Help The Call To Sinners

"When Jesus heard this He said, 'Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. Go and find out what this means: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.'" - Matthew 9:12

One of the ugliest things people can do is refuse to go to church or a religious event because of who else is attending. I have heard people say they don't go to church because there are worse sinners inside than outside. They feel holier than the people in the church because they perceive their own sins to be nothing in comparison. People that think like this are so wrong! If we see "bad people" in the church, let's give thanks to God that they are at least trying to change, even if we see them sinning the moment they walk out! Afterall, how many times haven't we fallen? As Jesus told the Pharisees when they complained about Him visiting a tax collector, He came to call the sick. It is not our business who God calls or who God forgives. He sets each of us on our own paths to salvation. For our part, we need to support sinners on the road to salvation. Glory to God who is on the verge of receiving a new soul! We should never criticize who is looking for God because what is in their hearts is only known by God and no one else. Worry only about yourself and making sure you are right with the Lord.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, show me how to be merciful as You are merciful. Blind me to the sins of others and give me only admiration for the souls that decideto seek You, despite their weaknesses and shortcomings. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Held Accountable

"If any of you should cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble and fall, it would be better for you to be thrown into the depths of the sea with a great millstone around your neck." - Matthew 18:6

In January I held a prayer group because I felt God telling me to organize it. I put it off for a bit but He kept insisting. It took a lot out of me to put together because I'm a shy person and didn't want to harass people into attending, although I knew God had a purpose for everyone there. Tonight, my mom told me she bumped into someone whose daughter had attended that night. I don't know the girl. Someone else had invited her. Her mother told my mom that she was transformed that night. She received such a special call from God that all she wants to do is pray, go to church, and read the bible now. Although this is really great news, it scared me. God kept insisting that I put this together and it took so much out of me to silence myself and let Him work. It took so much out of me to even stand before people to talk about my faith. What if I hadn't listened and this young girl, a stranger, would have never received the love of God that night? But more importantly, on the night, God was able to act because I prayed and let myself be guided by Him, but how about who I am 95% of the time? How about who I am when I'm not praying as much? How about the Audrey that gets cranky with my brothers and is quick to snap when things don't go my way? What kind of example do I set then? The girl is just one person who I won over for God because I was praying so much, and I wouldn't have even known about her if my mom hadn't seen her mom. But I wonder how many people I have led into sin when I'm far from God and don't listen to Him. One offense, one bad word, one bad example could have led so many to sin and I would never know, but God knows and I'm sure He's keeping count. Ninety-five percent of the time I'm not who God wants me to be and I'm ashamed of that. Ninety-five percent of the time I could be causing others to sin and that is not acceptable to me.

If there are any of you that are hurt or offended by anything I've done, I am deeply sorry. Sometimes our own ignorance and insecurities lead us to harm people and we never even know it. Please know that if I've ever done anything to any of you, it's been because of my own faults, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart. I'm ashamed of a lot of things I've said, done, and thought, and hope you pray for me as God continues to mold me.

My prayer for tonight is that each of you meditate on your own actions and see if you think you've led people towards God or away from God by the examples you've set. Sometimes it's not the people we live with who we influence the most, but those whose lives we affect when casually walking by. We never realize how the smallest action or gesture on our part can significantly affect the soul of another person. I've heard that in the final judgment, God will show each of us all the souls that were lost and all the souls that were won because of us. Please pray so that we can correct the mistakes and offenses we've made and can work to bring the love of God to those who need His mercy. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Hypocrisy

"Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye and not see the plank in your own eye? Hypocrite, take first the plank out of your own eye, then you will see clear enough to take the speck out of your brother's eye." - Matthew 7:3,5

What makes the scandal surrounding Eliot Spitzer so shocking is that he was a man that made it his career to go after people for illegal activity, yet he was involved in criminal acts himself. It's not shocking that a man would sin, after all, we are all sinners, but in his case, would the public outrage have been as severe if he hadn't made it his job to prosecute so many people? Jesus says do not judge and you will not be judged and I think that what He means is that we all need to recognize our own human weaknesses and faults so that we never condemn others for theirs. We are too quick to condemn someone for certain acts, yet we are sometimes guilty of the same things. This makes us guilty before God because He sees our sins on a daily basis, yet we put others down without mercy. Is it that we think we are beyond reproach? Is it that we think we are better than others? Lately, when I catch myself judging someone, I remind myself that I have probably committed the same act I'm judging, or that I'll probably do the same if I were in the position. God is merciful and I know that in recognizing my hypocrisy at the moment, He will forgive me. It's hard to stop judging from one day to another, but know that in realizing it's something you need to work on, God will help you through. It is much better to humble yourself and recognize you're a sinner, then to walk around with your head held high only to be found out as a hypocrite.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, search me and make known to me all the sins I have committed against You and others. Put them before my eyes always so that I become aware of what I really am and not who I think I am. Help me not to judge others for their sins, but to instead help them in returning to You. In Your Name we pray, amen.

God's Mercy

"I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked man, says the Lord, but rather in his conversion, that he may live." - Ezekiel 33:11

Today's Old Testament reading was about a beautiful woman who was falsely accused of adultery by two elders and almost put to death if God had not helped her. Paralleling this story in the New Testament, we hear the account of the adulterous woman brought before Jesus to be stoned. Here is where Jesus says those famous words - let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Susanna, the woman in the first story, was innocent and God spared her life because of His faithfulness. The adulterous woman brought before Jesus was indeed guilt, and God spared her life because of His faithfulness. This should teach each of us a very valuable lesson: God does not want to see any of us die or be humiliated; He wants us to convert and live prosperously. Jesus said to the adulterous woman, go and sin no more… therefore, before the eyes of God, we are as valuable as Susanna if we resolve to turn from our sin and follow God.

Another lesson in these stories is that we need to be as merciful to others as God is with us. How many of us would rush to convict the adulterous woman because she committed a sin? Forgetting anything we ourselves have done, we bring judgement upon others as if we were completely blameless. God, who is all good and wise, does not treat His people with vengeance, although we might very well deserve it, so we should learn to treat others, in all respects, as children of the Lord.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am so evil at times and judge harshly those around me. Forgive me Lord and give me a generous, compassionate heart so that I can treat all others with the love you have for me. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Spreading Poison

"In the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and the measure you use for others will be used for you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye and not see the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother: 'Come, let me take the speck from your eyes,' as long as the plank is in your own? Hypocrite, take first the plank out of your own eye, then you will see clear enough to take the speck out of your brother's eye." - Matthew 7:2-5

I'm really ashamed to say right now that in Jesus' eyes, I'm a hypocrite. I am guilty of judging others and gossiping behind their backs, criticizing and putting down. But now, through this process of getting to know God better and getting to know myself better, I am growing into a healthier person. Psychologists will tell you that what you don't like about someone is what you don't like about yourself. I believe that criticizing others always has to do with our own problems with ourselves. I know that each time I put someone down, it was because I felt bad about myself. Maybe I was feeling insecure and felt better by putting someone else down. Maybe I was having trouble with something and felt better when someone else was having trouble. Maybe I was even jealous that someone else was happy and I wasn't. It never had to do with the other person, it was always a problem I had with myself. The worst part about it is that we never keep the venom to ourselves. Whenever we gossip, it's done with someone else, so I would also help spread the poison… another sin to add to my list.

I really am ashamed of my words and am trying my hardest to be who God wants me to be. None of us has the right to say anything about anybody because we don't know where they're coming from, nor are any of us perfect. Instead, whenever we feel we are going to judge or criticize someone, let's bring that energy to God, so that He can work on whatever is inside of us that needs attention or needs healing.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I am so sorry for the times I've spoken badly about others or put them down. Heal me of my wounds and insecurities, so I can be a medium of peace and not of poison. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Judging To Conclusions

"Jesus stayed in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival and many believed in His Name when they saw the miraculous signs He performed. But Jesus did not trust Himself to them, because He knew all of them. He had no need of evidence about anyone for He Himself knew what there was in each one." - John 2:23-25

A lot of times what we say or do is interpreted by others as meaning something we really didn't intend it to. And how many times do we judge what someone does, take something the wrong way, and get angry about it? This is jumping to conclusions, or actually judging to conclusions, and Jesus warns us serveral times in the gospels not to do it. What is in our hearts is only known to ourselves and most importantly, to God. In Jerusalem, Jesus didn't trust anyone that wanted to spend time with Him or invite Him over because He knew exactly what their intentions were and what was in their hearts. Unlike us, who need to see proof of someone's intentions or evidence in order to really know them, Jesus didn't need any to know the people. Imagine if Jesus weren't God and misjudged all of the people in Jersusalem, thinking they had bad intentions. Imagine all the people that would be unfairly judged on account of an uneducated assumption. We have people misjudge us and we misjudge people. We don't know better and we hardly know what we feel ourselves sometimes, so what right do we have to judge what another person says or does? Thank God that He knows us even when others judge us unfairly. He still knows the truth in our hearts. Jesus says that by the same measure we measure others, we will be measured. We all sincerely need to reevaluate how we measure people and give them all a lot of slack so that God doesn't judge us according to how we judge others.

Today's Prayer:
God, I am only human and make mistakes in judging Your people. Forgive me and teach me how to better my understanding of others instead of assuming I know what they really feel or think. And help me be strong those times I am unfairly judged. Defend me Lord against those who misjudged my words and my actions. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Sinners In The Church

In Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus tells a parable about the Kingdom of Heaven. He teaches about a King who wanted to celebrate the wedding of his son. He invited the most prestigious guests, but they refused to attend after multiple invitations. Jesus says of the king, "then he said to his servants: 'The wedding banquet is prepared, but the invited guests were not worthy. Go, then, to the crossroads and invite everyone you find to the wedding feast.' The servants went out at once into the streets and gathered everyone they found, good and bad alike, so that the hall was filled with guests."

I have a tough time when people tell me they don't go to church because they don't do anything bad and don't see why they need to go. It's always worse when they add "I see the people that go to church and they're all bad people! I know who they really are!" First of all, ALL of us are sinners and therefore there is not one among us that has the right to pass that kind of judgment upon anyone else. And second of all, if this is your attitude about why you don't go to church, then guess who the guest was that refused to attend the wedding banquet?

God has called each and every one of us to enjoy His banquet and many of us fail to attend but instead put those down that do attend. "Oh, so and so is doing this, I don't know what he's doing in a church," or "I'm not even half as bad as the people there, so why should I go?" This is just like when the pharisees got angry and they complained about Him eating with sinners - Jesus didn't come for the healthy. He came to heal the sick and if you feel that you're not a sinner and feel yourself more righteous than others, you better take a closer look at your life for I don't know a single person that does not need healing from Jesus Christ.

Everyone that attends church, whether good or bad, whether honest or a total hypocrite, is there because God invited ALL to attend. He knows what He's doing and He knows what He has planned for everyone in there, and I'll tell you one thing, you may feel like a better person than the people in there, but God is more likely to work in those that make the effort each Sunday than in those that don't. Don't worry about anyone else in there, only yourself and where you stand with God.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, please grant that I may not pass judgment upon anyone else, especially those that go to mass to find You. Forgive me for my shortcomings and help me see everyone as You see them. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Neither Hot Nor Cold

"I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! You are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold so I will spit you out of my mouth." -Revelations 3:15-16

Many people say that they aren't a very religious person, that they go to church when they can but that they don't commit any major sins so although they don't always pray, they're still a good person. This is a lukewarm person. Christ died on the cross and lived a life of humility, charity, faith and good deeds so that we be like Him and imitate Him in all things. With these words Jesus Himself is saying that you can no longer be in the middle. You are either someone who does not know of God or refuses to believe or you are someone who has accepted Jesus' message of love and faith and has decided to move on with their cross. Anyone else He will absolutely reject because there is no way anyone can be both and truly be a follower of God.

You have heard the call and you know the message. Ask yourselves where you stand today and if you are not hot, ask God for the grace to come to His side with fervor. It is time for you to establish who you are in the person of Jesus Christ.

Today's Prayer:
My Lord God, I am like Jesus says, lukewarm. I know Your message and what you want of me, but my life and the things in it don't let me be the person You have taught me to be. Help me and give me the strength and dedication to once and for all, firmly place my eyes upon You and be Your servant. In Your Name we pray, Amen.