Lord, grant us grace to always remember your promise

When I was younger, I used to believe in a “do-it-yourself” Christianity -- the power I needed, I already had.  All I needed was to look deeper and longer within myself and there was nothing I couldn’t do.

For many years I’ve lived my life believing “God helps those who help themselves,” or “God started it, now I must finish it,” or “God has done His part, I have to do mine” (sort of a “fifty-fifty proposition”).  God will “work for me” as long as I work. My faith is strong as long as I’m strong. My position is secure as long as I’m secure. My life is good as long as I’m good.

But there was my problem. As the Bible says, “No one is good.” (see Matt 19:17)  No one is always strong; no one is always secure.

At some point on life’s journey, I realized I needed more. I realized a “fifty-fifty proposition” is too little. I needed more than to “try a little bit harder.”  I need help from outside of me. I needed the kind of help that Jesus promised: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper to be with you forever -- the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him because it does not see Him or know Him. But you know Him because He lives in you.” (John 14: 16-17)

What a wonderful promise from our Father.  God is not only near us, God is not only above us, God is not only around us -- He lives within each of us. God dwells in our heart. In the hidden recess of our being dwells not an angel, not a genie, not a philosophy, but God! Could you imagine that?

Think about it ... it was not enough for God to appear in a bush. It was not enough for God to dwell in a temple. It was not enough for God to become flesh and walk on Earth with us. It was not enough for God to leave with us His Word and a promise that He would return at the end of time. God goes further -- and takes up residence within each of us.
 

“Do you know,” Paul writes, “that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” (see 1 Cor. 6:19)

Perhaps you didn’t.  Perhaps you didn’t think God would go that far to bring you home.  If you didn’t, think again.  

 

To change the world is Jesus’ mission and the mission of those who claim to follow Him

To change the world is Jesus’ mission and the mission of those who claim to follow Him

This happened at the very start of Jesus’ public ministry - immediately after his baptism by John the Baptist and the forty days in the wilderness wrestling with the devil.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit and the news about him spread through the whole countryside.

He went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up and on the Sabbath day He went to the Synagogue, as was His custom. And He stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found a place where it is written:

 “The spirit of the Lord is on me because He has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the prisoners, the recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of God’s favor”.

 Then He rolled scroll and give it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him and He begun by saying to them, “Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (See Luke 4: 14-21).

The passage Jesus read is a messianic prophecy that envisioned a future messiah who would be both king and servant.

In all probability, this is Jesus’ first public statement of his identity as a Messiah. What He said is a declaration of who He is and why He had come. It laid out the great promises of God to those who receive the Messiah and his coming kingdom, just as Jesus promised in the Beatitudes.

Here, we could see that the recipients of the Good News Jesus proclaimed, are first and foremost, the poor, indicating that the proclamation of the “Good News” includes the compassion for the sick and the sorrowful. Jesus is concerned not just for our spiritual condition, but for our physical well-being as well. Time after time in his ministry He healed the diseased and the lame. He showed empathy for the poor, the hungry, and restored sight to the blind. Jesus came to bind the broken hearted. He cared about addressing poverty, disease, and human brokenness in tangible ways.

Also, He came to proclaim freedom to prisoners, to release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of God’s favor, to liberate the victims of injustice – political, social or economic. In the Old Testament, during the “Year of God’s Favor” slaves were set free, debts were forgiven, and all land was returned to its original owners. It was a way of protecting the rich to become too rich, and the poor, too poor. (see Luke 4: 18-19).

Evangelization, then, is more than a verbal proclamation of the “Good News” of salvation and how it can be received by anyone by asking God’s forgiveness and committing his or her life to Christ.  Evangelization, also encompasses tangible compassion for the sick and the poor, as well as well as biblical justice. It encompasses   efforts to right the wrong that are so prevalent in our world. God is concerned about the spiritual, physical and the social dimensions of our being.

The Gospel is truly the “Good News” for the poor. It is the foundation for a social revolution that has the power to change the world. To change the world was Jesus’ mission. It is also the mission of all who claim to follow Him. It is my mission. It is your mission. It is the mission of the Church.

The foundations of our hope

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1)

“God justifies those who have faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26).

“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Heb. 8:12)

These promises are not only source of our joy. They are also the foundations of our hope.

If you are in Christ you are guaranteed that your sins will be filtered through, hidden in, and screened out by His sacrifice on the Cross. When God looks at you He does not see you. He sees Jesus.  That means that failure is not concern for you. Your victory is being offered to you – if you accept it.

Through the ears of your heart listen carefully to the only words that matter "Your sins are forgiven"

When Jesus came back to Capernaum, the news spread that He was at home.  Many people gathered together so that there was no room in the house, not even outside the door. And Jesus was teaching them God’s message. Four people came, carrying a paralyzed man. Since they could not get to Jesus because of the crowd, they dug a hole in the roof right above where He was speaking. When they got through, they lowered the mat with the paralyzed man on it. When Jesus saw the faith of these people, He said to the paralyzed man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven. (see Mark 2:1-5).

Jesus was moved by this demonstration of faith. Four men had enough faith in Jesus  and great love for their friend that they took a chance. They were willing to risk embarrassment and injury for just a few moments with Jesus.

Jesus was moved. So He applauds – if not with His hands, at least with His heart. And not only does He applaud, he blesses.  And a result we witness a great miracle.

The friends of the paralyzed man wanted Jesus to heal their friend.  But Jesus won’t settle for a healing of the body – He wants to heal the soul. Jesus leapfrogs the physical and deals with the spiritual. To heal the body is temporal – to heal the soul is eternal.

The expectations of the crowd was high – but not high enough. They expect Jesus to say: “I heal you”. They expect Him to treat the body, for that was what they see.

Jesus chooses to treat not only the body, but also the spiritual – for that is what He sees

They want Jesus to give the man a new body so he could walk. Jesus gives grace to the man so he can live.

Sometimes God is so touched by what He sees that He gives us what we need and not simply that for which we ask.

And Jesus has not changed since the day a stretcher was lowered into His presence with the cord of hope.

What happened then happens today. When we take a step of faith, God sees. The same face that beamed at the paralytic beams at the alcoholic refusing the bottle. The same eyes that danced at the friends of the paralytic, dance at the mom and dad who will do whatever it takes to get their child to Jesus. The same lips that spoke to the man at Capernaum, speaks to any person, anywhere who dare to come into God’s presence and ask for help.

Through the ears of your heart, listen carefully to the only words that really matter – “Your sins are forgiven”.

Jesus knows that you are special

Jesus knows how you feel. You’ve got more to do than you possibly can. So did he. People take from you more than you can give. Jesus understands.  You are precious to him. So precious that He became like you so that you would come to Him.

When you struggle, He listens. When you yearn, He responds. When you question, he hears. He has been there.

Like the little boy in the following story, you are special…

A boy went to a pet shop looking for a puppy. A store owner showed a litter in a box. The boy looked at the puppies. He picked each one up, examined it and put it back in the box. After several minutes, he walked back to the owner and said: “I picked one out. How much will it cost?”

The owner gave him the price and the boy promised to be back in a few days with the money. “Don’t take too long” the owner cautioned. “Puppies like these sell quickly”.

The boy turned and smiled knowingly. “I am not worried” he said. “Mine would still be there”.

The boy went to work –weeding, washing windows, cleaning yards. He worked hard and saved his money. When he had enough for the puppy, he returned to the store.

He walked up to the counter and laid down a pocketful of wadded bills. The store owner sorted and counted the cash. After verifying the amount, he smiled at the boy and said: “All right, son, you can get your puppy”.

The boy reached into the back of the box, pulled out a skinny dog with a limp leg and started to leave.

The owner stopped him.

“Don’t take that puppy.” He objected. “He is crippled. He can’t play. He will never run with you. He can’t fetch. Get one of the healthy pups”.

“No, thank you sir”, the boy replied. “This is exactly the kind of dog I have looking for.”

As the boy turned to leave, the store owner started to speak but remained silent. Suddenly he understood. For extending from the bottom of the boy’s trousers was a brace – a brace for his crippled leg.

Why do the boy want the dog? Because he knew how it felt. And he knew it was very special.

To make the world new is Jesus' mission and our mission

This happened at the early part of Jesus’ public ministry, immediately after his baptism by John the Baptist at the Jordan River and after his 40 days in the desert and his encounter with the devil in the wilderness.

Jesus went to Nazareth where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day He went to the synagogue, as was his custom. And He stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.

Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the “Good News” to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”.

Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fasten on him, and He began by saying to them: “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”. (see Luke 4: 14-21).

The passage He read was a messianic prophesy that envisioned a future messiah who would be both king and servant. Most probably, this was his first public statement of his identity as Messiah. It was a declaration of who He is and why He had come. What He said laid out the great promises of God to those who receive the Him and his Kingdom.

 

We could see three components in this passage:

First:  The proclamation of the “Good News” of salvation. The recipients of the good news were to be, first and foremost, the poor, just us Jesus promised in the Beatitudes.

Second: The recovery of sight for the blind which indicates that the “Good News” includes compassion for the sick and the sorrowful. The concern is not only for the spiritual well-being, but also, the physical well being. Jesus was always concern for the physical well-being of man. He healed the diseased and the lame, showed empathy for the poor, feed the hungry, and restored sight to the blind.

Third: A commitment to justice. Jesus came to proclaim freedom to prisoners, to release the oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (see Luke 4: 18-19). The allusion to prisoners and the oppressed would certainly meant those living under the Roman occupation and in a broader sense, anyone who had been the victim of injustice, whether political, social or economic. The proclamation of the Lord’s year of favor, was a reference to the Old Testament year of Jubilee when slaves were set free, debts were forgiven, and all land  was returned to its original owners. The year of jubilee was God’s way of protecting against the rich becoming too rich and the poor getting too poor.

Proclaiming the Gospel thern, is more than winning souls for Christ. It also encompasses tangible compassion for the sick, the poor, as well as efforts to right the wrongs that are so prevalent in our world.  God is concerned with the spiritual, physical, and social dimension of our well-being.

The Gospel is “Good News” for the poor. It is the foundation of a social revolution that has the power to change the world. To make the world new  was Jesus’ mission and the mission of all who claim to follow Him. It is our mission. It is the mission of the Church.

 

 

 

 

To leave the shop was not easy, but it was love

It was time for Jesus to leave His carpentry shop which was His home and His refuge.  Life was peaceful and safe here. It was here that He learned to shape the wood that His Divine hands had created. It was here that His body matured while His spirit waited for the right moment. And now that day has arrived.

 

I wonder if He wanted to stay. I wonder because He knew what His future holds. He knew that once He step out of His shop His feet would not rest until they are pierced and placed on a Roman cross.

I wonder because He had a choice. He did not have to go. Had He chosen to stay nobody would have known it. He could have come back when the cross was our style and death penalty would be done in a more humane fashion.

I  wonder because once He leaves, He would love His mother from a distance – from a boat, or from the edge of a crowd.

If in His humanity there was any hesitation to leave the shop, it was overcome by the compassion of His Divinity. His Divinity heard voices and saw faces. He heard the hopeless cries of the poor - the least of these, the victims of injustice and the infirmed.

His Divinity saw faces.  From the face of Adam to the face of the last infant to be born before the end of time, He saw them all. Some wrinkled, some weeping, some hidden behind veils and some obscured by fear. Some earnestly searching for meaning of their lives. Some blank with boredom.

And you can be sure of one thing – your voice was among the voices He heard and your face was among the faces He saw.

 He heard your silent prayers uttered on your tearstained pillow. He heard your prayers before you uttered them.  He answered your deepest questions about death before you asked them. Your direst need for a Savior was met before you ever sinned.

And not only did He hear you – He saw you. He saw your face aglow when you first received Holy Communion, or when you were confirmed, or ordained a priest or a deacon, or got married.  And He also, saw your face in shame the hour you first fell and when you  first lost your innocence.

He left the carpentry shop because of you. He laid His security down with His hammer. He closed the window shutters of the sunshine of His youth and locked the door of comfort and ease of anonymity.

He left the shop because He could bear your sins more easily than He could bear the thought of eternity without you. It was not easy, but it was love!