Reflections of a beloved son

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.

When we make one unkind gesture to one person, we make it to all people. This sounds crazy, but that's the truth. When Jesus told Saul that He was persecuting Him because of what he was doing to the early Church, He asked Saul, " Why are you persecuting me ? " We, a people, are one. We are the one Mystical Body of Christ. When one hurts, all hurt. Just like any sports team. When one player suffers, the whole team suffers. So, let us not fight our own. There are people who we may not like and really prefer not speak to, but that does not dispense us from loving them. To love them is to love God.

What does it mean to love someone or something?  Our modern world today tells us "do what you love, do what makes you happy, and do what feels good." So then love makes us happy and feels good.  Yes and no.  When you are in the presence of someone you love, there is a peace and joy in our hearts that do not get troubled.  Even when there are challenges and hardships, where there is true love, peace and joy and hope remains.  Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.   "Where charity and love are, there is God." True and genuine love is the love that comes from God.  The love with which God created us and for which God created us.  Loving is wanting and willing the good of the other.  Sometimes this love feels warm and fuzzy, but sometimes this love comes in the form of discipline. When a parent disciplines his child, he does not because he enjoys it but because he wants what is best for his son.  Likewise, when the son disrespects his father ...

“See that you not be deceived,” Jesus told His disciples.   Our Lord warns the people of the trials and persecutions that should come upon them (Lk. 21:5-19).  Jesus tells of wars, persecutions, false prophets, earthquakes, famines, and plagues.  He even says that those who we love will betray us and hand us over.  But the Lord encourages them and asks them to not be overly worried, “. ..for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist of refute .”  In other words, we can not handle these trials and persecutions on our own.  Only by grace and through and with Our Lord Jesus will we be able to overcome them and endure them.  At the end of the Gospel passage, Jesus tells them, “ By your perseverance you will secure your lives. ”  Wow. Wars, persecutions, natural disasters, and even betrayal by my beloved ones? That does not sound hopeful.  I mean wars and persecutions and natural disas...

When people in authority asks us to do something, we either comply because we know if we don't, we will get in trouble or we do it because we believe what they are saying or asking of us is truly for our good.  The Fourth Commandment - "Honor your father and mother" is extended to teachers and other persons in authority.  We must respect and honor our elders and listen to what they have to say, but we must make a decision whether what they are saying is congruent and consistent with what God may be telling us and if what they say point to the true, good, and beautiful.  We are not called to just blindly follow and do whatever persons in authority tell us or ask of us - we must discern it and bring it to prayer.   In the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 5:27-33), the Apostles were again found preaching the Good News and telling people about Jesus and the authority figures said to them: "We gave you strict orders, did we not, to stop teaching in that name."  An...