October 2016 - Shepherd of Faith

St. John Chrysostom

A beautiful sermon by St. John Chrysostom I wanted to share. I thought it was the perfect time, just a few days before the election, when so many are expressing a fear of what is to come.

The waters have risen and severe storms are upon us, but we do not fear drowning, for we stand firmly upon a rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock. Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus. What are we to fear? Death? Life to me means Christ, and death is gain. Exile? ‘The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord. The confiscation of goods? We brought nothing into this world, and we shall surely take nothing from it. I have only contempt for the world’s threats, I find its blessings laughable. I have no fear of poverty, no desire for wealth. I am not afraid of death nor do I long to live, except for your good. I concentrate therefore on the present situation, and I urge you, my friends, to have confidence.

Do you not hear the Lord saying: Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst? Will he be absent, then, when so many people united in love are gathered together? I have his promise; I am surely not going to rely on my own strength! I have what he has written; that is my staff, my security, my peaceful harbour. Let the world be in upheaval. I hold to his promise and read his message; that is my protecting wall and garrison. What message? Know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!

If Christ is with me, whom shall I fear? Though the waves and the sea and the anger of princes are roused against me, they are less to me than a spider’s web. Indeed, unless you, my brothers, had detained me, I would have left this very day. For I always say “Lord, your will be done”; not what this fellow or that would have me do, but what you want me to do. That is my strong tower, my immovable rock, my staff that never gives way. If God wants something, let it be done! If he wants me to stay here, I am grateful. But wherever he wants me to be, I am no less grateful.

Yet where I am, there you are too, and where you are, I am. For we are a single body, and the body cannot be separated from the head nor the head from the body. Distance separates us, but love unites us, and death itself cannot divide us. For though my body die, my soul will live and be mindful of my people.

You are my fellow citizens, my fathers, my brothers, my sons, my limbs, my body. You are my light, sweeter to me than the visible light. For what can the rays of the sun bestow on me that is comparable to your love? The sun’s light is useful in my earthly life, but your love is fashioning a crown for me in the life to come.

I hope you are inspired to trust in the Lord ALWAYS! God bless you!

Healing our world!

Did you ever think YOU could do something about the world we live in? If you have, like me, you were probably immediately discouraged by the realization that you are just one person in this huge world. The truth is we have a place in this world for a reason. We owe it to our world to take small steps toward healing it. So today, I’m sharing the words of Pope Benedict XVI and hope you are encouraged and inspired.

It’s true we may not live to see the difference we’ve made. However, we must remember that every little bit counts. Every little bit we do can help change the world’s trajectory. The world seems to be on a downward spiral and we’re traveling there fast. I wonder if it’s because we’re taking a passive role in society. I wonder if it’s because most of us believe there’s nothing we can do. Pope Benedict’s words remind us of something quite simple we can do. It may even be something we do already.

So let’s make a CONSCIOUS effort to do our part! God bless you!

“Our first duty, therefore, precisely in order to heal this world, is to be holy, configured to God; in this way we emanate a healing and transforming power that also acts on others, on history. . . In this regard, it us useful to reflect that the Twelve Apostles were not perfect men, chosen for their moral and religious irreproachability. They were indeed believers, full of enthusiasm and zeal but at the same time marked by their human limitations, which were sometimes even serious. Therefore Jesus did not call them because they were already holy, complete, perfect, but so that they might become so, so that they might thereby also transform history, as it is for us, as it is for all Christians.”
— Pope Benedict XVI, p. 45, an excerpt from Take Five