A Visit
I visited an important friend today during lunch hour. Since he was going to be somewhere near my office, I thought to myself, "why not- for a few minutes the most"? After all, its not every day I have the chance to meet someone other than my lunch mates in between office hours.
As I travelled in the bus, I was recalling some of our previous conversations we had. I wondered about how he had been keeping up and the kind of conversation we would have when we meet. It didnt take long before I reached my destination. I alighted and as I entered through the main gate of his residence, I was greeted by an empty compound and wondered if I was in fact alone. There was not a single vehicle parked nor a soul in sight. As I walked towards the front door, I saw a sign that said only those who wish to see his Dad are allowed in.
Fearing an unnecessary intrusion, I walked around the house and saw another sign that directed me to his office in a smaller building beside the house. I wont deny it. My friend is indeed wealthy! What a great place to live, and not to mention, having his own basement office. I hurried excitedly to meet him. Outside his office door were 2 pairs of shoes. That moment, I knew he already had visitors.
My friend has a "no-footwear" policy in his office. That hadn't change since I last met him at his workplace. I wasnt sure if I wanted to interrupt his meeting, but after some deliberation, I took off my shoes and decided to go in.. at least to say "Hi".
I opened the door gently and peeked in. There in front of the room sat my friend with his guests. His looks hadn't changed one bit. There was silence as I tip-toed in. He looked at me, somewhat pleasantly surprised. After a few seconds, I returned the smile and said, "Hi Jesus. Here I am".Neilps. no prizes for guessing what "the office" is...
God's Offer of Mercy
A personal reflection on Isaiah 55 which announces God's offer of Mercy:
The Lord says, "Come everyone who is thirsty - here is water! Come you that have no money - buy grain and eat! Come! But wine and milk - it will cost you nothing! - Why spend money on what does not satisfy? Why spend your wages and still be hungry? Listen to me and do what I say, and you will enjoy the best food of all. (Verse 1)
I met a good friend of mine 2 evenings ago for a personal favour. She was kind in setting aside time for me even when her elderly parents were in town. We talked a little about how we have been doing of recent and I had the opportunity to share with her how busy Ive made my life to be and hardly spending enough quiet time with our Lord.
Apart from my daily job, many of the commitments that kept me busy are just as genuine as anybody else. Even the desire to do something for God over the years resulted me in getting anxious with the doing - ie. what can I do, how its to be done and when to do it.
Some call this the "Martha Syndrome". Did it really happen to me? If it did, have I gotten out of it?
Perhaps. Maybe. I dont really know.
As I listened to my friend's sharings, I realised how much she had been determined to make a decision to start her day right with attending daily Mass. Participating in the Eucharistic celebration each day was important to her and she would feel that the day will not be well if she hadn't gone for Mass.
"Listen now, my people, and come to me; come to me and you will have life! I will make a lasting covenant with you and give you the blessings I promised to David... I, the Lord your God, the holy God of Israel, will give you honor and glory." (Versus 3-5)
The Eucharist never fails to draw the faithful to God. God offering himself to us. God invites. He initiates the calling. At times I have allowed myself to be pre-occupied with completing other things and accepting God's unconditional invitation only when I could really afford the time.
Besides her busy schedule each day within the family, my friend works as a Counsellor for anyone who consider going for abortions. "I am really glad when no one comes to see me, cos it will mean that there are no patients going to the clinic that day for an abortion," she cheerfully said.
After our meeting, I began an interior reflection on how much my priorities have missed the mark by my busy-ness. If God gave me 1 additional hour each day, there are high chances of me using that hour for something else apart from spending quiet moment with Him.
"My thoughts" says the Lord, "are not like yours, and my ways are different from yours. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways and thoughts above yours." (Verse 9)
Trusting the Lord each day is a personal choice. The Lord encourages me to make quiet time with him each day a priority. But giving him the needed time requires an equal amount of commitment from me to learn to take that first step out of the schedule I made to keep myself occupied. Jesus once commented about our hearts being exactly where our treasures are.
"My word is like the snow and the rain that come down from the sky to water the earth. They make the crops grow and provide seed for planting and food to eat. So also will be the word that I speak - it will not fail to do what I plan for it: it will do everything I send it to do." (Verse 11)
Yes, God's word is readily available to me for my quiet moment with Him. Its about time I let him steer my life's priorities back into the right perspectives.
Neil
The Gift of Foot-Washing
Jesus washed the feet of his disciples in today's Gospel passage, not because they were too lazy to handle their own hygiene and as their servant he would make life easy for them. Rather, he gave them (and us) a model to imitate.
Have you washed anyone's feet lately? Maybe you haven't literally soaped up a friend's smelly feet as a sign of your unconditional love, but I'm sure you have given of yourself in a foot-washing way.
To wash the feet of others is to love them even when they don't deserve your love.
To wash the feet of others is to do good to them even if they don't return the favor.
To wash the feet of others is to consider their needs as important as your own.
To wash the feet of others is to forgive them even if they don't say, "I'm sorry."
To wash the feet of others is to serve them even when the task is unpleasant.
To wash the feet of others is to let them know you care when they feel downtrodden or burdened.
To wash the feet of others is to be generous with what you have.
To wash the feet of others is to turn the cheek instead of retaliating when you're treated unfairly.
To wash the feet of others is to make adjustments in your plans to serve their needs.
To wash the feet of others is to serve them with humility and not with any hope of reward.
Notice the posture of Jesus. He knelt. Imagine Jesus kneeling in front of you now, lowering himself to the level of your feet and tenderly ministering to your needs. He is in fact doing this, and he does it again and again, every day!
And he is asking you to go and do likewise: Be the hands of Jesus that wash the feet of the people around you. By serving others, we gain understanding of what Jesus did for us 2000 years ago -- and for how he's ministering to you right now.
Copyright © Terry A. Modica.
Same Sex Love: Right or Wrong?
It is important to differentiate between friendship and feelings of love. Obviously, friendship may exist between two boys or two girls. A true friend is a precious gift.
We speak of homosexuality when there is a feeling of love accompanied by sexual desire between two persons of the same sex. Our aim here is not to study why and how this can happen but simply to underline a few points:
We live in a world that erases differences. Some pretend that (sexual) union between two people of the same sex is good and that homosexuality is simply an alternative to heterosexuality (sexual relations between a man and a woman). That is not true. The truth is that God created man and woman differently so that they can give themselves to each other with their own differences, including the differences of sex which allow life to come into being from that union. Whatever our situation, it is important to recognize the truth, to follow it and to have the courage to live chastely. Chastity is the virtue that regulates human love. [1]
Outside the homosexual pressure groups which try to find ways to justify and to give recognition to a homosexual culture and way of life, homosexuality is generally a situation that people do not choose. They experience it as a form of suffering. Shame and humiliation are often mingled with worry (Am I abnormal? What kind of future do I have?...). They feel guilty, different from others and cut off from life. The constant worry causes instability. And they end up thinking that there is no cure, no future and no hope for them.
Let us be careful not to confuse different situations: an active homosexuality, is entirely different from the fleeting inclination at the time of adolescence, springing from a lack of emotional maturity, a lack of an adult role model and from the self-centred attitude very common at that age. Sometimes, this tendency goes away even if it leaves some wounds in the memory. If it does not, the struggle for chastity will be more difficult.
In some people there is a permanent homosexual tendancy (which means a predominant or exclusive attraction to someone of the same sex) that seems to come from way back and is deeply rooted in the person. This can remain at the stage of inclination, even a strong one, but without any consequences. It is the transition to an active homosexuality that is the turning point because we then enter into a vicious circle of guilt on the one hand, and complicity on the other.
We are not responsible for our feelings or for our instincts, we are responsible for our actions. We do not have to feel guilty for our bad inclinations; it is acting on those inclinations that brings on real guilt. When the act is wrong in itself, it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise, but this does not mean that the person who commits it is bad. Who can judge his brothers and sisters?
There is always hope because we are free. We may have a serious difficulty, but we do not have to identify ourselves with it. My innermost being cannot be reduced to a tendency or even a habit. I am not the inclination that inhabits me.
In every human being, the capacity to love, to give of oneself is much greater than all the tendencies and the hindrances. Even when I despair of being set apart from others or when I pretend that everything is normal, God continues to call me to go forward. He invites me to get up so that I can get out of the situation that I’m in.
However, it is often difficult to respond to Him either because of erroneous thinking on my part, because I do not like myself, or because I am afraid of change and of peer-pressure. So I end up under-estimating my capacity to resist as if I had already lost the battle. But God’s power cannot be defeated, even by the obstacles in my own life.Behold, I stand at the door and knock ; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)[1]Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely reach Christian perfection (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 2359). - Holy Spirit Interactive Youth: Fifty Questions on Love & Life
Does Love Wear Out With Time?
Love is not based on the feeling that I love or do not love someone. Moreover, it evolves with time. When a couple show their love in a different manner or less visibly this does not mean that it no longer exists.
It is true however, that different temperaments, time and suffering may bring on difficulties in the relationship.
So how can love not wear out?
By encouraging it to grow. We do not love just because the other person is lovable. Making love grow means wanting the happiness of your partner. It is also looking for the good that he or she does and not always keeping track of all the negative things. It is wanting to please your partner and giving freely. It often means taking the first step...
Love is based on a mutual decision to live out a committment and not on the limitations that we may discover in ourselves. For example, if your parents are divorced, this does not mean that you are condemned to get divorced. You can build an authentic relationship based on love, forgiveness and being forgiven. So there is no need for fatalism. To decide to love means to renew that choice every day and to work at deepening the relationship.
In order to make love grow, we have to let love be rooted in Love. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. (Rom 7:19) When God created man and woman, marriage and love were in harmony. If we are open to what God has to say, we will understand that because of original sin we are inclined to behave badly. This is what undermines love: arguments, anger, neglecting the other’s needs, selfishness....
But with God, we can escape from our failures. He invites us, while respecting our freedom, to be connected to Love once again, to acknowledge our faults and to allow ourselves to be re-created. In the sacrament of marriage, we receive the capacity to renew our love by drawing on the Love of God.
-Holy Spirit Interactive Youth: Fifty Questions on Love & Life
