As I reflect on this verse, I find great comfort in knowing that the Holy Spirit has promised us His Peace. I am in the midst of recovering from an illness. The physical pain seems so unbearable at times. My head hurts from a migraine headache. My body feels week from the effects of the flu. My back hurts. I feel chills all over my body. And while suffering through this physical pain, I also have to care for my young children. They are still so dependent on me for most of their needs.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27)
As I reflect on this verse, I find great comfort in knowing that the Holy Spirit has promised us His Peace. I am in the midst of recovering from an illness. The physical pain seems so unbearable at times. My head hurts from a migraine headache. My body feels week from the effects of the flu. My back hurts. I feel chills all over my body. And while suffering through this physical pain, I also have to care for my young children. They are still so dependent on me for most of their needs.
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Have you ever noticed that our Blessed Mother’s first words in the Gospel of St. Luke are repeated, in one form or another, throughout the gospels? Luke 1:34a reads, “But Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be?’"
“Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone instructs me?’ So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.” (Acts 8:30-31)
The Ethiopian, whom Philip met on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, must have been a great and knowledgeable man, since he served as the Nubian queen’s treasurer. Though he was a man of position, he was also humble. He readily admitted that he did not understand what he was reading in the Book of Isaiah and needed someone to help him discern its meaning. Philip explained the scripture to the Ethiopian and helped him to understand how it applied to Jesus. Ultimately, Philip baptized the Ethiopian and continued on his way home rejoicing. “But during the night, the angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said, ‘Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life.’” (Acts 5:19-20)
This passage is taken from St. Luke’s account of the disciples’ trial before the Sanhedrin. The Sadducees, filled with envy, imprisoned them. But the Lord rescued the apostles and sent His angels to bring them out of the darkness and solitude of their prison cells. They were led by the angels, and with this they were instructed to “Go …, and tell the people everything about this life.” (Acts 5:20) "You will show me the path to life, bounding joy in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever." (Ps 16:11)
Some of us have a vision of our future, perhaps consisting of choosing the right college, where to spend summer vacation, which school to send our children, the type of job we will work in, or when we plan to retire. These are our short-term and long-term goals, which may include goals within a span of 1 year, 5 years, or 10 years. However, may I turn the question around and ask, “Where does God see us in 5 years?” In Genesis 2:1-3a we read: “Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed. On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing; he rested... God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.” The Sabbath was created by God not for Himself but for man to know that he should stop working, turn to the Creator, and worship! Since seven is a deeply symbolic number in Scripture, signifying perfection, God wanted us to exercise our role as priest, as we are anointed at baptism. With the Third Commandment given through Moses on Mount Sinai, God calls us to “remember the sabbath day—keep it holy…You shall not do any work” (Ex 20:8,10a).
Jesus said to his disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36).
Out of the ten synonyms of “mercy” cited in the Thesaurus, three words struck me: compassion, forgiveness, and sympathy. From these synonyms, how do we practice mercy in our daily encounters with our family, friends or strangers? When we encounter a homeless person, do we show contempt because the person does not meet our standards of being “human” or compassion, by going out of our way to offer money or food? When a loved one hurts us intentionally, do we easily accept the person’s request for reconciliation, or do we hold the person in contempt and continue to let bitterness rule our heart and mind? When an acquaintance or co-worker encounters a trial in life, do we reach out with compassion; or do we simply ignore what happened, thinking and even judging, that it was his fault and that he is deserving of such a fate. But his servants came up and reasoned with him. “My father,” they said, “if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, ‘Wash and be clean,’ should you do as he said.” (2 Kgs 5:13)
Like Naaman, we always look for the “extraordinary” in things. The more mind-blowing, the more miraculous, the better we think something is. That’s why the Israelites couldn’t accept Jesus as their Savior, he wasn’t flashy, wasn’t extraordinary like David’s bravery or Solomon’s wisdom. He was the son of a carpenter, born in a stable; how could He save the world? Personally, I have experienced the Naaman in me many times and continue to struggle with it. One of the articles in the CN that came out a couple of weeks ago reflected on the sin of gossip and how those who are guilty of it often don’t even realize it. The same thing can be said of the sin of self-righteousness. Saturday’s gospel about the Pharisee and the tax collector (Lk 18:10-14) illustrates this point very clearly. In fact, if asked, most people would usually identify with the humble tax collector. Even after being in BLD for many years, I find it not very difficult to imagine myself in the Pharisee’s shoes. What do you suppose a modern-day Pharisee might be thinking?
Just recently, a phrase from a praise song got stuck in my head, repeated itself over and over: “We’ll see Jesus face to face.” So I started reflecting on what that would be like. I thought of songs like There Will Be a Day by Jeremy Camp and I Can Only Imagine, which I like very much because it anticipates someday being in His presence.
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