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We ought to say, "If the Lord wishes, we will live and do
this." God grant me the ... You took my place ... One day, a man went to visit a church. He arrived early, parked his car, and got out. Another car pulled up near him, and the driver told him, "I always park there. You took my place!" The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!" The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing. After Sunday School, the visitor went into the church sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit. You took my place!" The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still said nothing. Later, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood, and his appearance began to change. Scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet. Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?" The visitor replied, "I took your place." My cross is too heavy ... "Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:25-33 A man who was experiencing some difficulty in his life went to the house of the Lord and said "I want to carry my cross but feel that this one is too heavy for me." Jesus took him to the back yard, showed him hundreds of other crosses and said "Go out and choose one that is just right for you." The man thanked Jesus, put down his cross and searched for the "right" cross. Some were too long, others were too short. Some were too heavy, others were too light. He even found a few that were too sharp around the edges. Eventually, he found one that was just right for him. He went to Jesus with the cross and said "This one is just right for me; I'm ready to carry this cross." Jesus looked at him and said "My son, that is the same cross you had when you came here today. Always remember that I love you and will never give you more than you can carry!" You Are Very Good ... According to the account in the book of Genesis, God created the heavens and the earth. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1: 25 Then God said, "Let us make human beings in our image, according to our likeness." So God created human beings in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1: 26-27 It was after God created human beings, the book of Genesis reports "God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good". Genesis 1: 31 Since that is the root from which you came, you are very good! People of the Third Millennium ... Who are the people of the third millennium? You and I! In fact, everyone who is alive today and every child born after today are people of the third millennium. We are fortunate to live in a time when we are free to worship and praise God for the many blessings that he continue to shower on us. If you live in an area where this is not so, we pray that God will deliver you from that bondage. According to the Calendar of Saints, "From 1613 to 1859, foreigners could not enter Japan. Despite this ban, the faith survived for more than 200 years without any priests and with only the sacrament of baptism." Many of us have access to traditional and contemporary prayers including the prayer to learn one's vocation and prayer for the intentions of Our Holy Father the Pope. Personal prayer is also very important; this is one of the ways we speak with our God and Father in heaven. God speaks to us too, through the words in the Bible. Have you ever have heard someone say "That reading at Mass today was about me or about my current situation?" That is only one of the many ways that God speaks to us. Speak Lord, Your servant is listening ... It is relatively easy to agree that it is difficult, if not impossible, to listen without hearing. By the same logic, it is also difficult to listen if we are busy thinking of (or consumed by) something other than what we should be listening to. Many years ago, I attended Mass in Toronto and heard this during the sermon "Many of us come to Mass thinking about all the things we want to do, the things we should do, the things we did not do and the possible impacts on our lives. Others come thinking about their jobs, their homes, their families, their bills, etc." The priest questioned whether people who are focussed on those things could hear or listen to the Word of God. What do you think? We must we ready, we must be focussed, we must be paying attention, if we want to hear God's voice when he speaks to us. We must be able to say "Speak Lord, your servant is listening." This brand new year ... This brand new year was mine, to spend exactly as I choose, So counsel and direct me Lord, that when this year may end, |
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