God gracious providence provides all our needs

"The LORD is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack."  (Psalm 23: 1)

The truth that God provides all our needs in a timely manner is an idea that is found throughout  sacred scripture.  Amazingly, this is also the constant teaching of the Church from time immemorial.  Yet, ask any man on the street whether he believes that God is supplying everything he needs in a timely manner and you may notice some doubts and hesitations..

God's gracious and loving providence is expressed in this sentence of a song used frequently in  Church:

"Have you not seen All you have needed has been met by His gracious ordaining?"

"Gracious ordaining" means of course God's providence.  The first time I became aware of this thought in a worship service, I said to myself, "Wait a minute.  This isn't my experience."  As a self-employed person, I prayed desperately for jobs.  I shouted literally  to Heaven for any help to improve my finances.  These may not be the only felt needs but they were the constant ones.  How am I expected to answer honestly the question:  "Have you not seen All you have needed has been met by His gracious ordaining?"  I thought about it at the time and decided that the question like many questions about faith and religion is simply too mysterious.  I now realize that this attitude was an error.  What I should have done was to challenge God in prayer to show me how He met all my needs by His gracious ordaining.

But recently, as I read and reflect more on the subject of Prayer, I begin to get some insight on the question.  The key to understanding the question is this important teaching of Jesus:

"What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”  (Luke 11: 11 -13)

In other words, the Father knows what is good for us and that is what He provides.  I like that.  I reviewed the things I thank God for everyday, for example:  where I live, where I worship and the work  I do.  These three life essentials match my personality and my desire.  That is why I thank God for them everyday.

I then reviewed the petitions I ask for that are not "granted."   For example: more jobs and more money.  I came to see clearly that more jobs will bring more money and less time for God.  More money will bring more distractions and more conceitedness.  More distractions will lead to all types of temptation.  More money will also lead to pride.  I winced as I thought of the consequence of pride.  God detests the proud.

So how do I today answer the question: "Have you not seen All you have needed has been met by His gracious ordaining?"  Of course it is true.  I have seen all my needs provided by God.  I pray for wisdom and understanding everyday to see how God does it.

Washed in the Blood of the Lamb

"These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."  (Revelation 7: 14)

Are your robes washed in the Blood of the Lamb?  The robe that is made pure and white in the Blood of the Lamb is the passport to the kingdom of God.

"Washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb" means one thing:

"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."  (Matthew 5: 10 - 11)

It also means:

"“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it."  (Luke 9:  23 - 24)

Jesus Christ is the Way.  His way is the way of the cross.  It is the way of suffering, pain, contradictions, delays, humiliation, disappointments, obstacles, etc.

The way of the cross passes through what is most important for every person: health, family, finances, job, tools and property, food and future.  Are you enduring persecution in any of these?

Jesus asks us to renounce ourselves and take up our cross daily and follow Him.  What do we renounce?  We renounce our will!  Our will stand between us and the will of God.  The will of God is supreme;  it is also our supreme good and peace.  Our will is in perpetual struggle with the will of God.  The saints who washed their robes in the Blood of the Lamb had their wills broken.  They became submissive to the will of God.  Therefore, they became triumphant in the struggle against Satan and his demons.

But what is the will of God?  The will of God or His divine pleasure is revealed in His commandments.  It is also revealed in the word of God.  The will of God is also revealed to us in every event and in every moment of our life.  The will of God is also the divine Providence revealed every step every moment of our life.

The contest of our will with the will of God can be seen as the contest between truth and falsehood.  The Truth is Jesus Christ Himself.  Satan is the Father of lies.

Today is November 1.  Today the Church all over the world celebrates  the unsung heroes of the Church throughout the ages in the Feast of All Saints.  The Opening Prayer for this feast is beautiful:

"God our Father,
source of all holiness,
the work of your hands is manifest in your saints,
the beauty of your truth is reflected in their faith.
May we who aspire to have  part in their joy
be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives,
so that having shared their faith on earth
we may also know their peace in your kingdom.
Grant this through Christ our Lord."

If God is with us, it is accomplished.

"If God is for us, who can be against us?"  (Romans 8; 31)

How beautiful is this promise O Lord my God.  How I pray to remember this always and everywhere.  What I need in every trial is the awareness of your sweet presence in me and with me. Whenever I am able to do this, the awareness of your presence has imposed calmness and steadiness on me.  Help me Lord always to realize and cherish the truth of your presence in me.

If God is with me, then it is accomplished.  Amen!

Accept what you cannot change

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

Accept all that has happened.
Accept everything that is happening.
Cooperate with everything except with what is sinful.

"O 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!"

" Let nothing trouble you,
let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing;
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
He who possesses God lacks nothing: God alone suffices."  St Teresa of Avila

"I let go of my desire for security."
"I let go of my desire for affection ."
"I let go of my desire for control ."
"I let go of my desire to change the situation ."
"I let go of my desire for perfect health ."
"I let go of my desire for perfect family harmony ."
"I let go of my desire for the perfect job."
"I surrender, I trust and I obey."
From Fr. Thomas Keating

The certainty of hope

"For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance."  (Romans 8: 24 - 25)

Hope does not disappoint.

"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!"  (Psalm 17: 50; 21: 23)

Jesus spends the night in prayer

"In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles."  (Luke 6: 12 - 13)

Jesus spent an entire night in prayer before choosing His disciples.  This teaches us the importance in the life of Jesus.  Commentators note that this is the habit of Jesus before any crisis.  He goes to a place where He could enjoy solitude.  He spends a considerable time in prayer.

I believe in prayer.
I believe in the word of God.
I believe in miracle.
I leave the rest to God.

In any crisis or need, as long as we are praying, we are winning.  The only activity that Jesus teaches us to do constantly is prayer.  We are not asked to work constantly or even to eat always but to pray constantly.

Jesus Christ is the Most Trustworthy Friend

"At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.......
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth."  (2 Timothy 4: 16 - 17)

Lord Jesus, you stood by me and delivered me from the mouth of the lion because I trusted you. I trusted you because you taught me to trust you.  You taught me to trust you because I asked in prayer.  Thank you!  Thank you! Thank you!

The Spirit and the Flesh

"For those who live according to the flesh are concerned with the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit with the things of the spirit."  (Romans 8: 5)

In Galatians 5: 19 - 21, St Paul lists the work of the flesh thus:

"Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality, impurity, licentiousness,
idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy, outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness, dissensions, factions,
occasions of envy, drinking bouts, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."  (Galatians 5: 19 - 21)

"In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."  (Galatians 5: 22 - 23)

How to cooperate with God's Providence

Accept all that has happened.
Accept everything that is happening. Cooperate with everything except with what is sinful.

Jean-Pierre de Caussade, SJ

My times and seasons are in your hands

"You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time?"  (Luke 12: 56)

Lord Jesus, there is nothing I yearn for more at this moment than to understand the times and seasons in my life.  You are Lord.  My destiny is in your hands.  (Psalm 31: 15)  It is said that my disappointments are your opportunity.  Let it be.  Let it be.  Let it be.  Remember your promise O Lord. "For I know well the plans I have in mind for you—oracle of the LORD—plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope."  (Jeremiah 29:11)

"When I am afraid,
in you I place my trust.

I praise the word of God;
I trust in God, I do not fear.
What can mere flesh do to me?"  (Psalm 56: 4 - 5)

"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)

Surpassing knowledge of Jesus 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: 8)

St. Jerome said that "Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ."  In other words, sacred scripture is the royal way to the knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ said to the Sadducees,  “You are misled because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God."  No wonder the Sadducees  did not see the Old Testament prophecies fulfilled in the person of Jesus.

When Jesus appeared to two of His disciples on the Road to Emmaus,
"He said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”
Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures.
 And he said to them, “Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.
And [behold] I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”  (Luke 24: 44 - 49) 

While sacred scripture reveals the identity of Jesus, knowledge of Jesus is not limited to the scriptures.  The living Tradition of the Church is a source of knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Jesus instituted the Sacraments as a means of dispensing the fruits of salvation.  When the Sacraments are celebrated in the Church, the Church teaches that the priest acts in Persona Christi, that is, in the Person of  Christ.  So we know Jesus Christ through His actions in the Sacraments.  We know the Lord through prayer.  In prayer, we thank Him, we praise Him, we bless Him.  We lift up our needs to Him.  We listen to His response and learn how He meets all our needs through His gracious providence.

Dominion belongs to Jesus Christ

"For sin is not to have any power over you, since you are not under the law but under grace."  (Romans 6: 14)

Nothing should exercise any power over us except Jesus Christ.  We must say a firm NO to those things that struggle to control our lives.  Some of these are:  parents, spouses, children, relatives, job, money, health, property,car, food, etc.  Listen to what scripture says about these:

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

Scripture teaches that those who bow down to these tin gods multiply their sorrows.  Does experience not teach us this lesson?  Scripture goes on to command that they should not be honored in any way.  No boasting about them.  They should be taken for what they are:  mere creatures.

Grace and mercy drowned sin

"The law entered in so that transgression might increase but, where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more."  (Romans 5: 21)

Grace and mercy drowned sin.  O happy fault that brought us an abundance of grace and mercy through Jesus Christ.  How indebted and enslaved to the evil one we were and Jesus Christ set us free from all our debt and brought us into His kingdom of light.

Praise and glory to you Lord Jesus Christ.  You are the Lamb of God and the Son of the Eternal Father.

Abraham glorified God through His faith

"He did not doubt God’s promise in unbelief; rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God
and was fully convinced that what he had promised he was also able to do"  (Romans 4: 20 - 21)

Thank you Lord for teaching me a very important spiritual principle through Romans 4: 20 - 21.  You teach me that the way to magnify you is through strong faith in your promise as Abraham did.  You know Father that for a longtime I have prayed for strong faith.  More lately, I have this profound desire to glorify you by my life.  When I think of glorifying or magnifying your name, I usually thought of doing some extraordinary thing for you.  But you  teach me today that trusting completely in your word, your promises is the best and most effective way to honor you.  I am excited by this.  It sounds simple but I know it is not.  This is why I turn to you to do what I do best:  Have mercy on me and give me this gift.  When you do, I will bear a witness to you in the world, O Lord.  I will spread the knowledge of your name among my brothers, Alleluia.

Jesus Christ is our Teacher

"But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it."  (2 Timothy 3: 14)

Lord, you have been a wonderful Teacher.  Grant me the grace to remain faithful to all that you have taught me.
I believe what I read.
I teach what I believe.
I practice what I teach.

The Voice that speaks in court

"When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,g do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say.
For the holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”  (Luke 12: 11 - 12)

Who is the Voice that speaks in court?  The Holy Spirit is the voice that speaks in court.  Have you used this Attorney?  He is highly recommended.

How beautiful upon the mountains

"How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the one bringing good news,
Announcing peace, bearing good news,
announcing salvation, saying to Zion,
“Your God is King!”  (Isaiah 52: 7)

Today is the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist.  St. Luke wrote the Gospel according to St. Luke.  It is amazing to realize that in hundreds of thousands of Masses all over the world today, this saint is remembered by millions of people. Jesus Christ promised:

"And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life."  (Matthew 19: 29)

Tell me any other historic figure that can lay to such a remembrance.  The feast of St. Luke occurs every year on October 18.  On this day every year, we witness the same outpouring of affection for this man who died about 2000 years ago.  It encourages my faith to see the predictions of Jesus Christ come fulfilled.

Isaiah 52: 7 is one of the many scriptures that are read in the Mass of St. Luke.

"How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of the one bringing good news,
Announcing peace, bearing good news,
announcing salvation, saying to Zion,
“Your God is King!”  (Isaiah 52: 7)

St. Luke is the one with the beautiful feet who brings the good news.  The promise of Isaiah 52: 7 is not closed.  It is still open for you and for me to enjoy.

One with Christ is a majority

"Yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me."  (Galatians 2: 20)

By faith I know that Christ lives in me. I no longer try to live and work as a natural man all by myself.  Everything I do now, I factor in Jesus.  One with Jesus is always a winner, a majority.  When I think of the future without Jesus, I become frightened.  But if I think of the future and think of Jesus who is always with me, I smile.  I know that nothing can ever shake Jesus.

Christ in me the hope of glory.  (Colossians 1: 27)

My soul waits in silence

"My soul rests in God alone,
from whom comes my salvation.
God alone is my rock and salvation,
my fortress; I shall never fall."  (Psalm 62:  2 - 3)

My soul waits in God alone.  I will wait for you O God till you answer.  Make haste my God to help me. I trust in your mercy.

"“Come,” says my heart, “seek his face”;
your face, LORD, do I seek!"  (Psalm 27: 8)

"Wait for the LORD, take courage;
be stouthearted, wait for the LORD!"  (Psalm 27:  14)

"Surely, I wait for the LORD;
who bends down to me and hears my cry,
Draws me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the muddy clay,
Sets my feet upon rock,
steadies my steps,
And puts a new song in my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in fear
and they shall trust in the LORD."  (Psalm 40: 2 - 4)

I am not ashamed of the Gospel.

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: for Jew first, and then Greek."  (Romans 1: 16)

Lord Jesus, help me never to be ashamed of the Gospel. Help me never to reject the challenges you send to train me. May I grow everyday in the knowledge of what you want me to do and at the same time increase in the strength to do it.  Amen!