I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord;
I will come back to you, and your hearts will rejoice. JN 14:18
ACTS 18:1-8
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Paul reveals how we are to live in the world as Your disciples. For as long as he was alone, he earned his living by working at his trade as a tentmaker but as soon as he was joined by his companions he was free to do the work to which he was called, that of preaching and teaching the Gospel. We ought not to use excuses not to work and become a burden on others; as far as possible we must be self-reliant.
Paul was not intimated by opposition. He evangelized boldly and when people remained obstinate and stonehearted he did not waste his time with them any further, for their hearts and minds were closed. We can do nothing about those who refuse to believe in the Truth because they are afraid, or prefer the comfort of the familiar even though they are half-truths instead of boldly accepting the fullness of the faith.
It is grace alone that gives people the courage to believe and come to the knowledge of Truth but grace can be accepted or rejected. God never acts against our free will.
PSALM 98:1-4
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
Your saving power extends to the whole human race and embraces the whole world. You lay down Your life and took it up again in order to conquer death, vanquish the Enemy, and give us redemption in You. You entered into our death and this is why death has no power over us.
Christians are filled with joy no matter what their circumstances may be. Our joy, our faith, our hope, and our love for You are not dependant on things, people, or the world, they come from You. You are the source of all good and You pour out all that is good over us who are members of Your Body.
JOHN 16:16-20
My Beloved, Soul of my soul,
In these strange, unusual days, many are filled with fear, anger, anxiety, and misgiving. Many have suffered much loss so the words You speak to Your disciples become even poignant and meaningful for us:
“A little while and you will no longer see me,
and again a little while later and you will see me.”
We are temporarily denied reception of the life-giving Sacraments. We are unable to receive You in Holy Communion. We are unable to go to Confession. We are unable to visit You in our Adoration Chapels and worship You face to face. We feel Your Absence in these most tangible ways which have strengthened us, comforted us, and gave us life in You. We are unable to come together as a community of believers to praise and worship You.
We hunger and thirst for Your Presence and our hearts are filled with sadness.
Thank You, Beloved, that You have sent us Your Holy Spirit who abides in us, He is the same Holy Spirit who abides in the Father and in You. If we have the Spirit then we have both You and the Father for You are One.
No, You have not left us orphans. You are Emmanuel, God with us - Your Word is eternal and Your Word is true. We believe. This time of exile from the Sacraments is only for a while. You know when it will end and as we wait we know that You are doing a marvelous new thing in our families, in our communities, in our Church, and in the world. We believe in You, we hope in You, we trust You and above all, we love You who are worthy of all our love.
No comments:
Post a Comment