You and Him

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/021315.cfm) reminds me how much God wants alone time with us.

In the gospel, we see Jesus healing a deaf man with speech impediment. It’s interesting to note that Jesus took the man aside. He took the man away from everyone – away from the people, away from chaos, away from all the noise, away from others who have problems and sickness, away from those who are just watching, away from the skeptics and doubters, away from everything.  When they were alone, that’s when Jesus personally touched the man and healed him.

Jesus values alone time with us.

We live in a very fast paced world. a lot of things are happening. A lot of information going around. A lot of work to be done. These things can easily take us in. These things can take away rest, reflection and relaxation in our lives. These things can take away Jesus’ place in our lives. As we see in the gospel, Jesus wants to have alone time with us. He values alone time with us. It is during this unhurried time, when we are truly alone and have our undivided attention to him, that we hear him clearly, that we experience him clearly.

May all the concerns in the world not take our moment alone with God. May we have the desire and find the will to spend time with God.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another chance to love and serve you. Thank you for another weekend coming up. Lord, thank you for the reminder today that you want me to have alone time with you. Thank you for wanting to have time with me. Lord, I ask that you give me the desire to always have alone time with you. Help me make time for you – unhurried time all for you. I know that as I have that time, I will be able to hear and experience you more. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

-----------------------------------------

February 13, 2015

Friday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 333

Reading 1 Gn 3:1-8

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals

that the LORD God had made.

The serpent asked the woman,

“Did God really tell you not to eat

from any of the trees in the garden?”

The woman answered the serpent:

“We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden;

it is only about the fruit of the tree

in the middle of the garden that God said,

‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’”

But the serpent said to the woman:

“You certainly will not die!

No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it

your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods

who know what is good and what is evil.”

The woman saw that the tree was good for food,

pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.

So she took some of its fruit and ate it;

and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her,

and he ate it.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened,

and they realized that they were naked;

so they sewed fig leaves together

and made loincloths for themselves.

When they heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden

at the breezy time of the day,

the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God

among the trees of the garden.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 32:1-2, 5, 6, 7

R. (1a) Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,

whose sin is covered.

Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,

in whose spirit there is no guile.

R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you,

my guilt I covered not.

I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”

and you took away the guilt of my sin.

R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

For this shall every faithful man pray to you

in time of stress.

Though deep waters overflow,

they shall not reach him.

R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;

with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round.

R. Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven.

Alleluia See Acts 16:14b

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Open our hearts, O Lord,

to listen to the words of your Son.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Mk 7:31-37

Jesus left the district of Tyre

and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee,

into the district of the Decapolis.

And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment

and begged him to lay his hand on him.

He took him off by himself away from the crowd.

He put his finger into the man’s ears

and, spitting, touched his tongue;

then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him,

“Ephphatha!” (that is, “Be opened!”)

And immediately the man’s ears were opened,

his speech impediment was removed,

and he spoke plainly.

He ordered them not to tell anyone.

But the more he ordered them not to,

the more they proclaimed it.

They were exceedingly astonished and they said,

“He has done all things well.

He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”