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.

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

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.

What We Treasure Matters!

Choose Jesus and make a better world!

What we hold as important directs our focus in life. Today, our Gospel Portion is St. Luke 12:13-21, and we will concentrate on

“So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Luke 12:21

Jesus gives us a model that helps make a better world. Jesus uses love as the complete center of His actions, and as His followers, we must keep this love as the center of our behavior, too!

Kindness always matters!

Being kind does not mean that we can not be wealthy in the things of this world. But it means we must share our wealth with those in need.

We must always remember that everyone is our sister or brother and love them in concrete ways. This often means sharing what is ours with organizations that we trust that feed the poor, clothe the naked, visit the incarcerated, care for the sick, and do all the other necessary acts of charity in our world today.

Living charity is living already in the Kingdom of God!

May we live the words we pray many times a day: Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!

May we be Kingdom People!

Sunday Blessings!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

Keep Knocking!

The Lord will open the door at the right time!

Today, our Lord teaches us to be persistent in prayer. Let us spend some time applying this principle here and now. We will use St. Luke’s Gospel 11:1-13, and we will concentrate on

For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Luke 11:10

We must be persistent in what we want in life, but it must follow the Law of Love. For what we want to be accomplished it must be part of God’s Will!

We find God’s Will in Jesus Christ! God became one of us so that we could be more like God.

Hence, what we want must be in sink with that which would make the world a better place.

It is important to evaluate our desires according to love. For example, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta desired to love those who were not treated with love. Her prayerful actions started a worldwide movement. Or, let us look at the Little Flower, St. Thérèse, who from her monastery, died at 24 years of age, transformed spirituality in her Little Way. There are many more examples and in our little way can make a big difference in someone’s life!

Be persistent in prayer! Keep knocking on the Divine Door! The Divine One will open the door when it is the Divine Time!

Be blest and be a blessing!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/bc47edef

Choose Jesus!

May Jesus always be the focus of our lives!

Today, our Gospel Portion is St. Luke 10:38-42. We will meditate on

“One thing is needful. Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:42

We have the famous story of Jesus with Martha and Mary. These wonderful women have given us two key approaches to Jesus, which are essential to a healthy relationship with our Lord. Let us look at the story again.

Jesus is at dinner with Martha and Mary. Martha is busy with acts of serving, and Mary is at the feet of Jesus listening to Him. Martha is overburdened with acts of hospitality and wants her sister, Mary, to leave Jesus and help her do the tasks at hand. Jesus uses this situation to explain what should be most important for Martha and everyone. Being with Jesus is paramount

Jesus is the focus of our lives as followers of Him. We, like Martha, must learn that being with Jesus first and feeding on His Words will direct everything else in our lives.

We must work! We must provide for others! But first, we must be fed by Jesus.

Jesus is the reason for every good thing that we do!

Always choose the better part first! Always choose Jesus!

Happy Sunday!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/bc47edef

Be A Good Samaritan!

Live the Shema!

Love always matters, and it is love that will change the world! It would be awesome if everyone loved themselves and their neighbors, but that must begin with how we live. It is like one light in a world of darkness; it makes a difference.

Today our Gospel Portion is St. Luke 10:25-37, and our selection to meditate on is,

But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion,

Luke 10:33

There once was a victim of a robbery who was left to die. Others saw him and left him to die because they had more important things to do or to be, but one stopped. This one was a Samaritan, an outsider, and this person chose to love the victim and save his life.

It only takes one to change the world, one person at a time!

Will we be that one person?

There is so much negativity around us. We are called to make a difference!

Will you make a difference in the world with me?

We can talk about terrible things, but those are just words. Cursing the darkness is useless! Instead, may we bring light to the darkness and be the change we want to see.

Have hope in a better world and be part of that hope.

Have a wonderful Lord’s Day!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace. It

https://gofund.me/19dae820

Bring Peace Wherever We Go!

Have a blessed Sunday!

Our presence in the world as followers of Jesus brings His Peace. We are the Seventy-two Disciples in the world. That is a tremendous responsibility, but our world desperately needs us to be faithful to our call!

Our Gospel Portion today is St. Luke 10:1-20, and we will meditate on,

“Whatever house you enter, first say ‘peace be to this house!’” St. Luke 10:5.

To bring peace, we must already have it. Jesus’ Peace must already reign in our lives. The original 72 Disciples had been taught by the Master Himself; hence, Jesus already reigned in them.

We are the Seventy-two today!

Jesus has taught us through His Word, His followers’ example, and their words.

We bring peace more by who we are and how we treat everyone than by our words.

Live the Peace of Jesus and radiate that peace in our homes, at our workplaces, and with everyone we encounter.

Peace must begin with us! Let the world be a better place through us!

Happy Sunday!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/1ad6a4aa

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.