Willingness

"My grace is enough for you; my great strength is revealed in weakness." - 2nd Corinthians 12:9

I was just reading about the life of St. Thérése of Lisieux. When she was a teenager, she wanted God to make her a saint, but she struggled in trying to contain her emotions, such as stubbornness, anger, and the desire to seek attention. She made a mistake that we all make - she tried to work on her own feelings instead of giving them up to God to handle.

Tomorrow, we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. After meditating on His passion, some of us are moved to explore a closer relationship with God, but there are always doubts that pop up into our head: Can I really live a life following the Lord? Am I ready to give up certain things I know aren't good for me? Will God really listen to me? Is He really there? All of us struggle with doubts and questions, but all that God needs from us is our willingness to let Him guide us, instead of trying to do the work ourselves, as Thérése first did. Don't try to control anything or change anything yourself. As He told Paul, His grace is enough for you and in the areas you feel weak, He'll show you His strength. Where you feel you don't believe or can't continue, He'll help you through. All you need to do is tell Him with a sincere heart that you are willing to have Him work in you. That's the beauty of following the Lord - sometimes we think there is too much work involved, but then you see how He gently moves you in love to better, more peaceful places. All He looks for is a simple prayer from the heart saying that you are willing.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, today, I give up to You my fears, my weaknesses, and my doubts. I bring before You my desire to follow You, and with all of my heart, I would like You to work in me. Carry me when I am weak and when I doubt. In Your Name we pray. Amen.

Jesus Carries His Cross

Today we enter The Easter Triduum, the most important days in Jesus' suffering and our redemption from sin. If you can, please make the time to attend Mass this evening as the church remembers the washing of the feet and the last supper. Tonight, Jesus will find Himself in agony in the garden because in the next 24 hours, He will be put to death. Join Him in His suffering.

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery:
Our Lord Carries His Cross to Calvary

"Bearing His own cross, Jesus went out of the city to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew: Golgotha." - John 19:17

Imagine our beaten, bleeding, crying Messiah walking through the streets toward His death, with His cross on His back. Can you see all the people laughing at Him? Some are crying. Some don't even care. His body must ache so badly after all He's been through. He hasn't even had anything to eat or drink. I don't even know how He managed to keep walking, but He did. He persevered because what He was going through, the cross He was carrying, was the work of God.

Our first reaction when we are given a cross to bear is that we don't want to and we don't deserve it. However, after sin entered the world, no one ever guaranteed us that life would be blissful and happy. On the contrary, while on earth we will deal with pain, suffering and all kinds of hurt and evil. That's why Jesus died, so that after death, we can enter Heaven and finally live in peace. But since we're still on earth, we need to bear the crosses we carry - caring for sick relatives, living with disease, dealing with financial trouble, coping with addictions, and doing the will of God by being good to others even when they don't deserve it. You see, it is ONLY in suffering, that we acquire strength and we grow. Those who don't suffer never build character. If we accept our lot in life and ask God for help, He will help us carry that cross and we grow closer to Him, earning our entry into Heaven.When I think of Jesus in His passion, I only feel sorry for the pain He was going through, but I know that during His passion is actually when He was the strongest! We don't look at suffering with the eyes of the body, but with the eyes of the soul which tell us that here, we are with God and we are more than conquerors against anything the devil throws at us. Pick up the cross you may be telling God to remove from you, and in the Name of Jesus Christ, carry it in victory for your God and for your soul.

Today's Prayer:

Mary, mother of God, pray for us so that we may see that it is only through suffering that we grow stronger in spirit and faith. Pray so that the Lord takes away our fears and we may join Him in His walk to Calvary.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

O, my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls into Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy. Amen.

When You Are Weak

"My grace is enough for you; My great strength is revealed in weakness." - 2nd Corinthians 12:9

Oprah had a young girl on her show named Kristen Anderson. When she was about 15/16 yrs old, Kristen lost 4 of her closest friends in suicides and accidents. A year after that, her grandma died and shortly after that, she was raped. Needless to say, she was full of despair. She felt alone, helpless and with nothing to live for or look forward to. One evening, she decided to go out to her back yard which was next to some rail road tracks. After seriously considering ending her life, she decided to lie down on the tracks as a train approached. The train came and rail road cars drove right over Kristen. Amazingly enough, she didn't die. Fully conscious, she looked behind her and saw her legs with her brand new sneakers lying a couple of feet away. The train engineer stopped the train and called the cops. The Kristen Anderson that made it to the Oprah show, however, was a completely different person. She was radiant and all smiles as she pushed her legless body off her wheel chair and onto Oprah's coach. Oprah also had another young adult on the show who also tried commiting suicide after his parents divorced. He took a gun and blew off his face, but somehow survived. After about 18 reconstructive surgeries and 6 months in a drug induced coma, doctors have some what rebuilt his face. David also sat on Oprah's couch radiant. The show was about people who had tried commiting suicide but failed. Oprah wanted to show her audience the warning signs and how to help people in despair who see no way out, but I saw another message in the people's stories. These kids had awful things happen to them and they saw no hope, no help. Somehow after their accidents, they both found God and instead of going on Oprah with sob stories, they both told Oprah that they have found the love of Jesus Christ and despite having severe disabilities, they said they were happier than ever. David is now blind and hardly even has a nose or a mouth and Kristen's legs were cut off right above the knees, but in God, they are more full of life than most of us are! We let financial problems and relationship problems keep us down and gloomy but these kids have seen worse, tried killing themselves, and now, when the world would see them at their weakest, they are strongest. Happiness and strength doesn't lie in physical strength and beauty, but it ONLY lies in having God in our hearts. For these disabled kids, His grace is enough because when they are weak, they are really the strongest since their faith is firmly and indivisibly placed on God. We need to learn that God's grace is our only strength, and when things are at their lowest in our hearts, in our souls, prepare yourselves because that is when God really shows His strength!

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, forgive me for not allowing You to be God and for You to be my strength when I feel down and defeated. I can't do it on my own. Favor me with Your grace and give me the supernatural strength I need to get through. In Your Name we pray, amen.

The Power of the Holy Spirit

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you." - Acts 1:8

There are times that although we believe in God, our faith falters. Sometimes we find ourselves calling out to God and not finding the strength we need to go on. Did you know that the Holy Spirit is the power of God in action? He is the one that fills us, moves in us and gives us the strength we need to go on. He is a powerful force that engulfs and transforms us.

After Jesus ascended into Heaven, the apostles were terrified and in hiding. Jesus promised that He would not leave them alone and that promise was fulfilled by the coming of the Holy Spirit. On Pentecost, while the apostles were praying, the Holy Spirit came down upon them as a powerful force that transformed them so that they were never the same again. He uplifted them and gave them strength and courage to stand for what they believed in and face their oppressors. If you're going through any type of rough patch right now, call on the Holy Spirit, the power and force of God to fill you and work through you. Just as He did with the apostles, He will build you up. If you need advice or guidance on something, call on the Holy Spirit and He will light a path in front of you to follow.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit. When we don't have strength, Your Spirit comes in to build us up. Help me to always stay open to receiving Your graces and letting You work through me. In Your Name we pray, amen.

All Things

"I can do all things in Him who strengthens me." - Phillippians 4:13

What are the problems that hold you down? What are those huge mountains that you see in your way, impossible to climb over? What are those burdens that weigh down on your chest at times, always worrying you about your future and how things will turn out?

Saint Paul was a persecuted man. He traveled among pagans teaching them a radical new belief knowing he would get laughed at and possibly killed. He had no money, no family, no possessions that were really his. All he knew was that he could do ALL THINGS in Christ who strengthened him.

If Paul depended on Christ for his very life, why can't you depend on Christ for your finances? For your future? For your health? For your happiness? You can do all things in Christ who strengthens you because our God is infinitely bigger than that mountain that blocks your vision. So when you're down, when you're sad, when you can't seem to figure a way out, repeat this verse to yourself and make sure you believe it. You will be amazed at how God works it all out for you because you believed. Never worry, He is with you.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, I get nervous but You are victorious. My problems weigh me down but there is nothing I can't achieve with You by my side. Give me the optimism to call on You day and night so I can fulfill the plan You have for me. I know I can do all things in You. In Your Name we pray, amen.

God Will Never Let You Fall

"Place your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you, for He never allows the upright to fall." - Psalm 55:23

I'm a huge worrier. A couple of months ago, when I thought something was going to go wrong at work, I would freak out and let myself get overworked. But the closer I got to the Lord, the more I learned to trust Him. Now, when deadlines are approaching and things don't seem to be going my way, I am relaxed because I just know that some way, some how, the Lord is good and He will work it all out for me. This is something the Lord wants to do for you as well if you give up your trust to Him. Your burden could be your job, your financial situation, health, school, family or your own emotional problems. No matter what it is, if you give it unto God, He will take care of it. You can rest assured. It says here that God will never ever allow for the upright, those who follow Him and pray to Him, to fall. You could see everything going against you - King David wrote it psalms that his enemies were closing in on him, yet no matter how close danger got, no harm ever came upon him. You could see yourself at the very bottom, but the Lord won't allow it to go any further. The key here is to be upright. Look for the Lord. Give Him the time He deserves. Watch your life and do what is pleasing to Him. Do away with the things you know the Lord is against and He will look with favor upon you. Trust in Him for no matter what you're going through, He takes up your burden. He sustains your life. He will never let you fall…never.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, thank You for sustaining my life through all of my trials. You give me life and take care of me. Throughout everything I can never say that You have let me down. I love You, my Lord. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Through the Valley

"Although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are beside me." - Psalm 23:4

The moment that something bad is happening to me, I start to beg God to get me out of it. Whether it's my job or being stuck in bad traffic, I ask God to bring me out of the situation without even considering sticking through for a bit longer. But if you think about it, most of the times in life, we end up sticking through all the bad stuff until things get better. This psalm teaches us that for some reason, God leads us through these bad periods in our lives, but along the way, He is with us. We all want better things - a great new job, to get married, a new house - but with all of these things come great responsibilities. These bad periods build us and make us stronger so that when we finally reach the next level, we're ready for it! Instead of telling God to relieve you of a situation, ask for strength and endurance to make it through and you'll see how He walks with you along the way, building you for better things.

Today's Prayer:
Dear God, open my eyes of faith and allow me to see the good that You do in my life, even in the things that I don't like. You know my faith can be weak at times, but show me the power of Your hand and walk me through until I'm grown. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Lest You Fall

"You who fear the Lord, wait for His mercy and do not turn away lest you fall." - Sirach 2:7

A priest told me today to never rely on my own strength for anything because without the hand of God, I will be weak and will fall. I thought about it and now I am telling you this because it is very true. Sometimes we face some things in life that are hard to deal with and when God doesn't seem to answer them, we think we can handle it on our own and we can't. We really are weak and most of the time can't control the smallest things around us. That's why we just have to keep on hoping and keep our eyes placed on Him.…the very second we take our eyes off, stop praying, going to church, we allow our weakness to cloud our eyes. Not only do we lose sight of God, but we lose sight of ourselves and everything becomes out of place. It is only with our eyes placed continually on God that we will see His loving kindness, a love that not only comes to our aid, but renews our soul.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, thank You for being there for those that seek You with all their hearts. You are good, You are faithful and You lovingly receive all that search for You. In Your Name we pray, amen.

The Difference Between Jay-Z and Jesus Christ

"Then Jesus gave a loud cry, 'Father, into Your hands, I commend my spirit.' And saying that, He gave up His spirit." - Luke 23:46

Weird title, but here's what went through my mind - I was listening to Kanye West's tribute to Jay-Z, Big Brother, and I thought to myself, "wow, Jay's really accomplished a lot in his career." I thought of his line about selling out the garden in a day and imagined how proud and accomplished he must have felt standing at the front of the stage, spotlight on him, and multitudes of adoring fans calling out his name. And then my mind turned to Jesus, and how His most crowning achievement was death upon a cross, dubbed a king by a mocking crowd and a crown of thorns placed on His head. When I thought of Jay, I pictured what it would be like to be him and look out at the crowd, but to imagine what Jesus must have felt looking out is a harsh reality check stressing our own sinfulness.

Be Jesus for a moment, and picture yourself looking down from the height of the cross, hanging there as a spectacle for all to see. Before you are people laughing at you, making fun of you, some feel quite proud of themselves to see you dying, while others, like your own mother, are at the foot of your cross in tears…your best friends aren't there - they've left ashamed of you, denying they even know you. All this you're looking down at while you slowly die. They're all before you but the excrutiating pain running through your body can't let you think straight. Your body shakes, absolutely trembling after the fever that's kicked in from the whipping. Flesh, muscle, and bone ripped off in shreds. Now you hang crucified with large, rusty nails hammered into your hands and feet. The position your body's in doesn't let you draw in air, and you want to push yourself up to let the air come in, but the weight of your body on your wounded feet is too much to bear so you have to endure the struggle for air. The wind is strong and stings against your bleeding flesh and your head hurts from the thorns sticking into the side of your head; the blood coming from those puncture wounds pool up around your eyes, mixing with your own tears, and you can hardly see a thing. Regardless, you know they're all down there - the sinners, the hypocrites, the poor, the rich, those who love you and those that hate you, all those you are literally dying to save, those you love so much, all of them. Yet, as weak as you are, as much as you have been beaten, mocked, hated on, spit at, hurt, embarrassed, laughed at, made to cry, this is your biggest achievement, your triumph over sin and over death.

It's awesome to be praised and rooted for when you're on top of the world, but only our Lord Jesus Christ is strongest at His weakest and dying on a cross.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for conquering death so that I may have eternal life in You. I never want to forget what You went through for me and I am honored You went to the cross for me. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Priorities, Priorities

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." - Deuteronomy 6:4-5

We wake up in the morning, brush our teeth, take a shower, eat breakfast, go to work/ school, eat lunch, come home, eat dinner, watch tv, talk on the phone, surf the internet, go to bed. Does this sound like your typical day? What else do you fill it up with? If you have a boyfriend/ girlfriend, I'm sure you spend a lot of the day thinking about them, or talking to them. If you have a child, a lot of your time is spent tending to them, and if you go to school or are a workaholic, most of your time is spent working. You spend most of your time doing these things because they are your priorities - you have made a conscious decision to organize your time in this way according to the things you care the most about. Now, if your day has 24 hours and you filled it up with these things, how much did you give to God today?

Many of us want God to give, give, give to us, and answer our prayers immediately but a lot of times, what you get back from God is in direct proportion to what space He occupies in your life. Honestly, think about where you have God in your life right now, would you want Him to give you the same amount of importance you currently give Him? He does give you so many things because He is merciful, but this verse in Deuteronomy tells you EXACTLY how it needs to be - you need to love God with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, and with ALL of your strength. Anything less is not good enough at all! This means that He, and only He, must occupy the first place in your life. Not your own life, not your significant other, not your family, not your job, because He is the one that gave you all these things and He can take them away. Remember that Jesus had said to only fix your eyes upon God and all else will be taken care of for you. If you decide to make Him first in your life, then as soon as you open your eyes in the morning, your first thought should be to give Him thanks for the new day. In all you do, wherever you go, you have Him in mind, constantly shooting up mini prayers throughout the day.

Make God first in your life and He will help you with all your other priorities.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, help me to love You with all my heart, with all my soul and with all my strength. You made me and deserve the most and the best of me each day. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

We Are Strongest When We Are Weak

"'My grace is enough for you; my great strength is revealed in weakness.'" - 2nd Corinthians 12:9

Paul was a man of God, a champion of faith, but he suffered from a weakness, something he called a thorn in his flesh, which he asked God to remove until God answered him with this verse.

When we think about our own heroes and the people we look up to, for most of us, it's the rich and powerful, or the attractive people with the right clothing and accesories, but God chooses those we often overlook. Many times, those with power only depend on themselves and what they can make happen on their own, not trusting in God. They have too much stuff in the way so that God can never make His way through the clutter. On the other hand, the poor and those we don't find interesting or attractive, don't hold on to the things of this world and know how to empty themselves before God. It is in these people, those who recognize that before the Almighty they are nothing, that God reveals Himself. Out of their weakness, He is able to manifest Himself in all of His glory for others to see and believe. Here we see that God does what He wants with whom He wants because His strength does not depend on our own power. Therefore, never brush aside those that with the eyes of the flesh you see as nothing for those who on the outside look better, for your human mind will never even be able to fathom the miracles God creates out of what you deem insignificant. And in the same way, when you are weak and have no strength left, don't scorn God or try to rely on your own strength, but pray and wait to experience God's power in you.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, I am nothing before You. Help to wash away my pride and my false sense of strength so that You can truly work in me for the glory of Your Kingdom In Your Name we pray, Amen.

I Will Uphold You

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will give you strength, I will bring you help, I will uphold you." - Isaiah 41:10

Yesterday, I shared with you that God is love, but He is also the Almighty, Creator and Maker of all the universe. All things bow down to Him. He parted the red sea, let lame men walk, gave sight to the blind, and even brought men back from the dead. This is who you have as your God, this who is commanding you today not to fear or be dismayed because HE IS WITH YOU! The God of Moses, who freed the Jews out of Egypt, wants to give you strength. The God of Daniel, who kept him safe from a den of lions, wants to give you help, and the God of the 12 apostles, who saved them from a terrible storm at sea, wants to uphold you!

All these things and more your God has done for those who love Him and know His Name, so what can't He do for you? Can't He help you and uphold you through financial situations, problems in your relationship, stress, sadness, depression, lonliness? He can and wants to give you so much more! The reason we don't see these miracles as much today is because there are few who pull away from their lives to know God and walk with Him. God never changes and is waiting to make good on His promises to you if you ask. Cling on to Him so He can uplift you!

Today's Prayer:
My God, Your power is amazing and I am so honored to serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I pray that You show me Your wonders as You have done to my forefathers and uplift me so that I may always find comfort in You. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

All Things

"I can do all things in Him who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13

Memorize this verse. Make this the new slogan for your life. The more you repeat it to yourself, the more confident and sure you will be about everything you do.

This verse implies that you already have the power of God. Anything you want to do, to accomplish, you can do without question. All you need to do is believe it. Often times the biggest obstacle to getting where we want to be or facing certain situations is ourselves, but if as a follower of God, you already know that He is with you at all times to support you, then what is stopping you? Nothing.

Those who have their faith firmly placed on God do not waver. They do not doubt. They do not spend their day moping and feeling bad for themselves. If you today believe yourself to be a follower of Jesus Christ, then your life needs to be one of optimism - you must show to others the confidence the Lord has given you. You can do all things in He who strengthens you! ALL THINGS! And if your faith is still shaky, go back to the Lord and ask Him to help you to believe so that you can be free of all the worry, anxiety, and frustrations we experience in life. All these things do come to us, but when you believe in the Lord, the burden is carried for you. You're not alone. God, who is much bigger than any trouble that could ever come to you, is on your side.

I CAN DO ALL THINGS IN HIM WHO STRENGTHENS ME!

Today's Prayer:
Lord, help me to believe fervently in You and in Your promises to me. I want to live a live of joy and confidence and let others see the wonders You have done in me. In Your Name we pray, Amen.

Power To Overcome The Enemy

"You see, I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpians and to overcome all the power of the Enemy, so that nothing will harm you." - Luke 10:19

Jesus said this to a group of His followers after they began to see the work they were accomplishing in His Name. Two thousand years later, He tells you and I the same message again. By being His followers, He gives us the authority to overcome evil. Every obstacle, every temptation, every negative energy around us, Christ has empowered us to destroy!

The next time you find yourself facing a strong temptation or involved in a sin, remember that in Christ, you can defeat anything the devil throws at you, for Your Lord and Savior will be there to give you the strength to overcome!

Not only that, but when you're depressed, when you're nervous and have anxiety, or it just isn't your day, don't doubt for a second that that's the work of the devil trying to rob you of your joy. He's a thief and doesn't deserve an ounce of your energy. Jesus Christ has defeated him and as His believers you have the power to overcome any adversity!

What are you scared of? What do you fear? Jesus Christ has given His life so that we can break away from all evil that holds us down. Believe in this and exercise this power so that you may experience the power of God.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, in all of my difficulties and through adversity, help me to always remember that You are my God and You have given me power over the devil to defeat him and all the traps he has laid out for me. Keep me firm in You. In Your Name we pray, Amen.