Fr. Paul's Meditations for Church Year B

Rational Thinking does not know what spiritual sin or death is. Spiritual Understanding knows separation from God is Sin leading to spiritual death.  Read more

What do we do with the words of Jesus about Moses? Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. So must the Son of Man be lifted up so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life. Some see this as Jesus being lifted up on the cross. The serpent represents sin. Jesus took on our sin on the cross to save us. The problem here, is trying to fit one's theology into the scripture rather than have the scripture define our theology.  Read more

When we think of things rationally with our head, the physical is real and the spiritual is symbolic. When we think of things spiritually with our heart, the spiritual is real and the rational becomes symbolic. The challenge is to realize, at certain times, the physical and the spiritual are both real.  Read more

Take time to wonder what difference it makes if you understand life's events with rational understanding, out of the Presence, or with spiritual understanding, in God's Presence.  Read more

Why did Jesus tell this story among so many others He could have told? Remember, all of the Gospel Scripture is what others saw Jesus do or say. This is the only Scripture where Jesus tells us what He did. After all, He and Satan were the only ones there in the Wilderness.  Read more

Spiritual understanding does not need sites, or exercises or pilgrimages to find the Joy of the Presence. Suddenly a cloud covered them all. When the cloud was gone there was only Jesus. That is all we need! That is all we have! His Presence is the unconditional and inclusive grace of God.  Read more

Our God is not a loveless power, nor a powerless love. Our God is the Power that is in Love. God loves us too much to leave us where we are.  Read more

Rational understanding acts on its feelings about what happens. Spiritual understanding acts on how it feels in what happens.  Read more

Rational understanding attempts to love others so God will love us. Spiritual understanding knows Jesus loved us by being in the Fathers Love. We must be in the Love of God before we try to love others. Do you understand the difference between trying to love someone to be loved and being loved in order to love someone?  Read more

Why did the disciples respond immediately when Jesus called them? Rational understanding would say Peter, Andrew, John and James all knew Jesus. It was as if they had grown up together, played in the sand, and worked in the carpenter's shop. Spiritual understanding would say, give me a break! They did not live that close to each other. They may have seen Him afar. But you cannot tell me they immediately left their nets to follow him because they were the "best of friends". Come off of it! There was something else going on there.  Read more