Reflections of a beloved son

Trials and difficulties in life are inevitable. What we can decide is how we face them. Do we escape and retreat in the face of struggles or do we follow the lead of the Lord in embracing and carrying our crosses? At first we may see our trials and difficulties as annoyances and curses, but if and when we come to embrace them and face them with the Lord they will become blessings. Through our trials, God can give us many graces. We only need to want them and receive them. There will be pain and suffering, yes, but the joys and peace that comes will be greater.

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.

“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...

Often we hear of someone being "moved to tears" when they experience something emotional.  But, have you ever heard of someone being moved to drops of blood?  Jesus sweated drops of blood when He prayed in the garden.  The martyrs of the Church were so moved by the love of God that they were willing to have their blood shed.  Are we so moved by our God to drops of blood? The Chinese martyr saints - St. Augustine Zhao Rong and 119 of his companions were canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in October 2000.  They showed genuine faith and unwavering courage even to the point of death.  They rather die - joyfully - than to apostatize, denying that the God whom they have fallen in love with existed.  They were able to make this courageous act because they were consumed by love.  They were in love with Love its very self.  This love enabled them to see that the life they were living then was only a means to get to the life that never ends.  Th...

What are some things that strike fear into your heart?  For some it may be the thought of death and for others it may the mere presence of a clown or snake.  For some it may be a resemblance of a traumatic incident.  What does this fear feel like?  For the early church, it was the fear of losing their lives for listening to and believing the One whom the disciples were preaching.  Persecution and death was what stroke fear into the hearts of early believers. We are told that everyone scattered "except the Apostles."  These were the men who walked, ate, lived, and spent every waking hour with Jesus - His closest companions.  Though they did not scatter then, they did scatter once - the moment when the guards with the Jewish leaders came and arrested Jesus.  They scattered then because they were afraid what would happen to them.  If they arrested Jesus, their teacher, what would they do with them?  Their faith and loyalty were tested....