Reflections of a beloved son

We are all on a journey, and we must encourage and support one another. There will be times when we may doubt and question and sometimes, we may even give up and walk the other way. Sometimes guilt and shame will lead us to despair and desperation. Sometimes we may feel that God has abandoned us. Then let us remember the time when Jesus was in the garden praying to His Father asking for the cup to pass him by or when He asked why His God had forsaken Him. Jesus knows our sufferings, pains, worries, and anger because He was fully man like you and me. But He also knows of the joy, peace, hope, and love that none of those things can take away.  The joy and peace that comes from God will enable us to endure those sufferings and times of desperation in our lives. The eternal will always triumph over the temporal. We must stick together and remember that Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Even when the world tells us there is an easier way, a truer truth, or a better li...

Though it may sometimes feel this way, we are not alone in this world or in our struggles. It is a common temptation to feel that no one else in this world understands what we may be going through, but there is always someone who does. By sharing our own experiences with one another, others may suddenly see that flicker of light in the darkness. Our experiences may bring someone from despair to hope. Never underestimate the power of one's witness and testimony. When we speak from the heart, it is Christ who speaks and works through us. Heart speaks to heart.

Sometimes when people feel there is no way out, they turn inward in despair and hopelessness. Like the guard who felt that the world was crumbling before him when the prisoners were released because of the earthquake, people may turn to self-harm out of despair. The guard may have felt that no one in this world would fight for him and that he was already a dead man, but St. Paul acknowledged him and affirmed him. Everything will be okay. Put the sword down. Talk with me. By this affirmation, the guard encountered the Lord and was moved to conversion. The guard traveled out of despair and into hope, from darkness into light, and from death to life. Let us be an affirming voice for one another.

We must always be ready to answer the question, "Why do you believe in God?" or "Why are you Christian?" If we are to answer these questions, we must have a relationship with the Father. Our answers to those questions must be the fruit of our experiences, fruit of our conversion. It is our personal, lived experience of God that will move the heart of another. It is the heart that will speak to heart. May our lives communicate to others the peace, joy, and hope that is within us.

Anything that is worth doing will take work, and sometimes it will bring about tears. Following Christ in a world that rejects Him will be difficult if we allow it to be. The world may try to bring us down with their hate speech and subjective contradictions, but we must remain defenders of Objective Truth, the truth that sets us free. The Truth is worth it. Christ is worth it. You are worth it. Those walking in darkness and hopelessness are worth it. Those who persecute us are worth it. We must by our example of perseverance and love bring others to this Truth. If we want peace and joy then we must keep the faith and hope burning within our hearts. This peace and joy is already present and it never leaves us, but we must choose receive it, even in the midst of tribulations.

Have you ever been in a desperate situation?  How did you feel?  How did you respond?  Who did you turn to?  Whenever we are in those situations we tend to cling onto even the tiniest sliver of hope or the thinnest beam of light. We hold onto that tiny sliver and thin beam as if it's our only way out and as if our very life depends on it. In the Gospel, the synagogue official humbled himself and let go of his pride and turned to Jesus when his daughter died.  He said to Jesus, "My daughter has just died, but come, lay your hand on her, and she will live."  What faith!  And, for a Jewish official, too!  This man risked the ridicule of his fellow brothers and perhaps even his status and standing with the faith.  Yet, at that moment, Jesus, he recognized, was the only solution, the only person who could help him in this desperate situation .  This man believed that Jesus had the power to raise his daughter from the dead.  This man cl...

" 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...

Do you believe?   I don't mean do you believe on the surface or if you pay lip service when you are asked that question.  I mean do you actually believe ?  Has a friend or family member ever approached you and asked, " Do you believe me ?"  This question has a twofold meaning: 1, it is an affirmation of their trust and belief in you , and 2, it is an invitation to trust and believe in them. God asks you today , " Do you believe me?  Not just in me, but do you believe me? "  Do you believe that you are loved from all eternity?  Do you believe that the Father listens to you and hears your prayers?  Do you believe? In today's Gospel reading ( Jn. 4:43-54 ), a royal official approached Jesus and asked for a healing for his sick son.  "Sir, come down before my child dies," he said.  Jesus said in reply, "You may go; your son will live."  Then we are told: "The man believed what Jesus said to him and left." Think about this: a ...