Part XIII
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Commitment - Anything you want to accomplish takes commitment. Commitment means obligation and determination. You serve your commitment for a time and eventually it serves us. This is not always easy. Often things arise that try to interfere with our commitments. We can keep our commitment to God – this is an action – we put our plans into action. God is always committed to us. God waits for us to take the step to commitment and what it produces. For commitment to happen, you have to go all-in, not one foot in and one foot out. You can’t commit to everything, but do keep the commitments you speak about. God gives us the strength and grace to honor our commitments. Recommit to former commitments or make new ones. Commit to God, renew the commitment daily, and put action into your commitment.
The Mass is a social event – it is something the priest celebrates with the people. The sense we have of our unity with other people comes in the breaking of the bread. As we draw closer to Christ, we draw closer to others. Christ is God‘s gift to us – He reveals to us God‘s plan of salvation. Self giving is at the heart of all that Jesus gives to us - the self giving love of Jesus. In the Eucharist we share in this love and we entrust ourselves into God‘s merciful hands. Eucharist - the sacrament of love and hope, mercy and forgiveness.
Blessed are the peace-makers. Have peace in your heart: peace for our family, peace at work, peace in the home. We create unity through the bond of peace – honor God by resolving differences in our lives. Peace-making is an attitude, a responsibility. We may not always agree with others but we can opt for peace. Conflict side-tracks all of us. At the end of the day peace that binds us in unity brings us happiness. Peace starts with us. Peacemakers are arbitrators and diplomats. Jesus made peace with us so we can make peace with others. We were not put on this earth to straighten everyone out – to be judge and jury of others. We can manage differences with others and honor God in the process. God‘s blessing comes to us when we are instruments of peace.
Basically we are good people, even though the media suggests to us that we are not enough. We wonder “am I really loved?“ We are scared that there will not be enough of whatever we want or need so we feel anxious. Jesus tells us to look at the scarcity and anxiety in our lives and see what we really have. If I am living a good life, then I know that I am doing right and need to keep doing what I am doing. I don’t have to feel confused – I have God with me. Thank you God for the gifts you have given us and continue to give us day-by-day – I have all I need to make good choices and to continue to do good.
We may feel small or not enough but when we put ourselves in the hand of God we can go from small to big. God wants to increase us – but we have to learn how to handle the small in our lives first. Small things matter. It is not necessary to put ourselves down for lack of education, lack of status, etc. As humans we often see the big but fail to see the small. Get rid of bitterness, grudges, selfishness, etc. Bring your concerns, problems, needs to Jesus so he can bless us and help us deal with them. Jesus's love is unconditional – He never rejects anyone who comes to Him.
Each of us is on a pilgrimage on earth to God. We are tireless workers in the orchard of God. We do not have to be beautiful, brilliant, or rich to get the mercy and love of God. God recognizes and appreciates all of us and our efforts. We count in God’s eyes. We are called to be saints - we are all saints-in-the-making.
Jesus‘s vision is marked by compassion, peace, and, most of all, love for everyone. Jesus cares for all the world and for all human life and especially those that are most vulnerable. Some people think that Jesus‘s vision is idealistic while many others of us would like his vision to become a reality. On the sixth day of creation, God saw what He had made and said it was “very good“. How then could our world have become so marked by greed, anger, and injustice? Self-centered people create havoc, while others, filled with the Spirit, breathe life into the world. Some people lack an inner transformation, spiritual renewal, a new heart and a new spirit to make things right. The ministry of Jesus is his presence in our hearts, our church, and our world. Jesus is with us today through the gift of the Holy Spirit. In all things we are blessed through the love of Jesus - we are children of God. The Spirit gives life to our mortal bodies – in death He brings our life in Christ to fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is not like earthly kingdoms – it is a kingdom of justice, love, and peace, all of which we should be striving for as disciples of Jesus. We live in a fast food generation: instant food, microwave cooking, “I want it yesterday“, etc. But real quality in our cooking takes time. God‘s kingdom will come - our task is to work with God to build it by prayer and good works. We can each make a difference to build a world of justice, charity and love for our neighbors and for ourselves. Don’t wait until tomorrow to pray; don’t wait until next year to go to Mass; don’t wait until next month to do good works. Be respectful of others – today! Amen.