St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church

May the Lord give us His peace.

No more taskmaster, no more division, no more kingdom of man.

No more task master. The Prophet Isaiah speaks for God. He says that the battled lands of Zebulon and Naphtali will experience Godly peace. The land is Northern Palestine and the way to the Mediterranean Sea. This was a land as famous then as it is now for war, losing battles and loss of life. It would be into this land that God would come "Immanuel" (with us is God). This land was to be punished for its unfaithfulness but not lost to God. So the Prophet Isaiah announces the end of its punishment. No more taskmaster. You will be rejoicing as at the harvest time.

In addition to the Holy Land, you and I have our embattled zones. They may be personal weakness that causes a habitual sin, it may be tensions in marriage or family, it may be awful work circumstances - or worse, no work. It is always into our most dark periods that God's light is most needed and most easy to see. When we have little left, we go to God. Isn't it rich when people go to God with their blessings as well.

No more taskmaster, now blessed, we are generous friends of God.

No more division. St. Paul is very upset by the people in Corinth. After he left there to go on to preach elsewhere, leaders popped up who misled the people and created superior and inferior zones. "You are with Apollos or Cephas or Christ?" Today there is little difference. People claim to follow Christ from the left or right, from the conservative or liberal, from the haves and the have-nots. Paul speaks clearly. "Let there be no divisions among you. Be united in Christ." Did Apollos offer you release from sin? Was Paul crucified for you? There is only one who can unite us, one who thought us worth it all, and one who has that power.

This power, the Holy Spirit, He has poured out to us. Do we ever take time to feel the Holy Spirit? It is that desire in us for good, the recognition of good around us, and the good God lets us do. If this is for us all, in us all and is being accomplished through us all, aren't we one? Yes!

No more division. See the blood of Christ on every cheek.

No more kingdom of man. When Jesus heard that John had been arrested he opened up a can of repent. "Your kingdom, the kingdom of man, killed my cousin." No more kingdom of man - REPENT, the Kingdom of God is at hand. It is fair to say John's arrest jolted Jesus into His public life.

If I was to ask you how your lordship has been going, I would guess most would say, "pretty awful." Here's a question, awful enough for you to hand the lordship over? At this stage of your life, can you be led? Can I?

When is the last time we asked Jesus to just tell us what to do? Would you be able to say what He wants? Do we know the real Lord? If we don't know Him it'll just be more of the same - the kingdom of man. ugh.

We were made in the image of God!

In God there is no master-servant, God calls us friends.

We were made in the image of God!

Father, Son and Holy Spirit - no division among them, one in being.

We are one in human-being, let's show up like that.

And if you really are tired of being the lord, GIVE IT UP!

The Kingdom of God is at hand for Pete's sake.

It can only go better for us if we follow.

Then we can deeply hear the words, "Come after me,

and I will make you fishers of men."

Let's go fishin.