Spiritual Success

   If we wish to achieve success in any endeavor there are processes we must follow and trials we must overcome.  To obtain a good education it is necessary to not only attend class but put forth the effort to gain as much knowledge as is being offered.  Career success requires some sacrifice and hard work.  There will be times when succeeding requires changing our plans and devoting more time to our efforts.

   One of the best ways to help ourselves in our efforts is to look for examples among those who have achieved success in our chosen field.  In the business world it is very common to have a mentor to provide some extra guidance to help us along the way.  Those seeking to be doctors work with experienced doctors to draw from their knowledge.  In most areas there are great benefits to be gained by following the example of those who have been successful.

   Success in spiritual matters is no different.  If we truly want to grow spiritually we need to apply the same effort and techniques as in any other worthy endeavor.  Thankfully there are numerous examples for us to look to for help in our growth.  We need to take full advantage of those who have gone before us and emulate their ways.  By this route we can follow the path of the saints all the way to heaven.

   Of course the first and foremost example is Jesus.  No other example is necessary in our efforts but Him.  However, there are many others we can look to as well.  The lives of the apostles; the early Christians who underwent great persecution; the many martyrs of the church provide wonderful examples of spiritual success and strength.  Today there are still those to whom we can look for helpful guidance.

   I have found that learning from the saints and the lives they led has deepened my faith in so many ways. When I look at Saint Francis I see joy in simplicity and love of our Lord.  In Saint Damian of Molokai I see the love of those shunned by society, the lepers.  Saint Theresa of Calcutta demonstrates great love of the poor and the outcasts of society.  Saint Maximilian Kolbe chose to give up his own life to save another in the concentration camps of Hitler.

   These are just a few examples of those we can look to for strength and guidance in our spiritual lives.  There are many, many others, whether recognized saints or not who give us great hope that we too can grow in spirituality and gain eternity in the presence of our Lord.

   Start with Jesus, there is no better example.  Then look to others whose lives in Christ may speak to you in a special way.  Study them, come to know them, and try to follow their ways.  Through the grace of God spiritual success is there for each of us.  With forgiveness, love and devotion we can join the saints in the glory of God.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

   Change happens each moment of each day.  We are physically not the same as we were just a few moments ago.  In that short time our bodies have cast off dying cells and produced new ones.  In some instances a new life has begun; in some a life has ended.  We sometimes have difficulty adapting to these changes but we have no choice in their occurrence.

   The trip from the east coast to the west coast of the United States used to take several months in a horse-drawn covered wagon.  Today we make the trip in just a few hours.  We’ve put men on the moon and into the depths of the ocean.  The average life span from the 1500’s to the 1800’s was thirty to forty years.  Today we expect to live an average of seventy-five years.

   Heraclitus was a Greek philosopher who lived about five hundred years before Christ.  He stated, “The only thing that is constant is change.”  The truth of his statement is demonstrated in the fact that it is just as accurate today.  Yet, it can only apply to earthly matters.  There are some things that are unchanging.  Those are the things of God.

   While many things change in our world, some will remain the same.  There are those who would try to redefine right and wrong.  They tell us it is acceptable to kill an unborn child in the womb.  Euthanasia is proclaimed to be a way to respect life yet it destroys life.  Marriage is expendable if inconvenient.  

   God determines right and wrong, not man.  Bishop Fulton Sheen stated, “Moral principles do not depend on a majority vote.  Wrong is wrong, even if everybody is wrong.  Right is right, even if nobody is right.”  Laws can be passed that seem to make evil good but man’s laws do not supersede God’s.

   If we need something to help us understand these things just look to the cross.  Jesus is constant, God never changes, good remains good and evil remains evil.  No laws, no opinions, no arguments can change these truths.

“While the world changes, the cross stands firm.”  St. Bruno

Virtue or Fear

Why do we do some things and avoid others?  We try to do the good while trying to avoid the bad.  But what is our basis for these decisions?  Usually they are at least somewhat influenced by our experiences in life.  From our first memories through today our lives and actions are in part determined by what has been familiar to us.

For some these experiences are pleasant.  We recall the guidance and direction of a loving mother and father.  Even when we did things we shouldn’t the discipline was fair and based on love and the desire that we grow into good people.  This type of correction and discipline helps develop virtue and a desire to do good simply because it is good.  Others may have been taught by fear and punishment.  As long as they did what they were told things went well.  However, violation of the rules may have resulted in punishment given in anger rather than love.  Discipline of this sort can result in good behavior based on fear alone.  Virtue wasn’t taught, just a fear of the consequences for failure.  The type of discipline we had a children and young adults affects us throughout our life if we allow it.  We sometimes have to outgrow our experiences and revise our motives.

Growing up in small town Kentucky many years ago I recall some churches having revivals.  The sermons given were usually what were referred to as “fire and brimstone” sermons.  They were sermons telling those attending that they were going to hell unless they changed their ways and toed the line in their spiritual life.  The relationship between the people and God was one of strictness and anger.  Do right or go to hell was the basic message.  I don’t doubt that there is a need to identify wrong behavior in an effort to get one to change.  I question the forcefulness of “change or go to hell.” 

I find my God is a forgiving God.  One who is patient with me when I make a mistake.  Jesus died that I might have mercy and forgiveness, not just a one-way ticket to hell if I sinned.  The life and teaching of Jesus was one of love and acceptance.  He forgave people of their sins and gave them His love.  Of course He admonished them to sin no more but I can’t find a single instance of Jesus saying, “Straighten up or I’ll send you to hell.”

We need to be aware of the motivation for our actions.  Do we act out of love and respect or out of fear that God will send us to hell?  If we avoid sin only to avoid hell we are missing the true meaning of Jesus’ life and sacrifice.  We should regret our failures and strive to do better going forward out of love for Him and a sincere desire to please Him.  God does not want our fear He wants our love.  He wants to forgive and strengthen us in virtue.

What guides your actions, love of virtue or fear of punishment?

Sacrifice

The life of Jesus was a life of sacrifice.   He gave up His glory for a while to become one like us except in sin.  He shunned the glory that could have been His while on earth to show us that our life should be one of humility.  Finally He sacrificed His life on the cross to pay for our sins and purchase salvation for all who would believe.

Our society is much more attuned to achieving goals and amassing goods than to sacrifice.  When someone mentions that they are fasting or sacrificing something as part of their faith they usually get strange looks and sometimes stranger comments from others.  The world at large wants very little to do with sacrifice and doesn’t understand why anyone would seek it.

Yet as Christians we are called to sacrifice.  We are to follow Jesus and that means we are to look to Him for examples on how we are to lead our lives.  Some of those examples are the sacrifices He made.  We are also called to emulate the love He had for all, friends and enemies alike.  Offering love to all can also be a sacrifice at times.  We may sacrifice our self-interest in our love for our spouses and children.  To love those most would consider unlovable is also a sacrifice; a sacrifice of the hatred that we need to eliminate from our lives.

Many practice some form of sacrifice on a continuing basis as a testament to their faith.  Not to others but to God and themselves.  Some sacrifice all worldly possessions and enter the cloistered religious life.  Others sacrifice a portion of their wealth to help those in need.  Fasting is a sacrifice some choose to make.  There are virtually no limits to what can be sacrificed as long as it is meaningful and is done for the right reason.

Jesus warned those who made sacrifices for their own glory.  “Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.  Thus when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogue and in the streets, that they may be praised by men.” (Matt 6: 1-2).  Those who want to be recognized for the good they’ve done are seeking recognition for themselves rather than sacrificing in the spirit of Jesus.

All sacrifice is pleasing to God if it is done with love and humility.  Whatever you find most significant as a sacrifice is the one to make.  It doesn’t matter how big or how small; what matters is that it is for the Glory of God.     

Teach Me to Pray

Lord, teach me to pray.

I try, but I don’t seem to be there quite yet.

Teach me to open my mind and listen for you.

Teach me to open my soul and wait for you.

Prayer is our time for communion.

Not to ask of You, for you know my needs.

To seek Your guidance in all that I do.

To receive your love, your wisdom and your mercy,

Prayer is when I get to know You Lord.

To get to know Your will for me.

To get to know Your ways in all things.

To grow in Your strength for the journey before me.

Prayer is my time for giving.

Giving myself to Your purpose.

Giving my worldly concerns to You.

Accepting You as the driving force of my life.

Open my heart Lord, that I may welcome You.

Open my ears Lord, that I may hear the quietness of Your voice.

Open my eyes Lord, that I may see Your hand in all things.

Give me Your strength Lord that I may live to serve only You.

Lord, teach me to pray.

Go to the Mountain

   I will never forget the first time I went to the top of Pike’s Peak.  It was an incredible trip to the top.  The view along the road as we climbed higher and higher was magnificent.  The higher we went the lower the temperature dropped.  The vegetation on the mountain changed dramatically as we continued to climb.  The shrubs, flowers and trees were all very different from any I’d ever seen.  Eventually we rose above the tree line where nothing but the mountain remained.  What an amazing journey

   Once we reached the top the air was so cold it almost hurt to breath.  Even through the bitter cold the sun still shared some warmth making it bearable to walk around and take in the breath-taking vistas surrounding us.

   Mountain tops have a special place in the Bible.  Important things happened on the mountains.  Sometimes what occurred was a foretelling of things to come.  Sometimes there were challenges.  Whatever the reason the mountains were important.

   Noah’s ark came to rest atop Mt. Ararat.  The Lord entered a covenant with Noah there.  He promised that He would never again destroy all living creatures in the waters of a flood.  As a sign of the covenant God set the rainbow in the clouds. 

   God tested Abraham when He told him to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah.  An angel of the Lord stopped the sacrifice and a nearby ram was offered in Isaacs place. 

   On Mount Horeb Moses met God in the burning bush.  He then led the Israelites out of Egypt.  On their journey to the promised land Moses went up Mount Sinai and received the ten commandments.

   Elijah also met God on Mount Horeb.  He found that God sometimes speaks to us in whispers rather than storms, fires, or earthquakes.  

  Jesus went to the mountains frequently during His ministry; to pray, to think, to commune with the Father.  He took Peter, James and John up a high mountain where he was transfigured before them. 

   Jesus would be sacrificed for us on a mountain known as Calvary.  In the days of Abraham the mountain was called Moriah.  Isaac carried the wood for his sacrifice to the mountain; he was bound and placed on the altar to sacrifice.  An angel of the Lord stopped the sacrifice and a ram was offered in his place.

   Jesus carried the wood of His cross to Calvary.  He was nailed to the cross and sacrificed for us.  There was no ram to be substituted for God’s Son.  He gave His life that we might be offered salvation and eternal life.

     We may never climb a mountain but we too need to sit at the summit of the mountain of God.  The mountain is there for us to climb even though we never leave home.  In the silence of our heart we can go up that mountain.  In the quiet of our soul we can commune with God at the summit.  Great things happen on the mountain; climb to the peaks and pray.  God is waiting for you there.

What’s in a Day?

   We get up each day and go about whatever our day entails.  Maybe we go to work, maybe we are retired.  Maybe we spend our day in an office, maybe in a factory.  Some face danger in their day as police officers, fire fighters or perhaps military members.  Some are stay at home dads or moms.  We each go about our day, usually in a routine manner with little time to notice what else is happening in our world.

   Even on the weekends our days are many times planned.  We have to take care of all the to-do’s that get left behind during the week.  We plan shopping, trips, visits and other things to fill our Saturdays and usually our Sundays.  Hopefully we take at least some time on Sunday to honor and worship our God.

  But what of everything that occurs each day that we rarely notice.  Since I am now retired from the work-a-day life I’ve come to appreciate many things that I never seemed to even see before.  As I eat breakfast I look out over our yard and watch as the squirrels play, chasing each other up and down trees and through the yard.  Occasionally there is a rabbit eating some of the corn we put out for the squirrels and apparently for  rabbits as well.  I see the birds eating at the feeders we have in our yard; finches mostly but also the pair of cardinals that show up each year.  Hummingbirds hover right outside the kitchen window eating from their feeder.  All of this beautiful activity gets my day off to a great start and makes me conscious of the many blessings God has bestowed on me.

   We all have so much to be thankful for yet we seem to ignore most of it in our busy world.  We sometimes think of a small baby's cry as a noisy interruption rather than the blessing of new life.  Our spouse can become part of our routine driven day rather than the soulmate given by God to help us navigate this earthly existence.  Our own children are sometimes considered a bother rather than the result of the love between a man and woman fulfilling the will of God to be fruitful and multiply.  Even Sunday worship can become just part of our day rather than an opportunity to acknowledge God and thank Him for His many gifts.

   There are so many blessings yet we rarely take the time to notice them.  We focus so much on our worldly concerns that we miss the beauty and glory of the world God has given us.  We need to take the time to see those many blessings.  Some may seem simple like the song of a bird or the new bloom on the rose bush.  Some are incredible such as the majesty of a sunrise or sunset.  Artists have forever tried and failed to duplicate the colors that God puts on display for us.  Some blessings such as the Word of God and the sacrifice of our Lord are the source of eternal life.

   Noticing the small blessings helps us to recognize the many greater blessings our God gives us each and every day.  Take the time to notice them and you will enrich your life.  

Too Busy for God

   Rush here; hurry up to get there; haven’t got time for that.  Our lives can become one crisis after another if we allow.  Look around, people rarely drive the posted speed limit.  They rush through the grocery stores grabbing what they need while barely stopping the cart.  Even when they are supposed to be on vacation they can’t slow down.  Rather than have an enjoyable relaxing time they rush from one theme park to another and from ride to ride within the park.

   Some Sunday sit in one of the back pews at Church.  You will see people rushing into Mass at the last minute and heading for the doors before the last prayer and blessing.  I’ve wondered what could be so important that the extra few minutes they gain are worth the lack of respect shown to God by their actions.  At times I’ve seen these very same people sitting in a restaurant eating breakfast when I arrive.  Did they leave the table of God in such a hurry just to get to the table of their restaurant?

   Our society seems to favor those who are always busy, often to their own detriment.  The boss answers emails at all hours of the day and night on Sunday as well as every other day of the week.  The one who wants to succeed tries to emulate the boss so they ignore their family and their God to better their chances of promotion at work.  Both their family life and spiritual life suffer.

   Even in retirement I see people who are rushing from place to place.  For what purpose?  The habits we form in our earlier life are difficult to change in retirement.  We still act as though we need to be in a hurry for everything.  At a time when we should be taking more time for God and family we are still in a hurry to nowhere.

   We need to slow down and take the time to enjoy life and get to know our families.  We need to better know our God.  Even though you may still be in the work-a-day world there are ways to achieve balance between what must be done and what should be done.  Priorities need to be revisited with the health of family and spiritual life in mind.

   Jesus tells a parable of a rich man who could not seem to rest.  “And he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.’  But God said to him, ‘Fool!  This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” (Luke 12: 18-20).  It is appropriately called "The Parable of the Rich Fool."

   We have a choice.  We can live our lives chasing worldly goods or we can live them seeking God.  Make the right choice.  Don’t ignore the daily needs but focus on the eternal ones.  What you have today can be gone tomorrow; the treasures you gain in heaven are everlasting.

God’s Children

   “Pray then like this:  Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come.  Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matt 6: 9-13)

   Our Father.  What a beautiful thought.  God desires to be our father; he wants us to be His children.  The pagan gods were never thought of as fathers, but as rulers.  They demanded sacrifice.  Those who worshipped them sacrificed many things, including their children as a means to please them and gain their favor.

   God wants us to be His family.  He wants to give us many gifts and blessings.  Our relationship with Him is to be that of a father or mother and their children.  By extension this means that all of God’s children are our brothers and sisters.  Throughout the world for all time, God has granted to all who will accept Him membership in His family.

   In our earthly family there are sometimes disagreements and even serious arguments but we usually overcome them out of love for our family.  In God’s family there will also be these problems.  Satan takes great pleasure in dividing God’s family whenever possible.  However, if we can always remember that we are the family of God we can overcome these issues and strengthen and grow our family.

   As our Father, God will sometimes need to chastise and correct us.  Just a loving human father or mother corrects their children, God will correct us.  To allow our faults to continue without loving correction is not a sign of love but of neglect.  When we sin we should expect and, in fact, welcome God’s chastisement.  His loving correction is what will put us back on the path to our heavenly homeland.

   This family of ours is suffering.  We are divided over many things.  We look upon others and judge them by their appearance or where they come from.  We see our differences.  God sees no difference; He sees His children.  St. Theresa of Calcutta said, “I see Jesus in every human being.”  As the children of a loving God we can’t concern ourselves with our differences.  We too must see the face of Jesus in everyone we meet.

   “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called the children of God; and so we are.”  (1 John 3: 1)

Poor in Spirit

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 5: 3)

   Jesus often taught that concern about earthly belongings could be an obstacle for those seeking Him.  When a rich young man asked Him what he must do to inherit eternal life Jesus told him to obey the commandments and “Go, sell what you have, and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” (Mark 10: 21).  He told His disciples, “It is easier to for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10: 23)

   How are we to understand this teaching of Christ?  Are we to give away all that we have in order to get to heaven?  I have known those who are quite wealthy yet lived a life of charity and giving to others.  Are they not doing the will of God?  Will they be denied heaven because of their wealth?  I don’t believe this is what Jesus was trying to impart to us in this teaching.

   Jesus used examples to teach wisdom through the parables and other subtle ways in His teachings.  I see this teaching about wealth in a similar way.  Perhaps what keeps one from entering heaven is not material wealth but the love of that wealth.  Just as anything that we place above God can become god for us, so can wealth.  It really doesn’t even matter how much we have; if we prize it above God we will not enter His kingdom.

   There are some who enter the ministry or religious life who give up all material things and take a vow of poverty.  They wish to have no love of earthly things; only of God.  Those who choose that path are blessed and should be praised for their sacrifice.  But that is not a choice that everyone must make in order to be with God.

   Others use their material wealth to help others.  They support worthy charities; feed and clothe the naked and the hungry; care for those less fortunate.  Jesus taught that these things are the path to heaven as well.  “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matt 25: 40)

   The difference in those whose wealth will stand in the way of the path to heaven and those whose wealth will smooth the path to heaven is their attitude toward that wealth.  Those who believe that their material wealth is their due and their right may not see that sharing it will increase their wealth in heavenly goods.  Their possessions will come to possess them both in this life and the next.

   Others understand that all we have, whether a little or a lot, is a gift from God and therefore not ours to hoard, but ours to share.  The love that can be given through the sharing of wealth is the rightful use of God’s blessings.  If we have little to share we must share even that.  Great sharing doesn't depend on amount, but on sacrifice.

   God gives and sometimes He takes away; neither affects our eternal soul.  The things this world treasure are worthless in the world to come.  Those who understand these things, living accordingly, are the poor in spirit who will inherit the kingdom of God.

Conversion

   “On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”  (Acts 9: 3-4)

   Saul’s conversion is probably the best-known conversion account in history.  Saul, the great persecutor of Christians became Paul, the great Apostle to the gentiles.  Paul’s conversion changed the face of Christianity.  The one who had hated them the most became one who loved them and spent the rest of his life preaching the saving grace of our Lord to all who would listen.

   I believe we must all experience a conversion.  For those who were raised without faith the conversion can be an extremely dramatic event.  Suddenly life is different.  The things that had been held most dear become less important.  Even those who were raised in faith will profit from a personal conversion experience.  As a child we have a child’s understanding of faith.  As adults we need to move beyond the simplistic explanations and get to know our faith and our God in a more mature manner.

   God does not choose the prepared, he prepares the chosen.  This paraphrase of St. Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verses 26-31 speaks to the fact that God doesn’t always choose those whom we would expect to be chosen.  None of the Apostles were learned men, they were simple men who had led simple lives.  Yet Jesus called them to be the beginnings of His new faith and Church.  Today is no different, those we would least expect are sometimes called to sanctity by the grace of God.

   Ananias, who would baptize Paul, was afraid.  “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.” (Acts 9: 13).  But the Lord insisted, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings and Israelites, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for my name.” (Acts 9: 15).

   At times those who are newly converted have their faith questioned and are not believed when they speak of their new life with God.  They can even be turned from their faith by such a lack of acceptance.  Satan sometimes works well even in those who claim to be loving Christians.  

   If we accept that Jesus could take ordinary men and make them the leaders of Christianity we must accept that He can do the same for those who seek Him today.  What Jesus did for Paul, He does for others today.  Our response must be one of love, support and encouragement.  How else can we encourage and grow the kingdom of God on earth?

I Come to You

My God I come to you in thanksgiving.

I have so much to thank you for. 

You have given me life.

You have given me love. 

You have given me forgiveness and mercy.

 My soul rests in you.

My God I come to you in praise.

The birds of the air sing their praise to you.

The winds sweep the earth with your blessings.

The mountains speak to your majesty.

I hear; I feel; I see.

Let me praise you in all that I do.

My God I come to you to offer you glory.

Nothing can be without you.

The earth and all within it are yours.

You made the stars of heaven and hold them in place.

The entire universe sings of your glory.

Let me join their song.

My God I come to you in love.

You are love and only from you can true love come.

I am not worthy, yet you love me still.

Let my life be one of love for others as you have loved me.

My God I come to you to offer myself.

Let all that I do be done for you.

Fill me with your spirit that I may be who you created me to be.

Let my life be a testament to you.

My God I come to offer you thanksgiving, praise, glory, love and myself through your Son Jesus Christ in union with the Holy Spirit.

Amen

Courageous Faith

   The Bible is replete with stories of incredible faith.  If we look at the faith exhibited by many of those persons we see a level of courage and confidence that should inspire us to be more courageous in our faith.

   Abraham had the faith to leave all he knew for God.  He left his home, his people and everything known to him to follow God to the promised land.  (Gen, chapter 12)  He later displayed the faith to obey God even to killing his only son out of faith that no evil could come from obeying God.  (Gen, chapter 22)

   Moses found the courage to stand before Pharaoh and demand the release of the Israelites.  He then had the faith to lead them through the Red Sea and the desert until he brought them to their promised land. (Exodus chapters 3 & 4)

   Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego had the courage to go into the fiery furnace rather than worship the golden statue of King Nebuchadnezzar.  (see Daniel 3: 19-24)

   The same courage is shown throughout the New Testament.  The Apostles were warned by the Sanhedrin to never preach of Jesus again.  When brought to trial for disobeying that order they replied., “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5: 29).

   Stephen was the first martyr but many would follow.  All of the Apostles except John died a martyr’s death.  From the time of Jesus continuing though today there are those being martyred for their faith.  They accept death rather than deny their Lord.

   All of these acts of courage should speak to us of how strong our faith should be and the courage we should take from it.  Yet many will not stand up for their faith.  They allow their faith to be pushed aside by those who find it inconvenient.  Faith is almost always inconvenient to those who don’t have it.  I think it makes them realize they are missing something they need.  

   St. Paul said, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  For the foolishness of God is wiser that human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Cor 1: 22-25)

   If we truly believe and have faith that Jesus is Lord then we need to courageously stand for that faith.  If we be fools for our faith in God then let us at least be courageous fools and be strong in the faith that saves us. 

Knowing God

   For many years I have studied God, theology and the Catholic Church.  I believe it is important to know these things as completely as possible.  Through these studies I have gained a depth of knowledge that has been extremely helpful in my faith and prayer life.

   My studies have also taught me that regardless of how long I live and how much I read and study I will never know all there is to know about God.  If I were to spend every waking hour in this effort I would still fail.  I have found that the more I learn, the more I realize how much more there is to learn.  The amount of knowledge to be gained is a blessing but one that will never be fully realized in this world.  I pray that we will be granted all knowledge of our Lord in the next life.

   I also believe that there can be a danger in the intellectual search for God if it isn’t balanced with a faith relationship.  It’s possible to get so involved with the technical knowledge that we obscure the personal rapport with our Lord.  Just because one knows a great deal intellectually doesn’t mean they will have faith in God.  Atheists study all the same things as Christians in their effort to disprove Christianity.  Many have a great deal more book knowledge of the Christian faith than most Christians.  What they lack is the personal experience that leads us to believe and place our faith in God.

   A second truth I’ve found is the blessing that has allowed me to greatly deepen my faith life.  Increased knowledge of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and all things of faith is very important but is perhaps not the most important part of our lives as Christians. We not only should strive to know about God, we need to know God.  There is a vast difference in having the knowledge and having a faith-based relationship with Him.  Each can complement the other and both have great value, but I’ve come to understand that the personal relationship is far more important to my faith than the intellectual one.  I suppose if there were only one to choose from I would choose the personal relationship over the intellectual.  I would prefer to be His friend than His student.

   Knowledge and faith; two sides of the most important relationship of our lives.  I fully intend to continue my study of all things related to God and faith, but the true treasure is friendship, love, and communion with Him.  

The Temple of God

   “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.  I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works. (Psalm 139: 13-14)

   I have had the occasion to observe an Echo-Cardiogram as it was performed.  It is an amazing show of the wonders of our body.  We know what our heart does but to actually see it in action is incredible.

   During the test you can see the heart as it contracts and relaxes with each beat.  You watch as the valves open and close, allowing the blood to flow in one direction only.  The ventricles contract and then relax forcing the blood through the valves on the way to the lungs to be filled with life-giving oxygen.  It truly is a miraculous thing to watch.

   In a lifetime the average heart will beat about three billion times pumping about one million barrels of blood.  That’s enough blood to fill three super tankers. The arteries and veins in our bodies are over sixty thousand miles long.  This is just one of the miraculous systems God built into us.

   There are web pages where you can see a series of sonograms of a baby from the moment of conception to birth.  You can see the various physical attributes as they begin to form and grow to completion.  Imagine the miracles occurring inside that tiny human as they develop. He does, indeed, form us in our mother’s womb.

   “Jesus answered them and said, ‘Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”  (John 2: 19).  Jesus wasn’t referring to the building in Jerusalem He was referring to His own body.  Just as Jesus’ body was the temple of God so are our bodies.  St. Paul told the Corinthians, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own.  For you have been purchased at a price.  Therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor 6: 19-20).

    We are the temple of God.  God lives within us.  We have a responsibility to honor God’s creation.  Our bodies, from conception to natural death are gifts of God.  We must give them the loving care and respect they deserve as God’s dwelling place.

Become Like Children

   Children were often a part of Jesus’ ministry.  Parents brought their children to Him for them to receive His blessing.  When the disciples tried to stop them Jesus chastised them saying, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child, will not enter it. “Mark 10: 14-15).

   I have no doubt that the children were an example of the kind of faith that we must have if we are to enter God’s kingdom.  We need to become child-like in our relationship with God.  He is our Father, the Father of all who believe in Him.  We must approach Him in the manner of a child coming to their father.  We must have the trust in God that most small children have in their earthly father and mother.

   Have you ever seen a child on the edge of a swimming pool with Mom or Dad urging them to jump into the water?  They hold out their arms to the child saying, “Jump, I’ll catch you.”  While the child may be hesitant at first, they will almost always decide to trust in their parent and make the jump.  This is the trust Jesus is talking about when He talks of becoming like children.

   After Mass a few years ago I watched as two sisters, about two or three years in age, ran toward the priest.  He held out his arms and they both jumped from about three feet away.  The priest grabbed them up one in each arm.  The joy on the faces of those girls and on the priest is the joy I imagine when we leap into God’s arms with absolute trust and faith that He will never drop us.

   St. John wrote “But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.” (John 1: 12-13).  This is who we are; the children of God.  As such we need to have child-like faith in Him.  In His love and mercy God will never abandon of forsake us if we trust in Him as our Father.

   “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.  Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt: 18: 2-4)

Equally Yoked

   Most of us have very little understanding of what it means to be equally yoked.  We’ve never had the experience of working the ground with a team of oxen pulling a plow.  The majority of us have never ridden in a wagon pulled by a team and even fewer have driven one.  Yet it’s not been that long ago that knowing the proper way to yoke a team of oxen was vital to getting the job done.  If they weren’t correctly paired one would be pulling too much of the burden.  If the yoke wasn’t fitted correctly the animals could be seriously injured.

   In some parts of the world oxen are still the primary means of farming and transportation.  Those who can effectively pair and yoke a team are highly sought after.  The yoke must to be fitted and formed to correctly lay on the oxen to be teamed.  They are made for and fitted to one specific team and won’t properly fit another.

   Equally yoked is sometimes still used to refer to a marriage in which the partners are well suited to each other.  Each has the desire and ability to compliment the efforts of the other.  If a couple can identify the issues that cause the loving yoke of marriage to be irritating and painful they can, with the help of God, refit their yoke to better share the joys and weather the storms that can be common in marriage.  Unfortunately in our society today it is more likely that they will simply throw off the yoke and go their separate ways.

   How does the lesson of being properly yoked affect our lives today?  We have most likely never even see a properly yoked team of oxen.  It’s even less likely that we will work a field with a plow pulled by oxen.  Yet we too need to be properly yoked in life.  Whether in marriage or other aspects of our life we need a balance and cooperative effort to succeed.

   Our team in life is important but there is a much more important team that we must consider.  We are part of the team that will determine our place in eternal life.  Jesus will work with us to plow fertile soil if we will let Him.  There is no other who knows best how to fit the yoke to you.  He will task you lovingly and never break you.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matt 11: 28-30)

Spiritual Arrogance

   “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.  The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity – greedy, dishonest, adulterous – or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and I pay tithes on my whole income.’  But the tax collector, stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner!’  I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 18: 9-14)

   I suspect many of those who claim Christianity fall into the same trap as the Pharisee in this parable.  Like the Pharisee, they consider themselves better than others because they believe they are more religious or faithful than others.  Those who think this way are only fooling themselves.  Worse, they are demonstrating selfish pride and ignoring Jesus’ teachings.

   Jesus often warned of the arrogance and self-righteousness of the religious leaders of His time.  The same self-important arrogance is just as common in today’s Christianity as it was in the Jews of Jesus’ time.  They considered anyone other than a Jew unclean.   Some Christians today consider anyone who is not Christian as unclean.  They may even apply their judgment to other Christians.  They seem to think that only those who worship exactly as they do are Christian.  All others are considered to be nothing more than fodder for the fires of Hell.  How sad that people who claim to worship the same God, Savior and Holy Spirit have so little love and compassion for each other.

   Jesus ate with sinners, chose a tax collector as his apostle, and forgave others their sins.  When questioned about it he said, “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners.”  (Luke 5: 31).  The Jewish leaders couldn’t understand why He would associate with sinners. Some Christians today are just as blind.

   We have no right to pass judgement on others.  Only Jesus sees into our hearts.  We would do well to leave judgement to Him.  Like the publican, we are all sinners and in need of God’s mercy.

Peace of the Lord

   At the last supper Jesus told the apostles, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give it to you.  Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (John 14: 27).  He wanted them to be confident in the peace only He can provide.  His peace is a peace far beyond anything the world can offer.

   In our world today people worry about so many things; their family, their heath, their job and so much more.  These worries can create discontent within and cause us to lose the peace God wants for us.  If we place too much focus on the earthly things we experience we risk pushing out the spiritual things that should be the focus of our lives.

   My father was a worrier from the word go.  There was nothing that he didn’t worry about.  In fact, if he had nothing to worry over he was concerned that he must have forgotten something that deserved his worry.  Maybe you too know of someone whose life seems to revolve around worrying over things that don’t really matter in God’s plan.  If so you know that happiness and peace doesn’t come from that kind of worry.

   This isn’t to say that we are not to prepare for our well-being.  We need to make every effort to ensure we and our families are taken care of materially.  However, that doesn’t have to mean daily or even hourly worry.  These things can be prioritized and dealt with in a manner that doesn’t intrude upon the peace our Lord has given.

   Stewardship is something that we hear and talk about a lot as Christians.  We are normally referring to how we support the church with our time and money.  Yet we are also to be good stewards of all of God’s gifts.  Our health, both physical and emotional should be part of that stewardship.  If we allow material concerns and worries to harm our heath or detract from our spiritual peace we are not practicing good stewardship.

   God wants you to be happy.  He wants you to live your life in peace and contentment.  Our peace of mind is directly related to our relationship with Him and His plan for us.  Satan wants you to be unhappy.  He wants you to live your life worrying about tomorrow.  The earthly matters that we worry about can destroy the peace we should be enjoying as Christians.

   We can properly care for the material things and still maintain our spiritual peace if we keep our priorities in focus.  In the end the material things we worry about will pass away.  The peace of God is eternal.  In prayer and confidence take comfort in God’s peace.