Friday, October 9, 2009

God measures success on Faith, Hope, and Love

Saturday, October 10, 2009
The Joyful Mysteries
Joel 4:12-21
Psalm 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12
Luke 11:27-28

Although the Gospel reading is brief, it bears a host of conditions. The "Word of God" in Christ's statement refers to Himself, sent into the world to show us that it is obedience to God's Word that conquers evil and achieves true peace on earth.

Peace, however, comes at a cost to "self", because it is based upon love that requires self-denial and self-giving. Love also requires another difficult condition. Since God forgives our many transgressions, He requires us to do the same for others who have sinned against us. Holding grudges and seeking vengeance only prolongs and intensifies a hatred and anger that is as harmful to our own minds and bodies as to our enemies'. Love is the basis of God's law fulfilled by reconciliation and the rebuilding of injured relationships; but better still, by our never doing harm to another.

How sincerely and simply that unknown woman raised her voice to praise the mother of Jesus. I'm sure that from heaven, Mary has become close to her! And I'm sure that Mary in no way resented the response of her Son--for Mary's whole life was a meditation on the words of the Angel Gabriel, and a living out of the plans of Providence. Blessed are they who hear the Word of God and keep it!

With our work ethic, we are so intent on measuring success in terms of action, while God measures success in terms of faith, hope and love. It is far more important for God to see the intentions of our hearts, and to measure the value of our service in terms of His own unconditional love for us. Without in any way diminishing the greatness of His mother, He greatly increases it by identifying the source of its power--doing always the Will of the Father, even when it seems contradictory to one's vows--in Mary's case, that of virginity. And God blessed her for her blind trust--and graced her with both virginity and motherhood.

If only we could saturate our hearts with the Word of God, putting His Will before our own plans and ambitions, then we too would be blessed beyond measure with the praise of Jesus and the reward of God the Father.

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"I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it.

I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor:
the first — by deed, the second — by word, the third — by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy.

Many souls ... are often worried because they do not have the material means with which to carry out an act of mercy. Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul.

If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgment with their mercy".