So, you say you know it all…Really?

Saint Teresa of Avila, pray for us!

I am sorry for not posting this yesterday.  I felt an overwhelming urge to post this, as we celebrated the life of this great Saint yesterday.  I am posting it today, but first, I am feeling called to share the first reading from the Mass readings yesterday.

Brothers and sisters:
I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:
for Jew first, and then Greek.
For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith;
as it is written, “The one who is righteous by faith will live.”

The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven
against every impiety and wickedness
of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
For what can be known about God is evident to them,
because God made it evident to them.
Ever since the creation of the world,
his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity
have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made.
As a result, they have no excuse;
for although they knew God
they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks.
Instead, they became vain in their reasoning,
and their senseless minds were darkened.
While claiming to be wise, they became fools
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God
for the likeness of an image of mortal man
or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes.

Therefore, God handed them over to impurity
through the lusts of their hearts
for the mutual degradation of their bodies.
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie
and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator,
who is blessed forever. Amen.   (Romans 1:16-25)

Now, with the added perspective of today’s first reading from the Mass readings, I am left with an even more powerful urge to share this reflection that I received, as I read this reading yesterday.  It was the sincere act of loving God with our whole heart that will allow us to be filled with exactly what we need to understand in order to live our lives in accordance with His will.  It is not the amount of book knowledge we have learned or are learning that allows us to understand God, it is His grace that has allowed us to open up to the knowledge and we should receive it as a gift and not a kind of exclusive right that only comes to the intelligent or one who is able to comprehend complex thoughts or ideas.  Here is the reading from today that God provided for my perspective…

You, O man, are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment.
For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself,
since you, the judge, do the very same things.
We know that the judgment of God on those who do such things is true.
Do you suppose, then, you who judge those who engage in such things
and yet do them yourself,
that you will escape the judgment of God?
Or do you hold his priceless kindness, forbearance, and patience
in low esteem, unaware that the kindness of God
would lead you to repentance?
By your stubbornness and impenitent heart,
you are storing up wrath for yourself
for the day of wrath and revelation
of the just judgment of God,
who will repay everyone according to his works,
eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality
through perseverance in good works,
but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth
and obey wickedness.
Yes, affliction and distress will come upon everyone
who does evil, Jew first and then Greek.
But there will be glory, honor, and peace for everyone
who does good, Jew first and then Greek.
There is no partiality with God.  (Romans 2:1-11)

It is important for me to hear that I cannot be proud of the things that God has revealed to me through scripture or through a spiritual book I read, I should look for ways to impart the knowledge I have been given to the child of God that is sitting in front of me right now.  The ability to be a messenger of God comes from grace as well, so it is important for me to not take that for granted either.  OK, what is the point of this post…Please go back and read the quote from Saint Teresa of Avila on the picture above…Enough said, for now…God bless you!

Do you want to know God and have his Spirit living in you?

Image via Wikipedia

Gift:  Wisdom– With the gift of wisdom, we see God at work in our lives and in the world. For the wise person, the wonders of nature, historical events, and the ups and downs of our lives take on deeper meaning. The matters of judgment about the truth, and being able to see the image of God.

Reading:  ⁴ This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us of his Spirit.  We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.  (1 John 4:13,16-18)

Observation:  My title of my journal this morning may sound a little sarcastic to someone who reads my journal often.  I mean, if you are reading this, the assumption is that you are reaching out to find God and of course you would want his Spirit living in you.  The second reading for today’s Mass is so important to our faith, because of the fact that all Christians want to know God and somehow be sure that we are following His will for us.  The footnote for the 13th verse leads us to the 16th through the 18th verses, even though the actual reading for today ends with the 16th verse.  It is important because we must love one another, but we must not allow fear to overcome that love.  As the 18th verse says, there is no fear in love and God’s love is perfect and it will drive out fear.

Personification:  Kindness  It will be my focus today to display the fruit of kindness that comes from the holy Spirit that is dwelling in me.  I know that God loved me enough to send his Son to die for me on the cross, and hopefully I am able to love my brothers and sister’s in Christ with the same sacrificial love.  It should be easy to show kindness, in light of the fact that God is love.

Prayer: 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit…Amen!

It is my desire to carry out God’s every wish…

Googled, "God's wish"

Gift: Fear of the Lord (Wonder and Awe) – With the gift of wonder and awe (fear of the lord), we are aware of the glory and majesty of God. A person with wonder and awe knows that God is the perfection of all we desire: perfect knowledge, perfect goodness, perfect power, and perfect love.

Reading: Then he removed him and raised up David as their king; of him he testified, ‘I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will carry out my every wish.’  (Acts 13:22)

Observation: I am thinking that it is my sincere desire to carry out every wish of God like David.  I know that I will fail miserably at this task, but I would like to make it to some point in my life where God could reveal this to someone in my life, so that I know that I am doing his will.

Personification:  Love (Charity) – Quick to sense the needs of the people with whom we work and live and respond as Jesus would.  It is my desire to learn how to love the way that God loves.  I am hearing today that in order to follow the will of the Father in all the ways of my life, I must be willing to learn how to love them.  In our society where we hide our inmost desires and fears from so many people, it would be difficult to learn how to serve others unless you reveal your desires and fears to them.

Prayer: Lord, if it is your will for me, I would love to go back to school to complete my degree and become a deacon for our church.  I am afraid that I will not be able to provide for my family as I take on this endeavor, but I know that you will reveal to me how to make it work, if it is your will for me.    I am also afraid that I have to much pride to really see what is your will for me in my life, please reveal your truth to me, so I will know that I am on the right path.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit.  Amen.

Perfect love…perfect charity…

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The song is “Perfect Charity”…I have a video that I will post later…Click on the link above and it will take you to the website where you can listen to the song…God bless you!

Gift:  Knowledge – With the gift of knowledge, we understand the meaning of God’s Revelation, especially as expressed in the life and words of Jesus Christ. A person with knowledge is always learning more about the scriptures and Tradition.

Reading:  Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.   (John 16:15)

Observation:  This morning, I am aware of the fact that if I am going to be made like Jesus, than I am going to be a servant to all.  It is not my will that can be done any longer, it is all His will.  In the words of Jesus in the Gospel today, I hear that the holy Spirit will give us all that is in Him, but that is nothing more than perfect love and perfect charity.

Personification:  Love (Charity) – Quick to sense the needs of the people with whom we work and live and respond as Jesus would.  It is my hope that the Lord would grant me the grace necessary to sense the real needs of the people with whom I work and live, so that I can respond as Jesus would.

Prayer:  Lord, continue to create in me a spirit of surrender, not so that I give up on this world but so that I give up my way of trying to bring the Good News to it, in favor of your way.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit.  Amen.

We are called to have mercy…

 Gift:  Wisdom

Reading:  On those who waver, have mercy; ¹³ save others by snatching them out of the fire; on others have mercy with fear, ¹⁴ abhorring even the outer garment stained by the flesh.  (Jude 22-23)

Observation:  The reading from the book of Jude that I chose to journal on this morning is full of imagery that the notes in the online version of the New American Bible, that I get the readings from,  says that Jude got the imagery from the book of Zachariah in the old testament.  I love this vision of snatching someone from the fire.  It just sounds like such an awesome thing to do, and I definitely see myself having to ask for mercy for not being a good disciple to everyone that I meet.  However, I would love to be made aware of the times that I am called to snatch someone from the fire and would be honored to get the opportunity to serve God in this worthy endeavor to save others.

Personification:  Love (Charity) – Quick to sense the needs of the people with whom we work and live and respond as Jesus would.  I am hearing that the only way to really snatch someone from the fire is to love them where they are at and let God bring them out of the fire by the power of the holy Spirit and with the redeeming power of Jesus Christ.

Prayer:  Lord, help me to stay true to your Word and let me be everything that you are calling me to be in this world.  Please help me to realize the life that is everlasting today and for the eternity to come.  I ask this as always, in the name of the Father and of  the Son and of the holy Spirit.  Amen.

Consecration in truth, not only for the Apostles…

Us and Them
And after all we’re only ordinary men
Me, and you
God only knows it’s not what we would choose to do
Forward he cried from the rear
And the front rank died
The General sat, and the lines on the map
Moved from side to side

Black and Blue
And who knows which is which and who is who
Up and Down
And in the end it’s only round and round and round
Haven’t you heard it’s a battle of words
The poster bearer cried
Listen son, said the man with the gun
There’s room for you inside

Down and Out
It can’t be helped but there’s a lot of it about
With, without
And who’ll deny it’s what the fighting’s all about
Out of the way, it’s a busy day
I’ve got things on my mind
For want of the price of tea and a slice
The old man died

Gift:  Fear of the Lord (Wonder and Awe)

Reading: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, I made known to them your name and I will make it known, ⁸ that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”  (John 17:20,26)

Observation: I have been thinking a lot this week about how Jesus was explaining he was going to keep the Apostles away from the evil one, and how they were not of this world since they believe in him.  This morning, at the conclusion of this chapter in the Gospel of John, we hear that Jesus wants all of this for us too.  We also hear how he is going to send the holy Spirit to reveal more truth to the Apostles and to us, and we are going to be united with the Father by his love and Jesus will be in us as well.

Personification: Love (Charity) – Quick to sense the needs of the people with whom we work and live and respond as Jesus would.  The best way to feel the love of the Father is to pass that love onto others that we meet in our daily lives.  I am feeling today that there are people in my life that I could bring the love of the Father into their lives, and I must stay alert for the opportunity when it presents itself.

Prayer: Lord, allow me to be ready to bring the fruit of love to everyone that I come in contact with today and for the rest of my life.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit.  Amen.

Behold, one is coming…Receives the one…Tell Jesus, I will be the one…

Gift:  Wisdom

Reading:  John heralded his coming by proclaiming a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel; and as John was completing his course, he would say, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. Behold, one is coming after me; I am not worthy to unfasten the sandals of his feet.’  (Acts 13:24-25)

&

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”  (John 13:20)

Observation:  In a letter to her sisters, Mother Teresa wrote:

Tell Jesus, “I will be the one.”  I will comfort, encourage and love Him….Be with Jesus.  He prayed and prayed, and then He went to look for consolation, but there was none….I always write that sentence, “I looked for one to comfort me, but I found no one.”  Then I write, “Be the one.”  So now you be that one.  Try to be the one to share with Him, to console Him.  So let us ask Our Lady to help us understand.

This morning, I am once again hearing a special call from the readings and from the book that I am currently reading.  The book is, “Mother Teresa – Come be my light”.  I found this morning, a website that uses this phrase of, “Be the one” to promote saving yourself for marriage.  After watching the videos on the site, I think we should all be promoters of saving ourselves for marriage, even us married folks.

Personification:  Chastity – Able to form loving and caring friendships, which help us to act appropriately with our gift of sexuality.  It is no surprise that I would choose the fruit of chastity to focus on today after finding the website that I found this morning.  I started out looking for a video from the Matrix to relate the story of being the one.  However, I found the movie to be a little too focused on the sexual nature, rather than the call to follow Jesus.  As I was being led to focus on the negative both in the movie and as I followed a song that was playing behind a video on youtube, I felt the compulsion to let my thoughts wander into a place of near temptation.  I decided to google the words, “be the one” once again, and this is what I found…

http://www.betheone.org/

Prayer:  Lord, please continue to focus my attention on your will for me and allow me to be your comfort and not your suffering.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit.  Amen.

Do not focus on the sinner…Focus on the sinless one…Be the one…

Mother Teresa did not say she was sinless, but she was a great example of displaying God's love to others. She said, "Be the one."

Gift:  Piety (Reverence)

Reading:  Jesus answered them, “I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify to me.

But you do not believe, because you are not among my sheep.

 

 My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

 

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.  No one can take them out of my hand.

 

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.

 

The Father and I are one.”  (John 10:25-30)

 

Observation:  I felt it was necessary to point out this morning that that the truth of life comes from the Word, and I am just hoping to be a vessel of the truth to anyone who reads my journal.  It is not my intention to give my analysis of the Word, but merely explain how I see the Word working in my life.  If I have somehow led someone astray in their faith, by posting this journal, I am sure it will not last long.  As Jesus says here in the Gospel today about his relationship to the Father, if this is the work that God intended for me to be doing, it will continue and the works that I do in Jesus name will testify to me. 

 

Personification:  Love (Charity) – Quick to sense the needs of the people with whom we work and live and respond as Jesus would.  I hope that it is God’s will for me to be able to display his love today and be charitable in all things today and for the rest of my life.  I am not worthy of any good thing and I hope, by the grace of God, I am shown the way to be give freely of myself out of love for Jesus Christ, who died for me, because I am a worthless sinner.

 

Prayer:  Lord, I pray for the needs of everyone in my life today.  Do not provide for my needs today, but allow me in some way to give of myself to provide for others today and for the rest of my life.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

The second reading from the letter of Saint Paul to the Phillipians…

Gift:  Knowledge

Reading:   Who, ³ though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. ⁴ Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; ⁵ and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. ⁶ Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name ⁷ that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, ⁸ of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, ⁹ to the glory of God the Father.  (Phillipians 2:6-11)

Observation:  It is my opinion that the song from Mercy Me that I found on You Tube this morning is the perfect explanation of this reading today from the letter of Paul to the Phillipians.  Even though, I journeyed with some young people last night to a Christian Music Concert called, the Rock and Worship Roadshow, I liked this video that was created two years ago better than the one I took from behind the stage.  This reading is also the perfect compliment to my last journal entry about the fact that Jesus said that because we have accepted the Word of God is written to us, we are gods.  This reading points out that Jesus was truly God, but spent his time emptying himself for us and not exalting himself and that is what ultimately will allow God to grace us, when we empty ourselves and love each other more fully.

Application:  Love (Charity)  Once again, this morning I am feeling the call to ask for the grace necessary to show the fruit of love and charity to everyone that I meet today.  I realize that my heart must be open at all times in order to be quick to respond to the needs of others as the opportunity presents itself.

Prayer:  Lord, you have given me the perfect example of your love for me by dying on the cross for my sins.  Please help me to use this example to pour my heart out for others that need to feel your love for them by whatever you have given me the grace to give.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

A reminder of where we should be today…and every Sunday…at the least…

Gift:  Piety (Reverence)

Reading:  The priest shall then receive the basket from you and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God.  (Deuteronomy 26:4)

Observation:  Today, I am hearing the reminder in the first reading to be aware of all of rich symbolism that exists in our celebration of Mass.  This historical account from the book of Deuteronomy is just one example of how we can trace our faith back to the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  When our Priest receives the offering basket, we should be asking ourselves if we have truly given our first fruits to the Lord.

Personification:  Love (Charity)  I would love to be given the grace to act with the fruit of love and charity today and for the rest of my life in all situations and to all people.  I know that this is only possible for the one that is without sin, however, that is not going to stop me from striving for it.  With the grace of God, I will actually be able to show his love to someone today.

Prayer:  Lord, create in me a heart that is capable of loving everyone where they are at and please help me do this today and for the rest of my life.  I ask this, as always, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.