I pray

I pray for the Christians who are being murdered in the Middle East. Help us to rejoice with these new saints in heaven. May their spilled blood water the seeds of conversion. May their witness be as the witness of the first century saints whose deaths gave birth to the early Church.

I pray for those who mourn for the loss of these Christians. May they not despair but rejoice as their loved ones enter the kingdom of heaven. May Our Lady, who mourned the loss of her Son, comfort all in need.

I pray for those Christians who are being forced to convert by the sword. May they stand their ground and speak your truth. May those who do convert never forget their faith and may God forgive their sin. 

I pray for those who persecute, those who speak hate, those who stand by passively, and those who execute these martyrs. Lord have mercy on them! Christ have mercy on them! May their hearts soften. May they accept his mercy. And may they not only be saved but become a second St. Paul!

Lord may the world see your greatness in these dark days.

May the world learn that true freedom is only found in you and that sin makes us all slaves.

You have shown us the way to life. 

Prepare us to leave all and follow after you.

Amen.

Fall in Love

When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road. They cried out, “What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?” Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding. The demons pleaded with him, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.” And he said to them, “Go then!” They came out and entered the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they drowned. The swineherds ran away, and when they came to the town they reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district. Matthew 8:28-34

They begged him to leave their district. Two men are freed from demons. So why do the townsfolk beg Jesus to leave? I think it is because the cost (a few pigs) was too high, they would rather have the pigs than two of their brothers saved. God offers freedom and we reject it because it does not fit our world.

How many times in our life has Jesus come to us and we turn him down because the cost is just too much? Maybe God is calling us to work less and spend more time with our family but the potential loss of funds and life style costs are too scary. Or maybe Jesus wants to give us peace by having us spend more time in prayer but we are too busy watching morally questionable television shows. Or we spend our morning commute listening to radio announcers gossip about celebs, screaming about politics, or some other questionable content when we could be finding joy in praising the savoir of our life in Christian music.

Take a close look at your life. What do you spend your time on? Jesus needs to be the center. He asking you to give up some pigs to free you from demons. Please do not beg him to leave because the cost is too high.

I believe this poem attributed to Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J. sums up the rest of my thoughts.

Nothing is more practical than

finding God, than

falling in Love

in a quite absolute, final way.

What you are in love with,

what seizes your imagination,

will affect everything.

It will decide

what will get you out of bed in the morning,

what you do with your evenings,

how you spend your weekends,

what you read,

whom you know,

what breaks your heart,

and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.

Fall in Love,

stay in love,

and it will decide everything.