On a Sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.
He said to the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends… or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in
case they invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the
poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of
their inability to repay you.”
Reading books on prayer is not the same as praying. Knowledge of God is not enough to fall in
love with God. We must experience God. How? It’s
simple, extraordinarily simple.
If I want to increase my faith,
then I must take a leap of faith. The
best part about believing is the surprises that come from faith.
Every morning I reflect on God’s Word: His Son and Scripture.
I translate the Lord’s words into my words and the Lord’s actions into my actions. This is my Morning Prayer and
daily bread, and this is what I will give to my parishioners and
students. This is how I increase my
faith. This is how I take a leap of faith.
Recently, at a high school retreat, while the kids where in adoration, a student came up to me and asked for some advice regarding a friend. I told her that she should go back to adoration, look for her friend and surprise her friend by giving her a hug. She wasn't sure about my advice. Well, as soon as she left I left.
The next day, she came up to me and told me what happened. As soon as she went back to adoration, her friend came up to her and gave her a hug. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that the Lord had told her friend what I had told her.
Her faith grew that day. It became alive for the first time in a long time.
Recently, at a high school retreat, while the kids where in adoration, a student came up to me and asked for some advice regarding a friend. I told her that she should go back to adoration, look for her friend and surprise her friend by giving her a hug. She wasn't sure about my advice. Well, as soon as she left I left.
The next day, she came up to me and told me what happened. As soon as she went back to adoration, her friend came up to her and gave her a hug. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe that the Lord had told her friend what I had told her.
Her faith grew that day. It became alive for the first time in a long time.
When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the
blind. The Lord loves to keep us
on our toes, our tippy-toes. He loves to
keep us in suspense. He loves to throw
curve balls at us. Just when we think we
are getting the hang of this Christian stuff, the Lord encourages us, to go one
step further, by challenging us. He
loves to challenge our pre-conceived notions by turning our world upside down. He loves to challenge our love out of love
for us. He does so because, like He told
Martha, He wants us to experience the better
part; the part about trusting God above
all our fears and tribulations and finding the surprise at the bottom of
it.
When was the last time you were surprised by your faith? If it has been a while, then it means you’re going
through the motions: you're going to
Church out of a debt to pay. It means
you're just praying out of an obligation or habit.
And if you're praying out of habit, then you're praying with your mind
only and not with your whole body: mind,
heart and soul.
The commandments are not so much an obligation as they are a prescription.
The commandments are not so much an obligation as they are a prescription.
In today's Gospel, the Lord is not offering us a quick tip to holiness or some
“techniques” to rise in stature and in respect.
He is encouraging us to make the most out of life; to learn from the
blind, the poor and the crippled. There
is so much to learn outside of school.
There are so many friends to be made outside of my circle of
friends. There is so much more to this
world than the places and things I can see, or walk to or buy. There is so much more to love than my carnal
desires.
There are so many better things
in my life than in whom or what I like.
Because of our lack of faith, we have this undesirable tendency to work with
the undesirable to make ourselves more desirable. In other words, we have a tendency to do
things for ourselves even when we are doing things for others.
The Lord is telling us that that is not Christian.
Kids struggle with their faith because they never get a chance to experiment
with their faith. Parents can help their
children by encouraging their children to take a leap of faith. For example, if your child wants to have a
birthday party, then encourage him/her to not only invite their friends, but
also to invite some people who would never imagine being invited by him/her. See what happens next. Try it.
Take a chance.
If you think about it, the problem with most of our parents and kids
today is that they resort to sinning rather than believing. They are more than willing to take a chance at
breaking the commandments (and getting what they want) than take a
chance and living by the commandments (and get what God wants). So they never really get a chance to
experience God in their lives or know Him by heart or above all things because
they are constantly placing themselves and their fears in His place.
If you want your children to experience God in their lives, then you must
show them the Way. It’s not enough
to just teach them "the faith". Rather, you have to inspire them to His words and actions by your decisions,
inspirations, suggestions, mercy, compassion, understanding and unconditional
love. To achieve this, you must continue reflecting on your faith and feeding your faith on God’s word
and God’s body.
His words and actions by your decisions, inspirations, suggestions, mercy, compassion, understanding and unconditional love- Agree Father! Is this part of God actions while posting a comment on your blog, I heard a loud noise coming from my kitchen. I just put in 2 dozen of cinnamon rolls in my oven for breakfast for the kids.My oven went out LOL! I just giggled!! Go figure !
ReplyDeleteGod Bless you Father ;) I hope u have wonderful TUESDAY
This meditation has underlying layers of meaning that are so personal, so deep, and so relatable. I've had the unique opportunity to travel to Asia. Even though it was business related, it was not the most luxurious of travel. The hygiene was not the best. I didn't try to impose my American ways but carefully observed how these people lived. A predominantly Muslim community where I stayed, I felt a little bit of an outsider. I was stared at peculiarly. (A blonde American woman isn't seen very often in this area of Malaysia!) Fortunately with the stares came along smiles and nods of greeting. I was shocked! I didn't think these "different" people would be so kind. But, I realized they were just like me: They were humans with feelings and desires. This culture has their demographic of the lame, the blind, and the crippled. I noticed crumbling apartment buildings and emanciated dogs and cats crawling around the streets. Those loud gaggling birds with their "Eek..Gagk, Gagk" over and over. Blinding bird shrieks became one of the most annoying of my trip. I saw one Catholic Church in the area where I stayed. One Catholic church among the Buddist temples and mosques. I noticed the "Year of Faith" sign along with a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the entrance. I said a little prayer for not only my own safety but for those poor industrial workers who'd probably never see the level of comfort I experience every day in the States. I felt so blessed for living in America! However, I felt sadness that other parts of the world don't have what we have; however, they do the best with what they possess! (Even toilet paper is a precious commodity in this area of the world.) I met some lovely people on my trip I would kindly invite to my banquet table! I felt incredibly blessed to see another part of the world so foreign and unique from my own. It made me really cherish God's "handywork" in the people, places, and things he creates.
ReplyDelete"There are so many better things in my life than in whom or what I like." What an absolute truth! Wow...This makes me think of the "spiritual" guy I recently interacted with. Another "user and loser" who I liked so much. I briefly stopped attending Mass and the sacraments, so excited thinkin: "Thank you, God, for bringing such a nice gentleman friend in my life. I can take it here from now on. I know he's the one for me. I'm so excited to finally meet someone at my older age!....." Boy, what a false assumption!! When I think of my own stupidity I want to bury my head in the sand. Mr. Spiritual turned out to be terribly wrong for me; a very self-absorbed, heavy-drinking man with questionable morals, lying tendencies and emotional unavailability. This "let's be friends" type had absolutely no interest in maintaining communication with me, especially when he found out I'm not always a "fun" girl. (Ladies, be wary of men who only think you are fun to be around and don't want a real relationship.) I had so much hope he wanted to be authentic friends, but all the clues these past two weeks point to the conclusion that I'm not so "up to snuff" with this guy. In other words, he's too busy and I'm a bore! Yeah, it hurts like the dickens. But I know Our Lord loves me and wants to be my friend unconditionally. I know he's the one who is my guide and my protector. I just need to listen to HIM instead of my own selfish desires. I sometimes get a backlash from people who think I'm "overly religious." This label doesn't help much in the dating secular world, that's for sure. However, times when I do get hurt by a man is usually when I've drifted away from God. Bad move. I hope I can make wiser choices in the future even if it means I don't return to the dating pool anytime soon.
-Jennifer
Jennifer B, I loved what you had to say, it inspired me greatly. I can tell you are a wise woman, with a strong faith. I too am a older woman (60), newly widowed 8 months ago. It is a difficult place, middle aged, Christian women are not well understood by most men. At least you are willing to let someone in, that is a step in the right direction. God will bring the right person to you, someone you are equally yoked with.
DeleteI was a single parent for 7 years before I met my husband, we were married for 21 years before he passed away. But during those 7 years I met all sorts of wrong men, and made a lot of mistakes by trusting them. It was because they were not equally yoked with me. They either drank to much, had a bad temper, lied about themselves, or simply wanted to use women in general. God had a plan for me, he knew I needed a man who was capable of loving me for who and what I was. He was trying to tell me to be patient, all of my mistakes were because I was not, I was lonely, and loneliness can lead to drastic results.
Trust in God, he will bring the right person to you, perhaps he is asking you to be patient because your Mr. Right is completing an important task in his own life and isn't ready or available yet to meet you. That is how it was for my husband. He was doing the right thing and sticking by his wife as she died of cancer, it was a 5 yr process for him. It was not his time to meet me yet, I was the one who needed to be patient. When his journey with his wife came to an end, we met one year later. It was a blind date, my best friend's father had married my husbands aunt. They thought it would be a good idea for us to meet, as they both knew us individually. Anyway it was magic, I knew he was the one. He had no hidden agenda, no monsters in the closet such as alcohol or drugs, no bad temper to contend with. He was a sweet, kind man who also loved our Lord Jesus Christ, although he was not one to impose his belief onto others, he was none the less a man of deep convictions. He never once made me cry, he only loved.
I believe this kind of man is out there for you, but perhaps it is you who must be patient, as his time is not right yet to meet you. I will pray that God brings you a man who will love you and be devoted to you, you deserve this kind of man as a good Christian woman who loves the Lord... God Bless You Jennifer...