Hear The Voice

"My sheep hear my voice and I know them; they follow me and I give them eternal life. They shall never perish and no one will ever steal them from me." - John 10:27-28

We all hear voices. Besides the voices of our family and friends, the voices that might speak loudest to us are the ones telling us we're going to fail or that we're not good enough. We might hear voices telling us we're lonely and things will never work out. Voices telling us we're failures and we've messed up too badly to fix things. But a voice that most people can never single out is the voice of God. He does speak to each and every one of us even if right now you don't believe it. His is a voice so faint, yet so strong, that only when you abandon yourself to prayer and meditation you will be able to hear it. This voice drowns out all negative thoughts you have put in your mind and all those negative thoughts others have put in your mind. If you don't think He listens and doesn't try talking to you, you're wrong…you just haven't really taken the time to listen. And what He wants to tell you is that your situation or your past don't really matter to Him at all, it's that you're taking the time to listen right now. If you quieten yourself tonight, shut out the outside world and put yourself in His presence, you will hear Him tell you that you are His child. As a lamb is taken care of and led by a shepherd, so you are taken care of by the Lord. No other voice will be able to block what He's telling you because no one can take you away from Him. No harm, evil, sorrow or sin can separate you from your Lord. Listen to the voice to guide you.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, when I am still and my heart is open to You, You speak to me. Do away with everything else that drowns out Your voice so You are all I focus on. I love You and want to be led by You. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Why There Is So Much Suffering In The World

"Jesus said to him, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' And Peter answered, 'Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Look after my sheep.'" - John 21:16

This is a story I just read in a book called "This Is Our Faith:"
There is a story about a priest and a soap maker who were friends. One day, while taking a walk in the city, the soap maker asked his friend, "What possible good can religion be? After thousands of years of preaching goodness, truth, and peace, look at all the misery, poverty, and sin in the world. If religion is supposed to be so beneficial for people, why should this be?" For awhile, the priest said nothing in reply. Shortly, they came to a school yard where some children were playing in the dirt. They were covered with grime. The priest then spoke up, "See those kids. You say that soap makes people clean, but still those children are filthy. I wonder how effective soap is after all." The soap maker protested, "But, Father, soap is of no value unless people use it." "Precisely," replied the priest. "And so it is with religion."

Faith and religion are empty unless we put them into practice. It's very easy to complain about why there is poverty in this world if God loves us so much, why are there people suffering. The answer is that Jesus came to the world to show us how to love others, have concern for others, take care of others. This is why He commanded Peter to take care of and feed His sheep. We are to be Jesus' hands, feet, mouths, ears, and eyes here on earth. If there are people suffering, starving, it is our own fault for not helping them. Saint Basil said, "the bread you store up belongs to the hungry; the cloak that lies in your chest belongs to the naked," and this is very true. Our jobs as Christians isn't just to believe there is a God but to let the suffering feel and know there is a God by our caring for them. This is how God manifests Himself.

Please, use your time to volunteer to help the needy. Catholic Charities is a great start, or contact your local church. If you don't have the time, donate money. Instead of spending 10 dollars on a movie ticket, give it to a child that needs money for school books. Take care of Jesus' sheep…you do not help the problem by just observing and complaining about it.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, You have called me to be Your hands and feet so that I may help the poor and suffering in the world. Open my heart and mind to see where I am needed and where I can further Your kingdom here on earth. In Your Name we pray, Amen.