2640AFC100226 – Who’s keeping count, anyway? ← PODCAST LINK 🤗

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          Sirach 1:1-4 (GNT) – ¹ All wisdom comes from the Lord,
    and Wisdom is with him forever.
² Who can count raindrops or the sand along the shore? (← Music Link)

    Who can count the days of eternity?
³ How high is the sky? How wide is the earth?
    How deep is the ocean? How profound is Wisdom?
    Can anyone find answers to these questions?
⁴ Wisdom was created before anything else;
    understanding has always existed.

Isaiah 5:7 (GNT) [1] –
⁷ Israel is the vineyard of the Lord Almighty;
    the people of Judah are the vines he planted.
He expected them to do what was good,
    but instead they committed murder.
He expected them to do what was right,
    but their victims cried out for justice.

Psalm 80:7 (GNT) –
⁷ Bring us back, Almighty God!
    Show us your mercy, and we will be saved!

Philippians 4:8 – ⁸ Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 

Matthew 21:42-43 – ⁴² Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord’s doing,
    and it is amazing in our eyes’?

⁴³ Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.

Perfect Integrity, Endless Mercy, Everlasting Love, Eternal Salvation, Immutable Justice, Irreproachable Wisdom, and Incomparable Grace. These are seven of the ways we can know God, seven attributes that help us encounter him. How many more are there?

ONLY GOD KNOWS.

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him. He teaches us in his Creation. He teaches us in his Love. He shelters us with his victorious right hand (See Isaiah 41:10) There is no way to enumerate how and why he protects us. As it says in CCC §1 –

1 God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength. He calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church. To accomplish this, when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son as Redeemer and Saviour. In his Son and through him, he invites men to become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life.

A Strange Beginning

A strange thing happened when I started writing this essay. First, I came across that music link up there in the Key Verses. Next, what I wrote came out in a different genre – like this:

The Counting

Who can number the stars in all the heavens,
Or the sand in all the seas and shores?
What is the number of the motes of dust, and
The swarms of locusts and bees and ants?
Who can measure the drops of the morning dew,
Or measure a crowd no one can count? (See Revelation 7:9)
What is the count of raindrops in a hurricane,
Or the number of all the days of eternity?
Who must be counting all trembling leaves, petals of the flowers,
And fruits in the trees? All the blades of the grass,
The hairs on my head, the steps in my journey?
The hairs on all colors of bears, the foams on the waves of all seas?
Who will count the masses of all our sins hidden in all our past.?
Who will measure the pains on the Cross to which sin was nailed fast?

None of these things are ours to count
Because the counting doesn’t matter.
Only the weight of the choices we make –
Only the height of the pile that we take –
Leads to Crystal Sea or Fiery Lake.
Faith gives us Hope which keeps us afloat,
Hope in “Jesus, the Christ” is the name of that boat (← Click Link)  
Which sails beneath the stars, over
The waves and sands of the seas
Toward the countless earthlings waiting
‘Neath the raindrops and trembling trees
To climb the Endless Stairway toward
The Gates of Heaven to meet The Lord.
Some will enter. Some will not.
The Good and the Ready
Are the ones he’s bought.
“Paid in Full” is the Gift each earthling receives.
Not all accept it – and for them Heaven grieves.
The Blesséd who enter have answered his call,
And no one will count them, for they are The All.

The Gift of Wisdom

Well, needless to say, that was a bit of a surprise. Shimon ben Yeshua ben Eleazar ben Sira – the author of the book in the Bible sometimes called Ecclesiasticus (but in today’s Key Verse called Sirach), in which we have another reference about Wisdom being the beginning of The Beginning. Elyon El – Most High God – started Creation with Wisdom and Wisdom was part of everything he created. Because of that, Wisdom can be – and should be – found in everything created. It is there for us to find, to see, to know, and to appreciate – but not there for us to “count it.” There is no value in counting our own Wisdom. If Wisdom is there, use it. if it is not there, find it. It would be wise, for example, to remember James 1:5 – ⁵ If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.

I strongly recommend the Letter of James for frequent reading. It has only 5 chapters and 108 verses, and might take up as many as four pages – “a quick and easy read,” but once started, you’ll find there is much to ponder. In The Catholic Letter Series, from February 24^th through April 27^th, 2012, the Letter of James was studied in the post 1211AFC031612 – The Letter of James. Here is an excerpt from that:

The Letter of James

So, all in all, this Epistle [of James] was a collection of information sent out by James the Just and/or his disciples. It  was sent to encourage the early Christians (first called Christians in the Church of Antioch in about 31 AD) to endure everything brought against them by

†       relying on God’s generous wisdom, James 1:5

†       recognizing Christ as the Living Word of God (LOGOS), James 1:19-2:13 16

†       understanding the true work of faith by putting true faith to work James 2:14-26

†       speaking always in, through, and with LOVE James 3:1-12 33

†       turning to the wisdom of God to inform the wisdom of man James 3:13-18

†       submitting fully to God’s authority and teaching in Jesus James 4:1-17

†       resisting the enticements of materialism James 5:1-6

†       waiting patiently for the imminent return of the Lord, James 5:7-11 and

†       using the power of faith rather than the power of persuasion James 5:12-20

Our sins start to clutter up our hearts when we choose the opposites of Right and Good. He often speaks through his Prophets calling idolatry an adulterous act – and vice-versa. We describe idolatry here often – to whatever we commit the time in our lives that is not God, that is our idol – even good things like our marriages, or our careers, or even our religiosity – when these good things displace our humble service of worship as defined in Romans 12:1-3, we have chosen an idol rather than God, and that’s a serious problem! God created me, created you, created us, giving us his own Breath of Life, and it is fitting and just that we offer that Gift of Life to him DAILY. In our Key Verse from Isaiah, the power of sin is shown to be death – murder – and the victims of those sins cry out to God for justice.

Rescue Me!

That is why the Psalmist cries out, “Bring us back, Almighty God! Show us your mercy, and we will be saved!” Even when we recognize the value and necessity of repentance, there are times when we must humbly and sincerely ask God to rescue us, to bring us back. When I think of this image, I am reminded of The Apostle Peter who stepped out of the boat, actually walked on the water a step or two, but then (I believe) repented of his pride when his fear took over and he cried out “Lord, save me!” When we act too big for our britches, the storm can overpower our minuscule faith, we cry out to be saved, and there is only One in whom Salvation is found. Selah. Secretly I wonder if when they got back in the boat if maybe Andrew – his brother, the very first Apostle called by Jesus – asked him, “What were you thinking!?!?”

Good question! Recently I mentioned GIGO – Gospel in, Gospel out. What’s playing in that radio station in the back of our heads? The Apostle Paul wants us to remember to concentrate on “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” That includes “Church Days.” If we spend Sunday morning thinking about The Ravens and the Packers, or we’re too embarrassed to say a Table Grace in a nice restaurant – or even In-and-Out Burgers – or can’t help but wonder what kind of parent would give their kid a travel-cup of Lucky Charms and a toy car at Church … just who isn’t giving God the proper attention? Here’s a little puzzle for us to solve

WHAT’S MISSING

C  H  __  __  C  H

Yeah, “U  R” missing. But guess what! God – indeed, that Holy Triune God who is and was and will be evermore – THAT God is hovering all around us, just waiting to be Praised, Thanked, Adored, heard, seen, felt, Loved, and WORSHIPPED by us! What else can compare with that, with being fully in God's Divine Presence, even if it’s only for 0.6% – that’s 0.005952 – part of your life in a week (168 hours per week so 1/168 = 0.005952), God will take that and bless it for us!!

Here’s a little memory jogger. Do you remember Noel Paul Stookey? He was the center P in PP&M – Peter, Paul, and Mary. Well, he was sitting on the porch stoop in a quiet countryside setting and was impressed by the quietude of Country Life compared to the chaos of city life. The little radio in the back of his head recalled the words from today’s Key Verse from the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 21:42) which references King David's Prophecy in Psalm 118:22 – The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; (← Music Link). We now know, of course, that Prophecy came true, and that awareness, that appreciation of the power of Scripture is also something God blesses. Here we are reminded of James 1:17 – ¹⁷ Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Indeed, our God is a Loving God, a Loving Shepherd, a generous God who is the Fount of Every Blessing (← Music Link).

What Really Counts!

Belovéd, it is True – Capital T True – there is nothing to be gained in trying to count inestimable stuffs, but there are things we can measure, can count, can collect for our ruminations. Can you guess what those things might be? They are THE things worth counting, and you’ve just heard about them in that last hymn. Here’s another one – one of my favorites – that tells about what we can count because we know we can count on God. We can just Count Your Blessings. (← Music Link) I sometimes think about the lyrics as being addressed to God rather than the singer or the listener. “God, I am going to count your blessings to me, to my loved ones, to the World.” Counting my blessings is a measure of God's Gifts, the things he gave to and for me, and that’s counting his blessings from his ginormous generosity, not my treasure-house.

Today, therefore, let us be Sent forth by God's Blessing. (← Music Link) It’s not the number that is important.It is the Presence that is noteworthy. God will never stop offering us his Blessings. Let us pray for the Wisdom to never stop receiving them with humility and gratitude. We have this blessing from the First Letter of The Apostle Peter
1 Peter 4:7-11 – ⁷ The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. ⁸ Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Be hospitable to one another without complaining. ¹⁰ Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. ¹¹ Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. Our way of life must be fashioned after one of those adelphos whose prayers , when offered up through Love, produce the fruits of The Kingdom.

The Crystal Sea of Love and Grace

Love is a Blessing, a Gift from God's Grace because of his Love. The love of God is like the ocean, you can see its beginnings but not its end. The Grace of God is the ocean of His Love. He is the source of the Ocean of Grace. When you acknowledge Him, it is as if you are submersed in a vast ocean being fed by a fountain of purest water. You are standing in that fountain in the center of the center of the Crystal Sea drinking from a crystal cup of God's Endless Grace and Love, and this is available to every human soul alive today in Heaven and on Earth who chooses to Live in the Grace of God. This is "so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen." And that's the TRUTH! Count on it! 😉

Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever —
at your service, Belovéd!
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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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