Fr. Paul's Meditations for Church Year A

“Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'” Presumption can lead us to believe we are in God’s Peace when we are not. It can have us believe that no matter what happens we cannot and will not ever be in His Peace about certain things in the past, present or future. Presumption leads us to believe that we know how to change the unchangeable by working on it long enough or thinking about it hard enough. We overcome our presumption by knowing as a fact, that when we are in the Presence of the Peace of God we can be at Peace under any condition. St Paul tells it like it is when he wrote in Romans 2:2, “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed.”  Read more

Think literal Legalism: The Spirit is literally resting on Jesus. Feel the spiritual Grace: When we are spiritually open to His grace, the Spirit of Jesus is resting on us. Old Testament: Isaiah 11:1-10 Think literal Legalism: The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. Feel the spiritual Grace: The spirit of the LORD shall rest on us, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.  Read more

The Christmas Peace cannot be found in getting all the shopping, cooking and other ducks in line so we can feel at peace. The Christmas Peace is found within ourselves. It is already there. We need to find the Christmas Peace so we can celebrate the Christmas event. The Peace is all about the Presence of Jesus born into this World. The Word, according to John’s Gospel, is that Jesus came into the World and the World did not know Him. The World is not that place out there. The World is this place in us. It is the place where we often forget about the birth of the Spirit of Jesus that God has poured into our hearts.  Read more

Think literal Legalism: “Walk in the light” is to obediently follow the laws of the Bible. Feel the spiritual Grace: “Walk in the light” is to abide in Jesus. Old Testament: Isaiah 2:1-5 Think literal Legalism: “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD!” Feel the spiritual Grace: “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk spiritually in the light of the LORD!”  Read more

I am sure you have heard it said, "Life is a journey." I believe this is true, not only in your physical or "Worldly" life, but is even more true of your spiritual or "Godly" life. The most important part of this journey is developing a better understanding of who God is and how to satisfy the yearning for a closer relationship with Him. To assist you in your journey, I am publishing two posts per week during the Year A Church Calendar. Published on Mondays, the "Bottom Line" meditations are designed to help you understand the weekly meditations, published on Thursdays, in a more "Godly" way rather than the more typical "Worldly" way.  Read more