What is precious in your life? Are your priorities aligned with that which is precious? How precious is God in your life? Let us reflect on God’s Holy Word and seek wisdom, striving to understand what Jesus sees as precious.

“Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.” Proverbs 3:15

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10

“The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” Proverbs 4:7

We can say we love God, but our choices may say otherwise. Let us pray for God’s wisdom to look at our lives with a fresh perspective to seek to understand if we are truly pursuing God’s Holy Will.

I recall early in my career being invited to what was referred to as a “Women’s Power Lunch”. At these events, women would listen to powerful female leaders speak about what it takes to climb the career ladder and become a corporate executive. I was told that I had executive potential and that I should meet some powerful female mentors. I recall listening to a woman describe some of the sacrifices she had made to get to the executive suite. As I listened to her describe her divorce and family sacrifices I realized I did not want to make those sorts of sacrifices to become a senior executive. It was the last women’s power lunch I attended.

I began to look for other mentors. My immediate family was not devout, but my paternal grandmother was very devout. She was a feisty little woman, a dairy farmer and a mid-wife that always had a Rosary around her arm. I recall visiting her in Italy seeing her milk her cows and pray at the same time. She was the most humble person I had ever met. She lived with her daughter, my aunt, in a large Italian villa with many rooms. Many of the rooms had little balconies you could walk out on, but she chose for herself the tiniest of rooms that to me looked like a walk-in closet. She said that was the room she wanted! Why? I couldn’t figure her out; she was a mystery to me but I never forgot how she taught me to pray in Italian the prayers of the Rosary as a little girl. She was a simple, devout, woman of God. I decided that my grandmother Margherita and the Virgin Mary would be my ‘female mentors’ and I began to pray the Rosary too.

As I learned to pray the Rosary I learned to meditate on the mysteries of God. At first I didn’t want to contemplate the Passion of Christ because I didn’t want to think about Jesus suffering, but Jesus continued to encourage me with two words spoken to my heart. The two words were “Honour Me.” So to honour Jesus I began taking the Walk to Calvary about fifteen years ago. It was during this sacred walk that I fell in love with Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. As I witnessed Jesus suffer torture and crucifixion I began to suffer too. I grieved my sins and realized how much Jesus loved me and you and all of us!

The more I contemplated the Passion of Christ the more this Scripture became real to me:

“We love because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

Priorities and Personal Sacrifices need to be aligned to that which is PRECIOUS in our life.

I ultimately realized that which is most precious is God!

The first commandment of God is this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30

Jesus is now FIRST in my life. I acknowledge Jesus as my Saviour, my Lord, my God, my Inspiration and the source of every Blessing and Grace. I receive Him in the Sacrament of Love, the Eucharist and always remember the Words of St. Paul: “For if you eat the bread or drink the cup without honoring the body of Christ, you are eating and drinking God’s judgment upon yourself.” 1 Corinthians 11:29

We are to be God’s Cup of Blessing in the world. Jesus died to redeem us, to purify us and to fill us with His Divine Spirit of Love so we can draw all people to Him.

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.” 1 PETER 1: 18-22

The second commandment of God is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:31

There are many Muslims in the Philippines risking their lives right now to help their Christian neighbours escape ISIS persecution in the city of Marawi. Source: http://www.faithwire.com/2017/06/05/muslims-in-philippines-risking-lives-to-help-dozens-of-christians-escape-isis-persecution/  Thank you Muslim brothers and sisters! I love you!

I often think about these Words of Jesus: “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” Matthew 12:50

If we want to be God’s children then we MUST DO GOD’S HOLY WILL and OBEY GOD’S COMMANDMENTS.

“This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.” 1 John 3:10

HUMAN LIFE IS PRECIOUS to God and we must continue to pray for an end to persecution and violence, especially persecution in the Name of God.

To those who continue to kill and persecute innocent people, Jesus would say this: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44

Jesus strived to make things simple for us by giving us two commandments: Love God and Love one another. But obeying these instructions is only possible through the power of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

The Precious Transformative Divine Power is God’s Holy Spirit Living in the Hearts of His People

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”   2 Peter 1: 3-11

Let Jesus be the center of your life and He will give you His divine nature so you can conquer temptation and align your priorities with that which is precious to God.

“With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27

Fall in love with Jesus by contemplating His Passion. Join Christians, all over the world that are uniting to pray for peace and an end to violence in our world. We are uniting daily @ the Time Jesus died for us, 3pm (in our local time zones). This mission to pray for peace and remember the Passion of Our Lord Jesus is PRECIOUS TO GOD. Please join in and discover the power of our united prayers. Love will conquer! Believe, have faith in Jesus, hope in Him and keep praying, forgiving and loving God and one another for that is PRECIOUS TO GOD!