-Micah 6:8 “The Lord has told us what is good. What He requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and, to live in humble fellowship with our God.” Another version of this reads: “act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with our God.”
-The musical theatre hit “Oliver” (based on the 1838 Charles Dickens novel ‘Oliver Twist’ which also became an Academy Award winning motion picture) had a song “Food, Glorious Food.” People who were poor dreamed about food and ate gruel. Today we tend to forget the wonderful things God does for us in our society – we have food on our tables, those who can go on vacations, we have money to spend and time to interact with our friends. When the pandemic hit we complained: “Why are you doing this to us God?” Many people failed to give thanks for His blessings and complained. However, during this time of pandemic we learned that we do have wisdom, knowledge and understanding, that there are people around us who are generous and helpful, and, that with God’s strength we could survive and need not be afraid. We have learned that God is in control, not us; we have learned to be humble, we have been generous as we have reached out to others in their need. Jesus says: “Be not afraid” May we all have grateful hearts and not lose faith or hope when times are hard. I pray: “Loving God, we thank you for all the gifts you give us, as countless as the stars in the sky, every moment of everyday.”
-It is a great joy for each of us to be in the presence of God. The search for the love of God is in all of us. The heart of the human being is so large that it searches for something beyond itself – we open ourselves to the unfathomable love of God. Love of God is greater than all other love. God’s grace pulls us up, lifts us up so we can truly encounter human love and love of God. God’s grace moves us. If we want to be in love with Jesus we need faith. The love we search for and the love of God that searches for us will come together for us. God’s greatest desire is to be the home for our heart. God wants to populate heaven with as many souls as possible. Joy is a deep rooted sense that allows us to believe that God is a good God. Faith is the total abandonment into the hand of God. God asks us to rest in Him, to acknowledge His control of the world. “Lord, your will, not my will be done. Help us to truly trust in you as you guide us into your peace.”
-Hebrews 3:13 “In order that none of you be deceived by sin and become stubborn, you must help one another every day as long as the word ‘today’ in the Scripture applies to us.” We should encourage each other daily so that sin doesn’t harden our hearts. God wants us to be fearless and courageous – not just for ourselves but also for other people. We are not islands unto ourselves – we were not designed to be alone – we need others. Living discouraged is not healthy – encouragement can impart courage on someone elseyour spouse, your children, your boss, your neighbor, etc… When we stand tall with others and give encouragement, change can happen. Encouragement can breathe life into someone’s soul. Very often, it is not what happens to you, but rather, what happens in you that makes a difference. Helping other has been shown to release dopamine in our brains; God wants us to be good at encouraging other, as well as ourselves by our words and actions. Treat the friend, the visitor, the stranger and the foreigner with respect – we are all children of God. “Act joyfully, love tenderly and walk humbly with our Lord.”
-HOPE-It has been said that you need hope to cope. If you don’t have hope, what is the use of having money, status, etc.? Jesus said: “I am the Resurrection and the Life – those who believe in me will have everlasting life.” The cemetery is not the destiny that God created for us. God keeps His promises. Salvation is a grace received through faith. Material possessions are temporal and provide passing comfort – God, however is true to us – we find in Him true peace, security and happiness. Are we interrupted in our closeness to God by a bad attitude, laziness, procrastination, the habit of gossip or judging others? These tendencies consume our time and energy and push us to make poor choices. Through our struggles and through our good time, keep God ‘Number One’ in your life. We give our life to God each day in our own unique way. Spending time with God helps us rejuvenate ourselves from our daily struggles. Hold on to God and give Him praise. Those who persevere will earn the reward of eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
-“The more you are led by God’s love, the more you will become yourself and it is all done without ever losing your freedom.” --Bishop Fulton Sheen
-God works in and through us. He has a purpose for all of our lives – to do good works. God works in us through our good works. We shouldn’t look at good works just solely as a Christian duty and we don’t necessarily have to do good works just to get God’s blessings. God’s blessings are a free gift to each of us. A good work is: being patient, choosing joy, choosing peace, choosing kindness, choosing forgiveness, choosing love, etc. We are made to do good work – we live for God and allow Him to work through us. An every day practice of doing good works is our living the life of God on earth. The good we do is pleasing and honorable in God’s sight and can give us great satisfaction by our knowing we have given service to God. Simple works can accomplish great things.
Question – “God – what do you want me to do?”
Answer – “Good works!” -“For there is always lightIf we’re brave enough to see it – If only we’re brave enough to be it” Amanda Gorman
May God’s compassion and generosity be reflected in the lives of all the St. James Parish Family.