]

#Hustle4Ever: How to Write Your Own Definition of Success and Win at Life [Seay, David H] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. #Hustle4Ever: How to Write Your Own Definition of Success and Win at Life

I started this blog 9 years ago to share some things I had on my mind. It was an inspirational journey, but a few years ago I started writing this book. I wanted to post it here if you were interested. I already reached my sales quota of 5 because I wrote it for my wife and kids. I wrote my own definition of success a long time ago. Maybe this book will help you write yours.

[eword]

Lead Blocker John 1:29-34

Gospel

JN 1:29-34

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

He is the one of whom I said,

‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me

because he existed before me.’

I did not know him,

but the reason why I came baptizing with water

was that he might be made known to Israel.”

John testified further, saying,

“I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven

and remain upon him.

I did not know him,

but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,

‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain,

he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

Reflection

Lead blockers rarely get any credit.  "Dude, great block!" You won't hear it.  You won't find "blocks thrown" in the stat book.  The only proof they occurred is the bruises the next day.  "Falling on the sword" is considered honorable, but no one really wants to do it.  John the Baptist gets a lot of press in the Bible, but for the most part, he is trying to explain it away.  "Not me, but Jesus.  One Mightier that I."  John the Baptist was simply opening up the hole in the line for Jesus.  A very valiant effort.  Lost his head over it actually so we know he was fully committed.  Many bad blocks have been thrown.  Good blocks require a focus on the objective... a focus on the common good.  The common good is elusive these days.  It is hard to find people that open doors for others and don't expect something in return.  Karma may be rumored to be a boomerang, but some people throw the boomerang and don't wait around for it to return.  They are too busy thinking about the objective.  It is hard getting the gospel press these days.  It is hard getting the word out on the street, but we all know that it is best applied at street level.  At eye level and Jesus needs some lead blockers every now and then.  And sooner rather than later.  Clear the hole.  Good news deserves the ball.  Make room and prepare ye the way.

[eword]

Be The One - Luke 17:11-19

Gospel

LK 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,

he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.

As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.

They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,

"Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!"

And when he saw them, he said,

"Go show yourselves to the priests."

As they were going they were cleansed. 

And one of them, realizing he had been healed,

returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;

and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. 

He was a Samaritan.

Jesus said in reply,

"Ten were cleansed, were they not?

Where are the other nine? 

Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" 

Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;

your faith has saved you."

Reflection

How do we respond when God actually answers our prayers?  No doubt, we have heard of or even experienced God coming through on our prayer requests.  God is really just a finger snap away from granting any request, but it can often feel like time drags on while we wait.  We also catch breaks in life.  Work promotions, good bargains and the like, sometimes the sun smiles on us.  Favor is found.  It feels good, but how much glory is truly given to God?  Are we bold enough to call a spade a spade when God indeed delivers us from evil and leads us not into temptation.  I have found myself falling in love with the Rosary again.  Regardless of denomination, the Rosary focuses one to thing of the life of Jesus.  The good times and of course, the bad times.  Without the exercise of the rosary, I would most likely not think about all that Jesus endured.  I wouldn't think prayers like "keep me from the love of money, power and honor" or "keep my thoughts pure and holy".  I feel confident I would be checking email instead glorifying self.  How grateful are we?  Isn't the next breath essentially a miracle?  There is no guarantee that we are promised tomorrow.  Ten were healed, nine were missing.  Let's strive to be the one.

[eword]

Heaven Has A Plan for You - Luke 16:10-13

LK 16:10-13

Jesus said to his disciples: “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones.  If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth, who will trust you with true wealth?  If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another, who will give you what is yours?  No servant can serve two masters.  He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve both God and mammon.”

Reflection

What if your entire "success model" was built on God's will?  If the deal is going to go through, it must be God's will.  If the girl is going to fall in love with me, it must be God's will.  If my time has come to die, it must be God's will.  To have peace with an outcome regardless of which side you end up on and know that God is leading you to where he wants you, now that is power.  Who is to say that God loves the deer more than the duck or the goose more than the lion? Didn't he create them all?  Don't they each have a purpose that is individualized?  Why does your neighbor seem to get ahead more and more and they are sleeping in on Sundays?  Who is to say that God doesn't have something planned for them that is just as wonderful as what you feel entitled towards?  Peace is right living with God.  It is full communion with God knowing that Father knows best.  God has a plan for you.  Heaven has a plan for you.  The world is going to nag and pull you again and again, however right living with God, know that is the power of peace.

[eword]

unExalted - Luke 14:1 7-14

GospelLK 14:1, 7-14

On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor.  A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place.  Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend, move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.  For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”  Then he said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Reflection

Going against the grain is downright hard.  Not wanting what the world tells you to desire, not snap judging others, not holding on the past grudges.... it is all easier said than done.  How can an earthly, fallen sinner ever hold themselves superior to anyone?  It really makes no sense.  Each man is his own.  Each person is allotted one life experience and the clock will not stop aging and the ultimate death of each of us, yet we sweat the small stuff and kick, scratch and grasp for all that we feel entitled to.  Tilting at windmills so to speak, yet our finite minds limit our heavenly capacity.  How many people live in your town?  How many stars are in the universe?  How many galaxies are there?  We are rather small in the grand scheme of things.  God has a plan for each of us.  He has a purpose, yet we exalt ourselves.  May we strive for the narrow gate and if we are blessed enough to find it, may we quietly cross the threshold and enter worthy only by grace.

[eword]

Overly Ambitious - Luke 12:13-21

GospelLK 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.”  He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”  Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Then he told them a parable.  “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.  He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.  There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”

Reflection

I wish I didn't compartmentalize all the time.  Candidly, we all do it.  We have to protect our time to be productive.  We have to strive to goals, right?  Many things can distract us and ambition can truly make us productive people, but when does our ambition start working against us?  When does working take precedence over family or faith or even our own health?  Look around.  It happens all the time.  It happens to me and I have the best of intentions.  Lord, protect us from things that distract us from you.  The head down looking at the iPhone when a stranger needs a smile.  The broken that need a word of encouragement.  There are so many opportunities to live out our faith.  May we never be so ambitious that God's plan seems like an afterthought.

[eword]

PAUSE BUTTON - LK 10:38-42

GospelLK 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village  where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.  Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?  Tell her to help me.”  The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.  There is need of only one thing.  Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Reflection

Ever get to the end of your day and realize that you didn't think about God's involvement in your life once?  Maybe you didn't even think about God.  Head down like a worker ant.  Moving things here and there.  Rolling things uphill only to have gravity pull them back down.  Futile efforts that seemed ever so important at the time.  I have to say that today I had four or five opportunities to think of the Lord.  I even told myself that I would just after I made the call that was so important.  This week's reflection is simple, we are missing it.  We are missing opportunities just to sit and be present with the Lord.  How foolish we must look to him who waits on baited breath for our fellowship.  Forgive us Lord and help us to hit the pause button much, much more often and find time alone with you.

[eword]

Anxious Worry - Luke 10:38-42

GospelLK 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village  where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.  Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?  Tell her to help me.”  The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.  There is need of only one thing.  Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Reflection

You just can't stop enough to give thanks.  There is just no way to give thanks where thanks is due to the Lord.  Even the most devout nuns that wait on the confessional all day in Rome can't even begin to express the amount of gratitude that Jesus Christ deserves.  He literally converted the old way of death into a new way of life.  In the most literal sense, Jesus has now given us an opportunity to live forever.  Before, death was the end.  All this and our gratitude is spotty at best.  To the Lord, it must sound like a choppy AM Radio Signal how we come in and out of communication with him... in and out of relationship with him.  We are anxious and worried about many things.  Many things that really don't amount to much in the eyes of eternity.  There is need of only one thing.  A pursuit of the Lord.  That is the one thing.  After that along, Jesus gives the way, the truth and the life.  Make sure Jesus is an integral part of each day.  That way, the best of us flows.  All else is vanity.

[eword]

I am the Limiting Factor - Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

GospelLK 10:1-12, 17-20

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.  He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.  Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.  Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way.  Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.  Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment.  Do not move about from one house to another.  Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand.  I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.” The seventy-two returned rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”  Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky.  Behold, I have given you the power to ‘tread upon serpents’ and scorpions  and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Reflection

Are we flexible?  Flexible for the Lord?  Would you literally clear your schedule to spend a day in prayer or waiting on an answer from God?  Me, I would hope to catch a message along the way, cell phone in tow, busy making things happen.  While I believe we can still catch God along the way, it certainly makes our "openness" to receive and even to minister, less likely.  “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” yet we can't mention Jesus to a friend as they may think we are some kind of holy roller.  Well, what is wrong with being a Holy Roller anyway?  Is there any harm in trying to be the best version of yourself?  Are we open enough to even try?  The best version of yourself.  I would like to be that.  I would like to step into the destiny God has created for me.  For my individual, never to be duplicated or repeated life experience.  I may not have books written about me or get published in the history books, but by God, I want to impact something while I am hear all for "The Greater Good."  By God, I can.  By God, I will.  By God, can only take me so far unless I am willing to try.  Willing to risk.  Willing to fail, Willing to be judged and willing to swallow the whole hook.  “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.”  Clear the way.  By God, we are powerful people.

[eword]

Arise - Luke 7:11-17

GospelLK 7:11-17

Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst, ” and “God has visited his people.” This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.

Reflection

How come we don't see dramatic miracles today?  Why do we only really get astounded when David Blain is freezing in Time Square on ABC?  We will doubt that all day long.  It seems that miracles in the days of Jesus were flash, bang and boom.  The dead were rising, the lame were healing and the deaf were even hearing.  Sinners were becoming saints and life was becoming eternal.  TV at the time must have had some serious headlines.  News Flash: Lazarus is alive and recovering with his family or Lame not so deaf and blind afterall.  Why must it must be immediate to be a miracle?  Are there any slow burn miracles?  Slow drip hearings?  Answered prayers in route?  Where are they and why haven't they arrived yet?  What does God know about our needs?  About the desires of our heart? He knows as much as we will allow him to know.  He examines and searches and probes and counsels.  The question is are we dead, lame and deaf to God on a daily basis?  Ever remembered God at prayer time just before hoping in bed?  Where was he all day?  He was there on baited breath.  Looking, waiting, hoping.  Hoping that he was first and above all things.  Not likely.  Not even close.  My plans prevailed.  My agenda served.  My ambitions plotted, but my Lord left on the sideline, yet once again.  God said "arise."  It's time to listen and let our beliefs lead our actions.

[eword]

Maximum Capacity - Luke 9:11-17

GospelLK 9:11B-17

Jesus spoke to the crowds about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured. As the day was drawing to a close, the Twelve approached him and said, "Dismiss the crowd so that they can go to the surrounding villages and farms and find lodging and provisions; for we are in a deserted place here." He said to them, "Give them some food yourselves." They replied, "Five loaves and two fish are all we have, unless we ourselves go and buy food for all these people." Now the men there numbered about five thousand. Then he said to his disciples, "Have them sit down in groups of about fifty." They did so and made them all sit down. Then taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing over them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. They all ate and were satisfied. And when the leftover fragments were picked up, they filled twelve wicker baskets.

Reflection

Something out of nothing.  That is what it is all about.  Dust forms clay, clay forms man.... still nothing, but a breath from God, a breath of fresh air, of potential, and man is upright, making noise, hopefully in the name of God.  This week's gospel is all about something out of nothing.  How often have we had limited resources, no way out or very little oil left in the hope jar.  You see, God is with you.  Even now, as you read and as I type, he is there full of resources to maximize your potential and we are foolish enough to call it potential when God merely recognizes it as capacity.  He has already given us the appropriate amount of time, talent and treasure.  For some, it is grit, for some it is finesse, for others it is peace, but it really doesn't have room for doubts, especially when they are self-inflicted.  Five Loaves and Two Fish.  Twelve Baskets remain.  What are we leaving on the table for God when it comes to maximizing our potential for the Kingdom?

[eword]

Reflect on True Living - John 16:12-15

Gospel

JN 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples: "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you."

Reflection

Life is so busy.  Do we make it that way?  Are we too busy to ever look at how busy we are and see if any of it is good or even lining up with what God is intending for our lives?  This week's reflection is an exercise.  Take five minutes right now to pray to the Spirit of Truth AKA The Holy Spirit.  Invite the Holy Spirit into your life and ask for God's Will to be known in your daily walk.  We will never be able to bear it unless we seek it and this seeking must become intentional if we are ever to find intimacy with God.

[eword]

All The Time - John 14:15-16, 23-26

JN 14:15-16, 23B-26

Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always. “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Those who do not love me do not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. “I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.”

Reflection

You cannot truly understand grace until you are willing to receive it.  You don't necessarily have to be ready for grace, but you just have to be willing to receive it.  What does that even mean?  How do you receive a mystery?  How can we comprehend absolute grace?  We don't.  That is just it.  We don't have to understand it for one minute.  We don't even have to pretend to understand it.  Grace is grace.  It covers all, fills all, blesses all and encompasses all.  Grace is the spiritual superpower.  It is the way to heal the brokenhearted and set things right.  Thank God for the power of grace and for the Holy Spirit to usher it all in.  Authentic grace is the goal.  We all want to finish well.  We all want to enter the kingdom (even if we don't fully understand it).  God is good all the time.  All the time God is good.... that in itself is just scratching the surface of grace.

[eword]

Look No Further - John 17:20-26

Gospel

JN 17:20-26

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: “Holy Father, I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

Reflection

We always hear that Christ should be in us.  We pray for that, but what are we really asking for?  For the Holy Spirit to fill us and have joy in our hearts all day long, at every turn and peace at every tragedy?  That would just be LOVELY, but we live too much on our feelings to be riding high all the time.  We are always looking for good behavior.  Good behavior from our children, right actions from our neighbors, olive branches from our less desirable fellow man (too harsh to call them enemies).  It is amazing how often we need a "what would Jesus do?" in our daily lives.  As corny as it sounds, we do need to think about what Jesus what do if he were in our shoes.  He has revealed his character to us in his holy word.  There is consistency in his nature no matter how supernatural.  Jesus is firm in his actions.  The high road, the other cheek, the poor, the disadvantaged... we are constantly seeking status and resume fillers.  God reveals our purpose through the example of Christ.  What other example do we need?  

[eword]

Trust in Me - John 14:23-29

GospelJN 14:23-29

Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the Father who sent me. “I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.”

Reflection

Do you trust me?  Have you ever said that to anyone?  Have you ever known that you would take care of someone, but they didn't quite believe you?  They wanted additional reassurances.  They almost wanted proof.  We would all like to see proof, but you can't really hedge yourself against someone else's dishonesty.  If you did, how terrible of a calculating life would that be?  It would mean life as we know it would be full of distrust.  It's hard enough to help a stranded motorist today, much less get invested in their hardships or heartaches.  We tend to complicate what the basic human condition implies:  Trust in the Lord and look of for others along the way.

[eword]

Time To Spare - John 21:1-14

Gospel JN 21:1-14

At that time, Jesus revealed himself to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “ am going fishing.” They said to him, “e also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.

Reflection

Being with Jesus after the resurrection must have been amazing.  To see him and actually know that Jesus had overcome the grave, now that will boost anyone's faith.  We know that Jesus revealed himself a few times after the resurrection.  To see him or feel his presence (their hearts burned within them) must have been the most amazing experience possible in this life.  Often we find life too busy to connect with Jesus, but Christ is just as available to us today as he was one year after the resurrection.  Why do we assume that Jesus only revealed himself closer to the resurrection and does not reveal himself today?  Is Jesus just as available today as he was then?  I have to think so.  I have to think it is just our agendas that keep God off the schedule.  Time alone to simply be still is easier said than done, but we don't need to be a moving target for God.  To come to him.  To worship him.  To love him.  God is good all the time.  Unfortunately, time is not always something we are willing to share with the most important relationships of our lives not just today, but forevermore.

[eword]

Jump The Fence - John 20:19-31

GospelJN 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

Reflection

Blind faith is a tricky concept.  It is like driving on fumes.  You know that you could run out of gas at any moment, but something tells you that you will make it to the station.  Then again, we do see people walking down the highway with a gas can back to their stranded cars.  Maybe they needed extra time to think.  Maybe they were the ones that doubted.  We meet Doubting Thomas in the weeks gospel.  Funny how we shake our heads and say "Old Thomas.... why couldn't you just believe?" kinda like when we say "Old Peter, how could you deny the Lord?"  Even like when we say "Old Judas, how could you betray our Lord?"  It is easy to play it out perfectly in your head, but life rarely moves in slow motion.  It is hard, fast and once the cat is out of the bag, life changes.  Humans are rigid.  We don't want to adapt and we certainly need to see things most times before we believe them.  I am a doubter.  More or less, but a doubter regardless.  My son wanted to jump the fence tonight.  I didn't want him to.  I wanted him to play in safe, but every little boy needs to know how to scale a fence.  It is just a rite of passage.  Rather than convince him not to climb the fence, I taught him technique.  There is definitely technique to climbing a fence.  He is fast asleep with a sense of accomplishment.  He didn't have any doubts.  At some point, I followed suit.  Doubts out of mind.  The fear subsides and faith takes over.  We can fear anything.  Life has no promises.  Christ is the only promise we can trust.  He is with us.  Trust in the Lord.