Are you afraid to try out new things with your faith? Have you ever experienced the Lord’s protection and provision when you were down to nothing? - Daily Reflections November 16, 2016

USING OUR TALENTS WELL

 

If there is one thing that is very disappointing to God, it is wasting our gifts and talents that He has bestowed on us. He entrusted to us natural gifts and talents to be used for our own good and the good of our Christian communities. Today’s parable tells us that it is often fear that causes us to hide our talents and not to take the risk of using them. Herein lies the challenge of trusting in God’s promise that He will be there to give us everything we need when we step out in His service. Another parable tells us how Jesus sends out His disciples with virtually nothing — no money and no food so they will learn how to rely on the providence of God. During my priestly formation, I remember one holiday where we were sent out for a week in pairs, with no money and only a spare change of clothes. We were given a destination — somewhere within about 350 kilometers from our starting point — and off we went, hitchhiking to get there.

       It was a scary experience at first but when I allowed my nerves to settle, it became a lot of fun. My partner and I were offered a lift by a couple who were wondering why there were so many pairs of young men hitchhiking that day (we were about eight pairs). They took us straight to where we were going and we begged for food and so on. By the time the week had ended and we had all returned to home base, we were full of faith-inspiring stories. God looks after His people even when we do things that others might think are a little crazy.

      One of the lessons I learned from that experience is that you will never fully experience the providence of God until you step out in faith and ask for miracles to happen. We have to take the risk and let the Holy Spirit do His stuff. Fear will never get us anywhere; faith can move the biggest of mountains. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Are you afraid to try out new things with your faith? Have you ever experienced the Lord’s protection and provision when you were down to nothing?

 

Holy Spirit, give me the grace to entrust my life into God’s hands and to take risks in using the gifts You have given me. I want to see Your miracles in my life and through my ministry. Amen.

How hard do you fight against the temptations of sin in your life? Jesus has given His life in this battle. Are you willing to give yours? - Daily Reflections November 2, 2016

THE GIFT OF REDEMPTION

 

We celebrate today the feast of All Souls. We, the Church Militant (still fighting the good fight for salvation here on earth), pray along with the Church Triumphant (those in heaven who have received their eternal reward) for the Church Suffering (those still being purified in purgatory while awaiting their eternal reward). The Church Militant, Triumphant and Suffering are one. Today’s feast reminds us to pray for those who have gone before us but still need to be purified.

       St. Paul tells us that while we were still sinners, God chose to send His Son, Jesus, to die for us. This is an extraordinary act. It is easy to believe that someone would die for a good person, but that is not what we were at the time. We were riddled with sin in an unredeemed state. In chapters 5 and 6 of Romans, Paul celebrates our status as the beloved of God.

       The work of redemption, while completed through Jesus’ death and resurrection, is an ongoing reality. It is the application of the grace of salvation that is incomplete. God has done all that He needs to do to make redemption possible, but we are yet to receive the fullness of this grace.

       It is God, not us, who works out our salvation. We receive the gift through faith and then live the grace under the power of the Holy Spirit. This is why the Church teaches us that salvation is both a “now” and “not yet” reality. “Now” in the sense that Jesus has accomplished the work of salvation given to Him by His Father, and “not yet” in the sense that it is still being applied to our lives. We are still fighting for its completion — our redemption. That is why we are called the Church Militant. We are a part of a cosmic battle to bring the grace of the redemption to our lives and the world. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How hard do you fight against the temptations of sin in your life? Jesus has given His life in this battle. Are you willing to give yours?

 

Jesus, You held nothing back by offering us the gift of salvation. Grant me the grace to persevere in fighting against sin so that the work of purification will be completed in this life. Amen.