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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My Brother's Keeper

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Luke 12:39-48

Each morning, before starting school work, we sit at the kitchen table and read the gospel for the day.  After a brief silence, we discuss what the gospel means or what is being taught.

After yesterday’s reading, I asked the boys how they would live their lives differently if they knew Jesus would return in 5 minutes or 5 hours, days, months, etc.  They told me that they would pray more, go to confession, and do similar things to prepare.  We talked about how it’s not easy to stay ready and that the things of this world can often be distractions.  When we finished our discussion we closed with a prayer for the grace to be ready or at least work at staying ready for the Lord’s return.

Father Hahn with the youngest nephew.
As soon as we had ended our prayer and closed the Bible a fight ensued over who was going to sit in which chair.  Talk about easily being distracted from our goal to live a better life!  I pointed this out to the boys and we went about the rest of our day.

Today’s Gospel helps me to realize that not only do we have to be ready but many of us are charged with the task of encouraging others to be ready as well.  As a parent I made a vow at each child’s baptism to do all that is in my power to get them into Heaven.  Priests and Bishops too are charged with the care of souls.  Today’s Gospel reminds us that we are in fact our “brother’s keeper” and in the end we will have to render an account of how we handled that responsibility.

Being a good parent, priest, bishop, etc., takes work.  It requires study, discipline, and a great deal of prayer.  This should in no way overwhelm us.  We are not alone!  God will generously give us the grace needed to fulfill our role if we only ask.  Thousands of men and women of good will are more than ready to help us in our task.  We find their help through personal conversations, books, blogs, and uplifting audio talks.  Self-discipline is the key to holding it all together.  Again we can find encouragement from trusted sources concerning how we might discipline our own lives so that we can better serve those in our care.  Let us together prepare ourselves and those in our care for the return of the Lord!

From the Saints:
"How much has the Lord entrusted to us?  How many graces has He conferred on others as a result of our lives?  How many people are depending on my own correspondence with grace?  Today's Gospel passage is a clarion call reminding us of our responsibility with regard to our proper vocation."  - Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Vol. V, 51.1.


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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.
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