Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.
27 But immediately he spoke to them, saying, "Take heart, it is I; have no fear."
28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water."
29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus;
30 but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me."

The above is the gospel reading for Aug. 7. It is generally the same gospel reading that is used at the Vigil Mass the evening before. Yesterday I had a load of things on my plate, as you recall. I was doing laundry. I had a lunch planned with a girlfriend...which went wonderfully by the way. I was to go to my grandparents' house to can some pears. I was to go to mass at 5pm. I didn't know how I was supposed to get it all in. I knew things would work out one way or the other. If I missed mass, I could always go on Sunday.

And that devil, he puts things out there to tempt us. As I was leaving the restaurant, I noticed on the large screen TV at the bar that the Red Sox and the Yankees were playing at FENWAY, no less. And there was the GREEN MONSTER staring me back in the face. I told Carlos, the bartender and good friend of mine, that I would be back after canning pears to catch the rest of the game....knowing I needed to go to mass. I guess by this time I really didn't think I would make mass, and I could always go on Sunday, right?

So, when I got to my grandparents' house, they were in a hurry to leave the house. We have a date, they explained. I know better than to step between a husband and wife, who after 65 years of marriage, have a date. My own husband doesn't date me, and I know how important that is. Gentleman of the post, date your wife. My grandparents can attest to how important it is! I loaded up the car with the pears that will now be eaten as fresh fruit, or cooked down...pear pie anyone??? I don't know what to do with pears, but I am sure there is a recipe somewhere. The time is 1615. (I am used to military time, so sue me.) I have two options. Go back and watch one of the oldest rivalries in baseball history, then run over to Dick's and buy a RedSox tshirt in celebration of their victory(it is tax free weekend), or go to mass.

You know on Tom and Jerry how the angel Tom is on one shoulder and the devil Tom is on the other one? I listened to the angel side, took my kids to play in the park for a minute, then we walked over to church and attended mass. Here is where my story begins...


In this world of entertainment, Ipads, Ipods, Itunes, blackberries, facebook, we have entertainment at our fingertips. We can watch TV from a telephone or see whole movies on a computer that fits into our hands. There is rarely a time when we totally detach and spend some quiet time. Father Brennan used to tell a story of a man who would come to Adoration everyday. When asked what the man prayed during adoration, he simply said, "I just looks at him (Jesus) and just looks at me." When was the last time you could sit still and just look at something that didn't move or make a sound? Probably, for those of you who have children, the last time they were asleep in their baby beds.

I was destined to be at mass last night. Father Bryan spoke in his homily about when God speaks to you. God wants to speak to you, but are you where you can HEAR him? You can go to church, you can read the WORD, you can recite your prayers, but are you where you can HEAR him when it is his turn? As of my blog yesterday morning, I could not. I read my daily scripture everymorning before I get on facebook. I share what I read. I have opened up a blogging site to share with others inspirational things and tips for making your home more conducive to having time to sit and listen, but have I actually stopped and put everything down and listened? The answer is simply no.

We sang the song last night, that reached my inner core. The line in the song: I will come to you in the silence.

And then, there is the gospel reading above. Peter jumped out in the water and started walking, but as the coyote realizes he has just run off the edge of the cliff, as soon as Peter removed his focus on Jesus, he started to sink.

I, and others, are dealing with feelings of detachment, lack of appreciation, loneliness. We have all the good things around us, but we still feel alienated. I remember the last time I felt this way. I had turned my eyes from Jesus. May today, I find the fortitude to turn away from all the housework and wonders of modern invention, and return my focus to HIM, the one that made me. The one that makes me whole.

As the old song goes: Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.

And PS. After mass, I received a call from a family member who I had been at odds with. She wanted me to come over to her house on my way home. I had feared the worst. In her own way, she was reconnecting with me. I understood what she was doing, and I have put the past behind me; I am moving on with her in my corner as family. I would have missed that... if I had not gone to mass. God's reward is great for our obedience.