In God We Trust

Where do you usually find this statement? In the U.S currency. That’s right, yet many of us never notice it. First Isaiah proclaims this message:

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might. (Isaiah 12:2)

How often does fear keep us from trusting? How often does it keep us from being and doing what God is calling us to be and do? Jesus came to tell us that love is more powerful than fear, and His life and death testified to his deep trust in His Father.

Many times, he told His disciples, “Do not be afraid.” Let us truly live the words In God we trust.

By Your Mercy

Nothing is beyond Your power.
Fire and ice cannot be joined;
Either the fire dies, or the ice melts.
But by Your mercy, O God,
You can make up for all that is lacking.

Fear of the Lord

The phrase “fear of the Lord” is used fourteen times in Proverbs. You might ask why the author of Proverbs keeps telling us to be afraid of God. It’s a reminder that God is far from ordinary. To fear the Lord is to take God very seriously.

To Love Kindness

Just as violence leads to more violence, so also can kindness create more kindness. No wonder the prophet Micah includes kindness in his simple formula for doing God’s will: “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8)

Prepare the Way

Take a few moments to reflect on the following dialog:
Prophet: Prepare the way of the Lord!
Listener: Who, me?
Prophet: Yes, of course, you!
Listener: But that’s John the Baptist’s job.
Prophet: Was. That was John the baptist’s job. Now, it belongs to you, as a follower of Christ.
Listener: So, what do I do? Where do I start?
Prophet: Listen to Jesus. Nurture your relationship with God through prayer, reading the Bible. Live a happy life, holy, and healthy life in order to be a light for others. Share what you believe with others so that they can also find their way. By the way, you are not alone.
Listener: You mean there are a lot of us preparing the way?
Prophet: That’s right.
Listener: Well, then, I’m on my way—or rather, we are on God’s way.

Who, me?

How many times have we said those two words? Or heard others say them? Jeremiah is no exception. He tries to claim that he is too young and to get out of what he is being called to do. The Lord reassures him:” Do not be afraid…/ for I am with you to deliver you”. How can Jeremiah—indeed, any of us—-turn down a call like this? God has known each of us from the beginning of time. God has a dream for us, a challenge, no matter what our age or situation.
Can you be open to that challenge?

Who, me? Yes, you! What is God calling you to? What excuses do you use to avoid deepening your relationship with God?

Jeremiah 9:23-24

This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boast, boast about this: that he understands and knows Me, that I’m the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in this I delight,” declares the Lord.

Things God Hates

God hates sin just as a father hates a rattle-snake that threatens the safety and life of His child or as a mother hates a venomous spider that is found playing on the soft, warm flesh of her little baby.

Quote from George H. W. Bush

We all have something to give. So if you know how to read, find someone who can’t.
If you’ve got a hammer, find a nail. If you’re not hungry, not lonely, not in trouble—seek out someone who is.

The Depth and Intensity of Mother Teresa’s Holiness

For decades, Mother Teresa and her work received extensive public interest. In view of all the attention she garnered during her lifetime, and particularly at the time of her death several years ago at the end of August, at the age of 87, THE QUESTION arises:
What was the source of this attractive force drawing SO MANY PEOPLE to her? She would have certainly preferred to remain UNNOTICED. She considered herself just “A PENCIL IN GOD’s HAND” ( Speech, Rome, March 1979) and was convinced that God was using her “NOTHINGNESS” to show “HIS GREATNESS”. She never took credit for her accomplishments and always tried to divert the attention she received to GOD and “HIS WORK” among the poorest of the poor. Yet it was not in God’s providential plan for her to remain unknown. People of all creeds and walks of life recognized her selfless love and compassion for the poor; they admired her simplicity and genuineness, and were attracted by the JOY and PEACE that radiated from her. At the same time, all those who met her, even just once, were left with the sense that there was SOMETHING MORE BEHIND HER PENETRATING GAZE.

Mother Teresa could not hide her work among the poor, but what she did manage to keep hidden— and with astonishing success—were the most profound aspects of HER RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. She was determined to keep these secrets of love far from mortal eyes. Her silence now stands as a testimony to her humility and the delicacy of her love. Mother Teresa accepted all the inferior and exterior sufferings God gave her as a PRIVILEGE, using them to fulfill the aim of her life. She knew that after the pain of the Passion, the joy of the Resurrection would dawn. “GOD IS IN LOVE WITH US AND KEEPS GIVING HIMSELF TO THE WORLD– THROUGH YOU–THROUGH ME…”