We are called to assist in helping others finding God. Be prepared in word and deed to live the call of your baptism so others will see Jesus through you. Jesus gave His life for all. We too must give our lives in service to the call of all souls to Grace. God will provide the means and we must answer our call to holiness and service to others. It is a great gift to be involved in such noble ministry.
What are the characteristics of a good person? According to Blessed John of Ruysbroeck, it includes accounting for our sins, especially our mortal sins. We must turn away from sin. Follow our conscience and be obedient to God while listening to the Holy Church. Finally, we shall have in mind the Glory of God and keep our eyes fixed on Jesus who taught us how to live according to the Will of God. (Blessed John of Ruysbroeck, The Sparkling Stone, 1)
Follow the Spirit of Christ instead of worldliness. Christ is patient, kind, steadfast, loving, and giving. The world is often harsh, hurtful, selfish, and uncaring. Jesus came to show us the Way of Life. Follow Jesus and not this world and you will find great faith, hope, and love.
This world is filled with snares and temptations that attract us. We can easily become part of this world. We do need to live in this world and give our lives to Jesus Christ. However, this world cannot become our goal and its empty promises lead us into sin. Let us stand strong in our faith in Jesus.
We shall not let our desire for Jesus Christ grow into a form of spiritual greed. Desiring more forms of prayer, more religious experiences, and more objects of devotion can lead us away from the true spirit of our faith. Jesus Christ is our objective not the endless variety of means to experience Him. Let our greatest desire to want to be with the Healer and not just the healing. Let us long for the Redeemer even more than wanting to be redeemed. In God alone will we find our ultimate peace and Grace!
In all acts of living, give your will over to God’s Will. When we listen deeply in prayer, God will share His Will for us. This may call us to sacrifice. It is this sacrifice that becomes our own unique cross. Like Jesus, may we live in God’s Will despite the sacrifices. Go deeply into your faith and find the courage, hope, and love you need to live a life of walking with Christ!
Are you eager to learn new elements of your faith? Are you ready to put them into practice? Living our faith is what Jesus Christ asks of us. To those who are given more, even more is ask of. Jesus wants us to walk with Him daily. Let’s do this with faith, hope, and love! He will teach us and then strengthen us with courage to be able to live our new faith! His Presence is always available if we only ask for it. Do not wait! Seek it each moment of each day. Doing so will allow you to put your faith into practice and change you piece of the world!
Belief without action is not genuine faith in Jesus Christ. St. James makes it clear we must practice our faith with actions to love and care for our fellow men and women (James 2:14–26). Words alone will not be enough. We must act to show our love to others – even those most difficult to be charitable with through our words and deeds. Let Christ increase our faith so that we may show it in the most challenging situations.
We tend to judge ourselves mildly giving us the benefit of the doubt. However, we can be harsh in our judgement of others. Lets us always apply the standard of Jesus to treat others kindly as we generally treat ourselves. The Golden Rule of love is the highest standard to hold for ourselves while being forgiving and loving toward others.
A lack of a gift from God is not a reason to complain. Such gifts as physical attractiveness, athleticism, intellectual ability, or musical talent are given to some but not others. Our gifts are given to each of us to help us attain faith, hope and joy unique to our souls. By being grateful for what we have, we celebrate what we are and God’s gift to each of us. Sin may have been ours with other gifts. Joy is not had by having more – it is by embracing what we have in gratitude. Give all glory to Jesus Christ and His infinite Wisdom!