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You’ve probably heard the quote that says, “nothing worth doing is easy” or something along those lines. Following Jesus is not easy. If we think it is, we are probably doing something wrong. We will still experience suffering, hardships, challenges, and trials. These things do not go away just because we choose to follow Jesus. But the peace, love, and joy that we can experience through it all is a reminder that following Christ is worth it, no matter how difficult it may be at times.
The Gospel for today (Monday) ends with, “I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (John 16:33). This is one of my favorite lines in scripture. Jesus tells us that we will have trouble, but he has conquered the world- he has defeated sin, death, and evil! Are we convicted of this deep within our hearts? If we all truly knew His peace and allowed it to sustain us, the world would be a different place- maybe not the whole world, but maybe just our little corner of the world. When a person is filled with the deep, interior peace of Christ, it is visible. It can be seen in someone’s words, actions, and just his or her overall disposition. And I think if we shared this peace with the people around us, it would overflow into their lives and make a big difference in the interactions we have. It would spread within our circles and help others to experience Christ. Something to remember is that peace is not simply a calm atmosphere, a certain state of mind, or a time of rest. While we may experience these things when we experience peace, these are all temporary. Real peace is a person- and that person is Jesus Christ. There is a book I read a few years ago called Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart by Fr. Jacques Phillippe which covers the topic very well. One quote from that book encapsulates it well: “Consider the surface of a lake, above which the sun is shining. If the surface of the lake is peaceful and tranquil, the sun will be reflected in this lake; and the more peaceful the lake, the more perfectly will it be reflected. If, on the contrary, the surface of the lake is agitated, undulating, then the image of the sun can not be reflected in it. It is a little bit like this with regard to our soul in relationship to God. The more our soul is peaceful and tranquil, the more God is reflected in it, the more His image expresses itself in us, the more His grace acts through us.” When you wake up each day, remember that following Jesus is not easy, but it is always worth it. You will have trouble, but find peace in Him and know that He is right there with you. Allow His peace to be reflected in your soul so that others may come to know Him a bit more.
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One of my least favorite words in the English language is “tolerance.” The word wouldn’t be that bad if it wasn’t used in a way that is contrary to what it means to be a Christian. I think one of the reasons I dislike this word so much is that it presents a false image of love. The way it is used in our culture promotes the whole “you do you” concept or “do whatever makes you happy.” We hear phrases such as these and are expected to just go along with whatever it is that someone is doing. Our culture’s view of tolerance promotes the concept of relativism, the idea that there is no absolute truth, or that everyone has the ability to create their own truth. As Catholics, we cannot support the idea of relativism.
Our culture rejects the existence of sin. We often hear people say things like, “that may be against your beliefs, but you cannot tell other people what to do.” One common example is abortion. “You can be against abortion, but you can’t tell other people what to do with their bodies” is a prime example of relativism. We are told we need to tolerate and accept other people’s choices, even if those choices are sinful. Another kind of behavior we see in our culture that goes along with tolerance is the idea that if everyone is doing something, it must not be wrong. The behaviors in our society that evoke the strongest pushback are often those such as contraception, cohabitation, and other selfish behaviors that disregard the value and dignity of the human person. Catholics are told that everyone is doing these things and that the Church teachings are old and archaic, and that they need to change to get with the times. Jesus didn’t call us to do what everyone else is doing or to just accept choices and actions that are contrary to His teachings. While we must love our neighbors and withhold judgment of the state of another person’s soul, we are not obligated to approve of or tolerate sin. We can and should make judgments on the moral state, or lack thereof, of our culture. We cannot let the shouts about tolerance from others silence us into apathy and indifference. Jesus, thank you for showing us the path to follow. Help us to recognize when we sin. Guide us back to you when we stray off the path. Give us the strength to persevere in a culture that rejects You and the truth. Give us the courage to speak the truth and not lose our deep convictions of our faith. Amen. This past Saturday evening, I went on a short run. As I was running down the sidewalk, a car approaching the stop sign a few feet ahead of me slowed down with unrolled windows. There were two guys in the car who started yelling out their window. It was a bit startling and unsettling. But it gave me a sort of adrenaline rush. I ran as quickly as I could in the opposite direction, until the car was out of sight. This propelled me on the rest of my run, and the fact that I was struggling due to being out of shape was no longer an issue. It was like I was renewed and reenergized, even if it was only because I had a bit of fear. Sometimes in the spiritual life, we may be tired and struggling. Maybe we are weary or worn-down, out of shape, or just trying to keep moving. At various times in our lives, we will all need to be reenergized in our faith- given a boost so that we can be propelled to keep sharing Jesus with others.
It is easy to look at the state of the world and feel despondent. But as people of faith, we need to bring Christ’s love and light to the people around us. However, the only way we can do this is if we are on fire. We cannot give what we do not have. At times, we may need to reignite the fire. Our hearts are not going to be set on fire by sitting around and doing nothing. Even when we are tired or struggling, we need to take action and make the choice to be energized and renewed. One of the best ways to do this is to receive the sacraments as often as possible. Additionally, stay connected to other strong Catholics. Whether friends, family members, or even co-workers, we need to actively seek out and spend time with people who have the same values and mission. We need people who can inspire us and hold us accountable. We cannot do it on our own. Join a Bible study, small group, or some other community. If you can’t find one at or near your parish, start one! Being able to dive deeper into your faith with others in a community will help you grow and strengthen your faith. Retreats are another way to reignite the fire (and in my personal opinion, one of the best ways). There is nothing like a powerful retreat experience to set you on fire in your faith. You can also watch videos, listen to podcasts, and read. The options are endless. Just do something! Jesus, thank you for showing us how to love. Help us to continue to move closer to you each day of our lives. When we grow weary and worn, may we refocus and find strength in You. Give us hearts that are set on fire with your love, a fire that propels us to share our faith with all those around us. Amen. The past few months, the concept of spiritual poverty has continued to appear. This concept has been brought to my attention in a few different podcasts I’ve listened to, several posts I’ve seen on social media, and in a book I’ve read recently. This recurring theme has allowed me to reflect on how to live with a spirit of poverty.
We hear in the Beatitudes “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” To put it simply, being poor in spirit means to be aware of our deep need for God in our lives. It means that we understand that God has loved us into existence and it is His love alone that sustains us. Being poor in spirit means to know and understand that God is providing for us and caring for us in each and every single moment of every day. If we ever think we can do something without Him, we are wrong. We must open our hands and let go of the things we are tightly holding onto; control, self-reliance, pride, and all else that is taking up unnecessary space. If our hands are full, we cannot receive the gifts that God wants to give us. Being poor in spirit and having empty hands will allow us to cling to God rather than the things of the world. In a world that promotes self-sufficiency and success, it can be very hard to live with a spirit of poverty. To recognize and accept that we cannot do anything on our own is difficult at times. To release control over everything in our lives and hand it completely over to God takes a lot of trust. But if we really love God, we will trust Him. In order to be poor in spirit, we must acknowledge our weaknesses, sinfulness, and brokenness and trust that God will transform these parts of us in the way that only He can. My prayer for today is that we would all become more poor in spirit, trusting more deeply in God’s providence and becoming more aware of our absolute need for Him in all aspects of our lives. A few weeks ago, an episode of a podcast I was listening to explored the idea of fruitfulness versus productivity. If you’re like many people, you probably find yourself striving for ultimate productivity. How many emails at work can we get through before the end of the day? (I’ve finally come to the realization that I will probably never be at zero emails in my inbox ever again!) How many tasks around the house can we finish in three hours? How many meetings can we attend in a week? Instead of productivity, what if we aimed for fruitfulness?
There are a lot of things we cannot avoid and that we must just do as a part of being human-- working, cleaning, organizing, just to name a few things. However, if you’re anything like me, you could work on improving your mindset and how you go about doing certain things. Everything we do has a purpose. It just comes down to whether or not we realize it. Do we think about why we are doing the things that we do? Instead of seeing how productive we can be in a day, we should try to think about if what we are doing is fruitful. We are all called and invited to grow in our faith, develop a relationship with Jesus, and share Him with others, so that they too can be drawn into a deeper relationship with Him. John 15:16 says, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain…” God has chosen each one of us to bear fruit for Him and His kingdom. When we do everything with a Christ-centered mindset, we will find much greater purpose in what we are doing, and in our whole lives. Fruitfulness is different from productivity in the fact that when we work to bear fruit, a lot of times, we will not see the results of our work. This can be hard to accept at times. What we are doing may not always lead to tangible results. Sharing a witness story with others, teaching students about the faith, serving others in some way, inviting someone to attend mass or a retreat. All of these things, and more, that we may do can seem hopeless or useless. However, we must trust Jesus that He is powerful enough to work through us and that He can reach anyone at any time, even long after our encounter with someone. The next time you are tempted to measure your day by how productive you’ve been, change your mindset to how fruitful you think you’ve been. How well have you loved? How well have you served? How well have you shared Christ with those around you by your words and actions? My prayer for today is that others might come to know Jesus in a deeper way by the fruit that we bear. |
AuthorStriving to share hope, joy, God's love, and all of the good stuff, one blog post at a time. Categories |
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