The coming of the kingdom

By David Torkington

Pentecost  by El Greco

Throughout his life on earth Jesus made it clear that the Kingdom he promised had not  yet come . The question is then, when would this kingdom come? St John gives us the answer, as an aside when Jesus was celebrating the feast of the Tabernacles. It was the final day called ‘The Day of Hosannas’. A priest had carried a large bowl of water from the temple precincts to the pool of Siloam followed by a long procession. Once there, the water from the bowl was poured out into the pool to ‘commemorate’ the rock that Moses had struck in the desert to save his people from dying from thirst. Whilst he was doing this a prophetic text was read out from Isaiah. It looked forward to the living waters that would be poured out when the Messiah would inaugurate the new world order promised by God through the Prophets. This was the moment that Jesus chose to speak out in a loud voice so that all could hear him, claiming to be the new and living rock prefigured by the rock struck by Moses in the desert. His words speak for themselves:-

“If any man is thirsty let him come to me! Let the man come and drink, who believes in me. As the scripture says: From his breast shall flow fountains of living water.”



Then, after describing the event and quoting what Jesus had said, John added, so that there would be no misunderstanding:-


“He was speaking of the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for there was no Spirit as yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified”.( Jn. 7:37-39).


Continue reading at David Torkington.

John the Baptist: bridging the Old and New Testaments

By Heidi

June 24 is the Solemnity of The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.  Today we celebrate the birth of the man who, as Saint Augustine tells us, “represents the boundaries between the two testaments, the old and the new.”  All of the events surrounding the birth of the Baptist suggest that the obscurity of the Old Testament prophesies are to be revealed and illuminated by the one who John is to proclaim, who John had already been proclaiming as he leaped in the womb of his mother Elizabeth at Mary’s arrival.  Leaping like David dancing before the Ark of the Covenant.  Even from the womb John points us past the signs to the ultimate realities.  This is why we celebrate his birth with a Solemnity!

John points us out of the wilderness, out of confusion, to the fulfillment of the words of Isaiah, Hosea, Jeremiah and the prophets.  Words that often were mysterious, and attain their deepest meaning only in the light of Christ’s salvific mission.  And us too, he points us past the mundane to Jesus, in whose light even the most obscure life is elevated and glorified.

Of course evil hates clarity and light.  The enemy of your soul will always try to confuse your vocation, obscure your accomplishments and highlight your failings. Even John the Baptist experienced moments of confusion and doubt as he faced down evil in his martyrdom (Matthew 11:2).  From his place of imprisonment John lived out what he had been preaching to all who would listen:   He turned to the Lord; he asked Him for reassurance and in the Lord’s response he was satisfied.  Even in his doubt he fulfilled his mission which is so beautifully portrayed in so many paintings;  in sending his messengers to Jesus, John was pointing to Him and showing us all the way out of our own confusion and self-doubt.


Continue reading at Journey to Wisdom.

Ask, seek, knock, be present

By Robert Batch

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

It is hard in today’s culture to really grasp these three steps.  Ask, someone that is not present to us. Seek someone that we cannot see.  Finally Knock, to be answered by someone we don’t even see!

None of us can entirely attain to these lofty ideals, but I will say this that the Lord knows where are hearts are tender and sincere before him, especially in the Eucharist.  I have made it a personal habit to go to the Adoration Chapel every night after work simply to be in His presence.  The amount of grace that you receive by simply being in his presence is something that you can only experience if you truly seek the Lord in the Eucharist.

On this Feast of the Body of Christ, I encourage you to try and find some time during your week to simply seek the Lord in the presence of Him in the Blessed Sacrament.  You never know what the Lord might give you, and you never know what door might open in your life.

What are you waiting for…Go!

Robert originally posted this at his blog Love is Calling.

Salty kind of love

By Beryl Baterina

 

 

 

A Helping Hand by Eugene von Blaas
(Wikimedia Commons).

 

"Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another."

When I was in First Grade, I read a story entitled "Love Like Salt."  It is a story of a princess who told her father that she loves him like sallt.  Of course the King became angry because he could not believe that her daughter would compare her love to salt.  That princess went away and later on came back home unknowingly to her father.  She told the servants to prepare food without salt and serve it to the King.  When the King ate, he was furious with the taste of the food.  He asked who is responsible for the food preparation.  The pincess appeared and told him, "I told the servant to serve the food as that.  I am a daughter who loves her father like salt."  With that the King realized how much his daughter trully loves him.

Salt is a very useful condiment for food.  It gives taste and it preserves.  And what if it lose its taste?  It's purpose will not work after all.  How can the taste be restored?

 

 

Continue reading at Beryl Baterina.

Jesus cleanses the leper

By Barbara A. Schoeneberger

 

My Ignatius Study Bible and the “Gospels in a Year” adventure at Flocknote  are exciting tools to help me know the Lord all the better. If you aren’t signed up yet, try it out. I’m loving it.

Jesus Cleanses the Leper

Some weeks back our study for the day was Matthew 8:1-13. I wanted to write about it then but didn’t get to it. Then the same passages came up for the Gospel of the Third Sunday after Epiphany a couple of weeks ago and again, the story kept tugging at me. The image of the leper is so touching I can’t get it out of my mind, as he is the symbol of the sin-sick soul we hear about in the beautiful American Spiritual, “There is a Balm in Gilead”. This is a beautiful tale of faith.

Matthew 8:1: When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed Him.

Jesus always withdrew to the high place, a mountain, to pray to His Father.  Mountains symbolize the dwelling place of God. This is where Moses and the prophets often conversed with God, and where God gave commands and instructions to them. After dealing with the crowds, Jesus went to the heights for peace and quiet and to “recharge his batteries” if you will. Our mountains are the quiet places we go when we want to pray – the Adoration chapel or church, the home altar, a chair in the back yard, on the porch, or on the balcony, a peaceful place in the woods, anywhere we can be alone with God. Before we undertake any great work, a conversation with the Father will give us strength just as it did Christ.


Continue reading at Barbara's blog Suffering With Joy.

My widow's mite

By Patricia

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44)

Jesus is so delightful.  Nothing escapes His notice….the story of the “widow’s mite” is  a perfect example.  He not only observed her with obvious love and kindness, but He deemed her example worthy of pointing out to His apostles…and to us.

When I think of this story, I believe that Jesus is speaking not only of money, but of everything we offer to God.

I know many people who have wonderful gifts of teaching and speaking and leadership and organization etc., who really make a difference in my parish and diocese.  But, I’m not one of them.  I don’t have those gifts.

It has always been that way.  I was the quiet, compliant child who prayed that the teacher wouldn’t call on me, not because I didn’t know the answer, but because I knew my face would blush bright red as soon as I heard my name.


Continue reading at Patricia's blog I Want to See God.

Show us the path of life

By Heidi

(Wikimedia Commons).

That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.  (Luke 24:13-16).

The disciples on the road to Emmaus are discouraged and downcast, heading away from Jerusalem:  The site of the resurrection, the place where they are to go and await the Lord.  They have heard the rumors of resurrection, but they cannot believe after such a disastrous and seemingly definitive end to the life and mission of Jesus.  Their hope is crushed, their courage has failed them. Have you ever found yourself wandering away from the path set before you by the Lord in the wake of the sorrows, trails and sinfulness of this world?  Jesus, who will never abandon us, meets the disciples where they are and probes their hearts.  He gives them His mild rebuke: “Oh how foolish you are!  How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!”  He then gently instructs and redirects them with the power of His Word.

 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.  Psalm 16:11

If there is one thing that we spiritual sojourners constantly face it is the the disorientation of our own sinfulness.  Walking toward the Light can be discouraging, like driving into the sun, every spot on our windshield shows.  I often find myself tossed to and fro between despairing self-condemnation and blinding self-justification.  Both extremes will divert us from our journey into a deeper relationship with the Lord.  We fail to move with conviction, or sometimes without our complete awareness, we change our direction and move farther away from the Light at the slightest failure.  Like the two disciples, in times of discouragement and sorrow, sometimes we discover we are on a path heading away from our true destination. 


Continue reading at Heidi's blog Journey to Wisdom.

Hard questions, simple answer

 By Mallory Hoffman

Infant Christ as the Good Shepherd by Murillo.
(Wikimedia Commons)

 
"When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,  and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.  “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”  He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the greatest and first commandment.  And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
(Matthew 22: 34-40)

Can you imagine how frustrated the Pharisees and the Sadducees must have been to hear Jesus answer their questions?  Each time they tried to make Him stumble by giving Him a question  they thought would trick Him, Jesus came back with an answer that made these learned men retreat from Him with their heads hung in shame.  They hoped to humiliate and silence Jesus, but each time, Jesus, silenced them. 


Continue reading at Mallory's blog His UnEnding Love.

More than just a nice idea

By Heidi

The Conscience of Judas (Wikimedia Commons)

“So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.” John 13:30
 
John’s imagery is always so clear.   When we leave Him we enter into darkness, when we cling to Him we remain in the light. But what were Judas’ intentions?  Had he convinced himself that what he was doing was good? 

The movie Jesus of Nazareth portrays a Judas who wants to see Jesus’ ideas and philosophies advanced.  He knows he is going behind Jesus’ back, he knows there is treachery involved, but he has convinced himself this is the only way for Jesus’ message to get out.  It is a sympathetic portrayal, and one that should cause all of us to meditate on how we allow Jesus to shape us.  Do we cling to abstractions of Jesus and His message?  Do we reduce Him to an impersonal intellectual morsel?

Yes, the teachings of Christ are Truth, and we must always strive to live it and teach it.  But Jesus is more than just an idea, He is body, blood, soul and divinity.  His Word is not tidbits of wise sayings, it is living with power to transform you. We cannot evangelize the world if Jesus is just an abstract morsel of goodness, we must have a relationship with Him, then we remain in His light and let Him live in us and breath through us, to draw all mankind to Himself.

Close your eyes and lay your head on His chest and listen to His beating heart.  Remain in His light always!


 
Heidi writes at Journey to Wisdom.

What would Jesus blog or tweet?

By Anabelle Hazard

If you’ve been on social media long enough, you’re familiar with expert tips on what makes for popular blog posts and most clicked or re-tweeted topics.  Such as: create lists; offer relationship advice; post popular #hashtags; draft helpful “how-tos” on hobbies or health tips; use humor, ask questions and make interesting headlines; link to articles, photos and videos; comment on current events, interact with celebrities; reward your followers… etc, etc

If you’ve done your scriptural homework long enough, you probably have an idea of what Jesus were to tweet/blog if he joined the online community and took the advice of the so-called experts. In fact, you’d probably also realize He was way ahead of his time and those so-called experts pocketed their tips off the New Testament.

1.  Create lists:  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst for justice, merciful, pure of heart, peacemakers, those who are persecuted in my name…” (Matt 5:3-11)

2.  #Relationshipadvice.  “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you.” (Matthew 7:12) No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  (John 15:13)


Continue reading at Anabelle's blog  Written by the Finger of God.

Simon, do you love me?

By Heidi

Christ's Charge to Peter by Raphael (Wikimedia Commons)

 

 

Do you pray with the Scriptures?  When you read them, do you allow a word or a scene from the passage to speak to you in your heart and draw out from you a prayer?  It is essential for each of us enter into prayer in this way.  Yet, it is a direction that many "voices" - from the world, and from your own ego - will dissuade you from; because it will reveal your idols, your weaknesses.  

 

The Lord seeks to lead us out of those "Egypts" in each one of our souls.  To do so demands much; it demands a love that endures all things, hopes all things and to be completely truthful, I do not have that love yet.  That is important for me to understand, not for me to despair but so that I can live in His truth, endure in His light and be drawn up into a more perfect love by following His voice.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”  Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He then said to Simon Peter a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”  Simon Peter answered him, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”  Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.”  Jesus said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”  Peter was distressed that Jesus had said to him a third time, ‘Do you love me?’ and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”  Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.  Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” He said this signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.  And when he had said this, he said to him, “Follow me.” 
John 21: 1-19

Continue reading at Heidi's blog Journey to Wisdom.

Do not refuse to hear

By Nancy Shuman

The Calling of Matthew by Caravaggio (Wikimedia Commons).

Letter to the Hebrews:  "Do not refuse to hear Him Who speaks."  (12:25)

I am struck by the word "refused" used here.  I mean:  imagine God speaking to me and me not just missing the call - but actually refusing to hear it!

Actually, I can imagine that all too well.

It doesn't take a long memory, on my part, to see myself with head ducked, eyes downcast, pretending I don't know what is being asked of me.  I've never heard a physical "voice" from God, but I have detected the gentle call of One inviting me to live as He asks, to treat others as He wishes, to give Him a moment of prayer.

But gosh, I'm so busy.  Maybe later, just a little later. 

If Jesus were standing right in front of me, would I say "Nice to see you, but you caught me just dashing out the door.  Oh, and I meant to tell you - I had a reason for not doing what you asked the other day... after all, what would people have thought?  And oh... excuse me just a minute, will you?  I think I heard the phone....."

The thing is - Jesus IS standing right in front of me.  Right now.  He is closer than I could possibly imagine. 

How will I respond?


Nancy originally posted this on her blog The Breadbox Letters.

Into your hands I commend my spirit

By Heidi

The Denial of St. Peter by Caravaggio (Wikimedia Commons).

"Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be.” Matthew 26:33

It has been a tough Lent for me, a long dry spell in prayer has continued, though not completely without respite.  Along with that a family situation suddenly came upon us that will continue to demand much prayer, love and sacrifice into an uncertain future.  And here I am with nothing to offer, not a thing. 

One day, as my husband and I were waiting on some news with our loved one, I reflected on how empty I felt, how impoverished I was in this particular situation.  How impoverished I had always been.  I stand at a crucial moment, like Peter at his denial of the Lord, relying on my own store of love and fidelity and I find am empty! In that emptiness, fear, resentment and bitterness were threatening to invade. “Lord!”  I cried, “I have no love!” 

The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame. 
Isaiah 50:7

It was a Thursday, so, since I had nothing to do but wait, I prayed the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary.  Oh, because of my dryness in prayer I tried to distract myself with other things, but in the end I relented to the call to pray. 

I don’t think I ever finished it, because as I prayed the second Luminous mystery, The Wedding of Cana I began to realize that Our Blessed Mother was helping me to ask for His love to minister to this situation, and in fact to overflow into my past failures to endure in love and faithful patience.  In turn, I was being invited to wait on the Lord.  How can one trust such an intuition?  How can one cling to it with nothing to see as proof it will come to fruition?


Continue reading at Heidi's blog Journey to Wisdom.

Jesus is the Chief Shepherd

By Beryl Baterina

The Good Shepherd by Giordano (Wikimedia Commons)

"But be examples to the flock."

 

In our life, there will be instances that we will show leadership among other people. It can be just by taking initiative in doing the dishes or feeding the pet. It can also be by volunteering for charitable activities in the community. Encouraging others or teaching them also shows leadership.  

 

We must remember that in doing so we must show compassion and inspiration. We should be a role model and not be high and mighty because we are knowledgeable. We must keep our humility even we are in high positions. We are just humans and also belong to the flock. And only the Lord is the Greatest Shepherd.

 

Continue reading at Beryl's blog, Beryl Baterina: Daily Dose.

 

 

 

The cockle in our lives

By Barbara A. Schoeneberger

Kiss of Judas, Fecamp Psalter

Wikimedia Commons

The Gospel for the Fifth Sunday After Epiphany in the Extraordinary Form is the parable of the man who sowed good seed in his field, but his enemy came in at night and sowed cockle seed over it. Now what kind of person would do such a thing? The farmer’s crop not only provided his living, others needed it for survival too, and future crops depended on the seed. The malicious act of a hateful heart would hurt many.

This is exactly what Satan is about. Create as much pain and suffering as possible in ways that have far reaching effects. Discourage all kindness. Choke the light of Christ out from the midst of God’s children. Seize their water and make them shrivel and die, all the while masquerading as one of the authentic stalks of grain until the very last minute when the reality of being a fake naturally emerges.

Cockle and wheat look alike when growing until the heads mature. At harvest the cockle is uprooted, bound and burned. The wheat is harvested and stored in the barn, protected from the elements, safe. We can see the obvious spiritual reference to the Last Judgment here, but let’s back up a bit and consider the time of the two growing along side each other. If we identify ourselves with the wheat, what is God showing us here of how we are to live in this very imperfect world? Why not just rip up the cockle wherever it appears so that it can’t hurt any of the wheat?


Continue reading at Barb's blog  Suffering With Joy.

Jesus cleanses the leper

By Barbara A. Schoeneberger

 


My Ignatius Study Bible and the “Gospels in a Year” adventure at Flocknote  are exciting tools to help me know the Lord all the better. If you aren’t signed up yet, try it out. I’m loving it.

Jesus Cleanses the Leper

Some weeks back our study for the day was Matt. 8:1-13. I wanted to write about it then but didn’t get to it. Then the same passages came up for the Gospel of the Third Sunday after Epiphany a couple of weeks ago and again, the story kept tugging at me. The image of the leper is so touching I can’t get it out of my mind, as he is the symbol of the sin-sick soul we hear about in the beautiful American Spiritual, “There is a Balm in Gilead”. This is a beautiful tale of faith.

Matt. 8:1: When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed Him;

Jesus always withdrew to the high place, a mountain, to pray to His Father.  Mountains symbolize the dwelling place of God. This is where Moses and the prophets often conversed with God, and where God gave commands and instructions to them. After dealing with the crowds, Jesus went to the heights for peace and quiet and to “recharge his batteries” if you will.

Our mountains are the quiet places we go when we want to pray – the Adoration chapel or church, the home altar, a chair in the back yard, on the porch, or on the balcony, a peaceful place in the woods, anywhere we can be alone with God. Before we undertake any great work, a conversation with the Father will give us strength just as it did Christ.

Continue reading at Barb's blog Suffering With Joy.

Can prayer and fasting solve your "unsolvable" problem?

By Lora Goulet

Bread and Pitcher by Lucille Wallenrod (Wikimedia Commons).

The Holy Gospel teaches us that the disciples of Jesus were powerless to resolve the affliction of a young boy. It must have been frightening and exhausting for the both the child and his father. Jesus illustrates the role of faith, trust and surrender to His Will, when facing any seemingly insurmountable crisis.

It takes faith to turn away from earthly distractions and ineffective solutions to problems. Daily tasks and concerns absorb precious minutes and hours with the greatest urgency. Spending time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and actively seeking spiritual nourishment requires faith that Our Blessed Lord is in control of every outcome. His Will for our lives is perfect and holy. Prayer and fasting help us to recognize and obey God's will for us.

~Jesus spoke to the father of the child~

 "And Jesus saith unto him: If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Mark 9:22

~The disciples asked Jesus why they were unable 

to cast the demon spirit form the child~

  "And He said to them: This kind can go out 

by nothing but by prayer and fasting." Mark 9:28

Douay Rheims Roman Catholic Bible

Lora blogs at mommynovenas.

The value of the contemplative life

Barbara A. Schoeneberger

Christ in the House of Martha and Mary
by Tintoretto (Wikimedia Commons)

“Now it came to pass as they were on their journey, that He entered a certain village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him to her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, who also seated herself at the Lord’s feet, and listened to His word.  But Martha was busy about much serving.  And she came up and said, ‘Lord, is it no concern of Thine that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Tell her therefore to help me.’

"But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, thou art anxious and troubled about many things: and yet only one thing is needful.  Mary has chosen the best part, and it will not be taken away from her.’”  Lk. 10: 38-42

About eight or ten years ago, some devout Catholics got riled up over criticism of a small monastery of cloistered Carmelites by fellow Catholics engaged in what we call “social justice” issues.  It seems some Catholics attached to the local Franciscans were saying that since the Carmelites were diminishing in number and had more space than they needed, their monastery should be taken away from them and used to house the poor because “those nuns weren’t doing anything anyway.”

I knew that the Carmelites owned their property, that there was no danger of the bishop taking the monastery away from them and using it for other purposes, but I visited with one of the nuns anyway and carried back the information to the others to calm their anxieties.

The monastery is a juridical person, that is, the group of nuns were protected as an entity by canon law.  They were also a foundation of pontifical right, which means only the Pope could close them down, and he would have to have a very good reason to do so.  So the worries were unfounded and things calmed down.

The devaluing of contemplative life disturbed me a great deal then and still does today.  Martha and Mary stood out in my mind strongly.  Moreover, I now look back at what happened within the context of those who are too ill or disabled to “do” things and their devaluation by others using the utilitarian yardstick.

Continue reading at Barb's blog, Suffering With Joy.

In your mouth and in your heart

By Michael Incorvia

Jesus Goes Alone Up On a Mountain
to Pray by Tissot (Wikimedia Commons)

Prayer consists in having the Lord not only near in mouth, but also near in heart.  “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).


Prayer does not comprise one empty phrase heaped upon another.  Rather, prayer is the mouth proclaiming phrases that proceed from the heart.  The heartfelt phrases may be in the form of petitions and complaints, acclamations of praise and glory, and declarations of faith and hope.  During prayer, the heart should also be still and listen.

The Patriarchs, Prophets, and Psalmists entered into such fervent dialogue with the Lord.  The Gospels are similarly filled with such prayerful dialogue between Jesus and His Father in Heaven.


Michael blogs at  To Love and Truth.

Helping your kids stay in the faith

By Robert Batch

 

Child at Prayer by Eastman Johnson
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)

I have been asked to speak in Illinois next month for a 8th grade Confirmation Retreat, and to put together a workshop for parents on how to keep their kids active in the faith.  Now, I am definitely not a parent, but I do have a mom and dad who both raised me Catholic and did a wonderful job at it!  I would definitely say that if it was not for them, I would not be where I am today.

Some of you may be in the same position, and some of you may be thinking what am I missing?  Or what am I doing wrong?  Lets take a look at Matthew, Chapter 13: The Parable of the Sower.

“A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path and the birds came and devoured them.  Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they had not much soil, and immediately sprang up since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scored; and since they had no root they withered away.  Other seeds fell upon thorns and the thorns grew up and choked them.  Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears, let him hear.”


Continue reading at Robert's blog Love is Calling.