Everyday Saints
As a child I was wrong about saints, but even more importantly, I didn’t fully realize that all of us are called to be saints! Me, a saint? Holiness is not something simply studied in books. It is the way of life we are all called to live.
Calculating Love
The truth is, the modern world increasingly seems to have no real idea what love is or how to determine when love is real. That makes the seemingly simple words of Jesus about loving God and your neighbor very complex indeed.
Chosen
When God chose you and me, He had all the information needed to make the choice, and He chose us anyway! I don’t know about you, but if given the chance I’m not sure I’d have chosen myself. God sees in me something that at times seems hidden to me.
Respond with Love
Do you remember a time when you spent much time or money on a surprise or gift for someone else and they failed to appreciate it? We do open ourselves up to disappointment if our expectations do not match the response.
Gifts Given to Share
God gives us gifts every day and we too often act like those gifts will simply always be there. The truth is, unlike God Himself, many of those gifts are not eternal. If we fail to acknowledge them and put them to use, we risk losing them in the end.
Is It the Thought That Counts?
The intentionality of our actions is important, but intentionality without action is meaningless. How we act and what we give serves as evidence of our intentions and indicates where our heart truly lies. We need to make sure our desires are moving us to act.
Be Sure to Look the Part
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we certainly do not want to fake it, but we do need to look the part. The world looks at those of us who proclaim to be Christians to see if there is anything to this way of life. Can the world see the power of Christ in you?
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
What gifts or talents are needed for the task at hand? Where is God leading me? No one should have to decide the answers to these questions alone. We need to always lean on the Body of Christ to help us see the path that God has laid before us.
The Blessing of the Community
It is a natural tendency for human beings to desire belonging to something bigger than themselves. Communities are in many ways living organisms that move and breathe based upon the individuals who form that body. A community is truly the sum of its parts.
The Vision of Stewardship
Like the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the secret to living happily ever after lies in not getting all you ever wanted, but instead in giving all you ever wanted away. When we have emptied ourselves and allowed Jesus to fill the open spaces in us, we become different.
The Choice of Stewardship
We are not simply called to be active parishioners, but instead be active disciples all the time. What have we really done if we only act like disciples of Jesus Christ while we are assembled with others who claim to be the same? The choice before us is to give of ourselves.
The Challenge of Stewardship
Every day, we are called by Christ to respond in some way. The more practice we have at giving of ourselves freely and living in His presence, the easier it is to discern that call. Once we hear the call, the choice is ours: will we respond with yes or no?