What sign can you do?

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John 6:30-35 If I wasn't in the same boat as these sinners following Jesus I would probably be laughing right in their face. I often wonder how Jesus kept from rolling on the grass laughing at what some people do. Today we hear the crowd ask Him, "What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you? What can you do?..." Is this not the same crowd who in verse 2 we are told - "followed him, because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick ."? Are these not the same people who in verse 14 " when they saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."? Yet still they seek a sign. However, they are not seeking a sign so that they might believe, they are wanting to be fed. Jesus worked a "sign" with the loaves and the fishes and now they want Him to do it again. Wisely, Jesus is using their bellies to get to their hearts; He is using earthly things to move them,
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We're on a Pilgrimage

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Mark 3:7-12

I don't like crowds. I am the type of person who stays away from a crowd. I don't do well at football games or concerts. You can imagine my anxiety level when I took a youth group to Toronto in 2002 for World Youth Day. There I was sleeping in a field, soaked to the bone with close to a million of my closest friends. But it was all worth it. The lack of food, the long hike, the downpours, the heat, the sweat, the blisters, the fatigue was all worth it. It was a tremendous blessing to be part of such a pilgrimage of faith. It was a blessing to see how "universal - catholic" the Church really is and it was a blessing to see, in the flesh, Saint John Paul the Great - a witness, a fellow pilgrim, a role model, and a saint.

In today's reading we find a pilgrimage of sorts taking place. People have heard about this Jesus of Nazareth and are coming from all over to see Him, to listen to Him, and perhaps be healed by Him. Scripture mentions different locations from which these people are streaming. Some of these men, women, children, and families are traveling considerable distance to be with this miracle worker. Some are walking, some are riding, and others are being carried or carted. Many of them are traveling between 40 and 70 miles to be with Jesus. They are experiencing heat and cold, hunger, blisters, aches and pains, and other types of suffering to be with Him. There are so many people arriving at this place that Jesus begins to fear for His safety and the safety of His followers. He arranges for a boat to be brought in case the crowd gets out of hand and He needs to depart quickly.

In this reading we can find strength to continue on our faith journey, our journey and pilgrimage in this life as we travel toward the next. We can see that the end, Christ, is worth any suffering that we may have to endure on the Way. The goal is worth the effort. The prize is worth the struggle. Jesus is worth the suffering that we may face, suffering often caused by the world, the flesh, or the devil in an attempt to get us to turn back. Therefore, let us look to those who took this pilgrimage as our example. Let us look to them for the strength and courage to continue on the path to Christ. When we arrive all tears will be wiped away. All the suffering will be turned to joy and all ills will be healed.

FROM THE SAINTS - "I want you to be happy on earth. But you won't be if you don't get rid of that fear of suffering. For as long as we are "wayfarers", it is precisely in suffering that our happiness lies." "I'm going to tell you which are man's treasures on earth so you won't slight them: hunger, thirst, heat, cold, pain, dishonor, poverty, loneliness, betrayal, slander, prison..."
- Saint Josemaria Escriva - The Way #'s 194, 217


How to get better at prayer.
  1. Set a prayer appointment - Set a time on your calendar each day to meet and speak with God.
  2. Slowly increase your prayer time. - Don't jump in with an hour right from the get-go.  Build up your "tolerance" so to speak.
  3. Commit - to praying and slowly increasing your prayer time for 30 days.  Mark off the days on your calendar.  If you miss a day, jump right back in, don't give up.
  4. Pray - praying is talking to God, it's spending time with your attention focused on Him.  I enjoy spending time with my children regardless of their level of development.  God is the same way.  Spend time praying as best you can.  Use formal prayers if you want or simply speak in conversation.  Don't forget to listen
  5. Journal - Our newly revised 4 Simple Steps to Better Scripture Meditations: Guide, Workbook, and Journal walks you through 4 easy steps that will help you go deeper in your prayer life.  It includes 31 days of workbook and journal pages too!
  6. Read other good books about how to pray better - Prayer Primer, Deep Conversion, Deep Prayer, Time for God, The Spiritual Life: A Comprehensive Guide to Catholics Seeking Salvation

My new book of cryptogram puzzles "Secret Messages from the Saints" is available now.
  
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