JOURNEY WITH MARY - Special and Precious to God

 

JOURNEY WITH MARY

Episode No. 3 Special and Precious to God

YOU = JESUS is the exchange value in the sight of God!

To listen to the episode, click the link

https://anchor.fm/greatergloryofgod/episodes/JOURNEY-WITH-MARY-Ep--3---Special-and-Precious-to-God-elq8je

 

-        Mary was very special to God

-        Unique and different

-        God would never like to lose you

-        God would do everything in His power to make you His own!

Isaiah 43:4

“Because you are precious in MY SIGHT,
    and honored, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.”

-        What is your price?

-        How precious are you?

-        Depends on the persons looking – oneself, parents, friends, enemies, etc

-        But, how precious are you to God?

What could your exchange value?

Value of any object / the commodity is measured according to the EXCHANGE VALUE – the price paid to buy and own it!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple[f] of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For YOU WERE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE; therefore glorify God in your body.”

1 Peter 1:18-19

“You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.” 

You might wonder, there are billions of people on the face of the earth, many have gone ahead and still billions and billions are to come!

Who am I that God should worry about me?

-        God treats persons individually and not crowds / groups

Previous episodes – the Predestination, created – by God in His own image and likeness FORMED in your mother’s womb……

God FORMING denotes INDIVIDUALITY and not crowds!

Luke 12:1-12

v. 7 “But EVEN THE HAIRS OF YOUR HEAD are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

-        Special place in the Heart of God

Isiah 49:15-16

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
    or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these may forget,
    yet I will not forget you.
See, I have INSCRIBED you on the palms of my hands.”

-        No one can replace you and vice versa

Mary and you

-        Mary was chosen for your sake – to redeem you!

-        Your greatness is hidden in Mary’s greatness

-        Your specialty in hers

-        Your value in hers

Questions to reflect:

• What's your value in the eyes of your dear ones?
• What's your value in your own eyes?
• What can you give in exchange for your life?

God says that you are very precious to Him and to own you God gave up His Son.

• What's your feeling about it?
• Can you accept it?
• What would you do to own this reality that YOU ARE PRECIOUS TO GOD?

Word of God to reflect on:

• Isaiah 43:4  
• 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
• 1 Peter 1:18-19
• Luke 12:1-12
• Isiah 49:15-16

Birthday of Our Eldest Brother

 The purpose of Christian life is to become Christ-like – his brothers and sisters and thus the beloved children of the Heavenly Father. For this very purpose, God the Father had sent his only Son into the world. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Catholic Church has the Liturgical Calendar which begins with the Advent Season and ends with the Feast of Christ the King. This calendar is divided in such a way that the life of Christ on the earth is remembered and lived by His own whom He loved till the end (cf. Jn 13,1). Thus those participating in the Liturgy of the Church are given the grace to live with Christ His own life as God has given the wisdom to divide the Liturgical Calendar makes His whole life present here and now.

Though Christmas, the Birthday of the Lord, is an event which is remembered on a particular day, i.e., 25th of December, a whole season is named “Christmas Season” in the Liturgical Calendar. It begins with the Birthday of Jesus and ends with His Baptism. Christmas is the second most important solemnity after Easter which is also spread through a season. It is because that we must experience the overwhelming mystery of God sharing His very life with us – His very Self with us. It is mystery not in the sense of ‘something unknown’. It is incomprehensible for us without divine assistance. It is a mystery in the sense that God reveals His very Self and gives us the grace to know Him and we, creatures – finite beings stand in awe as we find it too deep to comprehend fully. The more we know it, we realize that we know nothing and thus dip deep into this overwhelming Mystery called God.

The Purpose of Jesus’ Birth

God is love and He wanted to share His very Self with someone outside Himself and so God wanted to create humans who would be in His very image and likeness (cf. Gen 1,27-28), and who would be able to understand the will of God – to share His very Self with them – and thus would accept God’s love and in return would give themselves and did God. This “Other” whom God wanted to created had to have a dwelling and so God created the whole universe for the sake of human beings. Having created everything very beautiful God was very satisfied and God placed the first-parents into it. But the “Other” of God loved the creation rather than the Creator who desired that the humans would choose Him above the “beautiful” creation that tells of the glory of God, the Creator.

But God, being love, had His own plans and so decided to send His only Son to redeem the “Other” who had fallen away from God because of their very sin of choosing the creation above the Creator. God, the Son – the Logos / Word – was sent by the Father into the world with this mission. Thus the purpose of the birth of Jesus is human-salvation. This salvation not something we would get but reach. Salvation is the process of becoming the beloved children of God, the Father and the brothers and sisters of the God, the Son and the friends of God, the Holy Spirit. This process is possible for the fallen sinful humans to reach this goal by themselves and so the necessity of the Redeemer and Saviour.

God becoming Man – the Mystery of the Incarnation

Humanity and history form a genuine unity. Human unity does not consist of a sum of individuals and biographies put together by our thought processes. This reality of human unity affects both the common physical and biological basis of humans and their world, and the human reality of humans and their freedom and history. This human unity, going beyond material and biological functions, is important for the soteriological connection between Jesus and the whole of humanity. Through his incarnation Jesus, thus, enters into communion with the single race of humanity, and not merely into the Jewish race of his time alone. Therefore we can say that we who are living around two thousand years after Him too are part of that same humanity that the Son of God lived and still is part of.

Was Jesus truly man? Is He still man? To answer these questions we must understand the correct meaning of incarnation and its difference from the Hindu concept of avatar. Incarnation or incarnatio comes the Greek word sarkosis meaning enfleshment, indicates the Christian mystery which affirms that the Word of God has assumed a human nature into personal union. The biblical (Semitic) origins of the term indicate that we should understand flesh as designating man rather than a component of man, implicit in the Greek terms for flesh or body. Incarnation is at the centre of the Christian faith and life because had the Word not become truly man, we are not redeemed from our sinfulness.

Avatar is an appearance of being someone which is not truly the nature of that particular individual. In Hindu belief, we find Vishnu taking many avatars. One of the striking differences is that none of them die! But that is not the case with the Incarnation of the Son of God. He became so human that even now He is man and so it is right to call the Son God-man. We would discuss about this little later.

The Word, the divine Person assumed the human nature. A person is an individual subsisting being, regarded as the ultimate centre of activity, attribution, and responsibility. Modern psychology sees person as performer but for classical theology personality is the source of the distinctiveness of someone. Assumption means the act of taking to oneself. Here it means that the Word taking the human nature to himself. Through the act of assumption, human nature was conjoined to the divine person in such a way that the divine Person subsists in it. This union of human nature with the divine Person in incarnation is greater and superior to the union of body and soul in human being. In Christ human nature is so assumed as to belong to the Person of the Son. Son assumed the whole of human nature – body, soul, and mind. God desires salvation for the entire person, without leaving out anything pertaining to human being. Therefore Word assumed both body and a rational soul – putting together soul and mind – ‘for what cannot be assumed cannot be healed.’

Incarnation in no way diminishes divine dignity. It was the result of his unconditional love for us. It shows his willingness to come nearer to us and it helps us to go closer to Him and to know Him better and thus respond better. The Logos of God truly became man and not merely appeared so. Christ is not the form in which God appears but he is fully man and fully God. It is important to remember that the development of most of the dogmas and doctrines is the gift of heresies which provided the Church with all possible angles of comprehending a certain mystery. The present understanding of the mystery of the incarnation is the fruit of the challenges from heresies like, docetism, Apollinarism, monophysitism, and monotheletism.

One of Us but Without Sin

The Son of God became man in such a way that He was like any one of us but without sin. The Letter to the Hebrews says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested (tempted) as we are, yet without sin” (4,15). But St. Paul would say that He was part and parcel of the sinful humanity. He says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin…” (2 Cor 5,21). This is how the prophecy of prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled as he says, “… and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (53,6).

We can make a comparison among Adam, the whole of sinful humankind because of the original sin and Jesus. Adam’s personal sin became the original sin of which every human being is born part, though it is not the personal sin of all. Therefore the children of Adam are also sinful having partnership with the sin of Adam. But Jesus, though sinless, took upon himself the sin of the whole world. That is why St. John presents Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (cf. 1,29). He was like us in every way. Why? God could have saved us even without sending His only Son as a man! Definitely! But why did He not do so? That is a mystery, a mystery of love! About this mystery John says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (3,16). Therefore it must be kept in mind that God became man not due to the human sinfulness rather because of divine love for His “Other”. Jesus was fully human: he was born, we grew up like anyone of us, he worked as a carpenter, he felt hungry, thirsty, angry, rejected, dejected, depressed, tempted and tasted death which is a distinctive factor that differentiates Incarnation from avatar.

Different Origin

He was born one of us but the nature of conception is different. Jesus had two births: the one eternal and the other temporal. In His eternal birth He was born of the Father without a mother and in the temporal birth of a mother without a father. He is different from us in the sense that he was and definitely is human but not a human person. He is and was a divine Person who assumed the human nature. (To understand what I am saying, please see above where I have explained about the meaning of person and assumption). He was born of the ever Virgin Mary who was born without sin. This is commonly called Immaculate Conception, a feast celebrated in the Catholic Church on 8th of December. This is essential not for Mary but for Jesus to be born without sin. If not He too would be part of the original sin. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Mt 1,20); “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God” (Lk 1,35).

But as I mentioned above, God sent His only Son for the salvation of the humanity and the salvation is a relationship which is developed over a period of time. The relationship between Jesus, the Son of God and the whole of humankind is fraternal – we are His very brothers and sisters. It was because that the Father wanted to have many children and thus made His natural Son to be the firstborn of all His adopted children. St. Paul writes of this in his Letter to the Romans, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family (among many brothers and sisters)” (8,29). For this very reason Jesus became human because all the family members must share the same flesh and blood. We call one our brother or sister, in a strict sense, only those born of the same father and mother. About this necessity the Letter to the Hebrews reveals something very important as it says, “It was fitting that God, for whom and though whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters…. Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood he himself likewise shared the same things” (2,10-11 & 14a).

How do we share the flesh and blood of the Father? By sharing our flesh and blood, Jesus, the Son of God gave us the grace to share the flesh and blood of the Heavenly Father of which He feeds us in every Eucharistic celebration. That is the very reason He said, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life…” and he compares this abiding with him with his abiding with the Father as he says, “Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me” (Jn 6,53 & 57).

Christmas as the Celebration of the Birthday of our Eldest Brother

There is a big dilemma about the relationship of Jesus with us: is He our Father or Brother? Most mistake Him for the Father! If so, we must begin to pray the Our Father as “Our Grandfather”! Is it not? Because Jesus addressed the Heavenly Father and toughed his disciples to call Him Father. If the Father is one and the same what should be the nature of the relationship of those calling Him Father, if not brotherly and sisterly?

Jesus is the only natural Son of the Father; it means that being/becoming the children of the Father is only a sharing in the sonship of Jesus Christ. By nature, human beings are slaves in the household of God and it is this natural Son who redeems us – shares his sonship with us by freeing us from the slavery as Jn 8,36 reads, “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” Only the Son imparts his sonship and freedom to the slaves, for he is the only one who has in His own being this condition of sonship. Paul complements this good news of Jesus saying, “So you are no longer a slave but a child” (Gal 4,7a). Is there no difference between the sonship of Jesus and divine sonship of humankind? There is, the Word is the natural son of the Father, whereas divine sonship of human beings is only a free gift of God. In this process of adoption, the interior realm of the individual is changed like the natural Son of God (cf. Heb 4,12-13).

Christ is the only-begotten (cf. Heb 1,6; Jn 3,16). This only-begotten becomes the first-born of the whole creation through the incarnation (cf. Heb 1,6; Col 1,15) – the first-born among many brothers and sisters (cf. Rom 8,19-29), the first to return from the dead (cf. Col 1,18). Union and resemblance with Jesus is the basis for the participation in the sonship of Jesus –in which Jesus himself stands to the Father. Ultimately this is the goal of incarnation (cf. Eph 1,4-6). God makes us his adopted sons and daughters and leads us to eternal life. Salvation is becoming sharers in the Son’s divine nature through the Spirit of adoption and entering into an intimate shared life with the Most Holy Trinity.

It is in Christ that we become children of God. “For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith” (Gal 3,26). How? It is because by faith one is incorporated into Christ. Baptism is an expression of faith, through which one participates in the Paschal mysteries of Christ – his passion, death, and resurrection by which one is clothed oneself with Christ as Paul says, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Gal 3,27). Baptism is incorporation or grafting into Christ. He joins people to himself so that they can receive the benefits of what he did. Through the grace of baptism, the Father makes us members of His family, as we pray in the Holy Mass, “Hear us, almighty God, and, as you have bestowed on your family the perfect grace of Baptism, so prepare their hearts for the reward of eternal happiness.” (Prayer after communion, Tuesday in the Easter Octave, The Roman Missal, 371). This is what the Vatican II has to say of our relationship with the Father and Jesus, saying, the baptized “children of God and brothers of Christ” (Lumen Gentium, n. 37).

The Father has caused us to be reborn to His life by adopting us as His children in his only Son. He adopts us by baptism by incorporating us into the Body of His Son and through the anointing of his Spirit who flows from the Head to the members, He makes us other “Christs” (CCC, n. 2782). This is what we celebrate in the Holy Mass, when we pray, “… that he might make us sharers in his divinity” (Preface II of the Ascension of the Lord, The Roman Missal, 546). Thus as Ambrose says, “… From being a wicked servant you have become a good son … Then raise your eyes to the Father … But do not claim any privilege …” All the proclaimers in the Bible begin their mission with the call to conversion/repentance, placing God above all and to believe in the good news that God loves us (cf. Mk 1,15). But Christian life demands a continual conversion and new life, thus developing good dispositions: first, the desire to become like God, by cooperating with His grace; second, a humble and trusting heart that enables us to become like children (CCC, n. 2784-2785).

Having realized our relationship with Jesus, we are ready to celebrate the Birthday of Our Eldest Brother! What must we do worthy of this celebration? I would suggest the following points: 

Have Him in our Celebrations

First of all we must have the Birthday Baby, i.e., Jesus, in our families. Therefore we must first examine ourselves whether or not He is present in our families, communities and parishes where we gather together to celebrate His Birthday. He is not dead but alive with us. He is more alive than we are! His name is Immanuel – God with us! He promised that He would be with them till the end of age (cf. Mt 28,20). It is a conditional promise! What is the condition for his presence? We presents it in the gospel according to Matthew itself, saying, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (18,20). Let us not keep Him knocking at the door of our families when we are gathered together to celebrate His Birthday with lot of noise, if not He would be standing outside knocking with great pain and sorrow (cf. Rev 3,20)! Would we want the Birthday Baby be so while we fool ourselves that we are celebrating His Birthday? Let Him in, into our hearts, families, communities, parishes, dioceses, nations and in the universe as a whole.

Gifts

When birthday comes, what comes to our mind first and foremost is gifts! Both the birthday babies and their near and dear ones think of gifts worthy of the birthday baby. Gifts symbolises the kind of relationship one has with the celebrant! If so, what kind of gifts can we give to the Son of God, King of the universe, so rich, the Creator, the master? What can we give Him? What gifts are worthy of Him? But the same rich King is shivering without enough clothes to keep himself warm, is hungry, naked, dying…………….! How? He does so in and through His brothers and sisters! For He said, “Truly I tell, you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family (brothers and sisters), you did it to me” (Mt 25,40).

The most fitting gift we can give to the Baby at Bethlehem is accepting Him as our Redeemer, as our own Eldest Brother sent by the Heavenly Father! What greater gift does an infant expects from its family members, from its near and dear ones? Let us first acknowledge Him to be sent by the Father as the expression of His unconditional love for us.

Celebrations

What kind of celebrations do the Babe expects from us? We have all prepared lots of sweets, bought new clothes, whitewashed our houses, men are planning for a late-night party with liquor. The list is unending! But have we considered the desire and wish of the Child at the manger? Is this the kind of celebration that He wants from us? He chose to be born in a manger, amidst animals, lived without a house of His own, and was buried in a grave not His own! Let us go and ask Him about the kind of celebration He wants from us? We can get the knowledge of it from the Scripture. Do our celebrations promote life, life in it fullness which He came to give (cf. Jn 10,10)? Is He happy with the kind of celebrations we have? Are we truly happy to celebrate His Birthday? What messages does He bring us? What gifts dos he bring us from Our Heavenly Father? Can there be a greater gift than the Son of God, our Eldest Brother? What else are we expecting from the Birthday Baby?

May our celebrations promote life, reflect His abiding presence with us, tell our other brothers and sisters about the Good News that the Eldest Brother of the whole of humanity brought at His arrival among us! May we become Christ-bearers! That is the meaning of being truly Christian! What greater gift can we, the younger brothers and sisters of Jesus, give Him on His Birthday, than living worthy of Him as His beloved brothers and sisters – His own Household.

May the Child at the manger bless us all with all the graces essential to live worthy of the Triune God during the whole of New Year 2016! 

Christian Life: Christ-Centred Life Vs Self-Centred Life

 Christian Life: Christ-centred Life Vs Self-centred Life We human beings by ourselves are nothing. We have no existence in ourselves except in relation to God and to a certain extent to other human beings and to the cosmos as a whole. All of us feel a sense of nothingness or vacuum one or the other time of our life. Spiritual giants irrespective of religion and time have warned human beings to be aware of it and taught to let God fill this vacuum; if not, one can become materialistic and consumeristic. Today humanity is facing the dangerous situation ofbeing lost of the great purpose for which God created us, i.e., for Himself and in sservice for others! Many are unaware of this fact and are becoming victims of this emptiness which makes them cover this up by being proud of who/what one is (one’s appearance, status, abilities, achievements, relationships, power, wealth, etc) forgetting that all that one IS and HAS come from God and one must live in constant communion with God to live according to the plan of God. We deserve nothing - life, health, salvation, etc. Name it what! But today’s world where cut-throat competition and rat-race rule, the human world has deviated itself from the path of life to the path of death by drowning into the consumeristic philosophy.

Pride rules the world. ‘I’ is the reference point for everything. To secure this ‘I’ one is ready to do anything possible; thus values have no place here. Pride says that I am ‘great’ myself, expressing one’s self-sufficiency, -reliance, -confidence, -dependence, etc. It says that I am ‘better’ in comparison with others. Others are not as good as I am. It is the result of the uneasiness one experiences because of the void/vacuum/nothingness one faces. In order to solidify and feel safe one tries to cover oneself with all these, searching for self-glory, then to steal the glory of God, forgetting that it is the total unconditionalself-surrender that will let us know who we are – children of God and not slaves of Him! It is possible only when we die to self, rid ourselves of our self-sufficiency, -reliance, -confidence, -dependence, etc., that we will begin to see that we are members of God’s own family, not by our merit but because God has made us so by His gratuitous grace.

Only when we realize that we are like braches dependant on God, the Vine for our very existence that we come to life. This is about what Jesus taught his disciples through his discourse on The True Vine, presenting himself as the vine (cf. Jn 15,1-11). We have no life without Him. Can the branches live by themselves? Absolutely not! What then must the branches do to live? In this regard I would like to present some points in contrast to what the Post Modern World which is governed by a culture of self-sufficiency, consumerism, materialism, sexism, instant gratification, etc, considers important.

1.Realization of God:

According to St. Paul, everyone is given the power of reason to know from nature God’s eternal power and His very nature (cf. Rom 1,20). The nature reveals its contingency on the necessary Being (God) who gives life to everything, preserves them, and creates them anew. His presence can be experienced/realized in and though the nature. It is not that we are not aware of this fact; rather as Wisdom 13,2 reads, “… but they supposed that either fire or wind or swift air …. were the gods that rule the world.” The author goes on to say that nature is only a creation of God, a means of divine revelation and not an end in itself.

The God-realization is the foundation for spiritual, meaningful, purposeful, and true human life. It is the realization that one has one’s being only from God and to ‘be living’ one must be attached to Him and have a healthy detachment from the creation as an expression of God-realization, God as the supreme Good!

2.Acknowledgement and Acceptance Of God:

The first stage is mostly rational, in the head-level. It can be called conceptual knowledge and it must become experiential knowledge, lived knowledge. Acknowledgement is not merely rational, but involves the entire being of a person. It means that one livesaccordingly. Being aware that “in him we live, move and have our being” (Acts 17,28a), we live accordingly, humbly, lovingly and not proudly . In a nutshell, it is acknowledging God, really to be God and it demands gratitude as St. Paul says, “For though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him… they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or fourfooted animals or reptiles” (Rom 1,21-23).

It is where many make mistakes: “loving the creation is loving God.” Definitely loving the creation can be a step towards loving God or can even be an expression of loving God, as John says, “Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or a sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen” (1Jn 4,20). Work seems to be worship! This mentality is very commonly found in the Western culture influencing even the clerics and is spreading like virus among all.

Jesus summarized all the commandments of the Bible into two: love of God and love of neighbour. A lawyer asked Jesus, "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Mt 22,36-40). Both these commandments are definitely interconnected and interdependent. But one cannot replace the other. There is a definite distinction, an abyss between these two worlds, Divine and human – Creator and creatures. The order must be kept: God above human beings and in human beings, spirit over reason and reason over feelings, emotions and body. Sin is the distortion of this order. Every sin breaks this order. Thus when God is acknowledged as God, one lives dependent on God, giving Him the due place – the first place – and loving others and using and safeguarding the nature and not loving the nature. Animals, plants, and other non-human creatures cannot be loved as human beings are to be loved.

3. God-confidence Vs Self-confidence:

Psychologists, formators, teachers, and media both print and electronic, promise us with techniques to improve self-confidence! It is like asking an infant to drive a bus full of people. Can s/he reach the passengers safe? Never, and it is foolish to let such a one do so! If so, how much more is it true of asking these people to improve our self-confidence. Strangely we, the clerics and teachers in the Church are part of that.

What is self-confidence? How strong, healthy, reliable, lasting is self-confidence? Self-confidence is not failure-proof. It can fail us in the most important moment of life! It would be like a rich merchant in search of a diamond for all his life and when he really found one he did not have enough resources to procure that! What a tragedy! It often takes place when some ignorant psychologists become spiritual directors.

Self-confidence is an expression of self-reliance and self-sufficiency: I have enough!There is another kind of it which can be more dangerous than the first: parent-confidence, sibling-confidence, friend-confidence, spouse-confidence, children-confidence, etc. It varies according to on whom one relies! This group of people fails to realize that no human being is God – stronghold, ever reliable, and almighty; rather they, in turn are dependent on God. They too are creatures, i.e., contingent beings depending on God for their very survival. How foolish it is to depend on dependent beings and not on the Independent, Infinite Being, God. It is good to remind ourselves of the Parable of the Foundations (sand and rock) (cf. Mt 7,24-27).

But, there is the most reliable confidence, and I would call it GOD-CONFIDENCE. It is most reliable, reasonable, life-giving, and rewarding. One of the best examples is the boy David courageously facing the giant Goliath. Goliath stands for self-confidence. He was depending on his physique, muscle power, sword, and other arms, whereas David was only God-dependent and so God-confident. He testified to this truth, saying, “"You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1Sam 17,45). These were not mere words, rather they speak volumes about his God-confidence that made him strong enough to defeat the Philistine champion with a height of six cubits and a span, wearing a helmet of bronze, armed with a coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels of bronze, wore greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders … (cf. 1Sam 17,4-10).

God in the Bible, always asked the Israelites to be God-confident, solely depending on Him for everything and not on their strength – self-confidence (cf. Josh 11; 1Sam 24,1-17; 1Chron 21,1-6). That is why He asked the army to be small for the enemies; thus the Israelites might depend on Yahweh and realize that it is not because of their might that they won but owing to Yahweh who fought for the army.

Jesus too taught the disciples to be God-dependent and God-confident (cf. Mt 6,25-34). St. Paul realized this truth very well that is why he exclaimed, “On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong” (2Cor 12,5-10).

Let us imitate this servant of Christ and become one like him.

CHRIST THE KING

 CHRIST THE KING

To listen to it, kindly follow the link:

https://anchor.fm/greatergloryofgod/episodes/Christ--the-King-emq6uc

Presently we don’t have a king as used to be in the olden days. We can only imagine and get a glimpse of it watching movies and documents on them, especially the ones on the Bible. In all of them, irrespective of the place, language, culture, time, religion, etc, we find them to be monarchs who lived in pomp and wealth, who lived on the goods of the subjects, mostly exploiting them for their selfish living.

In the Old Testament, we find that in the beginning the Israelites did not have a king of their own as had their neighbours. They believed that Yahweh himself was their king. That is why Gideon, one of the Judges in the Israel, said to the Israelites, "I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you" (Judges 8,23). But later the people, being persecuted and attacked by their neighboring kings like the Egyptian and the Philistines. They could no more believe in a King who is invisible to them. That is the reason they ask Samuel, the prophet to anoint a king for them. It is very interesting to note the conversation between the Israelites and Samuel, Samuel and Yahweh:
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, "You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to govern us." Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the Lord said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. Now then, listen to their voice; only - you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them." So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take one-tenth of your locks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day." But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, "No! but we are determined to have a king over us, so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles." When Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. The Lord said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice and set a king over them" (1 Samuel 8,4-22).

Thus the Israelites for their own doom demanded and got a king over them beginning from Saul, David, and Solomon who ruled the undivided Israel till 916 B.C when the Kingdom was divided South as Judah and North as Israel between Rehoboam son of Solomon and Jeroboam son of Nebat respectively (1 Kings 12-13). Israel, the Northern kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 BC (2 Kings 17) and Judah, the Southern kingdom in 587 by the Babylonians (2 Kings 25).

They returned back to their land after 50 years of exile. They never thought of having a king for themselves after that. The kings in Israel were anointed by Yahweh with the Spirit who led them. The presence of the Spirit is said to be the deciding factor for a king to be the king of Yahweh. This is very clearly seen in the life of Saul, the first king of Israel when he disobeyed Yahweh. “Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul” (1 Samuel 16,14). When one is anointed king the spirit of the Lord comes on them which is witnessed in the life of kings. This is very clear in the anointing ceremony of David the most successful king of Israel. When David was anointed with oil by Samuel “the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward” (1 Samuel 16,13). Therefore it can be concluded that it is Yahweh who was the King of the Israelites through the instrumentality of the human kings though the Israelites rejected Him to be so.

The Promise for a Messiah, King

The Jews were under one or the other empire after the division in 916 BC and they wanted freedom from the clutches of the foreign kings. During the exile and after that the prophets foretold of the Messiah who would be a seed of David. It was because of the covenant of Yahweh with David. Yahweh promised David through the prophet Nathan, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7,12-16).

It was this promise of Yahweh to the Israelites through the house of David that kept their hope alive in exile. This promise is very clearly stated in Isaiah: “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord” (11,1-3a). They expected a political messiah, king who would free them from their political enemies. Prophet Jeremiah prophesied regarding the messiah saying, “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: "The Lord is our righteousness." Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the Lord, when it shall no longer be said, "As the Lord lives who brought the people of Israel up out of the land of Egypt," but "As the Lord lives who brought out and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the land of the north and out of all the lands where he had driven them." Then they shall live in their own land” (23,5-8). Prophet Ezekiel foretold of it saying, “My servant David shall be king over them; and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow my ordinances and be careful to observe my statutes. They shall live in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, in which your ancestors lived; they and their children and their children's children shall live there forever; and my servant David shall be their prince forever” (37,24-25).

Jesus, the Christ

Jesus is king by the mere fact of his being born in the house of David. Matthew wrote the genealogy of Jesus keeping this in mind: to present Jesus as the Son of both Abraham and David (Matthew 1,1) and also of God which is clear from the dream of Joseph (Matthew 1,18-25). The Davidic covenant comes to its fulfillment when the angel Gabriel reveals to Mary about the greatness of the child to be born of her, saying, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1,30-33). This was the promise made to David by Yahweh through the prophet Nathan (cf. 2 Samuel 7,12-13; Psalm 89,36).

The anointing of Jesus as the king is fulfilled in his baptism at the Jordan. The baptismal account says, “When Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom am well pleased” (Matthew 3,16-17). Thus Jesus is king not only because he was born of a seed of David but also because he anointed by the Spirit in his baptism. As David was anointed by Samuel, the prophet, Jesus was anointed by John the Baptist the last prophet. But in the case of Jesus, the Father spoke out certifying that Jesus was his Son, the king. This is the same statement found in the enthronement psalms. For example, “You are my son; today I have begotten you” (Psalm 2,7b).

But unlike the earthily kings and not according to the expectation of the Jews, Jesus is King in a much broader manner and he differs drastically from the earthly kings. Some of the qualities of Christ the King, in contrast to those of the earthly kings, are: 

1. Appearance

The earthly kings were recognizable with their own appearance itself. They wore glittering clothes, gold crown. They had majestic look that distinguished them different from all others. Jesus, while speaking about John the Baptist, questioned about his appearance, saying, “What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who put on fine clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces” (Luke 7,25). But on the contrast the appearance of Christ, the King was too painful for anyone even to look at him.

The Scripture says of his appearance: scarlet robe, crown of thorns, and a reed in his right hand (symbolizing his Cross, the symbol of his Kingdom). Matthew describes about his look and the worship at the hand of the soldiers in the following words: “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head” (27,27-30).

2. His Place of Living (Abode)

Kings had their own geographical state or kingdom or empire and a huge palace with all the facilities, including numerous concubines. It is said that king Solomon had almost one thousand women to quench his sexual thirst. The account says, “King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the Israelites, "You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you; for they will surely incline your heart to follow their gods"; Solomon clung to these in love. Among his wives were seven hundred princesses and three hundred concubines” (1 Kings 11,1-3).

But the King of the whole creation had not even a house to live in. He had no abode of his own. That is why he said, “A scribe then approached and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8,19-20). He lived a life of purity, in body, mind and soul. He was, or rather is purity itself. He lived a celibate life by conquering all the desires and lust of the body and mind. He was king in the true sense, first of all king over his very self.

When died he had no place to be buried. It was an indication that he was poor. For the Jews burial place is a must. Anyone who has no burial place was considered a sinner, rejected by God himself. That was the case of Jesus. He had to be buried in someone else’s burial cave (cf. Mt 27,57-61; Jn 19, 38-42).

3. Army

Army is a must for any kingdom, even present democratic countries have army to safeguard the country from the enemies. If the present civilized and educated generation feels the need for the army, what about in the time of Jesus. That was a time of monarchy when every king wanted to spread his kingdom and empire. Look at Christ the King, he had neither an army nor any armour either to defend himself or to expand his kingdom. He had only twelve men around him most of whom were illiterate. All of them were cowards. Simon who was named Peter, to be the head the Church was coward number one. He was very emotional and instinctual. He would promise Jesus that he would even die for him, saying, “even though all become deserters, I will not … Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you” (Mark 14,29-31). But he could not even acknowledge Jesus to a servant-girl (cf. Mt 27, 69-75).

Judas Iscariot was a thief and greedy man. He was so greedy that he could sell even his master for mere thirty silver coins. The Scripture says that it was Judas himself who went to the chief priests to betray Jesus and not the other way. The Bible says, “Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, "What will you give me if I betray him to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver” (Mt 26,14-15). The story of the other disciples is no better. This is the army that Christ the King had chosen to spread his kingdom (cf. Lk 6,12-16).

It is because God does not need strong, intelligent, and perfect people to do his will. He did not depend on the army of Israel to give victory to His chosen People. He chose the weakest to redeem His people. Moses is one of the best known examples in this regard. They were only His instruments. It was Yahweh who worked through them. When Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Ex 3,10). God assured him that He will be with him. Moses was a stammerer and so expressed his inability, saying, “O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue” (Ex 4,10). The answer of Yahweh is very interesting. He said, “Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go, and I will e with your mouth ad teach you what you are to speak” (Ex 4,12).

Gideon, the judge, was another example of this. He was commissioned by God while he was beating out wheat in the wine press. But he answered saying, “But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family” (Judges 6,15). The response he gets from God is similar. He said, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them” (Judges 6,16). Jonathan, the son of the first king Saul, expressed the truth that it is God who saves, saying, “Come let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the Lord will act for us; for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14,6). The genealogy of Jesus shows whores / prostitutes as his ancestors. For God nothing is impossible. It is because power is seen better in weakness as St. Paul says, “For whenever I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12,10b). God purposefully chooses the fools and the weak. St. Paul, once again writes of it very clearly, saying, “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God” (1 Cor 1,27-29).

4. Universal King

Kingdom is normally understood to be a geographical area which is ruled by a king or a queen. But Jesus’ Kingdom is not restricted to any geographical area. He is the universal King. He is the Lord of the universe. Jesus is the Christ, the Saviour, the Redeemer, the true King of the whole of the creation. He is King because of two reasons. The first is that He, being God Himself, is the King of the whole universe which was created by the Father through Him (cf. Jn 1,3). Every thing was created by Him, for Him (cf. Col 1,16; Rom 11,36). Secondly, He is the Head of the whole of the creation, as He became a part of the creation through incarnation. Being truly man, Jesus became “the first born from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything” (Col 1,18b). He earned it for Himself through His very life as the hymn of kenosis testifies: “
Though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death –
even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and have him the name that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2,6-11).

The explanation and continuation of this passage could be found in his Letter to the Ephesians that says, “God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all” (1,20-23). Knowing this, Jesus too spoke of it after His resurrection while commissioning His disciples to preach and to baptise, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Mt 28,18).

There are ample prophesies about the indication of the Divine Kingship, the coming of the Messiah, in the Royal Psalms. “You are my King and my God” (Ps 43,4).“The Lord is king forever and ever” (Ps 10,16). He is the King of the universe. That is the very reason that the whole of creation, especially the nature sing His glory. “The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved; your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the LORD!” (Ps 93,1-4). This glorifying goes on in Psalm 97 as well as it says, “The LORD is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the any coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side. His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth…” (Ps 97,1-5).

The whole of the nature is aware of the kingship of God as He has put it in them since they are not rational. But human beings, being rational and having the ability to reason out, must do it using the capacity God given us. There human beings too must glorify Lord, their King as the Psalmist sings, “The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he! Might King, lover of justice, you have established justice and righteousness in Jacob. Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he!” (99,1-5). These prophesies are fulfilled in the Person of Jesus the Christ, the King.

That is the reason Jesus is called Lord, a title used only for Yahweh in the Old Testament. He is the Messiah of the whole of the universe. Messiah comes from the Hebrew term masiah, meaning “anointed one”. “Messiah” is the title used to address the king of Israel and of the anointed priest. This Hebrew term is translated as “Christos” in Greek and Christ in English. This Messiah is the Saviour who comes to save the whole world from the clutches of sin, law, and death. His kingship is acknowledged by many starting with the annunciation by the angel Gabriel as he said, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Lk 1,32-33). His disciples too acknowledged His kingship and one such case is of Nathanael who said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel” (Jn 1,50). When the people witnessed His works, they wanted to make Him their king. The Fourth gospel says, “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” When Jesus relaised that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself” (6,14-15).

This happened this way, because He is not enthroned as King by the people rather by the Father Himself. His Kingdom is not of this world, restricted to a particular geographical area, time, and people. He is the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev 19,16).

Conclusion

Christ is definitely King. But his Kingdom is not restricted to any geographical boundary. He is the King of everything that is. But He is King in a different sense and His qualities are very different from those of the earthly kings as already seen. The most obvious of them all is that He is the King who goes ahead in the battle and dies to save His subjects. He gives his life freely for His own. He loves them to the end. St. John writes about His love for His own, saying, “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (13,1c). He expects that all who accept Him to be their King must become like Him in everything. As the King is holy so must we, His subjects, must become holy, worthy of Our King and Lord. 

A WAY TO REFLECT THE WORD OF GOD

  A WAY TO REFLECT THE WORD OF GOD

There are so many ways to reflect the Word of God. One of them is as follows:

1. Sit in a comfortable position.
2. Breathe deep counting from 10 to 0 to calm down the mind.
3. Pray to God for the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth hidden in those words. 
4. Open the verse intended for reflection. 
5. Read as many times as needed until you could remember the words because you are going to close the Bible.
6. Close the eyes and repeat the second step again.
7. Let the words appear in front of your eyes.
8. Don't try to think about the words.
9. Let the words SPEAK to you.
10. Give enough time to the words to speak and don't force.
11. Once done, write whatever you heard the words spoke to you. 
12. Thank God for the gift of revelation through those words.

QUICK SUMMARY OF POPE’S NEW DOCUMENT ON HOLINESS

  

QUICK SUMMARY OF POPE’S NEW DOCUMENT ON HOLINESS

https://aleteia.org/2018/04/09/quick-summary-of-popes-new-document-on-holiness/

Aleteia - published on 04/09/18

Gaudete et exsultate: On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World

GAUDETE ET EXSULTATE

ON THE CALL TO HOLINESS IN TODAY’S WORLD

1. “REJOICE AND BE GLAD” (Mt 5:12), Jesus tells those persecuted or humiliated for his sake. The Lord asks everything of us, and in return he offers us true life, the happiness for which we were created. He wants us to be saints and not to settle for a bland and mediocre existence. The call to holiness is present in various ways from the very first pages of the Bible. We see it expressed in the Lord’s words to Abraham: “Walk before me, and be blameless” (Gen 17:1).

2. What follows is not meant to be a treatise on holiness, containing definitions and distinctions helpful for understanding this important subject, or a discussion of the various means of sanctification. My modest goal is to repropose the call to holiness in a practical way for our own time, with all its risks, challenges and opportunities. For the Lord has chosen each one of us “to be holy and blameless before him in love” (Eph 1:4).

CHAPTER ONE: THE CALL TO HOLINESS

THE SAINTS WHO ENCOURAGE AND ACCOMPANY US
4. The saints now in God’s presence preserve their bonds of love and communion with us.

THE SAINTS “NEXT DOOR”
6. Nor need we think only of those already beatified and canonized. God wanted to enter into the life and history of a people.
7. I like to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of God’s people: In their daily perseverance I see the holiness of the Church militant. A holiness found in our next-door neighbours; the middle class of holiness.

THE LORD CALLS
11. We should not grow discouraged before examples of holiness that appear unattainable.

FOR YOU TOO
14. Are you called to the consecrated life? Be holy by living out your commitment with joy. Are you married? Be holy by loving and caring for your husband or wife, as Christ does for the Church. Do you work for a living? Be holy by labouring with integrity and skill in the service of your brothers and sisters. Are you a parent or grandparent? Be holy by patiently teaching the little ones how to follow Jesus. Are you in a position of authority? Be holy by working for the common good and renouncing personal gain. 15.In the Church, holy yet made up of sinners, you will find everything you need to grow towards holiness.

YOUR MISSION IN CHRIST
19. Each saint is a mission, planned by the Father to reflect and embody, at a specific moment in history, a certain aspect of the Gospel.
21. “Holiness is nothing other than charity lived to the full”. (Benedict XVI)

ACTIVITY THAT SANCTIFIES
26. It is not healthy to love silence while fleeing interaction with others, to want peace and quiet while avoiding activity, to seek prayer while disdaining service.
29. This does not mean ignoring the need for moments of quiet, solitude and silence before God. Quite the contrary.

MORE ALIVE, MORE HUMAN
32. Do not be afraid of holiness. It will take away none of your energy, vitality or joy. On the contrary, you will become what the Father had in mind when he created you.
34. Do not be afraid to set your sights higher. Do not be afraid to let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit. “The only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint” (León Bloy).

CHAPTER TWO: TWO SUBTLE ENEMIES OF HOLINESS

CONTEMPORARY GNOSTICISM

An intellect without God and without flesh

38. Certainly this is a superficial conceit: there is much movement on the surface, but the mind is neither deeply moved nor affected.
39. It can be present within the Church: to reduce Jesus’ teaching to a cold and harsh logic that seeks to dominate everything.

A doctrine without mystery

42. Even when someone’s life appears completely wrecked, even when we see it devastated by vices or addictions, God is present there.

The limits of reason

45. Saint John Paul II warned of the temptation on the part of those in the Church who are more highly educated “to feel somehow superior to other members of the faithful”.

CONTEMPORARY PELAGIANISM

A will lacking humility

49. When some of them tell the weak that all things can be accomplished with God’s grace, deep down they tend to give the idea that all things are possible by the human will; God commands you to do what you can and to “command what you will” (Saint Augustine).

An often overlooked Church teaching

52. The Church has repeatedly taught that we are justified not by our own works or efforts, but by the grace of the Lord, who always takes the initiative.

New pelagians

58. Not infrequently, contrary to the promptings of the Spirit, the life of the Church can become a museum piece or the possession of a select few. This may well be a subtle form of pelagianism.

The summation of the Law

60. “For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’” (Gal 5:14).

CHAPTER THREE: IN THE LIGHT OF THE MASTER

63. “What must one do to be a good Christian?”, the answer is clear. We have to do, each in our own way, what Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount.

GOING AGAINST THE FLOW

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”

69. This spiritual poverty is closely linked to what Saint Ignatius of Loyola calls “holy indifference”, which brings us to a radiant interior freedom.
70. Being poor of heart: that is holiness.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth”

72. “Perfect charity consists in putting up with others’ mistakes, and not being scandalized by their faults” (Saint Thérèse of Lisieux).
74. Reacting with meekness and humility: that is holiness.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”

75. The world tells us exactly the opposite: Much energy is expended on fleeing from situations of suffering in the belief that reality can be concealed.

76. Knowing how to mourn with others: that is holiness.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled”

79. While it is true that the word “justice” can be a synonym for faithfulness to God’s will in every aspect of our life, if we give the word too general a meaning, we forget that it is shown especially in justice towards those who are most vulnerable.
Hungering and thirsting for righteousness: that is holiness.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy”

80. The Catechism reminds us that this law is to be applied “in every case”, especially when we are “confronted by situations that make moral judgments less assured and decision difficult”.

85. From the heart’s intentions come the desires and the deepest decisions that determine our actions. 86. Keeping a heart free of all that tarnishes love: that is holiness.

82. Seeing and acting with mercy: that is holiness.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God”

89. It is not easy to “make” this evangelical peace, which excludes no one but embraces even those who are a bit odd, troublesome or difficult.
Sowing peace all around us: that is holiness.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”

94. Persecutions are not a reality of the past, for today too we experience them, whether by the shedding of blood, as is the case with so many contemporary martyrs, or by more subtle means, by slander and lies. Accepting daily the path of the Gospel, even though it may cause us problems: that is holiness.

THE GREAT CRITERION

95. “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” (Matthew 25, 35-36).

In fidelity to the Master

98. If I encounter a person sleeping outdoors on a cold night, I can view him or her as an annoyance, an idler, an obstacle in my path, a troubling sight, a problem for politicians to sort out, or even a piece of refuse cluttering a public space. Or I can respond with faith and charity, and see in this person a human being with a dignity identical to my own, a creature infinitely loved by the Father. That is what it is to be a Christian!

Ideologies striking at the heart of the Gospel

100. I regret that ideologies lead us at times to two harmful errors. On the one hand, there is the error of those Christians who separate these Gospel demands from their personal relationship with the Lord, from their interior union with him, from openness to his grace.

101. The other harmful ideological error is found in those who find suspect the social engagement of others, seeing it as superficial, worldly, secular, materialist, communist or populist. Our defence of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate. Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned.

102. We often hear it said that, with respect to relativism and the flaws of our present world, the situation of migrants, for example, is a lesser issue. Some Catholics consider it a secondary issue compared to the “grave” bioethical questions.

103. This is not a notion invented by some Pope, or a momentary fad.

The worship most acceptable to God

107. Those who really wish to give glory to God by their lives, who truly long to grow in holiness, are called to be single-minded and tenacious in their practice of the works of mercy.

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CHAPTER FOUR: SIGNS OF HOLINESS IN TODAY’S WORLD

110. I will not pause to explain the means of sanctification already known to us: the various methods of prayer, the inestimable sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, the offering of personal sacrifices, different forms of devotion, spiritual direction, and many others as well. Here I will speak only of certain aspects of the call to holiness that I hope will prove especially meaningful.

111. They are five great expressions of love for God and neighbour that I consider of particular importance in the light of certain dangers and limitations present in today’s culture. There we see a sense of anxiety, sometimes violent, that distracts and debilitates; negativity and sullenness; the self-content bred by consumerism; individualism; and all those forms of ersatz spirituality – having nothing to do with God – that dominate the current religious marketplace.

108. Hedonism and consumerism can prove our downfall. Similarly, when we allow ourselves to be caught up in superficial information, instant communication and virtual reality, we can waste precious time and become indifferent to the suffering flesh of our brothers and sisters.

109. The powerful witness of the saints is revealed in their lives, shaped by the Beatitudes and the criterion of the final judgement. I recommend rereading these great biblical texts frequently, referring back to them, praying with them, trying to embody them. They will benefit us; they will make us genuinely happy.

112. PERSEVERANCE, PATIENCE AND MEEKNESS

122. JOY AND A SENSE OF HUMOUR
129. BOLDNESS AND PASSION
140. IN COMMUNITY

147. IN CONSTANT PRAYER

CHAPTER FIVE: SPIRITUAL COMBAT, VIGILANCE AND DISCERNMENT

158. The Christian life is a constant battle. We need strength and courage to withstand the temptations of the devil and to proclaim the Gospel. This battle is sweet, for it allows us to rejoice each time the Lord triumphs in our lives.

COMBAT AND VIGILANCE
159. We are not dealing merely with a battle against the world and a worldly mentality that would deceive us and leave us dull and mediocre, lacking in enthusiasm and joy. Nor can this battle be reduced to the struggle against our human weaknesses and proclivities. It is also a constant struggle against the devil. Jesus himself celebrates our victories.

More than a myth

161. Hence, we should not think of the devil as a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an idea. This mistake would lead us to let down our guard, to grow careless and end up more vulnerable. The devil does not need to possess us. He poisons us with the venom of hatred, desolation, envy and vice. When we let down our guard, he takes advantage of it to destroy our lives, our families and our communities.

Alert and trustful

162. Our path towards holiness is a constant battle. Those who do not realize this will be prey to failure or mediocrity. For this spiritual combat, we can count on the powerful weapons that the Lord has given us: faith-filled prayer, meditation on the word of God, the celebration of Mass, Eucharistic adoration, sacramental Reconciliation, works of charity, community life, missionary outreach.

Spiritual corruption

164. “Let us not fall asleep”. Those who think they commit no grievous sins against God’s law can fall into a state of dull lethargy.

DISCERNMENT

166. How can we know if something comes from the Holy Spirit or if it stems from the spirit of the world or the spirit of the devil? The only way is through discernment, which calls for something more than intelligence or common sense. It is a gift which we must implore. If we ask with confidence that the Holy Spirit grant us this gift, and then seek to develop it through prayer, reflection, reading and good counsel, then surely we will grow in this spiritual endowment.

An urgent need

167. All of us, but especially the young, are immersed in a culture of zapping. Without the wisdom of discernment, we can easily become prey to every passing trend.

Always in the light of the Lord

169. Discernment is necessary not only at extraordinary times, when we need to resolve grave problems. We need it at all times. Often discernment is exercised in small and apparently irrelevant things.

A supernatural gift

171. The Lord speaks to us in a variety of ways, at work, through others and at every moment. Yet we simply cannot do without the silence of prolonged prayer, which enables us better to perceive God’s language, to interpret the real meaning of the inspirations.

Speak, Lord

172. Only if we are prepared to listen, do we have the freedom to set aside our own partial or insufficient ideas, our usual habits and ways of seeing things.
173. It is not a matter of applying rules or repeating what was done in the past.

The logic of gift and of the cross

175. We need, though, to ask the Holy Spirit to liberate us and to expel the fear that makes us ban him from certain parts of our lives. Discernment, then, is not a solipsistic self-analysis or a form of egotistical introspection, but an authentic process of leaving ourselves behind.

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176. I would like these reflections to be crowned by Mary, because she lived the Beatitudes of Jesus as none other. She is that woman who rejoiced in the presence of God, who treasured everything in her heart, and who let herself be pierced by the sword. Mary is the saint among the saints, blessed above all others. She teaches us the way of holiness and she walks ever at our side. She does not let us remain fallen and at times she takes us into her arms without judging us. Our converse with her consoles, frees and sanctifies us. Mary our Mother does not need a flood of words. She does not need us to tell her what is happening in our lives. All we need do is whisper, time and time again: “Hail Mary…”

177. It is my hope that these pages will prove helpful by enabling the whole Church to devote herself anew to promoting the desire for holiness. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us a fervent longing to be saints for God’s greater glory, and let us encourage one another in this effort. In this way, we will share a happiness that the world will not be able to take from us.