Choose Life

Choose life

“I summon heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I offer you the choice of life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life and you and your descendants will live; love the Lord your God, obey him, and hold fast to him; that is life for you and length of days on the soil which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Deuteronomy 30: 19 – 20)

Life and blessing for me in the Enterprise consist in this:

· Love the Lord, my God.

· Obey him.

· Hold fast to him.

Rewards for doing the above:

· Life, success, health and prosperity.

· Security in the land.

· Divine filiation.

Glorious Light

Glorious Light

“Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory.” (Isaiah 60: 1-2)

The above passage speaks of the glorious destiny of the Church. Just like Christ and John the Baptizer, the Church discovers its true identity and destiny through the Scriptures. Although the darkness of sin and error covers the earth, the Church will shine because upon her the Lord shines. Her source of light is constant and unfading. The Lord Jesus shines upon individual members of the Church too. The Church is like many lighted candles as at the Solemnity of the Easter Vigil.

Lord Jesus, shine upon me that I may reflect your light in the Church. The light that we reflect is the light of Christ. The word of God is a light to my foot. My destiny like that of the Church is to be light to the world. I read and apply the word of God and the Lord shines through me.

Pointing to Jesus 2

Pointing to Jesus 2

“One of the two who became followers of Jesus after hearing what John had said was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and say to him, “We have found the Messiah’ – which means the Christ – and he took Simon to Jesus.” (John 1: 40 – 41)

Andrew received the goodnews and was eager to share it with others. He started with members of his family.

The application of today’s scripture lesson for me is to try to share the spiritual insights I discover in the word of God with somebody every day.

Pointing to Jesus

Pointing to Jesus

“John looked towards him and said, ‘Look there is the lamb of God.’ And the 2 disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.” (John 1: 36)

Somebody (John) had to point out Jesus to others.

Lord Jesus, use me today to lead others to you.

Foundation of Truth

Foundation of Truth

“Children, do not let anyone lead you astray.” (1 John 3: 7)

The Church has struggled against errors and false teachings all her life. This is not surprising because Jesus Christ gave ample warning about errors and false teachers during his earthly ministry. The history of the Church is replete with counterfeit teachers and messengers whose goal is to establish a “new teaching” different from the deposit of faith received from the apostles. Many Church Councils were called to address heresies.

How is the individual Christian protected from being led astray? We trust in the work of the Holy Spirit who leads and guides the Church to the fullness of truth. We trust in the teaching authority given to the apostles and their successors, the Bishops by Jesus Christ himself. We are encouraged by the living Tradition of the Church that has proven a bulwark of the truth.

We thank God for the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church that has protected the Church from being led astray.

The Lamb of God

The Lamb of God

“Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

Jesus is the Lamb that was slain in order to save the world. The slain, sacrificial Lamb became the bread of life which we eat in the Eucharist.

Price of Freedom

Price of freedom

“No one who remains in him sins, and whoever sins has neither seen him nor recognized him.” (1 John 3: 6)

Jesus promises that if I remain in him, he frees me from sin. What does freeing from sin mean? It means freedom from the compulsion of sin; freedom from the domination of a sinful life style.

How do I remain in Christ? I remain in Christ through these means of grace:

· Eucharist

· Word of God

· Confession

· Prayer

· Examination of conscience

· Spiritual reading

These are the visible means of remaining in freedom. The price of freedom is investment in eternal vigilance.

FATAL ERROR

Fatal Error

“The reason why the world does not acknowledge us is that it did not acknowledge him.” (1 John 3:1)

It is fatal error for the child of God to ever seek recognition from the world. Do not crave for such recognition. The world will never give it to us as long as we commit to Jesus Christ. Know this truth once and for all. Believe what you read. Teach what you believe and practice what you teach.

Sow a thought

Sow a thought

“If you know that he is upright you must recognize that everyone whose life is upright is a child of his.

You must see what love the Father has lavished on us by letting us be called God’s children – which is what we are!” (1 John 2: 29 – 3:1)

Do I truly believe that I am a child of God? It is an act of great love on the part of God to make me his child. Do I fully realize what this means? Correct thought is the key to correct action. Belief empowers action. I will think differently, speak differently and behave differently today if I truly believe that I am a child of God. How do I empower myself with the powerful thought of my filial adoption?

As I reflect on the above, this thought comes to mind:

Sow a thought and you reap an action.

Sow an action and you reap a habit.

Sow a habit and you reap a character.

So a character and you reap a destiny.

Our destiny is to be children of God but there are a number of steps to the full appropriation of this gift. It starts with a thought of our divine filiation. We get the thought from the word of God. The next step is to act as if I am a child of God. Then another action. More action until it becomes a habit.

Wisdom and Understanding

Wisdom and Understanding

“The Lord opened his mouth in the assembly, and filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and clothed him in a robe of glory.” (Sirach 15: 5)

The above scripture was used on the feast of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazienen, both doctors of the Church.

Wisdom and understanding are gifts of God. Honor and glory come from God. The Lord himself opened the mouths of Basil and Gregory in the assembly. Both men were faithful to the anointing they received from the Holy Spirit. They witnessed to Christ in the Assembly with their gifts of wisdom, knowledge and understanding of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God.

Who are you?

Who are you?

“Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself? So he said, ‘I am, as Isaiah prophesied: A voice of one that cries in the desert: Prepare a way for the Lord. Make his paths straight!’ (John 1: 22)

Who are you? John the Baptizer knew who he was. From the Scriptures, he was able to discern accurately his identity. I learned many years ago that we find our true identity in the Scriptures. What I find about myself in the Scriptures is troubling. I find for example this passage:

“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….. To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 1: 5 – 8)

I answered: ‘Lord but I do not want to be a prophet. I am satisfied with things as they are. I love my quiet private life.’

In the beginning

"Let what you heard in the beginning remain in you; as long as what you heard in the beginning remains in you, you will remain in the Son and in the Father." (1 John 2: 24)

What is the beginning for me? The beginning of a new life for me was 060195. This was the day I experienced and accepted the presence of the Holy Spirit in me. This is the day that I can truly say is the New Beginning in every sense of the word. With the awareness of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, I heard words from the Scriptures that were new words. The words came to a new heart to begin the formation of a new man in Christ Jesus. I thank God that what I heard in the beginning remains in me.

"But as for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you; since the anointing he gave you teaches you everything, and since it is true, not false, remain in him just as he has taught you." (1 John 2: 27)

I believe that I received an anointing from the Lord in 060195. This anointing gives me a strong sense of what is true doctrine, that is a type of sensus fidei. I am also very happy to realize that the anointing remains me in after over ten years. Praise the Lord!

What does the word of God mean that I do not need anyone to teach me? Where then am I to seek teaching? There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit has taught me a great deal since 060195. I believe that the Holy Spirit is warning me here about false teachers. Be on your guard against those who could mislead me by false doctrine.

Open Access

"I know about your activities. Look, I have opened in front of you a door that no one will be able to close." (Revelation 3: 8)

"I know about your activities." Christ Jesus knows all about me. He knows where I am, what I am doing and how I feel at this moment. What an awesome knowledge!

"I have opened in front of you a door that no one will be able to close." What door is Jesus talking about? Many commentaries say that the "open door' is the opportunity to proclaim the gospel. I feel in my life that Christ has given me an open access to his word. He has also given me an open access to the Eucharist and the Blessed Sacrament. Let me then trust in Jesus who has absolute power to save me and who started this good work in me to take it to the next level.

The Call

Vocation: Called by God.

From the womb the Lord called me. (Isaiah 49: 1)

The king called those who were invited. (Matthew 22:3)

Calling them to the wedding feast (Matthew 22:9)

Many are called but few are chosen. (Matthew 22: 14)

I did not come to call the righteous but sinners. (Matthew 9: 13; Mark 2: 17; Luke 5: 32)

Those whom he predestined he called and those whom he called, he justified. (Romans 8: 30)

Called according to his purpose. (Romans 8: 28)

Not because of works but of God’s call (Romans 9: 11)

The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11: 29)

Confirm your calling and election. (2 Peter 1: 10)

Those with him are called and chosen and faithful (Revelation 17: 14)

God called through his grace (Galatians 1: 15)

He called you so to obtain the glory of our Lord. (2 Thessalonians 2: 14)

He has called us with a holy calling. (2 Timothy 1: 9)

Brethren who share in holy calling (Hebrews 3:1)

The hope of his calling (Ephesians 1: 18)

To those who are called (1 Corinthians 1: 24, Jude 1)

You are called of Jesus Christ. (Romans 1: 6)

(Roget’s Thesaurus of the Bible)

Absolute Trust

"It follows, then, that his power to save those who come to God through him is absolute, since he lives forever to intercede for them." (Hebrews 7: 25)

Christ's power to save is absolute. The power of Jesus is not bound by the limitations of geography or time. He has absolute power in the truest sense of the word. He is therefore worthy of absolute trust.

Every kind of faith is a gift of God. Absolute faith in Jesus Christ is a great gift of God. This is a faith that trusts Christ at all times, in every circumstance and everywhere. Lord, give me this faith!

"The principal point of all that we have said is that we have a high priest of exactly this kind. He has taken his seat at the right of the throne of divine majesty in the heavens, and he is the minister of the sanctuary and of the true Tent which the Lord and not any man, set up." (Hebrews 8: 1 – 2)

Christ is the minister of the sanctuary and he is the true Tent. I want to remember this when I go to Mass.

God fulfills His Promises

"Blessed be the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel, just as he promised. Not a single word has gone unfilled of the entire generous promise he made through his servant Moses." (1 Kings 8: 56)

"But Abraham never doubted. He believed God, for his faith and trust grew ever stronger, and he praised God for his blessing before it happened. He was completely sure that God was well able to do anything he promised." (Romans 4: 20 – 21) Living Bible

"And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise." (Hebrews 6:15)

"Thus it was that Abraham, after patient waiting, obtained the promise." (Hebrews 6: 15)

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8: 28)

"And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans." (Romans 8: 28) Living Bible.

Two joyful lessons emerge from the above scriptures:

1. God fulfills his promise come what may.
   
2. Nothing that happens to me is insignificant. Everything that happens is part of God's plan for my life.
   

The Divine Pedagogy

The Divine Pedagogy

“Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; everyone was fulfilled.” (Joshua 21: 45)

“In a class at school, what the teacher says to one is intended for the information of all. And what the Almighty has done to one individual or nation is for the instruction, refreshment, consolation of all.” (Pulpit Commentary)

Properity

Prosperity

“Happy those who do not follow the counsel of the wicked, nor go to the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers.

Rather, the law of the Lord is their joy;

God’s law they study day and night.

They are like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in due season;

Its leaves never wither;

Whatever they do prospers.” (Psalm 1: 1 – 3)

“Regard prosperity, first, as the natural consequence of acting on good advice. He who steers by God’s compass and chart is preserved from many rocks and shallows, and is most likely to reach the haven of his legitimate desire.

Regard prosperity as a promised result. He who consults omniscience is helped by omnipotence.”

(The Pulpit Commentary)

Keep up your courage

Keep up your courage

“Therefore, keep up your courage, men; I trust in God that it will turn out as I have been told.” (Acts 27: 25)

“Courage is the supreme requirement of God’s saints and strength goes with it. “Add to your faith, courage” says Peter.

Fear is the parent of every kind of vice; fear of conflict, fear of shame, fear of failure, fear that God will leave fidelity unrewarded and prayer unanswered.”

To Faith

To faith

“Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5)

Isaiah said that faith that is firm is patient. Faith that is firm and is exercised can be seen. The friends of the paralytic exercised their faith and Jesus saw it.

Where do I need to exercise my faith today? What circumstances today are challenging my faith?

· Support

· Security

How do I exercise my faith on the above every day? The first thing is prayer. The second thing is to faith. I do this not on a global basis but one day at a time, one step at a time.