“If you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”  (Genesis 4:7)

God was responding to Cain who was angry when God had rejected his offering but accepted the offering of his brother, Abel.  God was asking Cain why he was angry, that if he did what is right he would be accepted.  Then God goes on to warn Cain that if he doesn’t do what is right sin will be crouching at his door, ready to entrap him. 

This reminds me of the words of a wonderful woman who was 101 years old that I took communion to on several occasions. Even though Dottie did not hear well, she loved to talk and share experiences from her long life.  Among her many words were:

“Love covers a lot of wrongs.  I am not a perfect person, but God gives me a lot of love, so I love and that makes up for me not being perfect.  I have found that it is easier to be happy than sad, and it’s also more fun.  So, at my age, I just think happy thoughts.  Satan is always hanging around to cause us trouble, but I just tell him, ‘Satan, be gone!’ and he runs from me.  He is very tricky.  He tries to get us to do things we shouldn’t do, but I tell him, ‘You get out of here!’”

Her observations are in line with God’s admonition to Cain that sin is always crouching at our door, waiting to ensnare us.  This is also in line with other scripture from the New Testament.  Saint Peter in his first letter says, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

As God suggests to Cain, and as Dottie offers in her long life of experiences, we must be aware that Satan is real.  He puts thoughts in our minds and is looking to entice us to do things that lead us away from God.   We need to be alert to his ways.  Prayer, scripture, and the sacraments of the church are tools to resist his efforts. 

As the apostle James says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:7-8)

How do you resist temptations that pull you away from God?

The Gospel of Mark reports that when Jesus arrived in the region of Gennesaret on the Sea of Galilee, people ran throughout the area and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.  “They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.” (Mark 6:56)

It doesn’t take much to get a response from Jesus.  He and God the Father have great love for us.  They are waiting for us to invite them into our lives in any manner of ways.  In this Gospel passage all they had to do was touch the edge of his cloak. 

The smallest action on our part can secure a response.  Whatever that action may be, if it evidences a desire to move toward Jesus and seek his help, he is waiting to respond.  Earlier in Mark’s Gospel there is the report of a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years and came up behind Jesus in a large crowd and said, “’If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’  Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.”  (Mark 5:25-29)

In a similar way, regardless of whether you are a practicing Christian, the slightest move toward Jesus will likely beget a response from him.  There is the famous painting of Jesus knocking on a door with no handle.  When the artist was asked why he did not include a handle, he said that the door could only be opened from the inside.

Jesus wants us to open the door of hearts to him, but the door can only be opened by us.  He will not force himself on us but will respond to any gesture or the slightest move on our part. 

Are you willing to make the slightest move toward Jesus for a need in your life?

As Jesus was entering Jerusalem prior to his passion, a crowd of his disciples began to praise God joyfully in loud voices for all the “mighty deeds” they had seen.  Their exuberant and unrestrained praise caused some Pharisees in the crowd to complain to Jesus, asking him to rebuke them, but he responded, “I tell you, if they keep silent, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:40).   

All of creation had been awaiting God’s personal and physical visitation to make things right upon the earth.  That visitation was now taking place in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah and Son of God.  Jesus is saying that if those who recognize his visitation and miracles are restrained in their joy and praise, even the stones, though inanimate objects, will cry out.

As current day disciples, are we joyful and loud in our praise of all the good things God has done in our lives, or are we restrained in our cool and sophisticated ways?

Many years ago, I was prayed with for the release of the power of the Holy Spirit by some nuns from the St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton House of Prayer at an evening of renewal program in Briar Cliff Manor, New York.  I experienced a personal encounter with Jesus Christ and my faith was renewed.  It was a mountain top experience.  I remember driving home in a blinding snow storm on the hilly and curvy roads of upper Westchester County, New York.  I could hardly see beyond the hood of my car, but it didn’t matter, for I was brimming with joy and praise of God for his visitation and the changes that he was bringing about in my life.  Even the blizzard, like the Pharisees, could not restrain my joy and praise. 

Today, with five older children and thirteen grandchildren, many Christian friends, and the Lord’s faithful presence, this space is not sufficient for me to acknowledge and praise God for all his works and miracles we have witnessed in the past forty-five plus years.  But if you stay tuned to this blog, I promise that I will share some of the stories in the weeks ahead.

Do you hold back your praise of God for the blessings and miracles in your life?