Voice of Belonging

The prefect Rusticus said: “Do you have an idea that you will go up to heaven to receive some suitable rewards?”

“It is not an idea that I have; it is something I know well and hold to be most certain.”

-St. Justin Martyr

You may have heard before that we are “in this world” but not “of the world.” Even Jesus told His disciples this that just as He does not belong to the world, so neither do they or we. But the fact is that our entire earthly lives are spent physically in this world. How can we live in the world without becoming a part of it? How do we know which voices lead us to God and which leads to the world?

As Christians we need to keep our eyes on the Lord and on heaven and do our best to distinguish the call of God from the call of the enemy. The call of God may sometimes challenge us to step outside of our comfort zone and even to embrace pain and suffering. The call of the enemy will convince us that we deserve better and that we should pursue whatever gives us happiness and pleasure, even if it means straying away from what is good and holy. 

In today’s first reading, we hear about Tobit and his wife. He wouldn’t believe his wife when she told him that that goat was given to her as a bonus for her work. Tobit grew angry because he thought it was stolen and wouldn’t believe her. The voice of the world can do something similar: scatter seeds that question our faith and the goodness and fidelity of God. Jesus famously said “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God” (Mk. 12:17). We must live in this world while knowing that we belong to God. St. Justin Martyr did just that. He wrote about the faith, defending it against the pagans but that led to his death. He died in the world but he returned to whom he belonged. In the eyes of the Romans, Justin and Christianity were defeated and put to death, but in truth, Justin rose victorious. May we always listen to the voice of the One to whom we belong.

Comes to Us

“Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.”

Luke 1:39-40

What would you do if God came to your home, rang your doorbell, and knocked on your door? How would you respond? That is essentially what happened to Elizabeth. When she was told that she would be the mother of Jesus, Mary was also informed of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with St. John the Baptist. And so she immediately set off to go visit her cousin. Upon reaching the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth, we were told that the infant in Elizabeth’s womb leapt, and Elizabeth said something very interesting, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” She knew that her cousin Mary have become the mother of her God, and she knew not because she read about it in a book or received a private prophecy, but because she was filled with the Holy Spirit. The very same Holy Spirit that came upon Mary. It is the Holy Spirit, God Himself Who reveals Himself to us.

Just yesterday we celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, the “central mystery of the Christian faith and life.” What we remember and recount today is the great mystery and love of God going to His people. Even in the womb, Jesus comes to us. This is the great mystery. Why would God want to draw close to us sinful, imperfect beings? Because He could have done none otherwise. God comes to us, not because of any merit on our part, but because He is love itself, and to do anything but love us and come to us would be contrary to His very nature.  Think about that, God’s very nature is to love us. Wow.  How blessed are we? And how blessed are we that Mary said “yes” and traveled to bring Jesus to us. May our hearts be open to the Holy Spirit so that they may too leap for joy each time we receive Holy Communion, adore Our Lord, or encounter Him in those around us. God’s coming to you right now. Will you welcome Him?

With You Always

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

Matthew 28:19-20

In today’s Gospel we were the “Great Commission,” where Jesus sends forth His disciples to go out into the whole world, baptizing them and teaching them everything He had taught them and all that the Spirit will instruct them. These are the final instructions of Jesus — to go, make, baptize, and teach. As Christians our lives must ultimately be led to action. Our prayer and relationship with the Lord must always lead us to action — to go, preach, teach, and love.

Jesus promised the disciples then and us now that He will be with us always even until the end of time. Some may say “But didn’t He ascend into Heaven?” Yes, He did, but He didn’t leave. He also sent the Holy Spirit. And just as the Father and the Son are one, so is the Spirit one with the Father and the Son. As Catholic Christians we believe in the Trinity — three divine Persons in one God. The Trinity is a community of love. (Check out the weekly reflection for more about the Trinity)

We are baptized into this Love. Because of Jesus we have a share in this divine life, the love of God. Jesus promises the He will be with us always and that when we go and do all those things in His name, He will be sure to be with us, so that all that we do may bring about the greater glory of God, and the greater glory of God is when man is fully alive. And we are most fully alive when we live in love. And when we live in love, we will know that God — Jesus, indeed is with us always.