WHOSE COMPANY ARE YOU KEEPING?

WHOSE COMPANY ARE YOU KEEPING?


Saint Matthew was a GREAT
Saint=he is also the AUTHOR
Of one of the four gospels


He also KEPT the company
Of other tax keepers=and our
LORD JESUS=and he tried
To BRING these other
Tax keepers to the LORD


But he was also SURROUNDED
By the other apostles
Of the LORD!


Whose COMPANY are you keeping?
Who are you SURROUNDING
Yourself with?


“Then Levi(Matthew)=gave a great BANQUET
For him
In his house


And a large CROWD
Of tax collectors
And others were
At table with them” Luke 15:29


SURROUND yourself in
The Lord this LENT=
Surround yourself in
THE LORD'S GOOD COMPANY


And surround yourself
With other GOOD PEOPLE of GOD


“But they are
Overwhelmed with dread


For God is present
In the COMPANY
Of the righteous” Psalm 14:5


“Do not be misled
Bad COMPANY
Corrupts good character” 1 Corinthians 15:33


Saint Matthew KNEW this=
That is WHY he surrounded
Himself with the people
Of the LORD


That is what we need
To do too=SURROUND
Ourselves with the good people
Of the Lord


“Surely Lord
You bless the righteous
You SURROUND them


With your favor
As with a shield” Psalm 5:12


“Therefore since we
Are SURROUNDED by
Such a great cloud
Of WITNESSES


Let us throw off everything
That hinders
And the sin
That so easily entangles” Hebrews 12:1


Let us keep GOOD COMPANY
With each other this LENT=
And the company OF THE LORD


Today we HONOR Saint Frances
Of Rome=who surrounded
Herself with her sister-in-law
Vannozza


Vannozza was thought to be
A party girl=but she
Wasn't and


And wound up being
FRANCES' soul mate


The two friends
Spent their lives
In service
To the POOR
Despite family opposition


Sometimes=the “UNSAINTLY”
Are SAINTS in disguise


KEEP GOOD COMPANY this Lent=
And most of all=surround
Yourself with the COMPANY
Of God and Jesus


See you in CHURCH my
Dear friends=
My DEAR COMPANY
IN THE LORD


In Jesus' name and in the name of our ALL LOVING FATHER


Robert P. Wallman
3-8-19




Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Eve Tushnet