Do not forget God's gifts

"Bless the LORD, my soul; all my being, bless his holy name!
Bless the LORD, my soul; and do not forget all his gifts"  (Psalm 103: 1 - 2)

Today, I offered thanks to God in the Eucharist for His blessings during these trying days. I thank God that I have a roof over my head.  I thank Him for my daily bread and  for health.  I thank God especially for the gift of the Holy Spirit.  I thank Him for His precious word.  I thank God for inviting me daily to eat bread in the Kingdom.

O Holy Spirit, thank you for reminding me of the numerous gifts of God.

We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us."  (Hebrews 12: 1)

Every crisis is a trial of faith:  to trust God or not to trust Him.  Every saint living and in Heaven has been tried by fire.  So we have a cloud of witness in the Communion of  Saints cheering us.  We should ask for their help.  They had gone through their  own ordeal by fire and emerged victorious.  They witness to God's faithfulness.

The Enterprise is a Journey of faith.  What do I bring along?  What must I leave behind?  What has become an encumbrance or a distraction during the Journey?   Consider the following:  Heath, Family, Money, Job, Tools, Food, Future?  Has any or  some of these developed into an oppressive and demanding comfort zones?  What can I learn from the present trial?  Rid yourself of every burden and sin that clings.  It is too easy to form habits especially habits of comfort.  Some people cling to their guns.  Others cling to their gyms.  What do I cling to?

I must be patient and steadfast in the race that God has appointed for me in this trial. It is my race.  I have all the resources to win.  There will be no reason for failure.

But seek first the kingdom

"But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides." (Matthew 6: 33)

I found a nice commentary for the above scripture from the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2830:

2830 "Our bread": The Father who gives us life cannot not but give us the nourishment life requires - all appropriate goods and blessings, both material and spiritual. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus insists on the filial trust that cooperates with our Father's providence. He is not inviting us to idleness, but wants to relieve us from nagging worry and preoccupation. Such is the filial surrender of the children of God:
To those who seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, he has promised to give all else besides. Since everything indeed belongs to God, he who possesses God wants for nothing, if he himself is not found wanting before God.

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you

"The word of the Lord came to me, saying: before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you."  (Jeremiah 1: 4 - 5)

Lord, what would you have me do?

"Faith makes us taste in advance the light of the beatific vision, the goal of our journey here below. Then we shall see God "face to face", "as he is". So faith is already the beginning of eternal life:
When we contemplate the blessings of faith even now, as if gazing at a reflection in a mirror, it is as if we already possessed the wonderful things which our faith assures us we shall one day enjoy."  (Catechism of the Catholic Church #163)

Thank you Lord for the gift of faith.  I have a taste here and now of "the wonderful things which our faith assures us."

Faith gives us access to the Promise of God's pardon, peace, power, purpose, provision and presence.

Jesus is a sign of contradiction

"and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted; (and you yourself a sword will pierce)* so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”  (Luke 2: 34 - 35)

Simeon foretells that Jesus would be a sign of contradiction.  Why should I be a people pleaser?  Most Holy Spirit, I surrender my heart, mind, will, body, time, talent, treasure, weakness to you.  Lead me, guide me and transform me into the image of Jesus.  Thank you, O Lord.

Do not throw away your confidence

"Therefore, do not throw away your confidence; it will have great recompense.
You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised." (Hebrews 10: 35 - 36)

Lord, thank you for the gift of faith.  Thank you for the trust in your mercy.  How blessed I am that in the present crisis, I have not allowed fears, worries and doubts to eat away my confidence.  I do appreciate the peace that I feel.

"Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  (James 1: 2 - 4)

While I am not yet in the place to consider any trial a thing of joy, I thank God that for the first time, I am coping well with fears, worries and doubts.   I am trusting in the Lord and He is blessing me with peace.

He who made the promise is trustworthy

"Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy."

Lord, you give us the consolation of the truth through the scriptures.  Thank you for those whom you have enlightened to unpack these precious promises for us.  I found two commentaries on the above scripture by John Gills and Matthew Henry that bring me much joy and consolation.

"For he [is] faithful that promised;
that is God; and it is true of Father, Son, and Spirit; but God the Father may be more especially designed: he is a promising God, and is known to be so by his people; he is eminently and emphatically the Promiser; and all other promisers, and the promises made by them, signify little; but the promises of God are exceeding great and precious, very ancient, free, and unconditional, irrevocable and immutable, and are admirably suited to the cases of his people, and will be fulfilled everyone of them: they include in them things temporal, spiritual, and eternal; things temporal, as that his people shall not want, that their afflictions shall work for good, and that he will support them under all their troubles; things spiritual, as that he will be their God, which takes in his everlasting love to them, and his gracious presence with them, and his protection of them; and that all grace shall be wrought in them, and every blessing of grace bestowed on them: and things eternal; as everlasting glory and happiness; the promise of eternal life was in God's heart, made in the covenant, and put into Christ's hands before the world began, and is declared in the Gospel: now God is faithful to all his promises, nor can he fail, or deceive; he is all wise and foreknowing of everything that comes to pass; he never changes his mind, nor forgets his word; and he is able to perform, and is the God of truth, and cannot lie; nor has he ever failed in anyone of his promises, nor will he suffer his faithfulness to fail; and this is a strong argument to hold fast a profession of faith."  (John Gills Exposition)

"The apostle exhorts believers to hold fast the profession of their faith, v. 23. Here observe, (1.) The duty itself—to hold fast the profession of our faith, to embrace all the truths and ways of the gospel, to get fast hold of them, and to keep that hold against all temptation and opposition. Our spiritual enemies will do what they can to wrest our faith, and hope, and holiness, and comfort, out of our hands, but we must hold fast our religion as our best treasure. (2.) The manner in which we must do this—without wavering, without doubting, without disputing, without dallying with temptation to apostasy. Having once settled these great things between God and our souls, we must be stedfast and immovable. Those who begin to waver in matters of Christian faith and practice are in danger of falling away. (3.) The motive or reason enforcing this duty: He is faithful that hath promised. God has made great and precious promises to believers, and he is a faithful God, true to his word; there is no falseness nor fickleness with him, and there should be none with us. His faithfulness should excite and encourage us to be faithful, and we must depend more upon his promises to us than upon our promises to him, and we must plead with him the promise of grace sufficient."  (Matthew Henry Commentary)

Producing a hundredfold yield

"And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”  (Mark 4: 8)

Lord, I desire to yield a hundredfold harvest for you.

"I have chosen you from the world to go and bear fruit that will last." (John 15: 16, 19)
"I will bear a witness to you in the world, O Lord.  I will spread the knowledge of your name among my brothers."  (Psalm 17: 50; 21:23)

Prosper the work of my hands, Lord.  Oh, prosper the work of my hands.

It is good to wait for the Lord

"Surely, I wait for the LORD;
who bends down to me and hears my cry."  (Psalm 40:2)

Wait for the Lord (Psalm 27: 14; 37:34)
Wait patiently for him (Psalm 37: 7)
I wait for you (Psalm 25: 21)
For you I wait all day (Psalm 25: 5);
I wait for the Lord more than a watchman wait for the morning (Psalm 130: 5-6);
I wait for God my savior (Micah 7:7)
I wait patiently for the Lord (Psalm 40: 1)
I wait in silence for God (Psalm 62: 1, 5)
We wait for you (Isaiah 26: 8, 33: 2)
Those who wait for the Lord renew their strength (Isaiah 40: 31)
Those who wait for the Lord will inherit the land (Psalm 37: 9)
Blessed are those who wait for him (Isaiah 30: 18)
May those who wait for you not be ashamed through me (Psalm 69:6)
This is our God for whom we have waited (Isaiah 25:9)
The Lord is good to those who wait for him (Lamentation 3: 25)
Be like men waiting for their Master (Luke 12: 36)
Saul was told to wait 7 days for Samuel (1 Samuel 10: 8; 13:8)
David will wait until word came (2 Samuel 15; 28)
(Roget’s Thesaurus of the Bible)

The Gospel reveals our identity and true destiny

"but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1: 10)

In the Incarnation, the Son of God became a human being and lived among us. In His life, passion and death, He revealed our identity and true destiny.  His resurrection from the dead is a confirmation that we too shall rise from the dead.  All these facts and mysteries were revealed in the Gospel.  Thank you Jesus for the Good News!

I chose and appointed you to bear fruit that will remain

"It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you."  (John 15: 16)

The choice, the call and the anointing.  The Enterprise is a Journey of Faith.  The destination is to attain the purpose:  "to bear fruit that will remain."
The journey is convoluted but thank God it is on course.  What I see in the mirror may not be pretty but I am still the "Imago Dei."  The Journey may be long but my shoes are not worn out.  There is food and water and shelter for the Journey.

Although I am blindfolded in this Journey, all that is required of me is to place my right hand on the right shoulder of Jesus and continue as He leads me.  I walk by faith and not by sight.

Chosen and appointed to bear much fruit

"It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you."  (John 15: 16)

You chose and appointed us to go and bear fruit that will last.  We shall bear witness to you in the world, O Lord.  We shall spread a knowledge of your name among our brothers.

As we labor faithfully in Christ's vineyard, whatever we ask the Father in the name of Jesus, the Father will hear and give to us.  What do we ask for?  We ask for the mother of all gifts - the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is all that we need.  He is the gift that contains every gift.

The 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit are: (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1831)

1. Wisdom
2. Understanding
3. Counsel
4. Fortitude
5. Knowledge
6. Piety
7. Fear of the Lord

Christ chose and appointed us to go and bear abundant fruits.  What type of fruits?

What are the 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit? (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1832)

1. Charity
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Generosity
8. Gentleness
9. Faithfulness
10. Modesty
11. Self-control
12. Chastity

Bearing these types of fruits result in abundant harvest of conversions to Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ has absolute power to save us

"Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them."  (Hebrews 7: 25)

Jesus Christ has supreme power to save us from sin and all types of distress.  He is always able to save us from all types of problems arising from these human conditions:  family, health, finances, job, tools and care for the future.

When we approach Our Father who hears our prayers, through His Son, Jesus Christ Our Savior, we are assured of a successful and certain mediation on our behalf..  This  is because Jesus knows the mind of the Father with regard to our best interests. His intercession can never fail.

For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable

"The LORD has sworn and will not waver:
“You are a priest forever in the manner of Melchizedek." (Psalm 110: 4)

What has the Lord said to me that I do not want Him to change?
"I have chosen you from the world to go and bear fruit that will last."  (John 15: 16, 19)
"I will bear a witness to you in the world, O Lord.  I will spread the knowledge of your name among my brothers, alleluia."

"For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable." (Romans 11: 29)

Enlighten our eyes to know the hope that belongs to your calling

"May the eyes of [your] hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones,"  (Ephesians 1: 18)

The Holy Spirit reveals to us what God is doing in our life.  John Gill writes that those who had tasted the Spirit had begun to taste the life of the future world that God has prepared for His people.  The saints are saints because they had this experience.  The martyrs laid down their lives for Christ because they were convinced that they were exchanging their lives for something much better.

The 7-Way Plan to Peace & Serenity

The 7-Way Plan to Peace & Serenity

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  Amen.

---

1	2	3	4
The 7-Way Plan	The 7-War Zones	The 7 Promises	The 7 Fruits
1.Prayer	Health	Pardon	Faith
2.WOG	Family	Peace	Patience
3.Eucharist	Money	Power	Wisdom
4.Penance	Job	Purpose	Humility
5.Examen	Tools	Presence	Courage
6.Ministry	Food	Protection	Peace
7.Spiritual Reading	Future	Provision	Contentment

"Almighty and ever-present Father, your watchful care reaches from end to end and orders all things in such power that even the tensions and the tragedies of sin cannot frustrate your loving plans.

Help us to embrace your will, give us the strength to follow your call, so that your truth may live in our hearts and reflect peace to those who believe in your love.  We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord."

There is time to fast and time to feast

"Jesus answered them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day."  (Mark 2: 19 - 20) 

The Holy Spirit is the free gift of God.  The gift is given to us not because we are holy but to make us holy.  Receive joyfully what has been given from the bounty of the Father.  You grieve the Holy Spirit when you constantly whine about your unworthiness, your lack of ideas, strength, money, etc.  Trust completely in the Holy Spirit and He will direct your path.  He will tell you the moment to fast. There is time for everything. A time to fast and a time to feast.

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.  Amen.

Do whatever He tells you

"His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”  (John 2:5)

Yes, Mother, I will do everything your Son tells me.

"We know that all things work for good for those who love God,* who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8: 28)

"Almighty and ever-present Father, your watchful care reaches from end to end and orders all things in such power that even the tensions and the tragedies of sin cannot frustrate your loving plans.
Help us to embrace your will, give us the strength to follow your call, so that your truth may live in our hearts and reflect peace to those who believe in your love.  We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord."

"For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable."  (Romans 11: 29)

Let us approach the throne of grace with boldness

"So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help."  (Hebrews 4: 16)

My Lord, I trust in your word.  Inspired by this invitation, I approach your throne of grace with boldness to ask for mercy.  I know your mercy is unlimited. It is more than enough to meet all my needs.

God's favor is timely but never late.  If only we  trust Him.  Lord, I surrender to you the What, the How and the When of your grace.  I trust in you.

Strive to enter into that rest

"Therefore, let us strive to enter into that rest, so that no one may fall after the same example of disobedience."  (Hebrews 4: 11)

How do we strive to enter into that rest?  That rest is the Sabbath Rest, which for Christians is Sunday.  We strive to enter into that rest when we honor Sunday and find our delight in it.  Sunday rest is a rehearsal for Eternal rest.  This is the Rest without end from our labors, sickness and all distress associated with life in the world.

Lord, thank you for the gift of Sunday.  Help us to cherish it and grow through it to know your heart intimately.