The Lord's Day

 Fill your horn with oil and go...1 Sam 16...I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem for I have chosen myself a king from his sons. Jesse presented his seven sons but God rejected them all. Then he remembered little David who was out with the sheep and rest is legend.

In the Gospel a man is born blind so that the works of God may be revealed in him. RBB might say that God has been unfair. So it goes.

I had a nice day in the Manawatu yesterday. After adoration and Mass at St Brigids in Feilding we drove to the Plaza in Palmy for  morning tea /coffee and eats. I still needed a putter to complete my golf set so we searched the op shops. We bought a significant amount of clothing and stuff including sherry glasses but their golfing stuff was few and far between, apart from a pair of hand grips I got for $4, you have to grip the club firmly and it chaffs the hands after a while. After going back to my darling's house for coffee, she had to work at 3pm, we agreed I should try the big one on the main drag as you enter Levin from the south. Sure enough they had a lot of irons and after a careful search I found a putter. 

Getting home I unpacked the car and went to 5.30 Mass at Te Awaikarangi in the Hutt. Afterwards I opened a bottle of Mission Pinot Noir and practised the Cello. That was a bit naughty but it had been a big day.

I'm going to 9am Mass again at the same church. They often need me to help with the collection of the offertory and shop on this day. I'm on duty next week but the Ms don't seem to turn up for their slot so C always calls me out as I walk in. M normally helps me. The seating is decided into seven segments, including the choir, and its too slow for one person to set all the baskets up for passing around.

I think I saw somewhere that TC would like a round tomorrow after work. I'll send him an email.

Have fun boys but don't sin. (I went to confession Friday evening He HE HE).

A putter

 Success. On the way home from visiting my darling I detoured to Levin and found a putter in the hospice shop. 

Mach 14

 What I want is love not sacrifice. Hosea 5:15

He spoke this parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous.

A catholic cleaner went to church and as he sat in the second pew from the front on the side looking at the others he thought: I thank you Lord that I am not grasping, unjust and adulterous gossipers like these others. And particularly that I am not like that lawyer. I don't eat meat on a Friday and pay tithes on all I earn.

Meanwhile the lawyer sitting down the rear seat with his eyes down, beat his breast saying "forgive me Lord I am a sinner".

The lawyer went home at righs with God! Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled and vice versa. Luke 18:9.

I went to the driving range again yesterday. They have a clever screen behind your station that shows the shots you take.  

 I'm still struggling to connect with the driver. But boy oh boy that ball travels when I do, which was only once. I watched a video that said to not worry about fluffing up. The important thing is a full flowing swing. Accuracy will come eventually.

I've arranged to meet up with my darling this morning. We will go to Mass and play it from there. She is happy I am taking up golf again but isn't interested in playing the game herself. 

I was playing chess with an American yesterday and we started to chat. I asked him what he thought of Trump. He said he was from Ohio and thought Trump was OK having seen him on some videos! He said the war with Iran was a 'bummer'. He asked me where I was from and who our PM is. I said the capital but couldn't remember his name! Don't worry it came to me later...Muldoon.

Later I watched an 'expert' on The Trump Report on Youtube say that the current President is mental and that he hasn't listened to his advisors. The expert was very skeptical of a good outcome in Iran. He pointed out that the million strong Iranian army isn't in any one place. They are at home having dinner with their families and Trump can't bomb residential areas. He said that all they have to do is infiltrate their oil producing neighbours and destroy the refineries and the world will be thrown into economic turmoil. It's happening already with petrol up 40 cents a litre.

Have fun and get along to confession if you sin.

PS...I ran out of time and lost the chess game.

Friday 13th

 For the ways of the Lord are straight and virtuous men walk in them; but sinners stumble. Hosea 14:10

You are not far from the kingdom of God. Mark 12:34

The more astute of you have noticed no quotation marks. The practice of using quotation marks for anything in the Bible has fullen out of fashion. Also it's likely that the writers of the Gospels didn't quote Jesus exactly. How could they? Mark, who wrote the first Gospel, did so early in the fifties. That's twenty years after Christ died and rose again. So it goes.

I went to the Salvation Army shop after work and bought a set of golf clubs they luckily (divine providence?) had down the rear for $30. It just lacks a putter, I figure for that price I can justify buying a putter brand new, though I'll check the other op shops first!.I carried them into the Golf warehouse and asked for 50 balls on the driving change. The chap behind the counter said "nice bag". I said "thanks". The 'driver' looks nice too but I had a lot of trouble connecting, balls whizzing off at all angles. Just as well there are barriers between the stations. I've always had more success using the 3 iron to tee off, and that was still true. I watched a video later on YouTube and got some ideas about what I might be doing wrong. It's good that TC says he has plenty of balls; though I did buy a dozen!

Have fun and work on that slice (it'll be the way you are standing).

Mach 12

 The week has gone fast. The earth must have past an intense gravity field. 

In Jer 7:23 God bemoans what an ungrateful lot of sods the Israelites are.

In Luke 11 14-23 Jesus bemoans being accused of being called beezlebul by more of those ungrateful sods.

We really are an ungrateful lot!

I worked 12 hours yesterday then went to the driving range. No I wasn't driving out demons like Jesus. I hired fifty balls and a few clubs and wacked them out into a field. It only cost about 20 bucks. I'm going to do this every afternoon to get my game up. Unfortunately I got rid of all my clubs and balls a few months ago after storing them for years. I'll look around the op shops for more; I might even buy a couple of essential ones like a good driver and putter.

Have fun and work on that swing.

Mach 11

 What great nation has its God's so near as our God is to us Deut 4:1

Not one dot or stroke of the law shall disappear until its purpose is complete. Mat 5:17. The man who infringes the least law and teaches it will be considered the least in heaven.

Jesus added love to the laws.

Love, love, love. 

LOVE. 

Love, love love.

Love seeks its object.

Love is patient not boastful.

♥Have fun. love 💕and get along to confession.

Mach 10

 Peter went up to Jesus and said "Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me, as often as seven times?"

Jesus answered "Not seven but seventy seven".

Do you hold grudges? Do they make you happy? Give you peace? Of course they don't. They are obstacles. Like lead weights on your heart. Does someone hold a grudge against you? They don't visit you because of it. They don't message you. 

In today's Gospel Jesus makes up a story to illustrate how he expects us to act. It could have gone like this...

There was an older brother Richard who decided to get back the money his slightly younger brother Robert owed him. But Robert had no way of paying and begged "just give me time and to sell my cello and violin and house and I will repay you". Richard felt sorry for him so cancelled the whole debt. When Robert left he ran into Peter and said "Pay what you owe me". Peter said "just give me time to sell some expensive wine I have and three story house in Thorndon". 

But Robert said no and demanded the money now or he would get a lawyer. Peter told Richard who became very angry. "Wicked Robert, did not I cancel all your debts and were you not morally bound to do the same to Peter?". So Richard made Robert sell everything and live on the street and become a begger. Then Jesus said "that is how my heavenly father will treat you unless you each forgive each other from the heart".

Have fun and repent if you sin. The Father will forgive.