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  Friday – 30 th Week in Ordinary Time Gospel – Luke 14:1-6 Choices Chapel. Magdala When was the last time you walked past or ignored someone who was obviously in need.   Maybe it was back in high school and someone was sitting in a corner crying their eyes out and we walked right past without even making eye contact.   Nope, nope, not my problem, keep moving on!   Or that obviously distressed driver with the flat tire and they looked utterly clueless about how to proceed?   Nope, I’ve got things to do and places to go; leave it to someone else.   Not my day to be Christian!   I’ve got more important things to accomplish. Let’s not even use the word ‘kind’.   It’s about doing or saying the right thing, especially when it matters the most.   There are choices to be made in today’s Gospel reading, some obvious and some not so much.   The obvious one is whether to cure the man with dropsy or not.   For Jesus, this is not eve...
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  Thursday – 30 th Week in Ordinary Time Gospel – Luke 13:31-35 Fear is the Mind-Killer Caiaphas’ House, Jerusalem Wow!   Now this is different; some Pharisees are actually concerned for Jesus’ safety.   And they are warning Him to stay away from Jerusalem because Herod wants Him dead.   But Jesus is not deterred; He is not afraid!   He is determined to continue on His mission and will soon come to Jerusalem where He knows He will be put to death, like so many other prophets! I am a sci-fi fanatic – Star Trek, Star Wars, you name it!   I even, nerd that I am, have a Star Trek uniform perfect for Halloween when I answer the door.   That devotion also extends to literature. And my all-time favorite sci-fi book is Dune by Frank Herbert!   Throughout that book and the entire series, the hero Paul Atreides has a mantra that he recites in moments of trial and doubt!   (Shameless plug – Dune 3 comes out in December) “I must not fear. Fear i...
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  Wednesday – 30 th Week in Ordinary Time Gospel – Luke 6:12-16 Hey Jude! Church of Dormition, Jerusalem   Today we celebrate the Feasts of Sts. Simon and Jude, Apostles!   Simon, but not Simon Peter!   Jude but not Judas!   Except for Simon being called a Zealot and Jude speaking to Jesus at the Last Supper, we have very little details about their life and mission.   One apocryphal text has them preaching and being martyred in Persia. So what do we have?   Jesus spent the night on the mountain to pray.   He calls each of the Twelve by name!   And he gives them a mission, to be apostles – to hear His words and teachings and then to spread that same word. Sounds a lot like Baptism!   Hopefully, those of us who are parents spent time praying and preparing for the Baptism of our children, reflecting on the meaning of becoming a child of God and the demands of raising that child in the faith – teaching them and praying with them...