Witnesses 

   “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1: 8) 

   As Christians, we are called to be witnesses to the faith.  At baptism we received the Holy Spirit and if we will allow, He will strengthen us to be Christ’s witnesses in the world today.

   But how are we to witness?  A co-worker once told me that my job as a Christian was to push people into the Church.  I replied that my job, if you can call it that, is to live my life so that others might see the love and peace of Christ in me and to want Him in their lives as well.  By pushing I can only push people away.  By living for Him I can be His witness.

   In society today there are too many people who are pushing people to believe and accept what they want them to believe and accept.  There is no room for discussion or question, only blanket acceptance.  If we object, we are considered evil, homophobic, transphobic, racist, xenophobic, and any other vile name you can think of.  In the long run they will end up pushing people away rather than bringing them together.

   St. Peter tells us, “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame.” (1 Peter 3: 15 -16).  When an opportunity to be a witness for our faith arises we should not hesitate to share our beliefs.  But it must be done with love and kindness, not accusations and heated arguments.

   “This is how all will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13: 34)  Our witnessing must be done with the love of God in our hearts and the love of all His children, believers or non-believers, guiding our actions. 

 Whom Do You Fear? 

   “And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna." (Matt 10: 28) 

   To fear the Lord is different from how we think of fear in the world.  Fear of God is to be in awe before His majesty, to humbly and obediently follow His ways, a desire to never offend Him by our actions.  It is a fear of separating ourselves from the one who is our only hope.  To fear the Lord is to give one’s life to Him, accepting His will in all things.

   Fear of Satan, the one who can destroy both body and soul in Hell is a visceral fear, fear of total, complete, and eternal damnation.  Fear of eternity without the love of God and with no way to beg forgiveness and receive salvation.  Those opportunities die with the body, while the soul must eternally pay the cost of refusing them.

   The forces of Satan, both the spiritual demons and the people who serve his will should be the subject of fear for they can take not only our life, but our very soul.  The enemies of the faithful are many and vile; they seek nothing less than our eternal destruction.  These are the ones who should be the object of our fear.

   The armies of God, the angels, the saints, and all his faithful children are our defense and our hope.  They provide a safety-net of love, faith, and hope to overcome the fear and the threat of Satan.  Our greatest fear should be to separate ourselves from the Creator, to turn our back on God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to forfeit the eternal life He desires for us.

 Distractions 

   “Occupy your mind with good thoughts, or the enemy will fill them with bad ones.  Unoccupied they cannot be.” (St. Thomas Aquinas) 

   I’ve found St. Aquinas’ words to be true.  I don’t think the human mind can ever be empty, there will always be something to fill it.  I also believe that even when I strive to fill my mind with God and thoughts of God, Satan will continue to attack me with his evil thoughts and distractions.  In fact, I believe the evil one increases his attacks when I am in prayer.

   In times of prayer and meditation my mind sometimes wanders and begins to fill with unwanted thoughts and ideas.  My prayer time becomes a battle to remain in communion with my Lord.  As often as I push the distractions away, they return.  I once read that even in such cases God recognizes my efforts and my desire for prayer and is pleased.  I pray that is so.

   Some say they can reach a point of emptiness in their mind which allows God to fill it.  I’ve never been able to accomplish such a thing.  Instead, I must continuously guard against the distractions that I know will  arise, rejecting them as soon as I am aware of them.

   In a sense the fact that Satan continues to tempt and challenge me is a blessing.  It reassures me that I am not in his power; if I were, he wouldn’t need to keep pushing.  St. Paul wrote of a thorn in his side that he must endure (See 2 Cor 12: 7).  Distractions during times of prayer and meditation seem to be my thorn.  Thankfully, there is help at hand.  When I call upon the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, my Blessed Mother, and the saints, Satan must flee in terror.

 Humility and Obedience 

   Few would consider a life of humility and obedience to another a life well lived.  Humility is often confused with humiliation and obedience is considered an infringement upon one’s rights as an individual.  And yet, if the goal is to spend eternity in God’s kingdom, humility and obedience are absolutely required.

   When I look at God’s creations, the universe and all that is in it, how can I not know humility.  His majesty overwhelms me and makes me realize that I amount to very little in the larger scheme of things.  I have value not because of any good that I may have done because all good is from God.  I certainly find no spiritual value when I consider the sins I’ve committed.  In humility I recognize that my value comes only from God’s love of me.

   If I recognize God as the ultimate good, why would I not only be willing, but anxious to obey His will in my life?  There is no other way to sanctity but through the will of God.  There is nothing within me that can make me holy, only by the grace of God can this be done.  So yes, I will endeavor to always obey the one who can make me holy and bring me to Himself.

   Humility before God is recognition of His majesty, obedience to His will is understanding and accepting that His will is what will bring me to eternal paradise.  How can I not be humbled by and obedient to the One who created me, the One who loves me, the One calls me His own?

 Food for the Soul 

   “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.’” (John 4: 34) 

   I need nourishment for my body to be healthy.  If I don’t eat enough or if I eat too much I am doing harm to myself.  If I eat all the wrong foods and avoid those that I should eat, that too harms my body.  I need a balanced diet if I am to remain as healthy as possible.

   Just so, I need spiritual food for my soul.  Like physical food, if I get too little I am doing harm to my soul.  However, it is not possible to get too much spiritual food.  The more I consume the more my heart and soul turns to God and the more I turn to Him the greater His presence within me.

   There are numerous diets that insist they know how and what I should eat to maintain my health.  However, far too many of these diets seem more concerned with selling their products and services than in keeping me healthy.

   Sadly, there are also a host of sources trying to tell me how to feed my soul.  Again, many of them seem more interested in increasing their donations than in saving my eternal soul.  I must choose carefully if I am to properly nourish my soul.

    “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him on the last day.” (John 6: 53 -54).  This is the true food, the Bread of Life that has come down from heaven.  This is the food that nourishes my soul.

 The Patience of God 

   I look back at my life and I am very thankful to God for having left me in this world for as long as He has.  Had He taken me earlier in life I am confident that I would be spending eternity in Hell.  I was living for self, seeking my own way and my own desires.

   But God is patient, He has given me the time to change, to repent of past sins and strive to avoid sin going forward.  St. Peter tells us, “The Lord does not delay his promise as some regard ‘delay’, but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3: 9).  That patience has saved my very soul.

   God desires that we return to Him rather than perish, He wants to forgive us and welcome us into His heavenly kingdom.  He sent His only Son that we might find redemption and forgiveness for our sins.  “He bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2: 24)

   Justice alone would have demanded my condemnation, but God offered me patience and forgiveness instead.  My only desire is to live the rest of my life for Him, serving Him in all things.

 The Fruit We Bear 

   We are to be evangelists, to spread the good news of the gospel.  However, most of us do not have a podium or platform from which to preach God’s word.  That is probably a good thing, since most don’t have the wisdom or the presence to effectively proclaim His word.  So then, how are we to evangelize -- by the fruit we bear.

   Our priest often says that he would prefer to see a sermon than to hear one.  What he means is that our actions, the way we live our life, is a far more effective means of evangelization than words alone.  Our faith must be reflected in all we do if we are to effectively spread the word of God.  As St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.”

   Scripture tells us, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of the Father in heaven.” (Matt 7: 21).  In the language of today, “words are cheap”.  We must not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk.

   If we live our lives so that others can plainly see the love of God within us, it will speak well of our faith.  Perhaps they will look at us, see the peace and love of God in us and say, “I want what they have in my life.”  We will have done well.

   However, if we don’t live what we preach; if our words aren't backed up by our actions others will say, “All Christians are hypocrites.”  We will have produced bad fruit and we are doing the work of Satan.

   “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit.  For every tree is known by its own fruit” (Luke 6: 43 – 44).  The fruit we bear must be good fruit.  Our faith must be reflected in our words and proven by our actions.