"The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. In green pastures he gives me rest; he leads me beside the waters of peace." (Psalm 23:1)
This Christ's word on my situation today. I believe it.
Christ is my shepherd, I lack nothing here and now. My pastures shall be green and abundant. I shall also enjoy rest in my labors. I shall be filled with the Holy Spirit. Amen! Amen! Amen!
"Do you want to be well again? 'Sir,' replied the sick man, 'I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is disturbed; …' Jesus said, 'Get up, pick up your sleeping mat and walk around." (John 5: 7-8)
Jesus seemed to say to the sick man: 'With me present, there is no need for you to go into the pool. I dispense the step for you. All things serve me. My word is enough.'
Lord Jesus, I believe. Say but a word and heal me. Lord, say but a word and grant my heart's desires. Say a word and heal my circumstances.
All that I need is a word from Jesus on my situation and everything is alright.
"Father, may our Lenten observance prepare us to embrace the paschal mystery and to proclaim your salvation with joyful praise ……." (Mass Prayer in Lent)
Our Lenten Observance:
When we pray, fast and give alms during Lent, we prepare ourselves to embrace more fully the paschal mystery. The paschal mystery is the mystery of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without adequate preparation, we cannot enter fully into this mystery. With good preparation, we come to identify more closely with Christ. If we die with Christ, we rise with Christ. We come step by step to appreciate the power of the cross in our daily lives.
"Come to the waters, all who thirst; though you have no money, come and drink with joy." (Isaiah 55:1)
Come and drink your fill of the Holy Spirit. It is free. I am thirsty. I ask for this water every day. When can I drink my fill of this water?
Do not ask for signs. Look for the fruits:
Who is invited to drink? Everybody is invited. Anybody who is thirsty should come and drink. Many are thirsty but instead of coming to the water, they go to personal development philosophy hoping to fill their thirst with its muddied water.
"At night fall, weeping enters in but with dawn, rejoicing." (Psalm 30: 6)
I wept during my Desert Experience. Today, I am rejoicing in the Lord. The Lord "changed my mourning into dancing."
O Lord, forever will I give you thanks.
"I will extol you, O Lord, for you drew me clear and did not let my enemies rejoice over me. O Lord, you brought me up from the nether world; you preserved me from among those going down into the pit." (Psalm 30: 1-4)
I was first rescued from NCAU and then from ZAN. God transferred me from Egypt into His glorious kingdom and gave my enemies zero opportunity to laugh at me.
Today, we have the funeral Mass of Ngozi. May God also transfer her from this valley of tears into His glorious kingdom. Amen.
"They will build houses and live in them, they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit." (Isaiah 65: 21)
Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. This person can build a house and enjoy it. He will enjoy the fruits of his labor.
"Rather be joyful, be glad forever at what I am creating, for look, I am creating Jerusalem to be "joy" and my people to be gladness." (Isaiah 65: 18)
I will be joyful; I will be glad in the Lord.
Thank you, Father.
"Father, creator, you give the world new life by your sacraments. May we, your Church, grow in your life and continue to receive your help on earth …."
The sacraments give us new life. As the plant sheds its old leaves and sprout new buds, so the sacraments renews our lives.
Oh, that everyone would come to the sacraments to be renewed.
"Come to the waters, all who thirst; though you have no money, come and drink with joy." (Isaiah 55: 1)
Lord, fill me with this water. Use me to bring people to this water.
The sacraments are the ordained means of growth for the Church. Destroy the priesthood, you destroy the sacraments and the Church.
"Lord, I put my trust in you; I shall be glad and rejoice in your mercy, because you have seen my affliction." (Ps 31: 7-8)
The Lord will show me mercy. He has seen my pain and poverty. He sees me; He hears me; He loves me.
"Father, you enlighten all who come into the world. Fill our hearts with the light of your gospel, that our thoughts may please you, and our love be sincere…" (Mass Prayer)
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a light to the world. When our hearts are filled with the light of the Gospel like the blind man in John 9: 1-41, our thoughts will be pleasing to God.
Blessed is the man who meditates on the word of God day and night.
"Lord, we offer you these gifts which bring us peace and joy. Increase our reverence by this Eucharist and bring salvation to the world …"
The Eucharist undoubtedly brings us peace and joy. I bear witness to this truth.
Reverence to God and sacred things increase our faith. I have experienced this.
"Go wash in the Pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed, and came back able to see." (John 9: 7)
Jesus gave back sight to the man born blind. He gave him much more besides. He gave him wisdom and the courage to be a witness to God's marvelous works. So the man became better off than those who were born with sight but in fact are blind spiritually. Every disadvantage is a blessing.
"Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them." (Ephesians 5: 10-11)
Blessed is the man who meditates on the work of God day and night.
The word of God is alive and active. It exposes the fruitless works of darkness. It shows the fine lines between truth and falsehood.
The Power of the Cross:
Accept God's will
Accept your cross
Obtain your crown
Accept your thorns
Receive your triumph
This is the power of the cross.
"I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; My face id did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame." (Isaiah 50: 6-7)
"The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul." (Psalm 23: 1-2)
I know for certain that the Lord is my Shepherd. He provides me everything I need:
He provides me what I need every day as and when I need them. He who is faithful in little things will be faithful in bigger things. My Shepherd will provide me with my ministry.
"in verdant pastures, he gives me repose." I have seen the verdant pastures as the field of my ministry. "Cast your net to the right of the boat." I cast as Christ bid me and the haul of fish was so large; yet the net was not broken because it was miraculously sustained. I pray for a ministry that will stretch my resources without breaking me.
"God our Father, your Word, Jesus Christ, spoke peace to a sinful world and brought mankind the gift of reconciliation by the suffering and death he endured. Teach us, the people who bear his name to follow the example he gave us: may our faith, hope and charity turn hatred to love, conflict to peace, death to eternal life …" (Mass Opening Prayer)
Christ's message is peace to the soul; it is peace in the family. It is peace between men. It is peace to the world.
The Church opposes every kind of violence.
Christ reconciled us to His Father by His suffering and death. The power of the cross.
Teach us Father to use our faith, hope and charity to turn hatred to love, conflict to peace, death to eternal life. The power of the cross.
Believe and keep believing; hope and keep and keep hoping; love and keep loving until you turn hatred into love. Do not believe, hope and love for one day and expect the result the next day.
"Israel, come back to Yahweh your God. Your guilt was the cause of your downfall. Provide yourselves with words and come back to Yahweh. Say to him, take all guilt away and give us what is good, instead of bulls we will dedicate to you our lips." (Hosea 14: 2-3)
Sin causes one's downfall.
Only God can deliver us from our sins.
"A sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me."
"Merciful Father, fill our hearts with your love and keep us faithful to the gospel of Christ. Give us the grace to rise above our human weakness…." (Mass Prayer in Lent)
Our God is a merciful Father. We pray that He fills our hearts with the perfect love that drive out fear. At the Transfiguration, the Father urged us to listen to Jesus Christ. We ask here for the grace to be faithful to His gospel. Every action and every word of Jesus is part of His Gospel. But the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ is found in the Sermon on the Mount.
Finally in this prayer, we ask the merciful Father to give us the grace to rise above our human weakness. What are some of these human weaknesses?
St. John summarizes this beautifully in 1 John 2:16 –
"Lord, there is no god to compare with you; you are great and do wonderful things, you are the only God." (Psalm 86: 8, 10)
What god can be compared with our God?
These gods may have mouth but they do not speak. They may have ears but do not hear. They are powerless to save. Those who worship these gods bring much sorrow on themselves. These tiny gods are experts in taking advantage of their devotees. But our God saves. He provides all our needs in due season.
