Living the Annunciation

Monday of the 5th week of Lent - Daily Readings. 

We celebrate today the feast of the Annunciation, the event that commemorates the visit of the angel to Mary who brought her the Good News of the Incarnation. This is the beginning of the greatest adventure ever. This is an invitation for all of us to enter into the event and partake of the Good News. 

"May it be done to me according to your word." I think these are the most beautiful words spoken by Mary. This also reminds us of what we are supposed to live this week. Yesterday we reflected on what we must do if we "want to see Jesus." Like the grain of wheat, we are asked to die in order to bear fruit. We die to ourselves, to our pride, selfish tendencies. But I was also thinking that it's important to find the right kind of soil in which the grain of wheat. Mary reminds us that the soil in which we must die is the Word of God. We don't simply "die" to ourselves to be better people. We "die" to ourselves so that we can be more like Jesus. In order to do this, we must allow the Gospel to form, inform and shape us. Mary does not let her own fear or preoccupations to take over. She says the most beautiful of Yes because it's a yes based on the Word of God and not on our own understanding. 

This response is possible because Mary engaged the Good News brought to her by the angel. "You have found favor with God." What happens to us when we discover that we are someone's favorite? Maybe we were the teacher's favorite? or we know someone important or popular and we are their favorite friend? Something interesting happens to us: our confidence is boosted because we realized that we have been seen, appreciated, valued by someone else, someone we consider important. God considers us "favored," and He sees us, appreciates us and values us. We don't have to do anything to merit this love. We, however, are asked to take it, enjoy it and let it shape our lives. 

How much does God love us? trust us? Does He really consider us "favored?" The angel tells Mary: "You will conceive... a son." This is how far God trusts us: He gives us Himself. He gives us Himself in His Word, in His Body and Blood, in each other. What are we going to do with this gift? Can we be trusted? 

"How can this be since...?" It's a fair question. Mary must have been quite shocked by this Good News. We, too, tend to question what God wants to do. I think it's quite a normal reaction. The angel does not engage in arguments or further discussions. He points Mary to the source of all this: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you." Sometimes we can say to God: "how can this be since I am too busy, too old, too young, too ..." and God reminds us that we are not required to do impossible things but only to say Yes and in faith enter into a fellowship and partnership with Him. We are not only told what to do but we are also empowered by the Holy Spirit to do it. It is God who does "impossible things." 

Mary responds by herself and keeps in her heart this incredible secret: there is no prohibition to talk about it but she knows that there are certain things that are meant to be kept in our hearts. 

"Behold, your cousin Elizabeth..." A sign is given, a sign that was not requested. God gives us a lot of people who are really a sign for us, a sign that is given to us so that our faith, our strength and our hope can be restored and rekindled. These are saints. It's good for us to keep an eye on them and let their lives inspire us. 

"Then the angel departed." This departure signs the beginning of the great adventure of humankind. Now, God who was only in heaven lives in our midst. He is closer to us than we can imagine. This is the Good News that we bring to the world: we are not alone, God has not left us orphans. 

If we say Yes to the Word of God, Jesus will be born in us and, like Mary, we can bring Him into the world. What a great task we are given. This is the time to live the Annunciation. This is the time we become it. 

An intellingent and wise nation: possible?

Thursday of the 3rd week of Lent - Daily readings

As I continue my journey towards Easter, I realize that I have to grow as a Christian on solid foundation: I cannot let Christianity be reduced to what I think it's right or wrong. I do not make up Christianity! 

Following yesterday's meditation, I realize more and more how important it is to put the Word of God in its right place. The Gospel is the solid rock on which I can build my house. I heard yesterday that by following the Word of God we can become an intelligent and wise nation, we can grow healthier and happier. Is it true? Well, I look around and I ask myself, "Are we growing as a nation? Are we getting better? Are we culturally more "advanced" as we were before?" I can't come up with a true positive answer because I realize that that we have placed ourselves out of the center of the universe and we have been replaced by something else: profit. 

I noticed that by removing the Word of God we have removed ourselves from the center. We, as humans, are not the reason for doing anything. All that we do, it seems, has an ulterior goal: either defending profit (see how much cheating there is out there) or making profit (at all cost). We, for example, have become accustomed to the idea that it's acceptable for consenting adults to engage in sexual activities. We just don't want to admit to ourselves now that all of the sudden we seem to be incapable of keeping healthy and long lasting relationships. We think it's normal, but we are made for long lasting relationships. Is there a cause and effect? More indiscriminate sexual encounters equals shorter and unhealthier relationships? Prove me wrong, I'd say!

The Word of God helps me to see things differently. Not only makes me aware that sometimes I miss the mark but it also tells me where the mark is. I am reminded that I am created in God's image. If we know anything about God is that He is Love. Therefore, the target is love. I miss the mark when I do not become a person who loves. This is the "original condition" of our creation. IT is when I think only about myself, defending what I have, what I think and what I do at all cost that I miss the mark and become unhealthier. When I am loving, giving, supporting, considering the other more important than myself, I find myself happier; yes, maybe I find myself with less "things" to hold on, but way happier than I was before. 

The Commandments, for example, were given to us so that by obeying them we have have and enjoy life. WOW. If this is God's reason for giving them to us, why wouldn't anyone take a second look at it and ponder if without we can have the same thing. Let's see: "Thou shall not steal." To steal or not to Steal? Which will make me enjoy life the most? Apparently, the first because I think that if I take something, I will be happier. But what happens when the rightful owner finds out I have taken something that belongs to him? He will certainly retaliate and either takes it back or takes something else from me. Then, this will force me to protect my goods more forcefully, which in turn will create anxiety in my heart because whenever I leave the house I am concerned if this is the day when someone will come and take my things. Hmmmm.... it's a slippery slope, eh? 

The Word of God is given to me, to us, with a choice. Today the prophet Jeremiah speaks out with God's voice and invites me to Listen to His Voice. As I do that, God will be my God and I will be His people. By living the Word I can accept to be in a very special and unique relatinship with God that will allow me to live my life as it is supposed to be lived. 

I want to make this choice. Because I value life I want to say Yes and not being identified with those who belong to a nation that does not listen to His voice where "Faithfulness has disappeared; the word itself banished from their speech."It's time to be faithful again, faithful to the Word of God that makes us into a great and wise nation. It's about time! But I... we... need to make this choice now.

 

"Operation: Clean up" continues

Tuesday of 3rd week of Lent - Daily Readings

We are challenged by the Gospel to invited Jesus into the Temple of our body as together we continue to "clean it up," by removing all the things that we tolerate, things that ought ot to be there.

Today we hear the prophet Daniel say "deal with us in your kindness and great mercy." It's important that we always start by keeping in mind that God loves us immensely and that He has our well-being in mind. Because of His great love and mercy towards us, we can grow into a person who can reflect this Love to others.

What to do? We hear Jesus talks about forgiveness and He invites us to handle our hurts and our negative experiences well: there are certain people that we could forgive easily, there are other people who have hurt us so much that forgiveness is almost unthinkable. 

Why do we find forgiveness so hard? This is a very common issue that comes up in many ways in my ministry: from spiritual direction to confession - we know we must forgive but at times we simply can't. I don't think this inability comes from the fact that we are bad people; I think it's due to the fact that we may not understand forgiveness properly.

Forgiveness is something that we do to ourselves more than to another. It's a form of release that allows us to move forward again. When we are hurt we create an emotional freeze point in our lives. It's like being stuck in the past; the rest of our lives continues to be lived but there is a part of us that is still dwelling on the event that happened in the past.

We find it hard to forgive for several reasons and among them, in my opinion, the top ones are: if I forgive the person who hurt me, then I am saying that what I feel is not important; if I forgive the person who hurt me, then I am saying that whatever that person did is something it's ok to do again. We hold on, therefore, onto the feeling because we want to hurt the other person: we withdraw our friendship, for example, thinking that this will hurt them (then we may even get mad because we realize that the person is going about life and doesn't not even miss us). It's a spiral that never ends, and we know that it can even lead to violence.

To forgive, again, means that I acknowledge the hurt that has been done to me, I acknowledge that what has been done to me was wrong and should not be done by anyone (including us) for any reason whatsoever. To forgive does not mean that I ignore what happened but I take charge and decide to stop the cycle of violence done against me and release the bond - I let go and choose to live life as a whole. It's realizing that holding a grudge, ignoring someone, or even being nasty by thrashing the person does not bring me to healing or to move forward but it cements my staying in the past, in the original "freeze point." Forgiveness allows us to let go, it empowers us to take hold of the situation and turn it around so that we can move forward again. It takes time, but it can be done.

According to the Gospel, this process of forgiveness must be repeated constantly, without keeping track and without prejudice. It's an invitation to live a life in a constant state of freedom which I constantly give to myself and to those who hurt me. In the eyes of the world, this process cannot be accepted because it seems to diminish the person who has been hurt. But if we look closely, revenge and divisions (the obvious result of a life lived by holding on to the hurt we have received) do not generate healthier lifestyle and those who hold grudges aren't happier than those who don't.

Then, we are faced with a choice: how am I going to live my life? Before we respond, let's take a look at the issue from the other direction. IF we tell ourselves the truth, we would acknowledge the fact that we have also hurt some people and, among them, God. It may have not been our primary intention to do that but in the end we have hurt someone. We could choose to ignore the event and claim that "it's not my fault," but we know that we are the cause of the hurt. We know what to do: we must ask for forgiveness. Being forgiven is just as liberating as forgiving. We want God to forgive us so that His grace may continue to work in us. We want others to forgive us because we are sorry. to be forgiven allows us to be whole.

If forgiveness is what we want, forgiveness is what we must give. No exceptions. 

An Unusual Gesture to clean up our messes

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3rd Sunday of Lent - Daily Readings.

We move deeper into our Lenten Journey and this means we move deeper into our hearts so that we can prepare ourselves to celebrate Easter. As we follow Jesus and we make this Gospel passage our own, we must ask ourselves: "What do we tolerate in our lives that is keeping us down, separated from God and from the life He wants us to have?" Tolerance is on everybody's mouth nowadays and usually is used to feed into this crazy "Live and let live" ideology as it is applied to everything and everybody, paralyzing our growth (both as individuals and as a society) and turning everything into a mediocre life. 

How many of us would really allow one ant to go around our kitchen sink without being concerned that very soon a whole colony would move in? We know that in our life the situation is the same: one bad habit gone unchecked will turn into sin, etc. This is indeed a wake up call. 

Tolerance, like Judgment (see last week's meditations), is an ambiguous term: we know we are supposed to be tolerant but we also feel that there ought to be some boundaries. But where? We must realize that there are things in life that can be tolerated if they are not sinful and morally wrong. I don't like popcorn, but I tolerate it when people eat it because I consider them to be more important than "my issue." It's not a sin to eat popcorn and my friends are free to eat it. I don't have to be intolerant towards them and it would be really wrong of me to expect that they would change that just to make me feel better. There are other things that are morally wrong and sinful and it is expected of me to do something about it. 

Jesus teaches us how to handle all these things. First of all, He is not in the Temple area to pick up a fight. He was there because it was the Passover. He, like many other Jews, noticed something and did something about it (unlike all the other ones who were there).  The lesson for us is clear: we don't pick up a fight but when we are challenged to take a stand, we do it and we do all we can to right the wrong. 

The motivation of Jesus heart should also be our motivation. The disciples remembered this action and they associated it with the verse: "Zeal for your house consumes me." Jesus was motivated by zeal for God's house. This zeal fired him up, ate Him up, shaped all that He did. We should keep this in mind: every stand we take should be motivated by the same love and zeal for God's Church and God's people that Jesus had. All our actions are shaped by God's love; we should never act outside of these bounds. 

"Stop making my Father's house a marketplace." All the people who were selling in the Temple area were not doing anything illegal. They were supposed to be there: it was their "ministry," to provide people with all they needed for the sacrifice. But obviously Jesus sees something else: maybe they were really in an area that was supposed to be free of vendors, or maybe they were surcharging. They were there because their presence was tolerated. Maybe at the beginning there were just few table and then it all turned into a circus.The point is that we have to take Jesus' challenge seriously; take a look at what we tolerate in our life and, after examining it according to what the Gospel teaches us, have to decide where we need Jesus to clean up the mess or not. 

We do have a tendency of relating to God as a "vending machine." Our prayer is nothing more than a business transaction: "Dear God, I am going to give you something (going to Church, light a candle, giving up chocolate, etc.) and you are going to give me what I want. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Jesus reminds us that we cannot go anywhere in life if we keep this mentality, most especially if we apply it to God. God is not for sale and His grace is free. As we continue our journey of Lent, we must take a look at how we relate to God. When we relate to God in this way only, we turn our heart into a marketplace.

If Jesus were to come into the Temple of our bodies, which room, which area of our life, would He clean up first? Would I let Him in, or ask to come back next year? 

Living the Transfiguration Story

Sunday, March 20, 2010

I believe that we must live the whole Gospel, and each page invites us to enter deeper and deeper in to the life of God so that we can live our lives with Him and viceversa. How can I live the story of the Transfiguration?

Peter, James and John get a glimpse of the glorious Christ; it must have been a wonderful and awesome experience. Although I understand why the disciples were terrified, I can also understand why Peter told Jesus that he wanted to build three tents. We have this human need to put everything into boxes so that we can control, catalog, shelf and use when needed whatever it is that we are experiencing.

There is always the temptation of putting “Moses” into a box or a tent. Moses represents the Law, the regulatory aspect of our Christian life. In him we find all the rules and regulations that are given to us as an aid. Putting him in a tent can give me the feeling of being in charge or domesticate the rules, making everything serve me rather than God. Also, I can become a victim of rubrical fundamentalism or a total dismissal of liturgical norms.

Elijah is the “prophetic” dimension. The Church cannot live without it. This is the aspect of our christian life that constantly pushes us forward and finds new ways of expressing our love for God. But it can be messy and unruly; it’s easier to put it in a box and control it so that everything happens under my control. In doing so, I can risk to stifle the Spirit and become unable to “sing the new song”.

God, however, is always ready to interrupt our lives and to surround us with His presence. It is only when we let go of our tendency of putting everything - even God - into a box that we can experience God’s love around us and it is only then that we can hear Him speak. Just as Moses and Elijah were engaged in the wordless dialogue with Christ, so God invites us to listen to Him. Only Christ and HIs word can bring us to understand Moses and Elijah, only when we live the Gospel that these other two dimensions of our lives make sense. Jesus is the center, the one who brings harmony between the two.

What is Jesus telling us? “Rise!” Yes! He can help us get up and continue our Journey with HIm to Jerusalem, to the Cross. Our journey requires that we keep our eyes only on Jesus and He alone. But we know that things are going to be better.

The secret to "greatness"

Wednesday of the 2nd week of Lent - Daily Readings.

Yesterday we heard Jesus saying that we must be servant of all if we want to be great. It's the opposite of what the world tells us: everywhere we look we see that people want to be great at all cost and they are willing to do whatever it takes. In our life, however, happens the same thing. Not all of us will make it to the big screen or to American Idol but all of us know the desire of being great.

In today's Gospel we get an example. An ordinary scene: a mom wants the best for their sons. it's quite common to see parents pushing for their children's success. Sometimes to an excess. This woman is no less than all other moms. And in a way it's not really her fault for what she is asking: probably she didn't hear Jesus saying "If you want to be the greatest, be the servant of all" or that "the Son of Man had to suffer and die and on the third day he will rise again."


She is not been formed and informed by the Word of God. She follows her human instinct and makes the request: "put my children in the spotlight, so that everybody knows how successful they are" ("and finally know what a great mom I really am?") After the words of Jesus, this request sounds like it's out of tune, it clashes against all that Jesus said and done. See what happens when we don't take the Gospel seriously?

We find it hard to accept that greatness comes from service. We want to be heard, and so we scream; we want to assert ourselves, and so we protest. These things in the Kingdom will never work because Jesus told us that is not they way. History proves it: those we consider the greatest today are those who served the most.

It's very tricky. We are really attracted to greatness. We are destined to it but we can't get there on our own and in our own way, especially in the way we are trained to do: by pushing other people down. If someone is really good, does he really need to tell people how bad other peoples are?

Also, today we have new ways of asserting ourselves that make us feel great and grand. We demand that we may talk to the supervisor at the local fast food restaurant because our fries were not as we wanted them. We demand people being fired from their job because they couldn't fulfill our demands properly. I see the same in the Church: we don't agree with the Church so we want to the Pope to step down and put someone else there. From the point of view of the Kingdom, these things sound just as silly as that woman's demand. They are silly because they are motivated by pride, that makes us want to hold on to what we think, what we like. Certainly there are times when we need to speak out and demand justice when people's rights are trampled on. But that is an expression of service, not of pride.

What to do, then? This is another call to remain focused on the Word of God, and let Jesus teach us how to live so that the inner desires of our soul and mind may find true satisfaction. We know now that it is by loving others that we can really be great. It is by focusing on what the person in front of me really needs and make that need my own... this makes us really great.

Then, it's time to go out there and live our "greatness" by loving the other a bit more today than we did yesterday. Who's with me?

Judging with virtues?

Tuesday of 2nd week of Lent. - Daily readings

Today the Word invites us to go deeper into our hearts in order to find the place where our actions and our intentions can become more united. How interesting: today we find Jesus "judging" the Scribes and the Pharisees. As we learned yesterday, the type of judging that we are allowed to do is the kind that makes us "evaluate in order to correct" another. This is what Jesus is doing. But, Why is He so upset? because "All their works are performed to be seen." (Mat 23:5). They have confused a basic tenets of religion: what we do must match what is in our hearts, and viceversa. 

How easy it is to focus only on the externals, believing that if we look holy, then we must be.  Why are they doing things in order to be seen? Because, it will give them satisfaction and made them feel good. What was really motivating them is pride. Usually, Pride leads us to a very dark place and always creates conflicts in our relationships. 

How does Pride work? Pride, the 'general' of the army of sins, makes us believe that "our way" is always the best way, our opinion is the best, etc. Pride makes us grow attached to things rather than people. Pride makes us want to get more things or protect the ones we have. Now, imagine what happens when two proud people get closer to one another: each want something that the other has. Something similar happens in our spiritual life. Just think about most of our conflicts about liturgy. They each based on "what we like," or "what is supposed to be." We want to see "our" way accepted by everybody else. What we want becomes more important than what God says, or what the Church wants us to do. As matter of fact, God's Word and the Church's teaching can easily become secondary if not totally unimportant. 

What can we do? There is a virtue that allows us to act properly: Humility. This is not an easy virtue to understand and I believe there is as much misunderstanding with this virtue as with the concept of Judging. Humility is not an invitation to live with low-self esteem or claiming that we are not good or worthy of anything. Rather the contrary! Humility allows us to tell ourselves the truth about who we are and what we can do. It brings things in perspective and allows us to appreciate what others can do so that balance can be always maintained. Humility allows us to see each other as necessary, as important, as required so that we can really grow and become better persons. Humility makes us understand that the other is a gift to us rather than someone I can exploit in order to feel better about myself. 

Humility is also the doorkeeper of God's grace, according to James 4:6. As we continue to look into our hearts and face our tendency to judge people (in the negative way), we want to start taking our first steps towards the practice of Humility. James, in his letter (chapter 4) tells us that a good place to start practicing this virtue is by stop talking evil, trashing, others, especially other Christians. When we speak evil of others we become their judges and are certainly motivated by pride. Guess what kind of results will this produce? 

How can we grow in humility? By remaining grounded in Jesus' Words. Only He can tell us how to live our lives properly and only He really helps us understand the motivation of our hearts. Let's commit ourselves to live the Word of God at all times. Only in this way, humility will grow in us and with it we will be able to see each person we meet with new eyes. 

Can you really Judge me?

Monday of the 2nd week of Lent - Daily Readings

We begin the second leg of our Lenten Journey. We started on the days after Ash Wednesday by setting our Journey up; last week, we had an opportunity to focus on that which is probably the most difficult aspect of "fasting, alms giving and prayer": to love our neighbor concretely. This week we are going to go a bit deeper into our souls making sure that our actions match what's in our hearts. 

Today the Gospel brought up an interesting question, "can people really judge me?" and, of course, the reverse is also true: "Can I? Should I judge anyone?" 

Where do we start? Jesus gives us the opportunity to focus: "Be merciful, as the Father is merciful." All that we do must be a reflection of what God has done for us and to us. This is, then, the modus operandi, the way we behave: mercifully, lovingly. St Augustine used to say: "Love, and do what you want." And last week we had an opportunity to learn how to do this.

With this in mind, we hear that Jesus tells us "not to judge and not to condemn." It's so difficult to understand these concepts today. Lots of people tell me that they have left the Church because they felt "judged." Yet, does it mean that we are supposed to let people behave as they want because we are not supposed to judge them? 

It doesn't seem to be what is going on here. Yes, Jesus said that we are not to judge unless we are going to be judged as well. And Paul, in 1 Cor 5:12, said that we are to judge each other and in Romans 14:13 he said that we are not to judge one another. So, what are we do to: judge or not to judge? 

The answer is in the understanding of what "to judge" means. What we are forbidden to do is to "be a judge," that is "to pass on a final sentence on someone." This is what God does. At times, when we judge someone, we place that person in a box. We consider someone "bad" or a "thief" or something else, and we will never look at that person differently. When we behave in this way, we behave as a judge. 

On the other way, we are to "judge" each other in the sense of "discerning what one person is doing so that the behavior could be corrected." If we understand that we have the duty to help each other become a saint, than we want to help the other to become aware of some trait or action that may impede him or her to reach the goal - sainthood. It goes without saying that if we are willing to go that way, we must equally willing and ready to hear someone telling us what we have to change in our lives. This kind of "judging" does not put the person in a box and does not pass on a final sentence but becomes an opportunity for both to grow in love, in truth and in holiness. 

The difference between the two meanings of "to judge" is to be found in our hearts. If we want to "incarcerate" our neighbor, then our judging is forbidden; if we want to correct and help the other, then this form of judging can help the community to grow. 

Then, yes... you can really "judge" me. And as matter of fact, you should. But before you do it take a look at what is in your heart and ask yourself: "Am I being merciful as God is?" Then, Go ahead and help me become a saint. 

The true "Secret" of Christianity: Loving Jesus in everyone!

Friday of the 1st Week of Lent - Daily Readings

There is much talk nowadays of a book called the "secret." Apparently, it speaks of an "ancient" way, a way that only few seem to know (unless you get the book and then you are part of that 'club'). It makes me wonder why are we so attracted to these kind of things. The "secret" tells you that if you really want to something, you can really really wish it and the universe will re-arrange itself so that you can get it. Awesome, isn't it? These things appeal to us, I believe, because they take away personal involvement, personal accountability, and most especially personal responsibility. I want it, I wish it, I get it.  Who wouldn't sign up for that? Of course, if you - like me - wish something and you don't get it, you get a clear  answer: you either didn't really want it, or you didn't wish it enough. Possible. Or, maybe, this is not how things work!

We get the same kind of reasoning in today's readings. In the first reading, Ezekiel reminds people that we are all involved in each others well-being. Problems start when we think either that someone "owes" me something or that I don't have to do something for another. So, someone else is responsible for the problems of the world, of the country, of my town, of my family. It's always someone else, and never us individually. 

The reality is simple: we must avoid looking at the problems as "the government's fault, the world's fault, or even God's fault," and start by asking "what is my role in this? what can I do so that I can 'convert' - change my mind on this issue - and take responsibility.

Confronted with the Gospel, we see that in a world that seeks to find always a scapegoat we are invited to look at our own faults and our own righteousness.

Jesus is clear: our righteousness must be bigger than that of the scribes and Pharisees. These guys were famous for being super-righteous. They committed themselves to live every single commandment of God (not just the "10" but also the others, for a total of 613). Now, Jesus really wants us to do that? YES!

And that's where the true "secret" of Christianity comes out. It's simple but it may not get us what we really want. It may, however, make us grow in holiness. And this is worth more than anything!

We live knowing that Jesus is present in each person we encounter and therefore we want to "love Jesus in the other" with the same love and affection we have for Him when we are in Church. It is the same Jesus, after all. We do not have different ones: the one in the Word, in the Assembly, in the Priest, in the tabernacle, etc. It's only one! And the very same one who gives Himself to us on the altar is the same one who lives in our Neighbor.

By keeping this in mind our "righteousness" changes and becomes the kind that He desires. Our relationship with other people change as well; we change also, because we become more ourselves when we love. I am reminded of a song I used to sing all the time when I was younger: "Love and you will understand."

This is the true secret - Jesus lives in each one of us, and if we love Him there we can truly get what our heart desires. The universe doesn't have to re-arrange itself anymore because God (the creator of this "universe") has already poured in us all that we need.

This is our time: this is the time when we can truly make a difference in the world. Let's go out there and love Jesus in everyone.

Touching the Father's heart: loving our enemies

Thursday of the 1st week of Lent - Daily Readings

Another day, another month: a new opportunity to walk towards our goal - to draw nearer to God. So far, we have been invited to focus on the role and place that our neighbor has in our life. He or she is not "in the way," is not an impediment to our walk but, as matter of fact, is really like a trampoline that makes us jump higher. Oh, if we could only understand the role each one of us plays in our lives.

We continue, then. We enter into this new day knowing that God is love and that that will happen to us today is an opportunity to remain focused on Him. We want to grow, therefore, in this awareness: God is with me and I can rely on Him.

Both readings and the Psalm allow us to grow in this sense of confidence. As Christians we are immersed in a world that considers God to be irrelevant. We do so many things throughout the day, and we are so focused on these things that we may forget that God is involved in each one of them. It's easy to live our life as though God is irrelevant to us as well. Many can even think: "Yes, God exists. Yes, God loves me. Yes, God provides. But when it comes to me, I can do it all."

Then, what difference does God make in our life? Unless we live throughout the day with this awareness, then there is very little difference between us and those who don't believe in God.

Prayer is what helps us to remain grounded in this new reality that God gives us - "I am with you till the end." Prayer is the mean through which we communicate with God, we remain connected with Him. It doesn't have to take a lot of time to "tune in" throughout the day. By making an effort (and I know it's going to be more difficult at the beginning but then it gets easier), we can use every single action of the day as an opportunity to "check in" with God. Here are some examples:

What really counts is that you become aware of God in your life. As you go to the day, remember that is more important that you think of Him rather than remembering the content of the handout

As the Alarm Clock goes off and you push the snooze button, say to the Lord: “This is the day you have made for me. Thank you for this gift.” Say one Our Father while you’re still in bed.

As the Morning begins:

•If you prepare lunch for your children or spouse, make sure to say a prayer of blessing for each of them

•As you go to work, as you pull out of the driveway (before putting the gear in Drive_ say to the Lord, “Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.”

•If you stay at home, as you go through the house, from room to room or even just in one, ask the Lord to bless the house and those who live in it. Say to Him, “As for me and my household, we shall serve the Lord.”

At Lunch Time: make sure you say grace before meal. If you can, be quite for at least 5 minutes. At the beginning of your quite time say “Speak, o Lord, your servant is listening.” At the end of the 5 minutes say one Our Father.

In the Evening: as the family gathers, make sure you pay attention to each person. Make eye contact and smile. At the end of each “one on one encounter” say to the Lord, “Bless him/her, o Lord.”

As you get ready to fall asleep, think about the day and, if you can and want, write down on a journal or index card at the least three things you considered a blessing today. Tell the Lord something that is pressing onto your heart. End the day with another Our Father. Say to the Lord, “Thank you for this day. Keep me and my family safe throughout the night.”

How far do we go with our prayer? We must go as far as we can. This means that we can also start making a difference in the life of people whom we don't care about: our enemies. Yes, today we can really make a special effort and start praying for those who have hurt us, have spoken ill of us. We can pray for our enemies and, maybe, moved by the empowering presence of the Spirit in us, we can make a loving gesture for them. Jesus clearly told us that we have to Love our Enemies. Love must be concrete but it's not easy. That's why we prepare oureslves to love them by praying for them and then we can take a little step towards concrete Love.

How do we pray for our enemies? In the most loving way. We ask God to make that person as happy as we would like to be, with no string attached.

Prayer always leads us to life and is shaped by our life. We never escape life through prayer. We are ready to take this further step. Let's invade the world with supernatural love, love that comes from the heart of God into ours through "real" prayer. 

As we touch the Father's heart through our prayer, let's bring to Him everything and be an extension of His arm that touches all people, especially those who are farthest from Him and from us: our enemies.