Friday July 17th

Happy middle aged housewife doing house cleaning at home

Thus says the Lord; Put your house in order

Tuesday morning this week I was on a terror. I cleaned house with a vengeance. The counters, the stove, the refrigerator and the bathroom. I vacuumed and did laundry on Wednesday.

I have been busy and preoccupied since June 8th when my beautiful bride, Anna, broke her left leg. To quote an old phrase, I was chief cook and bottle washer. Anna is doing much better but her only complaint is my cooking.

Hezekiah in our first reading from Isaiah was given an ultimatum to put his house in order. His response was to say look how good I was in the past when he said ” O Lord, remember how faithfully and wholeheartedly I conducted myself in your presence, doing what was pleasing to you! And Hezekiah wept bitterly.”

The weeping and his true repentance is what saved Hezekiah and it is what caused the Lord to change His mind. Maybe this is the message for you and me. We cannot rest on how faithful we were in the past. It is today and what we do with the day the Lord has made that is important. Every night as part of my bedtime routine is to go over the good and the bad of my conduct. As I go to sleep, I vow to do better tomorrow.

Jesus in our Gospel today says, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. Again He is talking to the Pharisees but true to scripture He is talking to us.

He is not only interested in our true repentance but also how we treat others and how we are merciful to them. Mercy to our friends and family but also to perfect strangers, innocent men.

My cooking will never match the skills of my wife. My mercy will never match that of God. However, we all can try to do better everyday and recognize that our relationship with God is daily. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is possible. Today is the day of the Lord.

God Love You Always

Bob Burford

About the Author

My name is Bob Burford and am married to my lovely bride, Anna. I am a cradle Catholic and worship at Church of Saint Mary's in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I am active in the Knights of Columbus and praying where the Lord wants both of us to serve in our new faith home. College degrees in Economics and Accounting. My wife and I have eight grandchildren and five great grandchildren with a sixth to arrive this Fall. Love Pope Frances and proclaiming the Word of the Lord in my life! Please pray for all the Ukrainian people. Pray for their salvation and physical and emotional health.

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11 Comments

  2. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is possible. Today is the day of the Lord. Well said Bob. We have to understand that everyday is a blessing. Thank you and all the best to Anna’s recovery.

  3. Bob,

    Well done!

    For me, you have captured, I believe, the essence of our Lord’s message: Yesterday matters not, except to be a guide of what needs to be done mercifully better today. Thank you for providing your insight, wisdom and recommendation of daily reflection and repentance. Rich

  4. So true. It sounds like your wife is in good hands! Prayers for both of you, and thank you for what you wrote. Thanks also for the thoughtful comments!

  5. You always do an amazing job of tying Gospel messages to everyday life experiences that we can all relate to, which makes the messages easier to understand and, most importantly, more memorable. Thank you. (‘And great idea to do an ‘accounting’ at day’s end and commit to being a better person tomorrow.)

  10. Some thoughts to share:
    Today will be the last reading from the Book of Isaiah. King Hezekiah, was the opposite of his father Ahaz. He was obedient and had a close relationship with God, and did “what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 31:20). He found such favor in the Lord’s eyes that God answered his prayer, gave him miraculous victory over his enemies and added 15 years to his life. Hezekiah came to power at the age of 25 and ruled over the southern kingdom of Judah for 29 years. He was zealous for the Lord destroyed the pagan altars, idols, and temples built during the reign of his predecessors. But the Assyrians under King Sennacherib, who had already conquered the Northern Kingdom and always on the look-out to conquer more territory invaded Judah and marched against Jerusalem in 701 BC. The Lord, through Isaiah assured Hezekiah that Jerusalem would be spared. God, who always keeps His word, “That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!” (2 Kings 19:35), thus saving King Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem.
    Later, Hezekiah became very sick and Isaiah instructed him to set his house in order and prepare to die. But Hezekiah prayed, beseeching God to be merciful and to remember all the good he had done. God told Isaiah to tell Hezekiah that his prayer had been heard and that his life would be extended by fifteen years.
    In today’s Gospel reading, the Pharisees accuse the disciples (who were hungry) of not observing the Sabbath since they plucked ears of grain from a field and ate the grains after removing the husks by rubbing the grains between their palms. Jesus defends his disciples by telling them that basic human needs take precedence over divine worship and observance of Sabbath rules. Jesus even gives them examples from scripture. Jesus also told them that no law can stand against divine worship, so priests preparing the animals for sacrifice were not considered violating the law. And most importantly, God desires mercy not sacrifice. Jesus says, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) Jesus wants the Sabbath to be a day of Rest, Refreshment and Recharging of our spiritual batteries.

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