Pray, Pray, and Pray Without End!

Pray is the answer!

How is prayer the answer to our lives? I speak from my experience, there were times that I had nothing else but prayer, and I was able to go on for another day. Everything could seem impossible, but being in communication with the Divine makes the seemingly impossible possible!

Our Gospel portion is St. Luke 18:1-8, and we will concentrate on,

“And will not God vindicate His elect, who cry to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them?”
Luke 18:7

Whatever we have to deal with, do not give up on it; may we never give up on ourselves! God will not give up on us! Turn to God, be in constant communication with God, and allow God to work things out!

I share a constant mantra prayer that I use in good times, ordinary times, and in sad times,

“God, I surrender, please take care of everything!”

Let God fight our battles and be obedient to God’s Will and purpose in our lives. I have found this to bring me to the peace that passes all understanding.

Let us share this peace!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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Giving Thanks Always Matters!

When we have thankfulness in our lives, we open ourselves to many more blessings!

We will look at our Gospel Portion and see that thankfulness is essential for receiving blessings. Our Portion today is St. Luke 17:11-19, and we will meditate on

“And he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.”
Luke 17:16

Jesus had healed 10 lepers, but only one returned to give thanks to God. Could this be our story?

We may have been one of the nine. Once we have been healed, we go on our way and enjoy life again, but in doing so, we will miss the opportunity of receiving more blessings from the Healer.

Or we have been the one who returns to give thanks to the Healer and receives the blessing of a relationship with the healer and experiences more healing.

The difference is living a life of gratitude. In this life, we experience a relationship with the Healer that draws us back for healing.

For example, two years ago, I was crippled from arthritis and sciatica. I am grateful that I am no longer crippled. My process meant turning all of my suffering over to my Healer, Jesus. I did not give up, and Jesus did not give up on me; hence, I have a testimony that I can share now!

Be the Samaritan who returns a ” thank you ” to the Healer throughout the day!

It makes a positive difference in my life, and I am confident that it will have a similarly positive impact on all lives.

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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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

We Must Bridge the Chasm In Our Lives!

The Divine and the world can be united in us!

Happy and healthy Sunday!

Divine things and things of the Earth are often at odds with each other. It is like going to church on Sunday or the shul on Saturday and forgetting the message during the workweek and acting like everyone else. This kind of separation is not suitable for the individual. Wholeness always matters and leads to peace.

Today’s Gospel Portion helps us look at this issue. Our Portion is St. Luke 16:19-31, and we will concentrate on,

“And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.”

Luke 16:26

Father Abraham said this in the parable given to us by Jesus, and he is referring to where Lazarus was with him and the division that separated him from the place where the rich man, who was in anguish, resided. That chasm did not just happen after their deaths; rather, it existed when they were on the other side of eternity.

We forge our eternity as we live now!

From our worship, we know how to treat people. If we apply the Sacred Scriptures, we know how to behave. What we worship, we are to live out in our homes, with our neighbors, and in the marketplace!

The love of God must inform the way we treat everyone. This is the way to peace!

If we desire to be whole, we must live out our faith!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/bc47edef

Be Wise Stewards of God!

The world needs such stewards!

Blessed Sunday!

We seem to always be in desperate times. The reality is that this is not a new phenomenon. There is always something to complain about. However, complaining does not solve the problem. What can we do to improve our situation? Our Gospel Portion today, St. Luke 16:1-13, offers a positive approach to dealing with our problems. We will concentrate on the following verse,

The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.

Luke 16:8

Being shrew, being smart about interpersonal interactions is a positive thing if we are children of the light. We can make positive changes in our world. It is like a battle that we fight to make the world a better place.

How can we be more proactive as children of the light?

If we follow the example of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, we must begin with our families. Raising children who understand the reality of life and make loving decisions. Raising children like this may make the world around us a more caring place. Helping our family members be able to negotiate living out the Gospel in the present moment, hopefully, makes them live more at peace

The shrewd steward of the light is an excellent response to the world situation today and every day.

Be wise stewards of God!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/bc47edef

Carry The Cross!

God will truly be with us if we are truly who we are!

God loves us and wants us to be real! If we are present in the here and now, God will strengthen us in every situation We encounter!

Our Gospel Portion today is St. Luke 14: 25-33 and we will meditate on,

“Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:27

Honestly, it always matters!

Our lives are full of struggles, and Jesus desires to walk with us through them. This is the great gift of being a disciple of Jesus. But if we can not be honest about our reality, we block Jesus from supporting us in carrying our cross.

We endure unnecessary suffering. Jesus wants to bring us healing! We are not alone! Jesus is the friend who will never forsake us!

May we embrace the cross, accept ourselves as who we are, and trust that Jesus will help us carry it and bring us peace. He promised to be with us, and He keeps His promises!

#TotalTrustInJesus

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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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.

Love Is the Way!

Be love and enter the Narrow Door!

Love is essential! We were created out of love, and when we live a life full of love, we live a life we were meant to be.

Today our Gospel Portion is St. Luke 13:22-30, and we will concentrate on,

“Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

Luke 13:24

Love is what we need to live a life of peace. However, we cannot force others to be instruments of love. God has given us free will. For those who follow Jesus, there is only one way to treat people: we must treat people with love!

It is hard to love people who do mean things to us, but if we want peace, this is our only option. Living love does not mean we keep putting ourselves in harm’s way. But it does mean to let the hurt go and move forward.

Not living love takes away one’s peace if one follows Jesus. We know what He preached and what He did on the Cross for all people.

When we do what Jesus would do, peace reigns in us!

The Narrow Door is open to those who love. Be that love and do what Jesus would do!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

Be the Fire of Divine Love!

Be the source of true peace in your world!

Sunday blessings!

People talk about peace, but there cannot be peace without justice. Our Gospel reading today, St. Luke 12:49-53, highlights this truth. We will focus on the following section:

“Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.

Luke 12:51

It might seem strange that Jesus speaks about causing division instead of peace, but listen— the peace we often think exists in the world is an illusion! Many situations people live in are far from peaceful. When we judge our family or neighbors, we are not at peace with them. So, when we follow Jesus, we may not always find peace with everyone.

Our peace is a peace of Divine Love!

The peace Jesus provides is an inner peace. When we have that peace, we reflect it from deep within our hearts.

However, this inner peace can cause division among those unable or unwilling to share this love. Today, I will share the story of St. Lawrence the Martyr. When Emperor Valerian inquired about the riches of the Church, Lawrence responded by presenting the poor of Rome.

St. Lawrence was murdered for doing this! St. Lawrence followed his Savior and died for true peace.

May we have the true peace of Jesus and say to the world by how we live, that without justice, there cannot be peace!

Be the change you want to see in your world!

Sunday Blessings!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

Be Ready to Receive Jesus!

Jesus wants to be with us every minute of our lives!

He will come again to the world in glory, but He comes to us in many ways now. Will we be ready to receive Him?

Today our Gospel Portion is St. Luke 12:32-48, and we will concentrate on,

Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes; truly, I say to you, he will put on his apron and have them sit at table, and he will come and serve them.
Luke 12:37

Jesus will come in Glory, but He always comes into our lives. But are we available to receive Him?

Jesus comes to us in each other, and these can be marvelous experiences if we do not let things in our lives get in the way.

For example, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta experienced Jesus in many people. Some of these people were dying in the street, and no one recognized them, but Mother Teresa did because she knew Jesus. Mother Teresa knew love.

I hope we will know Jesus well enough to see Him in our loved ones who want love and want to be loved in return.

I hope we will see and receive Jesus in the people we meet at work and in our various activities.

I hope we see Jesus in the person in the street by always being kind. Remember,

KindnessAlwaysMatters!

If we become more like Jesus, we will be able to receive Jesus when He comes to us!

Have a blessed Sunday!
Pax. The Hermit of Peace.