I Am With You

 

 “Lord, do not cast me away from Your presence...Give me again the joy of Your help, and renew within me a steadfast spirit.” --Psalm 51:11, 12

 Picture yourself sitting on a park bench, hunched over with your hands folded. Now imagine Christ sitting down next to you. You hear Him gently ask, “What’s on your mind?” Imagine looking up into His eyes and saying, “Stay here with me, Lord. I can’t do this on my own. Please help me. Let me feel joy again… What should I do?”

Listen to Christ answer your prayer: “Let Me help you. Become like a child in your faith and trust in Me. You don’t have to have all the answers because I have the answers. You don’t have to have it all figured out because I do. I see what you can’t see and I know what you don’t know.

“Every day, spend some time with Me in prayer, and listen. I will guide you. Stay focused on what you sense Me telling you. Take it one small step at a time, and you’ll have peace. You’ll feel joy again because you’re trying to stay close to Me.

“Yes, you have difficulties in this world. This world is only your temporary home. Look beyond your troubles and see what awaits you: heaven. Remember that I have prepared a place for you to be with Me forever in heaven. Until that time, I need you to continue what I started. I need you to bring My love to this fallen world in ways that only you can, and I have given you My Spirit to do it. The desire and power are already inside you.

 "So trust Me, and let yourself be glad. I am always with you. Did you hear Me? I am with you! In your heart is My love; in your mind is My peace; in your soul is My Spirit. Don’t let Satan distract you from these; don’t listen to his lies of gloom and despair. I have carved you in the palm of My hand. Sit with Me a while, and listen to the words of love I whisper in your heart. Let your heart believe what I tell you, and celebrate.

“The Kingdom of God is within you. I love you. I am with you.”

“Thank You, Lord.”

 

Thank you for reading my reflection. Comments are always welcome! Feel free to share it with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Thanks!

 p.s.

Please continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...

 Or, you may send a check payable to Cleveland Maidan Association to

Pokrova Ukrainian Church

6812 Broadview Rd.

Parma, OH 44134

 

 

Unexpected Answers

 

“I thought that he would…” – 2 Kings 5:11

Naaman had been told that if he travelled to Samaria, the prophet Elisha would cure him of his skin disease (see 2 Kings 5:1-15). When Naaman got there, Elisha sent him a message to go and wash seven times in the Jordan River. That’s it; just wash in the Jordan, and his skin would be healed. At this, Naaman became angry and started to leave. “I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the spot and cure me” (verse 11). Naaman may have been angry because Elisha himself didn’t heal him; plus, Naaman had to put in some effort to bring about his own healing.

Do we turn away from our Lord when He doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want Him to? Do we expect Him to swoop down and fix everything for us? Do we neglect the hard work He asks of us to solve our problems? God always answers our prayers, not necessarily in the way we want Him to but in His way, because He knows what’s best for us. And while He doesn’t cause sufferings, in His wisdom He permits them. Just as Naaman’s illness led him to the prophet, God knows that our challenges may draw us closer to Him.

Through prayer, God changes either the situation or our attitude toward it. Everything He does, He does because He loves us. He wants us to come closer to Him. He wants to make us holy.

I thought that He would…

            …instantly and miraculously cure me.  Instead, maybe God’s teaching me to trust Him; maybe He’s teaching my caregivers compassion. Maybe He’s asking me to take steps that will help me feel better or foster the healing I’m praying for.

            …let me win the lottery. Instead, maybe He wants me to wash away my wasteful spending habits or look in a new direction for employment.

            …take away this one particular struggle. Instead, maybe God wants me to spend more time with Him in prayer so He can speak to my heart about how to handle it in a loving way.

Take to heart the words of the prophet Joel. Draw near to our Lord and He will bless you with His love, His peace, and His joy – the ultimate answer to all of our prayers:

“Even now, says the Lord, return to Me with your whole heart; for I am gracious and merciful.” –Joel 2:12-13

“Show me, Lord, Your way, so that I may walk in Your truth.” (Psalm 86:11)

Thank you for reading my reflection. Comments are always welcome! Feel free to share it with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Thanks!

p.s.

You may help the besieged people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association using either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...

 

If you prefer to write a check, make it payable to Cleveland Maidan Association and mail it to:

Pokrova Ukrainian Church

6812 Broadview Rd.

Parma, OH 44134

 

 

 

The Freedom of Forgiveness

 

Corrie ten Boom did the unimaginable after surviving a Nazi concentration camp. In her uplifting and powerful autobiography The Hiding Place: The Triumphant True Story of Corrie ten Boom, she tells of the moment years after her release when she came face to face with the Nazi guard who had brutalized her and countless others. She had just given a talk on the need for forgiveness -- one of many speeches she gave across the world -- when the former guard approached her, asked if she would forgive him, and offered her his outstretched hand. Slowly and mechanically she lifted her hand and, as he grasped it, she felt a kind of electric current run down her arm to their clasped hands; a freeing feeling of deep peace flowed through her and toward this man.

Notice that it was only after Corrie grasped his hand did the feeling come to her. That’s because forgiveness is an act of the will, not a feeling. Forgiving is deciding to not hold onto the wrongdoing any longer. (Reconciliation requires both parties; forgiveness involves only you.)

Consider:

‘The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.’ –Luke 6:38

and

“…Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...”

--Matthew 6:12

Who do you need to forgive? A parent? Your spouse? A teacher or friend? Yourself? We might not feel forgiving, but we can decide to forgive them. We might not feel anything dramatic like Corrie did; still, we can set ourselves free from the transgression. We can let it go. We can say out loud, “Lord, I forgive _____ for _____. “  

‘Be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful.’ –Luke 6:36

God lives in us; we have His power in us to forgive.  And as we forgive others, so does God forgive us. We’re freed from others’ wrongdoings, we’re freed from our own sins, and we’re empowered to forgive others again in a loving cycle of forgiveness, freedom, and peace.

“God’s forgiveness is a sign of His overflowing love for each of us… it is the tenderness with which each sinner is welcomed when he knocks at His door… His heart rejoices over every child who returns…” – Pope Francis

God wants to forgive you!

Today, Wednesday, March 16, all Catholic churches in the Diocese of Cleveland will be open for the Sacrament of Reconciliation from 5-8 p.m.  Remember that Christ is there, hidden by the priest. Whether it’s been a week or a lifetime since your last Confession, you’re invited to ‘begin again’ at any church in the diocese. If not today, then sometime during Lent, let Jesus pour His loving grace and mercy upon you through this wonderful sacrament of freedom, peace, and reconciliation with God. 

“Lord, give me the grace and courage to seek Your forgiveness and forgive others.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. Comments are always welcome! Feel free to share it with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Thanks!

 p.s.

The Cleveland Maidan Association is one of many trusted organizations sending help to Ukraine. If you’d like to donate to them using either PayPal OR a credit/debit card, use this link:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...

 

Fight War With Love This Lent

 

“You shall not stand by idly when your neighbor’s life is at stake.” –Leviticus 19:16.

It was chilling to hear this Scripture being read at Mass on Monday, with so many people in need of our prayers and help in Ukraine. (It’s important to note that this wasn’t read because of the war. The schedule of Scriptures used for Catholic Masses was set more than 50 years ago, after Vatican II.)

We also heard from Matthew’s Gospel. Here are parts of the passage:

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory… all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another… the sheep from the goats…” --Matthew 25:31-32

The word ‘nations’ jumped out at me like never before.  Also:

“…whatever you did for one of these least brothers and sisters of mine,

you did for me.” –Matthew 25:40

 This Lent, let’s fight war with love and offer our prayers and sacrifices for the people of Ukraine. Just as Jesus miraculously fed thousands of people when a boy humbly offered Him five loaves of bread and a few fish, so He can still work miracles in today’s world when we offer Him our prayers, fasting, and almsgiving for someone else’s benefit.

Remember, Lent is less about what we do and more about what God does with, for, and through us. Lent is not about performing self-serving acts of self-discipline. Rather, these weeks give us opportunities to let God pour His love into us so that we can love each other better. Our seemingly humble Lenten offerings become holy when He uses them to help others, and we are made holy by offering them.

We may be tempted to think, “I can’t give much, and I’m not one who spends hours in prayer; God can’t possibly do anything with what I have.”  Imagine if that boy had not offered his bread and fish to Jesus. Let’s remember that the amount of material goods we give, the amount of time in prayer we spend, and the kinds of sacrifices we make are not important. What matters is that we do and give everything with love.

Let’s remember, too, the immense power of intercessory prayer, proven when Moses pleaded with God on behalf of the unfaithful people:

“So the Lord changed his mind about the harm which he had threatened to do to his people.” –Exodus 32:14

Let’s pray for an end to war. Let’s love with our hearts and hands. Let’s ask God to take every instance of our self-denial and every donation of our time, our talents, our money or other items and use them, with His power, to help the people of Ukraine.

“Lord, accept our loving sacrifices. Save the people of Ukraine.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. Comments are always welcome! Feel free to share it with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Thanks!

 

Remove the Distractions

 

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of auto accidents. We’re reminded often to put down our phones and anything else that may distract us, and keep our eyes fixed on the road ahead.

In a similar way, Lent is a time when we remove whatever distracts us from God. Not just Ash Wednesday, but every day gives us a wonderful, new opportunity to fix our eyes on Him, draw closer to Him, and learn how we can become more like Him.

The three practices of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Through prayer, we open our hearts to God, deepen our relationship with Him, and let Him shower us with more of His love. The discipline of fasting rids us of our self-centeredness and strengthens us against temptation – distractions -- so we can become the people God loving created us to be. Through almsgiving, we soften our hearts and share what we have, both materially and spiritually, with our brothers and sisters.

 “Let us throw off everything that weighs us down and the sins that so easily distract us.” –Hebrews 12:1

What do we mean by distractions? Your phone and computer might be good examples. These devices can be used for much good; they can also pull us away from God and His loving will for us, and from others. This would be true if you find yourself using your electronics to ‘kill time,’ to access anything evil, or to avoid interacting with your family. Lent is a good time to examine if we need to change how, when, where, and how much we use them.

Each day of Lent is a good time to pay attention to how we spend our time and how we spend our money. We make more time for prayer, and we look for ways to share what we have with others. We make an effort to change our attitudes, habits, or any other practices we’ve adopted that get in the way of our relationship with Him or with the people around us.

God wants us to come close to Him. This is something to celebrate! He wants us to get rid of these distractions. When we do so, we’re set free from the stranglehold they have on us, and our hearts feel light.

This Ash Wednesday, and every day of Lent, let’s press on with a clear and single-minded purpose to follow God more closely so as to become more like Him.

“Lord, show me how to draw closer to You.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. Comments are always welcome! Feel free to share it with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Thanks!