As we read in today’s Gospel from John, Jesus says, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Jesus provides clear direction for our lives – he’s inviting us to follow in his footsteps! We are not alone; instead, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Jesus says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” When we are sharing the Good News, we are powered by the Holy Spirit! With such an awesome force of love behind us, imagine the goodness you can bring to our broken world!
Today is the WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS. In Jn. 10:11-18 he reminds us that without personal investment in a job, one finds it easy to walk away. Remember those nuns and priests who dedicated their whole lives to spreading God’s words. Their motivation certainly wasn’t monetary. Now they need our financial support. New religious vocations are needed. Pray for those who hear God’s call to this life. Consider supporting the LABOURE organization which helps pay off the debt of those seeking religious life. Pray for the seminary students at Mundelein Seminary which offers opportunities for you to connect with them.
Peter calls out the people’s part in Jesus’ death. He offers repentance and conversion to them. How many of us--- knowing the sins of friends, family, politicians, elected officials, death row inmates--- are willing to pray sincerely for their repentance and conversion? Do we believe in God’s power to change sinners (including ourselves)? When we pray for someone we don’t like or disapprove of, our own hearts soften toward them. We must remember that the measure by which we measure will be our own measure.
There is no sin, no pattern of thinking, no addiction, no vice that is beyond God’s power to redeem – if we are willing to give our brokenness to the Lord, open our hearts to him and cooperate with the power that is already ours in him.
Excerpts from The 10 Biggest Lies of the Enemy by Keith Strom.
Do you want happiness and freedom but fear total surrender to God? Pope Benedict says “… If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not, perhaps, afraid to give up something significant…Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom?” To be free & happy, guide your desires & will into what God holds out to you. Strive for choices that praise, revere & serve Him above all else.
Excerpts from The 10 Biggest Lies of the Enemy, Deacon Keith Strohm, P 81.
Some Christians seem like they were “baptized in pickle juice.” They may feel God burdens them only with “thou shall nots.” They may think that God cares more about His laws than their happiness. Although authentic Christianity can’t avoid the cross, joy is essential in God’s kingdom, in your soul. Perhaps we fear being less. Perhaps we lack trust. God’s mystery is that in giving to others we truly become ourselves which can bring deep unimaginable joy. Excerpts from The 10 Biggest Lies of the Enemy, Deacon Keith Strohm, p.80.
We can’t deny the devil has power. He’s an “equal opportunity troublemaker.” He likes you to think that either he’s a powerless symbol or that he’s real and has the same power as God. Today’s violence, terrorism and evil may provoke us to maximize Satan’s power. God is all powerful. Call on Him. Pray daily with Scripture, the Rosary, Chaplet. Worship often at Holy Mass. Frequent Reconciliation. Stay close to Jesus. Satan has already lost to Christ’s victory. “Resist the devil & he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Excerpts from The 10 Biggest Lies of the Enemy, Deacon Keith Strohm.
Life experiences may prompt you to think that God causes suffering. You decide God isn’t a good Father; He’s punishing you, angry with you. Your fear seems reasonable but is far from the truth. “Fear is not of God.” Satan can harass us with fear. Original sin brought suffering, sin and natural disasters into human experience. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why doesn’t God make everything OK? God chooses not to overpower our free will, allows us to choose love or reject it. Every difficult moment is an opportunity to turn to our Father in Jesus. Excerpts from The 10 Biggest Lies of the Enemy, Deacon Keith Strohm, p.59.
After saying Mass in 1886, Pope Leo XIII, stood transfixed at the altar stairs. He reported seeing a vision of Satan’s evil power. Immediately he wrote this prayer to Holy Archangel Michael:
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the divine power of God, cast into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen
When someone disappoints us, the Enemy whispers “you can’t count on other people.” We don’t like being vulnerable. We are fearful and anxious. We try to control situations focusing mainly on ourself, refusing to let others in. This is the Enemy’s aim. We need each other. God’s kingdom is not about individual salvation. His unity with the baptized community brings salvation. Like charcoal briquettes which ignite only when they touch, those not connected die out. Philippians 2:1-4 encourages us to love in unity, in humility.
Excerpts from The 10 Biggest Lies of the Enemy, Deacon Keith Strohm.
In order to make your weapons fruitful, be open to Jesus, to the reality of His Kingdom. Pray: Holy Spirit, reveal the Enemy’s lies; illuminate the Father’s love present in Jesus Christ. We are broken people living in a broken world. It’s crucial to know the Enemy’s tactics. Satan can wrap lies around our brokenness. This gives his lies greater control & power over our lives. At his rising Jesus said, “Be not afraid.” Nothing can separate us from the love of God when we follow Jesus.
Excerpts from The 10 Biggest Lies of the Enemy, Deacon Keith Strohm, p.34
You are not defenseless against Satan. You have weapons to break his hold on you, to draw down God’s kingdom into you. These include fellowship & communion with others who share Jesus’s divine life; Sacraments, those particular encounters with the Father’s love which require our response; the Bible, God’s living word speaking to us; intersession & the communion of saints from those who successfully responded to God’s grace; service to the world, returning God’s love to others; and renunciation, using our free will to reject Satan’s lies.
Excerpts from The 10 Biggest Lies of the Enemy, Deacon Keith Strohm, chap. 2.
Christians live on a battlefield. God’s truth vies with Satan’s lies. Satan is a liar. In him there is no truth. The battle is for our hearts which “shape how we think, speak, act & feel.” Satan deceives the human heart, your heart. He wants you to come to wrong conclusions about yourself, to internalize lies which blind you to receiving God’s love & grace. Jesus Christ has won the victory. He has given us weapons to ensure our victory. Next week you can learn about these weapons.
Excerpts from The 10 Biggest Lies of the Enemy, Deacon Keith Strohm, p.7.
On This Day…Anonymous Author
Mend a quarrel. Search out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion, and replace it with trust. Share some treasure. Give a soft answer. Keep a promise. Find the time. Forego a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Listen. Apologize if you were wrong. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Appreciate, be kind, be gentle. Laugh a little more. Deserve confidence. Express your gratitude. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Worship God. Speak your love. Speak it again. Speak it still again. Speak it still once again.
But I don’t have time for prayer! If we value our relationship with God, then we will commit our time to him. Did you know that if you took ¾ cup of beans and ¾ cup of rice, you could fit them both in just 1 cup? Only if you put the beans in first! Then, the individual grains of rice can fall between the cracks of the beans and take up less space in one cup. Similarly, if we make prayer a top priority, the other essential things will somehow still get done. “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” – Matthew 6:33. Excerpts from “Into His Likeness” by Edward Sri.
Make Me a Channel of Your Peace. This is so much more than a beautiful song. We are called to be a channel of God’s love to the world. How do we become this channel of peace? With prayer, through prayer and in prayer. When we pray, we grow closer to God. As Mother Teresa said, “Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus.” Excerpts from “Into His Likeness” by Edward Sri.
Has a friend or family member ever said to you, “I’m spiritual but I don’t need a church”? Hopefully, you can find fellowship and friendship here at St. Francis de Sales Church where we can run the race together! As Proverbs 27:17 states, “irons sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” This fellowship keeps us on track, strengthens us in our most noble pursuits, makes us better, sharpens our swords and continually rekindles the fire of our faith. Excerpts from “Into His Likeness” by Edward Sri.
Amazing Signs, Amazing Grace. Many seekers want to see signs from God. Remember, our Sacraments are grace-filled encounters with Christ. From the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist to his forgiveness in the Reconciliation, we can draw closer to Him in these Sacraments. The Eucharist is the most profound union we can have with our God here on earth! As for Reconciliation, that’s where Jesus meets us in the valley of humility to free us and heal us. As Scripture promises, “seek and you shall find!” Excerpts from “Into His Likeness” by Edward Sri
What we put in our mind matters. What we put in our mind changes us. You can take your own assessment…What books do you read? What TV shows/movies do you watch? What social media sites do you frequent? What thoughts occupy your mind? Then consider what St. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” Excerpts from “Into His Likeness” by Edward Sri
Jesus forgives us! More importantly, he wants to change us. He can remove our blindness to sin. But do we really want to be healed? (Jn.5:6) Are you attached to a sin? Does it require too much work to uproot it? Jesus wants us to want change. God works profound little miracles in souls who seek to live in His eternal image. His grace accomplishes what we can’t do by ourselves. It takes time to grow, to reach Christian maturity.
Into His Likeness, Edward Sri, p.85,89.
