Life is Christ!

Feed on Him and Live!

We continue with Jesus the Bread of life which is so important for those who follow Jesus! We must feed on Him because He is our life! We read in St. John’s Gospel,

So, Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will have no life in you…” John 6:35

There are so many distractions in our lives, with all the craziness, the Presidential Election in the U. S., all the wars around the world, and everything that we see in the news, without the right food, Jesus, we may enter despair and depression!

But if we feed on Jesus despair and depression will not be the final result!

However, since the Jesus’ time, there have been forces determined to destroy the food of our only hope in a world bent on self destruction. Faith tells us that these forces cannot win. We see in the Cross that, though these forces nailed our Hope to the Tree, our Hope rose on the third day.

Eat Jesus and keep rising!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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Give All to The Lord!

Today as we meditate in the Gospel of St. John in Chapter 6 the feeding of the Multitude, we look at a young person who gave to the Lord all that he had, and Jesus could work the miracle. We read in St. John’s Gospel,

“Here is a lad with five barley loaves and two fish, but how far will that go with so many?” John 6:9.  

Never underestimate what Jesus can do!

It is not how much we have to give to Jesus; it is what Jesus will do when we put our total trust in Him!

Jesus, after teaching the multitude, saw the need that the people had, they needed a meal to stay safe as they return to their homes. Jesus would provide the meal through the resources of His people. His Apostles still did not know Him. They judge the situation in an ordinary, natural way, they did not have enough to feed the people. However, when we deal with Jesus, we encounter an extraordinary, supernatural way!

Do not underestimate Jesus!

Give to Jesus what you have. Trust in Him, and let Jesus work the miracle He decides!

Jesus, I surrender all to You, take control of everything!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://www.gofundme.com/6ndjm4-christophers-fund-for-charity

 

 

 

We Were Lost, But Now We Are Found!

Thank God for Jesus!

There are so many opportunities to get lost and there are so many people who claim to love us, but really have their own agenda at work. But God enters and leads us to “Green Pastures”. We are given a place of peace in a world of confusion.

Thank God for Jesus!

We read in the Gospel of St. Mark,

 As He (Jesus) landed He saw a great throng, and He had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and He began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34.

The sheep have to be taught!

Without the Good Shepherd, we would be lost in the world! There are so many problems that we have to deal with on the daily basis, with His word we have the means of handling our situations and staying in love and in peace.

The people in our Gospel selection today knew they were missing something in their lives and that something was Jesus!

Perhaps we are those people today and Jesus wants to be available to us! All we have to do is to seek Him.

Today there is so much hurt all around us, in our families, at our work places and in our society, but we do not have to despair! Let the Good Shepherd speak to our hearts and let Him take control. Let Jesus show how to be more like Him in all of our relationships.

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you will find rest for your souls”. Matthew 11:29

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

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Be The Change That Jesus Wants!

The World Needs Our Apostleship!

In our Gospel selection from St. Mark that we read today, we see Jesus sending out the 12 Disciples. He gives them Divine Gifts that will change the world they enter into if they are received. We read,

And He (Jesus) called to Him the Twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. Mark 6:7.

By this point in the Gospel of St. Mark, these first leader of the Ministry of Jesus had been prepared to spread the ministry wherever they went. They were to be Jesus’ presence among those who received them.

Jesus is Divine Love in Person!

At this point in Jesus’ Ministry, He was located in one location at a time, but through the Twelve, He was present in six places more.

Jesus’ Power!

Where the Twelve went, they carried the Power of Jesus to combat the power of the evil one. The Power of Jesus was given through them as His agents!

Be part of the Divine Change!

Through the Power of Jesus, we too are able to make positive changes in the world where we are. But do not get discouraged when we are not received! Our obligation is to give of ourselves, people have the right to receive us or not. Or as Jesus said two thousand years ago,

“And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them.” Mark 6:11.

We must move on! People need Jesus’ Power, hence do not fret about those who choose to stay without Him! Keep moving and be the change that you experienced in Jesus to those who receive you!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.  

https://gofund.me/ffc54371

Let Jesus Bless You!

Believe and Trust in Him!

It is possible to miss a blessing because of unbelief. What a shame! We see in our Gospel selection of today, how unbelief in Jesus can keep us from healing. We read in St. Mark’s Gospel,

And He (Jesus) could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands upon a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Mark 6:5-6

Familiarity breeds contempt! And contempt blocks miracles. However Total Trust in Jesus allow miracles to enter into our lives!

What does this say to us as we live our lives today? Most of us know Jesus, but do we believe He can bring miracles into our lives.

Familiarity breeds contempt, but faith opens the door for Jesus to take control!

Jesus wants to bring peace and healing into our lives, but He will not force it on us! Allow Him to work the miracles He has in store for us!

Lord save us from blocking Your blessings in our lives!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/6dbcb083

 

Little One, Rise!

God became one of us so that we will become like God! Jesus modeled for us the Victorious Life. Today’s Gospel selection helps us see how Jesus will help us live in victory.

We read in St. Mark’s Gospel,

Taking her hand He (Jesus) said, “Tal’itha cu’mi”; which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Mark 5:41

The crowd that was around this girl thought that she was dead. However, Jesus continue with her parents and His Apostles to minister to her. The parents trusted in Jesus and they were rewarded with victory over death.

Trusting Jesus leads to victory!

Things may seem dead in our lives. We may feel hopeless! But there is a prayer for that,

“Jesus, I surrender all things to you, take care of everything!”

Trusting in Jesus changes our!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace. 

https://gofund.me/1b9dd565

Do We Have Faith!

There are storms in our lives that we must go through! It is foolish to try to avoid them! But faith in Jesus, the Master of All, is with us, if we have faith in Him!

We read in St. Mark’s Gospel,

And He (Jesus) said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?”

Mark 4:40

Jesus had these questions to ask His disciples who were with Him in a boat and they were experiencing a terrible storm. They were fearful because it was a dangerous situation. It was a life or death experience. The Disciples did not know who they were with, Jesus, so they thought they all were doomed. However, they had enough sense to call on Jesus and He spoke to the Storm, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39.

The message is this, we know Jesus, and whatever storm comes our way, we know what to do: Call on Jesus!

Surrender whatever we are going through to Jesus, do whatever we are able to do and say to Him,

I put all of my hope in You!

Jesus has Victory over every storm!

Have an awesome Sunday!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/a1d90db2

Wait On The Lord!

Happy Father’s Day!

God, Our Lord Jesus, speaks to us in words that we can understand and apply to our lives. We read in the Gospel of St. Mark,

And Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed upon the ground, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, and he knows not how…” Mark 4: 26-27

This parable of Jesus reminds us that the Kingdom of God becomes present though our faithfulness. We plant, we nurture and growth happens. The process is for all aspects of our lives. The Kingdom of God grows in ourselves, in our families, at our workplaces, in the Church and in the world by planting and nurturing, and growth comes at its appropriate time.

In the Lord’s Prayer we see what we pray to happen in us, “Thy Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven.” This prayer is fulfilled in our faithfulness in daily practice of seeding and nurturing. We wait on God to bring the growth, but we are the tools God uses to make the Kingdom present.

Today, in the U. S., we celebrate our fathers and those who take the place of fathers in our lives. The process of seeding and nurturing is done by parents in the children they raise. The Kingdom of God arises in us because of their faithfulness!

Happy Father’s Day! Abundant blessings!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace

https://gofund.me/a1d90db2

 

We Are Loved! We Will Not Be Lost!

Happy Good Shepherd Sunday!

We are still celebrating Easter! And in this Fourth Sunday of Easter, we celebrate a key feature of our Lord in our relationship with Him. We read in the Gospel of St. John,

“I am the Good Shepherd, I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for My sheep.”

John 10:14-15

It is so easy to get lost in the world. God knows how we can get ourselves into trouble. And because God loves us, God joined us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Sheep have not been known to be smart creatures. Without guidance, without a good shepherd, they can fall off a cliff. Sheep are easy prey for wolfs and other predatory creatures, they would lose their lives without the protection of a good shepherd. This is the reality for sheep, and I cannot speak for you, but I can speak for myself. I need a Good Shepherd, and I know Him as Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Having a personal relationship with Jesus is a life saver! His word leads us through dark places into sublime green pastures. Jesus will fill us with His love so that we are overflowing in His grace. We do not have to fear evil, because He has conquered that too!

Today let me leave you with a prayer from Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo,

“O Jesus, I surrender myself to You, take care of everything!”

My friends, once we have done all that we can do, leave everything in God’s hands.

Have a blessed Sunday!

Pax. The Hermit of Peace.

https://gofund.me/a1d90db2