My Lord trains my hands for battle, my fingers for war

"Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for battle,
my fingers for war."  (Psalm 144: 1)

My God is my teacher.  He trains in the art of spiritual warfare.   I must endeavor to be a very docile student.

But why does my Teacher teach me?

"You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons:
“My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord
or lose heart when reproved by him;
for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges.”
Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?
If you are without discipline, in which all have shared, you are not sons but bastards.
Besides this, we have had our earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not [then] submit all the more to the Father of spirits and live?
They disciplined us for a short time as seemed right to them, but he does so for our benefit, in order that we may share his holiness.
At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it.
So strengthen your drooping hands and your weak knees."  (Hebrews 12: 5 - 12)

"Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent."  (Revelation 3: 19)

By what method does my Teacher teach me?  Divine pedagogy is pervasive and could be stressful.  It is at the same time teaching and continuous testing.  The goal is for you to score 100% like Jesus Christ.

"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)

The lessons are many and hard.  The core of the curriculum includes:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.h Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  Matthew 5: 3 - 10)

When does my Teacher?

Always and Everywhere.  Using all Circumstances.

"Grant O Lord, that I too may learn to turn all the circumstances and events of my life into occasions of loving you and serving the Church, the Pope and all souls with joy and simplicity; lighting up the pathways of this earth with faith and love."  [St Josemaria Escriva]

"My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me." (John 10: 27)

"My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me."  (John 10: 27)

Yes Lord, I listen to your voice in the Bible.  I listen to it in the Eucharist.  I hear it in my heart.  Yes, I will follow you wherever you go.  Help me Jesus.

Now that you know what makes for peace

“If this day you only knew what makes for peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes."  (Luke 19: 42)

Lord Jesus, what is it that makes for peace?
The Beatitudes!

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you [falsely] because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.h Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you."  Matthew 5: 3 - 10)

Lord, but this is a very tall order.  Who can do this?
Nobody.  But with my grace all becomes possible.  Saints are those who know that they cannot do anything on their own.  So they ask me.  Whenever anybody approaches my throne of grace with confidence and ask me, I answer.
Thank you Lord.

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord

"“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty,
who was, and who is, and who is to come.”  (Revelation 4: 8)

God is supremely holy.  How do we glorify God's awesome holiness?

"Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy sanctuary;
give praise in the mighty dome of heaven.
Give praise for his mighty deeds,
praise him for his great majesty.
Give praise with blasts upon the horn,
praise him with harp and lyre.
Give praise with tambourines and dance,
praise him with strings and pipes.
Give praise with crashing cymbals,
praise him with sounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath
give praise to the LORD
Hallelujah!"  (Psalm 150: 1 - 6)

I am glad that the Lord chastises me

"Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent."  (Revelations 3: 19)

I am glad that the Lord  chastises me so that I may be wise.  But Lord, chastise me not in your anger for I am a weak man.

"You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons:
“My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord
or lose heart when reproved by him;
for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;
he scourges every son he acknowledges.
Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?
If you are without discipline, in which all have shared, you are not sons but bastards.
Besides this, we have had our earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not [then] submit all the more to the Father of spirits and live?
They disciplined us for a short time as seemed right to them, but he does so for our benefit, in order that we may share his holiness.
At the time, all discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, yet later it brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by it."  (Hebrews 12: 5 - 11)

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me

"Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”  (Luke 18: 38)

The blind man was willing to take the chance as Jesus passed, while Jesus was still within earshot to make his plea, "Have pity on me."  This very day, I am expecting Jesus to pass close to me.  Will I recognize Him?  Will I seize the opportunity to plead for His mercy?

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.  I believe you are whom you say you are.  I believe you can help me.  Thank you Jesus.

My inheritance is fair indeed

"LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you have made my destiny secure.
*Pleasant places were measured out for me;
fair to me indeed is my inheritance."  (Psalm 16: 5 - 6)

Thank you gracious God for choosing my allotted portion and my cup for me.  Like a child, I do not know what is best for me.  You know everything.  I trust you to choose the very best for me.  Thank you for measuring out very pleasant places for me.  My inheritance is very fair indeed.  Thank you Father.

"One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the LORD’s house
all the days of my life,
To gaze on the LORD’s beauty,
to visit his temple."  (Psalm 27: 4)

I ask this one thing of the Lord.  The Lord has granted this desire of my heart.

"You set a table before me
in front of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Indeed, goodness and mercy will pursue me
all the days of my life;
I will dwell in the house of the LORD
for endless days."  (Psalm 23: 5 - 6)

O my friends, what can I say?  This is the Lord's doing.  I shall give thanks and praise Him.

Approach the throne of mercy with confidence

"Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones who call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them?"  (Luke 18: 7)

This is great assurance that persevering prayer will be answered.  If the answer is No, God will take the desire from the heart and replace it with something better.

"“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."  (Matthew 7: 7 - 8)

God is not man to lie.  He is always able and always willing to come to our help.  His promise to answer prayer was not made because God owes us anything.  God is perfect truth.  If He says it, it is the truth.  The word comes forth from the mouth of God.  It is for us to capture this word with a believing heart.

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

The confident prayer at the throne of mercy will be answered.

Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it

"Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it."  (Luke 17: 33)

This is one of the great paradoxes of the Gospel.  To live you must die.   To be first, you must be last.  To grow more, you must first grow less.  To learn the secrets of the Kingdom, you must be childlike.

What does all this mean?  Things are not exactly the way you see it.  In the world, we walk by sight.  In the Kingdom, we walk by faith.  A childlike disposition opens us to the possibilities of sacred world around us full of mysteries.

Jesus teaches in the scripture above that to preserve your life, you must be prepared to lose it.  You must be ready to exchange what you have for something greater and higher.  Saints and martyrs have done this.  When St. Francis of Assisi abandoned his wealth and lifestyle, he found Jesus, the Pearl of great price.  St. Ignatius Loyola left behind his world and made the same discovery as St. Francis.  Every generation, thousands of people instead of preserving their lives are losing it to find new life in Jesus Christ.  Those who hold tenaciously to the old life will lose it anyway.  It is guaranteed. (Luke 17: 33)

If you abide in me, you abide in my word

"I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing."  (John 15: 5)

If you abide in me, you abide in my word.  If you abide in my word, you abide in me.
Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of me.
If you reject my word, you reject me.

"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)

We do well always and everywhere to give you thanks

"In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."  (1 Thessalonians 5: 18)

The will of God for us is to give thanks in all adverse and good circumstances in everything that concerns our welfare:  health, family, finances, job, tools, food and future.

I like the AMP expansive translation on the above scripture:
"Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revelator and Mediator of that will].

The People of God learn habits of faith in the School of the Mass.  For example, the Mass Preface repeats constantly the lesson of Thanksgiving:
"Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks."

"Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4: 6 - 7)

When we mix thanksgiving in prayer, fear, worry and doubts disappear.

Everything happens for a good reason because God is always in charge:
" We know that all things work for good for those who love God,* who are called according to his purpose."  (Romans 8: 28)

"Give thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father"  (Ephesians 5: 20)

Praise and thanksgiving are powerful means of connecting to God and disposing ourselves to receive God's abundant mercies.

We are unprofitable servants

"So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”  (Luke 17: 10)

God chooses; God calls and God anoints.  God Himself empowers us for the job.  When all is from God, what can we claim?  What can we glorify in?
Now that you know, all that you need to activate the anointing is to ask at the moment of need.  Ask in faith because you know that the grace  you need is already available waiting to be activated.  After having asked, start acting as if you have received what you need.  Do not look back.

"For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good."  (Titus 2: 11 - 14)

When grace is fully activated through prayer, faith and appropriation, it transforms life.

"Trust in the LORD and do good
that you may dwell in the land and live secure.
Find your delight in the LORD
who will give you your heart’s desire."

"The valiant one whose steps are guided by the LORD,
who will delight in his way,
May stumble, but he will never fall,
for the LORD holds his hand."  (Psalm 37: 3-4, 23-24)

Let your full trust be in the Lord and then do all the good you can.  Delight yourself in the Lord, He will fulfill the desires of your heart. You may stumble but will never be allowed to fall and remain on the ground.

"In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones"  (Ephesians 6:  16 -18)

Lord, increase our faith

"And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to [this] mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you."  (Luke 17: 5 - 6)

Faith is that awesome gift of God by which we believe that God is who He says He is and that all that He teaches us is true and He does what He promises to do. Awesome gift!

"Fear is useless; what is needed is trust." (Luke 8:50, Mark 5: 36)
Faith vanquishes fear, worry and doubt.

With faith, we have access to God's promises of: pardon, peace, power, purpose, presence, protection and provision.
Without faith, we languish.

• Believe what you read.
• Teach what you believe.
• Practice what you teach.

The jar of flour shall not go empty

"For the LORD, the God of Israel, says: The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.”  (1 Kings 17: 14)

God's providence has met the Prophet Elijah in an unusual place and time.  The same divine providence has confounded the expectations of the Widow of Zarephath

Jesus invites us to trust God completely to provide all our needs.

"One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”  (Matthew 4: 4)

"Help us to become more aware of your loving design so that we may more willingly give our lives in service to all."  The Church prays on the 2nd Sunday of the Ordinary Time.

To abandon ourselves completely to God's providence in everything, we pray:

"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!"

You cannot serve God and money

"No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”  (Luke 16: 13)

What is mammon?  It could be any of the following:  health, family, money, job, tools, food, future.  God is the source of all these.  For most people, mammon means one thing - money.  In the Gospels, there is a contrast between dishonest, tainted wealth and genuine riches.   The Gospel invites us to seek genuine riches which cannot rust or be stolen by thieves.

"I say to the LORD,
you are my Lord,
you are my only good.

They multiply their sorrows
who court other gods.
Blood libations to them I will not pour out,
nor will I take their names upon my lips."  (Psalm 16: 2, 4)

When we serve God alone and not mammon, we abandon ourselves completely to Divine Providence. We practice total detachment from anything that can ensnare our hearts to idols.

What are some of the blessings of financial peace?

1. We avoid pride that tainted wealth brings
2. We depend fully on God for all our provisions
3. We live one day at a time
4. We avoid temptations to gluttony and lust
5. We avoid wasting time window-shopping for what to buy
6. We avoid buying things we do not need

When we serve God and not money, we learn to recognize times and seasons as God's appointments.  We learn to adapt to times and seasons joyfully.

"I know indeed how to live in humble circumstances; I know also how to live with abundance. In every circumstance and in all things I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of living in abundance and of being in need.
I have the strength for everything through him who empowers me."  (Philippians 4: 12 - 13)

God is a proved Helper in trouble

"God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress."  (Psalm 46: 1)

Has God been for me a refuge and ever present help in distress?
To answer the question, I reviewed my life from the period I had the clearest memory (1970) to date (2012)  The answer is resoundingly YES.

God has always been my refuge and ever present help in all types of distress.  He is a well-proved help in trouble. Whether the distress involves family, health, finances, job, tools, food and future.  God is a very reliable Helper.  The amazing thing is that in over half of the period under review, God had always come to my help even when I was outside His law.  He love is not only constant but to very mysterious.

The Supreme Advantage of knowing Jesus

"[But] whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ.
More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ"  (Philippians 3: 7 - 8)

But whatever gains I had....:Family, Health, Education, Finance, Property, Job, Food, Friends, I gave up because of the supreme advantage of knowing Christ.  Those forgotten gains gave false confidence.  Knowledge of Christ gave the one thing that is necessary.  The one thing that is necessary is the one thing I need:  the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit reveals to me the person of Jesus, the Healer, the Feeder.  Jesus is all that we need.

There is a tide in the affairs of men.  All times and seasons are divine appointments.  Jesus is passing by today.

God is the source of all inspiration and power

"For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work."  (Philippians 2: 13)

Abba Father, you are the source of all inspiration and power.  You give everything its place in the world and nobody can make it otherwise.  Fill me today with your inspiration.  Let my every work glorify you.  Amen!

The wedding feast of the Lamb is the Eucharistic celebration

"“Blessed is the one who will dine in the kingdom of God.”  (Luke 14: 15)

The dinner is the Church gathered in the Eucharist.

The Amplified Bible has this translation for the above scripture:
"(Happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!"

The Eucharistic bread is available for us every single day.  Most of us can dine in the Kingdom of God every day.  Some do this.  But how many feel truly fortunate and to be envied for the privilege of dining in the Kingdom?

"Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who have been called to the wedding feast of the Lamb. And he said to me, “These words are true; they come from God.”  (Revelations 19: 9)

The wedding feast of the Lamb is the Eucharistic celebration.  To accept the gift to dine in the Kingdom, the Eucharist, is to accept the ultimate sign of God's favor.

"This I know: God is on my side.
I praise the word of God,
I praise the word of the LORD.
In God I trust, I do not fear.
What can man do to me?"  (Psalm 56: 10 - 12)

The Eucharist is the sign of God's abiding love for us.

Jesus is our peace

"In you O Lord, I have found my peace!" 

O Prince of Peace, you are my peace.  Let me be enveloped completely by your peace.  You promise us the peace which the world cannot understand.  Let your peace cover my family, health, finances, job, tools, food and future.

In you, O Lord, I have found my peace.