Seeing is Believing

    Seeing is Believing

 There is magic in the moments when we hear His name. Those of us who believe that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead feel that little uplifting of the Spirit every time we see or hear the name of Jesus. Such power to offer peace and add joy to our lives comes from the knowledge that He walks among us, ready at a moment’s notice to show His face.

The two men who walked and talked with Him shortly after He rose from the dead experienced that when, breaking the bread at supper opened their eyes to his presence. So too, when some of His follower's attempts to catch fish proved fruitless, He spoke words of encouragement to them. Instructed by Him to cast their nets in a different place, their efforts resulted in a great abundance. Immediately, they recognized Him for who He was and rushed to shore to share their joy.

St. Peter, knowing the full power of the name of Jesus, used it time and time again to prove to a doubting world that Christ was there, by his side. His enemies found it impossible to combat such a Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. The same is true today. Jesus Christ is visible for all to see. Like Peter, He is visible in the actions of His believers. And, we who believe easily see Him in the world around us. This is no apparition. What we see is the risen Christ. For us, having this vision is a source of great strength and joy.

Jesus said to Thomas: "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Seeing is believing. But, it is in knowing where to look that will lift your spirits and give you comfort and joy at the sight of the Risen Lord, walking among us.

As Catholics we are all called to be the visible Christ in a world so desperate for the peace and happiness He offers to all who believe in Him. One of the best ways to do this in a world so full of daily sorrows is to share the peace, love, and happiness they see in our lives with them, and then lead them to its source, Jesus Christ.

The next time a Doubting Thomas asks you the source of you happiness, give them a peek at the Spirit of Christ you carry with you, in your heart and by your side, filling each day with the joy that can only come from loving one another in the most perfect way, the Christian way.

J. Siler

Why did you buy them “that” gift?

The Christmas Season, that brief span of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, is filled with a rush of emotions. With each person we select to buy a gift for comes one or more emotions we hope to express.

For some people it is a gesture of thanksgiving. For others it is a feeling of hope. Still others,love enduring, love beginning, sometimes even love lost with hope of restoring.

Each gift carries on its golden wings a message for the recipient. Make a friend, fill a need, sooth hurt feelings, or inspire them to self improvement, the list goes on.

Look at the gifts you have purchased. What message are you sending with them? If there is no message, you have wasted your time and money and need to put more thought into your gift giving. Imagine you went out in search of that one special gift to tell them how you feel.

For many a Christmas card and a brief phone call is all they need. If you want to buy someone a gift, focus on the message you hope to sent along and write it on the card you send with it. Along the way you will discover the true meaning of the Christmas Season. It is a renewal, a reawakening, an appreciation of the many sources of love we have in our lives.

For me, Jesus Christ is my greatest source. My gift to Him should always be to love my neighbor, and myself of course. His birth reminds us all of the gifts he continually showers on us everyday of our lives. All He asks is that we share His great love with those around us.

The Golden Rule ~ Broken Everyday

Everyone knows the Golden Rule, but have you ever wondered its source, where it came from, what wise man first penned the phrase and gave it to all of us as a gift? The answer may surprise you.

The natural inclination in searching for the source is to look to the ancient religions. Surely we will find a wise man there who scrawled it on a sheet of papyrus or carefully chiseled it into the face of a stone tablet. What we find surprises us.

Judaism ~ "What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary"

Hindu ~"This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you"

Buddhism ~ "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful"

Islam ~ "No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself"

Confucianism ~ "Surely it is the maxim of loving-kindness: Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you"

There are more religions, each one reads like a warning of things you should not do. Then we look at the Christian version of the Golden Rule given to us By Jesus Christ. What do we discover? Here it is.

Christianity ~ "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets". In modern times this has been rewritten to say, “Always do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Other religions used the Golden Rule to warn against bad behavior towards one another. The Christian version is a call to extend the kindnesses you find in your own heart to those around you, always, not just when you are inclined to.

It is the only version of the Golden Rule that promotes a positive interaction. It is the only version written by God. All the others were written by men who wish to appear god-like and keep the peace.

When you break the Christian version of this rule you do as much or more damage to yourself as a person as you do to them as an individual worthy of your kindness. Following this rule will lead to much happiness in your life. “Always do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

 

Love relationships were not meant to be accidental.

 

A very special relationship, one selected from many a true love relationship, is found only between the best of friends, where there are no irreconcilable differences that place limits on the trust they have for each other. The intimate, physical confirmation of this relationship is then limited to the one close friend who makes the commitment to fill all our needs, every day, for the rest of our lives.

All other true love relationships we have respect this line drawn in the sand. Yes! It is possible to have more than one true love relationship at one time, but, only one intimate one, because that single love relationship requires a 100 percent commitment.

Every one of these relationships is as unique and different as the two people who are an equal part of it. And yet, all true love relationships end up appearing to be the same: They all match our preconceived expectations of what a true love relationship should be. How is this possible?

The key appears not to be in what they have in common, but rather in what their differences are. But unlike friends who simply accept each other’s differences, these special love relationships rely on each other’s differences to help them live their lives to the fullest, to help them feel complete.

Just as where the differences between men and women make it possible for the human species to survive extinction, each one contributing their strengths to the common good, so too, do couples in a strong love relationship rely heavily on each other’s mental, physical, and emotional differences to create the peace, and love, and happiness that seems to fill their daily lives.

It truly is the discovery of these unique differences and the merging of these two “halves” to make one “whole” couple that creates the beautiful relationships we recognize almost instantly every time we encounter one of them.

God has a plan regarding our love relationships. Foremost in His plan is to provide us with a feeling of peace, free from the fear we feel when trust is not present, as well as our fear that our weaknesses will cause our downfall. It is this love relationship that we seek until we find it. To believe it happened by accident fails to give God credit for a great plan.

Wrap yourself in Christ

Jesus Christ protects those who choose to believe in Him. Like the white garment wrapped around us at Baptism, He invites us to wrap ourselves with His Spirit. Even as the cold wind of the evils found in our imperfect world swirl around us from time to time, we remain safe in the arms of our Savior.

It is this faith in Him that give us the courage to stand tall in the midst of great dangers, or to suffer a little in the silence that builds character, to confirm our faith by our resolve, and to wrap ourselves in the cloak of Grace provided by a loving God.

By the Grace of God we resist the temptations that threaten our moral character, by our suffering we declare our willingness to follow in the footsteps of Christ, the cross we carry a mere sliver of the heavy one He carried to His crucifixion, until at last we join Him in the immortal joy that is our reward for our faith.

By design it was never intended that this should be easy, with no effort offered, no tears shed, no pain of a repentant mind seeking redemption for a lost soul. Christ came, not only to show us how to live, but also to show us how to die.

Without whimper or cry, he faced the injustice of life as a human being wrongly accused. He stood silently and turned the other cheek, rather than blemish a soul untarnished by hate. He bore a cross, not of His own making, but one made up of the transgressions of all of us in our many imperfections. Near the end He cried out, "Father, forgive them." At the end of our lives will we be able to do the same for our transgressors?

Wrap yourself in Christ now. He will protect you from the hate that lurks in the shadows of your life that can penetrate your physical presence, and corrupt a soul created in the true beauty of the image of God. A soul wrapped carefully in Christ has the power to perform miracles in His name, and in their faith, be taken into Heaven when they have suffered only a little in His name. 

Only with His help can we share in His ultimate act of sacrificial love. "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."  Do not allow hate to tarnish your soul.

J.Siler

The Bread of Life

 Hungry?

Time and time again we seek out the Bread of Life to nourish our souls, treasuring the experience and the peace of mind it provides. Each time we do Christ speaks to us through the Word of God. This is the purpose of "The Holy Eucharist", to give us the strength and nourishment we need to follow His commandments.

Each time we return to the table of the Lord and receive this great gift from Jesus Christ, God the Father longs to hear us ask what we can offer in return. When we offer ourselves to God in this way, the Holy Spirit descends upon us to help us in our labors. It is in the asking that we set in motion the fulfillment of God's greatest wish for us, Eternal life.

Each time we sit at the table of the Lord, He will whisper in our ear. It gives Him great joy to see us there. And, when we depart, filled with The Spirit, we know it will not be long before we will be hungry again.

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Wisdom Born of Fear

The wisdom of man is born of fear, whereas the wisdom of God is born of love. It has always been this way. In the early days of the church Christ started, it was fear that drove the Jewish leadership to persecute the Apostles. In the end it was a greater fear that led them to stop.

These apostles were teaching people to love and offering a cleansing called Baptism that offered redemption for their sins, a cleansing far more powerful than the ritual cleansing offered to the people at the Jewish temple. The Pharisees and other religious leaders all feared they were losing control over the people drawn to this new teaching.

As these powerful men gathered to decide the fate of the Apostles, one of them stood and urged caution, caution born of fear. What if the Apostles were right. Surely the wrath of God would descend upon those who stood in His way.

The Pharisee Gamaliel said to the Sanhedrin, "I tell you, have nothing to do with these men, and let them go. For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God."

There is an important message there we must carry with us as we grow our faith in this world. The things we build will not remain standing for long if they are of human origin. Without God's help and guidance we will continue to use wisdom born of fear to make the decisions that will ultimately decide our fate.

If you hope to build a life that will carry you into the next, wisdom born of love, the love taught by Jesus Christ, should always be your guide. Then, what you build will stand tall and shine brightly for all to see, just as it did for the Apostles and the church they helped build for us.

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