“WILL NOT GOD THEN SECURE THE RIGHTS OF HIS CHOSEN ONES WHO CALL OUT TO HIM DAY AND NIGHT?” LK 18:1-8
Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary and Joseph.
Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
He said, “There was a judge in a certain town
who neither feared God nor respected any human being.
And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,
‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’
For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,
‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being,
because this widow keeps bothering me
I shall deliver a just decision for her
lest she finally come and strike me.’”
The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night?
Will he be slow to answer them?
I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Lk 18:1-8
This is how I fell in love with Jesus. Talking to God-Prayer, Listening to God-reading the Gospels everyday, sitting in silence, and writing down what came to mind.
Talk to Him throughout the day, when you are going to school and see the beautiful sunrise, when you pray with others at school, when you go to Mass and receive Him. If you don’t know what to say, just ask Him. Jesus, give me the words I need to speak. He will help you. Jesus prayed often and taught us how to pray the Lord’s Prayer. It usually is not an instant response, it takes time, maybe even years. The persistent widow is a great model of prayer for us.
Bishop Barron says, “Prayer is the still-point in which everything in the cosmos is circling around you.” He also explains in his book “The Strangest Way”, that prayer is God the Father and God the Son speaking to each other about you. So cool! It’s crucial for a soul to sit silently in that still-point and listen to what God is saying about you everyday in the same place at the same time.
Never give up praying, do it daily no matter how hard it is. God is always faithful, remain faithful to Him. The rewards are eternal. For me, no matter how hard life gets, I have a friendship that calms me and guides me after many years of wrestling over life’s toughest issues. Jesus and I are best friends and He brings a very deep and abiding peace within me. He is truly alive and I can feel His presence. This is the fruit of many long hours of prayer in my life.
Right now the Holy Spirit is continuing to place in my heart the word chosen. The film series “Chosen” is very popular and the cinematography is phenomenal. After watching it, it should lead us to reading the Gospels and falling in love with Jesus. Here is the Old Testament Verse the show begins with, “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, Jacob, and formed you, Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 NABRE
In the Vine and the Branches, Jesus teaches us, “16 It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” What I am learning about and meditating on is that I have had it all backwards. I thought I was supposed to seeking and trying to find God. The Truth is that God is always present. God the Father is madly in love with me and is chasing after me fiercely everyday. In prayer, the Mass, the Eucharist, Confession, in each person I meet today and can uniquely love that He put here for me to love, reading the Bible, Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy are places set forth for us to respond to Him. Bishop Barron said, “A practical prayer we can pray is God I know you want a relationship with me, right now I open my heart to you.”
There are often addictions, seeking material goods, and Satan getting in the way and blocking the door of heart to say these words to God. I don’t know about you but I was afraid to allow God to rule my life and be the King of my Heart. I thought He would take away my fun or what I wanted to do. I can tell you from experience, it is the exact opposite. Don’t allow Satan and your fallen nature to rule your life, surrender and allow God in. It is one amazing spiritual ride!
Today’s challenge: Set an alarm on your phone to pray at the same time in the same place everyday. Start small, just a couple minutes a day, then it will grow. If you don’t know what to say, just ask God. He knows how to pray. Prayer takes many forms, find one that helps you, challenges you, and builds a lasting relationship with the One who loves you more than you love yourself and will do anything to bring you back to Him, even send His only Son to fulfill the covenant He promised by giving His very life, His blood, and now His Spirit lives on in us! Isn’t this what you are truly desiring in the very depths of your heart. It is a scary place to go to, but the rewards are eternal!
Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO
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