Author: Heart and Soul (Page 3 of 9)

At Mass yesterday, we read a beautiful story from the Gospel of Mark. Jesus’ public ministry is growing, and the crowds surrounding Him and the apostles are growing in size. The apostles are with Jesus, telling Him about the things they have been doing to assist in proclaiming the Good News.

Jesus and the apostles are weary. The demands and needs of the crowds are so great, there is not even always time for them to eat. This must have been quite a scene! Jesus suggests they all go to a deserted area, to rest for a bit. So they set off in a boat with Jesus, but otherwise by themselves.

Here’s what happens next:

“People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. When He [Jesus] disembarked and saw the vast crowd, His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.” Mark 6: 32-34

The story goes on to describe that, as the evening wears on, Jesus performs a miracle, turning five loaves of bread and two fish into enough food to feed five thousand people who have gathered to hear the teachings of Christ.

I treasure this story for two reasons. First, the story wonderfully depicts the depth of Jesus’ humanity. Jesus and the apostles are exhausted, but upon seeing the crowd waiting there, Jesus, who is moved with compassion, walks right back into the mass of people and begins listening to their questions and teaching them more about the Kingdom of God.

Jesus knows His time on earth is limited, and He does not want to squander even one opportunity to share the power and wonder of living and loving as God does. Jesus is trying to draw every soul that He can to the Father. He never tires of encouraging us to open our hearts to God. Jesus knows that when we allow God to enter our hearts and to make us good, we unleash the very power of God in our lives.

The Gospel story reiterates the metaphor of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, and it’s compelling. Jesus’ love and compassion, as He physically and spiritually feeds His flock, is on full display.

The second reason I love this story is because of the image it creates of people running to Jesus, and longing to hear more from Him. It must have been incredible to personally hear and observe Jesus teaching and engaging with the crowds. People are actively trying to discern:

“Is Jesus who He says He is? And if yes, what does this mean for my life? Do I trust in and follow Him? Or do I keep doing my own thing?”

There was an urgency to these questions, for they did not know how long Jesus would remain in their midst. Jesus was constantly moving around, during His three years of public ministry. People had to decide whether to adopt His teachings and to allow this new way of living to transform their lives.

The same urgency to decide about Jesus still exists today.

Jesus is no longer physically present among us, but the Holy Spirit is here, working through others and within our very own hearts, compelling us to decide whether or not we accept Jesus as the Son of God. But accepting Christ as the Son of God is merely the first step. We must also choose to allow Jesus to actively work in our hearts, and to transform the way we live.

Choosing the Christian life is not merely an intellectual exercise. C. S. Lewis describes things in this manner:

“The Christian thinks any good he does comes from the Christ-life inside him. He does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us … When [Christians] speak of being ‘in Christ,’ or of Christ being ‘in them,’ this is not simply a way of saying that they are thinking about Christ or copying Him. They mean that Christ is actually operating through them; that the whole mass of Christians are the physical organism through which Christ acts — that we are His fingers and muscles, the cells of His body. … [This new life with Christ] is not merely the spreading of an idea; it is more like evolution.”¹

But how do we recognize Jesus moving in our lives today? Why doesn’t God engage with us in more tangible ways? And why does God leave us to our own devices when it comes to deciding about whether to accept Jesus as the Son of God? C. S. Lewis posed similar questions:

“Why is God landing in this enemy-occupied world in disguise … why is He not landing in force, invading it?”²

Both the New and Old Testaments provide answers to these questions. God does not invade our lives and force us to follow and love Him because “God IS love … There is no love in fear. Perfect love casts out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4: 16, 18

God wants us to choose to love Him out of our own free will — love cannot be forced or coerced.

Yes, God has a plan for our lives (Jeremiah 29: 11), but we can completely miss that plan if we are not paying attention. We can also choose to ignore the plan. A story about Moses in the Old Testament confirms this for us. When Moses leads the Jews out of 400 years of slavery in Egypt, he describes a Promised Land — a land of many resources and blessings.

Before they enter the Promised Land, God, through Moses, said the same thing to the people then that Jesus is still saying to us today: “I have set before you good and evil, life and death, and I am giving you a choice. If you obey God’s commandments, by loving Him and by walking in His ways, and by keeping His commandments, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but choose to worship and serve other gods, you shall perish … therefore, choose life.” Deuteronomy 30: 15-19

When Jesus first entered our world, he entered quietly. Despite the crowds He drew near the end of his brief life, Jesus never forced anyone to follow Him. Before He left, Jesus told His apostles that He will return one day to claim His own:

“’But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.’” (Mark 13: 32) “’You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’” (Lk 12: 40)

St. Paul tells us that when Christ returns, we will all appear before Him. At that time, we will no longer be able to choose whether or not we believe Jesus is the Son of God. Instead, Jesus will consider the choices we have already made:

“For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat … each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Romans 14: 10, 12

God is purposefully holding back. He is not forcing us to believe in the goodness of Jesus because He wants us to choose to love Him, of our own free will.

Today, take the opportunity to choose. If you are struggling to believe in the promises of Christ, ask the Holy Spirit to help you. And if you have already chosen to believe in Jesus, ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen your belief.

Every day, no matter where you are in your journey, ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart more widely to the grace and wisdom and love that Jesus longs to provide each one of us.

“I wonder whether people who ask God to interfere openly and directly in our world realise what it will be like when He does. When that happens, it is the end of the world. When the author walks on the stage, the play is over. God is going to invade alright: but what is the good of you saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else — something it never entered your head to conceive — comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us and so terrible to others that none of us will have any choice left? From this time, it will be God without disguise … [and] that will not be the time for choosing: it will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realised it before or not.”³

Jesus loves you deeply. Always know that.

¹C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1952), pages 63-64.

²Ibid, pages 64-65.

³Ibid, page 65.

Here are the lyrics and link to a song and prayer that remind us of how much God loves us.

Wonderful, Merciful Saviour

Wonderful, Merciful Saviour, Precious Redeemer and Friend. Who would’ve thought that a Lamb could rescue the souls of men; Oh, You rescue the souls of men.

Counselor, Comforter, Keeper; Spirit we long to embrace. You offer hope when our hearts have hopelessly lost our way; Oh, we’ve hopelessly lost the way.

You are the One that we praise. You are the one we adore. You give the healing and grace our hearts always hunger for; Oh, our hearts always hunger for.

Almighty, Infinite Father, faithfully loving Your own. Here in our weakness you find us, falling before your throne; Oh, we’re falling before your throne.¹

¹Selah. “Wonderful, Merciful Saviour,” Track No. 5, Press On. (Curb Records, D2-78713, 2001)

It is easy to feel powerless in this world. There are so many things moving and continuously changing around us. And yet despite how we may feel some days, the truth is that we are not powerless and we are certainly not alone. We can claim the power of Jesus at any time.

With the Incarnation, we observe God humbling Himself to take on the human form of man and to take the name of Jesus. As He walked the earth, Jesus Himself told his apostles — those people who knew Him personally — that they can ask Him for help at any time — and as long as what they ask of Him is aligned with the goodness of God, He will help them:

“‘Whatever you ask in My Name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in My Name, I will do it.'” John 14: 13-14

The apostle John’s diligence in recording Jesus’ words confirms that the same promise and power is available to us, as followers and believers.

How often do we ask Jesus for help? When things go wrong, we are more likely to call a friend or maybe tune into a self-help personality of some sort. What would happen if we stopped and turned to Jesus?

Have you ever noticed that even whispering His Name can help to calm your heart no matter what is swirling around you? Calling quietly for Him, without even knowing what to ask, summons the Holy Spirit. Jesus told us about the power of the Holy Spirit:

“‘And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; you know Him, for He dwells with you, and will be in you.'” John 14: 16

When we invite Jesus into our days — both our joys and troubles — we claim a Power far greater than anything available to us through earthly means. Here are more words spoken by Jesus, shortly before His death, as recorded by John:

“‘Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me will also do the works I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.'” John 14: 12

A beautiful example of a life lived claiming the power of Jesus is that of Pope John Paul II. George Weigel, an American Catholic author and political analyst who wrote a fascinating biography of Pope John Paul II, shared these numbers about the Pope’s life:

“By October 16, 1998, the twentieth anniversary of his election … [Pope John Paul II] had made eighty-four foreign pilgrimages and 134 pastoral visits inside Italy, traveling 670,878 miles, or 2.8 times the distance between the earth and the moon. During 720 days of pilgrimage, he had delivered 3,078 addresses and homilies while speaking to hundreds of millions of men, women and children, in person and through the media.”¹

These numbers are staggering. How did one person accomplish this? Perhaps the even bigger question is why so many people — Catholics and non-Catholics alike — were drawn to Pope John Paul II?

In particular, Pope John Paul II touched millions of young people through his World Youth Days held round the world. The Pope’s message to young people was not an easy one. He asked them to contemplate their place in the world and to make that place better. He asked them to respect the dignity of all persons and preached sexual abstinence as one way of refraining from the temptation to treat others as objects. It is a fact that young people flocked to the Pope, even in the Pope’s old age. When asked by Weigel how this was possible, Pope John Paul II’s answer was that it was the work of the Holy Spirit.

Today, when you are unsure of what to do, turn to Jesus. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you. You will not be disappointed.

Jesus loves you so much.

Love always wins.

¹George Weigel, Witness to Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1999), page 844.

I waited all day for my friend to call. I had helped her out the day before by resolving a matter that was causing some stress.

I knew she was relieved about the outcome … almost jubilant. I was thrilled to have helped her. I smiled to myself early in the day, as I thought about the call and conversation that would surely come.

But she never called.

So I waited throughout the next day – checking several times to make sure my phone was working and checking email to see if she’d perhaps sent an email instead.

Nothing.

And then I thought about Jesus, and all the amazing things He does to prepare and redirect and resolve things unseen that move around us every day, making our way easier and better. We feel happy when things turn out well. Maybe we celebrate with a special meal or by taking some time for ourselves.

Do we spend time in the silence with Jesus, thinking about the role He plays in every goodness we receive? There is always at least one drop of goodness in each day. Do we stop to thank Jesus each day?

In the Gospel of John, Jesus has this to say:

“’I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.’” John 15: 5

In these verses, Jesus confirms that He IS the source of all goodness and mercy, and that He wants to work with us and through us. As we keep returning to Jesus, He fills us with even more goodness and love that we can then share with others.

Jesus waits for us to keep returning to Him.

As I thought more about my friend and about Jesus, both of whom I love, I made a promise to take more time to be present with friends and loved ones – and in particular, to be more intentionally present with Jesus.  

Jesus loves us so deeply. We know from the words of the New Testament writers how much Jesus loved his disciples, family and friends.

Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun and an apostle of Divine Mercy, recorded these beautiful words from Jesus in her Diary, after spending time with Him in Eucharistic Adoration:

“Tell aching mankind to snuggle close to My Merciful Heart, and I will fill it with peace. Tell [all people], My daughter, that I am Love and Mercy itself. When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them to other souls.”¹

Thank you, Jesus, for loving us.

¹Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul (Massachusetts: Marian Press, 2020), Verse 1074, page 404.

“This world is a great sculptor’s shop. We are the statues and there’s a rumor going around the shop that some of us are someday going to come to life.”  

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity 

The thought of creating a habit of daily prayer can feel overwhelming. So many things compete for our time and attention. How can we find time to get alone with God in the silence?

It can be particularly tough to pray when we are in the midst of a problem. And yet it’s when we feel at our lowest that we need prayer the most!  

There are times when we don’t even know how to ask God to help us.

This is when we should sit before Him, in the silence. St. Paul tells us that in these moments, the Holy Spirit intervenes for us, helping to make our needs known to the Father:

“The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And He who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8: 26-27.

I love that last phrase about the “Spirit interceding for the saints.”

We are all made in the image of God. (Genesis 1: 26) By design, we are all created to be holy men and women, and to become saints. Do we understand this?

It is so beautiful to observe holiness in each other:

“He appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth forever.” 2 Chronicles 20: 21

That phrase – “the beauty of holiness” – can be easy to miss! What does it mean?

“Holiness” translates the typical Hebrew word used for “holy.” As such, it conveys the concept of being “set apart.”

The Hebrew word for “beauty” carries an idea of intrinsic beauty or worth that is not shallow. Said another way, this kind of beauty does not pass away.

Therefore, “the beauty of holiness” describes the intrinsic attractiveness of “set-apart-ness.”

God wants us to recognize the beauty of holiness that exists in each of us.

Daily prayer helps us to know and share that beauty with the world.

When we are silent before the Lord, the most amazing things are revealed to us.

“Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” – Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta

From early childhood, St. John Paul II understood the necessity of a life of deep personal prayer. He understood that while prayer was good in and of itself, it was also the essential foundation for meaningful and happy lives.

St. John Paul II prayed constantly throughout the day. He also worked extremely hard and accomplished seemingly impossible things as a young priest and ultimately, as the 263^rd successor of Peter, as Bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. 

Prayer offers us a direct line to God. As we begin each day, we have no idea what we will encounter. Some days are easy for us; other days are incredibly difficult.

Prayer is a decision to stop and listen for the Voice of Jesus. Very often, prayer involves placing our worries and cares before the Lord. God is always there waiting for us, with tenderness and restfulness:

Jesus said, “’Come to Me, all who labor and are weary, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am gentle in lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.’” Matthew 11: 28-30

Sometimes, prayer involves simply calling for Jesus, and then waiting silently for Him. Prayer creates space to hear what Jesus wants to share about our current circumstances. Jesus knows exactly what we need and what we can accomplish, if we work with Him:

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want; He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake.” Psalm 23: 1-3

Prayer can also be an expression of gratitude or worship of the Lord.

One of my favorite prayers is “The Angelus,” a short practice of Catholic devotion to help us reflect on the mystery of God taking human form through Jesus and to celebrate Mary’s role in the history of salvation. The prayer – which is meant to be said three times a day, usually  at 6 a.m., Noon, and 6 p.m. – is a simple way to practice pausing throughout the day, to draw nearer to God.

There is so much that God wants to show and tell us.

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done to me according to Your word.

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

And the Word was made flesh: and dwelt among us.

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech You, O Lord, Your grace into our hearts that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Your Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His passion and cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Note: French artist Jean-Francois Millett completed the oil painting featured above and titled “The Angelus” between 1857 and 1859. The painting hangs in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France.

I was sitting in the medical center waiting room with my father. We had arrived early for his treatment, so I was checking emails and trying to edit a document, using my phone. This was not going smoothly!

My patience was wearing thin as I listened to a news story blaring through someone’s phone. “How rude,” I thought, as I looked up and scanned the waiting room to see where the sound was coming from. The area was filling up. Everyone seemed to be arriving in pairs. It was a cancer treatment day at the medical center, and I could see the strain on people’s faces.

Suddenly, I spotted the person with the loud phone. He was an old man, and when our eyes met, we held each other’s gazes for a long moment. Before I turned away, I gave him a look intended to express my disdain over the news story he was blasting across the waiting room.

I went back to editing my document. No one else really even seemed aware of the old man. Why was I feeling so annoyed?

As I fired off my last email, I realized the sound from the old man’s phone was getting louder. I looked again in his direction and our eyes locked. He clearly had been watching me and seemed to have turned up the volume on his phone. What was his problem? Why was he trying to get my attention? What did he want?

My father and I looked at each other and shrugged.

“Let’s move, Dad. Let’s get away from this ridiculous noise.”

I shot one last annoyed glance at the old man, as my father and I walked to a far corner of the waiting room, away from the noise.

About a week later I woke up in the middle of the night, thinking about that old man. I could see the waiting room clearly in my mind and I realized that the old man was alone. Everyone was in pairs, but not this old man. Was he frightened, being there alone? Were his treatments working? How was he feeling that day?

Why hadn’t I noticed that the old man was alone? Would it have changed how I engaged with him? Why was I so perturbed by the sounds of his phone?

As I thought about the old man in the early morning light, I thought about St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

St. Mother Teresa showed us that we are not here on earth to rush through our days, and to leave others behind.

We are here to love and to be kind to one another, because in doing so, we enable God to enter into that moment.

As she observed, the world’s people need more love. We are all hungry for God:

“Are we willing to share people’s sufferings, not only in poor countries but all over the world? It seems to me that this great poverty of suffering in the West is much harder to solve. When I pick up a starving person off the street and offer him a bowl of rice or a piece of bread, I can satisfy his hunger. But a person that has been beaten or feels unwanted or unloved or fearful or rejected by society experiences a kind of poverty that is much more painful and deep. The cure is much more difficult to find. People are hungry for God. People are hungry for love. Are we aware of that? Do we know that? Do we see that? Do we have eyes to see? Quite often we look but we don’t see. We are all just passing through this world. We need to open our eyes and see.”¹

Early today, I prayed for that old man, and asked Jesus that this man experience love deeply in his life.  

I also asked Jesus to help me to slow down – way down – so that I may see the people in my path that He is asking me to care for and love.

The people that God places in our paths are there for a reason. St. Francis of Assisi aptly observed that when we give of our ourselves to others, we receive so much more than we give. In giving, we receive the lasting gifts of more faith and hope and love, and a deeper awareness of why we are all here, together.

Jesus loves us so much. His kind of love can change us, if we allow His love to flow through us and on to others.

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.” Ephesians 4: 32, 5: 1-2

¹Mother Teresa, No Greater Love (California: New World Library, 2001), pages 55-56.

When someone asks you to describe who Jesus is, what do you say?

Words that come quickly include brave and holy and pure and immortal. We also describe Jesus as a prophet, a teacher, the Messiah and Son of God – and Savior. Perhaps, on some level, it is easier to describe Jesus in ways that reinforce His Divinity.

But Jesus also desires that we know and recognize Him as a friend. Why? Because it is our awareness of Jesus’ friendship and humanity that changes everything.

I love this image of Jesus from The Shack, a fictional story about a grieving father, Mack, who finds God in the midst of a devastating tragedy. In Chapter 7, Mack and Jesus go out to the dock to look at the stars. Here is an excerpt from the chapter:

“They made their way three-quarters up the dock and lay down on their backs, looking up. The elevation of this place seemed to magnify the heavens, and Mack reveled in seeing stars in such numbers and clarity. Jesus suggested that they close their eyes for a few minutes, allowing the lasting effects of dusk to disappear for the night. Mack complied, and when he finally opened his eyes, the sight was so powerful that he experienced vertigo for a few seconds. It almost felt like he was falling up into space, the stars racing toward him as if to embrace him. He lifted his hands, imagining that he could reach out and pluck the diamonds, one by one, off a velvet-black sky.

“’Wow!’ he whispered.

“’Incredible!’ whispered Jesus. ‘I never get tired of this.’” – Excerpt from The Shack¹

Through this scene, Young paints an amazing picture of Jesus as our friend.

It is exactly how I imagine Him.

Coming to know Jesus as a friend changes things for us. In Young’s book, Mack’s encounter with Jesus compels him to ultimately make peace with the tragedy that has occurred in his family. Forgiveness is an unthinkable act for Mack, and yet with Jesus’ friendship and love, the unthinkable happens.

Life with Jesus is about learning to trust in Him as our Savior – and it is about deepening our friendship with Him. Jesus desires our trust and friendship so that, ultimately, we might love as He loves.

Remember that Jesus is Love:

“Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is Love. This is how God shows His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is Love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us [first] and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4: 7-10

Jesus knows that by loving those who are His own in the world, He is sharing with them the love and mercy of God the Father. So too, when we love, are we sharing the love and mercy of God with the people He has blessed us to know.

Jesus makes the same promise to us today that He made to his disciples and friends centuries ago:

“I am with you always, even until the end of time.” Matthew 28: 20

Jesus will never leave us. Cultivating our friendship with Him expands our lives in ways we cannot even imagine.

The longing that exists deep within your heart, to love and to be loved, is an invitation to know the friendship of Jesus.

“From the very first time I came to know the Lord, the gaze of my soul became drowned in Him for all eternity. Each time the Lord draws close to me and my knowledge of Him grows deeper, a more perfect love grows within my heart.” – Excerpt from the Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul²

The love and friendship of Jesus will change your life.

¹ Wm. Paul Young, The Shack (CA: Windblown Media, 2007), 109.

²Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul (Massachusetts: Marian Press, 2020), Verses 231, page 116.

“Remember that you are never alone, Christ is with you on your journey every day of your lives! He has called you and chosen you to live in the freedom of the children of God. Turn to Him in prayer and in love. Ask Him to grant you the courage and strength to live in this freedom always. Walk with Him who is ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’!”

Saint John Paul II, from the 12^th World Youth Day Address, August 23, 1997.