Scriptures and Faith - Life is a Journey

 Hello out there! I hope you are all doing well, near and far, wherever you are! As I begin writing this post at 3:56 pm on Monday afternoon, the temperature is a steaming hot 103 degrees! The weather app on my phone says that it will cool down to 102 degrees at 7:00 pm and by 9:00 pm it should drop to 94 degrees! Please stay hydrated! I pray for everyone who is dealing with this extreme heat! I think about all the people who work out in this weather, those who live on the streets, the elderly, and the list goes on! My prayer list gets longer every day.

I love the scriptures from Mass last night. The first reading was from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 55:10-11

Thus says the Lord: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; my word shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.

The second reading was from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans 8:18-23

(I'm not going to write this one down - look it up if you have time!)

The Gospel reading was long and it's one of my favorites so I'm going to write/type it all out! 

Matthew 13:1-23

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such Large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear."

The disciples approached him and said, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" He said to them in reply, "Because knowledge of the  mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted, and I heal them.

"But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and hear what you hear but did not hear it.

"Hear then the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."

I pray that my eyes will always be open to the path God has for me. I know that there will be detours, and potholes, and probably a flat tire or two on my journey. And where we live...the potholes are "big honkin" potholes! But I also know, that God has been and will continue to be, with me through it all! God has blessed me with my husband and we travel this road together. During this journey, my glass is not only half full, my cup runneth over. I am thankful for our children and the laughter and hugs of our grandchildren, the phone calls, visits and all of our adventures. I pray that my eyes will always be open to the beautiful sun rises and sun sets, the moon and the stars, and that my ears will be open to the melody of the singing birds, the sound of wind blowing through the trees and the roaring thunder before the rain. I pray that I will be a light to others and that God will continue to guide my hands as I type these words.

Peace and blessing to you and yours,

 near and far, wherever you are!

Thank you for reading my blog!

Bye for now, Sharla