Finding God In Our Hearts with Msgr. Don Fischer

Gospel John 20:1-2, 11-18 On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him." Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken my Lord, and I don't know where they laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" She thought it was the gardener and said to him, "Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, "Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and then reported what he told her. Reflection I think it's clear that Mary Magdalene was devoted to Jesus and listened to every word he said, and she took it to heart. But she couldn't grasp it. She had to go through an experience which is so true for all of us. That's the way it works. We know about what it is, and then we have to experience the power that is in that event, and it changes us. So she's weeping. And Jesus said, why would you weep when I told you that this would happen? And then he looks at her and loves her and longs for her to become who she is. Mary. He says her name. Remember I told you this, I have to go to my father so that I can send you my presence. So do not be afraid that I have left you. I'm coming in a way that's beyond your imagining. Closing Prayer Father, the experience the disciples and Mary, all of them had is something we go through ourselves in our own way, in our own time. Help us to ingest these mysteries because they are unfolding in each of our lives now. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 12:38-42 Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here. At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.” Reflection Jesus’ response to the Pharisees who ask for a sign is an indication of the disposition of the Pharisees. They didn't want to see what God really wanted to show them through Jesus, because it was too frightening to them. Because what Jesus is revealing is the power that he has is the transformation that he can affect within human beings. The transformation, say, of Jonah and that work of Jesus is the greatest of the miracles. Closing Prayer Father, there's a way in which we can expect a miracle in our life, where all of a sudden the thing that we can't do, is given to us the power to accomplish things. It's not that simple. We're not here to be powerful human beings, but to be ministers to one another and to be transformed into service, and not positions of authority. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 12:14-21 The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope. Reflection Matthew makes note of the prophet Isaiah, a prophecy about the nature of Jesus’ ministry. And it's not about demanding and screaming and proclaiming things in a authoritarian way. No, it was the gentle movement of a healing, loving figure. Jesus, who is revealing who God is. So here at the end of his ministry, when he knows he's going to be crucified, the first thing he does is take care of those that were there with him, heal them, and simply said, be still. Don't have to talk about who I am. I have proclaimed everything it needs to be proclaimed. Closing Prayer Father, as we look at the broad picture of the ministry that Jesus performed three short years, and over and over again, he just described a beautiful image of a god that no one believed could possibly exist. So when he is ultimately at the end of his life, he knows what the world needs is not just another teaching, but a transformative power called the crucifixion. Bless us with an awareness of what this gift brings. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 12:1-8 Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath." He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.” Reflection I don't know if there's anything that I would pray the church would listen so clearly to this image. Jesus saying that he is here to inaugurate a kingdom that is not focused on law, but on the needs of individuals. Mercy, compassion, understanding. Every institution is caught up, in a sense, the weakness of overlooking the individual and just demanding rigid following of rules. Nothing is further from the truth when it comes to the work that God longs to do within us. It's personal. It's individual. It is honoring our unique situation. And blessed are those who find ministers in the church who do the same. Closing Prayer Father, so many are called to witness your presence. And when they do that, when they focus primarily on rules and regulations, they're robbing the individual of the experience of who God really is. Of course, laws and rules are necessary, but when it comes across that they're more important than the individual, then there is a vacuum of the very essence of God, the loving father, the caring friend, the person who is on our side. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 10:7-15 Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Reflection When Jesus describes that he is meek and humble of heart. He's also saying clearly to all of us that the father, God the Father, is meek and humble of heart. It's hard for us to understand fully how radical such a statement would be, because there was an image of the father as being much like the other gods. Powerful, in need of praise, in need of honor, in need of obedience. And here he is saying, no, this God, this God the Father that I've come to reveal to you is a loving, caring, patient, gentle father. And when you rest in that image, you will find rest that’s so needed in all of our lives. Closing Prayer Father, so many images around us of power seem to be coming from people who are filled with their egos and filled with self-centeredness. So sometimes it's hard for us to understand how fully the authority that you have is so radically different in the way the world sees power. Bless us with this consistent, clear image of a loving, caring, forgiving father. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 11:25-27 At that time Jesus exclaimed: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” Reflection This passage makes very clear one of the things that Jesus wanted more than anything else to do was to reveal to us the true nature of the father. And he makes clear that he is the only human being, the only one that walked this earth that had full, complete knowledge of who God the Father is. That was his authority. That was his power. And as he reveals more and more of who the father was, it became clear that the world was not ready and continued to reject him, particularly rejecting the image of a father so loving, so kind, and so present. Closing Prayer Father, we have so many notions of who you are. And we always need to be called into a place of reflection and wonder and awe at who you have revealed yourself to be through Jesus. Bless us with openness. Let us let go of things in the past to keep us from the fullness of the love and the beauty of our father. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 11:20-24 Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum: Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the netherworld. For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.” Reflection What Jesus was doing when he was performing miracles was not just displaying some power that he had, but rather trying to reveal clearly the mercy, the love of the father. Jesus came into this world to reveal who the father is. And when you look at the mighty deeds that he did, the healings, the transformations, they were the essence of who God the Father truly is. So what he longs for is for people to accept this new image. And yet so many refused. But he continued, always to long for them to change. Closing Prayer Father, you continue to awaken us to the beauty of who God the father truly is. Help us to believe in the miracles that you perform for us. Help us to be excited about the role that you continue to play in our lives, where you are the source of so many solutions that bring us peace. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 10:34—11:1 Jesus said to his Apostles: "Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one's enemies will be those of his household. "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. "Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man's reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple– amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward." When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns. Reflection I'm intrigued by the last line of this passage that Jesus did two things. He taught and he preached. And what's the difference? Teaching is mostly attention to the mind. Something needs to be explained. Things will happen this way or that way. And I see in the first part of this passage Jesus saying to his disciples, in order to follow me, you're going to have to reject the temple, and if you reject the temple, you'll have to reject your family. And if you put your family in front of me and before me, then you will not enter the kingdom of God. So it's very clear. And that's of teaching. But preaching is about transformation, about the mystical part of our religion. What I like about this is when he talks about those who are going to enter into the community of believers, are going to be in a family, an enormous family. Of spirit and humans. God in us. God in one another. It's a very, very important distinction to make sure that we receive both messages. There is practical advice and there is the excitement of opening a whole new way of life. Closing Prayer Father, we are called to embrace both the difficulties and the joys of following you. Bless us with understanding how they are both integral parts of our work of becoming a new creation in you. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 10:24-33 Jesus said to his Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! “Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.” Reflection Jesus is warning his apostles about the encounters they will have. And if there is a house that has been run by an evil master, the people in that place will be evil. But he reminds them, don't be afraid of evil, because it always breeds itself in the hidden part of a place in darkness. And so Jesus is reminding his disciples that he will always help them proclaim the truth, and that the disciples should not be afraid of those who can't kill the soul, even though they can kill the body. And why would he give them that advice, unless you would also follow up with what he says? I am in love with you. You are valuable to me. Every hair on your head is counted. Don't be afraid. Just acknowledge me. Even though it is risky and it exposes evil. Closing Prayer There's always been evil in the world. And it's important not to be afraid of it. Because that gives it all the power it needs to rob us of the peace and the well being, that is a sign that we know we are loved and we are cared for. Convince us of this love of God for us, and never let us be afraid. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 10:16-23 Jesus said to his Apostles: "Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of men, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” Reflection The advice that Matthew has given to his disciples is wisdom. Knowing that they are going to go into situation after a situation where the conversion to the teaching of Jesus is going to divide people, and it will be a rip in the basic fabric of family and community. And he's just warning his disciple, be careful, because this is what normally will happen when you put something out there that's so new and so radical. But he's saying the most important thing is don't lose hope. Don't lose faith in what you're saying or what you're teaching. And if the persecution gets really bad, then go to the next town. Just do both what I ask you to do, but don't let yourself be harmed. Closing Prayer When one brings the message of Christ to someone. We pray and hope that they will receive it with an open, generous heart. That they'll believe in the promises that God has made through Jesus to them about the kingdom coming. But he's also saying, recognize that people are going to hate you for this, and they're going to persecute you, and you'll endure everything because I'll be there with you to speak for you. And when it's too tight, too harsh, I will guide you to a place of safety. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 10:7-15 Jesus said to his Apostles: "As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words— go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.” Reflection In this gospel we again see Saint Matthew describing the early church, his ministry. It is to be a gift that is given to those who will proclaim it to others, but in an interesting way, they are not to go out and convert pagans to the reality of who God really is but they were to go to the house of Israel. And what they were asked to do was to awaken them, to build on the goodness that is there, the grace, the peace that is in their homes. It's fascinating to me that this was not about conversions, but about fulfillment. And it expresses once again the love that God the Father had and Jesus had for the Jewish people. Closing Prayer Father, there is something about you that is so consistent and so beautiful. You are a lover, and you never give up on those you love. You consistently work with them, help them to see things through experiences they've had. So bless us with an awareness of the confidence that gives us as we too participate in the coming of the Kingdom of God. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 10:1-7 Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the Twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, "Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’" Reflection The Old Testament, it’s a long story of God working with a group of people, the Jews. And wanted so much for them to understand the fullness of the kingdom of God that was to come through the work of Jesus. What we see in this passage is Jesus giving authority to his disciples to go and to preach and teach his message. And it's fascinating, in Matthew's Gospel that he doesn't send his disciples to the Gentiles, but to the house of Israel. And he's hoping maybe in a last ditch effort, hoping that he can convert the Jews to understanding that Jesus is the fullness of God the Father. Closing Prayer Father, you have never truly left the Israelite people. You continue to long for them to understand fully who you are. And when you send your disciples first to them, we see clearly a sign in you that you long for things, even though it may take centuries for them to change. Ultimately, when the kingdom comes, they will change. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 9:32-38 A demoniac who could not speak was brought to Jesus, and when the demon was driven out the mute man spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He drives out demons by the prince of demons.” Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Reflection There was a tradition in the time of Jesus that those who were evil were considered to have the power to do strange things to other people. And so it seems, the Pharisees were just claiming some kind of hope that some people might believe them when they said, Jesus is the demon. That's how he can handle demons. But it makes no sense to Jesus or to the others. Why would the devil try to drive out the devil from another person? But what I love in this passage is the way in which the compassion of Jesus is so clear. Looking at his human beings, he sees them troubled, abandoned, without direction, and he calls for a prayer of all of us, that there will be people who will guide those who are longing for the kingdom. We underestimate each of our ability to be an instrument of touching the troubled and abandoned soul, with love and with hope. Closing Prayer God, we don't always have the confidence that we should. That you can use us to give direction that you long for other people to have. You will use us, empower us, give us wisdom so that through us you will be able to touch those abandoned and those who are afraid. Bless us with this conviction. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 9:18-26 While Jesus was speaking, an official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, ""My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live."" Jesus rose and followed him, and so did his disciples. A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, ""If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured."" Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, ""Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you."" And from that hour the woman was cured. When Jesus arrived at the official's house and saw the flute players and the crowd who were making a commotion, he said, ""Go away! The girl is not dead but sleeping."" And they ridiculed him. When the crowd was put out, he came and took her by the hand, and the little girl arose. And news of this spread throughout all that land. Reflection It's fascinating to me when you encounter someone and ask them if they believe in God. They often say yes, and you say, well, can he raise people from the dead? Can he heal diseases? And they kind of get confused and oh, not for me. But seriously, we don't understand what it means to believe in Jesus. It means we're actually establishing a new kingdom where there is less and less pain and suffering and disease and death until we reach the final goal. The Kingdom of God is here. But the mysterious thing is, it's here now, we're experiencing it. But the key to experiencing anything that God can do for you is believing it can be done and will be done. Closing Prayer Father, the gift of Faith is more than something that we just work on ourselves. It's a gift that comes from your Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Give us the new eyes of faith. Help us to know how powerful God's healing power is in everything we're doing. Never let us lose hope. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 9:14-17 The disciples of John approached Jesus and said, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast much, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.” Reflection The response that Jesus has to the disciples of John the Baptist is that things are changing, and the change is coming in the form of something new, something so new that one has to be reborn. The image of baptism, the entrance into a new kingdom is all about a birth that is created by God. We are made new. We are made capable of embracing and holding the teaching of Jesus. Closing Prayer Father, the work of grace that you promise to share with each of us, is the work of a transformation, always being remade into the newness of the kingdom of God that is coming. Bless us with patience as we work toward that goal. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel Matthew 9:9-13 As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, ""Follow me."" And he got up and followed him. While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, ""Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"" He heard this and said, ""Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."" Reflection If one looks for a description of the ministry of Jesus, this is a perfect passage. Certainly he came to give us an example, he wants us to follow his ways. And what he shocks the institution at the time of the temple is that instead of seeking only righteous people, spending time with him, he went to those that they were told to avoid. He went to sinners. And the beauty of that is that he has in that action described a key element to his ministry. Mercy, unmerited love. To have that gift, to be in that kind of relationship with others is the key to the Kingdom. Closing Prayer Father, it's so easy for us to become negative about those around us who aren't fully what we think they should be. Never let us fall into the trap of criticism and judgment and condemnation. But always, always place within us a longing, a desire for people to change, to grow, to become what their destiny truly is. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gospel John 20:24-29 Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But Thomas said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Reflection Faith is not something that is based in proof, but in trust. We trust the words of Scripture, we trust the words of Jesus, we recognize in them a wisdom that goes beyond our understanding. And it leads us to realize that the real thing that brings faith is the gift of grace, the ability to trust in something beyond our imagining. Without it, we can't truly be a follower of Jesus. Closing Prayer Father, every gift that you offer us needs to be welcomed. Accepted. Digested in a sense. Bless us with the trust that is necessary for us to let go of logic and enter into the world of spirit, wisdom, mysticism. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices