Zombies

Our imagination can be very rewarding on our spiritual journey. We must know, visualize and sometimes it takes our imagination to understand that God is with us every step of our journey.
Imagine our Lord saying to you, “Oh my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them”.
I remember, when I was young, passing through a cemetery at night.  I’ve taken this path many times before, but this was shortly after listening to this exact reading, “I will open your graves and have you rise from them”. Naturally, my imagination began to wander. It was pitch dark and the only sound was that of an owl hooting. I’m sure that owl hooted every time I walked through that cemetery, but tonight I heard it.
And, as I walked further and further passed the graves, I swore I heard all kind of noises coming from those very grave sites. Then the the old black and white version of the movie the “Zombies’ came to my mind. And I began to imagine these creatures, one arm at a time, bone by bone, pushing through the earth and watching me. Wasn’t sure if they had appetites, or what zombies ate. I just told God that now was not a good time to open up those graves.
I prayed and the words of Jesus came to me, “I am with you always” and I pictured Jesus walking next to me, side by side, yet leading and comforting me.
Yes, that was some imagination, but in that imagination there was faith. Faith in the fact that I pictured and believed that Jesus was walking this journey with me.
We have three readings that concern death and the resurrection to newness of live.
We see the scene of the grave yard, we see a tomb, the ultimate place of death and decay. We see prayers, extreme faith, a miracle and joy.
We have Lazarus.  Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus. But before Jesus arrived, his illness became fatal and sadness and hurt and even anger, overcame the two sisters. But if we look closely at the reading there was also hope, there was crucial and critical faith, for Martha says to Jesus when he arrived, “But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you”. That was a prayer of faith.
And there was weeping and Jesus became troubled and he was extremely upset and Jesus wept.  Yes, Jesus wept, tears of sorrow, tears no different than ours for the loose of someone close.
They remove the stone and Jesus prays. Jesus prays for the glory of God, not his glory. He prays with the faith that we all must have. And then he shouts.
“Lazarus, come out”. Imagine Lazarus, laying in a prepared burial fashion, hands and feet tied and his face wrapped in a cloth.
He manages to stagger to the entrance of the tomb and people are in awe – the dead man came out. There is no conversation between Jesus and Lazarus, but I can imagine there was much said between the hearts of these two friends, their souls joined as they stood there both reflecting on that moment. And I can imagine that every time Lazarus went into his inner room to pray, he placed himself in that loving image of Jesus, talking to him again from his heart.
We are called to be always in the Spirit, and that requires prayer, yes, unceasing prayer and talking to God, it is having Jesus by our side.No one is spared death and the grave swallows up the righteous and the sinner alike.
But how we choose to live this life will decide where we spend eternity. Our weapon to heaven is prayer.
Our journey with Jesus begins at Baptism and we need to remember there will be hardships, temptation and our weaknesses will be become our crosses, but Jesus said, “I am with you always. Yes, believe and visually imagine Jesus with you every moment -allow him to guide your steps to heaven.
Lazarus is a symbol of all of us – dead to God and bound by sin. And, like Lazarus, each of is loved by Jesus.  Jesus weeps over our suffering and calls us by name to come out of our tombs of unbelief, self-centeredness, and ineffectiveness. In the face of death we are encouraged to choose life, and life can be found only in Christ, and his cross.
Yes, we will rise from our graves on the last day, but even now we can rise with Jesus daily.  He promised it and we can experience it as we unite ourselves to him.
There is a story of a  Catholic priest who stopped by to see a patient in a hospital room to say hello and asked how the elderly man was doing. "My doctors say I'm dying," replied the man, and I'm actually excited about it. I know I'm going to be with Jesus."
The priest asked how he could be so cheerful about death. The old man said, when I was younger I grew very discouraged about prayer. I tried to pray, but Jesus never seemed to be there and I never seemed to get an answer. So I just went through the motions. During a retreat a mission priest told me how common that was with prayer.
"The mission priest said, 'You'll have to become like a child. You know how little kids talk to their teddy bears? And get an answer? They use their imagination. Well, Jesus is really there when we pray, but we can't see him, unless we use our imagination.
Choose a room, the mission priest said, where you have some privacy. Put a chair in the room, and picture Jesus in the chair. See him in his robe and sandals, if you want. Then just talk to him in your own words. Tell him what you're upset about and what you're happy about.
Do this every day, soon it will take less time to get comfortable with Jesus, and easier to talk with him.
Then try this: After you have had your say, just be quiet and listen. 'You'll hear Jesus speak to your heart. The God, who made you, can put ideas, memories, and images into your head, and that's how God talks to you and answers your prayers.'"
"So I tried it," the old man said, "and it worked! It wasn't long before Jesus would sit right there and talk with me, and we've become the best of friends.
See this chair next to my bed? That's for Jesus. When the doctors told me I would die soon, I waited until they left the room. Then I invited Jesus
to come in and sit down, and I told him what the doctors said. 'I know, Jesus answered, 'I heard them. And I'm happy because we'll soon get to see each other face to face. That chair is special to me.
"That's why I'm excited about dying," the old man continued, "because I can't wait to be with my friend, Jesus." The priest was overwhelmed and, choking back tears, said he wanted to visit again.
But when he returned a few days later, he saw the man's daughter in the hall outside his room, crying. "He just died," she told the priest. "I left his room to get a bite to eat, and when I came back he was gone. I know he was ready, she said but what bothers me is how he must have suffered in his last moments.
When I found him, he was halfway out of bed, and his head was on that
chair next to his bed."
The priest took her hand and smiled. "Let's take a minute to talk," he said. "There's a story I need to tell you about that chair."

Fame and fortune or something better

As we mature we realize we can do some things better that others. Some even call us talented. Jesus uses a parable to explain how these gifts, the gifts he has given us,  can benefit all of man kind. 

 Many of us think of money that God gave the servants in the parable, but talents are also gifts. God has given all us talents, special gifts.  They are not ours, they are given to us by God to be used for his glory; to return these gifts in ways that bring others closer to God. 

These gifts are not to be used by us to hide, or to turn them to selfish ends.  No, these gifts are to be used to spread and advance the kingdom of god.

Sadly, many of those God has gifted have sold their gifts to "the world" for fame and fortune. 

This is a trap that many of God's most gifted people fall into. In the end, they sadly realize that they sold their soul to the devil himself for a little fame  and a few dollars which have little meaning in the big picture of life.

Great people don't just wake up someday and become great, they discover something they can do and then put it to work with lots of practice. Some can sing, some can write, some have courage, others can speak, others have an ear to listen and to console, others can move mountains and roadblocks for others.

We all have choices in this life. We all come to a crossroad at times when we can choose the Lord or this world. Take an inventory of your gifts and then decide how to use them for the glory of God. 

You can't hide

“The last word when all is heard: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is man’s all; because God will bring to judgment every work, with all its hidden qualities, whether good or bad” ( Eccl 12:13-14).

When death draws near

A Prayer for Forgiveness 

 Be merciful to me, O God,
    because of your constant love.
Because of your great mercy
    wipe away my sins!
 Wash away all my evil
    and make me clean from my sin!

 I recognize my faults;
    I am always conscious of my sins.
I have sinned against you—only against you—
    and done what you consider evil.
So you are right in judging me;
    you are justified in condemning me.
 I have been evil from the day I was born;
    from the time I was conceived, I have been sinful.

 Sincerity and truth are what you require;
    fill my mind with your wisdom.
 Remove my sin, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
 Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness;
    and though you have crushed me and broken me,
    I will be happy once again.
 Close your eyes to my sins
    and wipe out all my evil.

 Create a pure heart in me, O God,
    and put a new and loyal spirit in me.
 Do not banish me from your presence;
    do not take your holy spirit away from me.
 Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation,
    and make me willing to obey you.
 Then I will teach sinners your commands,
    and they will turn back to you.

 Spare my life, O God, and save me,^[b]
    and I will gladly proclaim your righteousness.
 Help me to speak, Lord,
    and I will praise you.

 You do not want sacrifices,
    or I would offer them;
you are not pleased with burnt offerings.
 My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God;
    you will not reject a humble and repentant heart.

 O God, be kind to Zion and help her;
    rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
 Then you will be pleased with proper sacrifices
    and with our burnt offerings;
    and bulls will be sacrificed on your altar.

Psalm 51

When there are two rabbits

There is a story about a martial arts student  who approached his teacher with a question. "I'd like to improve my knowledge of the martial arts. In addition to learning from you, I'd like to study with another teacher in order to learn another style. What do you think of this idea?"

"The hunter who chases two rabbits," answered the master, "catches neither one."

As Jesus tells, "you can not serve two masters". But, to help us, he has given us one of the greatest gifts, our free will. We get to choose who to follow

The question to ponder

God said, “Whom should I send”? Throughout his life, Jesus responded with mercy to people in all walks of life.  He befriended the rich and the poor, tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, a Roman centurion and a Samaritan woman.  He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and fed the hungry. He grieved when his friend Lazarus died, accepted the human weakness of his disciples, and forgave the people who crucified him.

The works of mercy are our lifeline to heaven. There hasn’t been a saint who didn’t live and breathe mercy, who didn’t love their neighbor, who didn’t have compassion for the unfortunate and the suffering. God said to them, “Whom shall I send?” and they, with love responded, “Send me Lord”.

The Battle

Our strength, “In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world”. (Jn 16:33).