First, we have the “East”, which
represents the source of light and the place of par
adise. Second, the “Seal”, which represents God’s
protection. Third, the white robes and
palm branches represent the final joy and victory. Fourth, the Time of Great distress points to
the fierce persecution at the hands of the Romans.
Today, we don't face overt
persecution in the United States [early Christians did], but we live in the
midst of the subtle and gradual destruction of the moral fiber of our society
by the increasingly immoral culture, in which we live.
To defeat this covert attack on our
moral fiber we must accept the call to become saints, and to let God guide our
lives. We can do God’s will by following
His teachings.
St. John tells us that we are God's
children, and as God’s children we must listen attentively to His message and
live His message --- because that is the path to sainthood. In the Gospel of St. Matthew, Matthew uses
the word “blessed” to introduce the beatitudes; it comes from the Greek word
makarios, which means peace-filled, serene, a god-like joy. If we live these “Be-Attitudes” --- if they
become our attitudes, then no matter how troubled our culture or our world
becomes, we will be peace-filled, serene, and joy-filled. Jesus calls us to dedicate our lives --
everything we do -- to Him. St. Francis
de Sales put it this way, “Saints are people who do ordinary things
extraordinarily well.”
Do everything you do for Jesus, the
ordinary things at work, at home or at play. The ordinary things like talking
to people, food shopping or helping someone in need. The ordinary things like being a parent, an
employee or a student --because the ordinary when done with love for Jesus
become extraordinary. I pray we will do
the ordinary things in our lives for God, because that will be extraordinary.
May God Be Praised!
No comments:
Post a Comment