“Remain faithful to the grace of God.”

We have been listening about the relationship between the Father and the Son which is based in Love. “The Father and I are One.”

The manifestation of love is obedience. There are people who say, as a Church, we have a lot of rules; and we do. Why? Because we need them. We are sinners not saints. We are not perfect but we are perfecting and rules help keep us on the right road to heaven.

Saint Paul says the more perfect we become, we don’t need rules. We long for that day. But, for now, we need to be obedient to God with the Commandments and the Precepts of the Church.

God knows we love Him when we obey Him; like the Good Shepherd, Who carries a big staff. If we veer off track, He gathers us in. Or like Mothers, they are happy when we obey them. Wives are happy when we obey them!

Finding ways to practice the virtue of obedience will help us manifest our love for each other and for God. This week find ways to practice obedience: children, obey your parents, and parents, obey God. Thus, we can do what we are being urged to do today by Paul and Barnabas, “Remain faithful to the grace of God.”

 

 

Chiara Lubich in 1943 founded a movement in Italy called (Hearth) “Focolare.” She spread her message of unity in the crucified and abandoned Christ around the world. A few years ago, she gave in Rome, an insightful meditation on the state of the world:

Humanity suffers from deafness, she said.  It can no longer hear the Word of God through speech because there is too much noise in the world. Parents and children are too busy to listen to Christ’s message. They have no time to listen for ways to heaven. They no longer hear the sounds of people crying or suffering even in their own homes.

We have to admit that our attention span becomes shorter every time we tune in to social media, TV News networks, and the like. So much information we can hardly grasp it all. Silence is becoming something we fear, because we feel alone and empty in quiet.

Continue reading “‘Love is patient, love is kind:’ you know these words!” →

Jesus performed miracles in order that we may believe that “God is near.” When we meditate on the Wedding Feast of Cana, we discover the Face of God in very ordinary ways.

Consider Jesus and His mother being invited to a wedding.

Jesus asks if He can bring some friends along, so the wedding was open, usually lasting a whole week. Everyone having a good time. Men stood on one side of the room and women on the other.

Consider now Mary gathered with the women, talking, sharing funny stories about their husbands or their children, the price of food or the communal well. Suddenly, the mother of the bride seems anxious.

Continue reading “Be astonished by what you see and hear today. God is near!” →

Since the beginning of Advent, we have become like the Magi, searching for the promised One who changes our lives and the life of history. Matthew says, “And on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage.” (Mt 2: 11).

Outwardly, their journey was over. It seemed as though they had reached their goal.

However, at this point a new journey began for them, an inner pilgrimage which in fact does change their lives. These men were not expecting to see a child. They were expecting to see a man, a King! They were coming from a world of chaos looking for peace! What they found was a vulnerable Child lying in a manger offering ways to peace.

Continue reading “EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD” →

The Morning is here; the darkness and the shadows have disappeared; a new Day, a new life, a new hope!

Here in our spiritual home, we encounter the Child of Bethlehem, and remember that Christ dwells in our hearts burning to be set free.

To become a Christian means to be “brought in” to the Family of God; to be embraced by them and to be welcomed at their Table. This Table is prepared for us; this is our meal where all of God’s secrets are revealed. We know from experience that in the family there are no secrets.

We enter this Sanctuary; the home of the Three-personed God. It is here that we ‘converse’ openly, truthfully and in right relationship with one another. In the family, each person is who they are called to be. In each family, God is revealed and Truth is shared.

Continue reading ““A new day, a new life, a new hope!”” →