Celtic Odyssey

Matthew 16.13-20 (CEB [1] ; adapted): 13 Now when Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Human One is?” 14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” 15 He said, “And what about you? Who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter said, “You’re the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17 Then Jesus replied, “Happy are you, Simon son of Jonah, because no human has shown this to you. Rather my Abba who’s in heaven has shown you. 18 I tell you that you are Peter . And I’ll build my assembly on this rock. The gates of Hades won’t be able to stand against it. 19 I’ll give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Anything you fasten on earth will be fastened in heaven. Anything you loosen on earth will be loosened in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered the disciples not to tell anybody that he was the Messiah. Other readings: Exodus 1.8-2.10; Psalm 124; Romans 12.1-8 Gathering Prayer: ...

A friend asked me for my take on Ephesians 1.18-19a. I thought I’d share my response with you all. I hope you enjoy it!                                     Ephesians 1.18-19a (TIB): [1] I pray that God will enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see the hope this call holds for you — the promised glories that God’s holy ones will inherit, and the infinitely great power that is exercised for us who believe. So there are a few things here. What initially jumped out at me was “the eyes of your mind” or “your mind’s eye.” The first thing that comes to mind here (no pun intended) is the idea of the “third eye” in some eastern practices. The “mind’s eye” represents the gateway to enlightenment; the ability to enter deeply into oneself thus accessing higher consciousness; the ability to engage with the Divine within oneself and within all life. And added with that is “so that you can...

Luke 5.1-11 (CEB; adapted): [1] One day Jesus was standing beside Lake Gennesaret when the crowd pressed in around him to hear God’s word. 2 Jesus saw two boats sitting by the lake. The fishermen had gone ashore and were washing their nets. 3 Jesus boarded one of the boats, the one that belonged to Simon, then asked him to row out a little distance from the shore. Jesus sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 4 When he finished speaking to the crowds, he said to Simon, “Row out farther, into the deep water, and drop your nets for a catch.” 5 Simon replied, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and caught nothing. But because you say so, I’ll drop the nets.” 6 So they dropped the nets and their catch was so huge that their nets were splitting. 7 They signaled for their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They filled both boats so full that they were about to sink. 8 When Simon saw the catch, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Leave me, Lord, for I’m a sinner!...