Give yourself to Jesus
"He has chosen you in a mysterious but true way to be saved, with Him saved. Yes, Christ calls you, but He calls you in truth. His call is demanding, because He invites you to let yourself be completely "caught up" to Him, so that your whole life sees the Light. Let yourself be raptured by Jesus and try to live only for Him!" St. John Paul II, Rome, Italy, October 13, 1993. Let's try to imagine surrendering everything to Him - the people who are important to us, the work we do, the things we surround ourselves with, the place where we live. Let's try to imagine that we live only for Jesus, without being attached to persons, things, activities or place. To what extent do these imaginings agree with our lives?
Thursday 2 February
The Presentation of the Lord - Feast First reading - Malachi 3:1-4 World Day for Consecrated Life “Who will be able to resist the day of his coming?” No one can resist the call of God. The one who listens to His call, will just surrender his or her life to Him. He enters his or her life and transforms it completely. “For he is like the refiner’s fire and the fullers’ alkali. He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver,”. When we let the grace of God in work in us, it will be like the fire of the refiner. When we let our life be identified with the plan of God, He will refine us and purify us. The work of God in us will bring out the best in us. The listening to the call of God and giving our life to God completely will bring the best in us. What is best in our life other than the plan of God being realized in us! Then we become the best offerings… “then they will make the offering to the Lord as it should be made”. So, the question is how much after hearing the call of God, we let God refine us and purify us. It happens every time we give up our plan to accept the plan of God. Let’s reflect: Am I letting God to bring out the best in me?
Wednesday 1 February
Wednesday of week 4 in Ordinary Time First reading - Hebrews 12:4-7,11-15 “Suffering is part of your training”. The author is presenting a Christian way of looking at our difficulties and sufferings. The suffering is part of our training. God is treating us as his sons and daughters. He granted us all the freedom. Our freedom and wrong choices of ours or others bring suffering to us. Then God as a Father stands at our side and transforms our pain into a redemptive suffering as Jesus on the cross. Cross lead to resurrection. That is why the author says, “it bears fruit in peace and goodness”. Therefore, we should stop complaining about our difficulties and must see it in a different perspective. Our difficulties and pain must not deviate us from our path of Christian choices. “So, hold up your limp arms and steady your trembling knees and smooth out the path you tread; then the injured limb will not be wrenched, it will grow strong again”. The suffering must not be transformed into weaknesses but must be transformed into strength to walk in the way of the Lord. Strength to make peace with all and to take out any hatred in us. Let’s reflect: Am I transforming my sufferings into strength to make peace with everyone or into weakness to be angry with everyone?