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in Encouragement, Love, Discipleship

God Desired You

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God Desired You

In speaking with a group of students about the two Great Commandments, love God and love your neighbor as yourself, one wise student stated, how can we love our neighbor as ourselves when we don’t love ourselves to begin with, it would be easier to treat a neighbor better then we treat ourselves. The reality of how much we struggle to love ourselves and in turn love others really struck me, for this is very true, especially in our world today. The question I have been pondering since that conversation is, why is it so hard for us to love, cherish, and be confident in who God created us to be? The greatest response I have found to that question is from one of my favorite saints. 

On October 22 the Church celebrated the feast day of St. Pope John Paul II, who loved young people and desired so deeply that people would understand that they are created, loved, and valued by God. Each and every person is created simply because God desired them. He desired you! Take a moment and let that sink into your heart. You are here because God desired it. He wanted you! St. Pope John Paul II’s formal teaching on humanity is called the Theology of the Body. In this teaching St. Pope John Paul II begins by calling us to reflect on the beginning of Creation, when God created man and women and saw that they were very good. God created humanity to be a gift to each other, to give and receive, to live in harmony, to love each other and to bring new life into the world. In the very beginning of creation the two greatest commandments were lived out, man and woman loved God above all and they beheld and loved themselves and each other the way God intended. As we all know the story, sin entered the world and humanity became broken. We are no longer living in the original state that God created, we are living in the consequences of original sin. However, we also live in the glory, joy, and hope of Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection—as  people saved. We are called to live with the goal of heaven inscribed in our hearts, we are called to help other people to journey toward heaven, so that one day we can rejoice together with God forever. 

So why is it so hard for us to love, cherish, and be confident in who God has created us to be? Because sin entered the world and we have been wounded. Yet, St. Pope John Paul II’s teaching gives us hope because he reminds us that in the beginning it was not so and Christ has conquered sin and death, and so sin and death are not the final end. God is calling you to love Him and love your neighbor, but first take a moment to simply relish with joy that God desired you, for only when we live in this confidence of God’s love for ourselves will we be able to look at another person and see God in them and be able to love them as ourselves.

 

Posted by Karissa Tousignant
in Encouragement, Good Reminders

Daily Inner Renewal

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It has been said that Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. For those of us who live in Wisconsin, that could either be true, or simply wishful thinking. Many of us spend a greater part of the colder months considering what we might plan to do in summer; a vacation with the kids, a summer DIY home project, or simply the resolve to enjoy the warmer months in a simple way. We all seem to want to pack as much activity into the warmer months as possible—getting out there and enjoying life.

As we get older, many develop difficulty doing many of the things they loved when younger. The sad truth is that we age! Doctors and health professionals tell us that our bodies peak in our 20s and 30s, and those of us older than that can attest to the validity of their opinion.

Fortunately, as St. Paul tells us, that although this happens, our inner self is renewing. Although our physical self may be challenged, we must never allow our spiritual self to become weakened. How do we help with that daily renewal of which St. Paul speaks? We do so through a intentional connection with God.  Through prayer. Through the Sacraments. Through Sacred Scripture. He is present in all these things—there for us—assisting us in renewing our inner self, our spirits, day by day.

So, just as we may work out physically, we need to exercise spiritually. And though our bodies may be diminished over time, our spirit, which makes us who we are, which indeed is the dwelling place of God, is renewed unto the end of the age. 

Posted by Paul Burzynski
Tags: scripture, age, spiritual renewal
in Encouragement, Hope, Joy, Suffering

He is Not Hear

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“He is not here, he has been raised” (Luke 24:6a). Of all the passages in the bible this is one of my two favorites, the other being the exchange between Jesus and the “good thief.” “He is not here” is short, simple, direct . . . and life changing. It is both mysterious and awe inspiring at the same time. These words of Jesus’ absence from the tomb are meant to comfort.

The first proclamation of the Risen Lord is especially consoling to me and I would venture to others who have lost a loved one. For me, she is not here is a recurrent reality that I still grieve over, even though it has been several years. This time of year, coinciding with the brief illness my wife suffered before her death, always brings me to a special place of attention. Some years, clouds and darkness reign and some years, warmth and sunlight permeate my thoughts. This year, as I pondered the paschal mystery, I stopped on, “He is not here.” It is because He is not here that I can live in joy and hope this Easter season.

Jesus conquered death and, in doing this, opened a way for all who grieve, who have etched into their daily lives that he or she is not here, to experience a place of hope and joy. Because “He is not here,” we can live in this world with a sense of destiny. We do not have to worry as to what will happen to us, what is to become of us. Easter is a time when everything both in heaven and on earth cries out with  new life—a new life we have all been granted as children of God.

I don’t know how the season of Lent has been for you but, from wherever you are coming, it is time to put aside anything that keeps you from rejoicing that He is not here. Step out into the bright morning sunlight and feel its warmth. It is a gift from God, that Jesus our savior and our Lord is not here…He has risen.

Posted by Fr. Dennis Saran
Tags: jesus, easter, resurrection, joy, destiny

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