News - August 2023 RSS Feed

Most of us don’t want to deal with delegates or substitutes. If we have a complaint or problem, we prefer to speak with a manager or supervisor, not an “associate” (as they are termed now). The fact is, however, delegated authority is part of the reality of everyday life. The Lord certainly works through delegated authority, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. For example, Moses received God’s delegated authority to lead the Israelites through the desert to the Promised Land. Peter, too, receives Christ’s delegated authority in today’s gospel.

Chocolate or peanut butter…which do you prefer? You have to make a choice and you can only pick one. That is, until a candy company made the earth-shaking announcement that it put them together in the same candy bar! (I’m dating myself…this happened some time ago.) But the point here is that some things that seem very different can indeed be combined.

Have you ever felt bitterly disappointed and discouraged…or felt like you were sinking and drowning in difficult circumstances? Silly question…because almost all of us have had those or similar feelings at one time or another. In today's readings the Lord rescued His servants Elijah and Peter out of very trying situations and His “still, small voice” will rescue us as well.

When the Feast of the Transfiguration occurs on a Sunday, as it does this year, it is celebrated instead of the Sunday in Ordinary Time. Actually, we also hear the gospel of the Transfiguration every year on the Second Sunday of Lent. This Feast highlights the majesty and divine glory of Jesus.

There is a particular message that comes up a number of times in Scripture, which I find especially encouraging and helpful. It has to do with what is possible. It seems that we humans tend to think in terms of limitation and what is impossible because we are, in fact, limited and certain things are just not possible for us to do or accomplish. But that is not the case with God. With God, all things are possible and nothing is impossible for him. Let's take a look at some places where this is emphasized in Scripture.