A lot of times we focus on certain points, or decisions in our lives, and don't look at it through God's eyes; which would be looking at the bigger plan, instead of focusing on just one moment in our lives. We ask questions like: Does God want me to take this job offer? Does God want me to go to this school? Does God want me to go into religious life, or Marry? We want to know God's will for our lives, but we often only ask the small questions, and we forget about the real reason we are here on this earth. God's will is that we have access to him through Jesus, be transformed as a result of that and be sent out to others to tell them about the one who changed our lives. He wants us to share in his divine life, which is the only end worth having. He wants us to share his truth and his joy with everyone. Joy is one of the most important gifts of the Holy Spirit, and God wants us to share his truth and joy with the whole world.
Here is "Thy Will" by Hilary Scott:
Dear God,
Give us Your Holy Spirit, to live in us forever, and bless us with eternal life.
Let Your Holy Spirit Testify through us and speak the Truth through us.
Let Your Holy Spirit Love through us, a unselfish Holy Love; so that we lay down all worldly ambitions, give up our wills, and do Your Holy Will.
Take our thoughts away from making money.
Keep our thoughts on doing Your Holy will, not on seeking worldly material things, or vain worldly status. Let Your Holy Spirit give us our one desire and one purpose, To do Your Holy Will.
And remind us that life is about loving others, and being loved by you.
I went on a boat yesterday, and as we were riding on the water I was just shock, and at the same time wowed; because it was all so beautiful, and also because sometimes we don't take enough time to appreciate nature. We tend to take a lot of things for granted most of the time; nature being one of those. We get up in morning do what we do go to work, go to mass, but a lot of times we don't take time to appreciate all the nature around us, or even that we are simply alive. God created the earth as a temporary home for us, and he created us for eternal life, and happiness for him. Do we realize that everything, and everyone around us is precious? God loves his creation even so that he promised Noah he would never flood the earth again, and instead sent his only son to save us from our sin!
People say that nature and human beings just appeared and we are not here for any particular reason, but as always scripture contradicts that with the truth.
In the first Creation Story in Genesis (Ch 1 and 2) we hear how God made us and what he thought of it:
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters—
Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light.
God saw that the light was good. God then separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” Evening came, and morning followed—the first day.
Then God said: Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one body of water from the other.
God made the dome, and it separated the water below the dome from the water above the dome. And so it happened.
God called the dome “sky.” Evening came, and morning followed—the second day.
Then God said: Let the water under the sky be gathered into a single basin, so that the dry land may appear. And so it happened: the water under the sky was gathered into its basin, and the dry land appeared.
God called the dry land “earth,” and the basin of water he called “sea.” God saw that it was good.
f Then God said: Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it. And so it happened:
the earth brought forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw that it was good.
Evening came, and morning followed—the third day.
Then God said: Let there be lights in the dome of the sky, to separate day from night. Let them mark the seasons, the days and the years, and serve as lights in the dome of the sky, to illuminate the earth. And so it happened:
God made the two great lights, the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to govern the night, and the stars.
God set them in the dome of the sky, to illuminate the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.
Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.
Then God said: Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures, and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky.
God created the great sea monsters and all kinds of crawling living creatures with which the water teems, and all kinds of winged birds. God saw that it was good, and God blessed them, saying: Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas; and let the birds multiply on the earth.
Evening came, and morning followed—the fifth day.
Then God said: Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature: tame animals, crawling things, and every kind of wild animal. And so it happened:
God made every kind of wild animal, every kind of tame animal, and every kind of thing that crawls on the ground. God saw that it was good.
Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth.
God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth. God also said: See, I give you every seed-bearing plant on all the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; and to all the wild animals, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the earth, I give all the green plants for food. And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing; he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.
So look around you next time you are outside, and just Thank God because without him first we wouldn't be alive, and second we wouldn't be able to enjoy this beautiful earth that he created. Nature is something we should never take for granted no matter how many times we wake up and go outside. We tend to forget that God could take it all away in a split second. I don't want to scare people, but I just think God would love it if we thanked him for everything, and were grateful instead of taking it for granted.
Here is "Beautiful Day" by Jamie Grace:
Thank You Lord, for loving us as much as you do. Give us the give us the grace to thank you and appreciate your creation everyday whether we want to get out of bed or not. Help us to be grateful instead of taking everything for granted. Everyday is a beautiful day because you made it!
Comparison can be both good and bad. Bad in that it takes away our joy and creates envy insecurities and much more negative thoughts. Good in that it helps and encourages us to become more like the saints, Mary, Jesus, and God. When we look at other people we often think that they are better than us in some ways, or that they have it easier, or even that they are holier than we are. Some people even think that they are better than others that they are above other people. We all have these thoughts at one time in our lives, but they are all lies and do not come from God; they come from the enemy.
The Devil wants us to compare ourselves to others, so as to slow down our journey to holiness, and our service to God. Because when we compare we start to think our service isn't good enough or we think we aren't making a difference, which isn't true. God puts us on the path that best benefits us, not the path that makes us look good in the eyes of the world. If we want acceptance or reassurance of the path we are on we must look to God, for that not the world. God is who we are working for and serving.
Now when we look at someone else and compare it only brings despair, and envy; because from where we see it their path looks easier smoother, and they appear to get more rewards, but we do not see them like God sees them. We see their faith, good works laughter, and trust in God, but God sees their tears, struggles, their sadness and their times of discouragement. We have to remember we only see what others let us see; we don't know everything unless they tell us. This is also the reason we cannot judge as we hear in today's Gospel (Matthew 7:1-5):
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”
We all judge and compare it is part of our human condition, but God is asking us to leave the judgement to him, and to live for him not the world. Judgement and Comparison are two heavy crosses we all have to bear at one time or another, and so to counteract these thoughts God gives us the graces we need.
So, whether we are putting ourselves down, or holding ourselves too high above others God is waiting for us to abandon those ways, and come back to him humbly, and keep working for only his glory in all that we do.
Here is "HAPPINESS" by NEEDTOBREATHE
Thank You Lord for always reminding us we cannot be happy and envious at the same time. Help us to become more like you, and Mary, and the saints. Give us to grace to stop judging others and comparing ourselves to others. Shed your mercy, on all of us, and help us to abandon our previous ways.
Today I want to talk about something we all have weaknesses. So let me ask you something, do you accept your weaknesses? Some of us do, and some of us have a hard time accepting them. But a weakness isn't something to be mad about or discouraged by because they make us holier, they increase humility, and they illuminate your path to transformation. In order to accept our weaknesses we need to become aware of them, and ask God for the grace to accept them. Why should we accept our struggles, sins, and weaknesses? Because the God of the universe, whom we sin against accepts us, with our imperfectness, and if we do accept weaknesses we will grow in union, and a deeper relationship with God, and become holier. Who doesn't want that? So, we have to become encouraged by the need for improvement.
Let's look at a 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”
I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,
in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.
Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
So what is Paul trying to tell us here? He is saying that since the power of Christ is in him, and for Christ's sake he is content with what life has to offer. This is the same attitude we should have towards our own imperfectness. When we become more aware of our flaws, and accept them the more we accept others for who they are. Weird right? But it's true self acceptance leads to the acceptance of others.
Today ask God to give the grace you need to accept your weaknesses, and to have the same attitude Paul had, being content with flaws, and whatever else. Because since Jesus was insulted, and nailed to a cross, for his sake we should accept our lives the way they come, and accept insults, and persecutions.
Here is "You are Loved" by Stars Go Dim
Thank You Lord for accepting us for who we are, and help us to do the same.
When I was getting ready for my first Communion, our teacher had us write a prayer to God, and in that prayer I said, "Jesus let your light shine through me." At the time I didn't know what I was actually saying, but now I know I was asking him to make me transparent so as to say let his light and the love of Christ shine through me.
In today's Gospel (Matthew 5:13-16) Jesus tells us to shine our light, and let God work through us, so that others may glorify his works:
Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp stand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” So let's think about this: we are called to become saints, to be transparent by allowing the love of Christ shine through us. But what blocks Jesus' light and love to shine through us? Arrogance for one, pride, selfishness and many other negative characteristics. Sometimes we get way to caught up in ourselves, and in our glory that we forget all the glory is for God. Even though our praises add nothing to him he uses our actions for our own good. Ask yourself this today: how can I remove negative characteristics from my life? So, as Jesus said we are the salt of the earth, and what he wants us to do is flavor the lives of the people we meet, because they are hungry for God and all his greatness, love, compassion, peace, and mercy. One thing we have to remember though, and be careful of is our pride and ego, which gets in the way too many times. The most important part of this Gospel I think anyways is this, "they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father." Jesus does not say glorify you, but glorify your heavenly Father. So, today let your light shine through you to others. Here is "We are" by Kari Jobe:
Thank You Lord, for reminding us who we are, and help us to give glory only to you because you are the one guiding us.
For this post I am going to do something a little different than usual. On most of my posts I put a song at the end, so I am going to share with you my top 10 favorite Christian Songs, that encourage me:
I hope you like these songs! And I will end with one of my favorite prayers:
The Peace Prayer Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is error, the truth; Where there is doubt, the faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek To be consoled, as to console; To be understood, as to understand; To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
So, what is a beatitude? Well, it is a special happiness or blessing of Spiritual nature, not human nature. In today's Gospel (MT 5:1-12) we hear the Sermon on the Mount, here Jesus promised the happiness of eternal life to those who live the Christian life, which he summarized in the 8 beatitudes:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven.
Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
The beatitudes remind us of one main thing we are blessed, and we are God's chosen people forever. But what does it mean to be blessed? Well it is an adjective, and it means to be holy or consecrated; We are consecrated and/or sacred to God. The beatitudes also remind us that we are blessed in struggles, and suffering, and that God is present in these times. One last thing our sacrifices are blessed and they are meaningful to God.
Here is "Your Love Never Fails" by Newsboys
Thank You Lord for blessing us in every moment of our lives. Thank you especially for blessing us in our sacrifices, sufferings, and struggles.
Have you ever felt compassion, and sorrow for someone in their time of suffering? Well, that is how Jesus felt in today;s Gospel (Luke 7:11-17) because he loved this woman and had pity for her:
Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, crying out “A great prophet has arisen in our midst, “ and “God has visited his people.” This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region. So, what did Jesus do here, and how does it affect our lives? First of all, Jesus showed his love for others, he showed his power as God, and probably the most important thing was he restored the mother's relationship with the son. In the same way he also visits us, and embraces our human relationships healing, and restoring them to new life. By doing this he brings us into the basic and most fundamental relationship, which gives life, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; inviting us into the greatest circle of love. Now lets look at our relationship with Jesus. This is something, which can never be repeated. What I mean by this is Jesus' love for us individually, his plan for our lives, and our relationship with him are all unique, and can never be repeated. So, because his plan is unique to our lives, and will never be repeated he asks us to rejoice in his plan, even if it includes suffering, and even if life doesn't go the way we want it to. Be at peace with God's will, and know that everyone in heaven loves you, and is interceding for you. Nothing is impossible with God. Here is "Every Giant Will Fall" by Rend Collective
Thank You Lord, for having so much pity on us, that you would die on the cross! Give us the willingness to be open to your will, and remind us nothing is impossible. God Bless, Sarah
