Follow the Ways of Your Heart September 30

Follow the ways of your heart, the vision of your eyes; Yet understand that as regards all this God will bring you to judgment. Ecclesiastes 11:9

While they were all amazed at his every deed, Jesus said to his disciples,“Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.” Luke 9:43-44

Piety

Jesus, Lord of all ages, help us to be alert to your presence in our lives. Help us to sit up and pay attention when you are speaking to us. Never hide from us the meaning of your message so that we can act upon it through our piety, study, and action. Amen.

Study
http://www.usccb.org/nab/093006.shtml

Our exploration of discipleship continues in today’s readings.

1) Disciples are moved by every deed and action of the Teacher. They do not try to explain them away. They accept the actions for the miracles that they hold.

Recently there was a story in the news http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-04/fsu-jwo040406.php) saying that Jesus did not walk on water. The theory advanced by some professor in Florida was that He walked on ice. Come on. If you have never been there, the Sea of Galilee is at about the latitude geographically of San Diego. If they were on the top of a mountain, maybe there might be some ice. Come on, professor! The Sea of Galilee is 600 feet below sea level. Disciples don’t try to explain the miracles, they praise them with amazement.

2) The Teacher speaks to his disciples. Through Sacred Scripture, neighbors, prayer and contemplation, Jesus speaks to us today.

3) Jesus encourages us, prods us to “Pay attention.” When he says something that is really important, he will even flag it for us.

4) Just as the Lord is our refuge in every age of history and in every age of each person’s life, He will go through His own ages from birth to death. Here, he predicts His own death. Yet, no one understands. They not only don’t “get it,” but they don’t ask him what he means.

Sometimes, it takes the fullness of time to reveal its true meaning.

Action

Please allow me to share with you a letter (and the hot links) that I got today from David Rubenstein of the Save Darfur Coalition. Please send a message to our political leaders about this modern day Auschwitz. Jesus is telling us today to pay attention. This is really important. People’s lives are at stake.

If you are reading this, you have a computer. It will take you less than ONE MINUTE to click on the links and send this message to President Bush and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Please do it and consider taking one action every week until the international community stops the genocide in the Sudan.

Dear Anthony,

Murder. Rape. Starvation. Displacement. These are everyday occurrences in Darfur where already 400,000 men, women, and children have been killed and over 2.5 million people have been forced from their homes.

A UN peacekeeping force remains the only hope to bring peace to the region.

But the peacekeeping force - already authorized by the UN Security Council - might never make it to Darfur if the Sudanese government doesn't agree to let it in. That's why it's so important that our world leaders ramp up the pressure and demand that the peacekeepers are admitted.

Click here to send a message to President Bush and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Remind them that the international community is watching, and that we refuse to let the atrocities in Darfur continue.

Join us in demanding that President Bush and Secretary-General Annan:

Push for immediate deployment of the already authorized UN peacekeeping force.

Strengthen the understaffed African Union force already in Darfur until the UN force is deployed.

Negotiate a fair and lasting Peace Agreement.

Increase humanitarian aid and ensure access for its delivery.

Never before has the U.N. authorized a peacekeeping force that wasn't eventually deployed.

Click here to tell our leaders not to let Darfur become the exception.

Saving Darfur may not be easy, but how will history judge us if we do not?

Thank you for your continued commitment.

Sincerely,
David Rubenstein
Save Darfur Coalition