Isaiah 5:1-7, Let me now sing of my friend… My friend had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He spaded it, cleared it of stones, and planted the choicest of vines. Within it he built a watchtower and hewed out a wine press. Then he looked for the crop of grapes, but what it yielded was wild grapes.
**Now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I had not done? Why, when I looked for the crop of grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? Now, I will let you know what I mean to do with my vineyard… I will take away its hedge, give it to grazing, break through its wall, let it be trampled!
**Yes, I will make it a ruin. I will command the clouds not to send rain upon it.
**The vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished plants. He looked for judgment, but see, bloodshed! He looked for justice, but hark…The outcry!
**Thank goodness God is slow to anger and rich in Mercy! From the beginning of time, Adam & Eve, God’s people have failed to realize just how good they really have it. **2780 years have passed from Isaiah until today. Sadly, for some folks, the story remains the same… Sin is too easy. Cheating, apathy and out-right mistreatment of neighbor or fellow man is too easy.
As people of faith, we work against these things. We preach against these attributes. We exhaust ourselves in prayer over the injustice. But WE, ourselves, together, must indeed stick together. WE must be ‘the’ example to a weary world. We, people of the Blessed Trinity, must never forget, just how good we have it.!!
Philippians 4:6-9, Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
*Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, If there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. *Then the God of peace will be with you.
**Man-o-man how appropriate these words are for us today. I literally just finished a conversation with my dearest Charismatic mentor. We/she spoke about balancing our secular lives with our spiritual life. She was lamenting having to give up going to faith-filling events because of secular busyness. We agreed that prioritizing is the key!!
**Anxiety drains us of energy, imagination and ultimately desire, making us fearful & disinterested. Our bodies need food to fuel our energy level and existence. Our Souls too, need refreshing and ‘gassing-up’. We absolutely must remain engaged in this life that GOD Himself has given us, until He decides to bring us home.
** We Must find the balance that keeps us happy, joyful, thankful and productive. Fifty-fifty won’t do it folks, sure you can start there, but 70/30 minimum is what’s needed. Seventy percent God, minimum, and thirty percent the world. Yes, you live 100 percent ‘in’ the world. But the world can NOT, 100 percent control you. You Must Not allow it. You must bring your faith, all practices and God Himself with you wherever you are, everyday!! God will help. Christ will bathe you in His Precious blood. The Holy Spirit, the Advocate, will inspire you.
Matt 21:33-43, Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. The tenants seized the servants, one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again, he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.
**Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. **What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” *Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? **Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”
**This scripture brings me pause as I have two views on it. Well, one view and one question. First, we as Christians, do indeed, value Jesus as our cornerstone. Google defines: “the cornerstone is the first stone set in a building’s foundation, providing structural stability, alignment, and symbolic significance.” And Also: “Jesus is called both the cornerstone and, in some translations and interpretations, the capstone—the cornerstone emphasizing His foundational role (Ephesians 2:20), and the capstone highlighting His completing, crowning role, (Zechariah 4:7; Psalm 118:22).“
**In the years since Isaiah, ‘The Way’ and eventually Catholicism is/are the people to whom the faith, responsibilities and special relationship with God was given… by the Blessed Trinity. This leaves the Jewish folks as the ‘stiff-necked people’ that the relationship was taken from… Especially after the crucifixion. I’m not certain that we, today, are very much ‘less’ stiff-necked. The jury is still out on this.
**Which leads to my question. I’ve also heard/learned that the Hebrews were the “Chosen People”, and still are. Are they? Is God still playing favorites? Has mankind not evolved enough, at all, that we might be able to say that Jews and Christians alike worship the One, True, Living God?
**I cannot & will not say. Because to deny, even in attitude, anyone of God’s love, is to make a judgement of their worthiness. “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” This gospel carries an equal portion of both celebration & warning. May we stay dedicated to our God, and focus on keeping our own personal path straight. 😊 Joy, Joy, Joy… IT’s Bro. BLU Time. Thank you for your time today. 😊 May the ‘sweet wind’ that is the Holy Spirit enliven your Lives always. Mark Gates
Brother BLU is a servant of God. He currently lives with his wife in Peosta, Iowa, and is retired. He was a blue-collar meat industry laborer for fifty years. He has spent his whole life as a God-fearing Christian, Mass lector, and cradle Catholic.
“Duc in Altum!” A Latin phrase meaning “put out into the deep.” See: (Luke 5:4). These words were spoken by Jesus to a very frustrated Peter, who had just pulled his nets into the boat after a terrible night of fishing. Peter, whose life was spent fishing, being a husband and worshipping the One, True, Living God had just been asked by this street preacher to allow his boat to be a stage for speaking . Peter obeyed. The rest is history. “Duc in Altum”, St. Pope John Paul II, (Blu’s favorite), used Jesus’ own words to call all believers to deeper faith, trust, and mission.
For Brother BLU, folks need only to recall the words of Jer 1:5. “Before you were born, I knew you.” This husband, father and struggling provider enjoyed pitching in at church wherever his pick-up truck was needed. Funds were tight, fortunately time was not… Yet. Bro. BLU was still feeling incomplete. “What could possibly be missing?”
He had begun feeling anxious about wanting to be one of God’s more positive influences on lives beyond his immediate family. He yearned to be more of a positive, solid example, the way that teachers or camp counselors can be.
It’s 1996. After a Charismatic Seminar at a neighboring parish, his spirituality “exploded.” **The Holy Spirit has since rocked his world. She has blessed him with personal revelations (Dreams) and events (Visions) in times of needed admonishment, teaching, or encouragement. Having a personal belief and true affection for the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and a very sweet, tender, and intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit, BLU believes that the world is in dire need of ‘good news’. He wants his spirituality to create conversations and prays that these musings will start meaningful conversations in your own lives. 🙂
