Today's Response to Psalm reads: "I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation." The Lord is always ready for us, so the question is whether we are ready to turn to him to receive his joy. Suppose we view this as a contest to see who can maintain his stance longer ~ you or God. Of course, God will always be looking at you. If you don't turn to him, you ultimately lose. But if you give up and turn to him, then both you and he win. In other words, in this game you must lose to win. The truth is that we can never beat God in any game we play ~ submission is our only sensible choice.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Christian Life a Crescendo
At this morning's mini-retreat, I heard the word "crescendo" and I thought of the Christian life as being a crescendo. As you discover Jesus and move closer to him toward union, you experience more and more love, freedom, joy, and peace and see that the Lord will be all yours at the end.
Becoming Fearless
A Christian lives for God alone and not for himself. Because he has no more concern for himself and there is no need to fear for God, he becomes fearless.
"Porta fidei"
At a mini-retreat, I heard part of this letter by Pope Benedict XVI on the "Year of Faith" read. It is very beautiful and well worth reading if you have some time. The letter was made public on Oct. 17, 2011 and the "Year of Faith" is to begin on Oct. 11, 2012, so you will probably hear more about it as we approach October. On the following site, you can read extracts of this long letter in PDF form: http://www.smcim.org/files/portal/news/attach1_307.pdf
Are You Harvesting?
Almost two thousand years ago, Jesus said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few." Today, the laborers are still few, so where are you?
Should You Be a Saint?
Look at St. Peter and St. Francis ~ they both gave up everything to follow Jesus. Can we do it too?
- Did God make them humanly superior to us?
- Is God limited in his power to transform us into saints?
- Should we love God less than Peter and Francis?
God Is Personal
In today's Gospel read from Mark 8, Jesus multiplied seven loaves of bread and a few fish to feed a hungry crowd of about 4,000 because his heart was moved with great pity for them. This was a great miracle, but his mercy was even greater. I love Jesus because he became one of us and identified himself with us! He is not untouchable or high and mighty. On the contrary, he is both personal and humble, ready to become one with us! Through Jesus, we're able to see clearly what God is truly like. For this, I am eternally grateful.
From Submission to Peace
Total submission to God leads to perfect harmony with God's will which leads to complete peace of the heart. Pure, simple logic.
The Apostle Advantage
When you feel the Lord's presence at all times, you feel as if you are one of the Apostles, seeing and following Jesus at all times.
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