Tested Faith

 

Good Morning, dear reader. It would seem that spring has finally sprung here in my corner of the world. It's about time!! 

We shall SPRING 😊 into our first reading!! We hear much about a servant in the book of Isaiah. God is once again foretelling that He will send Someone who will be His "ambassador", who will carry out His will. It describes all the things that Jesus will suffer through while on this earth. We can see this as an example of how our own behavior should be. We are Jesus's "ambassadors", following in His ways. The things we say and do should speak clearly of our faith. When it becomes a challenge to be Christ-like, that is when it is most important to rely on Jesus to help us. It's not going to be easy, times will come when our faith is tested. Can we survive these difficulties by just relying on our faith? Think about it.... 

In Matthews Gospel we are again reading of the Passover and Jesus's betrayal by Judas Iscariot. Jesus knows His days are numbered and that someone closest to Him will be disloyal to Him. I was looking for a synonym for the word betrayal. A few of the choices mentions Judas; there was "play Judas", "give someone a Judas kiss" and "be a Judas to". It's interesting how Judas is equated with being deceitful. It is similar to Janus, who was a Roman god of beginnings and endings. He became associated with being "two-faced". Perhaps this is how Judas got his name. It's almost prophetic! 

I found it quite sad that, for a mere fifty pieces of silver, Judas would sell out the one Person who trusted him. When someone has that kind of faith in you, you don't turn your back on them. If we pair this with our first reading, though, we can see faith being tested. And this is one test that Judas failed. He allowed his greed to overshadow his faithfulness to Jesus. We need to set our priorities according to our faith. We can't allow "worldly goods" to obscure our vision. If we continually allow Jesus to guide our steps, it will become easier to walk in our faith.

These next few days will test Jesus's faith. And, there will come a point when He will question His Father's motives, just as we all do in times of struggle. As hard as it is, if we remain firmly with Jesus, He will get you through. That's where I am at today. The struggle, the uncertainty. There has to be a reason for all this. But, my faith, my belief in God's plan is what's getting me through. 

Try to see God's plan for you. If you can't, ask Him! He will tell you. You just have to be patient. While you are waiting, make sure that you remain a nice human. 😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FOYcWc8Pdg

Serving Faith

We often struggle in our own lives with finding that balance between living in "the world" and following Jesus, living by His example. This is the problem Jeremiah faced. He wanted to follow God and what He had in mind for him, but more often than not, Jeremiah found himself overwhelmed by it all. To further complicate matters, we have these men who wanted to discredit Jeremiah. They wanted to use Jeremiah's words against him. But, Jeremiah, this humble person who struggled to follow God, called out to Him. "Heed me, O Lord, and listen to what my adversaries say. Must good be repaid with evil that they should dig a pit to take my life?" (Jer 18:19-20, NAB). How often have we wondered the same thing? We have to remember that, in times like that, we need to seek the Lord even more, to allow Him to guide us, to be reassured that we are doing just what we need to. 

In turning to our Gospel reading, we see the mother of James and John asking Jesus to assure that her sons will be favored and be seated with Him in Heaven. The crowd that had gathered wondered why these two men should be so privledged as to receive favor in Heaven. Jesus promptly replies that that is not His choice to make, it is whatever His Father has predestined for these men. You see, Jesus was just a humble servant of His Father. He tells the crowd that even though the Gentiles may hold power over people and seek glory for themselves, this is not how it's done in Heaven. Those who are willing to humble themselves, to do for others without glorification are the ones who are the most blessed. They will see their reward in Heaven. 

In everything Jesus did, it was with kindness, understanding and compassion. Knowing He was the Savior of the world did not inflate His ego. It could have. For most folks it would have. But not Jesus. He showed that He was ready and eager to serve the needs of others. Are we ready to take on that challenge? Are we willing to humble ourselves in the service of Jesus? Are we willing to be the least among others? It is something to think about. 

With so much strife and unrest in the world today, take time to pray for others. Pray for peace. "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them." (Mt 18:20, NAB)

Be blessed dear friends. And as always, be a nice human. 😇

Calming The Storm

Funny I should read the day after I went to Mass, as one of the things I prayed about was for Jesus to help calm my inner storms so that I can keep moving forward. When we put our trust in Him, and take baby steps forward, it gives us hope that things will get better.

Recall the story of Jesus calming the storm (Matthew 8:23-27). This miraculous act was done as a prophetic sign of Him bringing you peace during the particular challenges you face in life. Jesus did this on a practical level for the safety and well-being of His Apostles. However, by showing that He had absolute and immediate authority over the storm at sea, Jesus also made it clear that He has absolute and immediate authority over any storm within your life, pledging His closeness in your midst. It should be consoling to you to know that there is nothing too much for God’s omnipotence. He can do all things and can bring peace to any and every situation. Knowing this should give you confidence as you surrender your “storms” to Him. And when the storm remains fierce, despite your prayers, you should be assured that it is for your good or the good of others.  It’s an opportunity to deepen your trust in Him and to know of His particular closeness in those moments.

Identify the storm in your life right now. And if things are relatively calm, be grateful but also call to mind that this will not always be the case. Life can “change on a dime” as has been said.  We must be ready for anything and everything that befalls us. As you ponder a storm of life, ask yourself whether you believe Jesus is there, in the midst, by your side, keeping you safe. Do you know that He could solve any problem instantaneously? Reassure yourself of this fact and allow this faith to add confidence to your troubled heart. The Lord’s love for you is perfect; He will never let you drown.

Lord, I trust in Your almighty power and unconditional love. I trust that You care about me and are present in every storm I face in life. Give me hope in the midst of every trial and enable me to turn to You as the source of my peace. I love You, dear Lord.  Jesus, I trust in You.

(From Reflection 232: Calming The Storm, August 20,2019)

https://divinemercy.life/daily-reflections

Fidelity in the face of suffering

Today we celebrate the Passion of St. John the Baptist. A man clearly after God’s heart. But, that begs the question of why God allows suffering or persecution. I just read a quote from St. Teresa of Avila, where she poses to God, “If this is how you treat Your friends, I can see why You have so few.” We see God as a God of Mercy, of forgiveness. So, why does He allow us, and others, to bear burdens that are often too much to carry?

It is said that in the face of our storms, it is then that we most need God. And this is true. He is the one who will be there to comfort us and reassure us, just as any loving father would do. But, unlike God, our parents don’t like to see us suffer harm or hardship. They try to do everything possible to ease the journey for us. But God…yeah, He puts stumbling blocks in our path, allows us to carry much too much stress and anxiety, He allows our burdens to become so heavy that we almost are ready to buckle under the pressure of it all.

THERE IS HOPE!!!! God does these things, or allows these things because He is testing us and our faith. Will you run FROM God or TO God when it all becomes overwhelming? Do you feel He has forgotten you? Does He feel a million miles away, if at all present? I’ve “been there, done that”. I give up. I run from Him. He’s not hearing me. Life is just getting worse rather than better. Don’t feel bad if you do as I have done (and I’ve done it many, many times in my life). This is God’s way of building us up in our faith and reliance on Him. Going back to God, or relying on God is sort of like an addiction and it’s recovery. God is sitting there, waiting for you…He’s waiting till you hit rock bottom. But that’s a good thing, because once you go down as far as you ever were, the only other way out is UP!

God is sitting there, thrumming His fingers and shaking His head “Oh child of Mine…” He’s just waiting for the right moment, the right time in your life when you will accept the hand He is holding out for you. You are the prodigal child, the one who must run away and “sow your oats” to realize how much you miss being “home”. God is patient. God is kind. He will welcome you back with open arms.

However, as any good parent knows, no reunion goes without a scolding. God will reprimand you, so be ready for it. Be ready to be humbled and brought to your knees. “Oh child, why do you continually run from Me? Am I not enough?” Yikes. Harsh. Instead of feeling judged or feeling like a loser, or you let the Almighty down, really think about the question. Why DO you run from Him? Once you have that answer, you are ready to come back to Him and start again. Beg forgiveness. Show humility. Admit your wrongdoings. Learn from your mistakes. Remember, when we have nowhere else to go, up is always the best choice!