IN  YOU, O LORD 

I  HAVE  FOUND  MY  PEACE 

INTRODUCTION

The title of  my  brief  homily or thought  for this morning, November 5, 2018, the 31^st Monday in Ordinary Time, is, “In You, O Lord, I have found my peace.”

That’s the Psalm Response for today.

Have we found the Lord in our life?  Have we found peace in our life?

We all know the Beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the Children of God.”

CHILDREN

I don’t have children - but one of my surprises I’ve noticed about little kids is this:  one minute they are laughing and smiling. Beautiful. Then I turn my back and I hear a child crying - actually  screaming - and I turn to see who it is. It’s that same child - a second later. Then his or her parents do something or give the kid something - food or attention - and the kid is laughing again.

That scene which is repeated every day in many, many ways.

It gets  me asking: “Is that child all of us? Do all of us want what we want when we want it - and if we don’t get what we want when we want it, we’ll scream.”

Warning ....

And when another gets screamful, we want them peaceful.

TODAY’S READINGS

Today’s readings got me thinking about that scene I’ve seen in kids.

Today’s readings - especially the first reading gives several secrets of peace.

The scriptures are all about peacemaking.

Today’s first reading says: encourage each other. Will we do that today?

Today’s first reading says, pray for the Holy Spirit. Will we do that today?

Today’s first reading says, have compassion and mercy. Will we do that today?

Today’s first reading says be united. Will we do that today?

Today’s first reading says, don’t be selfish. How will we be today?

Today’s first reading says the other person is more important than me. Will we work on that today?

Today’s gospel says invite everyone into the banquet of our life: especially the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind.

I used to feel guilty, that I don’t do that - till one day it hit me: I am the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind.

I'm it - and Jesus has invited me today to be here at this banquet of life. 

CONCLUSION

The title of my homily is: “In You O Lord, I Have Found My Peace.”

Going back to my opening image of the little child: who laughs one moment and the next moment screams.

Who will I be today?  We’re watching.