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  Friday 3 rd Week of Lent Gospel – Mark 12:28-34 Love is the Answer, and the Question Chapel at Cana Finally!   A Pharisee/scribe asking Jesus an honest question and not looking to catch Him off-guard.     He actually seeks an honest response, and he then agrees with Jesus’ answer!   There are 616 precepts in Jewish Law and asking Jesus which one is the greatest is probably asking for trouble.   Jesus’ answer perfectly sums the entire Law in one simple reply.   Why obey all those precepts?   Love! Love is the answer.   I obey the law because I love the law-giver – God!   Because I want our relationship to be strong and to flourish. It’s that love of a parent for a child, the willingness to get up in the middle of the night to give them a glass of water even though you were sleeping soundly.   It’s a love that goes out of its way to comfort them when they are sick or skinned their knee.   It’s a love that joyfully shar...
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  Thursday - 3rd Week of Lent -   Gospel – Luke 11:14-23 Fences Heiskell, TN One thing I have noticed after living here in Tennessee are FENCES!   Back in Chicago, we seem to use fences to keep out the neighbors, to hide ourselves from the world!   Tall 6-foot wooden fences surrounding our property!   We say it’s for privacy, but you have to wonder!   Here in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, yes, there are plenty of fences.   But they are barbed wire or chicken wire; they are meant to protect the farm animals but still provide gorgeous views of the ‘family ponderosa’ , not hide it from the world!   Are you with me?   It feels like a rallying cry to the crowds in Les Miserables !   Or maybe it’s the whispered words of an older brother as he plots in secret with his siblings to raid the cookie jar!   But in today’s Gospel, Jesus expressed similar words to the crowds – you are either with me or against me!   It’s a ch...
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  Wednesday - 3rd Week of Lent Gospel – Matthew 5:17-19 Teach The Children Well! Mount of the Beatitudes   “Thank you for being a good teacher to all of us. You made a difference to us and I wanted you to know that. You certainly had the patience of Job dealing with all of us!” A former student of mine, almost 30 years ago, sent me this message a few weeks ago.   It is a heartwarming and humbling reminder that somehow some way you really do make a difference.   Many times you go through life without even realizing the effect you have on others by just being yourself, by simple acts of kindness and comforting words.   We all have an amazing effect on those around us, whether we acknowledge it or not. In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks not only about the permanency of the Law but also about our responsibility to teach the commandments to others, not just by our words but by our actions. Whether you accept it or not, we are all teachers!   We know from ...
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