Bring Christ Alive
"God knows His workers."
Those who heard Him say
" I THIRST "
when on the cross, and who then responded.
People are now forgetting what they used to believe. January 2OIO. Toleration is the virtue of those who believe in nothing. ( G.K. Chesterton ).
Matthew 5 - 48. "You are to be perfect, even as my Heavenly Father is perfect." How am I to achieve this well-nigh impossible state? Jesus tells me in a nutshell: I must love my enemy and I must pray for him if he persecutes me. This, in the eyes of the Lord, is the epitome of sanctity.
"Consistency, completness is a persuasive argument for a system being true. Certainly if it be inconsistent, it is not truth." Blessed John Henry Newman.
Mark II - 22 "According to your faith be it done unto you." If you do not expect results you will not get them. This kind of faith is known as Expectant Faith. There are two other kinds: the faith that is Intellectual and the faith that is Accepting. 'Who best bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best.' ( On His Blindness - John Milton ).
Romans I3 - IO. "Love is the only law you need." You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving. How do I express my love? Is it done in a concrete way, or do I just make use of pretty words. In Ireland it is jocularly known as "blarney". Jesus is emphatic: "Purity is best demonstrated by generosity." (Luke II - 4) .
God Is Love.
Nought shelters thee, who wilt not shelter Me." ( The Hound of Heaven - Francis Thompson ).
Isaiah 56 and 58. "If you keep the Sabbath Day holy, not running your own business on that day , or of availing of someone who is running his: "Then the Lord will be your delight and will shower you with blessings..." He leaves you in no doubt on this point. If, in our daily lives we disregard this injunction, all gains in this instance may be counted as loss. 'The world is too much with us late and soon / Getting and spending we lay waste our powers / Little we see in Nature that is ours / We have given our hearts away a sordid boon! ( William Wordsworth.)
Acts - IO - 3O. "At all times and among every people God has given a welcome to whosoever fears Him and does what is right". Do I emulate the Father in this respect or do I become superior, contentious and bigoted when a righteous man of another religious persuasion crosses my path? "Do you want to follow Jesus or to follow a church?" (Fr. Jack Dalrymple at University College Dublin, I979). 'And all must love the human form/ In heathen, Turk or Jew / Where Mercy, Love and Pity dwell / There God is dwelling too. ( William Blake.)
Acts - I - II " You people of Galillee, why are you looking up like that, staring at the sky?" Jesus is now the neighbour who lives beside you; the beggar on your doorstep; the person next to you in the office or on the bus; the man or woman on the street. Stop looking up and look around you instead. Jesus made it very, very clear;
"So long as you did it to any of my people,you did it to me "
I FULLY REALIZED THIS IN MY MIDDLE THIRTIES.
Matthew 25 - 3I. "Do to others what you would have them do to you." This is pure courtesy, and courtesy in its roots is sanctity. Geothe told us: "There is no outward sign of courtesy that does not rest on a sound moral foundation." We can gauge the love of man towards God by the amount of love he shows towards his fellow man. Hilaire Belloc puts it another lovely way: " Of courtesy it is much less / than courage of heart or holiness / but in my walks it seems to me / that the Grace of God / is in courtesy."
I- Samuel 3O-6. " But David took strength from the Lord." Faith and thought belong together, and believing is impossible without thinking. The root of strong religion is
THINKING.
One needs a clear, distinct and well-defined knowledge of Christ. We read in ( John - 8 - 32 ) If you make my Word your home, you will learn the truth and the truth will make you free. Saint Jerome reminded us that - ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.
'Oh let us never doubt, what nobody is sure about'. ( Hilaire Belloc).
James 2 -26. "Faith without good works is dead." Let us not waste time on idle discourse; let us do something while we have the chance. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of immediacy.
How dull it is to rest, to rust unburnished , not to shine in use.
ALFRED lORD TENNYSON.
Mary went ' in haste ' to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was six months pregnant with Saint John.
"There is a tide in the affairs of men, which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune." Shakespeare.
"Do not wait for leaders; do it alone. person to person". Mother Theresa.
Give me faith Lord, and let me help others. (Leo Tolstoy).
Serve one another with whatever gift each one has received. ( St. Peter).
Acts 8 -29. Then the Spirit said to Philip: " Go over and walk along beside the chariot". Philip ran over..." How many people run to do God's bidding? There is no violence as brutal as the violence of apathy.
God expects us to do the ridiculous so that we can achieve the miraculous.. Archbishop Fulton Sheen.
Daniel II - 32. 'But the people who know their God will be strong and do great things'. What do you want me to do for you to-day Lord ? 'If sanctity is real sanctity, it will show itself in the form of courage.' ( Frank Duff ). Do be brave, and mighty forces will come to your aid if you are serious with God.
Habakkuk 3 - I. A man is perfect in faith who can come to the Lord when there is no hope for his future; no solution to the problem; when it seems that all is completely lost, and still say with utter confidence: "Thou art my refuge and my Rock." (George McDonald).
Isaiah 43 - I. "Don't be afraid". The words ' Fear Not ' appear 365 times in the Bible. If you accept this injunction you can enjoy a vibrant and exciting journey through life. If, on the other hand you ignore it, you may end up with a stomach ulcer and a broken spirit. The choice is yours. "I am an old man now, my life has held many problems,
MOST OF WHICH, HAVE NEVER HAPPENED."
(Mark Twain).
Philippians 4 - 6. "Rejoice, and again rejoice. Don't worry about anything!" Thank you Lord for giving me eyes that SAW this tenet many years ago. It has allowed me to enjoy a vibrant and exciting life ever since. Did not St. Theresa of Avila remind us that she asked the Good Lord to deliver her from sullen saints. 'Better an open rebuke than love which remains hidden.' ( prov.27-5). Phil. 4-2O.
Saint Paul is like ''the wise thrush / who sings his song twice over / lest you should think / he never could recapture / the first fine careless rapture."
"I will take care of all your needs." Is there any room for doubt in this statement ? Certainly not ! Then surely our attitude of gloom and doom shouts back at Him: ' We don't believe you!' Do we ever realize how insulting to our
LORD
and Saviour this attitude of ours can be! When and if, we arrive at this conclusion, our lives will become havens of peace. In the words of Corrie Ten Boon : "Don't wrestle; just nestle!"
Proverbs 27 - 4. Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming... All of us are familiar with the verbal bomb, with a hurtful comment which mars a lovely day or worse still, which can destroy someone's life. Let us all endeavour to become stepping stones and not stumbling blocks. Mother Theresa was apt to remind everyone that Christianity begins with a smile. Such a word can make or break. 'Be kind to the lonely people in life; they may be difficult, but we are not all fashioned alike. Some bend to circumstance; others twist and break'. Protect them!
Luke I6-IO.
HE WHO IS CAREFUL IN LITTLE THINGS WILL BE CAREFUL ALSO IN BIG ONES.
A priest friend of mine in Africa , once wrote to me in Dublin asking my advice: He had ten aspirants wanting to enter the seminary that year but could only take five.
How would he know who was best suited in this field? My reply was as follows; I would give each one of them something really insignificant to do, on a certain day of the week, for ten weeks, and then I would secretly monitor them very carefully. It didn't take long to pick out the winners!
Exactitude in small matters is the very soul of discipline.
(Joseph Conrad ). Give good example, show Jesus to the world.
God expects us to do ordinary things extraordinarily well. Mother Theresa reminded us; It is not so much what we do , but the amount of love which we put into the doing that matters. 'Bloom where you're planted!' " I love to live in Malta's clime/ but if that wish is vain/ I'm happy yet in Dublin town/ beneath the pouring rain." ( With apologies to G.k. Chesterton.)
To be holy is to be faithful in little things.
To do the work of Christ is really quite simple / it means to be faithful in little things / for to be faithful in little things is a big thing / it means to do one's task however humble / not only thoroughly but joyfully / it means to make oneself available / yet never to seek the limelight / it means to make oneself useful without seeking to push oneself / it means to carry one's own burden ,without, as far as possible becoming a burden on others / in a word, it means to be at one's post, helpful, loyal, faithful and constant.
Lord, make me an instrument for the building of your kingdom.
Luke I9 - 5. "Come down Zacchaeus, I'm going to dine with you to-day." Jesus came to seek out and to save those who were lost. He even found Zacchaeus up a tree! In this respect how do I score ?
DO I SEEK OUT
or do I wait until they seek me? Do I use my home, my table and my car ? " I don't like this man; I must get to know him." ( Abraham Lincoln.)
Zechariah 4:6. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts - you will succeed because of my Spirit, though you are few and weak." As in the song of Frank Sinatra : "I did it my way" for several years - going it alone. Not to be recommended! " I receive in proportion to my obedience truth from God ; I put myself aside and let Him be." ( Emerson.)
2 Timothy 4 -5. "Leave nothing undone that you ought to do." " The woods are lovely, dark and deep / but I have promises to keep / and miles to go before I sleep." ( Robert Frost.) God knows His workers. Those who heard Him say
" I THIRST "
when on the cross, and who then responded. What hast thou gleaned to-day?
( Ruth 2 - I9 ).
Ecclesiasticus 35 - IO. 'Give to the Most High as He has given you. The Lord will make recompense and will give you seven times as much.' 'Give according to your income, lest God make your income according to your giving.' (Peter Marshall.)
Matthew 5 - 3. ' Humility is perpetual quietness of heart. It is to have no trouble. It is never to be irritated, or sore or disappointed. It is to expect nothing; to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, or when I am blamed and despised. It is to have a blessed home in myself, where I can enter and close the door. Where I can speak to the Father and be at peace, when all outside is trouble and confusion." ( Canon T.T. Carter.)
John I6 - 9. "The sin of the world is unbelief in Me." If you wish to be miserable you must think often about yourself ; about what you want, what you like, what respect people should show you and then to you, nothing will be pure. You will spoil everything you touch; you will make sin and misery out of everything God sends you. You can be as wretched as you choose. ( Charles Kingsley.)
Jeremiah I7 - IO. ' He searches all hearts and examines deepest motives 'Actions receive their merit and value from the disposition of the inner man. Why am I doing this? Have I in mind the spiritual health of my brother? What is my real motive? God will judge my actions in relation to the sentiments which provoke and actuate them. Lord, let everything I do be initiated by love! ' Cleanse your intention and your smallest act will be filled with God.' ( Le Milieu Divin - Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.)
Mark 4 - 24. The Bible tells us the more we try to live out the Gospel in our lives, the more will God reveal Himself to us. If we see Christ in everyone and are Christ to everyone, this will surely happen. "Knowledge comes about in so far as the known is within the knower." ( St. Thomas Aquinas.)
Romans 4 - 2O. 'You will be saved by trusting.' How can we please God unless we trust in Him? If we are genuine believers, just like Abraham, we will thank God in advance for the miracle He will work on our behalf, one way or another. We will thank Him in all circumstances. ( I Thess. 5 - I6,I7,I8.), knowing ' that all things work for the better for those who love God. ( Romans 8-28). The Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran tells us: Faith is an oasis in the heart which can never be reached by the caravan of thinking.
Isaiah I - I8. "Come, let us reason together, saith the Lord. though your sins be scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Amazing! Forgiven in a flash! At the very last moment, just in a few words, the bad thief was forgiven and ushered into heaven.
THAT IS WHAT GOD IS READY TO DO FOR ALL OF US IF WE ARE PREPARED TO BEND 'THAT STIFF NECK'.
Wow!
I John 3 - I8. ' Little children: Let us stop saying we love people; let us really love them and show it by our actions. Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the famous medical doctor and renowned organist, who spent his life treating the poorest of the poor in Africa, had this to say to his students:
" I do not know how your lives will be but this much
I DO KNOW; THE ONLY ONES AMONG YOU WHO WILL KNOW REAL HAPPINESS WILL BE THOSE WHO SEEK AND FIND HOW TO SERVE."
Begin to-day, at the old people's home down the road! "A life without risk is one of mediocrity" (Charles deFoucauld).
Acts 8 - 3O. "Do you understand what you are reading ? How can I
UNLESS SOMEONE INSTRUCTS ME."
Do I seek out and inform those who are hungry for the Word of God ? Am I too shy to do so. If not, now that I have been reminded, I am guilty of the sin of omission.
"YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES"
Jesus told us and that means all of us.' Woe to the enlightened who refuses to evangelise". ( Fr. Tom Forrest.)
Daniel I2 - 3. "And those who are wise - the people of God - shall shine as brightly as the sun's brilliance, and those who turn many to righteousness will glitter like stars forever." 'Some wish to live within the sound of local church and bell / I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell!"
( C. T. Studd.)
luke 6- 46. "So why do you call me Lord, Lord and not do what I say? " Do all the things you can / by all the means you can / in all the ways you can / in all the places you can / at all the times you can / to all the people you can / as long as ever you can. And you will hold heaven in the palm of your hand !!! Amen.
'It dosen't do to boast of course / and modesty's a gem / but how some gardeners praise their peas / makes me ashamed of them / and all the more because, you see / when I sit down to dine / I KNOW no other gardener's peas / are half as good as mine !'
REFLECTION.
I am neither a man of letters nor of science,
but I humbly claim to be a man of prayer.
It is prayer that has saved my life.
Without it I would have lost my reason long ago.
I did not lose my peace of soul, in the midst of my many trials,
It is because of the peace that came to me through prayer.
One can live several days without food, but not without prayer.
Prayer is the key to each morning, and the lock to each evening.
It is a sacred alliance between God and us.
Let everyone try this experience and they will find
that daily prayer will add something new to their lives, something which cannot be found elsewhere.
MAHATMA GANDHI.
Anita Kilbride - Jones
St Paul's Bay Malta
Left to right,
George Bernard Shaw, Hilaire Bellock
and G.K.Chesterton.
