Know - Grow - Go

None of us goes through this life without our share of disappointment and frustration. It’s our belief in the life to come that allows us to be okay with this. Recall this quote that Fr. Dave introduced a few years ago, from Fr. James Martin, S.J.:

"This isn’t heaven. You’re not God. Don’t be a jerk."

Repeat this to yourself when feeling frustrated or discouraged, to reframe your perspective and help you bear the day's burdens as we await the Great Day to come.

Receiving the Eucharist is an invitation as well as a commandment. Jesus told us to "remain in [His] love," to “take this and eat it for this is my body,” that all who struggle will be refreshed if they come to him. Jesus loves us deeply. He is a friend who wants to be with us always, through the good and the bad. So whenever you feel misunderstood, lonely, sad, or unloved, come to Mass and receive Jesus who loves you more than anyone else in the world, for the Eucharist is the most powerful way to be close to Him and His love.

We are the branches grafting to Jesus, the vine who pumps into us that sap/the spirit which is the nutrient to stay healthy, grow and bear fruits of comfort, familiarity, and peace so that we live and move, and have our being rooted in Christ, our love and anchor.

In the midst of an increasingly secular world, God continues to show up for His faithful people, calling them and accompanying them towards eternal life.

Sometimes, it takes a temporary eclipse of suffering and trial in our life in order to reveal what God is doing. Sometimes, we can’t just read about him or study Him; we need to experience Him, and that changes everything. Consider what things in your life are obscuring or eclipsing the light of Christ for you, and surrender it all to Him. Jesus deeply desires to move the obstacles that eclipse your mind and heart so that you can live this life to the full and be prepared for the next.

Jesus administered spiritual CPR when he breathed into His disciples to take away their disappointment and fear and give them His peace (Jn 20:21-23). He resuscitated and revitalized them, giving them strength to carry out the work of being instruments of God’s mercy. He does the same for us to take away our wounds, our shortcomings and sins. Examine your conscience at the end of each day to determine your weaknesses, failures, and sins, then ask God for His mercy or bring them to Christ in confession. This way we can widen the channels to our hearts so that the breath of Christ, our spiritual CPR provider, can continue to revitalize us, giving us the strength to carry out the work of being instruments of God’s mercy.

We proclaim "Christ is risen" not akin to a slogan like "Elvis Lives". No! It is the truth that this life has been broken into by eternity. Our destiny is not utter annihilation. It is a reality that is the complete fulfillment of all that is good here on earth.

Jesus was no helpless victim. The events of the Passion didn’t just happen to him. He chose freely, consciously, and deliberately to stand between us and the powers of Evil, undergoing torture and humiliation and an excruciating death in order to save us all. Good Friday is a day to remember his sacrifice and give our hearts once more to him who gave – and continues to give – everything for us.

Whatever it is you’re called to be, each of us is called to live as a servant leader, to be in charge of how we are carrying out and giving away yourselves in the service of others. To become like the Servant Christ is to give of ourselves for the good of the others. As Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us, in giving of ourselves we receive much more.

God is here with us not only in the good moments of our lives, but also when we are suffering, when we are afraid, when we are alone and feeling abandoned. And not only that, God is reaching out to us through his Son, through His death and resurrection.