This is one of the realities of living as a Catholic or Christian. “How do I live as a someone walking with Jesus, in a world that glorifies sin?”
SIN is rampant in my world. I need only look around me to see it in my everyday – from subjective truth based on one’s own lived experience to a disregard for rational discourse and the natural law. It is in my work place, in the political climate I live in, in my social milieu, in the media and the mores.
for we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
As I am also learning how to manoeuvre within and without my world, I share with all the following book and article on this topic.
I hope they will help us walk in the path of Jesus towards God in a world gone dark💕🙏
The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation.
I have to say that sometimes (ok, most of the time) it’s a struggle between my will (me) and God’s will. My path seems easy and mapped out. God’s route takes time and effort, nor do I know where the Holy Spirit will take me:
8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
John 3:8 NRSVCE
The spiritual road travelled is littered with life challenges – it is through them that we can grow in leaps and bound. A part of that growth process is learning to discern between consolation and desolation. That is distinguishing if it’s from God or Satan. I have to admit this is a life long process of being mindfully alert and Jesus centred.
So often I do something thinking it’s God’s will only to realize the evil one has slid in and before I know it, I’m feeling stressed, overloaded and burdened. I piled upon myself all these to do activities thinking it will develop my spirituality only to realize they end up distracting me from focusing on Jesus. Satan has inadvertently slithered in. Yup, my lack of discernment.
These past few weeks, I have learnt exactly that – Trust God, keep my focus on Jesus, and silent time to hear the Holy Spirit. It is easy to fall on the wayside without realizing it. That’s when I find it necessary to shift my focus back to Jesus.
As we enter into a New Year, let’s not look back upon all the challenges and say “good riddance,” but rather give thanks to our Heavenly Father for his love and his hand in helping us manoeuvre through it.
Sometimes our individual journey is dark, and it feels as if we are alone. Yes, we don’t see him, but know that God has it all under control – we only need to call upon him.
9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,
Deuteronomy 7:9
Thank Jesus for being with us always even when we can’t see or feel him.
Let us be mindfully in the moment and give thanks. We can look to 2023 with the assurance that God is faithful.
May God’s blessings follow you into 2023. I pray for each to grow deeper in faith, love Jesus more, know him more intimately, as well as walk in his will more closely. 🙏❤️
There is a joy to in the season of Advent as we prepare our hearts and soul to receive God’s gift:
“The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth on Christmas. From the earliest days of the Church, people have been fascinated by Jesus’ promise to come back. But the scripture readings during Advent tell us not to waste our time with predictions. Advent is not about speculation. Our Advent readings call us to be alert and ready, not weighted down and distracted by the cares of this world (Lk 21:34-36).“
Christmas is a season for active preparation through fasting, reading the Bible, and prayer. It is a time to share with our families and communities the love of God. It is a time to express our resounding joy.
Praying the Joyful Mysteries, allows us to follow Mary’s “Yes” to the birth of Jesus. Through Mary’s eyes, we journey along with her in the faith, hope and joy. Reading scripture (Luke 1:26-56). also allows us to focus our minds and hearts on the true reason for the season – Christ, coming to redeem all of humanity.
Listening to hymns and carols immerses us in the soulful sound of celebration – we become a part of the heavenly choir:
Finally, I want to repost some thoughts I had as we ended the Year of St. Joseph. Christmas is also his story. Our story is no matter how often we fall or tumble, the light of Jesus lights our path.
Satan works very hard to create a wedge in our relationship with God. God created us out of love, and He created us in his own likeness. One of the essences of this is we are meant to have a deep relationship with our Almighty Father. Satan has nothing except intense jealous for us. Satan has since the beginning used his tricks to endanger and sever this relationship. He was successful in the Fall of our first parents – Adam and Eve.
God wants us to continue to grow in faith, hope and love. He desires us to know his son Jesus, more deeply and intimately. Satan on the other hand, works hard to lead us off course and fall out of step with Christ. As we grow in spiritual life, Satan becomes more insistent in his attacks and tactics. Sometimes, his attacks are so subtle, it requires our ability to discern if it is indeed good or evil:
It is characteristic of God and his angels, by the motions they cause, to give genuine happiness and spiritual joy, and thereby to banish any sadness and turmoil induced by the enemy. It is characteristic of the enemy to fight against this happiness and spiritual consolation, by using specious reasonings, subtleties, and persistent deceits (Spiritual Exercise 329)
Hence, we must never stop praying, for it is our souls calling to God. With time and experience, we learn to “follow the lead of the good spirit and, conversely, to resist acting on the movement of the evil spirit” (The Ignatian Adventure, pg. 148)
14 Then one of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, 16 and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.
Preparations for the Passover.
17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The teacher says, “My appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.”’” 19 The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover.
The Betrayer.
20 When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” 23 He said in reply, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. 24 The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born.” 25 Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” He answered, “You have said so.”
Reading the Bible and meditating on God’s word has helped me establish a deeper relationship with him. Reading and rereading a Bible verse over a period of a few days and visualizing it within my minds eye (placing myself in the scene/words), allows me to pray and meditate over a word or phrase which pops out at me. Sitting in silent prayer allows the Holy Spirit to pour forth graces of understanding and insight.
For many coming to know Jesus, the Bible is a source of not only comfort, but a foundation in our faith journey. It helps us stand strong in our faith, so that life’s curve balls don’t strike us down. From my own personal experience, knowing specific Bible verses has helped me overcome doubt, spiritual attacks, and depression. Specific Bible verses have saved me from myself.
I have compiled Bible verses for those on their faith journey. My hope is that these verses will help each of us establish a deeper relationship in our daily walk with God.
christ the center
2 Corinthians 5:17 (RSVCE)
17 Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.
Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST
Romans 12:1 (RSVCE)
12 I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
John 14:21 (RSVCE)
21 He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
the word
Joshua 1:8 (RSVCE)
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.
2 Timothy 3:16 (RSVCE)
6 All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
Prayer
John 15:7 (RSVCE)
7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
Philippians 4:6-7 (RSVCE)
6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
Fellowship
1 John 1:3 (RSVCE)
3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Planting seeds/working for God
Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
1 Corinthians 15:58
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Be Inspired! 