Massive Commitment
“Yes, and I tell you that anyone who leaves home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and for the gospel, will receive much more in this present age. He will receive a hundred times more houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields – and persecutions as well; and in the age to come he will receive eternal life. “ (Mark 10: 29 – 31)
Lord, this is a fantastic promise. Why don’t many people believe it? Lord, you ask a massive commitment of those who follow you. You ask them to leave behind everything completely so that they can devote themselves exclusively to your service. Lord, this is a hard saying. Who can take it? You answer me: “This is impossible for man, but not for God; everything is possible for God.” (Mark 10: 27)
I believe you Jesus. Grant me then the grace to make this massive commitment.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Friday, June 09, 2006
Children
Children
“Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you that whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.’ Then he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on each of them, and blessed them.” (Mark 10: 14 – 16)
Thank you Lord for your word on little children. I yearn to know your heart and mind intimately and to act like you. You have shown me your mind on little children. I see that this is a subject very close to your heart. I confess that I do not always feel this way about little children. Sometimes I see them as a disturbance and a distraction.
Lord, make me see little children with your eyes. Put into my heart, love and tenderness for them. Make me to acquire the heart and the simplicity of a little child.
“Let the children come to me, and do not stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you that whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.’ Then he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on each of them, and blessed them.” (Mark 10: 14 – 16)
Thank you Lord for your word on little children. I yearn to know your heart and mind intimately and to act like you. You have shown me your mind on little children. I see that this is a subject very close to your heart. I confess that I do not always feel this way about little children. Sometimes I see them as a disturbance and a distraction.
Lord, make me see little children with your eyes. Put into my heart, love and tenderness for them. Make me to acquire the heart and the simplicity of a little child.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
My Grace is Sufficient for you
My Grace is Sufficient for you
“But in the beginning, at the time of creation, ‘God made them male and female, ‘ as the scripture says. ‘And for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one. Man must not separate, then, what God has joined together.” (mark 10: 5 -9)
What is the mind of Christ on marriage?
Lord, how about the very difficult, the almost impossible marriages, those “mistakes?”
A marriage is a sacrament where God unites a man and a woman. There can be no mistake in what God has made. For what God has designed and approved, there can be no impossibility. If God gives a job, he also gives the tool for the job. What are the tools? “My grace is sufficient for you.” The grace of Jesus Christ comes to us through the sacraments, the word of God and prayers.
Divorce is a negation of God’s wisdom and power. It is disobedience.
“But in the beginning, at the time of creation, ‘God made them male and female, ‘ as the scripture says. ‘And for this reason a man will leave his father and mother and unite with his wife, and the two will become one. Man must not separate, then, what God has joined together.” (mark 10: 5 -9)
What is the mind of Christ on marriage?
- God made human beings male and female.
- He made a man to leave his father and mother and cling to his wife.
- God’s plan in marriage is no mistake.
Lord, how about the very difficult, the almost impossible marriages, those “mistakes?”
A marriage is a sacrament where God unites a man and a woman. There can be no mistake in what God has made. For what God has designed and approved, there can be no impossibility. If God gives a job, he also gives the tool for the job. What are the tools? “My grace is sufficient for you.” The grace of Jesus Christ comes to us through the sacraments, the word of God and prayers.
Divorce is a negation of God’s wisdom and power. It is disobedience.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
The Blessings of the Desert
The Blessings of the Desert
“At once the Spirit drove him out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.” (Mark 1: 12 – 13)
Writing and reflecting on my desert experience in 1996, I wrote the following:
“My desert experience represents positive cosmic cycle for genuine riches. The solitude, the long period of prayers, study and reflection, the harsh experiences had all contributed in making the soil of my soul fertile to receive God’s graces and blessings. Among the blessings received during this period are the following:
The positive cosmic cycle for genuine riches is the negative cosmic cycle for material riches. It does appear that the two conditions are irreconcilable. I am resolved to accumulate as much genuine riches now as possible. This the “favorable time.”
In Ephesians 6: 10 – 17, St. Paul urges us to put on the full armor of God. It is recognized here that Christian life is one relentless and ruthless spiritual warfare. The enemy is cruel and cunning. His strategy is to disarm us little by little. First, he wants to take away our helmet of salvation; then the breastplate of integrity. Next he grabs the belt of truth, then the shield of faith and the boots to proclaim the goodnews of Jesus Christ. Finally, he reaches for the sword of the word of God. At this time, we are totally naked, disarmed and defenseless before him.
The weapons of man are useless in fighting spiritual warfare. Saul gave young David his armor to use to fight Goliath. David found the armor, cumbersome, impractical and useless. He preferred to use the armor of God and he vanquished Goliath.
I see the armor in my life corresponding to the 5-Way Plan:
“At once the Spirit drove him out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.” (Mark 1: 12 – 13)
Writing and reflecting on my desert experience in 1996, I wrote the following:
“My desert experience represents positive cosmic cycle for genuine riches. The solitude, the long period of prayers, study and reflection, the harsh experiences had all contributed in making the soil of my soul fertile to receive God’s graces and blessings. Among the blessings received during this period are the following:
- The Holy Spirit
- Vision of the Enterprise
- Our Mother of Perpetual Help
- Word of God
- Prayer
- Deeper faith
- Patience
- Wisdom
- Freedom from alcohol.
The positive cosmic cycle for genuine riches is the negative cosmic cycle for material riches. It does appear that the two conditions are irreconcilable. I am resolved to accumulate as much genuine riches now as possible. This the “favorable time.”
In Ephesians 6: 10 – 17, St. Paul urges us to put on the full armor of God. It is recognized here that Christian life is one relentless and ruthless spiritual warfare. The enemy is cruel and cunning. His strategy is to disarm us little by little. First, he wants to take away our helmet of salvation; then the breastplate of integrity. Next he grabs the belt of truth, then the shield of faith and the boots to proclaim the goodnews of Jesus Christ. Finally, he reaches for the sword of the word of God. At this time, we are totally naked, disarmed and defenseless before him.
The weapons of man are useless in fighting spiritual warfare. Saul gave young David his armor to use to fight Goliath. David found the armor, cumbersome, impractical and useless. He preferred to use the armor of God and he vanquished Goliath.
I see the armor in my life corresponding to the 5-Way Plan:
- The word of God
- Prayer
- Eucharist
- Reconciliation
- Spiritual reading
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Cut it off!
Cut it off!
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9: 43 – 48)
O Lord, this is hard saying. Who can accept it? Your message is clear and unambiguous. What matters most in life is one’s salvation. This is a task of such magnitude and importance that everything should be done to accomplish it.
O Holy Spirit, show me what threatens the kingdom of God within me. Could it any of this?
Jesus says: “Cut it off! Cut it off! Cut if off!”
Lord, this may be too hard. Help me!
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where ‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9: 43 – 48)
O Lord, this is hard saying. Who can accept it? Your message is clear and unambiguous. What matters most in life is one’s salvation. This is a task of such magnitude and importance that everything should be done to accomplish it.
O Holy Spirit, show me what threatens the kingdom of God within me. Could it any of this?
- Family
- Health
- Money
- Job
- Tools
- Food
Jesus says: “Cut it off! Cut it off! Cut if off!”
Lord, this may be too hard. Help me!
Monday, June 05, 2006
Don't Stop him
Don’t Stop him
“John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw a man who was driving out demons in your name, and we told him to stop, because he doesn’t belong to our group. ‘Do not try to stop him, Jesus told them, ‘because no one who performs a miracle in my name will be able soon afterwards to say evil things about me. for whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 9: 38 – 41)
I believe that the Holy Catholic Church is the one Church founded by Jesus Christ. I believe also that the presence of Jesus is very active outside the Catholic Church. I observe the intense work of evangelization going on by other Christian Churches and I thank the Lord who has provided salvation outside the Church
Sunday, June 04, 2006
God Provides All
God Provides All
“O Lord Our God, all this wealth that we have brought together to build you a house in honor of your holy name comes from you and is entirely yours.” (1 Chronicles 29: 16)
What a great truth that reminds me that everything belongs to God. The Church remembers this truth everyday at the offertory when it prays:
“Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
Through your goodness we have this bread to offer,
Which earth has given and human hands have made.
It will become for us the bread of life.”
The gifts we bring to God at the altar are the gifts God himself provides us. Isaac asked his father, Abraham, “Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the holocaust?’ ‘Son’, Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust.” (Genesis 22: 7 – 8) And God did provide the lamb.
“O Lord Our God, all this wealth that we have brought together to build you a house in honor of your holy name comes from you and is entirely yours.” (1 Chronicles 29: 16)
What a great truth that reminds me that everything belongs to God. The Church remembers this truth everyday at the offertory when it prays:
“Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
Through your goodness we have this bread to offer,
Which earth has given and human hands have made.
It will become for us the bread of life.”
The gifts we bring to God at the altar are the gifts God himself provides us. Isaac asked his father, Abraham, “Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the sheep for the holocaust?’ ‘Son’, Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust.” (Genesis 22: 7 – 8) And God did provide the lamb.