Ponder in Gratitude

“Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you."

John 6:15

Have you ever just stopped what you were doing and looked up and around and just paused to take everything in? Particularly while outdoors, when you just stop and take in the blue sky and white puffy clouds? Or if you are walking along the ocean, just look at the immensity of it? Or for those with small children and babies, to gaze upon your child when they are asleep? Or for those with older children, to look at the amazing person they have become? All of the above are gifts, gifts from God to each one of us, a gift that leads us to ponder in gratitude.

All of creation God created for us, for us to enjoy, for us to be stewards of, and for us ponder the great mystery of His love. Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity. The Trinity is one of the foremost mysteries and teachings of the Church. There is only One God, and this One God is Three Divine Persons, each whole and entire, undivided, and uncreated. The Trinity is a communion and a community of love. St. Augustine teaches that the Father is the Lover, the Son is the Beloved, and the Holy Spirit is the Love that exists within that communion. As the “summit” of God’s creation, human beings — you and me — have a special place in the heart of God. We are the only creation made in God’s very image and likeness. Since God is a communion of love, and since we are made in His image and likeness, that means we were created out of love, with love, and for love. Brothers and sisters, we are the product of God’s love.

At times we might not feel that way, that we are loved or made for love or even deserving of love. But that does not change the truth that we are loved. Our feelings do not change the truth of who and what we are. We are God’s beloved sons and daughters, and everything that we have, that we take take joy and pride in, are expressions of God’s love for each of us. Let us never forget that. Each smile, kiss, and hug is a gift. A gift that is ultimately from God. May we ponder today and everyday the tremendous love God has for each and every one of us. When we find ourselves lost and sad, and maybe even unworthy of love, let us take a moment to stop and look around, taking a deep breath in, and while exhaling realize that the breath we just took was God breathing life into us. Nothing can break us because it is God who lives in us, and Jesus has conquered the world. Let us ponder in gratitude today the great love with which we have all been loved.

For this week’s video/audio reflection “Partakers of Love”, click here.

Steadfast Decisiveness

“Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’
Anything more is from the Evil One.”

Matthew 5:37

One of the biggest weaknesses that I struggle with is indecisiveness. I can recall as a young child, maybe more so a teenager, I would spend hours in the book store going back and forth as to which book I wanted to buy. After a couple of hours, I would end up leaving the store emptyhanded. Does this resonate with you? I admire those people who are able to go into the store, go to the section where the book is at, retrieve from the shelf, and then proceed to the checkout line. Over the years I have practiced that and have successfully executed the first three steps, but right after getting the book I have planned to, my eye catches something else and I begin to explore. An hour or two later, I might end up purchasing the book I had intended to get, the other one that caught my eye, or both. Being decisive, I think, really is a virtue, especially in our spiritual lives.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus implore His disciples to let their “yes mean yes” and their “no mean no.” To follow Christ and to pursue a life of holiness requires a steadfast decisiveness. Any lukewarmness will cause us to stumble. In the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola gives the scenario of standing either under the banner of God or the banner of the enemy. There can be no grey area in where we stand. We are either on God’s side or the enemy’s. Of course any person in their right mind will say they are on God’s side. But when storms rise and hardships come, how will we be? As human beings, it is natural that we will sin and stumble, but that doesn’t mean that we waver on our original “yes.” What it does mean is that when those times of trial come, we must remember our original “yes” to God and mean it, allowing all that we do flow from that steadfast decision.

Brothers and sisters, may we renew our “yes” to God today, and invite Him into our hearts so that all that we think, say, and do reflects such steadfastness so that when storms and trials come, we will not waver because we know that God is stronger than those storms and trials, for He is the One who called order out of chaos, calming the storm and arranging the stars. The One who led the Israelites through the Red Sea dry shod will lead us through the storms of our lives and bring us to shore.

Where Are You, God?

But the word of the LORD came to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD—
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.

1 Kings 9:11-12

When was the last time you questioned the presence of God in your life? Questioning is not the same as doubting. When we question, we are usually doing so from a place of faith because we believe that God is here, we wonder why certain things have happened. “If God was here, why did my father have to die?” These are not cases of doubt, but rather invitations to a deeper faith. Elijah also wondered where God was, and the above passage from Scripture tells us clearly — in the “tiny whispering sound.”

Brothers and sisters, God does not come to us with a loud, booming voice. Rather, He comes to us in the silence. When we are unable to sleep in the middle of the night because something is on our mind, He comes to us. When we are agonizing over a difficult decision, He comes to us. When are suffering injustice and persecution silently, He comes to us. When we are lamenting and grieving over a tremendous loss, He comes to us. When we are walking along the street and enjoying the sun on our faces, He comes to us. When we are sitting or kneeling in Church praying, He comes to us. When we gaze upon the tabernacle or the Eucharist, He comes to us. At every moment when we call out to Him, He comes to us, in the silence of our hearts. “Here I am, my beloved. I am with you.”

Let us practice being in the silence today, brothers and sisters. Whether it be 1 minute, 5 minutes, 15 or more minutes, let us allow the Lord to come to us by opening up our hearts to Him. So that when we ask, “Where are you, God?” we might hear that “tiny whispering sound” say to us, “Here I am, I am with you. Tell me, tell me all that is on your heart. Come to me, and I will give you rest.”