Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. …They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke beautifully retell the day-to-day life of Jesus Christ, especially his interactions with various types of people. In contrast, the Gospel of John beautifully penetrates the heart and mind of Jesus Christ and how he consecrated himself to the world…to all of us.
It’s one thing to do your work. It’s another thing to love your work. It’s one thing to live your life. It’s another thing to give your life. It’s one thing to keep busy. It’s another thing to keep being meaningful. It's the difference between surviving and succeeding; breathing and living; a job and a vocation.
Being a mom/dad is not a job. It is a vocation - not vacation. Being a priest is not a job. It is a vocation. Being a Christian is not just adhering to a set of rules. It is The Way to Life.
Before someone starts a business, they carefully plan it out. They take time to make sure they know their business. They take great pains to get the skills necessary. They plan this for years and invest the necessary resources to make it happen. They don’t leave much room for chance.
Do you do the same with your life? Do you think about it? Have you dedicated some time to understand it? I wish we all lived our lives with that same kind of dedication and determination.
Well, the Lord invites us to do just that. He invites us to consecrate our lives to Him; to set aside our heart, mind, will and strength to Him.
Well, the Lord invites us to do just that. He invites us to consecrate our lives to Him; to set aside our heart, mind, will and strength to Him.
Keep them in your name. Your name means a lot more than you think. It means more than just a convenient “calling card.” Your name is your reputation. Your name is - in the deepest sense of the word – your identity.
Who am I? Who do I strive to be? Who do I wish to belong to? What kind of questions are these??? Very important questions! Again, no one would ever start a business without having a business plan. So why in the world do we not have a “business plan” for our lives?
Nobody likes to be asked questions. Difficult questions tend put us on the spot. They force us to either lie or reflect. Sure, they can make us question our very own intentions and feel uncomfortable, but they will sure save us a lot of heartaches and headaches down the road.
Why are people so stressed today? Let's face it: we're not very spiritual. And the less spiritual you are, the more stressed you are.
Modern man is a very stressed man! But I personally consider stress to be a warning sign; it warns me that my "means" have become my "ends" and that I am focusing far too much on myself (and others) and not enough on God. Stress also reminds me that my priorities need some re-adjusting.
When I did some mission work in the Philippines, I noticed how stress free some very poor people were. They lived in a true community. People depended on each other. They were dependent. In America, we take pride in being "independent". But independence can easily lead to loneliness.
Will you leave your life to chance? Will you throw yourself out there like a fresh piece of meat? Will you learn the hard way? Will you learn to listen to and take advice from those who have gone before you? Will you listen to God? Why are people so stressed today? Let's face it: we're not very spiritual. And the less spiritual you are, the more stressed you are.
Modern man is a very stressed man! But I personally consider stress to be a warning sign; it warns me that my "means" have become my "ends" and that I am focusing far too much on myself (and others) and not enough on God. Stress also reminds me that my priorities need some re-adjusting.
When I did some mission work in the Philippines, I noticed how stress free some very poor people were. They lived in a true community. People depended on each other. They were dependent. In America, we take pride in being "independent". But independence can easily lead to loneliness.
You have a name, but your real name is Love. You are a very special gift of God’s love. Yes, you can be a natural resource. But you can also be a supernatural resource. You can feed the poor or you can love the poor. You can work from nine-to-five, or you can be available at anytime.
Today, our Lord is inviting us to consecrate (to set apart) our life and all that we do for Him. A few “names” come to mind: St. Ignatius, who consecrated His life to the Lord and set to defending The Church through education; St. Francis, who consecrated His life to the Lord and set to rebuilding The Church through humility; Mother Teresa, who consecrated her life to the Lord and set to seeing Christ in the forgotten.
They all changed their names and made a name for themselves; a name very familiar to all of us: Jesus Christ (or Love).
Father, your points on the relationship between spirituality and stress are insightful and completely correct from my experience. In my work, I interact with many highly successful, wealthy people in the business world. Many of these people could stop working tomorrow if they wanted to because of their financial means. However, tension and a lack of peace just radiate from them. They are addicted to success and many seem to have little or no room for God in their lives. Spiritually, they are starving to death while the poorer people I know just feast on God. What an ironic twist of fate!
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