Reflections of a beloved son

What strikes terror or fear in your heart? What weakness of yours paralyzes you and keeps from trying? What causes you shame and keeps you down?   What troubling event in your past haunts you and keeps you from living? We all have these things that make us question ourselves – am I worthy of this?   Do I deserve to be happy? I’m a bad person. What do they possibly see in me?   What God sees when He looks at you is His beloved child. Aren’t you tired of living in fear?   Aren’t you tired of settling because somehow you don’t feel worthy of something better? Aren’t you tired of feeling undeserving of love and happiness?   It is time to rise up. Jesus died and was buried in the tomb. He descended into hell and then rose up out of the tomb on the third day. It is time for you to rise out from the tombs of your fears and shame. There will be people who will doubt you, curse you, and reject you, but that is no reason to stay down. Jesus came to free you from all t...

When the storms of life overwhelm you, know that the Lord is right there with you. He may not turn the storm into a sunny day, but he will weather the storm with you. He says to you, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." It is He who is the way, the truth, and the life. He will lead us home when we've lost our way, affirm our goodness when the lies of the world bring us down, and remind us of our dignity and worth when others deny it.

"Rise, and do not be afraid." Those were the word Jesus told Peter, James, and John when they witnessed Jesus transfigured before them and the voice of the Father saying, " This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him. "  When Jesus first brought Peter, James, and John to the mountain and Peter saw Moses and Elijah, Peter said, "It is good that we are here."  He was so excited and happy that he asked Jesus if He wanted him to build three tents so everyone can stay!  Then a big cloud covered them and the Father said, " This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him."   The disciples became scared and fell to the ground.  "But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ' Rise, and do not be afraid. ' And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone." When the disciples experienced the immensity of the Father's power they grew afraid and even fell down. They...

" Stand up for what you believe in! "  It's a cry that we often hear.  But, it's really nothing new or fresh.  People in the ancient times also stood up for what they believed and some even died fighting for it.  What about something makes people want to risk everything fighting for it?  What is it about something that makes the risk of losing everything worth it?  What do you stand up for? In the Gospel, Lazarus, Jesus' friend, died but was raised up again by the Lord.  His sisters, Martha and Mary were heartbroken when their brother died.  Just imagine having to watch your brother die, put his dead body into the tomb, and roll the stone over the entrance.  They must have been experiencing a multitude of emotions - anger, confusion, sadness, unbelief, and perhaps hope.  When Jesus arrived, the sisters were weeping and one of the sisters pleaded with Jesus in grief, saying that if He had been there earlier, her brother would not have d...

"Hail, full of grace!  The Lord is with you" is how the Angel Gabriel greeted Mary at the Annunciation  ( Lk. 1:26-38 ).  What a greeting, and what a woman.  Today we are reminded of God's unwavering love and boundless mercy towards us.  He loved us so much that He was willing to send His only Begotten Son into the world, being born in this blemished world of ours.  He chose to be born into poverty.  He chose to take on sin so that we would not die, but have eternal life. Take some time to read through the Annunciation account.  Try to imagine yourself as Mary, a young teenage woman who was being diligent in her chores at home and suddenly this happened.  Imagine God sending His messenger to you and asking you to take on a certain mission.  How would you feel?  How would you respond? Consider this reflective imagery: In many respects, God comes to us everyday and greets us warmly and lovingly as Gabriel did with Mother Mary....