Shining light

Your light must shine before others. (Matthew 5:16)

Everyone loves to see a rainbow etched in the sky right after a rainstorm. The prism effect of colors splashed across a line of clouds never ceases to amaze us. Science tells us that it is actually white light from the sun that separates into a spectrum of colors as it passes through water in the atmosphere.

Today’s Gospel speaks of Jesus’ light as one that “must shine before others” in a way that glorifies his heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16). Imagine the light of Christ as that white light. When his light touches us, each of us displays a slightly different color, and together we, the Church, become like a beautiful rainbow painted across the sky.

It’s such a beautiful image, but many of us tend to think that we have nothing to offer—no light to shine. If that’s how you feel, let’s look at a possible remedy.

Nothing can help overturn discouraging thoughts like remembering who you are in Christ. No matter how you are doing—whether you are feeling healthy or ill, energetic or exhausted, close to God or far from him—Jesus is still in you and with you. In the same way that a father loves his child, God loves you simply for who you are. He is committed to you, and he will never leave you. 

What does this mean? That you really are part of his beautiful rainbow—by virtue of his presence in you. So you can reject any thought that tries to tell you that other people may possess great gifts—but not you. You can reject any thought that tries to convince you that God’s light won’t shine through you until you are perfect. Nobody’s perfect!

Spiritual writer Caryll Houselander once put it this way: “Sometimes it may seem to us that there is no purpose to our lives, that going day after day for years to this office or that school or factory is nothing else but waste and weariness. But it may be that God has sent us there because but for us Christ would not be there. If our being there means that Christ is there, that alone makes it worthwhile.” 

You are part of God’s beautiful rainbow. This is the truth. So go out and let that rainbow shine!

“Lord, help me shine my ‘Christ light’ today.”

from wau.org

No to discouragement

If anybody had a right to be discouraged, it was St. Paul. During the course of his ministry, he was beaten, shipwrecked, betrayed, slandered, and imprisoned. Today’s second reading gives us some insight into the way Paul handled all of this. Mind you, Paul was a tough guy by nature, but we can’t think that he was impervious to the stress and strain of the life he had chosen. The key is that he didn’t let discouragement overtake him and rule his life.

Discouragement can make us feel hopeless. It can drain us of all energy and prevent us from keeping up with our everyday tasks. If not dealt with, it is also contagious. It can spread through your whole house. So let’s look at one way we can deal with discouragement.

At the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me” (John 14:1). Here he was about to face the cross, and yet he spent his last hours on earth helping his friends—by urging them to trust in God. As comforting as these words sound, they also contain a vital strategy: Hold on to your faith! Trust that my Father and I won’t abandon you.

 

Whenever we face times of discouragement, we can picture Jesus saying to us, “Don’t let your heart be troubled. It’s true that in the world you will have trouble, but never doubt that I have conquered the world” (see John 16:33). 

St. Paul, echoing Jesus, assures us that nothing can separate us from God’s love (Roman 8:38-39). It’s the knowledge of this truth that kept him from giving in to discouragement. This same motto can help us too. 

So the next time you start feeling discouraged, think like Paul. Keep telling yourself that God knows the situation. He feels your pain. He is with you. Never forget that nothing can separate you from his love. 

“Jesus, help me to hold fast to your promises.”

from wau.org

Complete Joy

Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. (John 16:23) 

What does it mean to ask the Father in Jesus’ name when we pray? According to Jewish tradition, a person’s name was not just the word you would use to get their attention. To speak in a person’s name was to speak in his or her place, as an ambassador would speak for the president. It was as if that person were right there with you, lending his authority to your words. So when Jesus invites us to pray in his own name, he is giving us a high privilege indeed!

An ambassador can speak in his president’s name because he knows his president very well. He knows what is on the president’s heart and how his president would respond to a given situation.

This is the kind of relationship Jesus wants you to have with him. He wants you to come to know him deeply and intimately. He wants to teach you to love the things he loves, to see the world through his eyes of mercy, and to treat each other with the same tenderness he treats you.

In fact, instead of thinking in terms of an ambassador, perhaps we should think in terms of a husband and wife or a very close brother and sister. Think about how a husband and wife anticipate each other’s needs and desires. Or think about how two brothers might finish each other’s sentences.

Of course, this doesn’t happen immediately. It takes time, just as it takes time for our relationship with the Lord to deepen. We can’t expect ourselves to know everything about Jesus right away, so we certainly can’t expect to get it right every time we try to pray for someone. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. 

Day after day, as you offer your loved ones to the Lord in prayer, try your best to pray for them as you think Jesus would. Over time, something marvelous will happen: Jesus will draw closer to you and help you understand him more deeply. And that will affect the way you will pray tomorrow. And so on, and so on, and so on.

What a privilege it is to pray in the power of the name of Jesus!

“Jesus, I pray for my loved ones in your name today. Take us all into your heart, and shape us according to your will.”

from wau.org

Focus on the forest

God, according to his promise, has brought to Israel a savior, Jesus. (Acts 13:23) 

Sometimes we miss the forest for the trees. We focus on the little things right in front of us, our everyday concerns and preoccupations, and lose sight of the big picture of God’s plan for our lives.

This can be true even with our acts of faith. For example, we can be so focused on getting to Mass on Sunday and saying our prayers every morning that we lose sight of their significance or power. Or we can be so intent on getting God to answer a particular need that we fail to see how much he has already done for us and how much he promises to do for us if we stay close to him.

In today’s first reading, Paul is showing the people in Pisidia the big picture. He outlines how God’s plan has unfolded over thousands of years, and how it has culminated in the sending of Jesus as Savior. Everything God has promised, Paul proclaims, is coming true now in Christ.

Just what has God promised? That if we believe in his Son, we will have eternal life (John 5:24). That all things do work for our good (Romans 8:28). That he will be with us forever, in this life and for all eternity (Matthew 28:20).

This is the big picture—the “forest”—that we need to focus on in the midst of the “trees” of our everyday concerns and obligations. God keeps his promises! He has a plan for me!

No matter what the specific circumstances of your life may be, God’s overall vision for you never changes. Whatever hardships and suffering you may be experiencing now, however your life is unfolding, keep God’s love and his purposes in the forefront of your mind, and you’ll be more peaceful.

Through Jesus, God has fulfilled his promises. He loves us, he forgives us, and he invites us to spend all of eternity with him. This vision can inspire you when you rise in the morning and when you go to sleep at night. It can remain with you throughout the day. Everything else in your life fits into this plan—a plan not just for today or tomorrow but for all eternity!

“Father, thank you for fulfilling your promises. Help me to see every aspect of my life as part of your plan for me.”

from wau.org

Fight to be close

He appeared first to Mary Magdalene. (Mark 16:9) 

Why Mary Magdalene? Why not his mother? Why not choose Peter or John or any of the apostles to be the first to see him after his resurrection? Mary was a surprising, even illogical choice to be his first witness. In Jesus’ time, a woman could not legally serve as a witness, so Mary’s testimony probably would not be taken seriously. 

Yet Jesus chose Mary, one of the least. But why? Maybe simply because she was there. And she was always there. She was there throughout his ministry. She was there at his arrest. She was even there when the apostles scattered in fear. She was there in the praetorium when the soldiers mocked and scourged him. She was there at the cross with his mother when they crucified him. She was there on Calvary when they took him down and laid his body in the tomb. Mary made it a point to stay close to Jesus because she loved him to the end. So of course she would be the first one to go to the tomb early Sunday morning. And of course, Jesus appeared to her!

Because she loved Jesus so much, Mary Magdalene took the risk that the apostles were unable to take. Perhaps she stood up to the guards and put her life in danger just to see Jesus’ body. She fought through her fear and sadness, just as we do sometimes. She put aside any sense of unworthiness she might have felt because she wasn’t his “real family.” She persisted until she found Jesus.

So what can we learn from Mary Magdalene? That it’s always worth it to try to stay close to the Lord. God rewards everyone who seeks him. He especially delights to reveal himself to the humble and lowly. So when you push through fear or grief or doubt in order to be near Jesus, you can be confident that he will bless you. In fact, he is already there; he is waiting to reveal himself to us.

Today and every day, fight to stay close to the Lord. Be there with him and persist in prayer, even when you don’t feel his presence. Talk to him during the day; ask him to help you sense that he is near. He is closer than you think.

“Jesus, I believe you are with me. Help me to stay close to you today.”

from wau.org

Good friday, Indeed.

We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses. (Hebrews 4:15) 

A whip tears into his flesh. A wooden beam presses against his shoulders. Nails pierce his hands and feet. When we read the Passion, we can’t help but be moved by the physical pain that Jesus endured.

But what about his emotional anguish? Here are some of the emotions Jesus might have experienced:

Dread: In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus knows his time has come. In only a few hours, he will face his enemies and be tortured and killed. Still, dread gives way to surrender, as he tells his Father, “Not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). 

Humiliation. A few days before, Jesus had been hailed through the streets as the Son of David. Now he is accused of blasphemy. He is mocked by the soldiers. He is stripped of his clothing. He is crucified between two thieves. Still, humiliation becomes confidence as he suffers silently and with great conviction (Isaiah 53:7).

Abandonment. His friends desert him. On the cross, he even feels that his Father has left him. Yet abandonment gives way to trust: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). 

Jesus suffered all this out of love for us—for you. Because he suffered, he can sympathize with your pain. You might even be experiencing it now. You could feel dread as you await the results of a medical test. You might feel humiliated because of some mistake you made or sin you committed. You may have been abandoned by a spouse or parent, or maybe a child or sibling won’t talk to you. If you are in pain, tell Jesus about it. He wants to listen to you. Know that he is with you and that he understands because he has experienced it himself.

Jesus’ cross tells us that we do not have a distant, unapproachable God. Rather, our God became human, like us, and has been “tested in every way” (Hebrews 4:15). Today, as you gaze on the cross, let gratitude fill your heart: Jesus will be with you always, through every joy and every heartache. One day, every one of your tears will be wiped away as you share in the glory of his resurrection!

“Jesus, thank you for your sacrifice of love!”

from wau.org

He did it for me

Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought. (Psalm 105:5) 

Whether it’s forgotten birthdays, straying pens, or faces we can’t place, it’s annoying to lose track of the little things. Forgetfulness becomes downright tragic, though, if we lose sight of the big picture—what life is all about. This is why today’s psalm urges us to remember and praise God for his wondrous deeds.

This is perfect encouragement as we prepare to celebrate the most wonderful deeds ever this Holy Week. So how can we fight forgetfulness and take on the kind of remembering that leads to gratitude, joy, and transformation? By taking God’s wondrous deeds personally.

Handing down their stories from one generation to the next, the people of Israel have been recounting how God made them a people for thousands of years. Especially in recounting the pivotal story of their deliverance from slavery, the retelling took the form of a “You Are There” Passover meal. Observing biblical and traditional customs, they recall their liberation in a way that makes it personal and present: “This is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt” (Exodus 13:8).

In Christ, we can say the same. Israel’s wondrous deeds have become part of our history as well, and they are fulfilled in Jesus’ death and resurrection. As Catholics, we believe that every Eucharist recalls these saving acts and makes them present to us. We are there in the upper room with Jesus!

This Holy Week and Easter, take the story personally. Place yourself at the Last Supper. In your imagination, observe the Passover meal; Jesus provided a way for you to remember and receive him. He did this for me. Watch with Jesus in the garden, where he suffers so intensely as he awaits his betrayer. He did this for me. See him dragged before the high priest, Herod, Pilate, the jeering crowd. He did this for me. Walk to Calvary, stand at the cross, mourn with Mary. 

Recall and relive these wondrous deeds that God has wrought. Let this one truth sink into your heart: he did this for me. This is how much he loves me.

“Jesus, I am in awe at your love for me and your commitment to me!”

from wau.org