My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following Your Will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. -
Thomas Merton
01) The Gift of Faith
02) Throwing Away Your Mask![]() | Cool Dude: The first mask that I see people wear is what I call the “cool dude” mask. A person wearing this mask does his or her best to fit in with the “in” crowd. He or she willingly does things that he or she knows is wrong or will hurt other people because he or she is controlled by his or her desire to fit in. While they look calm and cool on the outside often on the inside they feel guilty and ashamed for the way they have acted and treated people. They wish that they could stand up and just be themselves. In order to drop this mask a person must have the courage to stand up for one believes even if it costs them some so called “friends”. He or she can do this because they trust that God will reward them (provide them with what they need) with true friends. |
![]() | Class Clown: The second mask that I see people wear is that of the “class clown”. People who wear this mask have a hard time taking life seriously because when they are afraid they turn toward humor. Humor itself is not bad but when it is used as a defense mechanism it often is nasty, hostile, and spiteful. The intention of the humor is to draw attention to others faults and not to inspire laughter. I love a good joke as well as the next but when humor becomes spitefully sarcastic then I know that things have gone too far. In order to remove this mask people need to develop the gift of compassion. When we have compassion on others we see that they too like us are suffering and instead of pointing out their weakness we share it with them. We help them through it. True friends are made this way. |
![]() | Obnoxious Dude: I see a lot of so called “misfits” wear this mask. The people who often wear this mask normally have the mentality that no one will ever like me for who I am so instead of even trying to make friends, I will just drive everyone away from me so that I don’t have to go through the heart ache of it all. In a weird way their obnoxiousness can help them become friends with other obnoxious people and this feeds into their problem. In order to stop being the obnoxious dude, one must develop true humility and true humility teaches us that we are not all bad and actually that we are quite good because God has blest us all with many good talents. |
![]() | Brave Dude: While it is great to have courage, there is a fine line between courage and stupidity. The “brave dude” mask is all about not respecting one’s feelings. When we put on the “brave dude” mask we are willing to do stupid and harmful things in order to impress other people. When we try to tough our way through things we can sometimes avoid facing our fears and this can be very limiting. The “brave dude” courageously does death defying stuff because he or she is deep down to afraid to face his or her fears. In order to be truly brave one must be willing to face one’s inner fears as well and for this people often need the gift of support. Alcoholics anonymous have taught us that in order to face our deepest fears one must be willing to be supported by others. Consider joining a prayer group. |
![]() | Pretty Dude: is a person who uses his or her body as a way to make friends relying on vanity instead of really allowing people to see the beautiful person on the inside. They live in constant fear that if their looks were taken away from them that no one would love them. While it is important to take care of one’s body it is above all importance to do so in a way chaste way. You realize that true beauty is from within and you are therefore confident that even if you were to lose your looks tomorrow people will still love you. Living a chaste life is easy when you trust that God has a plan for you and if that plan includes marriage that God will lead you to the perfect spouse – a spouse who will respect you for who you are and not for simply what you look like. |
![]() | Scary Dude: A lot like the “obnoxious dude” the “scary dude” tries to intimidate people in order to prevent them from getting to close. While the obnoxious dude does it often through a lack of respect the scary dude does it through physical and even psychological intimidation (a bully). Often both the scary dude and the obnoxious dude find themselves in a trap they desire more friends but the very things they do to protect themselves prevents them from developing true friendships. A good examination of conscience can help people remove these masks. Am I treating people the way that I would like to be treated? If not then how am I going to change? |
![]() | Tough Dude: The tough dude is a mask we wear when we feel uncomfortable showing weakness. We live in this great fear that if someone saw as weak that they would take advantage of us or would leave us. There is however a real binding power that unites people when they are able to be mutually vulnerable with one another. Sometimes the tough dude is the person who has to win all the times for fear that losing will make them unlovable but I have found that the desire to win all the time drives more people away than the willingness to just have fun. |
St. Paul encourages us to not put on masks but rather to “put on Christ”. We see in Christ a person who fully trusted in the fact that He was loved by God and that others would love Him for who He was and He did not put on masks even though the devil tempted Him to in the desert. Jesus refused to fixated on popularity like the “cool dude”, He never used hostile humor like the “class clown”, He was never intentionally rude or inconsiderate like the obnoxious person, in the garden He bravely faced His inner fears, Christ never judge others by their appearance or do we hear of Him being overly fixated on His appearances, He chose to show mercy to those who came to Him instead of scaring them away with His Divine wrath, and lastly He willingly showed His vulnerability by weeping at Lazarus’s tomb, bending down to wash His disciples feet and by humbling submitting to the cross. He was able to accomplish all of this because He knew He was loved by the Father. |
1. Prayer At the center of our faith is not a set of rules or a pathway to enlightenment but rather a God who wishes to have a personal relationship with Him. Prayer communicating with this God who desires to be in relationship is never wasted. While we should always heed the voice of St. Ignatius of Loyola who said “pray as you can and not as your can’t”, we should also never be afraid to add another prayer style to our repertoire. Like a major league baseball pitcher who adds a sinker ball to his fastball and curveball in order to become a better pitcher. Some great things to add to your repertoire could be Eucharistic Adoration (a small note hear, Jesus does not have to be out of the tabernacle for you to adore Him), Lexio Divina (praying with the Scriptures) especially with the readings of the day, trying centering prayer or prayer of the heart in which one tries to quietly sit and hear the Lord at the center of your heart, and journaling to God about your day, fears, and dreams.
2. Wear or Carry Something that is Religious with You.
One of the greatest inventions in the world is the post-it note. We can write down something that we want to remember and post it in a place that we can see it and hopefully seeing the note will remind us of what we are supposed to be doing. In much the same way we can wear a cross or medal around our neck to remind us of our Christian identity. We may also carry a nail or a small cross in our pocket to remind us of how much God suffered for us in order to show us His love. Finally we may carry with us a rosary so that we are reminded to pray often and of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is reported by those who knew Mother Teresa that she always carried a rosary in her hand and said it was a reminder to her that in all her work she was holding onto the hand of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
3. Pray in Public
Another way to grow in our faith is to take the risk of praying in public for others to see. This might mean praying grace in a public restaurant or performing some type of public ministry at your parish. Many parishes have groups that pray the rosary before or after Mass. You may wish to become a liturgical minister and serve the people of God by being a lector, altar server, extraordinary minister, and/or greeter. Finally you may attend a prayer service in support of an issue for example praying in front of an abortion clinic or praying outside a prison before an execution.
4. Taking Time to Learn Something New
Archbishop Fulton Sheen, a famous American Bishop about the time that radio was giving way to television, said the following: “There are not more than 100 people in the world who truly hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they perceive to be the Catholic Church.” Another priest I heard tell someone once, “Before you leave the Catholic Church make sure you know what you are giving up.” Our faith has a rich history and development and at the same time many people who want to tear it down. If we want to make an investment in our faith we should consider learning more about Sacred Scripture, Church History, Theology (revelation + the laws of logic), and devotions.
5. Perform Some Type of Service.
Ultimately we must put our faith into action by serving others. I suggest performing one or more of the spiritual or corporal works of mercy on a regular basis.
The 7 Corporal Works of Mercy
1. To feed the hungry 2. To give drink to the thirsty 3. To clothe the naked 4. To shelter the homeless 5. To visit the sick 6. To visit the imprisoned 7.To bury the dead
The 7 Spiritual Works of Mercy
1. To counsel the doubtful 2. To instruct the ignorant 3. To admonish the sinner 4. To comfort the sorrowful 5. To forgive all injuries 6. To bear wrongs patiently 7. To pray for the living and the dead
6. Take an Evangelical Risk
Catholics in the United States still suffer to some extend from the fact that many of our ancestors came to the New World because Catholicism was illegal in England. Even in Maryland despite being founded by a Catholic, Catholics still found themselves as a minority and so Catholics practiced their faith very privately and almost secretively. Very few Catholics tried to spread their faith to their fellow Englishmen (great efforts were made to evangelize the Native Americans) for fear that their fellow Englishmen would arrest them and send them back to England to stand trial. Catholic in the United States therefore find it hard to share their faith with non-Catholics despite the fact that there is no official persecution of the Church going on. Sharing one’s faith though can be a great way to invest in your faith. I would suggest the following three challenges, explain your faith to someone who asks you why you are Catholic (or at least be prepared to), ask someone whom you admire about his or her faith, and finally volunteer to teach others about the Catholic faith as a catechist, sponsor, youth ministry team member, etc.
7. Join a Prayer Group.
Ernest Kurtz and Katherine Ketcham in their book: The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for Meaning declares “stories as the language of spirituality.” By sharing one story with others and by praying for with others one can grow with leaps and bounds. Consider joining a Bible Study, Prayer Group, Accountability Group and/or a Prayer Chain.
8. Strive to Put Your Faith into Practice
Gallup polling company did a poll of Christians who attended Sunday services and those who did not. They discovered that those who went to a Sunday service and those who did not answered all the dogma teachings exactly the same. For example a Catholic attending Mass on Sunday was just as likely to say that he or she believed in the Trinity as a Catholic who was not attending Mass on Sunday. What Gallup discovered was that there was a major difference in how people put their faith into practice. For example people who said that their faith had helped them forgive someone were more likely to attend a Sunday service of some sort than Christians who said that their faith had not helped them forgive someone. Here are four ideas of how you can put your faith into practice: forgive someone, help the poor, take an unpopular stand for your faith, and finally speak a word of kindness to someone.
9. Learn about the Saints
The Catholic Church strives to help us grow in our faith by pointing out certain men and women who lived lives that make them role models for us. These men and women were by no way perfect but at the same time they grew closer to God through their daily struggle. The more we learn about the saints the more we can learn about what it really means to be holy and not what society tells us holiness means. I suggest learning about the Church Fathers, martyrs and some modern day saints.
10. Keep the Right Attitude.
The last way to invest in your faith is to remember to keep the right attitude. Having an attitude of gratitude is so important. When we realize how blest we are how can we not want to know this God who gives us all these good things. Humility is also important because it helps us live in the real world. Pride makes us the center of the universe instead of God and self-hate makes us think that there is no way God could love us. Humility is knowing that we will make mistakes and that God loves unconditionally. Jesus reminds us to be truly like God we need to have a servant’s heart. Lastly we must remind ourselves that we are sinners but that is okay because Jesus came to save sinners.
I wish to ponder the idea of what the consequences of being a person of faith are. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (known going forward simply as the Catechism) states that there are five implications of being a person of faith. “Believing in God, the only One, and loving Him with all our being has enormous consequences for our whole life.” CCC222).
1. Becoming aware of God’s greatness and majesty
Faith and religion is all about getting to know God on a personal level. In a strange way our Catholic faith is not interested in pleasing God for we do not offer sacrifices or performs our rituals in order to prevent God’s divine anger from flaring up and destroying us. All that we do in faith as Catholics is aimed at getting to know our God better and
it is about establishing a relationship with this divine being who reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The more we pray (talk with Him), the more we meet His family and friends (go to Church), and work beside Him (Christian service) the more we realize that our God is an awesome God. It is sort of like having dinner with a celebrity and only afterwards realizing the person you had dinner with was famous.
2. Living in Gratitude
As we grow in our relationship with God we begin to realize that without God we would have nothing. God is our ultimate benefactor for He has given us everything. Without Him we would not even exist. When we also realize that God has given us all these good things out of love and with no strings attached, there is only one response worthy of our response and that is gratitude. I have heard time and time again how formers St. Louis Rams’ and Phoenix Cardinals’ quarterback Kurt Warner while out at dinner will chose another family at random and pay for their meal as well. Now, while he has never paid for my meal, I can only imagine that my only response to such a free gracious act on his part would be gratitude on mine if it were to happen to me. God has given us so much more and thus we should respond with ever greater gratitude to God for our many blessings.
3. Knowing the solidarity and true dignity of all people.
“It means knowing the unity and true dignity of all men: Everyone is made in the image and likeness of God” (CCC 225). When you are in love with someone, things that remind you of that person begin to take on special meaning. For example, I have a small glass cup that my grandma used to use to make homemade biscuits. It is totally worthless to everyone else but it is priceless to me because it reminds me of my grandma. In the same way each person, because we are made in the image and likeness of God becomes important to us as we grow in love of God.
4. Making good use of Creation
When we realize that everything ultimately comes from God and belongs to God, we come to realize that have an obligation to return it to God in good condition or to at least use it wisely. I would suggest looking at the 10 Commandments of How To Treat the Environment that was proclaimed by Vatican and can be found on my website www.mayjesuschristbepraised.com.
5. Trusting in God in every situation
This is the most important implication of having faith in God but also the hardest for every time we fail to trust in God we do not only get ourselves in trouble because we have moved away from our true purpose in life but also we find ourselves proclaiming to others that we do not trust in God and thus become bad role models for those around us. The Catechism gives us this great little prayer from St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila): Let nothing trouble you, let nothing frighten you. Everything passes, God never changes. Patience, obtains all. Whoever has God, wants for nothing. God alone is enough.” (CCC227)
A young child was diagnosed with a terminal disease. The parents knew that he would die soon. The child as well knew that his death would be soon.
One night he was sitting in his mother's lap watching television with her. He looked up into her eyes and said, "Mommy does it hurt to die?"
The young mother was overcome with grief and had to leave the room for a moment to gather her emotions. She stood in the bathroom and prayed, "God what can I tell him?" She felt that the Lord gave her a word for him.
She went back into the room and said, "Honey do you remember how so many times you have fallen asleep in front of the television and then the next morning you wake up in your room? Well I will tell you what happens. When you go to sleep your father comes in and with his strong arms he picks you up and carries you into your room. And then the next thing you know you wake up in your room. Well, death is just like that. When you die, you fall asleep and Jesus Christ gathers you up in His strong arms and carries you to heaven. And then you wake up in another room!" --Unknown Author
These are ten golden rules to live an authentic Christian life 1. I will live the present moment to the fullest.
2. I will discern between God and God’s works.
3. I will hold firmly to one secret: prayer.
4. I will see in the Holy Eucharist my only power.
5. I will have only one wisdom: the science of the Cross.
6. I will remain faithful to my mission in the Church and for the Church as a witness of Jesus Christ.
7. I will seek the peace the world cannot give.
8. I will carry out a revolution by renewal in the Holy Spirit.
9. I will speak one language and wear one uniform: Charity.
10. I will have one very special love: The Blessed Virgin Mary.
I will discern between God and God’s works Alone in my prison cell, I continued to be tormented by the fact that I was forty-eight years old, in the prime of my life, that I had worked for eight years as a bishop and gained so much pastoral experience and there I was isolated, inactive and far from my people... (1700km)
One night, from the depths of my heart I could hear a voice advising me:
“Why torment yourself? You must discern between God and the works of God. Everything you have done and desire to continue to do, pastoral visits, training seminarians, sisters and members of religious orders, building schools, evangelizing non-Christians. All of that is excellent work, the work of God but it is not God! If God wants you to give lit up and put the work into his hands, do it and trust him. God will do the work infinitely better than you; he will entrust the work to others who are more able than you. You have only to choose God and not the works of God!”
This light totally changed my way of thinking. When the Communist put me in the hold of the boat, the HAI-PHONG along with 1500 other prisoners and moved us to the north, I said to myself, “here is my cathedral, here are the people God has given me to care for, here is my mission: to ensure the presence of God among these, my despairing, miserable brothers. It is God’s will that I am here. I accept his will”. And from that minute onwards, a new peace filled my heart and stayed with me for thirteen years.
- Cardinal Van Thuan
GOD
GLORY
GOLD
Are you motivated by Gold, God, or Glory?
In Jesus’ life on earth, we see God caring deeply about the things that make human being hurt—sickness, being a social outcast, being lost. In his life, his ministry, and his death, Jesus shows us a God who is with us in our pain, and who knows our being at its very worst.
The message of Jesus is a simple one: heal the sick, accept the outcast, and find the lost. In other words, love one another, just as your Father in heaven loves you.
Time after time, though, that message is ignored, and some of the most tragic sequences in human history have resulted—not from a vengeful God determined to punish his erring people, but from our own willfulness and selfishness…
…Suffering is not the opposite of love, but rather an integral and productive part of it. –
…So let us value life—all of it. Life is a gift from God. As we laugh and cry, love and argue, let us live it as fully as we can. We can’t hoard it; we can’t lock it in a safety deposit box. We never know when it may end. And on the days when the pain of loving caused by death seems too much to bear, we can draw courage from the knowledge that God shares it all with us. He mourns with us, he strengthens us, and he helps us prepare for the day when we, too, will enter into the glory of the kingdom that lies beyond this world. Then, we will fully understand why we are born, and live and die.
Alexander, Helen: Experiencing Bereavement (Boston: Pauline Books & Media, 2002)
By Carol Glatz of Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Slowing down, being generous and fighting for peace are part of Pope Francis' secret recipe for happiness.
In an interview published in part in the Argentine weekly "Viva" July 27, the pope listed his Top 10 tips for bringing greater joy to one's life:
1. "Live and let live." Everyone should be guided by this principle, he said, which has a similar expression in Rome with the saying, "Move forward and let others do the same."
2. "Be giving of yourself to others." People need to be open and generous toward others, he said, because "if you withdraw into yourself, you run the risk of becoming egocentric. And stagnant water becomes putrid."
3. "Proceed calmly" in life. The pope, who used to teach high school literature, used an image from an Argentine novel by Ricardo Guiraldes, in which the protagonist -- gaucho Don Segundo Sombra -- looks back on how he lived his life.
"He says that in his youth he was a stream full of rocks that he carried with him; as an adult, a rushing river; and in old age, he was still moving, but slowly, like a pool" of water, the pope said. He said he likes this latter image of a pool of water -- to have "the ability to move with kindness and humility, a calmness in life."
4. "A healthy sense of leisure." The pleasures of art, literature and playing together with children have been lost, he said.
"Consumerism has brought us anxiety" and stress, causing people to lose a "healthy culture of leisure." Their time is "swallowed up" so people can't share it with anyone.
Even though many parents work long hours, they must set aside time to play with their children; work schedules make it "complicated, but you must do it," he said.
Families must also turn off the TV when they sit down to eat because, even though television is useful for keeping up with the news, having it on during mealtime "doesn't let you communicate" with each other, the pope said.
5. Sundays should be holidays. Workers should have Sundays off because "Sunday is for family," he said.
6. Find innovative ways to create dignified jobs for young people. "We need to be creative with young people. If they have no opportunities they will get into drugs" and be more vulnerable to suicide, he said.
"It's not enough to give them food," he said. "Dignity is given to you when you can bring food home" from one's own labor.
7. Respect and take care of nature. Environmental degradation "is one of the biggest challenges we have," he said. "I think a question that we're not asking ourselves is: 'Isn't humanity committing suicide with this indiscriminate and tyrannical use of nature?'"
8. Stop being negative. "Needing to talk badly about others indicates low self-esteem. That means, 'I feel so low that instead of picking myself up I have to cut others down,'" the pope said. "Letting go of negative things quickly is healthy."
9. Don't proselytize; respect others' beliefs. "We can inspire others through witness so that one grows together in communicating. But the worst thing of all is religious proselytism, which paralyzes: 'I am talking with you in order to persuade you,' No. Each person dialogues, starting with his and her own identity. The church grows by attraction, not proselytizing," the pope said.
10. Work for peace. "We are living in a time of many wars," he said, and "the call for peace must be shouted. Peace sometimes gives the impression of being quiet, but it is never quiet, peace is always proactive" and dynamic.
Pope Francis also talked about the importance of helping immigrants, praising Sweden's generosity in opening its doors to so many people, while noting anti-immigration policies show the rest of Europe "is afraid."
He also fondly recalled the woman who helped his mother with the housework when he was growing up in Buenos Aires.
Concepcion Maria Minuto was a Sicilian immigrant, a widow and mother of two boys, who went three times a week to help the pope's mother do laundry, since in those days it was all done by hand.
He said this hard-working, dignified woman made a big impression on the 10-year-old future pope, as she would talk to him about World War II in Italy and how they farmed in Sicily.
"She was as clever as a fox, she had every penny accounted for, she wouldn't be cheated. She had many great qualities," he said.
Even though his family lost touch with her when they moved, the then-Jesuit Father Jorge Bergoglio later sought her out and visited her for the last 10 years of her life.
"A few days before she died, she took this small medal out of her pocket, gave it to me and said: 'I want you to have it!' So every night, when I take it off and kiss it, and every morning when I put it back on, this woman comes to my mind."
"She died happy, with a smile on her face and with the dignity of someone who worked. For that reason I am very sympathetic toward housecleaners and domestic workers, whose rights, all of them, should be recognized" and protected, he said. "They must never be exploited or mistreated."
Pope Francis' concern was underlined in his @Pontifex Twitter feed just a few days later, July 29, with the message: "May we be always more grateful for the help of domestic workers and caregivers; theirs is a precious service."
END
Life is like a rollercoaster, with its ups and downs, with its twists and turns, and its loops and flips. As we ride the roller coaster of life it is up to us as to whether we will raise up our hands and enjoy the ride or if we allow ourselves to be frightened out of our mind. As we ride a rollercoaster in real life we must trust three different people. You first must trust the engineer who designed the rollercoaster because you have to trust that all his calculations are correct. You must second trust the person who belts you into the rollercoaster and finally you must trust the mechanic who works behind the scenes making sure that everything works as the designer intended it to.
In life we must trust the three persons of the Blessed Trinity, the Father who designed the universe. He spoke into the Chaos and created the universe. The Son who belts us into the rollercoaster of life through the Sacraments and finally the Holy Spirit who works to bring about God’s plan of salvation.
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.
The Seed
A successful businessman was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together. He said, 'It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. 'The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued.' I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - One very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO'
One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.
Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.
Six months went by--still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick at his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of life, but he knew his wife was right.
He took his empty pot to the board room.
When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"
All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"
When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed. Jim told him the story. The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!"
Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said? Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - It was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!"
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment.
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
So, be careful what you plant now, it will determine what you will reap later.
![]() | Jesus is not a toll bridge in which we have to pay a price in order to cross over to the other side. There is o secret knowlege or password either for us to know. We simply have to love a God does. |
![]() | Jesus is not a drawbridge that raises and lowers at the whim of the Father. Jesus invites all people to cross into heaven. Another way of looking at it. There is no popularity contest with God for He loves us all. |
![]() | Jesus through His Cross opens up for us the way to eternal life. He does this freely out of love for us. |
Why did Jesus use agricultural images like the mustard seed, the vine, tenant farmers in order to talk about the Kingdom of God instead of using construction images? A construction worker only gets out of his work what he or she puts into it. The farmer gets so much more because he or she has to rely on God. A farmer can plant the seed, but God is the one that makes it grow.
God desires to be with You so much that He did the unthinkable and became one of us.
Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11
God desires to be with You so much that He did the unimaginable and died for you.
For Christ, while we were still helpless, yet died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person, though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:5-8)
God desires to be with You so much that He did the inconceivable and rose from the grave for you.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it. (ACTS 2:23-24)
God desires to be with You so much that He does the implausible and offers you the gift of eternal life.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where [I] am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:1-6
The following story about G.K Chesterton, a famous Catholic Author, helps demonstate an important part of the Catholic Faith:
G.K. Chesterton (a famous Catholic writer) and several other literary figures were once asked what book they would prefer to have with them if they were stranded on a desert island.
"The complete works of Shakespeare," said one writer without hesitation.
"I choose the Bible," said another.
"How about you?" they asked Chesterton.
"I would choose Thomas' Guide to Practical Shipbuilding," replied Chesterton.
*One of the great things about the Catholic faith is that Catholics are also very practical and live in the real world.