Jesus is Knocking – Open the Door – Beautifully Ordinary – Walking in Mystery

Vincentian Day of Prayer and Fast

Jesus is Knocking

Jesus knocks at the door of our hearts and eagerly desires to dine with us at the sacrificial meal we call the Eucharist. He wishes to find us ready to receive him, to sit down and eat with him, in the upper rooms of our lives. Jesus calls us to live out in service to those we are called to serve with Mercy, Charity and Forgiveness. Sometimes Forgiveness is the most difficult to manage.  Recently we had a Terrorist attack in Quebec City.  The terrorist in this case was a Canadian who killed 6 Muslim men who were at prayer and worship.  Thank God the Muslim people in all parts of Canada held vigils and attended Prayer service in the mosques across the country and had candle light vigils on the streets and in churches.  This young man was forgiven by the Muslim families.  Flags were flown at half-mast across the country and we prayed for the dead and prayed for the anger of the young man.  It is harder to forgive in these types of incidences.  But we must forgive in simple things like an argument with a friend or someone who has hurt you.  When we serve Jesus in the poor, I often send up a prayer to those in need and ask for forgiveness.  When you hear Jesus knocking, be not afraid to open the door.  He forgives you.

Open the Door

We face so many challenges in life: poverty, distress, humiliation, and the struggle for justice, persecutions, and many others. But if we open the door to Jesus and allow him to be part of our lives, if we share our joys and sorrows with him, then we will experience the peace and joy that only God, who is infinite love, can give. Prayer is such an important part of our call to be disciples and serve.  We welcome the intervention of Jesus.  As we call on him to guide us.  We need to open the door and seek his Word and ask for forgiveness.  We do not need to forgive the poor, they need to forgive us.  When we become good friends with those we serve, we are doing God’s work and charity and mercy are expected.  We must always treat those we serve as friends and yes we have to give Mercy and Forgiveness.  We always pray for the poor and with them.  It is the right thing to do and when Jesus knocks on the door to our heart open that door widely and pray in thanksgiving.

Beautifully Ordinary

“One can never have too great a supply of patience and mild persuasion.” – St. Vincent de Paul – Lord, when I have failed to succeed in persuading anyone to another course of action, it was probably because of my impatient and aggressive manner. Create in me a gentle patience that respects the views of others and seeks to persuade in a non-threatening manner. Jesus was beautifully ordinary and he encourages us to do so as well.  We are called to be servants of the poor.  They are our masters and when we visit in their homes, always remember they are our masters and we are the servants.  We see the face of Jesus and we know we are serving him as well.  He gave us his Light.  Light does not always dispel the darkness, but what it does do is dispel the fear darkness.  In the reading from Matthew (4:17) He wants us to understand that the” light in the darkness” that Jesus brought was the good news of the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus gives us that light so that we might share it with goodness to those in need.

Walking in Mystery

God wants us to trust him. That often involves walking in mystery. It also requires us to recognize the fact that God can always bring good out of evil. The Bible is filled with stories of bad, even evil, decisions, but somehow God’s will prevailed, and we ended up with a Savior. “Just because you’ve made mistakes doesn’t mean your mistakes get to make you. Take notice of your inner critic; forgive yourself, and move on.”  Sometimes mystery leads us to fear.  We have to brush this away as we are so Loved by the Trinity and God is always with us and he sheds his light on those in need.  Sometimes we need to take practical measures to overcome fear.  We may need to learn to be more present in the here and now and become aware of Gods comforting presence.  This is our mystery that we walk in on every visit.  “What will I do to make things good for this family?”  So we too walk in the mystery of God.  Be alert and hear his voice calling.  Be alert and talk to God to solve your mystery.

Blessings,

Lynn