Humbly submit your will to God (thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary.
Jesus said to his disciples:
“As it was in the days of Noah,
so it will be in the days of the Son of Man;
they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage up to the day
that Noah entered the ark,
and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot:
they were eating, drinking, buying,
selling, planting, building;
on the day when Lot left Sodom,
fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all.
So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed.
On that day, someone who is on the housetop
and whose belongings are in the house
must not go down to get them,
and likewise one in the field
must not return to what was left behind.
Remember the wife of Lot.
Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,
but whoever loses it will save it.
I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed;
one will be taken, the other left.
And there will be two women grinding meal together;
one will be taken, the other left.”
They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?”
He said to them, “Where the body is,
there also the vultures will gather.” Lk 17:26-37
I think most of us are afraid to die, it’s part of being human. Peter Kreeft says, “We are more afraid to die to self than we are to die in our bodies.” All of us have tried to change. Change is one of the most difficult things to do. We cannot become a saint unless we change because we have inherited a fallen human nature. This change, or conversion, is looking at things in a completely different way through a friendship with Jesus. Jesus is telling us that if we only seek to improve and preserve our bodies we are missing the point. The point of this life God has given to us as a gift is to prepare our Spirits for eternal spiritual life. We are the only creation that has a body so that we can bring forth new life and love with our bodies. Our body and souls are interwoven so that each loving deed you do with your body helps your soul get to heaven. I would like to share two saints who have taught us how to become saints through loving deeds.
First, one who wanted to be a missionary out in the world and take care of those in need but lived her short life in a convent, St. Therese of Lisieux. She struggled for a long time to understand how God wanted her to love. Finally, she learned that God wanted her to love in each “little way” or little act she did in her prayers and for those she lived with in her convent. Her story always reminds me to do each little act around the house and with my family with love. It is consoling when times get tough, dull, or boring.
Second, St. Mother Teresa spent most of her life with the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India. As I was sitting in adoration reading her book it jumped right out at me, she says, “it is not how much we accomplish each day but how much love we put into each act that we do.” Jesus doesn’t have any World Series rings, Superbowl trophies, millions of dollars from acting in a blockbuster film, and He was not famous for being a great political leader. Why do so many people 2,000 years later still follow Him? Why is He so “popular”? First, He is God. When you encounter God, you are moved. Most importantly, He taught us how to love. God’s love is the most powerful thing in the world! “Love one another as I have loved you”. JN 13:34
Today’s challenge: Love, do good deeds, stop entertaining yourself to death and get up and do something for someone out of love while you still have a body.
Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO
In this Gospel Passage today, we hear Jesus telling us this: “So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them.” Let’s say there was a fire, and you had to get out of the house quickly. Would you go back and get your belongings, or would you help your family escape? Either way, you’re risking your own life. It depends on what you risk your life for. Jesus says “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it,
but whoever loses it will save it.” Yes, if you lose your life in a fire, you die right? But why exactly did you lose it? Did you lose it for earthly and material things, or for the good of others? We must prepare our minds for the time when Christ comes again. Would you be willing to lose you life for Christ or would you refuse to pay back, even a little piece, of what Jesus did for you? Miss Emily Savage said yesterday, “If you were the only person on earth, and you sinned, Jesus would still die in that exruciating way for YOU.” He loves us so much that He would die a thousand times on the cross again, if it would save you and help you to understand how much He loves you. Could you do the same for Him? Even if it was just to die to ourself, to show humility, could we do it? We think so much about what others think about us, when the only thing that matters is what Jesus Christ thinks of us. I hope this reflection helps everyone (including me) to better understand what we mean to God, and what He means to us.
Mr. Goertz, feel better soon! I’m offering this reflection up to Jesus, as a prayer, for you to feel better!
Leila,
I am humbled that you would do such a thing. I am so blessed to have such selfless people in my life. I am praying for each one of you for an amazing Confirmation experience this weekend and next weekend.
God Bless,
Mr. Goertz
Thank you!