Live On the Divine Word!

Our temptations may not control us; let Jesus be our guide!

First Sunday of Lent, Blessings!

We have begun the Great Fast of Lent, and what a marvelous time it is! We have the time to be the best that we can be. Let us use this time well and excel in our relationship with the Divine.

Our Gospel Potion for this First Sunday in Lent is St. Matthew 4:1-11, and we will meditate on

But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4

Jesus fasted for forty days, and He was hungry. He is our model. He came to be one of us so that we would be one with Him. In this weakened state, the evil one tempted Him. Jesus modeled for us what to do when we are needy and temptation comes our way: use the word of God. In it, we have our weapon to fight off the enemy.

We need Lent because our lives can get rough, but we do not have to surrender to things that God does not want from us. We have the tools to remain in good standing with God.

Lent reminds us of the power we have to face life’s difficulties as sisters and brothers of Jesus; use Jesus as our model.

Lenten blessings!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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Let Reconciliation Reign!

May we be people of peace.

We are on the Sunday before the Lenten Fast, our holy season in preparation for the glorious days we celebrate as the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ. And on this Sunday, we delve into how we should live our day-to-day lives. Our Gospel Portion is St. Matthew 5:17-37. We will concentrate on,

“So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.”
Matthew 5:23-24

We must live reconciled lives if we want to be reconciled with the Lord. Our worship must come from a place of peace within us.

We cannot love God and hate our brother or sister. We must endeavor to bring peace to our relationships with one another.

However, there will be times when you want peace, yet the individual you are dealing with does not; rather, they choose to hate you and may try to destroy you. This is their issue, and it is between them and the Lord. Do not let hate win; let love win.

Reconcile your heart with those who hate as Jesus did on the Cross. He was executed by those who were far from the Lord, and the Lord forgave them. Jesus is the model for how we should live in relationships.

Give no mental time to those who are mean to you. Pray for them and retain your peace. Worship the Lord with a reconciled life, even if this means that the other person continues to hate.

Live supernaturally in a fallen world. The Lord will take care of you; have total trust in Him.

Next week will be the First Sunday in Lent. May we have a glorious Lenten Fast! Let us keep each other in prayer.

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/0d743c5fb

Change the World with the Beatitudes!

Live radically!

We are a day before the great Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Candlemas Day, and for me, it is the time I put Christmas to rest until November 2026 (however, when life gets “blue”, I sing hymns like O Holy Night, to lift my spirits). This Feast reminds us that Jesus came to change the world; to bring Heaven on Earth. This happens one family at a time.

Looking at world history, I can get discouraged, but I realize that humans can be very stubborn. I know that humans fight against Jesus even after two thousand years. That is why each believer must fight against the lie. Jesus gives us the truth, and when we apply it to our lives, we bring a little Heaven to Earth.

Today, our Gospel Portion I call “Attitudes for Heaven on Earth.” We study Jesus’ Beatitudes anew. We study, St. Matthew 5:1-12, and we will meditate on,

“Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so people persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:12

We can live in Heaven now; we do not have to wait for heavenly peace.

Jesus is clear about how we are to be and how to treat others. He is also clear that we will often be pushed back and treated badly by some people who find the teachings of the Lord intolerable. He says verse 11,

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”
Matthew 5:11

Jesus is a realist! He knows that true followers will have difficulty because not everyone wants to change.

Then, the question is, why bother? And my answer is, for me and my household, Heaven is worth the trouble and pain.

Live radical Christianity, my Sisters and Brothers, and let “Heaven come on Earth through us!

Have a blessed Candlemas Day!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/0d743c5fb

The World Need Servants!Bring the Peace of Jesus to everyone we encounter!

Jesus encourages us to be like Him in the world. Imagine that God became one of us to show us how God wants us to live. Our focus must be on serving one another, regardless of who the person is, including those who have betrayed or hurt us deeply. Our love must be supernatural. The Kingdom of God must be a reality in the way we live and treat one another. Our Gospel Portion helps us enter into Divine Servitude. We read St. Luke 17:5-10, and we will concentrate on

“So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.”
Luke 17:10

Sometimes our Lord says strong things that may shake us. However, we need to be shaken up at times so that we can be true to ourselves as His disciples.

As disciples of Jesus, it is our duty to serve others. It is easy to forget that God became one with us to serve us, because we did not know how to behave.

We are called to serve others! Remember, at the Last Supper, Jesus washed the feet of His Disciples. Jesus gave us the example of Divine Servitude. This process of service is not an option! It is our duty!

Please take Jesus seriously and be a teacher of the Kingdom by how you treat everyone.

An excellent example of this teaching ministry is found in the life of St. Francis of Assisi. He famously said, and I paraphrase, preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words. And he also said that the only sermon people may experience is in our actions.

May we do our duty as disciples of Jesus Christ and expect nothing in return, other than being faithful to the Lord!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/bc47edef

Being Humble Always Matters!

Through humility, we can be raised!

Love and humility are intertwined. We cannot separate the two. We find this in the life of Jesus, who chose to join humanity even though He remained Divine.

Today our Gospel Portion is St. Luke 14:1-14, and we will meditate on,

“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

St. Luke 14:11

Jesus is the example that all of His followers must follow. He provides the means to bring Heaven to earth, and He showed this in His 33 years of life with us.

St. John the Apostle told us that God is love (1 John 4-8), and we see that lived out in Jesus’ life. Now our challenge is to live love out in our lives. When we encounter every individual, we are to be that love.

It is normal to love those who love you back; however, what is most difficult is to love those who openly hate you! This is so hard to do, but we are called to do this supernatural love.

Genuine humility is required to love like Jesus!

Remember, God allowed those who hated Him to execute Him, and He forgave them and the whole world! To receive that forgiveness, we must humble our pride and love those who aim to harm us.

When we become like Jesus, we allow Him to exalt us in the present moment!

Be humble like Jesus and be exalted by Him! Live in Heaven on Earth!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/6ndjm4-christophers-fund-for-charity/fb/o?utm_campaign=natman_sharesheet_dash&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link&attribution_id=sl:8b055e34-0dad-426f-af5f-0273a5dfe1c7

Follow Jesus!

Happy St. Peter and St. Paul Day!

We celebrate two key founders of the Apostolic Church, St. Peter and St. Paul. They are essential in understanding the original Church of Jesus Christ. They provide an example of how we should function as the Apostolic Church today. Jesus gave Peter the message, and Peter and Paul followed it until they were martyred. Our Gospel Portion for today is St. John 21:15:19, and we will meditate on,

Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” St. John 21:17

It is a simple message, yet the world complicates it. It led to the Crucifixion and death of our Lord and the martyrdom of Saints Peter and Paul, the many martyrs of the early Church, and is present in our world today in the recent Martyrdoms of the Christians who attended the Divine Liturgy in Syria.

Feeding the Sheep is a problem for those who refuse to follow the Love Jesus taught and still teaches through those who are faithful to Him!

Sadly, through the two thousand years of this message, there is still so much hate. But we celebrate the faithfulness of our ancestors in the faith. We know that many faced cruel deaths, but they are still alive and are interceding for us today!

Love never dies!

My friends, keep “feeding the Sheep”!

Feed the sheep with food, feed the sheep with the Word of God, and feed the sheep with actions of Divine Love!

Be Jesus today!

Happy Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

Follow Jesus!

Happy St. Peter and St. Paul Day!

Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” St. John 21:17

Feeding the Sheep is a problem for those who refuse to follow the Love Jesus taught and still teaches through those who are faithful to Him!

Love never dies!

My friends, keep “feeding the Sheep”!

Feed the sheep with food, feed the sheep with the Word of God, and feed the sheep with actions of Divine Love!

Be Jesus today!

Happy Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

Be Love and Show Others the Way of Love!

Let Jesus be your guide!

On this Fifth Sunday in Eastertide, we have a renewed commandment of love. Jesus is clear that all who follow Him must abide by His commands. Our Gospel Portion for today is St. John 13:31-35, and we will concentrate on the following,

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, you also love one another.

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

St. John 13:34-35

People will know we are Christians by our love. This concept was part of a children’s church song when I was growing up, and it will always be true because Jesus is quite clear about it in His Word!

For all time this is essential for all people. We improved the world around us by doing what Jesus said and did. Continuing with this line of thinking, Jesus is still living in the world by how we treat one another.

Yes, my sisters and brothers, there are many people who say they belong to Jesus, and that is between them and God. Our concern is whether, are showing our relationship with Jesus by how we treat others.

Do we love everyone as Jesus would?

We may remember the meaning of the letters WWJD, meaning, What Would Jesus Do? This filter of our actions will never lose its significance!

We are to make a difference in our world!

Make a difference today, tomorrow, and forever! Be Jesus, be Love and show the world who we belong to!

Enjoy the Eastertide and be encouraged!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/1ad6a4aa

Allow Jesus to Heal Us!

Jesus wants to make us whole!

Happy Third Sunday of Lent!

I hope and pray that this holy time brings us peace and joy.

Today our Gospel Portion is St. Luke 13: 1-9. We will concentrate on the following section,

And he said to the vine dresser, “Behold, these three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down; why should it use up the ground?”

And he answered him, “Let it alone, sir, this year also, till I dig about it and put manure. And if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.” Luke 13: 7-9.

God is merciful and God gives us time to bear fruit!

Each Season of Lent allows us to be fed to produce fruits of righteousness throughout the year. The things of the world oftentimes reduce the potency of God’s Word in our lives. During Lent, we do things to help us receive Divine Nourishment, Divine Fertilizer, that will allow us to produce more for God’s Kingdom.

Please use Lenten time well! Read the Sacred Scripture! Fast and pray, and let this Lent be the best ever!

The world needs our fruit of righteousness now!

Be instruments of God in the world! Make the world a better place by our fruits!

Blessings!

Pax, The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/1ad6a4aa

Being Tempted is a Reality!

Jesus reveals how we respond!

Welcome to the First Sunday of Lent 2025!

We begin this sacred time always in celebration of the holy time of Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness as He prepared for His mission to humanity. Here we renew our mission to ourselves and the world!

Our Gospel Portion is taken from St. Luke 4: 1-13 and we will concentrate on the following,

And Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.’ ” Luke 4:8

Jesus had to go through three temptations from the evil one after His 40-day fast. He was in a weakened state, but He relied on Father God and was victorious over these temptations. In doing so, Jesus modeled for us how to deal with the temptations to do the wrong thing in our lives.

Temptations are a reality, it is how we deal with them that matters!

The Son of God, Jesus, came to teach us how to live out our true selves in a world that is not comfortable with the truth! There are so many easy answers to our problems and many of these answers are contrary to our true selves as images of God in the world. In our selection today we see our focus. If any action takes us from the true worship of God, then it is not appropriate for us!

During this sacred time of Lent, may we work on ourselves so that our lives mirror Jesus in all that we say and do, now and ages unending! Amen!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/033e2079