God did not make death,
nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.
For he fashioned all things that they might have being;
and the creatures of the world are wholesome,
and there is not a destructive drug among them
nor any domain of the netherworld on earth,
for justice is undying.
For God formed man to be imperishable;
the image of his own nature he made him.
But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world,
and they who belong to his company experience it. Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24
We are made in God’s nature therefore we are imperishable. This means we must have great love towards ourselves. Stop putting yourself down and having a poor self-image. This should also lead us to respect all human life and see God in all those we make contact with each day. Most importantly, those God put in our lives in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and communities. If God made us imperishable through the death of His Son dying on a cross for us, then we must prepare ourselves for the next life. Death entered the world through the Devil’s envy. The Devil wants to be God and he hates it when we love God and do His will. The Devil is a fallen angel and is very intelligent. Our minds and the world have a negative blanket pulled over our eyes. The saints lifted this veil, saw through it, and conquered evil.
For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.
Not that others should have relief while you are burdened,
but that as a matter of equality. 2 Cor 8:7,9, 13-15
Become poor in something today, mind (pray often and keep negative thoughts out), body (fast from something), or Spirit (die to self and put on Christ). For Christ is the richest, for He has all infinitely. He chose to die to Himself for the Father and became poor for us so that we could become rich and have what He has. We attain this through Baptism in which we die to sin and death and have new life.
When Jesus had crossed again in the boat
to the other side,
a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying,
“My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her
that she may get well and live.”
He went off with him,
and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.
There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?”
But his disciples said to Jesus,
“You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”
While he was still speaking,
people from the synagogue official’s house arrived and said,
“Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?”
Disregarding the message that was reported,
Jesus said to the synagogue official,
“Do not be afraid; just have faith.”
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside
except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion,
people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them,
“Why this commotion and weeping?
The child is not dead but asleep.”
And they ridiculed him.
Then he put them all out.
He took along the child’s father and mother
and those who were with him
and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum,”
which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise!”
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this
and said that she should be given something to eat. Mk 5:21-24, 35-43
Today, Jesus teaches us to trust Him and have faith. The woman with hemorrhages had suffered physically and this led her to believe in Jesus and trust in Him. The synagogue official was taking a big chance because many synagogue officials wanted to kill Jesus. He, too, trusted and his daughter was brought back to life. What does it mean to trust God which leads to faith? The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
227 It means trusting God in every circumstance, even in adversity. A prayer of St. Teresa of Jesus wonderfully expresses this trust: (313, 2090, 2830, 1723)
Let nothing trouble you / Let nothing frighten you
Everything passes / God never changes
Patience / Obtains all
Whoever has God / Wants for nothing
God alone is enough.52
The dictionary says trust is the, “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.”
How do we transform ourselves to have this much trust in God? Pray in silence and listen, reflect on the Scriptures daily, die to self and put on Christ, then put it into action. Be ready to fight Satan, he hates it when you love God and others, and put your full trust in God. Be courageous, be a warrior for Christ! The rewards are eternal!
Become a saint!
Christian YOLO
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