"Merciful Lord, make holy these gifts and let our spiritual sacrifice make us an everlasting gift to you…." (Prayer at Mass)
We bring our gifts of bread and wine, representing our toils and all that we desire to offer to God. God accepts them and makes them holy.
"You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name." (John 15: 16)
Christ chose me. He commissions me to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will last.
When I start bearing spiritual fruit in the Vineyard, whatever I ask the Father in the name of Jesus, I shall have.
Principles of fruit-bearing in the Kingdom:
When you have done these, have faith that the seed is growing and will yield fruit in due season.
Process of fruit-bearing in the Kingdom:
"You are my friends, if you do what I command you." (John 15: 14)
I want to be a friend and companion of Jesus. But there are conditions for this friendship and companionship. They are:
"keep my commands"
Lord Jesus, I cherish your friendship and want to keep your commandments. Help me to do so, Jesus.
"And so we have decided unanimously to elect delegates and to send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have committed their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Acts 15: 25)
Paul and Barnabas committed their lives to Jesus. Lord Jesus, help me to commit my life to you as Paul and Barnabas did.
"Lord, by this Easter mysteries, prepare us for eternal life. May our celebration of Christ's death and resurrection guide us to salvation….." (Mass Prayer)
The Eucharist is the celebration of Christ's death and resurrection. Nothing prepares us better for eternal life than the Eucharist.
O Mother of the Son, obtain for me the favor of witnessing to the power of the Eucharist.
"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope." (Jeremiah 29:11)
Ten years ago, I confided to my journal the reflection below. Ten years after, I am amazed as to how things things have turned out. I now have a teaching ministry in my parish. Ten years ago, I saw it as a tiny speck in the future horizon. God is faithful.
God knows the best for me. He has seen the whole pattern of the weaving of my life. He has seen the finished product. He will make a strategic match between my:
1. What is my purpose? To learn and to communicate.
Sources of learning:
2. Personality: Jesus Christ describes Himself as the Truth, the Way and the Life. Who am I? A friend and companion of Jesus.
3. Position: Tx-06, STM, SFJ
I trust God to arrange the very best for me.
"I have loved you just as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love." (John 15: 9)
Lord Jesus, you do not need to tell me today to remain in your love. This is exactly what I want to do and where I want to be. What I want you to tell me is how to remain in your love. I know you love me dearly. Your intense love for me remains a mystery. I have come to accept it. I want to enjoy your love. Spoil me with your love.
But Lord, how do I respond to your love?
"The entire assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul describing all the signs and wonders God had worked through them among the gentiles." (Acts 15: 12)
God confirms the mission to the gentiles through signs and wonders. Every genuine ministry is confirmed by God through signs. My ministry of teaching is confirmed through such signs as attraction to the ministry of teaching, love of learning, lavish provision of books and materials that I need to fulfill the ministry. Occasional words of appreciation from those I minister to. God never tells you in advance how He plans to support your ministry. But the scripture encourages us to pray to see the hope He has reserves for those who serve Him. Without this encouragement from God, ministry might be difficult to undertake and persevere in. Just as through the Sacrament of Marriage, Christ empowers the married to live the sometimes difficult circumstances of the married state, so Jesus does for anybody called to a ministry.
"My son, when you come to serve the Lord, stand in justice and fear, prepare yourself for trials. Be sincere of heart and steadfast, incline your ear and receive the word of understanding, undisturbed in time of adversity. Wait on God, with patience, cling to him, forsake him not; thus will you be wise in all your ways. Accept whatever befalls you, when sorrowful, be steadfast, and in crushing misfortune be patient; For in fire gold and silver are tested, and worthy people in the crucible of humiliation. Trust God and God will help you; trust in him and he will direct your way; keep his fear and grow old therein." (Sirach 2: 1 – 6)
The above scripture is part of the powerful first reading on Tuesday before Ash Wednesday 2009. I prayed to the Holy Spirit to carve these words in my mind and heart. I ask Him to text me the above words as and when I need them. To undergo a trial and know what is happening is a plus. To go through adversity and not realize what is happening is fraught with dangers. Danger of discouragement, despair and quitting prematurely. Below is the Responsorial Psalm to the above scripture from Psalm 37.
"Trust in the Lord and do good, that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.| Take delight in the Lord, and he will grant you your heart's requests.
The Lord watches over the lives of the wholehearted; their inheritance lasts forever.| They are not put to shame in an evil time; | in days of famine they have plenty.
Turn from evil and do good, that you may abide forever; | For the Lord loves what is right, and forsakes not his faithful ones.
The salvation of the just is from the Lord; | he is their refuge in time of distress.| And the Lord helps them and delivers them;| he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him." (From Psalm 37)
If you do your part, be sure that God is doing His part for He is faithful.
"Father, in your love you have brought us from evil to good and from misery to happiness. Through your blessings, give the courage of perseverance to those you have called and justified by faith…." (Prayer at Mass)
Thank you dearest Father for bringing me from evil to good and from misery to happiness. How different my life is today from what it was when I did not know or accept your plan for my life. You brought me from AJSUA to SFJ. You freed me from ZAN and showed me the joy of living in your plan. Thank you. Give me the courage to persevere in the good life your plan has called me to. Amen!
"Lord, restore us by these Easter mysteries. May the continuing work of our Redeemer bring us eternal joy…" (Prayer at Mass)
We need restoration from the wear and tear of everyday life. As we experience delays, disappointments and obstacles, our faith is challenged. We come to the altar of the word and the Eucharist to be nourished and restored.
"If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for whatever you please and you will get it." (John 15: 7)
Today, I ask Jesus for the fullness of the Holy Spirit and the grace to surrender completely to Him. Ten years ago, when I reflected on the above scripture, I confided to my diary that my top need was for casa. How shifting are the desires of the heart. But in all the shifting sands that make up our desires, Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever. Isn't this comforting?
"Live in me and let me live in you, says the Lord. My branches bear much fruit. (John 15: 4, 5)
We live in Christ through prayer, His word and the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist. Christ lives in us through our participation in group worship, principally the Mass and group prayer. The key to bearing fruit in the kingdom is this symbiosis with Jesus Christ: Living in Him and He living in us.
"When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church and by the apostles and elders, and gave an account of all that God had done through them." (Acts 15: 4)
When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Jerusalem, the Church saw clearly how God had used them and acknowledged that they were instruments of God for evangelization. We too can be instruments of God if we are open to the Holy Spirit.
22
5 When they arrived at Bethsaida, they brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.
He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on him and asked, "Do you see anything?"
Looking up he replied, "I see people looking like trees and walking."
Then he laid hands on his eyes a second time and he saw clearly; his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.
Then he sent him home and said, "Do not even go into the village." (Mark 8: 22 – 26)
The above miracle story contains a remarkable sequence of events:
Why these sequences of events?
Is it possible that the man's blindness was caused by a demonic influence inside the village? Could there have been resistance to the man's healing if performed in the village? Was there a danger of relapse if the man went back to the village?
One of the lessons of the above scripture is to avoid unhealthy geographies.
"Father of all holiness, guide our hearts to you. Keep in the light of your truth all those you have freed from the darkness of unbelief…." (Prayer at Mass)
God is the Father of all holiness. Satan is the father of all lies.
How does God guide our hearts to Himself? The 7-Way Plan and the 7-War Zones are my special gift. Every day, I am growing in understanding that all times and seasons serve God. Similarly, everything that I experience during the day serves God as He guides my heart to him.
Unbelief keeps the mind in darkness.
"Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." (John 14: 27)
Peace is the special gift of Christ. How does one explain the peace of Christ? It is the quiet assurance that all is well, not matter what may be happening to the contrary. It is the certainty that there is a game plan. And everything is working according to that plan. It is the certain knowledge that "Perfect love casts out fear." And that love is God's perfect love for us here and now. The world is incapable of giving this peace. "Nemo dat quod non habet." Nobody gives that which he has not. The world does not have this type of peace and so cannot give it. This is the special gift promised the disciples by Jesus.
"But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you." (Acts 14: 26)
The Holy Spirit is my Teacher.
The Holy Spirit is my aide de memoire. He reminds me of everything that I need to remember. What He does not remind of does not matter.
"Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and so enter into his glory." (Luke 24: 46)
Paul said: "We must all experience many hardships before we enter the kingdom of God." (Acts 14: 22)
There is an inevitability of suffering. It cannot be avoided. Everybody must be salted by fire. In the face of this existential fact, the best attitude towards suffering is the Christian one: trust and surrender. It is useless to kick against the goad.
