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One way to tell if a dream is really from God is that the desire won’t go away. You may have had it for years, but you still can’t let it go. In fact, you may have tried to let it go, but it won’t let go of you.

Memorial of St. Jerome

Job 19:21-27

Ps 27:7-8a, 8b-9abc, 13-14

L uke 10:1-12 After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. (2) And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray, therefore, the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. (3) Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. (4) Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road. (5) Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace be to this house!' (6) And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. (7) And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house. (8) Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; (9) heal the sick in it and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.' (10) But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, (11) `Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you; nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.' (12) I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Meditation by Patrick Borchers

T oday’s two readings present that all-to-human problem of trying to confront good and evil.  I say “confront” not “choose between” for a reason.

Most of us, if faced with a stark and easily recognizable moral choice, do the right thing.  Not long ago at the hardware store, I checked out and got to the car and then noticed an item that the clerk hadn’t scanned.  I double checked the receipt and I hadn’t paid for it.  So I went back and paid for it.  Those are easy decisions and I think most people would do the right thing and not steal, even if presented with an easy opportunity to do so.

The harder problems come when things are not so black and white.  I’ve often admired Job, whom we see in the first reading, for not giving in during his trials.  Even in the face of terrible hardships he is able to say “I know my Vindicator lives and that he will at last stand forth upon my dust.”

It would have been easy for Job to have just given in and given up and concluded that the whole world was against him and that he was powerless to do anything about it, and his book is a remarkable testament to the power of faith and the human spirit. There have been a lot of Jobs throughout history who didn’t have his courage. I fear that if faced with his struggles I might not have made it through.  But the Book of Job stands there as an inspiration for the rest of us who might not have had his fortitude.

In the Gospel, Luke tells us of the commissioning of more disciples to go out from town to town. Jesus warns ominously that the towns that do not receive them will be in a worse position on Judgment Day than Sodom .  But are we all so good at recognizing it when God comes calling?  Sometimes I get so caught up in the day-to-day world that I wonder whether I wouldn’t have been in one of those households that wasn’t so keen on receiving two strangers.  Do we let those tiny whispers from God go unanswered?  I know I do sometimes.  Paying attention to those small calls is a lot harder than going back into the hardware store to pay for something.

Supplementary Reading

God-given Dreams

A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure - Proverbs 16:9

O ftentimes as children, we have dreams for the future, dreams of being ball players and actresses, super heroes and firemen. But most of the time, they end up just being wishful thinking. As we get older, we grow out of them. It’s good to play and have dreams as children, but when we grow up, we have to know the difference between a God-given dream and a wish.

I remember when I was a little boy, I dreamed of playing basketball for the Houston Rockets. That was definitely a fantasy! Beyond our wishes though, we all have dreams placed inside of us by the Creator of the universe. In fact, the Latin word for “desire” means “from the Father.” One way to tell if a dream is really from God is that the desire won’t go away. You may have had it for years, but you still can’t let it go. In fact, you may have tried to let it go, but it won’t let go of you.

Today, I encourage you to search your heart and allow those God-given dreams to surface. He placed those desires inside of you for a purpose, and He’s going to use them to direct you into the destiny He has in store for you!

Father in heaven, thank You for the dreams and desires You’ve placed within me. I submit those dreams to You and ask that You direct my steps. Search my heart and make my thoughts agreeable to Your Word and to Your plan for me. In Jesus' Name. Amen. – Joel & Victoria Osteen

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

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