One moment can change the life of another person. Even though that moment may not have meant much to you, it may have been big to someone else. Have you ever noticed that sometimes the littlest things make the biggest difference? So it is with the kingdom of God – small things, small moments, etc. can have a big impact. Seed parables are present in the Synoptic Gospels. The parable of seeds urges us to be patient with growth. Don’t underestimate the power of the mustard seed. How much faith do we have? When a seed is placed in the right place at the right time, its growth is miraculous. Let us share the Word of God with other people and let it spread.
When someone does a good deed for us or gives us a gift for no particular reason we are full of joy. Jesus is generous and lavish in his gifts of graces to each of us. If He is generous in his love for us, we are obligated to respond to that love by reaching out to others in need. We can lose sight of Jesus in difficult times. We love God through prayer, reception of the sacraments and our service to others. We can be role models giving our love and talents to others. We renew our commitment to Jesus in listening to the Word of God and in our service to those who are vulnerable, poor or in need of encouragement. I believe that at the end of our life what will matter most is what we have done with the gifts God has given us and what we have done or not done for others.
We are often not sure today about what is factual and where our information is coming from given our present sources of communication – all of which causes us misinformation and confusion. For some people, because of a personal history of disappointment or concerns that God is not there for them, the Gospel is a challenge. Sometimes we close our eyes to the working of God in our lives. Faith helps us believe that God is with us and loves us whatever our life situation. God reveals Himself to us in any way He chooses. Let God speak to us in the Gospels in the voice of Jesus and open our eyes and hearts to him.
Life is a journey. We travel for work, school, family, holidays etc. We pass through the different stages of life, each with its successes and failures, joys and sorrows. Memory helps us to reflect back and observe the challenges of our life, our successes and our trials. The Commandments of God let us know what it takes to be God‘s people. Journeying for some people is a way to escape violence, war, hunger, famine, etc. The Bible tells stories about kings and prophets among others. We are called to discern the presence of God in our life – which helps us look forward to God in our future. We should seek God in the world and in the drama of human history. God is with us on our personal journey and on the journey of humanity. The public life of Jesus was in the form of a journey. As the Risen Christ, Jesus remains with us on our journey through life guiding and inspiring us until we reach our ultimate goal – the Kingdom of God forever in heaven.
Life always presents us with things to worry about. Worry tends to make us cranky and unhappy, so much so that we can miss the value of the moment and pull away from God. Jesus told Martha that she was anxious and troubled over many things – Mary handled the daily worries of life differently and allowed Jesus into her life. No doubt, the best part of her day was spending it with Jesus. St. Paul encourages us not to be anxious but to let our petitions be known to God. Prayer is a conversation with God. Pray about everything. Turn your worries into prayer and give your worries to God. I don’t believe God wants our thinking to turn into constant worry. Thank God for his guidance to direct our steps and ask for strength to deal with our challenges. God wants to be part of everything that concerns us. Our problems are small in relation to our great and awesome God. We will have challenges in our life but God is always with us.
Jesus‘s Resurrection gives meaning to all that we are and all that we do as Christians. Jesus comes to us to be His instruments despite our weaknesses to proclaim the Good News to the world. Jesus comes to envelop us in His love and mercy. Jesus desires to bring us with Him to life eternal.
It has been said that attitude is a better predictor of success than IQ. Attitude starts with how we think of something or someone. We can all usually see the same thing but our attitude is formed by what and how we think. Think the wrong way – bad attitude. Think the good way – good attitude. Shut down negative thinking. Don’t be negative talkers. Don’t transmit fear to our families. It is hard to see good things if we only focus on bad things. Complaining and griping are obstacles for us that color our thinking and hold us back. God calls us to be different – to thrive despite our difficulties. We can fight through problems if we stay in faith and trust that God is with us. Who do we serve - the negative or God? Choose the high road. Hush negative voices. We have a choice about whom we serve.
“Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever; and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow.” Saint Augustine