Be Open...

    Today a lot of us are not open to what the Lord is calling us to be or open to where the Lord is calling us to go. Maybe it is because we do not spend time in prayer or maybe it is simply we refuse to do it. Today we hear about how a prophet is rejected in his home town. Elijah and Jesus were not accepted in their home towns, but they trusted in God and went where He sent them. Now I am not writing today about you becoming a prophet and leaving home. I am going to write on a more realistic level. So shall we begin?

   We are faced with so many variables in our lives that we need to take into consideration the facts of life: when it comes to where we live, what job we have, who we hang out with, etc. There are times when that job is great for a little bit of time and then it becomes, well, for lack of better words, crap. I have been there so many times, just go back to the high school jobs or college jobs you have had. There are times, when you need to begin looking for a new place to live because you have another child on the way or you are getting ready to move out of the house for the first time in college. Maybe you need to have a significant raise and your job is unwilling to accommodate. These may all seem like they are stresses, (Which they are), but what if it was God saying to you, "Hey my child, I have something greater planned for you somewhere else, all you need to do is pack up and let me take care of you." Now that is scary!!!!

    Now, I am not saying every time something difficult happens that it is God... no I mean money is tight for everyone these days, getting a house is difficult and jobs are few and far between... but that does not mean that God is not going to speak to you through these tough times. The message I received in this Gospel today is that we need to be accepting to God when He comes and talks to us everyday no matter if we are having a great day or a very difficult day. Our hearts are where He lives and if we reject Jesus in our own hearts, like the people of Nazareth did with Jesus, well then we will face the difficulties in life without any help.

"Jesus said to the people of Nazareth: Amen, I say to you, 

no prophet is accepted in his own native place... In the days 

of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years

and a severe famine spread over the entire land... Again, 

there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha, 

yet not one of them were cleansed, but only Naaman and the Syrian."

    We need to take these words to heart from Jesus. God did not help these people of Israel, but not because God didn't want to help them, but because they were closed off to the help that He sent to them.  We must keep Jesus in our hearts. Yes Jesus lived on this earth 2000 years ago, but He remains alive in our hearts and He is calling out to you daily! The Gospel today speaks to us and tells us what happens when we go away from keeping Jesus in our hearts and it is that life becomes more difficult than it already needs to be. God is always wanting to help you out, it is a matter of you accepting that help and listening to what He is telling you.

    So today I will keep this short and sweet and to the point. Allow God to remain in your heart at all times! Accept Jesus in His home found deep within your heart and you will reap the benefits of God's mercy, justice, grace and love rather than having to go through the hardship of the exterior life of this world all by yourself! Take time today to truly accept and allow Jesus to remain in your heart more than just the good times!