God Loves You Freely March 24

Prayer

Jesus, your prescription is so simple. Gone are numerous laws from the prophets and Deuteronomy. In their place you give us two simple laws. Help us to always listen with ease the direct, straight-forward simplicity of your commands. Help to hear the truth and do what you ask so we can blossom like the vine as you promised. Amen.

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/032406.shtml

As Spring comes into full bloom and the Cherry Blossom Festival gets ready to kick off, we hear images of new growth in the reading from Hosea.
I will be like the dew for Israel:he shall blossom like the lily;He shall strike root like the Lebanon cedar,and put forth his shoots.His splendor shall be like the olive treeand his fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.…They shall blossom like the vine,and his fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

Jesus continues the theme of growth and change in the New Testament reading from Mark. Perhaps God gives us the new growth of each Spring freely as a gift so it is easier to praise him. He also continues his plea for us to listen to him. There, he boils down the hundreds of laws in Jewish tradition and the Ten Commandments to just two rules:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.The second is this:You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

As we have been all week, the disciples are reminding us of the creed at Sunday Mass. If we do these things, we will bear fruit, we will walk in the straight path of the Lord and we will not be far from the Kingdom of God.

Action

If you want proof of love freely given, stop by the temporary hypothermia shelter at St. George’s Episcopal Church any night this week. Despite the choke cherry trees in bloom, despite the blooming flowers, it is still winter. Thanks to volunteers from St, George’s and St. Mary’s, the shelter is able to bring 75 people in off the streets and provide a place for them to lay their head.

Last night, we were filled almost to capacity with 74 out of 75 possible bed-slots filled with people fleeing the unseasonably cold nights. There was donated food galore. Ham. Potatoes. Fruit Salad. Granola Bars. Eggs. Biscuits. Coffee. Tea. Drinks. Oranges. Apples. Bananas. The volunteers came through once again. Truly this mission of mercy is proof of how we bear fruit when we follow the path selected by God.

Remember a time when you bore fruit. How did you bear fruit? What did you do? What else can you plan to do in the next week?

For that, Jesus loves you freely!