Today's Gospel reminds me of the many times my unbelief must have exasperated you Jesus.
How at these times we show you our neediness, that only with you at the center of our lives is it possible to do the impossible. It is when we sin, our unbelief is all the more greater. Jesus came to restore us to a belief that is far greater than any we would ever know. This trust is what surpasses all possibilities, that we will be able to live fully in Him. How it is faith that restores us to you and restores you in our lives. When we grasp this then the exasperation we hear in the tone of your voice, in the words spoken in today's Gospel, will finally be turned to joy, for then we will have finally come to the realization that in you all is possible.

It is then that when we pray, we will see the many prayers answered, when they are prayed with absolute faith. God Bless You All with a smile in your heart.

Thank you Jesus for letting me spend this day in communion with you. My heart resides with you, thank you for accepting me as I am Father. My imperfections are yours, mind, body and spirit. I want to thank you for the knowledge you have imparted to me. A knowledge that helps me live my life more fully in you. It is a wonderful blessing you have gifted me with, one that I will strive to understand more fully. Just as in todays Gospel, a person was lowered to reach you and in your loving kindness, you forgave, and healed him. Your love is boundless dear Jesus, it is a hope that all the world will come to see this as truth.

How fortunate for the three apostles to be the one's to witness Jesus in transformation while in conversation with, of all heavenly beings, Elijah and Moses. But not only that to hear the very voice of God say, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” They have been truly blessed indeed. How truly blessed we are to also read of the accounts of their witnessing, for without them we would not understand the Divine nature of God. Where Jesus is transformed in the Eucharist on a daily basis to be with us until the end of time. Where, in a pure white Host he reveals himself to us, to show us the pure nature of his Divine Love, just as he showed Peter, James, and John that day on the mountain top.
That is why James is able to relate to us the evil we do when we speak. He says, "Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze.The tongue is also a fire.It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna." Not only that he goes on with, "But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.My brothers and sisters, this need not be so." How true these words are too. We do so much damage with what we say, and how truly hard it is to curb our tongue from making a viscious reply to another. When we truly listen to God's word it would not be so hard, to follow what he asks of us. When we follow his word, it seems as if a great weight is lifted, that all we do is for love of God and doing all to please Him. He gives us life, but for us to live this life well it must be lived with God at the first, then understanding of Jesus" transformation on the mountain top will be easy to understand and why he dwells with us in the Eucharist. God Bless you all with a smile in your heart.

We all follow Jesus when it's convenient for us, such as once or twice a year Mass. We shun those who have a deep faith, and think them odd, because they do follow Jesus. Our guilt when we are near a person of faith is amazing, how we seem to avoid them. They are a reminder of where we lack faith in ourselves. Yet by those very acts we are ashamed of Jesus. We all too often segregate ourselves in all possible situations, if my love for God is greater than yours avoid me please, it delights me. You have nothing to fear from me having a greater love, just as I have nothing to fear when you pronounce your deep love for a spouse, a child, it's no different. Should I avoid you then because your deeply in love with your Mate. If that be the case then I would be ashamed of the one who made me. Such is the teaching of Jesus as he says "Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this faithless and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels." Jesus gives us powerful words to live by, in order for us to live fully in him. Little do we know that when we reject him daily, we kill him all the faster in our lives, we bring death ever closer. I for one am not ashamed of Jesus, I am not ashamed of God, I am not ashamed of the Holy Spirit. God Bless you all with a smile in your heart

In the first reading of James we are confronted with "Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Did not God choose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom that he promised to those who love him? But you dishonored the poor. Are not the rich oppressing you? And do they themselves not haul you off to court? Is it not they who blaspheme the noble name that was invoked over you? However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing well .But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors." James 2:5-9 What a hard truth you have shown us, for that is what we do today with each other, in our own churches, of all places. How often do we welcome someone less fortunate than we, how often do we make room for them in our lives. When all too often we know some who are in the poverty level and more, how we go out of our way to let them know they do not belong in (all) our churchs, (all) organizations, (everyone's) lives. It amazing how those who have little to spare, money wise are focused upon more so, and penalized more so, than those who have. Yet today's reading shows us how we are so very partial to all. How we truly sin, it's rampant the sin we do on a daily basis. It's no wonder our Blessed Mother has through the years tried to bring about change in our hearts, yet all we do is seek physical healing, when it's the spiritual we need more than ever.
Jesus is rebuking us today as he rebuked Peter, for our own unbelief in his salvation. "You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do," is what he said to Peter at the end of today's Gospel. Which in turn includes us for the way we lack faith in God and his great love to gives us his own Son. Unless we change, we will always be putting God out of our lives. God Bless you all with a smile in your hearts.