“I will
praise you Lord for you have rescued me.”
Indeed Christ
has rescued us all through his eternal sacrifice and Divine Mercy
pouring out over us all. As the Spring comes upon us so has the
Resurrection and glorification of us all. Yes, Christ has also
glorified us as his children. How wonderful and beautiful is that? He
is always with us regardless of what we say and do. In our darkest
moments he is there guiding us through them. I was reminded of this
today as I witnessed the most spectacular sunrise; the breaking forth
of the dawn. The world was quiet. The sky was overcast. There were no
cars on the road this morning except for mine. Whatever I had to do
today, no matter how busy I was going to be, I had this amazing
moment that made me realize how much I loved my children, my family,
and my vocation. Yes Lord, I am a sinner and I am not perfect, yet
you lave me so much that you gave me this perfect beginning to
another glorious day. I couldn't help but compare it to the day of
the resurrection. Was it the same? Just like this? A deafening
silence blanketing the world; hinting that something wonderful was
going to happen?
We are promised
an faith experience much like this every day if we only recognize
God's Creation and our place within it. Keeping God central in our
lives is important to our real happiness and joy. There is always a
threat that this realization will be clouded by the demands and
structure of society. Within society, there is attempt to put
everything in its place and to label particular things. We are asked
to carry about our duties while ignoring God; putting particular
expectations above and beyond our spiritual health. We are
desensitized to the fact that there are people suffering and hurting
all around us. The individual person is forgotten in favor of the
bigger picture. We can become adrift in generalities while the eyes
of a child are forgotten. Far across the world, an international
crisis is looming in North Korea that may have implications for us
all. Yet, we must all remember that there is also a small ten year
old North Korean boy abandoned by his parents in the capital city. He
is all alone, unable to walk because he is starving and has nowhere
to go. He wears an old army jacket as he struggles to keep warm. He
is dying, if not already dead, while the North Korean Army loads up
rice into trucks nearby. Meanwhile, people walk by him as if he
doesn't exist. We must acknowledge he exists just as there are so
many other children around the world suffering from the same fate.
We are
encouraged to achieve a higher awareness of the beauty of the world
and the imperfections that it offers. We are not perfect thus the
world is not perfect. In that case we must do what we can to
influence and change the lives of the individual person for the
greater glory of God and his kingdom here on this earth. It is a
commission that was given to us by Jesus Christ. Jesus reminds us
that the sick and suffering are blessed indeed. He feels their pain
and longs to end it through the intercession of us. For when we
intercede on his behalf, we too are healed. That is why it feels good
when we do good. So, if it feels good to do acts of charity and the
work of Christ, why don't we do it all the time? We can. If we only
keep God central in our lives. Every action and every deed becomes an
exemplification of him.
The vision set
forth in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 5:11-14) offers us a
vision of unity and glorification of Christ through the Eucharist.
When we celebrate mass, we are sharers in that wonderful moment. We
are all invited to partake in that singular moment that unifies us
all throughout eternity. We are then capable of taking that moment
and permitting it to affect our entire week before we gather again to
consume that spiritual food which enjoins ourselves to our Savior.
What we celebrate here unifies us with everyone around the world:
those behind prison walls and those who have built walls around
themselves through tragedy, pain, suffering, and crisis.
No one is truly
lost. Everyone faces their own struggles, sins, and obstacles to the
greater glory. We are commissioned to evangelize the faith and rescue
those who may have lost their way with compassion and love.
Regardless of where we are we have an ability to make a difference.
Saving one person, giving one person hope and love, showing one
person the way to truth and love cancels a multitude of sins. We
learn this through the Letter of James. When we save someone we are
truly saving ourselves in the process.
Deacon Tom
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